Ch 43, Day 3-4: The Amazing Eclectic City of Tblisi

 34.4
kms, July 16, 2021

The
Traveler gets up the next morning with one goal in mind: find a
better place to stay. A place which hopefully will make this city
feel like “home” and for that he needs to be able to get a good
night sleep and not be made to feel unwelcome in his own room.

So
he wanders up and down the side streets of Tbilisi. Many of the
hostels marked on Google Maps either don't exist any more, or are
completely unmarked. Here he discovers how the city streets often
have a grand feel, often with baroque style facades... but go into
the inner courtyards and there's often a very shabby, Charles Dickens
feel, with multiple floors of glassed in run down wooden balconies
and waterstained walls giving a very different view of life in the
city.

Here,
the old, the new, and the very new are all squeezed in side by side.
Historic buildings and futuristic structures. 19^th
century grandeur... Soviet era drabness... and post-independence
attempt to put Georgia on the map as one of the most cutting edge
countries architecturally—something the Traveler will see all
around Tbilisi, and even moreso later in the coastal city of Batumi.

The
Traveler love it all. He didn't come here with any particular
expectations, so he enjoys being surprised over and over again. It
makes him want to wander every alley and street of the this city and
experience it all.

Eventually
he does find a hostel, an unmarked house in a shabby courtyard where
an old lady assures him that, yes, people are quiet at night. He
then drops off his backpack and heads out to explore the city.

What
to Name your Country

The
Traveler heads back to Liberty Square, a classy roundabout that might
be defined as the “heart” of Tbilisi. This is where masses
gathered to protest Soviet rule. Masses gathered again to protest
their own government in what was dubbed the “Rose Revolution”,
which led to the rise of Saakashvili and the big changes he brought
to the country.

In
the center of the circle is a tall pillar with a golden statue at the
top. But it is not a statue of the liberator of Georgia, or some
great emperor of old. Instead, it's the iconic image of St George on
a horse, slaying the dragon.

This
is an image the Traveler has seen and will see over and over again in
Africa, the Middle East and Europe. From Ethiopia to Russia, to
Spain, to England this semi-mythical character is venerated as the
patron saint, making him one of the most popular figures in
Christianity.

This
immediately leads to the question, is Georgia named after St. George?
And if so, why name your country after a generic character with
seemingly little connection with your country?

The
Traveler looks up the origin of the name “Georgia”, and it seems
there is some debate. Most scholars say the name comes from Persian
“Gurgan” or wolves and this region was called “Land of the
Wolves” back in the day. But there are those who claim that
veneration of St George in this region did play a role in the origin
of this name.

Georgia
does have a native name: Sakartvelo, which is associated with the
central region. But the constitution states that the official name of
this country is “Georgia”.

The
Traveler has another thought on the choice of this rather generic
name. He thinks of other countries where names are very
ethno-specific. Like Armenia... Turkey. He remembers seeing the
frustration of Kurds in Turkey as they showed him their passports
which say they are “Turkish”

“But
I'm not Turkish! I'm Kurdish!” they'd exclaim. The Traveler
imagines that this is a problem in many parts of the world where,
due to the country's ethnic name, minorities feel they aren't really
a part of the family and this can even fuel the fire of division and
hatred.

Georgia,
as the Traveler learns, is a country of many tribal and ethnic
identities. Yes, there are “ethnic Georgians” who go by the term
“Kartvelians.” But there are also Azeris, Svans, Migrelians and
others. But when the Traveler asks them to identify themselves, the
usual response is “I'm Svan... and Georgian” or “I'm
Migrelian... and Georgian”. Perhaps having a generic name gives
people the feel that it's not an either/or. You can be both. And
this... might be something that other countries around could learn
from.

The
Traveler gazes back up at the statue of St George and chuckles. Hey,
maybe centering your country around a generic semi-fictional
character might not be such an idea. Nobody feels hostile against a
guy like George. He's fighting a dragon, not a rival tribe...

