Tbilisi, Georgia – Fun in town between the adventures

Hello again, Friends! Now that I have shared all of the off-road adventures and amazing sites I visited outside of Tbilisi, I wanted to circle back and share some of the cool stuff I found in town, along with a funny story or two.

One of the first things I noticed when I arrived and began walking around was all of the street dogs who looked to be in amazing health compared to those in other countries. I took a free walking tour the second day from a very hungover, not super informative guy, but did learn that the government has a program where they vaccinate and neuter/spay the dogs and tag their ears. The then citizens take care of the dogs (and cats) by offering them food, often leftovers from local restaurants. The government also provides some necessary operations to dogs wounded by cars, etc., such as the happy guy you see below who recently had one of his legs amputated. Most of the street dogs and cats are very friendly, although there are parts of town where there have been a few issues. As most of you know, I’m an animal lover, so I enjoyed all of my new furry friends…here are just a few of them!

Once I saw past the sweet dogs and cats, I also really enjoyed the mix of architecture, from historic churches, to post-Soviet buildings, to amazing modern structures, to underground wine cellars, to the intricate wood homes where multiple families live in close quarters with their neighbors, sharing porches and staircases. Much of this close communal living came about during Soviet times when Georgian families were forced to move to the city from rural areas where they could work and be more easily controlled. Large houses built at the turn of the century were converted into smaller apartments where multiple entrances were added, walls were removed, extensions tacked on wherever they fit, and new staircases added to allow for multiple family living. Today, these dwellings are being remodeled and rehabilitated as time and money allows, but many of them are still inhabited in rough shape, braced by steel beams, as they await their time to be fixed up.

Another thing Tbilisi is known is its interesting assortment of steam baths fueled by the hot springs that run underground through the city. Its even how the city got its name, Tbilisi means “warm place”! The majority of the baths are located near the river in the Abanotubani district, and have unique brick domes that look like giant mole holes popping up from the earth. In the evenings, people and street dogs relax on the mounds, feeling a bit of the heat and smelling the sulphury waters below.

Although the original reason for the bath houses was to get clean, many of them have been “touristified”, and offer more “spa like” services and environments, especially in the upgraded private rooms. Since I was solo, I opted for the bath house (Bath House No. 5), that offered a more traditional public bath experience with a much lower price tag. This is where the fun began!

I entered the bath house and paid the fee (about $5), to enter the female bathing area. When I opened the door, I was in a room of old green metal lockers with a small table where three employees sat waiting to help with the lockers and offer additional services. Although they spoke very little English, they were friendly and talked me into a Kisi (exfoliation) scrub, which I read was a must try, and some tea for afterwards. They then directed me to a locker where I was surrounded by several local women who were all a good 20+ years older and who definitely enjoyed the culture of the amazing Khinkali (dumplings), breads, cheeses, and wines!! I noticed they were all naked, but didn’t think much of it as I changed into my bikini since I read this was what I should do. After changing, I wasn’t sure how to get to the baths, so I went back to ask the women at the table. On my way, I had to wait a couple of minutes to get through the aisle, past a woman taking her time drying herself off and blocking any access….awkward! Finally one of the women working in the locker room came to my rescue and re-opened my locker telling me not to bring my towel. She then pointed towards a door in the back of the room and said she would be in in 10 minutes for my scrub. I fully expected to climb into a cozy bath, but as it turned out, the women’s side at this bath only had “showers” which were small pipes coming out of the ceiling with the very hot spring water and a tap to add cold water if needed. The showers around the perimeter of the room were filled with women soaping and scrubbing themselves…getting clean. This is when it occurred to me, I was the only one clothed!

I had no soap or other products and had taken a shower just before walking to the bath house, so I just stood there in my bikini and enjoyed the steamy soak. 10 minutes later, my Kisi scrubber arrived in a leopard print bathing suit and led me to the tile bench in the middle of the room. I removed my top and laid down face up. She hosed me down, then put on her exfoliating mitt and began scrubbing and motioning for me to turn over as she worked her way around my body. Next, she pulled out a soapy glove and lathered me up, making me feel like a 2 year old being washed by her mother….with many onlookers. Once I was squeaky clean, she hosed me down and the treatment ended.

I was led back into the locker room and told to sit by my locker for the tea. She set a small table in front of me and delivered a huge pot. As women finished their bathing, I was moved a couple of times so they could access their lockers. After my third move, the employee was trying to tell me something about the tea, but didn’t have the English words. Another bather who was now drying off jumped in and helped, smiling kindly at me as lifted each of her watermelon sized breasts up to dry underneath, while explaining I could put what was left of the tea into my water bottle and take it with me. Finally, I was ready to move on, so I poured the tea in my bottle, dressed, paid for the services, and made my way to the door, giggling a bit inside at the cool, awkward experience I had just had. Amazing!

The art and culture in Tbilisi is also very unique and special. The people are friendly, the food is delicious, and there are many second hand stores and a huge flea market where you can find all sorts of old and new treasures. Here are a few pictures of some of the highlights, including wine ice cream!!

Another cool thing is most of main streets have underpasses for pedestrians instead of crosswalks or overpasses. In these underpasses, there is are bars, clubs, shopping areas, and lots of cool graffiti art. Although I didn’t love the cigarette smoke that filled most of them, it was a nice reprieve from the heat, and really interesting to see!

And last, but not least, I had to make a collection of the cool doors around town. I’ve done this in many cities, but these were really special with their history and unique charm.

And that’s a wrap on beautiful, colorful, authentic Georgia! This country surprised and amazed me more than I had expected and I loved every minute of it! If you ever want to visit and have any questions, please feel free to reach out. I’d love to chat!

Cheers, Hugs & Love,
Michelle