Mother of Georgia

This is Kartlis Deda, or "Mother of Georgia", a 20-meter-tall statue overlooking the capital Tbilisi.  Installed in 1958 to mark the 1500th anniversary of Georgia, the statue is dressed in national dress and holds a cup of wine in one hand and a sword in the other.  The wine stands for hospitality, to greet those who come as friends, and the sword is for those who come as enemies. Most come as friends and tourism is thriving in Georgia. My direct connection from Dubai was packed with tourists mostly from the Middle East.  There are also streams of visitors from Europe and the country is very popular with Russians too.