"through georgia on my bicycle." Top 5 Page for this destination Georgia by cachaseiro

Georgia Travel Guide: 1,353 reviews and 3,120 photos

drinking wine from an old jerrycan. - Georgia

georgia is one of these places you barely ever hear about and if you do it usually has to do with revolutions or organised crime.
that should not stop you from visiting though.
georgia has stunning scenery and a population with an outstanding hospitality.
i was constantly invited for food and drink when i travelled the country on my bicycle and found that after many years of soviet repression, the people are very eager to meet the world.

i came for a football game.

meeting the players in tblisi.

i got the idea of cycling from denmark to georgia, because denmark and georgia had to play a world cup qualifying match.
it was really great to tell people along the road that story.
it kinda made them understand why someone would ever want to spend several months cycling that far.
a passionate football fan get's sympathy all over the world.
one good thing too was that because it was such an off the beaten track destination, only 2 other danish fans had bought tickets for the game.
that kinda gave me VIP treatment when i arrived and the danish players and the coach came over and greeted me when they saw me at the press conference before the game.
a real trat for a football fan.

the incredible mamuka.

mamuka in his danish room.

his name is mamuka kvaratskheila, but he prefers to call himself preben.
mamuka caught interest for denmark when he read the fairytales of hans christian andersen as a kid and it grew to a complete obsession, when he watched the danish national football team play in the 80's.
his favorite player was preben elkjaer larsen and when he was in the red army during the world cup in 1986 he deserted the army one night and sneaked in to a neighbouring village to see denmark play uruguay.
after the iron curtain came down he became a big man in georgian football and now works for UEFA.
he is also vice president for FC.tblisi.
he has one room in his house that is dedicated to denmark.
the room is full of danish football posters,little mermaids and portraits of hans christian andersen.
and the clock on the wall runs on danish time of course.
i was invited for dinner at his house during my visit, together with some other danes who were there for the game and i must say that it was one of the most bizarre and fun experiences of my life.
i'm looking forward to september when mamuka and his family comes to denmark for a visit.

Pros and Cons

Pros:a population that really put's pride into being hospitable
Cons:soaring unemployment that creates a lot of frustrated youth.

Last visit to Georgia: Nov 2004
Intro Updated Dec 11, 2004
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Reviews (20)

drinking wine the georgian way. - Georgia

when you dine with the georgians. Local Customs (3)

when you dine together with georgians you will often be expected to drink quite a bit aswell. especially redwine. not... more travel advice

buy your food at the market. Local Customs (3)

if you wanna eat cheap and good, then do like the locals and buy your food down the local market. there is plenty of... more travel advice

tblisi. Things to Do (7)

tblisi is the capital of georgia and quite an interesting place. it has an interesting mix of old soviet times and new... more travel advice

the railroad workers cultural house. - Georgia

the railroad workers cultural house. Things to Do (7)

i kinda liked that they had their own cultural house. of course it's a left over from communism and probaply won't be... more travel advice

Hotels (3)
See All some interesting options.
Warnings Or Dangers (1)
georgian roads.
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Comments (32)

ValbyDK Jun 26, 2010 at 6:24 AM Report Abuse

Var det her det blev lidt spændende efter U21-kampen? Fantastisk cykeltur.
PierreZA Aug 17, 2009 at 9:24 PM Report Abuse

Thank you for your visit, I do hope you will enjoy 2010 World Cup here in SA. Let me know if you have any questions!
Ekaterinburg Aug 5, 2007 at 1:26 PM Report Abuse

An interesting trip through Georgia with loads of interesting local colour and details. I loved the picture of the railway workers cultural house and the strange building in Tblisi. Maybe made with giant lego blocks ? :))
Obak81 May 22, 2007 at 2:12 PM Report Abuse

Lyder som en fed tur. Jeg tager hatten af bare pga den lange distance!
Rustaveli058 May 20, 2007 at 9:23 AM Report Abuse

To answer Yuberts Q:No Spent a month there the last 2 summers and only heard english a handful of times.
hunterV Apr 28, 2007 at 2:45 AM Report Abuse

Great trip! You were lucky!
Minashka Jan 27, 2007 at 12:16 PM Report Abuse

Who doesn't know Hans Christian Andersen in former USSR? I loved to read everything written by him but wasn't as obsessed as Mamuka ;-) I agree Georgians are VERY hospitable. I've mentioned that on my pages too. Seemed like you had a great time there :)))
Yubert Jan 20, 2007 at 2:39 PM Report Abuse

Were you able to get around Georgia by speaking english?
DPando Sep 9, 2006 at 11:57 PM Report Abuse

oohh man great tips and better advices!! really useful for my nexttrip !! thanks
Maxus Jul 7, 2006 at 3:17 PM Report Abuse

Excellent stuff, a real adventure. I really enjoyed your page, thank you.