City Central: Tbilisi

Tired of the same old city breaks? Try Tbilisi, the characterful capital of Georgia

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Think of an autumn city break and Berlin or Barcelona might spring to mind. But Tbilisi? The Georgian capital has been left out of the action – partly because getting there has long been a hassle, involving an irritating stop-off in Istanbul or Kiev.

No longer. Reaching the ‘Rome of the Caucasus’ is now a breeze: Georgian Airlines flies direct from Gatwick, three times a week, with the journey taking a shade under five hours. 

A flurry of hip new hotels – such as The Stamba – has also helped put Tbilisi on the tourist map. And autumn, when the summer crowds have thinned but it is still T-shirt weather, is a great time to explore this East-meets-West city. 

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/georgia/articles/tbilisi-city-break-travel-guide/

Currency Chronicles: what I spent on a last-minute city break in Tbilisi

Welcome to the third installment of our new series Currency Chronicles, in which travellers reveal every penny they spent while away on holiday. Last time we looked at a weekend at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with friends. This week it's a two-night break in Tbilisi. The total spent is at the bottom…

Back at the beginning of the summer, I booked three days off from the Telegraph Towers which I planned to spend being a tourist in my hometown: London. Alas as the time drew closer, the weather looked as though it wasn’t going to play ball – which is how I found myself on Skyscanner booking a last minute flight to Tbilisi (Georgia), where temperatures were reliably in their 30s. Was my last minute trip to Tbilisi a budget break or a bouji-blow-out? Read on to discover what I spent...

View the post here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/georgia/articles/currency-chronicles-what-i-spent-on-two-nights-in-tbilisi/

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Savannah - a Southern belle of a city and the backdrop for John Berendt's book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - will steal your heart says Kaye Holland

Barmy about John Berendt’s book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – an enticing Savannah-based combination of travelogue and true crime tale? You’re not alone. Berndt’s book spent a record 216 weeks on the New York Timesbest-seller list.

Ever since I first read the sharply observed Savannah tome in which the eccentric protagonists (think voodoo practitioners, drag queens, antique dealers and charming, if amoral, entrepreneurs) live their lives against a backdrop of moss-draped oaks and shady squares,  I’ve been obsessed with visiting this hothouse of the south.

Happily, towards the end of 2014 – aka the 21st anniversary of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – I finally made it to steamy Savannah in search of the settings that had seduced me.

Want to follow in the real life footsteps of Jim Williams, Joe Odom, Luther Driggers, Lady Chablis and co? Here’s where to head…

Clary’s cafe
Located over on Abercorn Street, Clary’s was a favourite haunt of Luther Driggers – one of Midnight’s most memorable characters. (Legend has it that Luther carried a vial of poison 24/7 and was well known to walk flies on strings…) Driggers breakfasted at this former drug store on a daily basis and it’s at Clary’s  cafe – which today features a stained glass window depicting the cover of Berendt’s famous book – that the eccentric and author first met. Want to make like Luther? Order The Georgian – a hearty portion of ham, bacon or sausage, egg, cheese, toast and grits (so good, I’d fly back tomorrow for this side alone) washed down with a super-sized cup of Joe. Savannah, it seems, runs on caffeine, so expect to be offered a refill at no extra charge.

Mercer Williams House Museum
Savannah’s grandest mansion was the home of Jim Williams – a prominent arts and antique dealer and Midnight’sprotagonist – up until his death in 2004. This is where Williams hosted his legendary annual Christmas parties and, allegedly, shot and killed “his young lover” Danny Hansford one fateful night in May 1981. Williams’ infamous home, today owned by his sister Dorothy, is open for tours although access to the upstairs part of the house (where the Williams family still reside) is forbidden. Even if you’re not mad about Midnight (maybe you’re from Mars or something), the downstairs will delight art lovers – adorned as it is with furniture and art from Mr. Williams’ private collection including 18th and 19th century furniture, 18th century English and American portraits, drawings from the 17th century and a wide collection of Chinese export porcelain.

Bonaventure Cemetery
Though not Savannah’s oldest cemetery, the quintessentially Southern Gothic, Bonaventure – part natural cathedral and part sculptural garden–  is certainly its most beautiful. And its most famous: military generals, poet Conrad Aiken, Academy Award-winning lyricist Johnny Mercer and Georgia’s first governor Edward Telfair are among those buried at Bonaventure. But the 100 acre cemetery’s biggest claim to fame is for being site of the voodoo rituals vividly depicted in Midnight that were designed to get Williams acquitted (Jim Williams was prosecuted four times in the shooting death of Danny Hansford before his acquittal.) The cemetery is also famous for the ‘Bird Girl’ statue - sculpted by Illinois artist Sylvia Shaw Judson in 1938 as a garden fountain and bought by  Savannah resident Lucy Boyd Trosdal as one of three copies for the family plot in Bonaventure - which features on the cover of every copy of Midnight. But don’t expect to see the statue in Bonaventure – the tourist attraction has been moved the Telfair Academy, to help persevere its art work.

