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Tbilisi & Republic of Georgia - well worth it!

Hi, I travel a lot as a free lance consultant to Europe and recently I visited the Republic of Georgia and I wanted to share a little bit about my trip and suggest a few things to do and stay.

First, Georgians are a wonderful, gracious people. They are very friendly toward people from the West (Americans, Europeans, etc.) and I felt safe the entire time that I was there. Due to the war in the Ukraine, there are many Ukrainian refugees in the city and, as a Visa-free destination for Russian tourists, there are significant numbers of Russians as well. Although there is obviously tension between these groups, it hasn't impacted the safety of traveling to Georgia / Tbilisi.

As far as places to stay are concerned - I highly recommend the Moxy Tbilisi- its location in Saarbrücken square is central to sights in the city and it's a great value. The crew that works there all speak fluent English and can help provide insights into places to visit. In terms of places to see, I'd recommend Old Town Tbilisi, the funicular, a trip to Mtskheta (the old capital). Also, a day trip to the city of Borjomi (where the famous Georgian sparkling water is from) is also highly recommended. Finally, on the way back from Borjomi to Tbilisi is a trip to Gori where there is a museum to Stalin because Gori is the city where he was from. It's certainly an interesting part of history.

So - if you're planning on a trip to Europe - consider taking a trip farther east to Georgia. It's still a greenfield tourism opportunity and it's possible to organize a very intimate tour experience at a very low cost. Check it out!

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Sam, thank you for taking the time to report on Georgia. I’ve been immensely intrigued by the country for its food, viticulture, history and beauty.

I’m a monoglot that still struggles with my native English language. How is it to navigate Tbilisi and around the country linguistically only speaking English? I go back to the days of traveling with phrase books and notepads for impromptu Pictionary games with natives in Western Europe. I just want to know how much I’m in for in Georgia. (Bless google translate).

Next, how would you rate both Tbilisi and the country in general for female, solo travelers? My husband can’t be medicated for anything longer than a 10 hour flight from the west coast so seeing Eastern Europe is beyond his limit. My pool of travel partners usually gets screwed up faces and frowns when I mention anything west of Austria, Germany or Italy so the real pearls and treasures are left to me, myself and I.

The dynamics of Russian and Ukrainian refugees living side by side in a foreign country remind me of Lara Beach outside Antalya, Türkiye. Some many lives interrupted, people hurt, all trying to just get along in a foreign land.

Thank you for bringing light and interest to such a wonderful unsung country. I can’t wait to eat one of those bread things (like a Turkish pide) with an egg in it in Georgia. And drink wine from one of those underground amphora!