Hi fellow Flyertalkers,

It has been a while since I (Yugo_Girl) have posted but I am back into it, back into the rhythm of reporting with the one and only (Yugo_boy). Last time it was a 3 month trip around Europe and the Balkans please see link for report: If not now, when? (Thailand, Western Europe, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Macedonia).

This time is a little different, the trip is entirely uplanned, whereas we were previously meticulous and there was no room for changing any flights, this time we a booking as we go and the end date of the trip is unknown. Below are the places we have been or place to visit so far!




Itinerary


We are starting this trip from Dubai, if you would like to view our trip up to Dubai we have started a vlog on YouTube for our travels up to Dubai please have a look at our videos and subscribe. We have put together a combination of Flight Reports and Travel Vlogs.

Our Flight reports are as follows:


Our Travel Vlogs are found below:




Flight: FlyDubai FZ -711
Origin: Dubai International Airport (DXB)
Arrival: Tbilisi International Airport (TBS)
Class: Economy
Aircraft: B-738

Even though you could see our Vlogs on YouTube, there is something fabulous about writing about a travelling to a place like Georgia. It is something I can best convey through writing, writing has a special way of allowing me to be the storyteller. So now, onto Georgia. Georgia was somewhere which was nearly impossible for us to travel to, we really had to think hard on this choice because it apart from being quite expensive, it was very difficult to connect all the flights, especially to Russia, however were desperate to see it. Georgia with its picturesque streets, ones that we could not imagine. Streets reminiscent of Paris, cobble streets of Rome, and the distinct charm that only Georgia can bring. So distant and unique, so typically Georgian. Only when we arrived and explored would we really know what that means. The kindness of the people, the beauty and rich history – such old history and the intricacies of incredible Georgia. So travel with us from Dubai to Georgia..


Our hotel – the Holiday Inn Express Dubai Airport $70 Aud per night, we had a very pleasant stay.


The room, basic however comfortable.


Breakfast at the Holiday Inn which was actually very nice. As you look at this plate, you should picture this scene. Here I was looking at this plate of food and I sat eating the Holiday Inn out of house and home, and this was only plate 1. Meanwhile, the lovely German woman at the table nearby from us had one grapefruit, that was it. Just one.


Dubai International Airport, the flight board


Yes, today we are flying FlyDubai. Yes we have all read the reviews – stories of lost luggage, after lost luggage and here we were ready to risk our luggage, with one advantage – we stayed the night in Dubai so they could not possibly lose the luggage (even though the plane to Dubai almost did not take off because it had a faulty auto-throttle – That’s a story for another day).


Our plane – as we were ushered onto the plane, I quickly snapped this “not-so-great” snap of half the plane missing.


Yugo_boy’s leg room, not so great.. I had quite a bit more.


The interior of the plane.. the couple in front of us had the misadventure of having me behind them because I was the exact perfect height to ruin every single selfie photo they attempted to take of themselves. I tried to manoeuvre out of their photo but however I moved they kept getting me in the background and I could see it.. and I just could not get out of their snaps!! I could see the lady in front getting very irritated at me, but I could not do anything about it. Eventually I scooted down and Yugo_boy advised me she snapped one good one.


Views from above


Landscapes and changing climates ..








Arrived in Tbilisi!!

Disembarking the aircraft


Tbilisi Airport






Inside the Airport


Waiting for the luggage, it came quite quickly, we were easily able to leave quickly.




The Exterior of the Airport, Georgian very difficult to read if you do not speak Georgian, in the actual cities off out of the touristy parts there is not much in English, so communication is difficult. Most tourists here are Russian, and given its Former Soviet Republic status, the older generation do speak Russian.


The bus we took for 0.50 cents Aud per person. Yugo_boy forgot his backpack just prior to this came back and when he returned he asked me where I had left it only to realise that he had left it in customs whilst he was exchanging money. We got off the bus and stopped at a metro that took us to Marjanishvili Street. The lady checking tickets was so officious and luckily willing to help us. She told us in Russian that we could actually get off at any bus stop with a metro station and that would take us to where we needed to get to.


The back of our AirBnB for $40 Aud a night a street away from Marjanishvili Street, a picturesque Parisian looking street.


Our snacks at a cost of $20 Aud.


The view from our balcony.

