the importance of being georgia

soviet style

2011-01-31T08:13:00.000-08:00

......continued.

all things soviet seem to be vanishing here. wanna post, whatever i find, randomly here.

mtsketoba

2010-11-06T23:32:00.000-07:00

the annual "mtsketoba" on 14 october in the city of mtskheta - once georgia's capital - is a religious festival, which celebrates the building of the city's svetitskhoveli church 1,700 years ago with music and celebrations held in the streets of the city. despite the religious intent, the event is really about the food. as the visitor approaches the city on the main boulevard - the whole city had been cordoned off by the police, and thousands of visitors are entering through this one long road by foot -, balloon, popcorn, and toy sellers pop up. and few meters down the road, horses, carriages, souvenir stands, people in traditional clothes, singers and dancers drag the visitor into another world. more than anything else, mtskhetoba is a huge open air get-together and picnic event for friends and families. hundreds of home-made, beautifully decorated little huts line the boulevard, where people sit, talk, sing, eat, drink, grill, and invite the passer-by to join in. As much as Mtskhetoba is about religion - the real stars of the day are pumpkins, autumn fruits, self-made wine and the essential and ever-present shashlik. shashlik in such concentrations, that a huge shashlik smoke cloud swirled through the town all day.

kodjori orphanage

2010-10-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

as part of my miniature charity for georgia, i've been taking photos of the children in kodjori orphanage this week. they'll all receive the prints of their portraits, to have a tiny souvenir in the future of their past. view the whole album here.

signs

2010-10-04T09:48:00.001-07:00

this weekend at jvari church. this post is dedicated to the wonderful world of SIGNS, and for sure: TBC.

shatili

2010-09-26T09:39:00.001-07:00

shatili, a tiny village not far from the chechnyan border. middle of the famous nowhere, a historic place with houses dating back to the 6th century and today mainly featuring stones and sheep, and only few people.

evil fish

2010-09-19T02:58:00.001-07:00

what's the names of the georgian dream couple......................? beer and fish! unfortunately, dream couples aren't very european (see the following post), so this marriage has been divorced. these are some pictures from the past, where fish was still available around the beer corner. (april 2010.)

evil greens

2010-09-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

in the course of georgia's soaring europeization, street trading has been prohibited this summer. while fruits and veggies now wonder how on earth they can get to the customer, and customers wonder how on earth to buy parsley and potatoes, tbilisi's pavements grieve about their former lives full of vitality, social interaction, and raison d'être. these are some pictures i took in march this year - pictures from the past for sure.

your local estate agents

2010-08-14T05:53:00.000-07:00

meet your friendly local estate agent. situated in the city center, next to the river mt'kvari; on "dry bridge" you'll find the largest real estate market in tbilisi. houses and flats, for rent or for sale, are advertised here, on sheets of paper, hold up, hung around people's necks and up on washing lines.

cool and the cemetery gang

2010-07-25T03:50:00.000-07:00

unlike northern europe, where death has been outsourced to the subconscious, georgians carefully look after their deceased family and friends. weekend picnics take place on cemeteries, and people love to spend time with the dead. most gravestones reflect this attitude, and the people engraved in the stones seem to be just another party-goer.

here for the beer

2010-07-24T12:12:00.001-07:00

"i'm here for the beer" was a complaint recently made by the german ambassador to georgia, during a diplomatic occasion, where only wine and soft drinks were served. well, his excellency, you might want to consider changing your peer group. beer is omnipresent here, served in XL bottles, and so innocent - compared to vodka - that it even replaces mother's milk.

homage to a ministry

2010-07-24T11:18:00.001-07:00

this building was once the ministry of highways of the soviet republic of georgia. it was built in 1975 by architects george chakhava and zurab jalaghania, chakhava himself being the minister of highway construction in the 1970s. the building was conferred national monument status in 2001, and is now planned to become the future headquarters of the bank of georgia. i think it is one of the most stunning pieces of architecture i've ever seen. it's a fictional present, utopian reality, futuristic hovel today, rundown, spooky, malodorant, seized by greens, and yet: an architectural wonder of the world, that makes the visitor wince.

kargo kult

2010-07-24T11:10:00.001-07:00

opinion polls among tbilisi cars show, that "how much more can i take?" is the question most often asked. not only georgia's number one export hit - scrap metal - starts its career on top of a car, but also chicken, goats and other household items do. they might complain, but of course, also old cars love to be useful and help their friends. (tbc.)

stalin's dust

2010-07-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

joseph stalin disappeared by night. on the night of the 25th of june 2010, at the age of 58, after a full life in the middle of gori, his hometown, and in front of the town hall. driving through gori today, almost a month later, the remnants of the heavy evil are still being removed. what does georgia think about this? georgia keeps silent and enjoys.

capitalize on your child!

