Summer of 2023 – a summer I spent as a solo female budget backpacker traversing across the three Caucasus republics of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. My trip focused on hiking and meeting locals in these three very different countries. It was arguably the most ambitious and most rewarding undertaking of my life so far, and […]

SRAS students studying in Tbilisi take a weekend trip to see Batumi, a major resort city and port along Georgia’s Black Sea coast. Over three days and two nights, we had peer coaching, a city tour, a lecture for ICON students, and plenty of free time to explore the city. I greatly enjoyed the food […]

Georgia, despite being only about the size of West Virginia, offers an incredibly diverse array of landscapes and cultures to explore. The bustling capital of Tbilisi is located relatively near the country’s center, meaning that adventurous travelers can take in many of Georgia’s unique regions as comfortable day trips. The three such day trips below […]

One of the most exciting aspects of SRAS’s Identity and Conflict in the Post-Soviet Space program is the opportunity to travel to Armenia and Azerbaijan while you are based with your program in Georgia. The opportunity to see all three of the countries of the South Caucasus clarifies the diverse circumstances and attitudes in not […]

Less than a three hour drive from Tbilisi is the northeastern Georgian province of Kakheti. Georgia is famous for its wines and Kvareli, a town in Kakheti, contains a winery belonging to one of the country’s most well-known wine producers, Khareba. Georgia was also well known in the USSR as the source of nearly 95% […]

In mid-July, our SRAS group went on a day trip to Kutaisi, the second largest city in Georgia and also a popular wedding destination. After going to Bagrati Cathedral, we ate dinner and spent the night at a nearby guest house. Unfortunately, I did not feel well that evening, so I went straight to bed […]

As part of the SRAS/NovaMova study abroad program in Georgia, we had a weekend excursion to Svaneti during our third week. We had previously spent time in a couple different regions and cities, including Tbilisi, Mtskheta, and Khareba, but this was the first time our group saw the mountains of Georgia, a true natural wonder. […]

While studying abroad in Georgia, we visited many fascinating churches. Georgia’s Orthodox Church is among the oldest in the world, so the cathedrals have extensive histories and hold an important place in the country’s Orthodox culture. In addition, the unique architecture gives each church a special ambience and beauty. The following cathedrals were some of […]