Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi, Georgia

Reblogged from Testimony of the spade:

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I recently was in Georgia on a wine-tour in combination with EWBC. Now Georgia also poses lots of interesting archaeological finds and some of the oldest that can be connected to wine and wine producing.

We visited the Georgian National Museums archaeological exhibit and also got to see some finds that as yet has not reached the exhibit. If you go to Georgia this is a museum not to miss, lots of nice and interesting finds that shows both relations to West Europe, the Middle East and Asia – there's really no question that you are on the Silk road.

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Magnus Reuterdahl has some great pictures up on his blog from the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi.

Day 1 in Kazbegi

Bus from Didube Metro Station to Kazbegi for 10 lari. The weather rolled in and it started to snow. Visibility was less than 50m. The windows fogged up. We went over a mountain pass. The roads were narrow. Beyond the road’s wooden palings were steep drops to the gorges below. We bumped along. The fences were replaced by head-height snow drifts. Two and a half hours after leaving Tbilisi we descended into Kazbegi (Stephansminda). Kazbegi is known for its skiing, its icecapped volcano and a 14th century monastery. It is home to an alpine ecology research institute. It is also right near the Russian border. We stayed at a guesthouse run by an old friendly lady. There was a picture of Stalin on the wall and a Russian army coat with polished buttons. There were no cafes or restaurants open because it was out of tourist season. A neighbour cooked us soups and stews with fried potatoes, fresh bread and cheese in a small room heated by a stove. Spanish tele-novellas dubbed in Georgian played constantly on the television. Outside chickens of Easter Show prize-winning standards scratched in the mud, dogs and cats bolted at the first sign of human movement and unpolled cattle roamed in the streets.

An Afternoon at Narikala Fortress

Sulphur Baths

Friday at the Flea Market

From Sky Hostel we moved to Boombully Hostel on the opposite side of the river. Good hostel. Lunch at a Georgian restaurant. That’s a bear. To the left of the frame is a mongoose holding a snake.

We spent the afternoon wandering through the flea market. It’s meant to be twice the size on Saturdays.

Day 6 in Tbilisi

Day 5 in Tbilisi

I enjoy eavesdropping in Prospero’s.
“Her three favourite foods are crunchy peanut butter, smooth peanut butter and peanut butter with apple. So what can we do to get good quality cheap peanut butter on the streets?”

Lemonade made of pears…

An example of some of the shiny new architecture in Tbilisi

Jazz at the Kala bar

We were treated to the legendary vocals of Georgia’s leading female jazz vocalist and Malta’s upcoming Eurovision representative.

Day 4 in Tbilisi

Morning at Prospero’s. Afternoon wandering streets above Rustavelli.

Second day in Tbilisi

First day in Tbilisi

We flew into Tblisi around 4.30am on an Air Baltic flight. It was cold and raining. Our hostel had organised free airport pick-up. The driver drove fast, swerved around potholes and managed to have us at our hostel by 5.30 or so. After a couple of hours sleep we went out to explore.

View from hostel