Georgia detailed trip report. Trip to Georgia by car: Georgian Military Road. What to see in Georgia

And when will we get to Georgia? Until we get there, I’m releasing a guest post by Oksana Zolotnitsyna. Oksana runs a beautiful, light, exciting travel blog “Easy to climb”. There are stories about personal travel and photos from personal archive. There is a whole section about Georgia. Come, watch, read. It's interesting there! And now a post for those who have never been to Georgia, but dream, wish and are even planning to.

Planning a trip to Georgia. What you need to know

A few years ago, road trips appeared in our lives. The whole family liked long car trips so much that now we plan such outings every year without fail. Last year we reached Georgia.

It was not a trip, but a complete delight! Very few countries can seriously sink into the soul, Georgia is one of them. In some incomprehensible way, everything worked out perfectly. We climbed the mountains, descended into caves, swam in the sea, walked around Tbilisi and Batumi, drank Georgian wine and ate…..oh, what we didn’t eat.

It’s strange, but the first question that friends and acquaintances asked us was: “how do they treat Russians there?” I will definitely answer this question, and also tell you what to look for when planning a trip to Georgia.

Visa regime in Georgia

Well, what can I say... Visa regime with Georgia the most loyal. If you stay in the country for less than 90 days, a visa is not required. You will only need a foreign passport and documents for the car if you are going on a road trip. None health insurance and they didn’t ask us for green cards at the border either. Agree that at the current euro-dollar exchange rate, savings on visas will be significant.

Before the trip, it is better to monitor the information on the documents again. Entry conditions may change.

How to get to Georgia

The fastest way to get to Tbilisi is by plane. international Airport There is also one in Batumi, but the flight will cost a little more.
For motorists, there is only one border crossing near Vladikavkaz - Daryali. There is no need to count on the Abkhazia-Georgia border. Relations between the countries are, to put it mildly, strained.
There is nothing difficult about crossing the border by car. First you need to go through the Russian checkpoint, then the Georgian one. They will ask you a few questions, look at your documents and put a stamp on your passport.
Traveling by car has its own charm. Along the way, you can see quite a lot of sights; the Georgian military road alone is worth it.

Money in Georgia

In Georgia, lari are used (1 lari ≈ 30 rubles). There are plenty of exchangers everywhere, each with its own exchange rate. To travel, it is not at all necessary to exchange rubles for dollars or euros. Our Russian wooden ones are also easily exchanged for lari. Here is another significant advantage - there is no double currency conversion. I found the most favorable rate in Tbilisi, but at the border it is better to exchange very little money.

In cafes and shops they accept payment bank cards, the conversion rate is quite acceptable.

Housing in Georgia

All markers have different tastes and colors, but it seemed to me that it is better to rent apartments in Georgia, for example, through Airbnb. Booking also has good options. Georgia welcomes tourists in a very homely way, and you will be even more comfortable in an apartment.

Our trip took place in September, and I did not notice any difficulties when booking accommodation. I’ll even say more: we found several options for spending the night right along the route.

To understand the prices, I will give the cost of our studio apartment in Kobuleti. For three days we paid 160 lari, approximately 4,800 rubles. 1600 per day, provided three people stay, this is very good.

Here are accommodation options in Georgia with prices and reviews:

The language barrier. What language do they use to communicate with tourists in Georgia?

The language barrier? What is this? It is practically invisible in Georgia. Russian speech is understood very well, especially by older people. Young people speak more English.

I didn’t experience any difficulties in the store either. Many products are Russian or the description is duplicated in our native language.

In short, Georgia is the option when you can forget that you are going abroad.

Security in Georgia

It's time to answer the "relationship" question. So, how do they treat Russians in Georgia? Yes, good! Locals They are friendly, they will always help, they will show you the way. And in general, I believe that a bad attitude towards Russians is prejudice. I’ll tell you a secret that a huge mass of people simply don’t give a damn about politics))). You need to watch less TV.

Georgian cuisine

Oh, there’s “hold me seven” and “goodbye waist.” In Georgia they eat a lot of baked goods and meat. In general, Georgians love to eat delicious food and know how to cook meat magically.

Local Georgian flavor

ABOUT! This point is very clearly expressed in the driving style. Something unimaginable is happening on the road in Tbilisi. Everyone honks and cuts each other off, and pedestrians completely ignore crosswalks. Georgians are very emotional and you just need to get used to it.

