A journey shaped by roads, pauses, and people
Georgia entered our travels quietly and stayed with us long after we left. Not because it overwhelmed us with sights, but because it revealed itself slowly — through long drives, unexpected detours, shared meals, weather that changed plans, and conversations that lingered beyond itineraries.
Our route traced a broad arc across the country. From Tbilisi, where history layers itself into everyday life, we moved west to Kutaisi, a city shaped by myths, rivers, and time. Along the way, places like Mtskheta and Uplistsikhe anchored us firmly in Georgia’s deep past — early kingdoms, faith, and stone that has endured centuries.
The journey then bent south, through forested hills and quieter towns. Borjomi offered a gentler rhythm, mineral water, and mountain air, while the narrow-gauge Kukushka train to Bakuriani reminded us that travel does not always need efficiency to be meaningful. Snow appeared not as spectacle, but as delight — something touched, laughed at, and remembered.
Further south, the landscape grew starker and more dramatic. The drive from Borjomi to Vardzia unfolded through castles, monasteries, and open valleys. Rabati Castle, Sapara Monastery, and the extraordinary cave complex of Vardzia felt less like stops and more like chapters — each deepening our understanding of the country’s resilience and faith. A night near the Mtkvari River, in a quiet rural setting, grounded the experience in simplicity.
Turning north again, Georgia rose into mountains. The old Georgian Military Highway carried us past reservoirs, fortresses, ski towns, and snowbound passes. Gudauri brought with it a more playful side of winter, while Kazbegi (Stepantsminda) slowed everything down. Two unplanned days there — spent mostly looking out at mountains — became some of the most memorable of the trip.
The return to Tbilisi was anything but direct. Snowbound roads, detours, and delays reshaped the final days, but the city waited. When we did return, it offered contrast rather than closure — cathedrals, old quarters, bridges, and viewpoints that stitched together everything we had seen elsewhere in the country.
Georgia, as it turned out, was never about ticking boxes. It was about letting the road decide the pace, allowing history to coexist with the present, and trusting that even delays and diversions had a place in the story. It is a country that rewards patience — and one we know we will return to, not to see more, but to feel it again.
Posts from Georgia
- From Tbilisi to Kutaisi, via Georgia’s First Capital
- Kutaisi — Between Stone, Water, and Air
- The Kukushka: A Slow Train
- Borjomi to Bakuriani: Mineral Water, Mountains, and Our First Snow
- From Borjomi to Vardzia: A Day That Kept Deepening
- From Vardzia to Tbilisi: Lakes & Detours
- Kazbegi: The Road, the Snow, and the Mountains Taking Over
- Return to Tbilisi: Detours, Delays, and a City That Waited