The
NATO Information Center

And
so the Traveler continues soaking in his surroundings. Around
Liberty Square is City Hall... an upscale hotel, nice cafes... and
one building that draws the Traveler's attention. It's called
“Information Center on NATO and EU”.

Were
this elsewhere in Europe, the Traveler wouldn't give it much thought.
But here in Georgia, seeing this building right here in the heart of
the city makes him feel quite uneasy.

NATO,
or North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed back in 1949
essentially as a defense pact against the Soviet Union, or so the
Traveler understands. The idea was, if one of the members was
attacked, then all the others would pitch in to help out. The Soviet
Union responded by forming its own alliance, known as the Warsaw
Pact.

Fortunately
the alliance was never really put to the test. But when the Soviet
Union fell apart, Russia didn't fully want to let go of the regions
it once comtrolled. Especially if that would mean American and NATO
military activity right close to its borders. So when a very pro-West
president rose to power in Georgia, and expressed strong interest in
joining NATO, Russia decided to act. Many agree that Russia's
involvement in the Abkhazia and South Ossetian separatist wars were
essentially punishment for Georgia for wanting to join NATO and
getting too friendly with the west.

And
no, NATO and the US did nothing to stop the Russians, and Abkhazia
and South Ossetia have now become de facto Russian
territories.

This
seems to now be a pattern: when a former Soviet Republic gets to
friendly with the West, they get punished. Cue in Ukraine in 2014.
Armenia, just last year. Each time, they find out that the United
States and Western powers do not want to get involved. Each time
they've paid a heavy price for straying too far from the herd.

Of
course, the Traveler only has a very superficial understanding of
this. But it does concern him that, Georgia apparently is still
pushing to join NATO and what that could lead to.

He
decides to go inside to learn more. The security guard is friends,
but says the office isn't open to the public. “We have people going
to towns to educate people and explain the importance of joining NATO
and the EU”.

“Isn't
there a danger of this provoking Russia?” the Traveler asks.

The
security guard agrees... yes, this is a risk. But apparently they
feel it's a risk worth taking

The
Traveler thinks on this as he walks along. Throughout his travels
through Georgia, he will find time and time again that most
Georgian's love America and the West, and want their country to be
aligned with the West.

“We
like to think of ourselves as America's 51^st state” a
college student later tells the Traveler.

The
Traveler feels it would be cruel to remind her that, well... most
Americans don't even know that Georgia exists...

The
Old City

The
Traveler continues his exploration. Tbilisi—particularly this part
of it, feels like a place you can discover something new every 20
meters. The variety of architecture... a building that looks like a
French chateau... another that looks like a palace in Genova... a
supermodern glass covered building with odd bulges and twists... then
a building with statue pillars of Titan like guys holding up the
building... Then there are less obvious things, that also have
meaning—like a marker telling that two Yazidi poets once lived
here, reminders that Yazidi culture reached this part of the world as
well.

All
of these discoveries take on a whole new dimension when the Traveler
later learns of how this city has been attacked and even comepletely
destroyed several times. And yet... here it is, with so many layers
of history to it.

The
Traveler follows a busy elevated boulevard. But it's not clear why
it's elevated. The Traveler finally finds a way across and it
becomes clear: there are ancient walls underneath the boulevard.
Apparently when they were building this boulevard, they had to make a
choice: either destroy the ancient walls for the sake of convenience,
or not have a major street here for the sake of history. Apparently
they tried to do both: preserve the walls, but build a boulevard
above. Then there's a walkway where you can explore these
walls—although it seems some folks are using this as a public
restroom.

The
Traveler does still enjoy this contrast. Tbilisi seems to be a city
that is doing things its own way, not following a clear urban model,
and this seems to be symbolical of that.

Finally
he reaches the a part of the wall that is exposed, with buildings
with beautiful wooden balconies perched atop the walls. Here the
Traveler starts to feel the “Old City” charm and eagerly looks
for the a way inside. He follows the wall until he finally finds a
gate... and enters a very different world.