What to see in Georgia

Surprisingly, Georgia can satisfy the tastes of even the most sophisticated traveler. There is sea and mountains, natural and historical sites.

If you want mountains, then welcome to Svaneti! There is incredible nature here and mysterious towers. Unfortunately, we did not reach this region of Georgia, but there will be a reason to return.

If you want to lie on the beach, then you have a direct route to Batumi or Kobuleti. Batumi is chic modern resort, and Kobuleti is calm and quiet.

Interested natural objects, visit the cave city of Vardzia or visit the Martvili Canyon.

What is Georgia without wine? For “wine flavor”, go to Kakheti. It is here that you can see endless vineyards and even go on a tour of a winery.

You cannot remain silent and say nothing at all about Tbilisi or, as the capital is called in the old way - Tiflis. Allow at least 2-3 days for the city. You will be surprised at the interesting juxtaposition of history and modernity.

Our Big Tour 2018 can be roughly divided into three independent parts: 1/ road to Georgia (our path from Moscow to the Georgian border), 2/ travel around Georgia, 3/ acquaintance with the Caucasian Mineral Waters + road home. But before talking about the trip to the Caucasus in chronological order, it is worth dwelling on general points, such as:

(including budget),

This is the "mosaic" that makes up each independent travel. What was the main stumbling block for me in traveling abroad, and specifically to Georgia, was that I did not see the outline of the trip, I could not imagine it. It is always difficult to go to an unfamiliar country, because there are only questions in your head - where, how, what, how much.

So, how it all started and what it resulted into - this is the first part of the report on our first trip to Georgia by car.

How it all started

Each big Adventure begins with a Big Dream, a passionate desire. Having returned from last year, I realized that next time I wanted to go to the mountains in the summer, to the Caucasus. Plans were ripening in my head - Kabardino-Balkaria (Nalchik, Chegem Gorge, Elbrus), Karachay-Cherkessia (Dombay, Arkhyz), North Ossetia-Alania (Vladikavkaz), even timid thoughts about Chechnya surfaced. The route was not yet ready, the main points had not been chosen, but the cities of the Caucasian Mineral Waters were definitely included in the plans.
And at Christmas, while discussing a future vacation with our friends, Karina and Sasha, we started talking about Georgia (the guys also planned to go to the Caucasus). Sasha suggested: “Let’s go to Georgia for a day. No, for three. Or maybe for a week!” How are Big Travels born? Like this, in the cozy restaurant "Garmoshka" in Voronezh (write down the address:...(just kidding). :)
Initially, Karina developed a week-long itinerary. Parallel to it is the second one - 12 days. Hotels were booked in Georgia and Russia for both routes. As a result, the trip around Georgia turned out to be even longer - 14 days. We can safely say that Karina and Sasha discovered Georgia for us, for which we thank them very much!

Road to Batumi

international passport

Right after New Year's holidays We also started processing foreign passports. Kostya was registered on the website /www.gosuslugi.ru, so he could easily and simply fill out forms for himself and Sonya directly on the website (see here: www.gosuslugi.ru/10051/1), thus simplifying the process and significantly saving on state duty.
I couldn't register right away. Due to the change in the name of the authority that issued me a general passport, I could not get confirmation of my account on the State Services website, and without this I would not be able to fill out the application form for a foreign passport. I had to write a letter to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the issue was resolved. BUT by this time I had already filled out the application form downloaded from the Internet for a new type of international passport and, alas, paid the fee in full.
The cost of the state fee for a new type of international passport in 2018 (through State Services/full price): for adults: 2450/3500 rubles, for children: 1050/1500 rubles.
Well, then we went to the OVIR with the documents. You will find a complete list of documents for obtaining a new generation foreign passport on the website forms.rf.
A month later we received a passport in our hands.

Travel statistics

Team:.

Lucas family: Galina, Konstantin and our daughter Sofia;
Five of us traveled around Georgia in two cars: Karina and Alexander and us

In the Sno Valley

Duration:

25 days/24 nights;
the total number of trips between cities where there were overnight stays is 15.

Stages of the Grand Tour by number of days:

- 4 days/4 nights;
Georgian holidays - 14 days/14 nights;
Caucasian Mineral Waters + road home - 7 days/6 nights.

