Culture / Georgia

Tbilisi, Georgia: How Quickly We Fall In Love!

I had dreams about Tbilisi long before I ever went there. Holy Trinity Cathedral Tbilisi The mysterious Georgian capital intrigued me for years, and everything I read about it just made my heart ache to explore it even more. The food! The art! The cafes! I craved it, all of it.

But upon arriving in the splendid city, I struggled to connect with Tbilisi.

Tbilisi Storefront

That struggle infuriated me. I couldn’t figure out what the problem was. The look and feel of the place hit my sweet spot: the crumbling facades, the shady parks, the curlicue balconies, that hint of Soviet nostalgia… my heart beats harder for all of these things. I even befriended a film-shooting Georgian girl from my hostel on the first day. Niko Yet I struggled.

Maybe it was because my expectations were too high and too specific. I was ready to be knocked over by the artsy, funky energy of the city that I’d heard so much about. I wanted to be WOWED. Instead, Tbilisi by day felt strangely under-populated. At night, I couldn’t figure out where the scene was, where people went out.

Tbilisi Opera House

How things change.

After a day or two of frustration, I let go of all my preconceived notions and did what I should have done from the start—I decided to just go with the flow. Immediately, the city began to bloom for me.

Dry Goods Bridge

Because, you see, Tbilisi doesn’t yield its secrets easily. Tbilisi is perplexing, delightful, and mysterious. Fabulous cafes hide behind nondescript corners. Vine-draped courtyards contain quiet bookstores, or kids frolicking, or sometimes just abstract rubble. Ornate buildings lie deserted, pregnant with possibilities. Tiny alleys contain even smaller bakeries. Dim staircases lead to rooms covered in stained glass.

Georgian Fruit-Seller

Oh, how things change. Oh, how quickly we can fall in love.

I began noticing more things. I walked side streets and explored abandoned gardens and drank free homemade wine in the back alleys of street markets and it just seemed to add more layers to unravel. I found myself just enraptured by script; the way the Georgian letters and the Cyrillic and the Latin alphabets just crash straight into each other kept my eyes delighted.  I saw stacks of Georgian novels overflowing on sidewalks. I dodged old Soviet cars whizzing past on the streets. I climbed curvy hills that led to glorious cathedrals.

Georgian and Cyrillic

I haunted the Book Corner Café, a suggestion from Naomi that quickly became my main jam in Tbilisi—from the lovely waiter I befriended to the honey cake that tasted like my favorite Prague medovnik to the colorful umbrella canopy on the ceiling, it was swoonworthy in every way.

Book Corner

Every day, every moment, became a pleasure.

A connection with a friend from my high school led to long nights out with (seemingly) half of Tbilisi’s expat population—epic feasts at hidden restaurants, TEDtalk parties in airy apartments, crazy carefree celebrations at a little place called Dive Bar. The scene was raucous, exuberant, and welcoming. People live in this wild city, and they live in it fully.

Accordion in Tbilisi

Oh my, how things change!

That inability to connect in the beginning melted away and left something close to obsession. I am still dreaming about Tbilisi, about that former crumbly glory, about the fresh food, the lively markets, the late-night laughter, the little mysteries that I never quite discovered. I stayed in Tbilisi for nearly two weeks… it was not long enough.

I guess I’ll have to come back.

16 Comments

  • thesewalkingboots
    August 24, 2013 at 8:02 AM

    I love this post. I can completely relate to the experience of seeking a connection with a place. I’m glad you found it.

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      August 27, 2013 at 7:25 PM

      I’m glad you liked it! Finding those connections is one of the greatest things about traveling, I think.

      Reply
  • Stefania
    August 24, 2013 at 2:37 PM

    I have heard tales about Georgia, and there is a Georgian community here in Venice. I’d love to visit one day!

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      August 27, 2013 at 7:26 PM

      You definitely should! It was my favorite country on this trip, hands down.

      Reply
  • nitajohana
    August 24, 2013 at 3:51 PM

    great sharing Katrinka… i like this post..

    Reply
  • Barbara
    August 25, 2013 at 6:55 PM

    Your elegant prose and stunning photography makes me want to jump on a plane and share your travel adventures with you.

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      August 27, 2013 at 7:26 PM

      Thank you so much 🙂

      Reply
  • Tom Stockwell (@waegook_tom)
    September 2, 2013 at 1:30 AM

    OK, first, this is so well-written that it has me finger-snapping at the screen – “pregnant with possibilities.” AGH. LOVE IT.

    Second, now I really, really, REALLY regret skipping out on Georgia – but I’ll have to wait until next year to go as it’s only going to get colder from now on. Heck, after reading this, I even toyed with the idea of joining the public school teaching program that they have there!

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      September 2, 2013 at 11:49 AM

      Ahhh thank you Tom! You’re making me blush over here.
      You should definitely go when you get the chance, it was my favorite place from this summer trip. You would love it! The food!!! I crave it!

      Reply
  • Kote
    December 16, 2013 at 12:56 AM

    Hello Katrinka,

    Thanks for featuring Book Corner Cafe!

    All the best wishes,
    K

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      December 16, 2013 at 10:18 AM

      Kote, the pleasure was all mine! I adored the cafe and spent a lot of time there. It was wonderful!

      Reply
      • Kote
        December 16, 2013 at 11:30 AM

        Glad to hear that!

        Reply
  • David Pierce
    March 1, 2016 at 2:26 PM

    Great photos as always. Where is the stunning church in the first photo? I don’t think my wife and I saw it when we were in Tbilisi a year later. I guess the fellow on the bumper of the old blue car is at the flea market: that was a remarkable place. Our visit to Tbilisi was in part professional: we participated in the first Caucasian Mathematics Conference. The next CMC is supposed to be in Van this year. Dunno if I can put a link here, but I have some captioned photos from our own trip that I have enjoyed reviewing after seeing yours: https://plus.google.com/photos/117161399239947876079/albums/6059256520644262161

    Reply
    • Katrinka
      March 1, 2016 at 3:17 PM

      That church is the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, which if I remember correctly was tucked up on some hill. Your pictures from Tbilisi are great and make me even more excited to return this weekend! And I can’t wait to hear about Van if you choose to go; I haven’t quite made it there yet…

      Reply

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