And now we are in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia, the farthest away from home I have ever been. We are 9 time zones ahead of Minneapolis, 11 ahead of my California birthplace. I don't have any photos yet to share (I've been taking them all with our camera rather than my iPhone, so instead I'll pass on a few verbal impressions.
We arrived in Tbilisi late last night, and spent today looking around, under the direction of Noah, who has been living here for several months. It's a city that aspires to be important, it has a lot of natural beauty, it is steeped in history of which most Americans (including me) have been unaware. It has an alphabet and a laguage that are completely unrelated to any other. After Norway, it is ridiculously cheap--after spending $100 for a barely-enough dinner in Norway, here we spent less than half that for a multiple-course feast for four, including a very nice Georgian wine.
There's a lot of poverty here--many beggars on the streets--but it doesn't seem poor on the order of, say, India. Somehow people eke out a reasonable living, and hope for better times and no more war with Russia. It probably helps that it's a bountiful land. In addition to deserts and mountains that we'll see over coming days, Georgia produces well agriculturally. In the backyard of the guest house where we're staying there are grapes, figs, plums, apples, and pomegranates.
And the people are generally friendly. (It helps that Noah can communicate with them in a common language, Russian.) But they are crazy drivers. Taxis are plentiful and cheap, but lane markings seem to be there for their decorative value.
So, a good beginning to visiting a fascinating place. Plans for tomorrow include a trip out to the desert to visit an ancient monastery.
And I just noticed that the rate to send emails from here via my iPhone is very high, so unless or until I'm able to get to an Internet cafe, I'll have to save up remaining entries and photos until I'm back in Germany. Cheers!
We arrived in Tbilisi late last night, and spent today looking around, under the direction of Noah, who has been living here for several months. It's a city that aspires to be important, it has a lot of natural beauty, it is steeped in history of which most Americans (including me) have been unaware. It has an alphabet and a laguage that are completely unrelated to any other. After Norway, it is ridiculously cheap--after spending $100 for a barely-enough dinner in Norway, here we spent less than half that for a multiple-course feast for four, including a very nice Georgian wine.
There's a lot of poverty here--many beggars on the streets--but it doesn't seem poor on the order of, say, India. Somehow people eke out a reasonable living, and hope for better times and no more war with Russia. It probably helps that it's a bountiful land. In addition to deserts and mountains that we'll see over coming days, Georgia produces well agriculturally. In the backyard of the guest house where we're staying there are grapes, figs, plums, apples, and pomegranates.
And the people are generally friendly. (It helps that Noah can communicate with them in a common language, Russian.) But they are crazy drivers. Taxis are plentiful and cheap, but lane markings seem to be there for their decorative value.
So, a good beginning to visiting a fascinating place. Plans for tomorrow include a trip out to the desert to visit an ancient monastery.
And I just noticed that the rate to send emails from here via my iPhone is very high, so unless or until I'm able to get to an Internet cafe, I'll have to save up remaining entries and photos until I'm back in Germany. Cheers!
Bob
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