The return from the tropical island of Thailand, Phuket, was a bigger shock than leaving winter to go to the beach. The Turkish Airlines pilot described “clear skies”, but that was not the case when we landed in Tbilisi at around 4pm on Christmas Eve. As we waited to get our taxi, sleet hit us in the face.
The weather and temperature changes must have been too much. Even all those mangoes, and other exotic fruits, were not enough to boost my immune system. I medicated myself, and stayed in the warm apartment.
My next trip was to be a full-on winter visit to our village in high Svaneti. I was feeling better and had bought a train from Tbilisi, Georgia to Zugdidi on January 1. I planned to catch any trains going up into the mountains.
At least I knew before I left that the Svaneti Road had just been closed. A house-sized stone fell on New Year’s Eve and that was it: no in or out for a few days, according to the report. The only other way to get into or out Svaneti is through Lentekhi, which leads north from Kutaisi, then down to Ushguli. This road is always closed in winter, so there’s no point going. I got a refund for my train ticket, and decided to not go back into the meter-high snow. Oh well, that was not meant to be. Maybe a bit later.
A friend invited me to his New Year’s party at his house in Mtatsminda. This would give us a good view of all the fireworks. Last year, I borrowed a tripod from a friend in order to get a series of bursts that went off one after another. I left it too late and barely got anything usable. This year, I had my tripod and was familiar with its use. I then walked higher to a spot that was clear and viewed a part of the city. I then took shots of each firework exploding in a stream of lights, each lasting about a second. After 45 layers, it appears that there are more “salutes”, than buildings. I’m sorry for the pets, who may be traumatized by the noise.
Lali and I decided to also take in the atmosphere of the Christmas/New Years festival on and near Rustaveli Avenue. Friends had told us about the aged Georgian Mountain Cheese on Orbeliani Square. We found it among the mulled wines, coffees, decorations, and other delights. It is delicious and about 10 months old, but the price will need to be reduced to compete with the cheaper imported foreign cheeses that are available in Tbilisi. The newly available Tushetian Blue Cheese at the Railway Station Market is also delicious, but a little more expensive than its Danish and German equivalents. I hope it survives: I’d rather buy Georgian to support local markets.
The cold season in Tbilisi can be quite mild, at least for those who are from Canada or the highlands of Svaneti. Yesterday, as I type this (January 10), we drove east to Sartichal for a visit with friends… and found enough snow to whiten the earth. As we discovered on our return, it barely touched the capital. We turned on the central heating in our bedroom for the first time last night, even though the rest of the apartment was already warm. I hope to go downtown in the evening alone to capture the Christmas lights before they are taken down.
It’s nice to be in a safe city for the holidays, despite the scandals surrounding icons with Stalin. I can only pray and hope that normality will return to other parts of the world, where it has not been so. I am not optimistic about 2024. Peace, please…
Blog by Tony Hanmer
Tony Hanmer is a writer and photographer who has been working for GT since 2011. He has lived in Georgia and Svaneti, respectively, since 1999. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with over 2000 members, at www.facebook.com/groups/SvanetiRenaissance/
He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri: www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti2
Read More @ georgiatoday.ge