Mileage:

total mileage (from home to home) ~ 6,500 km.

Frequently asked question: What cards were used in Georgia?
We didn’t bother with this topic at all. Kostya has Google maps loaded on his phone. They were used.

Travel budget

In 25 days we spent about 140 thousand rubles, which is comparable to all our travels in the southern direction (Gelendzhik, Anapa, Sochi, Crimea) in previous years (2014 - 2017), when in 3.5 weeks we spent 120 - 130 thousand roubles.

Main expense items:
- hotels - 62,360 rub. (of which in Russia 24,940, in Georgia - 1,386 lari (37,400 rubles). average price per day 2600 rub./for three,
- food - no clear statistics; approximately 50 thousand (average spending per day is 2,000 rubles),
- gasoline -23 thousand.
Not the main (one-time or minor) expenses - insurance when entering Georgia, SIM cards, fruits, wine, excursions, taxis, sightseeing.
Almost zero expenses - souvenirs, shopping.

Old Tbilisi

Frequently asked question: What money did you bring to Georgia?
Until we left, we were thinking: should we change rubles for euros or dollars or not? Should I go with cash or with a card? They procrastinated and, like the absent-minded one from Basseynaya Street, forgot about it altogether. Yes, that's how great we are! And they remembered about the money only when they approached the Georgian border. :) As a result, we had approximately 30 thousand rubles in cash on hand; we managed to transfer a small part of the money in advance to a euro account on a VTB card (300 €). The main money ended up in rubles on VTB and Sberbank cards. I experienced some shock from the fact that we did not withdraw money from the cards, but we tested all the options on ourselves. :)
Rubles in cash are good. Euro on a card is great. Rubles on a VTB card are excellent (VTB Bank is the only Russian bank that exists in Georgia). Rubles on a Sberbank card are fine, BUT you will lose some amount on commission. In general... I won’t open America - the more money (in any form) the better. :)
Money in lari was withdrawn from VTB ATMs, which are available everywhere in Georgia (addresses of ATMs and VTB branches: https://vtb.ge/ru/about-the-bank/branches-and-atms).

VTB ATM in Telavi

Route:

"Moscow region (house) - Voronezh(1 night) - Rostov-on-Don(1 night) - Kropotkin - Pyatigorsk(1 night) - Nalchik - Vladikavkaz(1 night) - Russian-Georgian border - Georgian Military Road - Sno - Mtskheta(1 night) - Tbilisi(2 nights) - Mukhrani - Gori - Borjomi(1 night) -Tskhaltubo - Kutaisi(2 nights) - Ureki - Batumi(3 nights)- Tbilisi(1 night) - Sighnaghi - Kvareli - Telavi(2 nights) - Tsinandali - Tbilisi(1 night) - Stepantsminda(1 night) - Russian-Georgian border - Nalchik - Elbrus region - Pyatigorsk(5 nights) - Zheleznovodsk - Essentuki - Kislovodsk - Kamensk-Shakhtinsky(1 night) - Moscow region (house)".

Georgian part The route is built completely logically. With some changes, we will move the same way next time - first Tbilisi, on the way to the sea Borjomi and Kutaisi, Batumi, at the very end the wine region of Kakheti (Telavi, Sighnaghi), where we buy wine and go home to drink it. :) Just for a wider acquaintance with the sights and relaxation in the future, we plan to increase the number of overnight stays, and, accordingly, the length of the trip around Georgia to 3 - 3.5 weeks. This 14-day route is very dynamic and scenic. Introductory.

Bagrati Temple in Kutaisi

Along the entire travel route in Georgia, Karina prepared for us lists of attractions (what we need and can see along the way, in the city, in the surrounding area) with coordinates and lists of cafes/restaurants with addresses. Karina did a great job. And I really hope that she will publish all this treasure with her wonderful photographs on our blog.

Walking around Old Tbilisi

Concerning mineralovodskaya part tour - we built it on the principle of “4 days - 4 cities”. We lived in the same hotel and went to see the city every day. The task - to get acquainted with the Caucasian Mineral Waters - has been completed. This resort region I like it. It doesn't look like anything, and that's why it's beautiful. In every city you need to live, relax, go to procedures, drink mineral water, take a leisurely walk, and consistently see the sights. This is exactly how I see an ideal stay here. For health purposes, I am looking at cozy Essentuki. With a recreational and walking area - Kislovodsk. This is the most modern resort of the four. Zheleznovodsk Park has sunk into my soul.

