[Trip Report] Snow Wonderland – Georgia (Part 2)

This is part 2 of my Georgia trip report, feel free to check out my first part of the trip:

Itinerary: Kutaisi -(train)- Tbilisi – Kazbegi/Stepantsminda – Tbilisi  

I took a train from Kutaisi station to Georgian capital Tbilisi. Compared to the train, mini buses called marshrutkas are more popular as they are more regular the the trains. I’m a big train lover and I was not really in a hurry, so I chose the slower but more comfortable train. The train station in Kutaisi was super small and simple, there were two ladies selling some drinks and snacks, that’s it.

[Trip Report] Snow Wonderland – Georgia (Part 1)

我从库塔伊西市坐火车去格鲁吉亚的首都第比利斯。在格鲁吉亚,有一种小巴要比火车受欢迎的多,火车一天一班,小巴人满就走更快更便捷。我个人很爱火车,而且我也并没有赶时间,所以还是选择慢点却舒服一点的火车。由于坐火车的人实在不多,库塔伊西的火车站也是极其简陋。除了两个当地女士在贩卖一些小零食,也没有别的店。

The views along the train ride was absolutely stunning, a snowy white wonderland. I think it’s comparable to the famous Moscow-Beijing trans-siberian express train, except the ride was much shorter. 火车窗外的风景真是美,到处都是雪白一片。我猜想这样的景色应该很像从那个著名的从莫斯科开往北京的穿越西伯利亚的火车吧,当然从库塔伊西到第比利斯只需要5-6个小时而已。 Tbilisi is a much bigger city compared to Kutaisi. It gives me a feeling of some Eastern European cities, such as Riga. When I arrived, it was already evening, I dropped my luggage in a locker office in the station, then went crash a night somewhere near the station. The next day was exciting because I was going to see the famous Gergeti Trinity Church. 到达第比利斯的时候已经是傍晚了。跟库塔伊西相比,这里真的算个大都市了。我在火车站寄存了行李,在火车站附近的一条购物步行街走走,大部分的建筑有点像某个东欧大城市,比如拉托维亚的里加。我打算第二天去赶路看著名的格鲁吉亚三圣大教堂,所以很兴奋。 The next day, I caught a marshrutka in the central bus station. It was not that easy to find it. After a bit of hassle looking for it, I happily took the very last seat, which ensured the marshrutka to leave very soon as it got full. The 3-hour ride to the mountain was breathtaking. I grew up in South China and even now I live in Belgium, I felt I had never seen so much snow before. Everything is frozen, colorful houses along the frozen lake, idyllic villages everywhere along the way. I absolutely love those little villages with odd houses. On my way I also noticed there’re some nice ski resorts as well, so if you are a fan of ski, Georgia can be the right place for you for a winter trip. 第二天一早,我去汽车站找去山上的迷你小巴车,小巴车众多去各种地方,花了一般功夫才找到,我还非常幸运的抢到了最后的座位,格鲁吉亚跟一些南美国家一样,用塞满人才走的系统。去卡兹别克的车程大概3小时,沿途的风景非常美,完全不觉得路途无聊。一个完全被冰封的白雪世界。五彩的小房子,结冰的湖,沿路有很多童话世界般的小村庄,只有几户人家,外带一座东正教的教堂。我觉得那些天我看完了所以的雪,我的家乡,中国的江南根本不下雪,现在住的比利时这几年也基本不下雪。在途中,我也看到了几个滑雪场,格鲁吉亚雪很多,如果喜欢滑雪也可以来这里,就不用担心很多欧洲山区雪不够了。 Kazbegi or Stepantsminda is a small town in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region of north-eastern Georgia. Mount Kazbek is a very beautiful mountains covered with snow and the views are breathtaking. A must see place if you are in Georgia., can you spot the Gergeti Trinity Church, it’s quite small in the photo, at the left top. Let’s hike to there! 卡兹别克是格鲁吉亚东部山区的一个小镇,格鲁吉亚很有名的三圣大教堂离这里很近,在卡兹别克可以仰望到教堂,还有教堂后面的格鲁吉亚最高峰卡兹别克山。这座山被当地人视为神山,在夕阳照射下真是美哭。你可以在图中找到三圣大教堂吗?就是左上角很小的几个点,那就爬山去吧。 It was not easy to walk in the snow, luckily I was wise enough to bring a snow claw with me. 上山的路就是这样的雪地,还走了挺久。雪地真不好走,还好我带了雪爪。 Here we are, finally! I made it before the sunset. I felt so proud, haha!

坚持就是胜利,终于赶在日落前看到美丽的三圣大教堂!觉得骄傲,哈哈。 More stories and food, to be continued. 更多故事和食物,未完待续。

[Trip Report] Snow Wonderland – Georgia (Part 3)