Previously I found myself at a whisky expo, but it’s isn’t t whisky Georgia is famous for in the booze category, that would be wine. Humourously Georgia also boasts to be the oldest wine maker in the world, despite Armenia actually having physical evidence they are. I would learn from several Georgian locals that Armenian’s always claim everything as their own, and wine was a Georgian invention dating back 8,000 years.

About two weeks before leaving for this trip, the Sydney Morning Herald did an article on Georgian cuisines and a wine bar in Tbilisi was specifically mentioned, a small atmospheric place near Freedom Square called Dadi.

Thank you SMH for this call out, the place is fantastic. I was able to get a three red wine tasting, along with cheese, jamon, and a pâté, with the sommelier giving a 5min explanation on each wine and where it’s from.

The full bodied wine was the winner, it was pure deliciousness, so I had to get a full glass of it, and sat outside watching the people pass, sipping away pretending to be a sophisticated wine connoisseur (in this moment I believed I was).

On my final day and had extended another night to make the journey to Kazbeki, known for its amazing mountain views. The day before I feverishly kept checking the weather in that region, checking different websites in the hope for a different prediction, but alas they all confirmed the same forecast – 90% of rain at a height of 10° temperature.

I gave up hope for Kazbeki, there was just no point on going on a 10 hour round trip to just see mountains obscured by rain and clouds. Instead I sucked in my courage and did the one thing I hadn’t done in Tbilisi – take the cable car.

I was on the end seat, so it was very difficult to not look down. The entrance of the cable car had the stats for the trip; the height it would go, the speed, and most importantly how long it would take. 1 minute and 40 seconds.

There was a buffer of wind, and being seated at the door, I felt that wind and the subtle rocking if the cabin. Just saw at the city ahead, don’t look down. I look down, and blast of wind rocks the cabin. I look back ahead at the city skyline.

Finally we arrive at the top, and when I got out to take in the view of the city, I that 1 minute and 40 seconds was well worth it.

From this height the entire sprawl of the city is below you. It’s so serene, and so easy to let minutes pass as you take it all in. There’s souvenir shops lining the path along the viewpoints, so I ended up stopping and buying a Turkish coffee, sipping it in silence absorbing the atmosphere, while the statue of Mother of Kartli (or Mother of Georgia), a great white robed woman, kept vigil over Tbilisi.

With the nearby castle closed for renovations, it was time to take the ride back down. Yet, I soon realised the carts aren’t moving. Waiting for a bit, they remained stationary. Groups of people waiting were turned away. It was too windy, the cable car was suspended.

I had actually wanted to walk back down the mountain to town, and with the cable car on hold, I didn’t have a choice. Firstly, someone needs to repave this walkway. Broken stairs, missing railings, unstable pavers, made for a jarring climb down. My legs were jelly by the time I reached road level, which just so happened to be a couple of blocks from Brown’s Bar, which I beelined to and steadied the nerves with a cold beer.

Alas it was that time of the travelling to decide where to go to next, and more importantly, how. The bar manager at the Brown’s Bar just happened to be a tour guide in the before times, before Covid ruined her career, and she gave me some good tips for my next stop, the resort town of Borjomi.

And so I booked a private taxi for the day and planned to make the 2 hour journey to Borjomi an 8 hour road trip.