7th and 8th May – Getting to Georgia and a walk around Tbilisi
Let’s start with a positive. The joy of a late afternoon flight leaving Heathrow meant that it was a breeze checking in and getting through security. The good people at Lufthansa weren’t striking this week (unlike 2 weeks ago when they nearly wrecked a boy’s football weekend in Bavaria) so, excuse the pun, I was off to a flyer!
Ever since my truncated trip to Turkmenistan, I’ve become
very wary about lack of sleep. As my onward flight to Tbilisi was effectively overnight,
I took the opportunity of a very reasonably priced upgrade to Business Class
for the flight from Munich. After about 17 free bottles of Franzischaner Weissbier,
and several plates of free food in the Business Lounge I staggered onto the
plane and slept like a baby until our 4am touchdown in Tbilisi. Alright,
alright just 2 beers and a bowl of soup! And I didn’t sleep like a baby either.
However, I did manage a couple of hours kip which undoubtedly helped.
Obviously, in my less than deep slumber I dreamt longingly of beautiful blond
women in Dirndl dresses, Stein’s of Dunkel Bier and Currywurst mit pommes.
On arrival in Tbilisi there was an announcement apologizing
for their inability to provide a food and drink service in Economy due to the
medical emergency that had happened. Oh, and by the way, can everyone remain in
their seats to allow the medical team to get on the plane quickly. Crikey, us toff’s up the front were blissfully
unaware of the drama at the back of the plane. Ten minutes later I disembarked,
completed all the arrival formalities and met our Georgian Guide Natalie. The
rest of our group trickled through, and then it became apparent that the person
who’d had the emergency was one of our group. Eventually, he and his wife
appeared and reassured the guide that he was fine to carry on. Seemingly it
wasn’t the first time he’d collapsed on a plane! Hmmm.
We got to our hotel at 6am, and were told to be ready for a
walking tour of Tbilisi at 2pm. This time I did sleep well, and the 1pm alarm
felt like Pete Townshend had smashed a guitar on my head.
At 2pm the disparate group waddled off out into Tbilisi.
Unusually, there was no “Welcome Meeting” or introductions. It all felt very
weird. It was down to each of us to break the ice and find out a bit about each
other. It took a few days to do that. The bottom line was that I was one of the
youngest of the 14 tourists and was the only single bloke; alongside 5 couples
and 3 single ladies. All 14 were British. This was not what I’d expected at all
– based solely on my previous experiences using a different company in the last
couple of years. We’ll come back to the various characters further down the line.
The walking tour was largely enjoyable, although I’d seen
most of the places on my afternoon in Tbilisi last year. It really is a very
likeable place, so I was perfectly happy to enjoy the sights again, and wallow
in the lovely late spring sunshine. However, as the tour slowly proceeded a
significant issue began to arise. We moved at what I perceived to be “snail’s
pace”. And even that was too fast for the one couple. Of course, it was the man
who’d been unwell on the plane, and his wife. To be blunt, he was not the main
problem. It was her. At nearly 85 I admired her determination; but equally was
this really the right trip for her??
Now, those who know me well will have observed that I tend
to walk quite fast. I also have in my locker “Airport Speed” and “Double
Airport Speed” when necessary. This blasted tour was at “Museum Speed”. Unbelievably
slow, and incredibly tiring. Why is standing still or walking at snail’s pace
so much more tiring than striding out? Seriously why? Anyway, after a couple of
hours the 80+ “olds” from Guildford baled out and headed back to the hotel.
After over 3 hours of trudging almost glacially, I’d had
enough when we got to Freedom Square. Given that a tour around the National
Museum was next up, I politely exited stage left. With renewed energy I bounded
back down to near the Kura River and just wandered. Fantastic!
I headed back towards the hotel and came upon a bar I’d been
to last year. Stelzenhaus – a wonderful combination of Georgian food and German
beer. Two beers and one Adjaran Khachapuri later I was a spent force. That
Khachapuri is to die for. However, if you have too many, it literally could be
something to die from!
Day 1/2 summary - I think it could be a long few days. I'm not very impressed with Voyages Jules Verne (VJV). At best, it all kind of works ok, but lacks personality and the personal touch. All a bit robotic. The walking tour was way too slow, and it looks like the elderly couple from Guildford could really become a hindrance as the journey progresses. The group are a bit like VJV, just about adequate, terribly couply and probably all too nice and bland, but it's very early days. I definitely prefer the more international and slightly leftie clientele of Intrepid, who I've used in the last 2 years. Given the amount of English that is now spoken in slightly "remote" capitals like Tbilisi, perhaps it's time for me to return to fully independent travel.
Tomorrow, we head for the mountains near the Russian border.
Ps Tbilisi is known as Tiflis in German - sounds horrible doesn't it?
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