Tbilisi: Kaukasus' Finest

It seems that the nearer we get to Europe and Finland, the more we like the places - maybe some sort of a sign that we are longing for "home", but it might of course just be because it is nicer...

In any case: Tbilisi is a great city. It is reasonably modern, with boutique-and-cafe-laden avenues to keep shoppers busy, but it also has a very charming old town, which truly feels European. The winding lanes and tree lined cobbled streets, the old houses with vine branch-overgrown balconies and busy orthodox churches make for a few hours and days of interesting wandering around and exploring.

Tbilisi houses the first McDonald's we encountered on our trip since Eastern China, but unlike in China, we don't need this kind of "comforting, recognisable food": Georgian cuisine is excellent. After only a few days in the country, we (especially Hanna of course) must have already gained a few kilos. On almost every street corner, you find various types of khachapuri, some kind of cheese pie. Dirt cheap, greasy, delicious and omnipresent: what more can you wish for?
Other dishes we have enjoyed so far include shkmeruli (chicken in garlic sauce), khinkali (meat dumplings) and some kind of beef stew. Georgia accounts for our best culinary experiences so far, and frankly - after Chinese and Central Asian food (and the rather disappointing Iranian restaurant scene) - it's about time there's something genuinely nice to eat!

The Georgian Orthodox Church is the liveliest active religious organisation we have encountered (apart from the Islamic state-religion in Iran, culminating at the shrine of Imam Reza in Mashad). All churches in Tbilisi seem to be permanently overcrowded with believers, resulting in amazing scenes. There are young couples being married by the busload: some couples are queueing in the back of the church while another is being married. Meanwhile, regular visitors are walking around, crossing themselves and burning ever more candles; other people are confessing and in another end of the church, a baby is loudly protesting its baptism. Anyone keen on religious action should seriously consider joining the Georgian Orthodox Church!

On another topic, it's clear that Georgians have suffered heavily from the recent war with Russia: there are far more beggars in Tbilisi's streets than in any other city we've visited. A lot of people are selling their property and many (if not most) old women are selling seeds, woolen socks or small bouquets of flowers to make ends meet - and with their monthly pension of 70 lari (+- 35 EUR), it's easy to see why...