Park in Zheleznovodsk

Initially, I thought of a different route for the Grand Tour. I booked hotels in Essentuki (Hotel "Resort"), Kislovodsk (Hotel "Sultan"), Pyatigorsk (Gold Star Hotel). Look at the hotels via the links, maybe someone will find it useful.

The start of the trip had to be changed a few days before the start. At the end of May, our daughter fell ill, and we could not leave on June 1. We started on the 3rd. The child has not yet fully recovered; it would be difficult to travel to Rostov-on-Don in one burst. We had to make an additional stop - in Voronezh.
The third, final, part of the Grand Tour changed during the journey. The force majeure situation with the hotel in the Elbrus region led to adjustments to the original plans, including changing the route, canceling hotels, and the date of return home.

Countries and regions:

9 regions of Russia:
- Moscow, Tula, Lipetsk, Voronezh, Rostov region, Krasnodar and Stavropol territories, the republics of Kabardino-Balkaria and North Ossetia-Alania.

The Caucasian regions are very interesting and unlike anything else. Come, don't be afraid. Although, of course, there is definitely increased attention to cars with Moscow license plates. We were stopped for checks more often than the guys (they are from Krasnodar). Traffic cops can make tricks, such as an invisible (or even missing) sign on a one-way street.

The statue of St. George the Victorious jumps out of the rock. Alagir. Kabardino-Balkaria

8 regions of Georgia:
- Tbilisi, Mtskheta-Mtianeti (Stepantsminda, Mtskheta), Shida-Kartli (Gori), Imereti (Kutaisi), Samtskhe-Javakheti (Borjomi), Guria (Ureki), Adjara (Batumi), Kakheti (Telavi, Kvareli, Sighnaghi).

Cozy streets of Sighnaghi

We traveled through almost all regions of Georgia. Haven't been to Svaneti. But we will certainly correct this omission next time.

Road to Georgia (roads)

From Moscow to Georgia we drove along the following roads:

M4 "Don" (runs from Moscow to Krasnodar region),
P217 (formerly M29) "Caucasus" (goes from Pavlovskaya to M4 "Don" to the border with Azerbaijan),
A301 (Beslan - Nizhny Lars highway to the border with Georgia)

Highway M4 "Don"

We drove around Georgia using the navigator without any problems. Georgia small country compared to Russia. Moving from city to city is not exhausting. Vice versa. Wherever we went, there were interesting sights along the way. To be honest, my head was spinning from the beauty of Georgia and the number of new impressions. And it seems that I have only now come to my senses.

Hotels

During the trip we stayed in 14 hotels: 5 in Russia and 9 in Georgia. We stayed in one of the hotels, Maske, twice.
We booked accommodation for June in January!

10 features of hotels in Georgia: Personal observations. Adviсe:

Forget about large hotels from 3 to 5 stars, about chain hotels of global chains, etc. In Georgia, they cost unrealistic money for an ordinary tourist and traveler. Our niche is guests ( guest houses), mini-hotels, apartments.
Guests and apartments only pay in cash. Don't forget to withdraw money from your card in advance.
Forget about the free cancellation rule a day or two before arrival. In Georgian guest houses and apartments, free cancellation of reservations is common 14 or even 30 days before arrival. And in some places they may ask for prepayment a week before arrival - I often encountered this when searching for hotels.
Gests are small. The rooms in them are piecemeal. Often desired number there is a single copy. Everything is sorted out quickly. Book accommodation in Georgia in advance - at least six months before your trip.
IN each Of the hotels we booked there were 3-bed rooms. The fact that in Russia is rather an exception (we mostly have two-room apartments everywhere), in Georgia is the rule. Georgians are aimed at family travelers. Accommodation for a large family (4-5 people) is also not a problem.
The cost of Family 3-bed rooms is quite budgetary, not much different from 2-bed rooms. Again I will compare it with Russia. We usually put an extra charge in double rooms for a child. place. And in 70% of cases it costs from 1,000 to 1,500 rubles. It turns out to be an unaffordable amount of 4,000 and above. In Georgia, living for a family with a child will cost less.
If you want to live in Batumi in walking distance to the sea, book an apartment ( good hotels There are roads here and hotels like hostels are not of interest to everyone). For example, Panorama Batumi Apartments or Apartment in old Batumi. Here you can stay inexpensively, even with a large family, and you can walk to the sea and attractions.
The owners of Georgian guest houses are hospitable people. If you come out of your shell, you will get additional pleasure from your stay, get to know Georgia better, and make friends. No offense to ours, the Georgian owners are fundamentally completely different people.
Breakfast in guest houses is a different story. They are often not included in the price of your stay. They cost 10-12, sometimes 15 lari, which is quite decent for us - 260-300. But in some places these are such amazing - delicious, generous, atmospheric - breakfasts on the open terrace that you don’t mind spending any money.
The weakest point of the guest rooms is the bathroom. I don’t know why, but often with a large comfortable room there is a cramped bathroom with cheap plumbing and a hole in the floor instead of a full shower.

