When a local puts his or her arm around you, beware because you are about to feel the full force of Georgian bonhomie and conviviality. The generosity of time and spirit in the country is world renowned, and with good reason! Georgia is where Europe begins, not where it ends. Tbilisi has the feel of an intimate European city with cutting edge architecture, a neighborhood of ancient bath houses and boutique hotels in re-purposed Soviet printing press factories. The Northern Kazbegi region offers stellar hiking and skiing. Georgia is the land of 8000 vintages, it is literally where winemaking started, and its gastronomy is the predecessor of much of the Mediterranean diet.