(Last Updated on Aug 9, 2024)

It was afternoon on Day 2 and we stepped out for lunch. We were on our way to the Independence Day celebrations.

First, we stopped at Pasanauri restaurant and had some authentic Georgian food – Khinkhali (soupy dumplings), Khachapuri (cheese filled bread – think of a better version of pizza) of two types – Adjarian and Imeretian and kebabs stuffed with the local sulguni cheese. I’ll publish a guide on the different varieties of khachapuri in the next blog.

This wasn’t our first time eating Georgian food though – we had been to a Georgian restaurant in our last visit to Almaty and loved it. Our table was right next to the barbecue area where the chef was making the kebabs. Parth enjoyed watching him rotate the kebabs on the fire. 

Next stop – Liberty Square (also referred to as Freedom Square). We couldn’t really see the square when we had arrived here the previous night. In the center, was a monument with St George slaying a dragon on top of it. The square was surrounded by the City Assembly and some prominent hotels.

Independence day celebration

A huge stage had been constructed and a group of children stood on it waiting for the national anthem to play. Some of them were nervous, others waved at their parents and friends who were standing in the crowd. When the clock struck 5, red and white confetti (in the colours of the Georgian flag) was released from the top of the Tbilisi City Assembly building and the anthem played. It was a really unique experience to be part of this event!

Georgia celebrates its Independence Day on 26th May commemorating its independence after the Russian Revolution of 1917. While they did get taken over by the USSR soon afterwards (all 3 Caucasus countries became Soviet Republics), they again got independence with the fall of the USSR in 1991 on 9th April. But the original date of independence is still the one that is celebrated even today.

Is the word “Caucasian” derived from the Caucasus region?

I’m sure a few of you are wondering about the word “Caucasus”. Sounds a bit familiar right? That’s the origin of the word “Caucasian” which was a broad term used to describe fair-skinned people from the western world. The Caucasus is the region in between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea which encompasses the present day Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. It was believed that Noah’s Ark landed in this region and was the origin of the modern human species. The theory is completely obsolete now but you can read all about it here.

After this, we walked down Rustaveli Avenue. The entire road was covered in a canopy of red and white in the shape of the national flag (as seen from above).

Both sides of the road had stalls that were selling wine from all parts of Georgia. Georgia is considered to be the birthplace of grapes and wine. There are over 525 varieties of grapes grown in Georgia and some of them were on display here. Almost everyone here was going around and tasting wine at different stalls. We picked up a Tsinandali white wine and it cost us only 20 lari (INR 600!). We were shocked to find such good wine for such a low price!

Dinner at Bazari Orbeliani

We continued our walk along the street and then towards the Dry Bridge market. The kids enjoyed running around in a park on the way and we also picked up some cotton candy.

It was around 6:30pm by the time we got to the market and it had closed by then. We stood on the bridge and watched the Kura river pass by below us.

We decided to grab some food and headed to the food court at Bazari Orbeliani. This place was basically like a mall but only had food corners. They had a huge variety of cuisines in here ranging from Italian to Turkish to Uzbek to French to Thai. We picked up some Thai food for dinner.

Funicular time!

We didn’t have any more plans for the day, so we booked a cab and went to the base station of the Tbilisi Funicular (the one we had seen shining last night). The cab driver struggled once again to find a route as the entire Rustaveli avenue was still shut. After taking a really long diversion and asking some cops along the way, we finally got there after 40 mins (a drive that should have taken only 15-20 mins).

It had turned dark by then. We bought our tickets (20 GEL per person) and waited for the next funicular to come down. It was very similar to the one we had taken in Istanbul. As we climbed up, we could see the entire city lit up.

On top of the hill was Mtatsminda Park and the TV tower. We didn’t enter the park but spent some time watching the night view of the city. We could spot the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the distance – we’d be going there the next day.

Suddenly, there were fireworks and they were all going off at our eye level – the Independence Day celebrations were coming to an end.

We took another funicular down and a Bolt taxi back to our room. 

Day 3

After a complete night of sleep, we got up full of energy and ready to explore more of Tbilisi. I quickly squeezed in a workout (I had carried resistance bands for this trip) and we stepped out for breakfast. 

This part of Tbilisi was perfect for exploring by foot. We walked to a cafe nearby called Chaduna for breakfast – the place had a nice vibe. We ate syrniki – cottage cheese pancakes among other things.

One thing we noticed about this place and the one we went to yesterday was that they both had colouring books and crayons to keep the kids engaged. These people had already thought through how to keep toddlers and kids engaged while their parents had a quiet meal.

We weren’t so lucky and had to bring out our phones to keep them in their seats. It didn’t feel good putting them on screen time but we couldn’t think of any better option. We looked around and saw a local family on the next table doing the same. Let me know if you have any ideas that have worked for you!

Exploring Tbilisi

We walked to Liberty Square and along Rustaveli avenue. The place had transformed overnight – all the decorations were gone, streets cleaned up and vehicles going at full speed.

One odd thing we noticed here was that people took the lines drawn on the roads seriously. If it was a double solid line in the middle of the road, no one would cross it – even if there was no traffic on the road. They would drive straight all the way to the next signal or roundabout and then come back. It was as if that line drawn on the road was an actual solid divider. In India, people jump and cross solid, vertical dividers on their vehicles – so it was quite shocking to digest!

We picked up a couple of stamps at the post office (our friend collected stamps) and then took a cab to the Holy Trinity Cathedral.

The cathedral, also referred to as Sameba, stands on a hill which gives it even more prominence in the Tbilisi skyline. We could also see how the Kura river cuts through the city with hills rising on both the sides.

We now had two options – take a cab and head to the Chronicle of Georgia or walk down to Rike Park. To be continued in the next part.

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Check out all the Georgia blogs here:

• The Georgia Itinerary – your guide to planning the perfect Georgia trip
• A Rainy 2 AM arrival in Georgia – avoiding scams and a rainy adventure
• Celebrating Independence Day in Tbilisi – a unique experience in Georgia
• Tbilisi Travel – Hidden Gems and Local Experiences
• The Georgian Military Highway – A Georgian road trip
• Discovering Kazbegi – A Travel Guide to Georgia’s northern mountain escape
• The Romantic Towns of Sighnaghi and Telavi – exploring the Kakheti region
• A deep-dive into the Wine Culture of Georgia – Saperavis, Rkatsitelis and Chacha
• An Exciting End – Dirt road, petrol scare and upcoming floods