Quick search in the article:

___________________________________

Delighted, I will return without hesitation;

Great, there are primary benefits;

Okay, but there are some important disadvantages;

!!! - they are deceiving you, you will stay on the street.

Voronezh. Holiday Inn Hotel
Rostov-on-Don. Hotel "Leon"
Pyatigorsk.. Business hotel"Musk"
Vladikavkaz. Mini Hotel "Kamelia-V"
Mtskheta. Hotel Old Capital
Tbilisi. Hotel "Horse horse"
Borjomi. Guest House Four Seasons
Kutaisi. Hotel

Now everyone asks me two ironclad questions about Georgia. The first of them is how much did the vacation cost, how much does it cost? That's right, the right question.

In general, planning a trip to Georgia is very easy. It is beautifully presented on the Internet thanks to the efforts of enthusiasts from the CIS countries. A short Google search will turn up pages like:

http://za7gorami.ru/skolko-stoit-otdyh-v-gruzii-ceny - wonderful.

- excellent report, a lot of posts on all aspects of the trip.

http://travelgeorgia.ru/ - there are no words at all, the best site about Georgia, in my opinion, with all the useful information.

In relation to my trip, a lot can be found on http://www.gudauri.ru/ and http://gudauri.travel/.

. With all the details and prices.

Having studied the Internet, we arrived quite prepared. We made printouts with information and walking routes. There was even a surprise: we were asked to bring Svan hats, I wrote to Svaneti how much they cost - “35-40 lari” was the answer, but in Tbilisi they cost 5 lari. Souvenirs in Tbilisi are half cheaper than at the resort and at “iconic” attractions like Svetitskhoveli.

A few of my impressions.
Travel budget:
1000 rubles - souvenirs that you need to take with you, how could you do without it.
213 hryvnia - train Kharkov-Kyiv-Kharkov.
150 hryvnia - expenses in Ukraine.
310 dollars - flight Kyiv-Tbilisi-Kyiv.
10-15 euros - drinks and beer bars at the airport in Mukhina.
20 dollars - transfer to Gudauri one way (the return was free).
20 dollars - excursion to Mtskheta-Tbilisi in the middle of the gurney (should not be neglected).
$30x8 days = $240 - housing with two meals a day.
197 GEL - ski lifts.
150-200 dollars - expenses and souvenirs.

In the picture there is a lari. One lari is 18 rubles. Each lari contains 100 tetri. All around there are lari, lari. Tetri, tetri. The hardest thing was to get used to the fact that laris are not hryvnia. If 10 hryvnia is zilch by Russian standards, then the same amount of lari is already a sum. And these pieces of paper fly away in exactly the same way.

GEL exchange rate at Tbilisi airport. 100 rubles - 5.2 lari. In the city it’s a little better, they changed at 5.35. The difference is not significant at all.

