I happened to be in Tbilisi, the capital of the Republic of Georgia, upon the invitation of Thelmo O. Cunanan Jr., honorary consul of Georgia in the Philippines, to cover the Colors of Hope exhibit of Pancho Piano, the first Filipino artist to officially present his work in Georgia and the entire Caucasus region. With our group were Riva M. Galveztan (health food advocate) and Prof. Melissa Dizon-Dulalia.
From the moment I first set foot in Tbilisi, I encountered, aside from the bitingly cold weather, an intoxicating cocktail of Eastern and Western influences. Neither Asian nor fully European, Tbilisi sits on the crossroads where cultures from Persia, Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, just to mention a few, have been meeting or merging for centuries.
This enigmatic capital is in the throes of a renaissance, with ambitious new landmarks that are transforming the cityscape.
Tbilisi can come as a surprise for visitors as its unique East-meets-West beauty feels surprisingly European, even though its traditional cultural heritage is carefully preserved in and around the city. Old churches, monasteries and castles are built from stone in a very distinctive Georgian style, with curious ornaments, bas reliefs and icons.
Tbilisi is also a popular jump-off point to a variety of exciting trips, east and west of the capital where one finds the true spirit of the country. Getting around is not a problem, with taxis seemingly everywhere.
Envoy Tours Hostel, the place where I stayed in, was conveniently near Meidan (Gorsakali) Square in the center of Old Tbilisi, close to all the Old Town attractions.
The charms of the Old Town are best discovered on foot, so, immediately upon arrival, accompanied by Filipino expat Ruby Bebita, we walked, along the narrow streets, to nearby Rike Park where we took a plexi-glass cable car of the Aerial Tramway (just opened in 2012), up the steep hill in under two minutes, to the nearby ancient 13th-century Narikala Fortress, one of the city’s most prominent icons.
From this vantage point, the old and new Tbilisi, with the Mtkvari River cutting through its middle, is clearly visible—the famous Tiflis Baths (with their instantly recognizable red brick domes), the Metekhi Church, the equestrian statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali, the futuristic Bridge of Peace, the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi (the main cathedral of the Georgian Orthodox Church, it is the third tallest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in the world) and the mushroom-shaped Tbilisi Public Service Hall. Beyond it, the snow-capped Caucasus Mountains beckon. Aside from the fortress walls, there are two notable structures within—the recently restored Church of Saint Nicolas and the statue of Kartlis Deda (“Mother of Georgia”).
Another popular place for strolling is the fine, stately Rustaveli Avenue. Here, one can soak up the bustling, cosmopolitan atmosphere of Tbilisi’s main thoroughfare, which is lined with Oriental plane trees (Platanus orientalis) and strung with a handsome mix of modern and 20th-century architecture, with a contrasting European/Russian (Neo-Classical) look, such as important governmental, public, cultural and business buildings, as well as various cafés, shops, restaurants and other entertainment places. This avenue, which leads off to the northwest, is one of the best architectural and tourist centers of Tbilisi.
Freedom Square, where the avenue starts, has a fountain with a very tall 40-meter-high column topped by a bronze statue of Saint George (after whom the country was named) slaying the dragon. Points of interest along this avenue include the Tbilisi National Youth Palace, the Parliarment Building, the National Picture Gallery, the European-style High School No. 1, the Tbilisi Marriott Hotel, the ornate Rustaveli State Academic Theater, the Moorish-Eastern style Paliashvili Opera and Ballet Theater, the monumental former Georgian branch of Marxism-Leninism Institute and the pompous Georgian National Academy of Sciences. At the end is the monument to Shota Rustaveli, one of Georgia’s most famous medieval poets after whom the avenue was named.
Georgians are also famed for their hospitality and their food, a great mix of European, Western Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine that reflects its multicultural history and an absolute must-try, as it is an important and particularly enjoyable staple in the Georgian way of life. During our stay, we were invited to a number of the Old Town’s numerous restaurants where we feasted on local specialties, such as khachapuri (a Georgian style, cheese-filled pizza), shashlik (kebabs), badrijani nigvzit (aubergines with walnut paste), chakhokbili (tarragon-infused beef soup), and their national dish khinkali (spiced meat dumplings), all served with big bread baked in a stone oven. Shops, bars, cafés and restaurants help make this one of the most enchanting aspects of a visit to Tbilisi.