Dadiani Cool

Zugdidi was a great place to unwind.  The city had one of those large boulevard-style centres which is really just a long park and the cars circle around them.  What are those called?  I wish I had actually studied city planning instead of just constantly talking authoritatively about it. 

I met my host, Regina, who was half Belarusian and half Lithuanian, and who from a citizenship point of view had access to almost everywhere in the first and second world, and who was working for the EU in Georgia.  She was pretty much the most successful person I have ever met. 

The family I stayed with were great and they showed me around the city, the Dadiani Palace and the slightly eerie botanical gardens.  As nice as Zugdidi was, however, I was anxious to get myself into Abkhazia, the real reason I had come to Samegrelo.  Over sweet red wine and a discussion on Canadian diamond futures with Regina’s boyfriend, I plotted my dip into the breakaway state of Abkhazia, for a day of sun, sand, and a $20 floating visa to tuck into my passport. 

In fact, it’s so hard to even write about Zugdidi because I was so excited about Abkhazia, and because I was listening to Teaches of Peaches a lot at this point and the name “Zugdidi” fit perfectly into one of the songs.  Try and guess which one—I doubt you’ll be surprised.