Club one
“Rumours and whispers carried through the streets of Savannah and across the globe. But, The Lady Chablis, The Doll, The Grand Empress has never changed, never waivered and never backed down from having her say and saying it with wit, wisdom and flair…”
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is chock full of colourful characters but none more entertaining than Lady Chablis– a black transvestite nightclub performer – who became an overnight sensation upon the book’s publication. So much so that Chablis played herself in the Clint Eastwood film adaption of John Berendt’s non-fiction best-seller and went on to appear on several talk shows including Oprah, in addition to writing a bestselling book of her own – say hello to Hiding My Candy: The Autobiography of the Grand Empress of Savannah.
No visit to Savannah is complete without seeing the Lady Chablis at least once. You can catch the outrageously charming drag queen perform at Club One. It’s not a show for the faint hearted (some of her vocabulary can turn the air blue) but it is sassy, spirited and a Savannah must see.

Armstrong House
“Armstrong House was a lion of a house. It gloated and glowered and loomed. It even had a curving colonnade that reached out like a giant paw as if to swat the Oglethorpe Club off its high horse across the street.”
Built at the turn of the century, Armstrong House was one of Jim Williams initial real estate acquisitions and today, Sonny Seiler –  Williams’ lawyer who, like Lady Chablis, played himself in the film – has an office here. Originally owned by the Armstrong family, the historic four story building was built in a beautiful Italian Renaissance style. Seiler’s office itself is replete with 18th-century furniture, marble floors and gold-framed portraits of the lawyer’s five white bulldogs -all named Uga after the University of Georgia, and all of whom served as the university’s mascot. Want to experience Armstrong House for yourself. Tours can be arranged by calling (912) 232-7193

Atlanta gets its groove back

After years in the second rank of American destinations, Atlanta is a city on the move says Kaye Holland 

I’ll be honest. Before I went to Atlanta I wasn’t all that excited believing it to be all about malls and modernity. But after touching down in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta - the world’s busiest airport - where I was welcomed like family by Olympus Worldwide Chauffeured Services who transported me quickly and safely to my hotel all the while peppering the journey with amusing anecdotes about Atlanta, I began to change my mind.

A sinful breakfast of buckwheat pancakes with Stacy Shade - an Atlanta citizen so bright and cheery, she deserves her own chat show - the next morning, confirmed the fact that Atlanta citizens are genuinely welcoming.

Make no mistake: the friendliness (Atlanta’s tagline is, after all ,the 'city that’s too busy to hate') and happiness of the locals is infectious but then they have a lot to smile about right now…

The recent release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 starring J-Law and Julianne Moore - much of which was shot in Atlanta at venues such as  the sumptuous Swan House  (even the most talented of set designers would be hard pressed to create a more stunning location) - has helped put Atlanta back on the map. As has next month’s 75th anniversary of Gone With The Wind - aka the second best selling book (only the bible has sold more copies) of all time. Author, Margaret Mitchell, famously wrote her Pulitzer Prize winning novel in turn-of-the century, three-story Tudor Revival building on Peachtree Street.

Factor in the opening of new world class  museums, hip hotels and restaurants plus the sort of energy you only get from a city, and reasons to head to the ATL soon add up…  For while Atlanta hasn’t always had good press, not least from other southerners - the Louisiana locals I later met weren’t remotely complimentary about The Big Peach -  even those that are anti-Atlanta have to admit that the place they love to loathe is having a moment.

For a good overview of the city, sign up for a Peachtree Trolley tour. Riding through Atlanta in a classic trolley isn't America at its most grittiest but sometimes a vanilla adventure is what you’re after and I certainly enjoyed my narrated journey through this surprisingly inviting, pretty city whose elegant boulevards are lined with lovely trees.

Then spend a not to be missed morning checking out Atlanta’s museum scene. There are many museums to explore but the headline act has to be the new Center for Civil and Human Rights. Curated by George C Wolfe, this interactive exhibition will have you weeping  so keep the Kleenex close. The Center’s theatrical and high-tech exhibits use motion, sights and sounds to immerse visitors in the American Civil Rights Movement and also connects the Civil Rights Movement to contemporary human rights issues around the world, so don’t scrimp on time. Linger a while and let the civil rights history seep into your bones...

To get the back story on America’s remarkable Civil Rights leader and Nobel Prize Winner, Martin Luther King, who was born and in Atlanta, take a  trip to Martin Luther King Jr.’s baptist church Ebenezer. Much like Gandhi, Dr King favoured a non violent approach and it’s down to King that America ended a system of statutory discrimination.

