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On a sidenote, if you are thinking of visiting Tbilisi, Georgia (hotspot for phage therapy) I definitely recommend it. It's gorgeous, both day and night and so

On a sidenote, if you are thinking of visiting Tbilisi, Georgia (hotspot for phage therapy) I definitely recommend it. It's gorgeous, both day and night and so fun to walk around. There's some amazing architecture and great dramatic views from atop the surrounding hills. The city hosts people from all around the world, so it's fairly easy to get around even if you don't speak any Russian. Here's a video to get a feel for the city: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWvXMGzUew4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWvXMGzUew4

StavrosK 8y ago
> it's fairly easy to get around even if you don't speak any Russian Is Russian that widespread in Georgia? That sentence strikes me as odd, it would be like going to the US and saying "it's easy to get around even if you don't speak any Spanish".
- cmrdporcupine 8y ago
  Never been but I think the assumption of the writer is that pretty much nobody who isn't from Georgia is going to speak Georgian, while my understanding is that due to history a high percentage of the Georgian population is fluent in Russian. Given geo-politics I imagine this is probably starting to change, and that more and more Georgians are probably learning English. But that's just a hunch.
  - StavrosK 8y ago
    That makes sense, thank you.
- geoka9 8y ago
  It used to be that a lot of people spoke a little Russian, but nowadays you meet more people who don't (especially the younger folk, but they often speak English). If you have some time, I'd recommend venturing outside of the capital (Tbilisi). The scenery you see in different parts of the country is breathtaking.
  - StavrosK 8y ago
    Hmm, I might prioritize it for a trip, thank you. It's only a (comparatively) short flight from where I live (Greece), so it might be a nice destination for a week away.
- mattjaynes 8y ago
  In my limited experience of being in Tbilisi just a few days, nearly everyone we encountered was able to speak Russian. Keep in mind, this was in the capital city of the country and in restaurants and other major sight-seeing locations. I was with a group of people who could speak Russian and that was more useful than English in nearly every situation we were in. A more knowledgeable stackexchange user says: If you know Russian, use it. Despite the political situation, Georgians are smart and open minded. They may not like the Russian government but they love Russian people and they love the Russian language. I'm pretty convinced after seven months in Georgia that people learn Russian there for just the same reason foreigners everywhere learn English: it's cool and it's useful. English is spoken, but I wouldn't say "widely". It's spoken by people aged in their 20s and younger, moreso if they're in a big city and moreso depending on their level of education. Source: https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/10640/what-language-to-use-in-georgia-the-country-is-english-widely-spoken https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/10640/what-langua... (the full answer is worth the short read) --- Also, another point of interest for US citizens is that Georgia gives you a 1 year visa-free stay. Could be a great option if you're traveling Europe and need to be out of the Schengen zone when your 90 days are expired. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Georgia.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-tra... https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/us-citizens/ https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/us-citizens/

StavrosK 8y ago

> it's fairly easy to get around even if you don't speak any Russian Is Russian that widespread in Georgia? That sentence strikes me as odd, it would be like going to the US and saying "it's easy to get around even if you don't speak any Spanish".

cmrdporcupine 8y ago
Never been but I think the assumption of the writer is that pretty much nobody who isn't from Georgia is going to speak Georgian, while my understanding is that due to history a high percentage of the Georgian population is fluent in Russian. Given geo-politics I imagine this is probably starting to change, and that more and more Georgians are probably learning English. But that's just a hunch.
- StavrosK 8y ago
  That makes sense, thank you.
geoka9 8y ago
It used to be that a lot of people spoke a little Russian, but nowadays you meet more people who don't (especially the younger folk, but they often speak English). If you have some time, I'd recommend venturing outside of the capital (Tbilisi). The scenery you see in different parts of the country is breathtaking.
- StavrosK 8y ago
  Hmm, I might prioritize it for a trip, thank you. It's only a (comparatively) short flight from where I live (Greece), so it might be a nice destination for a week away.
mattjaynes 8y ago
In my limited experience of being in Tbilisi just a few days, nearly everyone we encountered was able to speak Russian. Keep in mind, this was in the capital city of the country and in restaurants and other major sight-seeing locations. I was with a group of people who could speak Russian and that was more useful than English in nearly every situation we were in. A more knowledgeable stackexchange user says: If you know Russian, use it. Despite the political situation, Georgians are smart and open minded. They may not like the Russian government but they love Russian people and they love the Russian language. I'm pretty convinced after seven months in Georgia that people learn Russian there for just the same reason foreigners everywhere learn English: it's cool and it's useful. English is spoken, but I wouldn't say "widely". It's spoken by people aged in their 20s and younger, moreso if they're in a big city and moreso depending on their level of education. Source: https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/10640/what-language-to-use-in-georgia-the-country-is-english-widely-spoken https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/10640/what-langua... (the full answer is worth the short read) --- Also, another point of interest for US citizens is that Georgia gives you a 1 year visa-free stay. Could be a great option if you're traveling Europe and need to be out of the Schengen zone when your 90 days are expired. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Georgia.html https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-tra... https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/us-citizens/ https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/us-citizens/