The journey follows a northern version of the Silk Road, from Black Sea to Caspian, trough Transcaucasia. First Lumley is impressed by mostly Christian Georgia, a country which suffered greatly from (civil) war by Russian doing after the dismembering of the Soviet union, but finds in the capital Tiblisi who vibrantly it preserved its identity trough culture, such as sword dancing, although many historic buildings were destroyed. In the countryside we taste its great diversity of isolated regions, such as Svanetia, which even boasts its unique blend of Orthodox and pagan religion, and the wine, with 800 years of unique tradition of vinification in buried pottery, countless grape varieties and innovation. Next Sunni ex-Soviet Azerbaijan, which has an equally rich history of khanates but struck rich petroleum, turning capital Baku into a showcase of extravagant architecture.
—KGF Vissers