The morning after seven types of wine
Morning came. I couldn't fall asleep easily. It was probably because I drank as many as seven kinds of wine. David was up at 7:30, but I was sleepy and ended up getting up at 8. I usually take a cold shower as a routine, but it was too cold to feel like it, so I took a warm shower instead.
When we went outside, David's relatives had already prepared breakfast. Pancakes, tea, bread, sausages, spring rolls, cucumbers, potatoes.
It was lavishly prepared and really delicious. The auntie saw us off to the very end.
Hitchhiking: Fast & Furious
We walked to the bus stop. Wearing a 16 kg backpack, I sometimes ran up the hills. It felt childlike.
When we arrived at the bus stop, there was no bus to Kvareli. Apparently we had to take a bus to Telavi and then go to Kvareli.
But David, maybe trusting his intuition, thought that would be a detour, so we decided to go to a town closer to Kvareli and take a taxi from there. I slept on the way to the nearby town. Because it picked up a lot of people along the way, I sometimes thought, "It doesn't need to stop anymore."
We got off in a town along the way, but there were no taxis. Bolt didn't work either. So our only options were to somehow flag down a taxi or hitchhike. David stuck his thumb out and started hitchhiking.
Then on the second car a driver stopped and gave us a ride! I thought Georgians are really kind to be found so quickly. He was driving a Mercedes and drove extremely recklessly.
But I figured he must be some kind of business owner. His momentum and nerve were different. It really felt like being in a Fast & Furious movie.
A place that would take four hours on foot we arrived at in ten minutes by car.
A bunker-like winery
The man who brought us was taking us to a winery carved into the mountain during the Soviet era. We had lunch at a nearby restaurant. There was no one there besides us. We ordered a salad and ojakhuri.
To the winery! A young man guided us around and explained everything in fluent English. He explained things like we were VIPs — it was truly fantastic.
The winery had an enormous collection, including wines from 20 years ago, lined up along a long tunnel like an air-raid shelter.
It seemed to have won many awards; it was quite an impressive winery.
We had three tastings: first a dry white wine, second a semi-sweet wine, and third the heaviest red wine. They were all delicious, but for me the semi-sweet wine was the best.
When I told him I liked Gewurztraminer, he told me about a recommended wine he bought in Italy. I learned a lot about winemaking, and it was a very good time.
Vineyards and "Gamarjoba"
I walked to the hotel with David. It was 4 km. Along the way we saw vineyards owned by the winery and walked along the bank of a flowing river, and I somehow felt like an elementary school kid again.
There was a shortcut. But a dog was watching us and it was really scary. When we asked a neighbor, they said that dog is gentle so it's fine. As expected, it was fine. An old woman walked toward us from the opposite side and said, "Gamarjoba."
Greeting one another as if it were the most natural thing. I thought, the countryside really is wonderful. It's a place where you can feel more human.
Smiles are contagious
We decided to take a taxi because we were tired. For 5 lari it took us to the hotel. The hotel's door was closed, so David called and about ten minutes later the owner arrived and showed us in.
When I smiled, the man smiled too. It made me realize that how I behave determines how others behave toward me.
Khachapuri and cup noodles
In the evening we went out to eat. We went to several wineries and restaurants, but they were closed.
One winery was apparently holding a Christmas party for children. I thought everyone looked like they were having fun. I even thought about joining in myself.
In the end we ate Imeretian khachapuri and kharcho at a nearby restaurant. They were very spicy and delicious.
We walked to check the bus stop for tomorrow.
On the way back I bought a mandarin. We walked a lot around Kvareli. The soccer field was surrounded by a castle, and there was an abandoned movie theater built during the Soviet era. It was a moment when I felt history firsthand and it was very fascinating.
After arriving at the hotel I talked with David about dreams. For the first time I shared my ideal image of the future with him. I was embarrassed, but he listened and told me I should watch a documentary called "Secret."
At the supermarket I bought a Russian cup noodle called Doshirak. There was no hot water, so the supermarket auntie made hot water and poured it into the cup for me. Maybe it's an experience you can only have in the countryside. It was amusing.
