Sure, sure, you’re not a hipster. Your tastes just happen to be a tad more refined than everybody else’s. We get it. But think about this: imagine you’re the first one to stumble upon a band. Imagine you are the one to tell everyone: “My God, you guys, seriously! There’s this band, and it’s, like, the best!!” And nobody believes you at first–nobody listens. But then they hear about them from somewhere else and they lose their mind over it and you get to go all: “I FREEKING TOLD YOU SO!!!” on them. Doesn’t that sound perfect? Isn’t friendship all about being the first, the coolest, and the furthest ahead of trends? Georgia’s that band. Georgia’s the band and it’s just sitting there, waiting to be listened to. Catch the drift.
Georgia’s a tiny country sandwiched between the East and the West. It may not be the most organic, free-range, grass-fed place in the world, but it’s got that extra something something. And, although, it’s becoming increasingly popular among travellers from all over the world, for the next decade or so you should still be able to impress your yuppie friends back home by saying you’ve been here. Or scrape a few stories together for your upcoming novel or whatever it is that you’re doing in the country that gave birth to Stalin and Katie Melua. Go ahead, get yourself over here and let Georgia butter you up you with its hospitality.
1. Wine
Photo Source: Georgia Online
Seriously, wine. All kinds of wine. Wine in every opening willing to accept it. Can anyone really say they’ve lived unless they’ve drank wine from a fossilized horn of a dead animal, while standing on a chair, toasting to brotherhood?
In all seriousness, Georgia is the oldest wine region in the world – we’ve been making wine here for over 8,000 years now. It’s safe to say that we’re pretty okay at it. If you’re not happy to take my word for it, let me tell you that our winemaking technique has been added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Kakheti, our most famous winemaking region, is just a couple hours’ drive away from Tbilisi and boasts a variety of fancy chateaus, as well as large and small, family-owned vineyards for every taste and budget.
2. Food
Photo Source: Serious Facts
If I can tell you one thing about Georgians, it’s that we all like to eat and eat well. If you’re a carnivore, make sure to try Khinkali – an oversized dumpling filled with seasoned minced beef, broth and a whole lot of goodness. Also there is Mtsvadi, which is a choice of juicy chunks of meat roasted on metal skewers, topped with fresh onions and bits of pomegranate.
If you happen to be a cheese devotee like myself, you must try Khachapuri. It’s a baked bread wheel filled with deliciously rubbery cheese, butter and guilt. I’ve got some good news for herbivores so don’t feel left out. A large part of our culture has fasts all throughout the year. These fasts are completely deprived of animals which means we have a great selection of vegan dishes to indulge in–Georgians know their way around a good eggplant.
3. Scenery
Photo Source: UGO Travel
If you ask yourself, “How many Instagram photos do you think we could squeeze out of this?” before committing to a holiday, you should know that Georgia’s basically made for Instagram. Make sure to have plenty of space on your hard drive and prepare your clicking finger, because you will be taking pictures for days. Whether it’s the medieval Castle of Rabati that looks like stray dragons have been drifting over it for centuries; the mounts of Kazbegi, so breathtakingly grand they might give you an existential crisis; or Batumi, the dazzling seaside city of friendly folk, rocky beaches and dreamy sunsets.
4. Party
Photo Source: Kitka
As you must have already gathered from all the food and wine talk above, Georgians love to party. We even have our very own twist on “Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll” – “Wine, Duduki*, & Women**”. Whether you choose to Supra–the traditional feast with plentiful toasts–or one of the many nightclubs offering an electronic music scene unparalleled anywhere else in the region, you won’t find yourself in a shortage of things to do in the evenings. And don’t worry about asking for directions: we Georgians are a chummy bunch and are fluent in body language.
*Duduki – a traditional, woodwind musical instrument.
**We know, we know – it’s sexist, but that’s just how the saying goes, (wo)man. No disrespect.
5. Everything Else
Georgia has plenty more to offer, be it bargain-hunting for kilims & carpets or finding new, stunning hiking trails. However, the best thing about Georgia is, that despite its lengthy history, there’s still an abundance of things yet to be discovered, experienced, and written about. After all, you don’t want someone telling you what to do. Come and choose your own path in Georgia, whether it’s through history, finding new hobby, or a whole new self.
