Day 27 — the day of the Candlelight Concert I’d booked way back on Day 21 — turned into something more: a day in the life of a Georgian. Not the tourist Georgia of monasteries and day trips, but the everyday Georgia of shopping for socks, eating tikka masala on a patio, and captaining a boat down the Kura River. Because that’s just what you do on a Tuesday here.

🧣 Georgian Script

I wanted to buy socks and a scarf with Georgian script — the beautiful curving alphabet that looks like elvish calligraphy crossed with grapevines. I went for a walk and found what I was looking for: 15 GEL for both. Georgian script is one of the world’s 14 unique alphabets, and wearing it feels like carrying a piece of the culture in a way that a flag pin (which I also have) doesn’t quite capture.

👅 Palate — Tikka Masala with a View

I found an Indian restaurant with a remarkable patio table overlooking Old Tbilisi. Sat down, ordered tikka masala with buttered naan — 55 GEL. The food was good, but the view was the real main course: terracotta rooftops cascading down the hill, the Mtkvari River glinting below, the Mother Georgia statue silhouetted on the ridge. Eating Indian food on a Georgian hillside while looking at a city that’s been a crossroads for 1,500 years — this is the kind of meal that makes you grateful for globalisation.

🚤 Captain of the Kura

Across the river, I hopped onto a boat and sailed the Kura River — 35 GEL. Then something unexpected: the boat captain gave me the helm. I navigated the river with wind blowing through my hair and a big smile on my face. Steering a boat through the heart of Tbilisi, the old town on one side, modern bridges on the other, is not something I’d planned to do today. It’s not something I’d planned to do ever. But when a Georgian boat captain hands you the wheel, you take it.

🚡 Gondola to Mother Georgia

Since I was nearby, I boarded the gondola and went up to see Mother Georgia — the 20-metre aluminium statue that stands over the city, holding a sword in one hand (for enemies) and a bowl of wine in the other (for friends). I’d seen her from below many times. Seeing her up close, at eye level, is different. She’s not looking at you. She’s looking over you, past you, toward the horizon. A guardian, not a greeter.

🎻 The Park Violinist

Came back down and ended up at Carrefour — it’s on the way home — and picked up some snacks, chocolate, popcorn, and a coke — 21.64 GEL. On the walk back, I heard the delightful sounds of a violin playing. A woman frequently visits the park near my apartment, sits on a bench, and plays her violin for hours. No case open for tips, no sign, no performance — just a woman and her instrument and whoever happens to be walking by. I sat nearby and took it all in. The perfect preparation for what was coming.

🕯️ Candlelight Concert — Tbilisi State Conservatoire

In the evening: the Candlelight Concert at the State Conservatoire — 116 GEL, booked six days earlier on Day 21. The ambience was warm and cozy, hundreds of electronic candles flickering across the stage and throughout the hall. The Conservatoire’s neoclassical interior — already beautiful in daylight — became something magical under candlelight. Shadows danced on the columns. The ceiling disappeared into darkness. The candles created an intimacy that concert hall lighting never achieves.

The music was phenomenal. Three violinists, double bass, piano, and drums came together to entertain and stimulate the auditory senses. The programme spanned classical and contemporary, familiar themes reimagined by candlelight. I’ve now heard music in this hall twice — first the Sandro and Sandro piano duo on Day 16, now this. The Conservatoire has become one of my favourite places in Tbilisi, and I didn’t see that coming when I arrived 27 days ago.

It has been a great day. Shopping for Georgian socks. Tikka masala on a patio. Steering a boat down the Kura. Gondola to Mother Georgia. A violin in the park. And then three violins by candlelight in one of the most beautiful concert halls in the Caucasus. Some days you plan. Some days unfold. This one did both.

By the Numbers

Item	GEL	EUR (≈)
Socks + scarf (Georgian script)	15.00	€5.10
lunch (tikka masala + naan)	55.00	€18.71
Boat ride (Kura River)	35.00	€11.90
Groceries (snacks, chocolate, popcorn, coke)	21.64	€7.36
Candlelight Concert (Conservatoire)	116.00	€39.46
Total	242.64	€82.53