Dynamic Tbilisi, Surviving and Then Some

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/travel/10next.html

By LIONEL BEEHNER
Published: May 10, 2009

IN a smoky, red-brick basement tucked beneath Tbilisi’s Old Town, a roomful of men in military fatigues sounded jubilant. Leaning over long tables of half-eaten sulguni cheese, they clinked their wineglasses and toasted to “Georgia!” and “Victory!”

The warbling voices of a band of Ossetian folk musicians in peasant-style black robes could be heard in an adjacent room, their songs striking a similarly triumphant theme.

To strangers, such a rah-rah mood might seem odd. This was, after all, Georgia, which just six months earlier had fought a costly war with Russia, losing two prized territories, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

But this speck of Caucasian turf has survived through centuries of invasions — by Mongols, Persians, Turks and Russians — while keeping its unique language, culture and cuisine intact, something that gives its four million citizens great pride. That may explain why Georgians greet one another with “Victory to you.”

And their capital stands as a monument to this nationwide braggadocio. Spectacularly frenetic and stylishly gritty, Tbilisi was left essentially untouched by the recent war, and it’s easy to see why. Built along the steep banks of the Kura River (also called the Mtkvari), the city is encircled by snowcapped mountains, and has narrow cobblestone streets barely wide enough for a Mini Cooper to squeeze through.

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