Why now? Georgia's investments in infrastructure and tourism over the last several years mean that the country is raring to go. Tourist facilities have improved and Tbilisi's domestic travel agencies are well organized.
With a bustling capital city, Tbilisi, ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Georgia
Budget Vacation Guide 2012: Tiblisi, Georgia
Why now? Georgia's investments in infrastructure and tourism over the last several years mean that the country is raring to go. Tourist facilities have improved and Tbilisi's domestic travel agencies are well organized.
With a bustling capital city, Tbilisi, ...New Georgia border crossing provides a whimsical welcome
Customs checkpoints tend to be dreary, depressing places.
A rare exception is the new Georgia border crossing with Turkey, located right at the crossroads between Eastern Europe and Western Asia. There, German architect Jürgen Mayer H. recently unveiled a modern, ...Mtskheta: Easy day trip from Tbilisi
Mtskheta is Georgia's ancient capital, a little village about 15 miles to the north of Tbilisi. It is home to a number of very important Georgian religious sites and functions to this day as a kind of spiritual heart of Georgia. It was in Mtskheta that Georgia adopted ...Tbilisi insider Q&A: Nina Andjaparidze
To walk around central Tbilisi with Nina Andjaparidze is to feel as if you've been invited into the exciting beating heart of the local social scene. Andjaparidze, the Director of the Tbilisi International Film Festival, seems to know everyone in town; moreover, she seems to ...Georgian cuisine: Adjarian khachapuri and other delicious things
Georgian cuisine has not really received its international due, and this is a shame. It is an exciting cuisine that takes its cues from points east and west, relying on an extraordinarily fresh local bounty.
Part of what renders Georgian food so insanely good is this ...Tbilisi: Orbeliani Baths
Some cities have an isolated public bathhouse here or there, in a remote corner; others, like Budapest, have public baths strewn throughout. Tbilisi has its own bathhouse district called Abanotubani, with several bathing venues on offer. I'd been looking forward to ...Far Europe and Beyond: Introducing Tbilisi
"The Soviets always had a difficult time with Georgia. They were never able to turn Tbilisi into a Soviet city," says Revi. I've just met Revi, the cousin of a friend, and he's introducing me to Tbilisi. He's just picked me up at the airport and is giving an impromptu ...Introducing Far Europe and Beyond
Far Europe and Beyond, a Gadling series in partnership with bmi (British Midland International) launches today.
Europe's eastern borders cannot be defined simply. The western, northern, and southern perimeters are easy: The Atlantic, the Arctic, and the Mediterranean ...Five ways to get more European stamps in your passport
Lake Ohrid, Macedonia.
Yesterday, I wrote about the fact that European passport stamps have become harder and harder to get. The expansion of the Schengen zone has reduced the number of times tourists are compelled to show their passports to immigration officials. For ...Travel then and now: Travel to the USSR and GDR
This year is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union and 21 years since the reunification of Germany. While citizens of the USSR and GDR were unable to travel abroad and restricted in domestic travel, foreign travelers were permitted under a controlled ...AirBaltic expands, spruces up
Yesterday, Latvian airline AirBaltic launched two new routes: Riga-Madrid and Riga-Beirut.
Riga-based AirBaltic is an airline to watch. Little known in North America, the airline is notable for its low starting fares and the inclusion of most of Europe's most popular ...Turkish Airlines plane mistakenly lands at Georgian military base
Woops! A Turkish Airlines 737 on its way from Turkey to Tbilisi, Georgia (yeah, that Georgia) took a wrong turn somewhere and landed at a military airbase instead of Tbilisi International airport. The 2 airports are just under 5 miles apart, but in the world of aviation I'd ...Russia disproves the "Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention"
New York Times columnist and mustachioed flat-earth proponent Thomas Friedman posited back in 1996 that two countries with McDonald's restaurants had never gone to war with each other.
This "Golden Arches Theory of Conflict Prevention," as some have called it, holds that ...Where on Earth? Week 36: Vardzia, Georgia
Wow. This is only the second time we've stumped you with Where on Earth; the first time was coincidentally within the same country of Georgia. Those who guessed Turkey came closest. The former Soviet Republic borders Turkey and naturally shares some of the same limestone ...Happy times in Georgia
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There's nothing more exciting when visiting a foreign country than to be caught up in a local demonstration. That is, until, the riot police come. That's when you'll see me screaming, "Tourist! Tourist!" like a little girl and running in the opposite direction wildly ...New train route to connect Turkey with Georgia and Azerbaijan
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I always get excited when new rail routes open up.
In my opinion, there is no better way to travel than by train. And when countries that are normally difficult to traverse by other means suddenly open up a new rail route, it makes travel and exploration all that much ...Where on Earth (Week 4): Tbilisi, Georgia!
We didn't have any winners in this week's "Where on Earth" contest, but we did have some close guesses. Sort of. The guesses were all in the former Soviet Union. As was the location of this photograph. One has to travel much further south, however, to be able to snap such ...Photo of the Day (2/22/07)
I'm giving myself a little present today and awarding Photo of the Day honors to me!
This shot was taken two summers ago in Georgia. No, not the state, but rather the former Soviet Republic. In case you're wondering where that is, check out the mountains in the ...Red Corner: The Napa Valley of Georgia
We've posted a couple of times before about the wondrous wines which hail from the former Soviet republic of Georgia. And now, the New York Times has discovered them as well.
C. J. Chivers, writing in last Sunday's paper, takes us to the fertile valleys of Georgia for a ...Red Corner: Trekking in Georgia
One of the more phenomenal locations I've trekked in the last few years is the former Soviet republic of Georgia.
Georgia's Caucasus Mountains are rugged and beautiful and populated with small villages and very hospital locals. And the food is wonderfully fresh and ...