How much does something cost? If you want to eat, then the cheapest and Georgian option is, of course, khinkali. By the way, when I saw Khinkali and Pelmeni in the English-Georgian menu, I realized that dumplings are a Georgian word! But you don’t need to go there for dumplings, but one khinkalina costs 60 Georgian tetri - 10 Russian rubles. If you eat 5-7 pieces, you won’t want to eat until the morning. On the Internet they write: I can eat 10, but for me 15 is not a question. Damn, you can eat at least twenty of them. You'll burst and won't try other Georgian dishes. Here is the menu in one cafe:

Another menu. Illustrated is better. Imagine the character and size of the dish. The last one is important. In doubtful cases, it is better to resort to the help of waiters, although this is also not a panacea. I expected the Adjarian khachapuri “boat” to be the size of a palm. Instead, they brought an A4 size product... further food was pointless. But it helps if you wash down your food with Borjom. The cost of kebab is indicated not per 100 grams, but per serving (300 grams). In general, re-ordering there is a no-brainer. We got burned twice. I think even those who go on gastronomic tourism find it difficult to leave more than 500 rubles for a meal in a restaurant. It's simply impossible to eat so much.

When you see the bill, you fall into a stupor...

...especially when the total amount is 6 lari less than the invoice. Honestly, I only noticed it later, already in the photo. We don’t need someone else’s... In any case, we compensated with tips. The score is for three. Having eaten too much, they rolled away in little buns.

What else? Homemade wine - 10 GEL per liter (bought from Rezo, but more often poured this way), chacha in a cafe - too. Doses of chacha less than half a liter, in my opinion, are not measured in money at all. I ordered 200 grams and heard in response: “Take half a liter, the money will be the same.” Factory-made, bottled wine starts from 5 GEL - so-so by local standards, by our standards - normal, wine like wine. Guaranteed wonderful - from 20 GEL. The best Georgian cognac "Sarajishvili" - 22 lari per half liter. Getting around the city by metro and public transport- 50 tetri. Mobile Georgian Beeline costs 10 GEL per SIM card, 3 on your account, lasts a long time. The products in the stores are the same as ours. There are probably no expensive restaurants in Georgia at all; they are all equally “average”, as in the color menu above, and delicious. Even in Tbilisi, on the main avenue named after Shota Rustaveli, go into any one, don’t be afraid.

Everything is on the Internet, in a word. I don't know why I wrote all this. It's just one of two ironclad questions. Once they ask, you have to answer. I don’t argue that we haven’t seen much yet, but we’ll share what we’ve seen. In the next post I will answer the second iron question about Georgia.

Day three. While we were going on excursions, a friend of mine from social networks sent an SMS that he had found a suitable apartment for us in Batumi and would meet us in the morning in Makhinjauri (a suburb of Batumi - the final stop of the train). Three-room apartment in the water park area in a new building with a very good renovation on the 13th floor, 10 minutes to the sea, with all amenities. Cost $90.

View from the balcony of our apartment.

True, the elevator did not work and was never repaired. But since we decided to thoroughly try Georgian cuisine, we counted this as a plus.

Beach holiday

First of all we went to the sea. Beach in Batumi.

The pebbles are very large and, given the waves, we crawled out with bruises on our knees. But the sea is warm.

We wandered around the city a little in search of Beeline SIM cards (we needed two more to communicate with each other), but we never found them.

We went to the sea again. We rested a bit, walked along the embankment and went to the Adjarian House restaurant. The restaurant is located on Lake Ardagan, there are many positive reviews about it on the Internet, our taxi driver also recommended it. The order was made through a waiter-translator. We ordered a lot, but we didn’t finish it all. Paid ~55$. The firs crawled out from behind the table.

Adjarian khachapuri (the most delicious of all khachapuri).

Fried trout.

Ojakhuri is a national Georgian dish consisting of fried meat and potatoes.

On the same small artificial lake Ardagan near the embankment, there are singing fountains.

After a hearty dinner, we returned home by taxi for $2.5.

Batumi sightseeing

This fourth day was devoted to the study of Batumi. We took a city bus to cable car(you buy a bus ticket from the driver, it costs around one lari, and you compost it in a composter). We finally managed to buy SIM cards in the seaport area. There are many exchange offices, shops, minibus stops, and a Goodwill supermarket.

Batumi cable car.

Observation deck at the top.

Having gone downstairs, we walked along the streets of the old city to see the main attractions of Batumi. Here the map of Batumi I printed out at home was very useful to me, where I marked all the objects that interested me.

The famous Piazza.

Unique astronomical clock on the old bank of Batumi.

Sculpture of Medea with the Golden Fleece on Er (Argonauts) Square.

In the same area there is the Khareba wine house (K. Gamsakhurdia/Melashvili, 28/30), where we stocked up on wine.

Tower of the Georgian alphabet 130 meters high in the "Park of Miracles".

