Josef Stalin—the architect of communist Russia, along with Vladimir Lenin—hailed from Georgia, as my very patriotic guide proclaimed as we strolled into the Stalin museum erected at his birthplace, Gori, an hour or so away from Tbilisi.
The museum even has a replica of the original home where he was born into an extremely impoverished family, and the numerous plaques on display more than adequately describe his youth spent as a writer and journalist, and his subsequent transformation as a leader of the masses. Anyone who has ever been fascinated by the stories of the two World Wars would be delighted with getting to know the human side of the revolutionary figures of that era.
The beautifully manicured gardens and the train carriage that he would always travel in (being perpetually phobic of air or boat travel) occupy pride of place and offer the perfect spot for a picnic with a view, and souvenirs can be bought just outside the museum gates.
