GEORGIA

Location - Caucasus, Europe; Capital - Tbilisi; Population - 4 million; Currency - Lari MORE GEORGIA

I took a nightmare youth taxi driver from the Armenia border to Tbilisi, only to get stopped by the police halfway due to his erratic driving. On to Tbilisi! Another buzzing capital city with plenty to do in and around - October 2019.

The new 5 Lari note

Welcome to Georgia! Or Sakartvelo as the locals call their country. Crossing the border from Bagratashen in Armenia to Sadakhlo

After two emergency stops and wild overtaking on blind corners by my driver, I seized the opportunity to offload at Marneuli, not realising he'd been stopped by police for horrendous driving. I got a bite to eat and carried on by marshrutka..

My first sight of Tbilisi was coming up from Tavisuplebis Moedani Metro station, where a statue of St George and the dragon replaced one of Lenin

Take the cable car from Rike Park up to Mother Georgia on the hilltop - Tbilisi

Standing above Rike Park is the Presidential Palace, with the tubular concert hall in the park itself - Tbilisi

Take in the scenery on the way up, including the Peace Bridge, opened in 2010, crossing the Mtkvari River - Tbilisi

Mother Georgia, or Kartlis Deda, stands 20m tall - Tbilisi

From the hillside it's easier to spot the distant snow-peaked mountains - Tbilisi

Souvenir stalls line the path from the upper cable car station to Mother Georgia, plus there's a terraced cafe with superb views - Tbilisi

Heating up traditional coffee in hot sand - Tbilisi

The Peace Bridge, Mtkvari River, concert hall and Presidential Palace - Tbilisi

Perched over the river is Metekhi Church, above which is the Holy Trinity Cathedral - Tbilisi

And the Holy Trinity Cathedral really stands out at night - Tbilisi

In the bottom right are the walls of Narikala Fortress, opposite many precarious looking cliff-side houses - Tbilisi

The fortress was originally built in the 4th century then expanded (and of course, destroyed) over the centuries - Tbilisi

Inisde Narikala Fortress is St Nicholas' Church - Tbilisi

At the bottom of the hill, below Narikala, are domed steam vents belonging to several bathhouses that use the city's natural thermal sulphur water - Tbilisi

Below the bathhouses is a small, cliff-edged canyon leading to a little waterfall - Tbilisi

More very precarious buildings. Don't think I'll be investing in these properties.. - Tbilisi

Buskers and a couple of souvenir stalls line the short waterfall trail - Tbilisi

This very Persian-looking mosque is actually a luxury bathhouse, spa and (I think) restaurant - Tbilisi

A mannequin observes life below, if that's possible - Tbilisi

Narikala Fortress overlooks the Old Town, and Mother Georgia can just be made out on the very right - Tbilisi

The fortress walls of Narikala with St Nicholas' Church in the centre - Tbilisi

A lengthy souvenir shop that occupies most of the area beneath Meidan Square. Georgia is one of the world's oldest wine regions and you'll come across lots and lots of local wines for sale, as well as brandy - Tbilisi

The traditional method of making wine in Georgia uses clay jars. Put the grapes in, bury it and wait, then hey presto Georgian wine! Sure there's more to it than that. By the way, the guys behind the wine shop's model car are helping an old guy with a bloodied nose, pouring water to clean him up. He seemed a bit worse for wear, but maybe not linked to wine.. - Tbilisi

Bringing a touch of glamour to a run down area of the Old Town - Tbilisi

Much of the Old Town has been renovated but there's plenty of decay to be found in the backstreets - Tbilisi

Colourful churchkhela waiting to be eaten. They're made of walnuts (or any other nuts) encased in dried grape juice, though other fruits are often used - Tbilisi

Khote Afkhazi St is the main road through the Old Town, full of restaurants, souvenir and wine shops - Tbilisi

Khinkali are Georgian dumplings filled with minced meat, though I'm sure there's now a huge variety to cater for all tastes. Unfortunately I'm allergic to them! Ditto with khachapuri - Tbilisi

Street art in the form of "Alien's khinkali" - Tbilisi

This little lad is Tamada, or the Toastmaster - Tbilisi

I'm loving the colours of this carpet shop in the Old Town. Ask for a particular type/s and they'll unroll them outside for a closer look - Tbilisi

A cheese and wine festival was getting under way at the weekend, with stalls setting up outside - Tbilisi

He's excited about something - Tbilisi

The Clock Tower has a wonderfully ramshackle appearance about it, and deliberately so - Tbilisi

This is a very lively pedestrian street in the Old Town, parallel to the river, stacked end-to-end with bar-restaurants - Tbilisi

A toilet notice I didn't quite understand - Tbilisi

There's some cool statues dotted around the capital - Tbilisi

Good value 30-45min boat cruises are offered along the Mtkvari River between Baratashvili Bridge and a few hundred metres after the Metekhi Bridge - Tbilisi

King Vakhtang Gorgasali stands (or rather, sits on a horse) over the river outside Metekhi Church - Tbilisi

The king is featured on an old Georgian note

Crossing the Peace Bridge linking the Old Town with Rike Park and the cable car - Tbilisi

Scenery from the Peace Bridge. Top right is Mother Georgia, while Narikala Fortress is central on the hilltop - Tbilisi

A cute instruction on this car's petrol cap - Tbilisi

This map,'Georgia: Occupation Continues', is in the Museum of Georgia, highlighting two occupied regions of Georgia. On the left, in red, is the region of Abkhazia, while the smaller one is South Ossetia. Both are nominally independent but in reality Russia controls both. I hoped to visit Abkhazia but tensions between Georgia and Russia closed the 'border' near Zugdidi for a few months. The western border with Sochi in Russia is usually open - Tbilisi

The Parliament Building is close to the museum. It was the location of the April 9 tragedy in a 1989 anti-Soviet march, and the 2003 Rose Revolution - Tbilisi

A commemoration to rally participants killed by Soviet troops in 1956 - Tbilisi

The very steep funicular ride to Mtatsminda Park - Tbilisi

Mt Mtatsminda and the park look down on Mother Georgia - Tbilisi

A different angle on the view of Tbilisi. The cathedral is top left with Mtkvari River running through the middle

The TV Tower and restaurant on Mt Mtatsminda - Tbilisi

The Holy Trinity Cathedral is the main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church and was only consecrated in 2004 - Tbilisi

There's a clear view of Mt Mtatsminda and the TV Tower from the cathedral - Tbilisi

There's an excellent series of street art on Baratashvili Bridge - Tbilisi

A smiling mandrill welcomes you to the pedestrian section of the bridge - Tbilisi

Futuristic sci-fi murals - Tbilisi

In addition to the street art on Baratashvili Bridge, a series of photos highlighting political issues around the world was also on display in October 2019. Plus there was a DJ playing music to empty tables and chairs. All a bonus I wasn't expecting, so check it out - Tbilisi

Waiting for the train to Batumi on the Black Sea coast - Tbilisi

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LINKS

https://caravanistan.com - Main resource for Central Asia but also has a bit on Georgia

www.exploregeorgia.org - Official Georgian tourism

https://georgia.travel - More on Georgia

https://tkt.ge - Buy Georgian train tickets

I am not responsible for the content of external websites.