Day 3 (Oct 4th, 2017)
It was our last day in Georgia and we are already excited to go to Tbilisi and explore the capital city by our own. We woke up early at 8:00 A.M, freshen ourselves up and went down to have our final special breakfast.
Special Breakfast, 8:47 A.M
"Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow."- Anita Desai
It was our last day in Georgia and we are already excited to go to Tbilisi and explore the capital city by our own. We woke up early at 8:00 A.M, freshen ourselves up and went down to have our final special breakfast.
Special Breakfast, 8:47 A.M
The Hotel staff were good and caring people, and they wished us a better day. It was snowing a bit outside when we were leaving from the hotel. The driver took our bags and with a smile he said 'Lets Go' in thick Georgian accent.
On the way, we came across a store where a beautiful woman was selling the honey to passers-by. We got down and went to the store. We tried different kinds of honey and most of the honey are named after the region to where it was coming from like Alpine mountains.
On the way, we came across a store where a beautiful woman was selling the honey to passers-by. We got down and went to the store. We tried different kinds of honey and most of the honey are named after the region to where it was coming from like Alpine mountains.
Honey Store, 9:28 A.M
We bought a semi-sweet honey in medium jars from the store, and went straight to Anunari Fortress which was on the way to Tbilisi.
Anunari Fortress, 10:21 A.M
We reached Anunari fortress and saw couple of stalls on the side where sellers were selling souvenirs to tourists. On the other side, there were few healthy horses for the tourists to ride on it.
Anunari Fortress was a castle and seat of Eristavis (Dukes) of Aragvi, a feudal dynasty which ruled the area from the 13th century. The castle was a scene of numerous battles. In 1739, Ananuri was attacked by the forces from a rival duchy, ruled by Shamshe of Ksani and was set on fire. After 4 years, the peasants revolted against rule by the Shamshe, killing the dutch family and invited King Teimuraz to rule.
We entered inside the fort and saw an entrance to a church. The church is called as 'Church of Assumption'. Inside the church, there were beautiful fainted paintings on the walls and pillars depicting new testament scenes.
Interior of the church, 10:25 A.M
Fainted Painting on the wall, 10:25 A.M
Fainted painting on the pillar, 10:27 A.M
The ceiling showing the inside main dome of the church, 10:27 A.M
Beautiful view of Jinvali River from the Anunari Fortress, 10:34 A.M
Side of the church, there is a small secret staircase on the ground (the right side hole), 10:34 A.M
The secret room after descending the secret staircase (this was made to hide the kings and superiors in times of war), 10:38 A.M
The main room locked outside the church , 10:40 A.M
View from top of Fortress, 10:51 A.M
Hidden cross behind tower, 11:01 A.M
It was fun to explore the fortress. One part of the tower have stairs made of ruined stones and we need to be careful while climbing as it was tiny and slippery after rain. The view outside the fortress was lovely. There are some hidden rooms inside the fortress and its floor was made of long wooden rods, acting like a bridge to another room.
Outside the Anunari Fortress, there were many stalls that sells souvenirs to the tourists. Many of the stalls got beautiful Georgian Earrings, necklaces, cutlery items, antique stuffs, honey etc. After buying souvenirs for our family and friends, we continued our journeyto Tbilisi which was one hour drive from Anunari Fortress.
We reached Tbilisi at afternoon around 1 p.m. The city looks busy and vibrant, after coming from a peaceful place Gudauri. Tbilisi is the economic, cultural, political and social heart of Georgia. It is where Georgians gravitate when they seek excitement and action, where history comes alive in dramatic hillside setting and where ancient Eurasian crossroads meet a modern city looking forward to a beautiful future for Georgians. The capital is gaining a new dimension as its cultural scene grows, prestigious new building projects develop and more and more restaurants, shops, leisure facilities move in.
We reached the Iveria Inn Hotel, took rest for an hour, and went down straight to the reception hall. We asked the receptionist Nino about the attractions of Tbilisi. She guided us by giving the name of the places to visit and advising us that Metro is cheap way to travel around. With that note, we went to the nearby metro station i.e. Varketili station. The outside whether was cloudy and could rain at anytime.
We went to the metro station by walking, which was 10 minutes away from the hotel. We purchased one metro ticket for both of us which was unusual. We took the escalator down and to be honest at first sight we got surprised to see how they constructed the escalator as it was really steep.
Metro Stations route shown on the platform, 2:30 P.M
We reached the ground level and asked one of the lady the route to Marjanishvili station. She showed us the route map shown on the wall (as above picture) and found the name of the station. The metro train arrived within few minutes.
The train looks bit economically made and the interior looks normal, painted with white and red combination. There were poor people coming to train and begging for money, even children. After witnessing all this, I realized that it's the same we see in Indian trains. Our station arrived. The lady whom we had asked earlier, was there in the same cabin and told us that we need to get down here. With gratitude, I said 'thank you' to her.
