A walk around Tbilisi

One of the key historical cities in the world, which, in addition to the original culture of Georgia, absorbed particles of the historical past under the influence of Arabs, Persians, Ottomans, and later Europeans and Russians. This is one of those places that Pushkin, Lermontov, Tolstoy, Griboyedov, Tchaikovsky, Gorky, Chaliapin and many other classics of Russian and world literature, music and painting loved very much. Like for many centuries, this city attracts the creative intelligentsia, which always remains outside of political conventions and restrictions.

The first thing that excites is the variety of architecture, which tells about the huge history of the city. One moment you feel like you're somewhere in the Middle East, the other in modern Europe. 

Each of the places associatively takes you to hundreds of visited cities around the world. But still, it is an absolutely unique and authentic city.

The historic buildings are adjacent to the magnificent palaces of the 19th century

You can endlessly admire the colonnades propping up historical buildings.

Magnificent decoration of shop windows and cafes

Squares and squares where young people gather in the evenings.

But special attention is focused on the details. 

The city is divided into several districts, which, it seemed to me, reflect their era. At the same time, the transitions are so imperceptible that you do not have time to feel how you turn out to be completely different from one world.

The buildings tell about the resistance of the people, protests and the desire to choose their own path: these are graffiti-painted walls, chipped symbols of the Soviet past, and many flags.

But still, my view focuses on the architecture of the early 20th century. Each of the buildings tells us about the value of that time. Bas-reliefs, cornices, porticos, balconies can be viewed for hours.

One of the modern places is the Peace Bridge, which, although it causes a lot of controversy, is definitely one of the central places of the current city center. I would call it a bridge between the past and the future, which embodies the connection of epochs.

The bridge offers excellent views of the city, Rike Park and, of course, the Kura River.

Outdoor cafes with open verandas. Tight seating for guests, open menus and inviting hostesses. And at this moment you feel like you are in Istanbul.

At the same time, once in the Chugureti area, the cafes already resemble European streets.

It is difficult to imagine the number of cultures and times concentrated in this area.

Flea markets open in the city on weekends, where you can buy from old utensils to priceless historical artifacts.

A little away from the city there is an interesting monument "Chronicle of Georgia", created by Zurab Tsereteli in 1985. Majestic and monumental.

Its observation deck offers a view of the Tbilisi Reservoir, or as it is popularly called — the "Tbilisi Sea".

In a day and a half, we didn't manage to see as much as we would like. I would advise you to stock up on more time. In addition, it is worth considering that the historical part of the city is located on a hill, so you will have to walk (and walk a lot) along the slides. A large number of pavements will require good shoes. As for the time of year to visit – May turned out to be a great period, the temperature was about 20 degrees.

This is a really beautiful and busy city. One of those cities in the world that is definitely worth visiting. And another small recommendation is to communicate in English. Despite the fact that the country was part of the Russian Empire and then the USSR for almost two centuries, more than 36 years have passed since the country gained independence. Unfortunately, the younger generations have not all retained their knowledge of the Russian language.

From Tbilisi, I went to Armenia (which will be described in separate publications), but the return trip took me through the cities of Borjomi, Batumi, Poti and Kutaisi. They will be discussed in the following publications.