TBILISI

Written at Tbilisi airport:

It is Saturday 7.30 am – 3 February as I handwrite this blog for annotation when I get back to the UK. It seems strange that a European country should be 4 hours ahead of the UK but it’s position North East of Turkey, bordering Chechnya and as the gateway to the ‘Stans’ explains its importance the US and Europe. Add Russia’s strong desire to keep its cousin within the old Soviet brotherhood and you begin to see why this fiercely proud country of only 3.5 million people retains such a strategic role in Eastern European affairs. This role is an historic one with Georgia having been invaded by almost everyone over the last two thousand years. It’s unique language (one of only 14 alphabets in the world), is a key reason why it has retained such a strong cultural identity.

The thing that I notice most in Tbilisi, it’s capital, is less aesthetic and cultural and more practical – the terrible driving. It is almost impossible to cross the road and in particular the main street (Ave Rustaveli – Rustaveli being a great Georgian poet). I saw an old woman, apparently almost unable to walk, suddenly break into a full sprint to negotiate 8 lanes of traffic moving at 70kph and some much more than that. Imagine trying to cross the Marylebone Road at rush hour with everyone’s speed doubled and you have some idea of what it is like. Tbilisi itself (1.3 million people) is a mix of old soviet architecture, some shiny new buildings, crumbling mediaeval style homes in tight knit lanes and housing estates that look 3 times worse than Parisian banlieux.

The Georgian’s are an hospitable, welcoming people in the streets (‘welcome to Tbilisi sir’ everywhere) and they have a strong hearty cuisine and a history of reasonable wine production. Customer service is however appalling and based on the French model – ‘here’s your food, eat it and don’t ask me anything’.

I have been training border monitors and admin staff in working under pressure. The border monitors work on the South Ossetian border. South Ossetia is a semi-autonomous statelet desired by both Russia and Georgia and a cause of regular and mounting tension between the two. The seminars I ran were full and the English of course immaculate. I even sold some books too. So I am pleased to report a successful trip. Next stop is Germany later on this month.

Music: The latest Anouar Brahem album – Le Voyage De Sahar.