At first mention, a trip to Georgia doesn’t sound especially exotic. “Oh, cool. Atlanta? Hasn’t Grant Taylor already destroyed that place, along with all the other skaters who live there?” That’s when you have to make the conversation awkward by saying, “No, not the state, the country,” which is usually followed by a response like, “Hmm, never heard of it.”
Wine remains a defining aspect of the Georgian culture today, which was demonstrated at the passport check where, after stamping our passports, each member of our group received a complimentary bottle of wine. In all my traveling, I’ve never received more than a pamphlet from the grumps checking passports at immigration. A personal bottle of wine? As the first stop along the Caucasus trip, we all took this as a sign for good times to come.
Words by Walker Ryan
Photos by Alexey Lapin