Our arrival in the wee hours of the morning on October 2nd
allowed us to explore the city before orientation began on October 4th.
Tbilisi is a really cool city where you can find ancient
churches alongside modern bridges and buildings. The city is embodied by the
juxtapositions of old and new, East and West.
On our first day, a group of us rode the cable cars up to
the fortress and the huge silver statue of King Tamar. (Yes, a woman was once
the King. Mitch wants to be her for Halloween.) We took in the wonderful view
overlooking the city and climbed the fortress walls, the latter of which you
would never be allowed to do in the US for fear of liability.
On another evening, we went to an amusement park at the top
of Mtatsminda Hill to ride the giant Ferris Wheel. The park was a bit creepy at
night with low lighting and only a few rides running. We did get a great view
of the whole city lit up at night.
On a different night, we visited the national cathedral,
which is located behind the Presidential Palace. The cathedral isn’t very old,
but it is beautiful. The architecture and lighting are stunning, and we got to
hear some singing as part of a service during our visit. Interestingly, this
cathedral was financed by the leader (Bidzina Ivanishvili) of the opposition
party that has just won a majority of the seats in Parliament. The current
President’s term will end next October, and the Presidency will be replaced
with a Prime Minister. The election actually happened while we were flying to
Georgia, and there will be major governmental changes taking place while we are
here.
Other excursions from the hotel out into Tbilisi mainly
consisted of walking the cobbled streets of Old Town and sampling the local
food.
For anyone looking for an interesting travel destination
that is off the beaten path, Tbilisi is definitely worth a visit!
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