The country of Georgia has been an unexpected surprise. I’ll be honest, before coming on the World Race I didn’t even know there was a country called Georgia. Now I’ve spent this past month exploring the beautiful mountains, meeting tourists in the capital city Tbilisi, and seeing the beautiful culture. All over the country there are remnants of the Soviet Union’s influence: the languages spoken, cable cars from that time that are still in use, and the architecture.
When we arrived in Tbilisi we stayed in an AirBnB. We arrived late at night so we couldn’t really take in our surroundings, but the next day we were able to get a good look around. The building we were staying in was once part of a big house that was split up to make room for multiple families.
When Georgia was a Soviet Republic, thousands of families were coming into the city and needed places to live. Private homes were divided up and made into separate living spaces, and many different spiral and normal staircases were put up for the different residences. These private homes usually had a central courtyard that is a shared space for the many families living there now.
Since we were obviously new to their community, we got the attention of many of our neighbors. One elderly lady next door brought us some fruit from her garden, and a lady living a floor above would greet us or drop us gifts when we came home at the end of the day. Even though we couldn’t really communicate, they welcomed us and showed us hospitality.
In every neighborhood there is a shotis bakery. They are known for their delicious shotis puri bread made in a traditional oven called a tone. The sticky bread dough is slapped to the inside of the oven and comes out crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. The bread is known for its weird shape which helps make sure it sticks to the oven wall, and it was some of the best bread I’ve ever had.
We stumbled upon one of these bakeries in our little neighborhood and we used google translate to ask if we could see how the man made the bread. The owner, a man named Robert, immediately said yes and waved us to the side door. Then he invited us in, explained everything to us in complete Georgian, then he gave us bread for free! And for the next few days he refused to take our money when we came for bread. He was so sweet! We loved building a relationship with him.
The city of Tbilisi is a wonderful place to get lost in history and culture. There are many historical sites scattered within walking or driving distance, and there are so many cool parts of the city to explore. Sometimes I’d find myself in a newer, more modern part of town. While other times I’d feel like I went back in time. I recommend this city if you’re looking for a new place to visit. Plus, they have gorgeous mountains only a few hours away. What more could you want?
I’ll be writing a recap blog about my time in Georgia soon, so stay tuned for what God did with our time in this wonderful country.
(Photos taken by the fabulous Jenna Watry)
