5th October: Tbilisi, Georgia

After the sleeper train arrived, we spent a couple of hours doing research and planning at the station over tea and sand coffee. Eventually, we made the move to a square near our accommodation to continue in the gloriously crisp morning air. Our accommodation was available early again (it always pays to ask!), so we were able to check in at 11:30. By the time we’d had lunch and done a bit more admin, last night’s lack of sleep had caught up.

We have 5 further nights back in Georgia to explore the capital and surroundings. When we headed back out into Tbilisi at just after 4, the city was abuzz. This weekend is the annual Tbilisoba festival – a kind of hybrid city festival for Tbilisi, along with a Georgian traditional folk, harvest, and wine festival – which we’d planned to be in town for.

Immediately, the old city around our accommodation in Sololaki was noticeably more walkable and pedestrian friendly than any other large city in the Caucasus. This, combined with seemingly every café, pop up, and private house selling their own wines and spirits made for a welcoming party atmosphere. I’d had a free vodka and bought a kindzmarauli wine before we’d made it out of our road! Things only got more hectic as we got hopelessly lost heading for the centre of proceedings. We noticed a park on the other side of the river that was full of stages and food stands, so joined the massed crowds heading over the spectacular footbridge to check it out. Every one of the stalls turned out to be cooking meat on open fires, which was being enjoyed by huge groups at large communal tables. The smoke and the massive crowds were a little much, so we retreated back across the river in search of more veg-friendly food options. We found a quieter area for a bit of respite and decided enough was enough today. Even fighting through the crowds just to get a few bits from the supermarket was barely manageable. I think we’ll be back tomorrow after a proper night’s sleep!