Georgia

Georgia
Georgia is an ex Soviet, Orthodox Christian country situated on the boundary of Europe and Asia and claims to be one of the most ancient countries in the world and also the first people to make wine. Christianity arrived in the first century AD here through Saint Nina who was saved by Saint George who slayed a dragon. All the literature we read told us to dress conservatively but we found a secular country where everyone dressed like Europeans, just the older women who wore head scarves and long dresses or trousers. The ride from the border with Azerbaijan into Tbilisi was one of high hills then mad traffic as we approached the city. Even as close as a few kilometers from the city centre cows would wander across the road where they had been left to graze in public space, the cars and trucks just drive around them barely slowing down. Our first impression of Tbilisi was that we were now on the tourist trail as there were many people who had come to see the impressive churches in the city. Through wars Tbilisi has been ransacked a number of times, the churches destroyed when muslim rulers conquered and then the mosques were destroyed when the Christians were victors so the existing churches are eighteen century though history records civilization here 6,000 years ago. We spent a couple of days being tourists ourselves in this old city of churches and modern buildings blending together. There were many people begging in the street. Café culture is very strong here and as we were strolling down a street we saw three men who were obviously cyclist enjoying lunch and went over to say hello to them. As we exchanged details of our route, one of the men said “do you know my brother Mark Lye”. We were surprised, Mike has known Mark since they went to tech school together fifty years ago and one of the people we are planning to catch up when we get to England. Mark had mentioned to his brother Paul in passing just before he left to cycle through Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan that he might meet us along the way, never expecting to. So we sat down and had an enjoyable cup of tea with Paul, his friend Mike and Mike’s seventeen year old son Will wondering what the odds of us meeting up like this would be.
We had a great ride out of Tbilisi, just the opposite to the ride in the other side, four lane divided highway with an emergency stopping lane which we rode on all the way to Gori, the birth place of Stalin. We went to the museum, which Stalin himself commissioned but died before it was completed, the house where he was born was in the grounds as was the train carriage he used to get around in during the second world war. The museum needs a update, it has not changed since it was first opened and is full of interesting things about Stalin’s life but also a lot of propaganda about the revolution and nothing about the many people who died who opposed him. After Gori the road became a narrow road but the scenery was beautiful, rolling hills which we were riding up and down every day, dense greenery and every house had grapes growing over trellis giving them shade from the hot weather, about 35 degrees every day. After a very long and arduous climb we arrived at what should have been a tunnel entrance to take us through a mountain range to avoid climbing all the way over, but the tunnel was closed for maintenance. We saw the traffic which included many trucks wending it’s way up the narrow steep road which was a 4.5. kilometer bypass and decided to ask if they would allow bikes to go through the tunnel and they agreed, the foreman drove his car through with us as there was no electricity, we were very grateful. After all that stress we went to a café and had tea, we must have looked hassled as a very nice lady came up to us and gave us a delicacy here, a cheese pie, which she had bought for us. as we were visitors to her country This is the first time we have had this happen in Georgia but not the last. One day we stopped to ask directions just outside Samtredia and we were invited over to a café where a man insisted buying us cold drinks, beer for Mike and soft drink for Heather and sharing dumplings, another favourite here. Mike was also given a shot of vodka by a man who was drinking a bottle with his friends, we had stopped at a shop for a cold drink, and when he refused the second one it was offered to Heather, who also refused. Generally, people have not been as friendly here, but others have made up for it. At long last we met some other cyclists on the road, eight all together between Tbilisi and Batumi including one woman, which Heather was quite excited about, all from various parts of Europe. We were headed for Batumi, the last city before the border with Turkey, with 50 kilometres to go when we decided to camp for the night, but just as we had set up our tent the police arrived and told us we would have to move, they loaded all our bikes and gear into the police ute and took us to somewhere “safe” – a grassy back yard of a hotel right on the beach front of the Black Sea. We set up out tent and went to the beach side restaurant for dinner. Next day, after Mike had a 5.30am swim, we rode along the beach road all the way to Batumi, encountering one very big and steep hill, where we were looking forward to a hotel and a rest day. Batumi is a holiday destination for locals and people from Turkey as well as a port with lots of holiday makers, hotels and restaurants. There are extremes in dress with bikinis and other skimpy beachwear to women dressed completely in black with only their eyes uncovered. The food has been good and with things like cheese pies there has not been a dramatic weight loss as in the past. The food is always freshly cooked, no tins or packets here, and locally produced. We see the local producer delivering the tomatoes he has grown to the shops and restaurants in his car with crates tied to the roof and the boot is full as well as the back seat.