No kissing in Tbilisi

The man who, at the Armenian borderpost, offered me a spare seat in his Mercedes, drove me to Tbilisi.
“Do you know a place where I can camp?” I asked tactfully.
Levan thinks deeply. Then the answer I was waiting for passed his lips: “You could stay at my place. My wife won’t mind.”


After crossing the city center, we drove off past the ancient capital Mtskheta to his neighboring village. Although his words were pronounced hesitatingly in his car, once at home the genuine Georgian hospitality overwhelms my appearance. Two local homemade wines are poured out in our glasses while Levan prepares a decent omelet with cheese, pickles and several types of meat. The remains of my Armenian bread are peacefully combined with the diamond shaped Georgian one, freshly baked at every local bakery.

Next afternoon I take my chance to roam around the historic center. Two man are playing a game with dice and stones around a table at the side of the road. Around the corner a man is reading his book squatting down, while two loved ones harmoniously connect themselves listening to an MP3-player. Old ladies, sitting on creaky wooden chairs, stare out of their stained glass decorated windows. A long faded trace of paint betrays that decades ago one had money to paint his wood-carved balcony. In every park people relieve their thirst with the numerous public fountains. Charming Tbilisi is scattered along the Mt’k'vari river, streaming through a ravine in the center; this village has enough twisting historic streets to be able to get lost, and on every street-corner a typical church, guarded by the remnants of the fortress on the hill and guided by the millionaires’ shiny palace on the mountain.

I could live here.

Wander along Rustaveli boulevard, discover Saakashvilli’s glassmade egg, eat Kachapurri until your belly is satisfied with the boat shaped bread, a shipload of cheese and one or more raw eggs. Enjoy Georgia as you’re meant to enjoy, though beware once you fall in love with the city: kissing in and around churches is prohibited.