Georgia 🇬🇪 5th place vs 6th place Scotland vs Wales. 17 July 2016

Scotland 28 to Eales 21, a very close game!!

Georgia 🇬🇪 14th place vs 13th place Australia vs Argentina. 17 July 2016

Argentina did not feature unfortunately they seem to have forgotten their defence at home.

Australia 52 Argentina 29

Georgia 🇬🇪 Tbilisi. Cable Cars. 17 July 2026

Tbilisi features three main cable car lines: the Rike Park to Narikala Fortress route (classic, 2.5 GEL), the newer Rustaveli Avenue to Mtatsminda Park route (12 GEL), and the Vake Park to Turtle Lake line (1 GEL). They offer efficient, highly scenic transport to the city's best viewpoints.

We chose the Mtatsminda Park Route as we had already seen the mother of Georgia close to the Narikala Fortress and there had been a long queue when we last walked past the entrance.

Getting up to the top its 1 GEL for the toilet and they only accept visa.

The rides are excellent, such a variety each a distance away from each other that kids walking would be exhausted after a few rides.

After an iced coffee which I drank as it was not ice cream, we went down via the Funicular.

Funicular station

Local building with people living there being held together by metal stays on one side.

The other side has no metal holding it up. Damage caused by earthquakes.

Having had a great breakfast at the hotel, I had a Matcha and Michael a brownie with ice cream at Michael's favourite coffee shop .

Back at the hotel we relax until16:30 to catch the metro for the trip to the rugby.

Georgia 🇬🇪 Lelo, precursor of rugby, July 2026

Lelo Burti is an ancient, full-contact Georgian folk sport that predates modern rugby and is widely considered its genetic precursor. Played annually on Easter Sunday in the village of Shukhuti, the brutal, rule-free mud wrestling game requires hundreds of villagers to battle for a heavy, 16-kilogram leather ball.

The Cultural Roots of Lelo Burti:

The game of lelo (literally "field ball") dates back centuries and is famously mentioned in the 12th-century Georgian epic poem, 'The Knight in the Panther's Skin'. In modern times, the annual Easter match in Shukhuti pits the Upper (Zemo) and Lower (Kvemo) halves of the village against each other. 

The goal is to push the ball through natural obstacles, such as rivers and ditches, to a designated boundary. Once the game ends, the winning team places the ball on the grave of the most recently deceased villager to honor their memory.

Connection to Modern Rugby:

The cultural connection between lelo and modern rugby union is huge in Georgia. The physicality and team-based territorial struggle in lelo are widely credited for the natural ability Georgians have for rugby scrums and gameplay.

This heritage has shaped the terminology of the sport in the country:

"Lelo" is the official Georgian word for a try. The Lelos is the famous nickname for the Georgian national rugby team.

"Lelo, Lelo, Sakartvelo" (Try, Try, Georgia) is a standard, beloved chant sung by Georgian rugby fans.

Georgia 🇬🇪 Women of Georgia, July 2026

Saint Ninos Cross.

Georgian women have shaped the nation's history, culture, and global presence for centuries. From medieval monarchs to modern-day grandmasters and artists, pivotal female figures include Queen Tamar, Nona Gaprindashvili, and Khatia Buniatishvili.Their stories span from early antiquity to the modern era, highlighting courage, leadership, and talent.

Antiquity & Medieval:

Saint Nino (4th Century): Credited with preaching Christianity in Georgia, she became a foundational figure in Georgian history and spirituality. 

King Tamar (1166–1213): The first female ruler of Georgia, reigning during the height of the "Georgian Golden Age". Her reign is noted for tremendous political expansion, economic prosperity, and a flowering of Georgian culture.

19th & 20th Century:

Ekaterine Gabashvili (1851-1938): Renowned writer and key figure in early Georgian feminism who used her stories to highlight the struggles of peasant women and championed female education.

Anastasia Tumanishvili-Tsereteli (1849-1932): Influential writer and educator who established crucial organizations for women's literacy and welfare.

Peri-Khan Sofieva (also spelled Fari-Khanum Sofieva). (1918-1953): During the brief period of the Democratic Republic of Georgia's independence, she won a local election to become a representative (MP) for the Karayaz district. This historic achievement made her the first democratically elected Muslim. Beyond formal governance, she was widely respected by village elders as a community mediator. She famously secured funding to construct a vital railway station for her home village woman in modern world history.

Georgia 🇬🇪 Tbilisi walking tour, Leghvtakhevi Tunnel (also frequently referred to as the Abanotubani Tunnel) 16th July 2026

Leghvtakhevi Tunnel (also frequently referred to as the Abanotubani Tunnel).

This old pedestrian passage starts directly at a small concrete pier on the right bank of the Mtkvari (Kura) River. 

