The Guardian Reveals a British Perspective on Georgia
Suzanne Moore, journalist of the famous British newspaper and website ‘The Guardian,’ has dedicated a thorough article to her recent visit to Georgia, naming it: ‘Mind-blowingly gorgeous Georgia’.
The author describes the flight and her accommodation in the Georgian capital – Rooms Hotel Tbilisi, a former Soviet-era publishing and printing house. Moore is positive about the hotel, describing its industrial façade, luxurious and comfy interior and outstanding design which includes contemporary paintings and 20th century furniture.
“It is a gorgeous mixture of styles put together by someone with an incredible eye,” she says, going on to state that the mixture of different styles and periods of the hotel reflect Tbilisi itself, a city with Soviet buildings, modern constructions and Orthodox churches.
The next part of the article is devoted to a quick tour she took to Gori, Stalin’s birthplace 70km from Tbilisi. The journalist shares her mixed emotions after visiting the Stalin Museum and purchasing some fridge magnets as souvenirs.
Moore is impressed by the Georgian cuisine and wine and talks about her visit to the famed restaurant Cafe Littera, as recommended by Anthony Bourdain. “We eat plates of amazing mushrooms and discovered that Georgian wine, which is ‘natural’, is irresistible and also good on the hangover front”.
The author also describes her trip to Batumi, on the Black Sea coast. She notes the Russian influence is significant in the ‘mini Vegas’ of Georgia and says she definitely prefers the capital city.
Her stay at the new and luxurious Stamba hotel and a visit to the famous sulphur baths are also described in the article, and it is clear that although quite an impressive number of tourists visit Tbilisi for those sulphur baths, the journalist herself did not enjoy the experience so much.
Of her trip to Kazbegi, Moore says: “Green velvet mountains, azure lakes, fresh figs and honey sold by the roadside – totally stunning. I have been in the Himalayas and the Andes, but this is mind-blowingly gorgeous”.
Click here for the full article.
By Ketevan Kvaratskheliya
Image source: The Guardian