“Sopelshi” (in the village) is a word I hear a lot. Many of the residents of Tbilisi have a village in the country, where they rest and have their roots. My wife’s mother came from a small village near Gori and some of her relatives are still there. In early autumn there is an abundance of fruit: tomatoes, apples, plums, pumpkins, grapes etc… ready for picking. We are driven out of Tbilisi by Khato’s brother for a day in the village.

Aunt Gulo’s yard, a hen wandering about
dried plums
strange vehicle
Khato eats an apple fresh off the tree
In the village even lunch is a feast.

lunch

Married to Khato, I am now part of a big Georgian family
Georgian tomato fields; the tomatoes might not look as attractive as the intensively farmed Turkish tomatoes in the supermarkets, but the taste is far superior.
In the evening we have a supra with barbecue. Eating a lot of local produce, washed down with homemade wine from local grapes and the inevitable Georgian toasts to everyone and everything.
supra in a village
a toast
After the supra we head back to Tbilisi, just over an hour away.

sunset in the village