5 reasons we never want to leave Tbilisi (or just Georgia in general!)

We have spent the past few weeks of our vanlife journey driving through the country of Georgia. For those of you who know little about it, it is a country situated between Turkey and Russia on the edge of the Black sea. Although continentally, it belongs to Asia, it is often described as 'the balcony to Europe'. We spent a week in the capital, Tbilisi, stopping off Borjomi and Gori en route. Nothing could have prepared us for how much we fell in love with Tbilisi. Here are 5 reasons why we fell in love with it:

1. The food.

One of the main challenges for me on this trip has been maintaining a plant-based diet. There are countries that have naturally been better for this and countries where I have struggled. Although much of the food is unprocessed and of natural origin, Georgia's cuisine is heavily reliant on meat. I quickly identified the non-meat traditions; my personal favourite being a dish called 'beans in a pot' and potato Khinkali (a type of boiled dumpling that you're forbidden to eat with anything but your hands!). I digress. So I wouldn't say I had been 'starving' but finding variety in restaurants was difficult in the more rural areas; particularly when I can not speak or read a word of Georgian!) That was until of course, we landed in Tbilisi. Needless to say I had done my research and sniffed out the best vegetarian/vegan restaurants I could find. I was in Plant-based heaven. If ever you go to Tbilisi (and you must) I highly recommend the following:

Hummus bar : Hummus topped with fried onion

Hummus bar: In summary, a small but cute space that was hard to find but worth it. Owned by some absolutely lovely people and serves the BEST hummus I ever tasted.

Kiwi Vegan Cafe: Situated in the old part of town with a great varied menu and good quality food - I could have easily ordered everything on their menu.

Shio Ramen: Yes, I found a ramen joint, and I was ecstatic about it. The restaurant was in a place called Fabrika; an old sewing factory that has been turned into a multifunctional space/hipster paradise.

2. The people.

Stained glass of an art gallery we visited, Tbilisi.

Honestly? Georgia was in the top 5 countries I was concerned about. I think mostly because I just didn't know what to expect. Having visited, I can tell you that every single Georgian person I encountered was lovely. The border guards were welcoming, and all of our Air BnB hosts went out of their way to help us. In Tbilisi, and actually Georgia more widely, there is still a relatively small level of tourism. To illustrate the point: in 2017 there were around 7 million international tourists in the whole of Georgia, for the whole year. In Rome alone in 2017 there were around 404 million tourists. The interactions we experienced as tourists by the people in Tbilisi was a perfect mixture of joy that you had come to experience their city but also space to let you explore it for yourselves and happy to give you recommendations. We went to an art gallery where a lady chatted to us for almost an hour about our trip and places we should visit in Tbilisi. Later on in the week, I went for a tattoo and Ana the artist was so happy to be doing it for me and so grateful that I had shared my experience of Georgia with her.

3. The vibes.

Old Town, Tbilisi

The atmosphere in Tbilisi is warm and calm. There are lots of people hanging out and chatting, selling things but they don't pester you. There are so many free expressions of art and so much to look at that it instantly makes you feel like you want to be creative. I also felt very safe, you know when you go to a place and your intuition tells you whether its a safe environment or not? well, there was not one part of me that felt even slightly in danger. It's also not super busy; I get flustered and lots of anxiety when I'm in large crowds but in Tbilisi, its not like a European city thats over run by tourists

4. It's dynamic.

Tbilisi is a place that should be experienced, not read about. It's a city where 'recent' conflicts are still evident. Many of the houses for example have so much character but are left to deteriorate. During the war, Georgians came from all over the country to work on the war efforts in Tbilisi. This meant that the people already living here had to accommodate families from outside of the city into their homes. Years on, more than one family now owns the houses and so many are abandoned. This visual representation of history is the backdrop for a very new and vibrant artist young population. There are thermal baths, a cable car, the world's third tallest orthodox church, and botanical gardens all intermingled between houses, hotels and shops; with a river running through the centre.

5. It doesn't even know how great it is.

One of the most precious things about Tbilisi is that it isn't that popular with international tourists. As a consequence, it's just being great for itself, not trying to satisfy tourism. With world travel becoming so much more accessible, a place like that is rare to find. My tattoo artist almost could fathom how much I had fallen in love with her city; but I couldn't understand why anybody wouldn't. Georgia in general is a country that many people are missing out on just because it isn't on their radar or because it seems a little unfamiliar. But it is travellers dream: its beautiful, rich in culture and insanely affordable. It's not only taken Cappadocia's place of 'favourite place visited' but its probably my favourite country. ever. Essentially what I'm saying is... the trip very nearly ended here in Georgia and I wasn't ever coming home.