Fabulous Georgia; return to Sakartvelo
Georgia keeps beckoning
I travel a great deal, and there is always the question of going to a new destination and exploring the unknown or returning to an old familiar friend. And as I age, slow down a little and generally look for different amusements, the decision exaggerates.
Georgia, the country, not the state, has been a favourite destination of mine for twenty years, and for the sake of clarity, “Sakartvelo” is thee country’s name in Georgian. Why we anglicised it to “Georgia” remains slightly mysterious, and I must have heard at least a dozen reasons, none convincing.
Originally, I became interested in the country at a major global travel show, the World Travel Market. Hidden away from the throngs and popular destinations, Spain, Dubai, Brazil and the like was a room for the world’s unlikely destinations: Angola, Palestine and the Caucasus.
After a decade of regional wars, and little information or knowledge about this emerging ex-Soviet nation, there was little demand for Georgia as a destination. There was, however, an energetic, charismatic and extremely beautiful woman waxing poetic about her country, and I decided that whatever she was selling, I would buy.
Over the next twenty years we have become good friends, and she, and her Tbilisi-based colleagues have been exceptionally generous to me with their time, knowledge and legendary hospitality.
And so, as I write this, I am in Sighnaghi, in eastern Georgia with a small group of a dozen folks exploring this remarkable country. My annual “Food, Wine and Culture” tour is a lot of fun; we always travel in May when the landscape is lush, the tourist season only just underway, and now, on the either incarnation, another intrigued group.
Georgia is a very fine destination. It offers a broad variety of cultures, cuisines, music and landscapes within a remarkably small area. Along the Russian border lie isolated regions with their own languages and customs. It is said that within the whole of the Caucasian region, both the independent countries of the Caucasus and the Russian autonomous regions, there are over one hundred languages spoken, and countless other cultural distinctions.
Over the nearly thirty visits that I have made to the country I have been fortunate to explore many of the remarkable outlying regions. Always slightly difficult to reach, but if they were easy, they would be overwhelmed, we have met the Chechen refugees of the Pankisi Valley, the sheep farmers of Tusheti who move 30,000 sheep from their mountain homes to the lowlands each fall and drive them back May and the former manganese miners of Chiatura.
We have explored the coastlines, the lowlands, the ancient monasteries and pre-historic relics. And the capital Tbilisi, a most engaging city has been explored from every angle.
Yet I am still keen to return and will again bring a small group next May.
Other countries that I have visited do not, somehow, garner the same respect. While I found Thailand interesting, and Botswana curious, I am not driven to return. I love Spain and Portugal and will continue to explore their intriguing byways, but I am not really drawn to Italy with the same force.
Of course, we all hove our preferences. My interest, though, is why we are so strongly drawn to revisit a destination or to move on and try another.
Was it a memory of a passionate evening or a dramatic meal? Was it some breath-taking scenery or a memorable ride in an ancient cable car? A rock, a church, a day at the beach, a moment of pure relaxation?
I think that usually, if we distill our emotions far enough, it is the people.
And Georgia, for me, has introduced me to a exceptional culture, a warm and welcoming people and colleagues that are a dream to work with.
I am here for two more days and already plotting my return. On the way home, however, I will stop in Munich for thirty-six hours. Not for the Hofbrauhaus, the Old City, the stadiums or the museums, but for the enormous privilege of meeting an old friend and enjoying lunch together on my way home.
