Georgia over New Year

We went to Georgia because we had the time and the tickets were cheap. Christmas and New Year there is pretty different from the rest of the world, so it seemed like the right time to go.

We started in Tbilisi. There was more to the city than I expected — museums, old churches, places where you can sit for a while and look at the architecture. We spent whole afternoons doing that. I’d mostly come for the mountains, but the city ended up being a big part of the trip.

Then north out of the city. Mtskheta, where the two rivers meet. A reservoir with water an odd blue-green colour. Ananuri fortress right at the edge of it. After that it’s mountains the whole way — snow, small villages, not many people around.

We also spent a week in Batumi in the middle. Those photos aren’t here yet.

Tbilisi, the Black Sea, and north into the mountains.

The food was the one disappointment. It wasn’t bad, but I would have liked more variety. Trying traditional Georgian food was part of why we went and we did that, but by the end I was ready for something else.

New Year’s Eve we spent at a Christmas market in one of the public parks in Tbilisi. They run these every year. It was beautifully decorated and there was a huge crowd — stalls selling food and little trinkets, and chacha. A carousel going all evening. By midnight there was no space left anywhere.

We stayed until nearly two.

Monumental carved stone pillars standing against a clouded sky — The Chronicle of Georgia, on a hill outside the city.

A grand museum staircase hung with garlands, under an arcaded gallery — One of the museums in Tbilisi. We spent a lot of afternoons in places like this.

Two rivers meeting below a town, seen from a hillside under heavy cloud — Mtskheta, where the two rivers meet.

A turquoise reservoir held between bare winter hills — The reservoir on the drive north.

A round stone fortress tower above a path leading down to the water — Ananuri fortress, right at the edge of the water.

A snow-covered ridge seen at long range in cold blue light — Somewhere along the Military Highway.

A single small figure crossing a wide empty snowfield — One person walking out across the snow.

Horses standing in deep snow below a mountain bowl — Horses standing around in the snow near Gudauri.

A large window in a wooden room framing a hill with a church on it — A cafe with a window looking out at the hills.

A bottle of Georgian pear lemonade and a filled glass on a wooden table — Pear lemonade. We had this with almost every meal.

A Christmas market pavilion lit up at night among decorated trees — The Christmas market in the park. They run these every year.

A lit carousel turning in a park at night, strung with lights — The carousel kept going all evening.