2010-06-11T10:26:00.001-07:00

whether tomatoes, potatoes, or children, it's all about the presentation. choose red for blankets and clothes, and neon green for the collecting container. nobody wants a bunch of begging children cling to his or her coat-tails, so make sure they shut up. that's all. life is good.

(all photos taken on rustaveli avenue, tbilisi; tbc.)

the military forces

2010-05-29T04:14:00.001-07:00

on 26 may, independence day, the georgian army paid a visit to tbilisi. thousands of men, women, children, and soldiers, as well as dozens of howitzers, tanks, trucks, rocket launchers, helicopters, planes, and cobras attended the splendid celebrations on rustaveli avenue.

pretty opposition

2010-05-22T06:52:00.001-07:00

the election for the mayor of tbilisi is scheduled for 30 may, and overnight the city has been wallpapered with campaign posters (thousand thanks to the omnipresent construction hoarding). eye-catching: the red and blue colours, the professional photography, the sophisticated designs, and thoughtful mentioning of each party's register number. no doubt: this opposition has got to be the winner!

colt culture

2010-05-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

on sunday, i went to the beautiful lands of pankisi gorge, north-eastern georgia, to enjoy some green landscapes, mountain people, love, peace, and a legendary horse race. the pankisi gorge is inhabited by the kist people, an ethnic group in georgia related to the chechen people. having arrived in the field, i very soon lost interest in mother nature, horses, and hill tribes. i was caught up in a war.....the war of the georgian buttons, i guess. hundreds of homicidal child snipers threatened my life, with plastic bullets fired from plastic guns. it is true, nothing can beat a good live anthropologic experience.

dirt road anthem

2010-05-06T12:07:00.001-07:00

month of april, republic of georgia. mud is the dominant road surface (note the number plate). my camera screams for black and white mode, or rather: to be switched off. admittedly, not the most cheerful pictures ever. but, of course, music makes this world a better place.

in the heart of scrap metal

2010-05-06T10:44:00.001-07:00

as a result of my passion for steel, i've been visiting two leading georgian steel producers over the last two weeks. (not sure there are any other, not to mention leading, steel plants here.) scrap metal has been georgia's top export product for the last 15 years or so. instead of shipping it all to china, india et al, some resourceful indian joint ventures have started operation in the heart of scrap metal.....georgia.

tbilisi, kebabistan

2010-05-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

have a look at yigal schleifer's wonderful blog kebabistan, about eurasia's food culture.........this week featuring some of my favourite pigs from tbilisi!

feathered statues

2010-05-03T09:56:00.000-07:00

georgia's gallery of bird statues represents one of the largest sections in the country's animal gallery. in addition to traditional chicken and hawk, entire sections are dedicated to other birds. there is an extensive selection of duck, geese, and swan statues, too, as well as penguins, pelicans, and parrots. (tbc)

tbilisi eats

2010-04-21T13:07:00.000-07:00

my photo "stretching legs" won this week's photo competition of Istanbul Eats, a wonderful eater's guide to....................istanbul.

chicken feet

2010-04-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

i've always felt indifferent towards chicken feet. that's because i never met mr. ding from china and never took the boat from shanghai to georgia. thank you georgia, for sparing me that trip. indeed, nothing compares to.....the extravaganza of chicken feet.

chruschtschowka

2010-04-18T07:12:00.001-07:00

plattenbau, or chruschtschowka, the stepchild of social socialist metropolis. tbilisi's varketili is a former prime residential area of the capital, the first class residences of soviet funtionary. today, varketili is a run down area, raddled, home of the poor and cockroaches.

the face of shashlik

2010-04-18T05:49:00.000-07:00

dead or alive, but mainly dead, pigs dominate the world of georgia, georgians, villages, streets, butchers, markets. it is difficult for the living humanist to cherish the dead pig. i have not made my peace with shashlik yet, but have started smiling back to.....the face of shashlik.

...........and also have a look here!

hat highway

2010-04-18T05:42:00.000-07:00

everybody believes gudauri is located on the military highway. it's not. it's here: on the hat highway! roughly two hours north of tbilisi, gudauri is a lovely ski resort in the caucasus. the hats on sale here, approximately ten euros each, are made of sheep's wool, and answer to the name of papachi, ფაფახი. gudauri is.......home of the wonderful world of hats!

happy new year georgia!

2010-04-18T04:37:00.000-07:00

not sure i'd share all my anti-depressants with you, father christmas, but you surely deserve: a happy new year!