Georgia: wine region, Tbilisi and Kazbegi

On 4.7. I temporarily left Tbilisi and took a minibus east to Kakheti, the most famous wine region in Georgia. Wine production can be traced back 6000 years here, which no other wine region in the world can claim. In the town of Signagi, with its medieval architecture, you feel like you're in Europe. I had a very nice stay there for two nights with a very friendly family, including a swallow's nest on the terrace. On 5. 7. I had a somewhat unsuccessful trip to Telavi, the center of the wine region. Unsuccessful because I was given the wrong departure time for the only (!) minibus, so I had to return to Signagi with a taxi. In hindsight, it would have been more sensible to stay in Telavi for two nights after one night in Signagi to explore the wonderful area better. So on 6.7. I returned to Tbilisi for another three nights and visited the Botanical Garden, the fortress, two other districts, and the National Museum. On 7.7. I took a hike to the 'Turtle Lake' from the city, which, apart from the turtles that you may get a glimpse of, is not particularly noteworthy. On 8.7. I took a very worthwhile day trip to Stepantsminda in the high mountains. On the way there are the Zhinvali Lake and the Ananuri Fortress in a fantastic location. Before Stepantsminda, which is located at 1700 meters above sea level, is the Gergeti Church on a mountain at 2200 meters, the most photographed motif in Georgia. Unfortunately, the summit of the over 5000 meter high Kazbegi was surrounded by clouds. Overall, my first impression of Georgia is very positive. The country is truly diverse with magnificent landscapes. The people are very friendly and try very hard, even though the conversations can be difficult as older people here usually do not speak English. I'm looking forward to coming back to Georgia in a few days.

Yesterday I took a minibus to Yerevan in Armenia, but more on that in the next post!