Free Chacha Fountain or Chacha Tower 25 meters high.

View of sea port from the Ferris wheel.

Moving sculpture of Ali and Nino's love.

Embankment.

There is a bicycle path along the entire embankment; you can rent bicycles. We took this one:

And they were stopped by a policeman for riding in the wrong bike lane.

There are many free exercise equipment located on the embankment. In general, Georgians are sporty people. In the morning, many people run, ride bicycles, and exercise on exercise machines. There are many football fields everywhere, where children play football at any time of the day and in any weather.

We took a rented train to the colonnades. There is a children's playground and another singing fountain. Since it was not yet dark and the fountain was not working, we decided to eat and return to the fountain.

We went to the Laguna cafe (Gorgiladze St., 18), where, according to many, they make the most delicious khachapuri. We ordered one large and one small. The big one was simply huge, we took it with us and ate it for another two days.

This is what a big khachapuri looks like.

And this is a small khachapur.

On the way home we played chess.

We looked at the singing fountain.

We found the streets being cleaned with some kind of huge vacuum cleaner.

We met a patrolling policeman in a golf cart.

Shopping to Turkey from Georgia

Knowing that visas were cancelled, we couldn’t help but go to Turkey for shopping. Day five. We took a city bus to the cable car, exchanged laris for liras and began to look for a minibus to Sarpi. Minibuses to the border stop just up the street (Tbilisi Square), the fare costs $0.5. After crossing the border, take a minibus to Kemalpasha and get off when the driver shouts “Istanbul Bazaar”, the fare costs a little less than a dollar, the ride takes 7-10 minutes.

On the left side is the Istanbul Bazaar shopping center, which contains almost all the good and famous Turkish brands at reasonable prices. IN mall There are snack bars, fast food and a children's playground. Up the street is located market town, where there are many shops with cheap clothes and other small items. There is no need to exchange lari for lira; lari are accepted everywhere. We only needed the liras to eat at the shopping center.

After loading up and crossing the border back, we decided to swim in Sarpi, where, according to reports, there should have been the cleanest sea. We went down to the sea. I have never seen so much garbage in the sea anywhere. We decided to take a taxi and get to Kvariati (cost $5.5). It's a little better, but still terrible. Probably it was just such a day and we were unlucky. We somehow swam and returned by taxi to Batumi ($5.5).

Photo by Kvariati.

In the evening, our familiar taxi driver came to pick us up and took us to Kobuleti. Here the first surprise awaited us.

Paid elevator (we are on the 9th floor). You throw a coin and he goes, and sometimes you throw a coin and he doesn't go. Like this. We mostly walked, which is good for us with so much food.

The second surprise was in the form of an uncleaned apartment, which became especially obvious in the morning.

This part of the report was written online, so there are a lot of fresh emotions here. For example, about how we watched a bull duel, about how Kesha was bitten by dogs, about our impressions of Vladikavkaz, the border of Ossetia and Georgia and the Georgian Military Road. And also about how in local guest houses it is customary to lock rooms. Actually, about how our trip around Georgia by car began.

Continuation of day 6, July 23

Having left Vladikavkaz, we drove 30 kilometers in an hour - that’s exactly how much from my aunt’s house to the border of Russia and Georgia (the Upper Lars road crossing known to many). At the border we saw a tail of cars a kilometer long. We found out that: “It won’t take long, we’ll walk in about two hours.” People are allowed to cross the Russian-Georgian border without queuing, who has either a child under one year old in the car (age is determined visually by a strict Ossetian policeman) or a disabled person. The child, disabled person and car number are photographed and allowed through to the customs terminal. You will still have to stand in line at the terminal - there are no benefits here, they only apply to the “tail” at the entrance.

The border has opening hours - from 5 am to 20 pm Moscow time. On the Ossetian side, the crossing is closed at 19:00, but on the Georgian side, the border is open around the clock for entry into Russia.

We joined the queue of those wishing to enter Georgia at 14:00, and passed control at 16:25. By local standards it went quickly; usually the stay here lasts about 4-5 hours.

Between the Ossetian and Georgian checkpoints there is complete chaos - a narrow road along which everyone travels, no matter what. Traffic jams form, making you angry to the point of nervousness.

