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The almost overly restored Bagrati Cathedral, Kutaisi. Built in 1003, a big chunk of the cathedral was destroyed by a Turkish explosion in 1692.
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Kutaisi is built around the Rioni River. It’s a pleasant stroll on cobbled streets from the town to Bagrati Cathedral on the hilltop.
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Georgian hot dogs, anyone?
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Bored with the same old, we swapped chicken kebab for frogs legs.
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Motsameta Monastery sits on a spectacular cliff top above the Tskhaltsitela River, just 6km from Kutaisi.
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Motsameta Monastery
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Motsameta Monastery
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Motsameta Monastery
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Motsameta Monastery
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Cathedral of the Virgin, part of the Gelati monastery complex.
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Bright and colourful frescoes in the Cathedral of the Virgin, part of the Gelati monastery complex. The frescoes were painted between the 12th and 18th century.
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I, too, lit a candle for my mum.
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Black Sea. Batumi, Georgia’s summer holiday capital, is only 2.5 hours from Kutaisi, and only a hop from Turkey.
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Batumi has been revitalised in recent years and has good hotels and restaurants. The town first developed in the late 19th century as the western terminus of a railway from Baku that carried one fifth of the world’s oil production.
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My new man?
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The seaside promenade – the life and soul of Batumi.
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One of the grand old buildings in Batumi.
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Promenade along the Black Sea coast – a great spot for a run.
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Pretty much sums it up.
Churches and beaches
| 21 imagesWe arrived in Kutaisi, Georgia’s second-largest city, after a very long marschrutka ride, so, after hunting for a hotel room it was time to hunt for food. We had been eating the same sorts of foods for a while now, and were very ready for something different. So, when we walked past Cafe de Paris, I pretty much told Rita I wasn’t going anywhere else. She agreed.
After some salad, frogs legs and vino, and a delicious chocolate mousse dessert for Rita, we set off to do a little sightseeing with the help of the friendly French-Georgian owners of the restaurant who helped us organise a driver.
According to the Russian-speaking French chef, the transfer of the parliament from Tbilisi to Kutaisi has not really helped business that much, and there really isn’t that much to do in this town, and forget about trying to get a decent breakfast, which turned out to be true! Well, I guess “decent” is relative, but I agreed with the chef.
Anyway, the driver was not only a driver, but a very enthusiastic and religious “guide” who is passionate about the history and legends of Kutaisi as well as its churches and monasteries. He provided a vast amount of detailed information without us asking him to. He left out nothing. In the three hours we were together (to only see two monasteries/churches), he also must have gestured the sign of the cross at least 100 times – every time we passed a chapel or a church, every time we entered and left a church, in the church, outside the church. Three “crosses” each time. It must have been quite a workout!
To spare Rita of yet more translating (and also to spare myself!), I asked Rita to just give me a very concise summary of what he told her. It was no doubt interesting, and definitely not something readily found in a guidebook, but I also know I can only handle so much info, especially info of a religious nature, before completely switching off.
Despite information overload, it was genuinely nice to see someone who cared so much, and was passionate and eager, and not trying to rip us off!
A Fish Called Wander 
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