We bought a semi-sweet honey in medium jars from the store, and went straight to Anunari Fortress which was on the way to Tbilisi.
Anunari Fortress
We reached Anunari fortress and saw couple of stalls on the side where sellers were selling souvenirs to tourists. On the other side, there were few healthy horses for the tourists to ride on it.
Anunari Fortress was a castle and seat of Eristavis (Dukes) of Aragvi, a feudal dynasty which ruled the area from the 13th century. The castle was a scene of numerous battles. In 1739, Ananuri was attacked by the forces from a rival duchy, ruled by Shamshe of Ksani and was set on fire. After 4 years, the peasants revolted against rule by the Shamshe, killing the dutch family and invited King Teimuraz to rule.
We entered inside the fort and saw an entrance to a church. The church is called as 'Church of Assumption'. Inside the church, there were beautiful fainted paintings on the walls and pillars depicting new testament scenes.
The ceiling showing the inside main dome of the church, 10:27 A.M
Beautiful view of Jinvali River from the Anunari Fortress, 10:34 A.M
Hidden cross behind tower, 11:01 A.M
It was fun to explore the fortress. One part of the tower have stairs made of ruined stones and we need to be careful while climbing as it was tiny and slippery after rain. The view outside the fortress was lovely. There are some hidden rooms inside the fortress and its floor was made of long wooden rods, acting like a bridge to another room.
Outside the Anunari Fortress, there were many stalls that sells souvenirs to the tourists. Many of the stalls got beautiful Georgian Earrings, necklaces, cutlery items, antique stuffs, honey etc. After buying souvenirs for our family and friends, we continued our journeyto Tbilisi which was one hour drive from Anunari Fortress.
We reached Tbilisi at afternoon around 1 p.m. The city looks busy and vibrant, after coming from a peaceful place Gudauri. Tbilisi is the economic, cultural, political and social heart of Georgia. It is where Georgians gravitate when they seek excitement and action, where history comes alive in dramatic hillside setting and where ancient Eurasian crossroads meet a modern city looking forward to a beautiful future for Georgians. The capital is gaining a new dimension as its cultural scene grows, prestigious new building projects develop and more and more restaurants, shops, leisure facilities move in.
We reached the Iveria Inn Hotel, took rest for an hour, and went down straight to the reception hall. We asked the receptionist Nino about the attractions of Tbilisi. She guided us by giving the name of the places to visit and advising us that Metro is cheap way to travel around. With that note, we went to the nearby metro station i.e. Varketili station. The outside whether was cloudy and could rain at anytime.
We went to the metro station by walking, which was 10 minutes away from the hotel. We purchased one metro ticket for both of us which was unusual. We took the escalator down and to be honest at first sight we got surprised to see how they constructed the escalator as it was really steep.
Metro Stations route shown on the platform, 2:30 P.M
We reached the ground level and asked one of the lady the route to Marjanishvili station. She showed us the route map shown on the wall (as above picture) and found the name of the station. The metro train arrived within few minutes.
The train looks bit economically made and the interior looks normal, painted with white and red combination. There were poor people coming to train and begging for money, even children. After witnessing all this, I realized that it's the same we see in Indian trains. Our station arrived. The lady whom we had asked earlier, was there in the same cabin and told us that we need to get down here. With gratitude, I said 'thank you' to her.
Marjanishvili
Marjanishvili street is named after Kote Marjanishvili, a Georgian threater director. He was an important contributor to the pre and post revolutionary evolution of Georgian, Russian and Soviet stages. He was particularly famous for his lavish and massive theater shows.
You can see his statue built on the wall inside Marjanishvili station.
Marjanishvili face sculpture at the metro station
Panaroma view of Marjanishvili street, 3:05 P.M (Photo Courtesy: Leah Thomas)
We got out of the station and saw the amazing view of the Marjanishvili street. The roads are installed in interlock throughout the whole street, which was quite different to see. The buildings are constructed in French style, and gives a different atmosphere in the street. You get to see lot of branded shops, theaters, saloons, tattoo shops and many restaurants. On the way, we saw an Indian restaurant (Sanjha Chulha) and thought to try lunch over there.
After having our lunch, we roamed around the street a bit more under the cloudy weather. You get to see McDonald, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks and other fast food chains in this avenue. When crossing by some theatre, you can hear opera songs playing inside. Please do not miss this place when planning to visit Tbilisi. Its a 'Must Go' place.
After exploring the Marjanishvili avenue, we decided to go to the next stop i.e. Rustaveli Station.
After having our lunch, we roamed around the street a bit more under the cloudy weather. You get to see McDonald, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks and other fast food chains in this avenue. When crossing by some theatre, you can hear opera songs playing inside. Please do not miss this place when planning to visit Tbilisi. Its a 'Must Go' place.
After exploring the Marjanishvili avenue, we decided to go to the next stop i.e. Rustaveli Station.
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