If this all sounds a tad too heavy, head next door to the World of Coca Cola - a temple to the Atlanta based carbonated drink company. Visitors can learn all about the world’s favourite fizzy product and also sample coke products from all around the world.

Prefer sports to soft drinks? Check out the new US$68 million College Football Hall of Fame - a 94,256 square foot shrine that includes an eye catching giant wall of helmets.

Meanwhile media buffs might be tempted to take the 55 minute tour through the headquarters of international news giant CNN where former Mirror editor, Piers Morgan, enjoyed a tempestuous (Morgan gained profile - if not viewers - Stateside for his crusade against gun laws) four years.

My favourite though was the Margaret Mitchell House & Museum - a bonafide shrine to the author of Gone With The Wind. Given that it’s author shied away from publicity, it’s a little ironic that 30 million copies of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel are in print worldwide. As someone who - despite being aware of the controversies - cherishes the novel (and David O. Selznick’s 1939 film), I loved the tour which not only revealed where Mitchell once wrote her sweeping novel but also provided an insight into the author. A feisty former newspaper reporter, Margaret - or Peggy as she was known - was raised on Civil War stories and didn’t actually realise that the south had lost until she turned 11. A flirtatious, raven haired beauty, Margaret had many admirers in her youth  - not unlike like her famous heroine - while her first husband Berrien ‘Red’ Upshaw, whom she married in 1922 shared many of the same qualities as the dashing Rhett Butler.

Over at Oakland Cemetery, you can visit the grave-sites of Margaret Mitchell and her husband, John Marsh, as well as other Mitchell family members and pioneers of Atlanta.

But it’s not all about museums: modern day Atlanta is a word class restaurant capital too. The upscale South City Kitchen is a good spot to become acquainted with southern staples like Corn bread (so good we munched our way through the whole basket), Fried green tomatoes, Buttermilk fried chicken served with sautéed collards and mash and a pecan pie  guaranteed to make you close your eyes with happiness. South City Kitchen is a favourite haunt of A- listers but there’s no dress code - whether you turn up in jeans or doll up in a dress you’ll fit in. A meal at Ford Fry’s King + Duke and Hugh Acheson’s Empire State South should also be on everyone’s bucket list - every dish we tried  at these celebrated chefs' restaurants screamed of a confident kitchen. And hop on a midnight train to Gladys Knight’s Chicken & Waffles - owned by the Grammy award winner, her son Shanga Hankerson and gospel singer Ron Winans - whose concept dates back to the roaring twenties when musicians couldn’t decide whether they wanted dinner or breakfast after a show. The restaurant’s namesake dish - crisp, fried chicken stacked atop a warm waffle and drizzled with maple syrup - is the standout but you’ll find Fried green tomatoes, grits and other good ole southern favourites on the menu too.

Atlanta also lures visitors with its stellar shopping scene - the city is home to enough shops to satisfy even the most serious of shopaholics. There’s something of a buzz building around the newly opened Buckhead Atlanta, combining as it does the  the walkable streets of Paris with the haute shops of Rodeo Drive. Shop here if you’re feeling flush (budget is an oxymoron in Buckhead, a district which loves to revel in the luxurious side of life) or just gawp at the Real Housewives of Atlanta cast who seemingly spend their afternoon glued to their cell phones in this grown up playground of bars, boutiques and restaurants.

If you’re not up for giving your credit card a hammering, look to Lenox Square Mall - home to affordable American favourites like Anthropologie, Abercrombie, Macy’s and more. For further retail nirvana, wander to the Westside Provisions District (WSPD). The former meatpacking district, is now reeling with independent boutiques but my picks would be Preserving Place, Atlanta MADE and Ann Mashburn all of which help make Atlanta idea city break material.

And now is a good time to go - it’s less stifling than in the scorching summer months  while December will see the city celebrate the 75th anniversary of Gone With The Wind.

Bottom line? If you haven’t been for a while, it’s time to go back. And if you haven’t been full stop, it’s time to add Atlanta to your bucket list for the Big Peach has got its groove back. Ready to pack your bags?

IF YOU GO...

Where to stay
Atlanta isn’t short of hotels where you can lay your head but I’d recommend the Renaissance Atlanta owing to its serious service values, discreetly deluxe rooms (the kind you never want to leave) and it’s handy midtown location. Alternatively live the life of a lottery winner (for at least one night) and check into Atlanta’s newest hotel, the Hyatt Atlanta Midtown. This stunning oasis of luxury features a heated indoor saltwater pool and 24-hour Fitness Center and fabulous restaurant in Fork & Juniper while the rooms boast floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of Piedmont Park, Downtown Atlanta, and Buckhead.

How to get there
Delta Airlines fly from London Heathrow to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, with an average flight time of nine hours.