From Kazakhstan to Georgia
“There was a huge moon over the western mountains, and it made the city seem even more mysterious and old, and the great black castle on the ridge stood out in front of the moon. And if there are ghosts anyplace in the world, they must be here…” – John Steinbeck
Meet Fatih. (in the middle) I only made it to Georgia (virtually) because of him!
I met Fatih when I was performing for New Year’s Eve in Kazakhstan several years ago. This is a picture from that night. (My friend Mike, on the left, flew in with me. He’s a big (the main?) reason I started touring! Future story.)
Kazakhstan will also be a separate post, if you haven’t been, go!
Back to Georgia! Fatih connected me to his friend, Maia, for a walking tour of Tbilisi and Mtskheta.
Mtskheta is one of the oldest cities in Georgia, and its former capital. Tbilisi being its current capital. Both are beautiful and the most charming, historical cities.
Georgia has been in the news a lot lately as a popular destination for digital nomads. It opened its “Remotely from Georgia” program in mid-2020, allowing freelancers, full-time employees and business owners to temporarily relocate to Georgia. They can stay for 180 – 360 days without a visa!
Some interesting facts about Georgia
- It’s referred to as the “birthplace of wine”. According to legend, or trafalgar.com, “some lucky soul poured grape juice into a.. jar.. and buried it in a pit. The result? A glass or two of Georgia’s finest”! Archaeologists have traced it back to 6,000 BC.
- Georgia is at the intersection of Europe and Asia. It’s a former Soviet republic between the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea. Surrounded by Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey and the Black Sea.
- It’s famous for Vardzia, a large cave monastery and fortress dating to the 12th century.
- Georgia is home to Kutaisi, one of Europe’s oldest cities and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
- It was home to former Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin.
- The flag of Georgia was originally a banner of the medieval Kingdom of Georgia. It’s known as the Five Cross Flag. A white rectangle comprising a large red cross at the centers, with four smaller red cross’s in each quadrant. The cross’s representing Christianity and the white background for peace.
Watch some of my favorite adventures from my tour in these videos