It passes deep underneath Vakhtang Gorgasali Street and Heydar Aliyev Park, leading humans directly into the dramatic Leghvtakhevi Gorge, behind the famous dome-shaped sulfur baths. The Riverside Entrance is found along the embankment wall next to the river, right below the Abanotubani district. Emerges inside the canyon, allowing you to walk straight down the scenic boardwalk to the Leghvtakhevi Waterfall.

Photography along the walls and a box with the famous Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli epic poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin" (Georgian: ვეფხისტყაოსანი or Vepkhistqaosani) that completely omits Georgia and served as a political and historical allegory. The opening where a king steps down to coronate his young daughter exactly mirrors the real-world ascension of King (Queen) Tamar the Great, who ruled Georgia during Rustaveli's lifetime. By setting his story in distant, non-Christian lands, Rustaveli could safely write a sweeping philosophical commentary on Georgian court life, female sovereignty, and politics without facing local religious or political censorship

Famous figures in this Tunnel.

Tunnel end

Georgia 🇬🇪 Tbilisi walking tour 16th July 2026

After we finished lunch, we walked in old part of Tbilisi. We start and end at Freedom square.

We walked past the Monastery where Stalin was receiving his education until he was kicked out for preaching communism and carried on pass parts of the old city wall into the Kala district.

Onto an area of statues

The lamp lighter.

These statues depict Berikaoba—an ancient, pre-Christian Georgian pagan spring ritual celebrating fertility and rebirth.

A series of statues of actors in various Georgian films.

Walking past the leaning tower, we see the smallest clock in Georgia on the side of the tower.

Next door to the leaning tower there is Anchiskhati Basilica (officially the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary) the oldest surviving church in Tbilisi, originally dating back to the 6th century (around 522–534 AD). It was built by King Dachi of Iberia after he made Tbilisi the capital city. Unlike most dome-shaped Georgian churches, Anchiskhati is a modest, three-nave stone basilica built out of yellow tuff and brick.

Originally dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the church was renamed in 1675 because it became the safe repository for the Anchiskhati Icon of the Savior. This highly revered, 6th-century gold-plated icon was moved to Tbilisi from the Anchi Monastery (now in Turkey) to protect it from Ottoman invaders. The word Anchiskhati literally translates to "Icon of Anchi". Today, the actual icon is displayed securely down the street at the Georgian National Museum.

Directly adjacent to the ancient Anchiskhati Basilica on Shavteli Street sits the highly distinctive, historic palace complex known as the Patriarchate of Georgia (the official residence and working headquarters of the Catholicos-Patriarch, the spiritual leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church).

We continued to the Bridge of peace and across to the other side on to Europe square, up the small hill to the bridge.

This is the iconic Metekhi St. Virgin Mary Assumption Church and the adjacent Statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali. This clifftop landmark directly overlooks Tbilisi's Europe Square from the east.The "man on the horse" is King Vakhtang Gorgasali, the 5th-century warrior monarch credited with founding Tbilisi. According to Georgian folklore, the king discovered the region's famous hot sulfur springs during a royal hunting expedition, where both his falcon and the bird the falcon was hunting landed in the hot spring and died. This and the fact Mtskheta was running out of space inspired the King to relocate the capital from Mtskheta to this strategic location.

We continue along the river and find an underground passage. The Leghvtakhevi Tunnel (also frequently referred to as the Abanotubani Tunnel).

Wrote another blog post on the above tunnel.

The leader of a traditional Georgian feast (supra) is called the Tamada. The Tamada is an honorary toastmaster and master of ceremonies, chosen by the host for their eloquence, wit, and ability to guide the table through a rhythmic sequence of thoughtful toasts, storytelling, and traditional polyphonic songs.

The role carries deep cultural significance, functioning more like a bridge between the past, present, and future than just a person making jokes. 

The Sequence of Toasts: The Tamada introduces a structured progression of tributes, which usually begin with God or peace, followed by ancestors, parents, the homeland, and then extend to friends, children, and the guests.

The Alaverdi Tradition: The Tamada doesn't give all the speeches alone. During an alaverdi, the Tamada offers the main theme and passes the drinking horn or glass to a guest, granting them the power of speech to elaborate on the topic before drinking.

Control of the Table: While Georgians joke that the Tamada is a "dictator" of the table, they maintain order through humor, respect, and ensuring that everyone's glass is touched before drinking.

Archeologists have found a bronze statue of a Tamada holding a drinking horn dating back to 600 BC. In early centuries, toasts were strictly reserved for celebrating religious deities, military victories, and sealing community pacts. Direct physical alignment of every glass at the table evolved as a mandatory disciplinary rule to ensure every single person was actively bound to that shared political or spiritual oath.