Gone
is the noise and din of traffic and the crowds of people. Instead
there are quiet, narrow alleys, with balconies often jutting out
above. It immediately brings flashbacks of the Old Medinas of
Morocco—one of his favorite things about that country.

But
he also notices the differences. Moroccan medinas are places of
business, full of people, shops and even little factories hidden
away. Here, there are few people and few shops. Some of the
buildings are crumbling—others have been restored to serve as guest
houses for tourists. It does give the Traveler the feeling that, if
it weren't for tourism, this place full of history would gradually
crumble—especially since so much is made of wood. And this does
seem sad, especially seeing the intricate designs on these wooden
balconies. But it is understandable.

Walking
around he does see local people who still consider this their home.
There is still authentic life here, albeit not at the same level as
places like Morocco. Morocco is a place where people still feel a
love for their Old Cities—even though they might be inconvenient
and crowded.

The
Georgian Church

He
reaches a church and goes inside. Georgian Orthodox churches do
superficially look a lot like Armenian churches, but he does hope to
find some distinctions. Reading a bit about the religious history,
it does seem that there are a lot of parallels between the two.
Christianity rose to power in both Georgia and Armenia about the same
time and each rose to have their own distinct structure. However, in
Armenia, it seems religion helped maintain a bit more of a united
singular culture, whereas Georgia continued to be a region fragmented
into various tribes for much of the first millenium of the modern
era.

Going
inside, this Georgian church, like the Armenian ones, does seem to be
more of a place for individuals to come and pray on their own, rather
than a place of public gathering. There are religious images all
around—although they seem to have more of a variety of style than
Armenian art.

A
young woman comes inside, and quickly moves around the room, kissing
the various images. Apparently COVID hasn't brought to an end all
unhygienic religious traditions...

The
Traveler does notice that—superficially at least—Georgians seem
to be very religious. They will frequently cross themselves whenever
the pass a church—which is very frequent as there has been a lot of
religious construction going on since independence. Even if the
church is high on a mountain barely visible, they'll still cross
themselves when they catch a glimpse of it.

Whether
this alludes to a deep sense of spirituality and belief, or if this
is just a way of expressing your tribal identity, is not clear to the
Traveler. What does it mean to be a Georgian? Is a question he
thinks is going to take a long time to figure out.

He
continues exploring. Down a long alley packed with restaurants and
live music playing. Nice to see some lively atmosphere—although it
seems clear that this area caters almost entirely to tourists. And
the food does seem a bit pricey—especially after the amazing cheap
food he enjoyed all throughout Armenia. So today the Traveler
decides to take a break from Caucasian food and stop in at a Thai
restaurant. It does seem to be a good fit. Tbilisi feels more like
a global, cosmopolitan city than just a Georgian city...

Iranians
in Tbilisi

Across
the river, walks down a dimly lit street, until he reaches what feels
like a city center. It's a brightly lit street lined with beautiful
baroque, Victorian style buildings, each one beautifully restored and
painted. It feels almost a little too perfect--like Main Street
Disneyland or something. he looks down the side street and notices
that this is the only street that is like this. Seems typical here
in Georgia: one area of towns is completely revitalized, and other
areas are completely left as is.

A
well dressed fellow approaches him and invites him to check out a
Middle Eastern cafe/hookah lounge.

"I'm
Iranian." he tells the Traveler "but I like America much
more... I'm here in Georgia hoping to immigrate to Europe or
America--there are many Iranians like me here"

They
chat for a bit then the Traveler continues, wishing him luck in his
venture, thinking, The Traveler would definitely like to learn more
about this not-so-stereotypical Iranian subculture here in Georgia.

