Grmagele

It's 6.30pm when our bus driver Lasha picks us up (or maybe I should say "briefly slows down the bus so that we can jump on it with unexpected agility. The traffic is crazy as usual, but the brave driving style of Lasha makes us save quite a lot of time and we get close to the restaurant in just over 15 minutes. At this point Vato makes him stop the bus at the side of the road and informs us that we are supposed to get changed THERE! Yes, exactly... on the side of a road with loads of cars and trucks driven by crazy drivers who have mistaken Tbilisi for a rally racetrack. In order to get our clothes we also need to take our suitcases out of the bus and open them up either on the road itself (with the risk of being run over by a crazy Georgian driver) or on the nearby grass that seems to have been used as an open-air dump and toiletry. The only relief is that we girls have the privilege to get changed on the bus while our poor male companions need to undress on the street!

When we are finally done it's only 7.15pm: as we expected, we have A LOT of time to kill before we can actually go to dinner. As usual Vato doesn't seem to be too worried and informs us that we will use the "unexpected" (😞) extra time to do a sightseeing tour by bus. The result is that we start driving around in circles in the same decaying roads (and the prohibition ti take pictures as the US embassy is nearby and will chase us down if they see us using our cameras) until Lasha shows us mercy and parks in front of the restaurant. We are still half an hour early but at least can wait inside the private garden of the restaurant.
The restaurant is indeed impressive with an lush garden, lights, and a very elegant building. There is even a small cable-car connecting the upper and lower part of the whole complex.

When we can actually get to the dining hall we are welcomed by a dancing performance, while some singers continue to entertain us throughout the whole meal.
Despite a slow-food service, we are done eating by 9pm and we still have A LOT of time ahead of us before we can go to the airport (our flight is scheduled at 4.25am!). Luckily a live singer entertains us with some danceable music and we decide to kill time by hitting the dance floor. Despite the weird getting-undressed-on-the-road part, this is probably the best evening I had in Georgia so far.Read more