But we get stamps from Georgian customs instantly, faster than the Finns. But here, unlike the Finnish border, the driver and passengers go through control separately, in different booths.

And finally we are in Georgia by car. Gamarjoba! We drive along the Georgian Military Road and go to the first attraction - the Gergeti Sameba Church.

You can drive to the Gergeti Sameba through the village of Stepantsminda, known as Kazbegi. Most tourists climb to the church on foot (5 km). Local residents offer to take us to the top (altitude 2,200 km) in SUVs, but we got there relatively calmly in a Duster. There are tents near the church, cows are grazing, and you can already feel the local flavor very strongly, although there are not so many Georgians here. The faces of tourists smile internationally with European smiles. The only pity is that clouds are running across the sky, and Kazbek is completely hidden by them.

We set up camp right here - it’s already 19:00 and it will soon get dark. We have dinner, go to bed early and sleep under the howling wind. I must say that there are a lot of “tent campers” here. Someone starts or ends their trip to Georgia by car in this very place, someone is going to rise to the sky...

Two young, mature bulls come to visit the camp, right before our lights out, and arrange something like a duel. We are watching.

Day 7, July 24

In the morning the sky is completely clear, and Kesha, leaving me to type these lines, skips off to the nearest hill. He has an itch in all places, and he cannot do without climbing, even the most primitive ones. When we come down, we’ll have breakfast and move on. We canceled yesterday’s plans to get to Tbilisi on the day of crossing the border - we really didn’t want to rush. We will drive as we go, because we don’t have any reservations, just as we don’t have a clear route.

Kesha returns at 8:00, all envious of those who are going to Kazbek. He climbed a 2500-foot hill and really didn’t want to come down. He told me that he greeted a certain group of tourists in Russian. They didn't answer him. I said hello in English. I heard “Hello” in response. I. when I walked three meters away from them, I heard purely Khokhlyatsky talk. Who doesn't love whom?.. Let's leave this sad topic and go cook breakfast. If there is Wi-Fi today, these lines will be published.

Continuation of day 7

We are driving along the Georgian Military Road. You can stop here anywhere, because there are a lot of villages around the mountain, along the road, so colorful that it takes your breath away. The promised “periodic road repairs” in reality turn out to be simply removed asphalt, which is quite scary to drive on. Although everyone is coming - both jeeps and pussies. They drive, diligently driving around herds of cows, rotten from the heat, and small herds of horses. These animals do not react at all to cars, screams, or high-pitched “beeps.”

We make a lot of stops - at churches, monasteries, and into villages.

At one of these attractions, at the Arch of Friendship, Kesha is attacked by feral dogs and bitten. The shirt was completely torn and the butt was bitten. It’s somehow not very pleasant to start a trip with such incidents.

You can learn more about the sights of the Georgian Military Road here:

Unlike dogs, the local population is very friendly. Everyone immediately switches to Russian, explains, shows, and just doesn’t get into the car with us.

We arrange lunch away from the highway on the shore of the Zhinvali reservoir opposite the Annauri fortress. AND! If the roads and villages in Georgia surprise with their cleanliness, here there is such dirt that the hair stands on end not only on the head, but also on all other parts of the body. Away from the roads, in organized parking lots, and near “cultural” attractions, there is a LOT of garbage. It’s a shame and sad - after all, all the nations passing by had their hands on these Kazbeks from scattered bottles and packages.

We drive into Mtskheta, check into the first guest house we come across and go for a walk around the city. When asked to give the key to the room, the hostess takes a chair, puts it against the door, and shockingly assures:

- No problems! Nooo!!!

All restaurants in Mtskheta are closed - strange. But we buy Borjomi for 1.20 lari. And the wine was bought in advance for 9 lari. At these prices, by the end of the trip we will be drunk and mineralized up to our ears.

We're having dinner on the balcony in guest house– melon, wine and mineral water. And we are surprised by the darkness. Kesha goes down to her owners:

- Why is there no light?

- Listen, my dear, the whole city is without light!

But by night they provide light, and it becomes possible to connect to Wi-Fi. We don’t yet have a local SIM card or a paper card of Georgia - there’s simply nowhere to buy them. Let's see what happens in Tbilisi. In the meantime... The seventh day of the journey is over. What will be tomorrow? Traveling around Georgia by car has just begun...

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The whole report on the days and the route of the trip in Georgia and Armenia

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