Georgia is a piece of heaven waiting to enwrap you tautly in its magical beauty. There’s love, art and architecture lurking in the streets of Georgia, only waiting to be found. Every avenue, by-lane and crossroad speaks a story of its own, one that cannot be told by others, or interpreted without having known them in their entirety.
It is the perfect amalgam of all things new and old- in just the right proportions. My Georgian friend rightly calls it the country of contrasts- there is a balanced mixture of extremes in Georgia- financial and cultural.
As you step into the country, there is a familiar air of belonging that engulfs you. No matter where you are from, this country and its people will treat you like their own, with unmatched hospitality.
On a normal day, you will find extremely trendy Georgian youth clamming the popular hang-out places, mostly parks and restaurants, and beautiful girls strutting the streets in their high heels.
Though by location Georgia falls under Eurasia, its culture seems quintessentially European.
But with slight contrast to the general perception of the West, Georgians are extremely well-rooted to their culture and family values take precedence. There also seems to be religious indoctrination starting from a very young age in the country- and, you can find the churches of Georgia swarming with people of all ages, tourists excluded.
Georgia was declared an Orthodox country in the 4th Century, starting with St Nino travelling to Tbilisi from Cappadocia to spread Christianity. Legend has it that the king at the time, King Mirian, with his unwavering atheism, gave into faith only when it suddenly became dark while hunting and nothing could bring light except his prayer to Jesus Christ. Today, Georgia is officially Christian and not only have their religious values played a crucial role in shaping societal values, they have also shaped the city’s architectural timescape.
No matter how you choose to view religion, in case of Georgia, its propagation and following have resulted in absolute masterpieces of architecture with time-tested construction techniques. One must experience these structures first-hand to truly appreciate their boundless beauty.
Georgia is also very well-endowed with picturesque landscapes, mountains standing tall at every horizon, calm rivers gently caressing their foothills, flower studded trees creating beautiful avenues along the roadsides and delicate cotton clouds framing them all into a single picture.
For aesthetes nothing speaks better for Georgia than its natural beauty.
It is easy to see why so many artists from all over the world choose to settle in Georgia after having visited it, sometimes only once. My first two friends in Georgia were Swedish, well-established writers in Sweden, who moved to Telavi, a Georgian country side after falling in love with it on their first visit. Georgia creates art out of you, gently but constantly. There have been innumerable instances of myself requesting my fellow travelers for a pen and paper, so I could quickly sketch the everchanging landscapes or pen down a few words in its appreciation. What magic runs in its veins that on submitting ourselves to it, Georgia creates artists in the roughest of us, I’m yet to fathom.
Georgia, probably by virtue of its location, seems to have several cultures intertwined in its fabric. I learnt to speak Russian before I could speak Georgian, I was introduced to Turkish songs for the first time, I now have a favourite Russian song, I met an Armenian for the first time, and most shockingly of all, I was introduced to the reach of the Indian movie industry or Bollywood in Georgia. It was surprising to hear young Georgian lads sway to the beats of Awara and street musicians play Hindi songs as soon as I walked past them. Thank you Georgia- we felt like your own.
No commentary about Georgia will be complete without the mention of its exquisite wines, and no visit to Georgia will be justified without immersing yourself in their goodness. The vineyards located outside of the capital in places such as Kakheti are exceptional visits.
There is so much that could be said about Georgia, and no single blog-post can do enough justice to the description of its beauty, its people, the constantly changing landscapes and its ever-constant culture. There is only one way I see to put it in a few words-whatever kind of a person you are, whether you are attracted to art, history, nature, nightlife or food, whatever your interests be, the beautiful country of Georgia has everything to offer! Georgia gives, and then gives some more.
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