{"id":12975,"date":"2026-03-04T22:25:35","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T21:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ilupin.com\/en\/?page_id=12975"},"modified":"2026-03-31T20:01:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T18:01:05","slug":"2025-03-30-tbilisi-new-heights","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ilupin.com\/en\/travels\/asia\/georgia\/2025-03-30-tbilisi-new-heights\/","title":{"rendered":"Tbilisi: new heights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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  1. If you didn\u2019t manage to catch the legendary performances of the Puppet Theatre<\/a>, at least enjoy a street performance at midday.\n<\/li>\n\n
  2. Forbidden tricks.\n<\/li>\n\n
  3. The Kura River embankment with a view of the Ceremonial Palace (also by de Lucchi) and one of the Exhibition Hall\u2019s horns.\n<\/li>\n\n
  4. The impressive walls of the Patriarchate of Georgia<\/a>.\n<\/li>\n\n
  5. The Bridge of Peace and an air balloon hovering thoughtfully at a moderate altitude.\n<\/li>\n\n
  6. It\u2019s even on wheels!\n<\/li>\n\n
  7. Tree of life from a different angle. In the background is the Darejan Palace.\n<\/li>\n\n
  8. Ronald Reagan reminds us that freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.\n<\/li>\n\n
  9. And the hoopoe has nothing to say in response.\n<\/li>\n\n
  10. Functionality vs. aesthetics, no clear winner. \n<\/li>\n\n
  11. Beauty is in the eye of the sitting.\n<\/li>\n\n
  12. Instead of viewing two or three m\u00b2 from a wheeled basket, I recommend taking the cable car in the center.\n<\/li>\n\n
  13. Halfway up, a view opens up of the Norashen Church, the spire of the Theological Ceminary, the Sioni Cathedral<\/a>, and the TV tower on the hill.\n<\/li>\n\n
  14. From above, one can also see the Public Service Hall, the perpetually closed Exhibition Hall<\/a> (aka Saakashvili\u2019s pipes), and the Trinity Cathedral.\n<\/li>\n\n
  15. All this splendour is sternly overlooked by the monumental Mother Georgia, which survived several noticeable transformations<\/a> since 1958.\n<\/li>\n\n
  16. At the foot of the monument.\n<\/li>\n\n
  17. On the same hill stands the medieval Narikala Fortress<\/a>, severely damaged by a gunpowder warehouse explosion 200 years ago.\n<\/li>\n\n
  18. The Botanical Garden on the other side of the hill.\n<\/li>\n\n
  19. \u201cResistance<\/a>\u201d by David Natidze.\n<\/li>\n\n
  20. The bicycle is man\u2019s best friend! (It\u2019s even for two, if you look closely.)\n<\/li>\n\n
  21. The National Academy of Sciences subtly combines Stalinist Empire style with Moorish balconies.\n<\/li>\n\n
  22. A tub with a late-Soviet bas-relief frieze in the style of traditional ceramics near the Telegraph hotel.\n<\/li>\n\n
  23. On Rustaveli Avenue, one can often come across wonderful bronze statuettes made by graduates of the Academy of Arts<\/a>.\n<\/li>\n\n
  24. The Opera and Ballet Theatre<\/a> built in the neo-Moorish style in 1851.\n<\/li>\n\n
  25. Stained-glass window of the Avandi wine shop.\n<\/li>\n\n
  26. The famous high relief \u201cSaxophonist in the Wall\u201d is now somewhat lost among the protest graffiti and their censorship.\n<\/li>\n\n
  27. Young rebels on the steps of the Parliament prepare for a long siege.\n<\/li>\n\n
  28. Alexander Pushkin<\/a> looks at his beloved Tiflis with a melancholic elegy.\n<\/li>\n\n
  29. St. George at Freedom Square admires the sunset sky.\n<\/li>\n\n
  30. Soothe my sorrows.\n<\/li>\n\n<\/ol><\/div>\n\n\n\n