Tbilisi, Georgia

Somehow I'd managed to ignore the bit about Tbilisi having cable cars and that our walking tour was going to use them. Those of you who've been in Chamonix with me would be pleasantly surprised how well I behaved. Just as well because those hills around the Old Town are a long way up. The steps down were quite bad enough (the tour clearly states there is a lot of walking, steps and uneven ground therefore travellers should be reasonably fit - there are several in the group who do not fit that description).

Georgia is one of the first recorded locations of humans outside Africa. Somewhere in your DNA, you're all a little bit Georgian. The ancient gold and jewellery in the National Museum was quite breathtaking. Recent history less so, first being conquered by the Russian empire in the 19th century, then a few brief years of independence after 1918 before a bloody revolution brought it back into the Soviet Union. More bloodshed, more rebellions, more suppression before independence again in 1990's and years of economic and social devastation. Democracy and freedom remain fragile here, in a country that still sees itself as a crossroads between Europe and Asia.