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Read more Worsted for Wear on Webtoons.

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this episode aired in 1992

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Things to know before visiting Tbilisi

Last month, I went on a family trip to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. This iconic country marking the borders between Asia and Europe makes you confused about what to expect in your visit. At that time, I wanted to visit somewhere different, away from my favorite European gateways, and I though Georgia would be the perfect choice: Low cost direct flight, no visa required, and great online recommendations of it, and here we go to Tbilisi.

I don’t want to say that I was disappointed in my trip; after all, there is always something enriching about every new country you visit. But I would say I had different expectations. So before you embark on a trip to Georgia, here is the list of things I would like you to know, in order to enjoy your time there.

 1- Do not expect a rich country

There will be no palaces visit, nor churches crafted with marble and gold. Georgia (or at least Tbilisi) does not show signs of wealth. The buildings are simpler, the cathedrals more humble, and the traces of communism still show in some areas.

 2- Be in good shape

You need that to climb the steep hills leading to the city’s main landmarks. Whether you want to go to the Mtatsminda park, or to the old fortress, you need good legs and endurance as steep roads are awaiting for you. Even if you are taking the funicular up to the park, you still need to reach its departure point, and that by climbing from the Rustaveli avenue. The hotel where we stayed was also situated on one of these hills so we had to climb every day and I was back from Tbilis with much stronger legs :)

3- Beware of what you see on maps

We wanted to visit the Botanical Garden. On the map, it appeared to be right next to the fortress. That would be easily reachable we thought… till we reached the fortress and found out that the botanical garden was actually in the deep valley behind it. And to reach it you can either take long long stairs or a “Tyrolienne”!

4- WIFI is almost everywhere

That was very convenient. You wouldn’t need a Georgian SIM. Whether you’re in a park, in the metro station, walking on the Rustaveli avenue, you can always be connected to the public WIFI “Tbilisi loves you” and get any directions you would possibly need to reach your destination, or simply get connected to check your social media feed J

5- Public transport is cheap

Tbilisi has 2 metro lines and plenty of taxis. To use the metro, you should first buy the magnetic card for about 2 GEL (Georgian Lari). This card is used in all transportation systems, including the cable car and funicular. Then you can top it with as much credit as you need. The same card can be used for several people, just top it with the right amount for all.

The taxis are also cheap; however they tend to overcharge you when they know you’re a tourist! So beware of that and always bargain your price before taking the taxi.

As examples, the ride from the airport to Rustaveli should cost around 35 to 40 GEL and the one from the city center to Tbilisi mall should not exceed 10 GEL.

6- Recommended visit path

To make the visit more convenient, you can group the places by proximity. Here is a suggested path for the main landmarks:

a-    Walk from Rustaveli avenue to the Old city and visit the sulfur baths

a-    Take the funicular up to Mtatsminda park then take the stairs down to the main road reaching the Rustaveli avenue

b-    Walk from the Old city through the Bridge of Peace to reach the Rike park. There you can take the cable car to visit the fortress then walk down to the botanical garden.

a-    Take a taxi to Tbilisi mall

b-   Visit the Rike Park at night to get enchanted by the musical fountains

7- Food and restaurants

The Georgian cuisine is mostly known for Khachapuri which is a cheese-stuffed dough and Khinkali, a meat stuffed dumpling.

We tried several restaurants; my favorite was DineHall on Rustaveli avenue. It serves Georgian as well as international food.

There was also the Marco Polo restaurant where the food was decent but the ice cream heavenly delicious.

8- Spoken language

Georgia has its own alphabet and language that is very different from the Latin languages. Additionally, many Georgian don’t speak English and some don’t even try to communicate with you using signs, so sometimes it gets difficult. We had 2 incidents caused by miscommunication, one at the metro station when buying tickets, and the other one at hotel checkout where you would expect a good level of English. Luckily, the younger generation seems to make more effort in learning and communicating in English with tourists.

9- Daytrips from Tbilisi

Walking in the city center, you would notice many stores displaying posters for daytrips outside Tbilisi. These would include Batumi, Borjomi, Kazbegi and some others. We made the wrong choice of booking a tour to Borjomi through the hotel. We got a guide who didn’t like going there and was barely knowledgeable about our destination. He didn’t know about the Romanov palace existence, didn’t want us to take the cable car, and only limited our visit to the park…

So perhaps it would be better to just take a taxi and explore the area yourself, after doing some research about it.

10- Gifts from Tbilisi

 The city center is full of souvenir shops with the usual country-themes mugs and magnets, but with also some puppets wearing the traditional Georgian costumes. If you want to get sweets or Georgian cheese and churchkhela, there is a good shop in the old city in Kote Afkhazi street; they sell them in well packaged boxes, safe for travel.

I hope that this post will be useful for your trip, enjoy it!

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A sunset will color your dreams

Photos by Mauro Scalabroni

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Spellbound Felines Series by Sam Hogg

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Libby Frame on Instagram

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Delicate spring florals

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No one deserves depression and unhappiness. Evgeny Lushpin Fine Art

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Haven’t posted in a while because I’m trying to find a replacement battery for my scale. I am still working on my goals. I did fall off the wagon because of stress but I am still at 37 lbs lost and continuing to try and thrive!

#weightloss #weightlossblog #happiness #goals #weight #journey #fitness #happy #beautiful

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I got my ass in to a medium size dress today and it looked great. I’m so happy. I also logged over 30,000 steps today.

#daily life blog #weightloss #life #weightlossblog #weightlossbloger #weight #daily life

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I lost

31.4lbs so far. I’m very excited to be back at my senior year of high school weight and I am excited to keep going. So far I made it further then what my family has thought possible and tried to avoid me from doing. I feel like I am going to be excited and anxious about my next shopping trip for clothes. 

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Went back to the gym...

I didn’t like it. The overall experience wasn’t what it was when I first started and I think I’ll cancel my membership when I get home. I could easily do exercises at home for less stress and harassment. 

#gym #weightloss #weight #weightlossblog

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I’m thinking of going back to the gym.

I haven’t  gone to the gym since the pandemic started and I often feel as though now I should go with certain things being lifted. 

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After some adjustments

I have finally hit the goal mark of 20 lbs. I have been exercising more and eating more vegetables and fruit rather then grains. I think once I reach 30lbs I will start going to the gym again. 

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I have hit a goal mark!

Empress

#weight #weighloss #goals #fitness #Journey #happiness

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Empress: I had a bad diet track today. But I didn't go over my max calories. I try to keep under but I pulled an all nighter. Anyone ever find it hard to diet when having to stay up at night?

#weightloss #weightlossblog #weightlossbloger #daily life #daily life blog

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Bio Oil Review Day One

I have made the purchase today and reviewed the product. Everything is pretty self explanatory. The front of the package gives its name and tells you what the product is for. On the back it tells you how to apply the product and gives you the ingredients. Along with the standard ingredients. It gives you a list of precautions and what not to do with the oil. Which I find smart. Other than the two sides I have shown the box is plain white. Unusual packaging choices aside, we get to the bottle. 

The bottle I think is quite cute. The oil in and of itself was actually not thick or sticky. It has a nice fragrance. It’s not over powering and blends well with perfume. The oil doesn’t make me feel as though I am wearing glue. It doesn’t stick to my clothes either. Well this is all I can write on for now. I will continue to use it for the recommended time on the bottle for the three months. I have chosen to share a deep scare on my arm. Is from an oven burn and much more visible on camera then my strech marks. So better for testing progress long term. 

#review #happy #life #daily life #daily life blog #weightloss #weightlossblog #weightlossbloger