Georgia is an enchanting land, its scenery breathtaking. Few places on earth can match the snow covered High Caucasus that separate Georgia from Russia in the north, and that contrasts with the gentler valleys and exuberant rivers of the Lesser Caucasus bordering with Turkey. To the west is the spectacular Black Sea coast, and to the east, where Georgia merges with Azerbaijan and Armenia, there is the beautiful stark semi-desert landscape tailor-made for poetry and contemplation.
This is a story of Georgia--of hard work and play, serious feasting, bizarre happenings, nail-biting journeys, poignant moments and constant fun. It tells how I, an innocent Irish fellow, threatened the life of Georgia's President on my first evening, but finished the evening introducing his body-guards to the delights of Irish Whiskey. I attended a dinner where Jesus was a guest; had a close encounter with Stalin's bed and bathroom; walked on the grave of a 12th Century king, helped to cure a sick cow in the High Caucasus, travelled through the Valley of the Devil to the Gates of the Alans, and survived that magnificent Georgian institution, the never-ending supra.
I hope to introduce you to Georgia's generous friendly people, to its delicious food and wine, its mystical Christ-ianity, its triumphs and troubles.
