We LOVED Georgia.  From start to finish, it was a lesson in history, food, traditions, hammams, wine, and friendship.  On this trip we decided to relax and let the very capable Zarzar drive us around the country.  Situated midway between Europe and Asia, this small nation packs a lot in.  Georgians actually call their country 'Sakartvelo'.  Interestingly, a couple of 1.8 million year old skulls were found in the Caucasus, suggesting that some humans traveled from Africa to Europe through Georgia.  It is believed the first wines came from here, in fact, they have been perfecting it for almost 8,000 years! 

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Some highlights include: the historic town of Signagi; sculling local warm white wine and skiing at Gudauri; drinking the famous Borjomi mineral water; roadside hot bread; the thermal baths in Tbilisi, and of course Georgian food (especially Khinkali, Kubdari, and Lobio).  One particular adventure worth expanding on was our trip into Svaneti.  Svaneti is a historical region in northwest Georgia, bordering Russia. Sitting in the Greater Caucasus mountain range, it's characterised by snow-capped peaks and deep gorges. The medieval villages here are dotted with koshki - defensive stone towers built from the 9th century.  The village of Ushguli is the highest permanent settlement in Europe at 2,345m above sea level.  The roads getting into an out of these remote villages were..... exciting.