We were very excited to visit Georgia and Tbilisi did not disappoint, stay tuned for more photos to come Yugo_girl out! :-::-::-:

Tbilisi, how can I possibly describe a place with the most peculiar and beautiful places, churches and people I have seen, both Georgian and Armenian. A country that strikes you completely at the first visit, Tbilisi was founded in the 5th century AD when it became the capital, prior to this Mtskheta was the capital (20km away from Tbilisi) and I can give endless reasons why it is still a fantastic idea to visit this strange and exotic place. Georgia to us was very strange, in the sense that it had the feel of Europe with its history dating back to 4th century BC! King Vakhtang Gorgasali of Kartli is said to be the founder of Tbilisi with his fascination becoming forming a legend revolving around the hot springs, giving Tbilisi its current name. Georgia to this day remains a hybrid city with Asian and European aspects, its history is some of the oldest in the world yet it remains quite unknown to the western world. Notwithstanding this fact, we are certain this will be the next big thing, this will be the destination every traveller in the world will be visiting very soon, if they have not already. It has definitely found its way into our hearts. So go with us to Tbilisi, a city that Alexandre Dumas described as the “city of legend and romance”.

Tbilisi Georgia Old Town | Travel Vlog #9

Tbilisi, Georgia - What To See In A Day | Travel Vlog #10

On our balcony we had our breakfast, with this view


Our days in hidden Georgia started with Georgian products, namely Tonis puri (the canoe shaped bread we bought from the local baker) for 40 lari for one. Cheese, croissants, tomatoes and salami, nectarine and peach. Our favourite.


Let’s start on the architecture..




The Radisson building was formerly a luxury hotel turned into a refugee camp, and now the Radisson.






Georgian National Academy of Sciences






Such street art was everywhere..


Georgian National Opera Theatre


The Opera.. incredible!


Buildings such as these were everywhere! With flowers like these as decoration.


The National Gallery


The Kashveti Church of St. George is a Georgian Orthodox on Rustaveli Avenue


The Parliament building




Freedom Square






How incredible is this!






I fell in love with this old staircase, it really is so romantic.




Most of the markets are like this, mini markets run by the local people who produce it themselves which means a lot of it is organic.





An old man on the street saw us looking at the courtyard he came out of (where he lived) and opened the gate for us to film. I got so emotional because he was so kind, old and cute and allowed us to film his private courtyard for no reason at all. The people are so kind, most of the older people speak Russian and Georgian which means you can communicate in Russian which was easier than Georgian for us.


Note: the spiral staircases, so Georgian!


I love the vines!!
















How can anyone not love this! We walked 20km plus to take in as much as we could, needless to say we had a lot of ground to cover. We walked from Marjanishvili Street to old town Tbilisi which was about 4-5km. Marjanishvili does have a metro however, we do believe the best way to acquaint yourself with a city is to walk the city, and although we were quite a bit out of the Old Town, we stayed in the most picturesque area and loved every moment.











The statue behind was built in 1958 is named Kartvlis Deda, meaning "Mother of a Georgian" and she stands in traditional Georgian dress on top of Sololaki Hill.


Jvaris Mama Church


Jvaris Mama Church, how SPECTACULARLY beautiful is this!!!


















A synagogue






Saint George Armenian Cathedral of Tbilisi
















Typical Georgian Babushki (grandmothers), they were so cute – they bought tea and sat in the park.


Yugo_boy holds a Churchkhela, which we thought was a sausage, this candle-shaped sweet is traditional Georgian and is made from a combination of wine, nuts, grapes and flour.




One of our favourite places in Tbilisi!!!!




As some know, I am a HUGE vine fan (fan of vines), and Tbilisi is VINE CAPITAL, vine heaven with beautiful red roses!!



Just look at THIS!




David Agmashenebeli Avenue – so picturesque! Very close to where we were staying!


David Agmashenebeli Avenue


David Agmashenebeli Avenue – how can anyone not love this. Plus the ambiance! With live Georgian music playing at times..

