Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Georgia on My Mind....


We recently spent a week in Georgia, The Republic of Georgia.  My husband had a conference to attend.  Sometimes his job takes him to places that I might not ever have seen had the opportunity not presented itself.   So when opportunity knocked, I answered with a YES.

The Republic of Georgia is a mixture of old and older and some newly budding growth.  Gaining independence not all that long ago and joining the EU looks to have been a good decision for forward progress. But right now its still like walking back in time and I am completely in love with yet another Georgia.  In Tbilisi there are so many abandoned buildings you'd think people were leaving the city but there are plenty of people everywhere, and they are all wearing black.  Every single one of them is dressed in black, all black.  We stood out not by our language but by the fact we weren't wearing all black.  They are striking people with black hair, olive skin and dark dark eyes.

Not many tourists go there but I'm sure it is only a matter of time until the rest of the world realizes what a fascinating place it is.  The city is mostly buildings the color of desert adobe topped with tiled roofs.  I think the color comes from years of communist neglect mixed with dust kicked up from the new construction and building restorations.  Beyond the dust, the architecture reminded me of a cross between the Old West and New Orleans with wooden facades and balconies.  Many homes have grapevines climbing across arbors and up walls.  Everything was so beautiful in such an organic way it made me wish I was a painter so I could capture the texture and color of the buildings and the rolling hills of the mountain landscapes.  Our first day, before the conference started, we all toured some of the oldest sights in and around the Tbilisi area which included two Orthodox Christian cathedrals each approximately 1000 years old.  There was a Baptism going on in the first cathedral and a wedding at the second.  These are not sterile tourist sites.  Life is actively going on in and around them.

I have to admit that being the "guest" at a conference is a great way to travel.  While my husband spent the next few days in a conference room I was enjoying tours of the city, the bath houses and a tasting at a cognac distillery all complete with private guides and escorts.  Plus, our escorts were two 30 something Georgian men who were definitely easy on the eyes.  Does traveling get any better than that?  We went from visiting 1000 year old cathedral and castle to visiting the new National Cathedral which is less than 10 years old and has yet to have its frescoes painted.  Many of the new buildings are built mainly of glass and just a few blocks away are the Turkish baths a mere millennium in age.  I felt like I walked back in time but someone had left the time doorway open to allow the 21st century to begin changing the landscape.

When the conference was over we hopped a quick flight to Batumi on the Black Sea coast.  It's a resort town with mountains ending at a rocky beach.  There is a ferris wheel and a fantastic strolling walkway along the beach called The Boulevard built in 1934.  The famous Singing Fountain on The Boulevard has a nightly light and water show choreographed to music.  We stayed at the Intourist Palace Hotel just off The Boulevard.  That particular hotel had originally been chosen for a meeting with President Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin (who was born in Georgia) at which they would determine areas of influence in Europe after the WWII.  Notice I said "originally chosen".  Had it remained chosen what you know as the Yalta Conference you would have known as the Batumi Conference.   Batumi has long been a sea resort for Georgians and Russians but rarely for Americans so we were a novelty there too.   No one really seemed to care that we were there but everyone still stared as we passed by.  My sandy hair and blue eyes may have given away the fact I was not a local, or it might just have been that I was wearing a color other than black.  I blend much better in Poland than I do in Georgia.

My favorite part of the trip had to be the Batumi Aquarium.  It was probably the worst aquarium I've ever been in and I loved it.  Growing up on the East Coast of the US and being from a somewhat aquatic family I've visited many aquariums including the biggies like the Baltimore Aquarium, the Georgian (state of) Aquarium, the New Jersey Aquarium and of course Sea World...you get the picture.  These are big places with enormous tanks filled with fish from all over the world.  Always their dolphin or other sea mammal shows get top billing.  Batumi Aquarium had none of that flash.  For the equivalent of about $2 we entered a room of fish tanks.  It smelled, well....like a room of fish tanks.  If you know the smell of the fish section at a pet store then you know what I'm talking about.  The only light came from the cloudy sky outside the doors and the lights inside the tanks.  All the tanks were cloudy and the largest population of fish were Japanese Koi and fancy goldfish.  There was one tank with some kind of bottom feeder most likely related to a shark.  This fish was about a meter and a half in a tank the was best suited for a meter long fish.  He didn't seem to mind having to bend in order to swim back and forth in order to get our attention.  And I do think he was trying to do just that.

There was a large tank in the middle of the room with a few steps down to a walkway that went all the way around.  I assume that all the fish came from the Black Sea which was just a few hundred meters away.  But we couldn't read any of the water logged paper descriptions tacked to the wall since they were all in Russian and slightly blurred anyway.  The fish were unremarkable but the huge crabs were fun to watch.  The lady who took our tickets at the entrance, who was of course dressed in black, came in the room about 10 minutes after we walked in and dropped some food in the top of the tank so we could watch the fish perk up and the crabs run around.  Simple charm.

The Piece de' Resistance was the dolphin show.  We had to pay extra for that; about $15 each.  There were six or seven dolphins including one baby that was obviously just being trained.  The baby didn't understand all the commands which was adorable.  There was at least one other dolphin who didn't really feel like he needed to follow directions either and seemed to take great delight in frustrating his trainer.  There were four trainers, all dark haired and wearing red AND black who gave it their all.  None of the staff really had uniforms but the emcee did have on a bright blue polo shirt.  But the best part were the "ushers".  They had no uniforms either but were all wearing black.  They stood on either side of the stadium seats dressed in black pants, black shirts, (all different of course) with their arms folded across their chests.  It was like a mobster dolphin show.  "You betta enjoy da dolphin show or else!"  We clapped like trained seals when expected just in case.  Eat your heart out Sea World.  It will be a sad day when they complete the new state of the art aquarium planned for the empty space on the beach across the street.  It may ultimately be fancy and flashy but I am sure it will loose some of the charm I loved.

All in all Georgia was one of the most fascinating places I've been in a long time.  Its organic beauty untouched by tourism is the kind of experience I love.  The national pride expressed by our hosts was evident and the food and wine was some of the finest in Europe.  When friends heard I was going to Georgia they all told me to make sure I had some wine and it did not disappoint.  The red was divine and the white was crisp and lively.  If I ever have an opportunity to go back I will jump at it again.  I would be interested to see what changes will be brought by the future.  But I truly hope progress doesn't change its essence and I'm sure the Georgians would agree me on that.