Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Directly at the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan you can find different orthodox monasteries dating back to the 6th century CE. While the archeological sites on Azeri land are unused, the David Gareja monastery in Georgia is still active and often visited by tourists. It is a a wonderful cloister built into the Udabno mountain in a beautiful scenery.
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If you decide to take a tour from თბილისი to the David Gareja monastery at the border to Azerbaijan than it will be probably offered together with a stop at the so-called rainbow mountains. They are actually directly in front of the monastery and not known by this name – but they’re nevertheless absolutely worth a visit.
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If you’re in for some comfort and international atmosphere you should consider the Moxy hotel at the Saarbrücken square of თბილისი. It is located close to the Mtkwari river and after crossing it you already have reached the old town of თბილისი and Rustaveli avenue as well as the Orbelani square are rather close-by.
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One of the delights of a visit to თბილისი are the different sulphur spas that were formerly found throughout many parts of the city. Today you can find different of them at the bath district close to the city center, opposite to Metechi. The most famous nowadays is Chreli Abano, the luxurious one with the impressive facade giving it an oriental look.
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West of the city center of თბილისი you can find Vake park, a large garden opened in 1946 to commemorate the victory in World War II. A long central axis leads you on red sand to the tomb of the unknown soldier surrounded by a mosaic of Georgian flags. Behind there is a water cascade that you can follow up to the central monument finished in 1981 by a Soviet sculptor.
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One of the recreation areas of თბილისი is the turtle lake, named because of the amount of turtles found there. It is located at a height of 686 meters above the city quarter Vake of თბილისი. The turtle lake is an artificial lake created from a small mountain river called Varazis-Khevi. It has a maximum depth of 2.6 meters and you can swim in it – but most people come here just for taking a walk around or having a coffee at its shore.
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The ethnographic open-air museum is located close to the turtle lake in a hill south of the city center of თბილისი. Since 1966 it collects, preserves and exhibits buildings from all regions of Georgia. This includes classic farm houses, a vineyard building, a church and a water mill.
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If you like to enjoy the artworks of local artists you shouldn’t miss the national gallery of თბილისი. It is located at the Rustaveli avenue and surrounded by the 9th April park (remembering the peaceful uprise in 1989). The gallery is a modern art exhibition hall that shows well-made exhibitions on two floors.
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Bakı is a city like no other. The capital city of Azerbaijan is shaped by the fossil resources available at the shore of the Caspian sea: oil and gas. They’re owned by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) and create visible wealth and they are so widely available that they even remain unused and create continuously burning mountains and bubbling mud volcanoes. An endless number of horsehead pumps are moving around the city, three skyscrapers are shaped like flames and there is even a religion (Zoroastrianism) that worships the flame.
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A magic place outside of Bakı. The Atəşgah fire temple is a religious place formerly used by Zoroastrianism and Hinduism. It became so famous that even Jules Vernes and Alexandre Dumas visited it and wrote about it. Once you’ve passed the historic walls of Atəşgah you’ll see an eternal flame protected by a building at the center and rooms surrounding it but leaving a large courtyard around the fire.
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