Day
4: More adventures in Tbilisi

43.6
kms, August 27, 2012

Today
the Traveler decides to head north a bit, following the Mtkvari
River. Here, in what seems to be the “Embassy District”, he
finds himself in yet another area that sort of feels like “the
heart of the city”. He continues on a little further to a majestic
Soviet era park--in a bit of disrepair, but still impressive.
There's a large statue of a woman high on the wooded hillside, and a
series of stairs reaching to the top. At the base is a monument to
the fallen soldiers. As Georgia continues to embrace its new
identity, hopefully reminders like this of the Soviet Era won't be
completely abandoned.

Down
the main boulevard heading south, He reaches a big circle back to the
real "heart" of Tbilisi. Behind it are some narrow streets
with some more hostels, cybercafes and businesses catering to the
backpacker crowd, but not really an old city.

One
building that catches his attention is a synagogue that's being
restored. He's been in places of worship of all the major
faiths--except a synagogue so he figures he should see if he can go
inside, to where the walls are painted in bright blue and gold in
decorative designs. The workers, who probably aren't Jewish, ask him
to sit down and play a couple songs for them, and he happily
obliges...

It
takes him a little while to find a way up to the castle and monastery
on the mountaintop, with so much construction going on, but finally
he gets there where he's greeted with a grand view of Tbilisi. Here
he makes a couple of interesting encounters with folks as they offer
to take pictures of each other. One is a Polish fellow who is here
doing history research. The other is a rather unusual couple: a
Ecuadorian fellow and his Ukrainian girlfriend. The Traveler
mentions how friendly Georgians have been. The look at him
skeptically.

"Maybe
that's because you're American. They're not very friendly to us"
The girl says.

"But
you're Ukrainian--why would Georgians have problems with Ukrainians?"

"As
soon as I speak to them in Russian, they get cold towards us"

So
I guess this jolly warm welcome the Traveler has received here isn't
experienced by everyone...

He
finds a stairway down to the city, and cross to the other side to
more of a working class neighborhood where heads to check out the
main cathedral. It's a very tall structure, built in the typical
Georgian Orthodox style with a somewhat circular tower with serrated
conical roof. Inside it's also different from your Catholic church in
that there are no pews inside. Instead people come stand, pray and
then leave. A significant difference from the more structured feel
of a Catholic mass. He also notices a lot of young people, unlike
Catholic churches which are generally full of gray haired folks.

Some
more interesting encounters as he continues wandering through town...
a couple of taxi drivers insist he pull out his six string again...
They don't speak English, but they do manage to converse a little, as
they rave about how much better things used to be during the Soviet
era...

Finally
he head back to the Disneyland-esque Main Street of yesterday to take
some pictures... opts for a Turkish cafeteria restaurant for supper
(full of Turks)...

It's
getting late, but the party is just getting started. Next he stops in
the beautiful park right along the river, one of the few flat areas
in the city which includes another dancing musical fountain and a
beautifully lit up steel and the iconic glass pedestrian bridge over
the river...
Suddenly he hears someone call his name. What
the--?! Wait, wait, nobody knows me here!

Turns
out it's one of the girls he'd serenaded on the bus to Tbilisi....

Then,
back at his hostel, he decides to check out the nightclub scene,
heading down a shifty looking alley to where there are multiple clubs
hidden away under the city.

There's
an Iranian nightclub (sounds like an oxymoron) that catches his eye
so he heads inside... and sees no Iranian flag--but instead a
Georgian and an American flag in the front. This must be the Iranian
counterculture that he encountered last night. Young Iranians eager
to get away from the stifling control and imposed religiosity of
their own country. For them, the American flag is not a symbol of
imperialism... it's a symbol of a land where they hope to go to. A
land of opportunity and freedom.

For
now, they settle for the next best thing: at least here in Georgia,
they can dance, drink and wear whatever they want. Young Iranian guys
and girls dance to the beat of Farsi techno music, which is almost
certainly illegal in Iran. The Traveler is not much of a dancer, but
he knows he can't miss this opportunity. He joins in the dancing,
following their moves—a mix of swaying Persian style with Western
techno dancing.

An
American and a bunch of Iranians dancing together in the underbelly
of Tbilisi. Ah... this is a night to be remembered.