Tuesday, 17 October 2017

 

Start: Tbilisi 16:00

Arrival: Kutaisi 21:00

Total: 230 km

 

On which I

 

explored the Rive Droite of Tbilisi

did not get to take a marshrutka

became a bona fide Georgian car driver

 

 

 

It was late when I finally woke up. A quick look at my phone informed me that, if I was very quick and very lucky, I might still get some breakfast downstairs. When I got to the lobby, the receptionist greeted me like a beloved old acquaintance. Of course I would get something to eat, no problem at all. She steered me into a tiny adjacent room and soon I was provided with excellent, hearty food and some much-needed coffee. I was the only guest in the room. It probably was too late for breakfast. I quickly finished and called Irakli. We agreed to meet around four o'clock. Until then, I had the day to myself.

 

 

 

 

I decided to take it easy and just stroll around the town. The weather was cool and sunny, it was hard to believe that less than 24 hours ago, I had been in a snowstorm. I ambled along the right bank of the river Mtkvari, wondering how on Earth one was supposed to pronounce the name of this river. Some cartographers say that the Mtkvari defines the border between Europe and Asia. By this definition, I was now leisurely walking through Asia.

 

Here, Tbilisi showed itself from its most elegant side, as befits the right bank of a distinguished old city. Tree-lined promenade, small boutiques, expensive hotels and restaurants, the Opera and Ballet theatre of Tbilisi, its unique yellow-brown layered façade reminding me of Bamkuch, Luxembourg's delicious layered "tree-cake". I guess I was starting to get hungry again. I visited beautiful Kashveti St. George Church, dipped into a bookstore and admired the colonnaded exterior of the Georgian Parliament. Museums and art galleries vied for attention and I could have spent hours exploring all the wonderful exhibits within, but the afternoon wore on and I had to get back to the hotel to fetch my luggage. At four o'clock, I was ready for the trip to Kutaisi.

 

 

 

Kutaisi is the most important city of Georgia after Tbilisi. Located in western Georgia, it takes a car at least four hours to reach it from the capital. "How will we get there?", I asked Irakli when he picked me up. "We will take a taxi," he said, and so we set off for a sort of marketplace for taxis. A large yard, bustling with cars, people and buses. Irakli asked me to wait for him and went in search of a vehicle. I curiously eyed the busses and taxicabs passing by. I had never taken a marshrutka. These crammed vehicles didn't look particularly comfortable, especially considering that the journey would be long and probably involve lots of hilly curves. I just hoped that we would be allowed to open the window. I'm a passionate driver, but I'm not the best passenger, as I get easily motion-sick. Maybe that is why I love to drive so much.

 

Irakli came back and steered me to a car. "We will take a taxi. I think that is more comfortable for you." Oh, so no marshrutka. I was a tiny bit disappointed, but actually a lot more relieved. A marshrutka might be a great experience for a few minutes, but definitely not for a trip around half the country. During the trip, I became ever more grateful that he had chosen a spacy, comfortable taxi. There were just as many curves as I had feared, and the journey seemed endless. No way would I have survived this unscathed in a bumpy minibus.

 

 

 

It was already dark when we reached Kutaisi airport. Irakli quickly located his two cars and handed me a key. I looked sceptically at the Mitsubishi Pajero that I was supposed to bring back to Tbilisi. I had never driven such a big car. Except for a van last year, when I had moved house, but that had been for all of twenty minutes, along a route that I knew by heart. "Just drive after me," Irakli said, with unfathomable confidence in my driving abilities. "What if I lose sight of you?", I asked. After all it was already dark. "I don't have the first idea where I have to go." "Don't lose sight then," Irakli concluded with irreproachable logic. When he saw my face, he added, "And if you do, stop the car and call me. I will come back for you." Of course he would. I got behind the wheel and started the motor. How hard could it be. There was barely any traffic at this time of the night.

 

We drove to the hotel. There were no street lights for most of the way and since my eyes are getting weaker, I'm not a big fan of nighttime driving anymore. But it was a long way, and when we finally parked our cars in front of the hotel, I beamed at Irakli. "I love driving this car." He smiled back. "I knew you would." And with that, I was unofficially accepted as Star Rent A Car driver for the next 24 hours. Sometimes, it's that easy to find a new job.