Starting our day we walked around to David Agmashenebeli Avenue, but the real sensation was Barbarestan Restaurant! Our host was an older man, very friendly. I asked him whether he was the owner, he stated that the young man walking around working as a waiter was the son of the owner and that his family owned the restaurant. Interestingly, he showed me the photo of the family downstairs, and said that the young man’s mother had just given birth to the 10th child in the family. The photograph was very regal and beautiful, showing various generations of siblings. The most magical thing about Barbarestan apart from the incredible food! And it was incredible, was the service we received and the concept of the restaurant itself. Named after a Georgian feminist, the host showed us the old book was shown to us, beautiful and archaic, all the recipes used in the restaurant were from the cookbook written by Barbare Jorjadze, a feminist of XIX-XX century. The quality of the service and food is just as rich as the atmosphere downstairs where live Georgian music plays, but the fancy, and classical type (you should really listen to the music on the vlog, it is like nothing else, so you can truly feel the atmosphere). Next you experience the cable car of funicular where you can see the entire city of Tbilisi, literally at your feet. So come and live vicariously through our photos and the video vlogs below:

Tbilisi, Best Georgian Food – Barbarestan Restaurant & David Agmashenebeli Avenue | Travel Vlog #11

Amazing Cable Car Ride in Tbilisi Georgia | Travel Vlog #12



Our friendly neighbourhood cat!

Marjanishvili street

Marjanishvili street, which was absolutely stunning with a Parisian feel to it, however the one thing the thing that really affected me in Tbilisi is the amount of beggars there is, and yes there are beggars in many places but in Tbilisi they were all elderly people, people without any means to sustain themselves. As a young person from a western country, I know that nowadays even the younger generation struggle to obtain employment with multiple qualifications, it is a struggle for everyone especially in countries such as this where there is such a stark disparity between the poverty of elderly populace and incredibly beautiful scenery. So having seen the same woman on the street every day, we gave to her, she was our go-to-girl per se and we would stop and drop in her tin any change we had, her and every other old person in Tbilisi..



The Amber Bar on David Agmashenebeli Avenue

This is delicious!



David Agmashenebeli Avenue is absolutely picturesque, it is so hip and happening. Everyone visits here and how could they not, look at this architecture!



Barbarestan Restaurant! An assortment of Georgian dips, these were so tasty! I would love to be back here! It is very fancy, but the vibe is classical and unmitigated beauty. For a high end restaurant the prices are reasonable, the entire meal cost $55 Aud and the food and service was incredible.




The waiter came over and I really wanted to try the duck, however Yugoboy was very hesitant and so we initially decided on chicken and when the waiter asked what we wanted I said chicken and he said: “really the chicken? Try the duck, it’s exciting”. At that moment he had read my mind, I really wanted to try the duck, having never tried is previously. So I ordered the duck for us and hoped for the best and it was one of the best food choices I have made! Apparently it can taste meaty, but this was smooth just like the best beef you could try. I highly recommend the duck!


The downstairs area, during my private tour of the restaurant, yes the host gave us a private tour and told us about Georgian history (I filmed some of it on the YouTube video). I am so glad we filmed it I cannot adequately convey the beauty of this place. It is definitely one of my top restaurants in the world.

Outside Barbarestan, as though stepping out of Cinderella, one last glimpse of perfection before your glass slippers disappear..



A common cheese dish..


The Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi known as Sameba, interestingly this church was constructed between 1995 and 2004. I had actually thought it was much older, much much older and was disappointed to find it was quite new. Sameba is incredible, so beautiful, however the grandeur and affluence of the cathedral, is juxtaposed with the countless elderly beggars on the path to the church just before entering, some which sat on the ground crying and howling..

The grounds are picturesque


The design is very intricate and interesting



YugoBoy back in form!

I love vines so much! One of the highlights of Tbilisi for me, this type of design is very Georgian!





These photos speak for themselves.. the cable car! It was very cheap, to ride the funicular it was 2 GEL plastic card (sold at the ticket office) and it takes you to the Mt Mtatsminda.








This monument is called Kartlis Deda it was erected on the top Sololaki hill in 1958, it commemorated Tbilisi’s 1500th anniversary. The name means Mother of a Kartli or Mother of a Georgian.

Kartlis Deda overlooks the entirety of Tbilisi, a woman protecting.


The Old town.



Dinner at Culinarium Khasheria, very modern Georgian cuisine. A fusion of the traditional and new!




We came to eat. We do not muck around.. 😉

Freedom Square, located on the eastern end of Rustaveli Avenue, the monument on top is a St. George Statue.

We hope you’re loving Georgia as much as we are, more of Georgia to come! :-::-:

Mtskheta, Georgia - What To See | Travel Vlog #13