Travel The World

Every costume you see is based on a particular culture/tradition in different parts of Georgia!

I posted just a few more pictures of the house and surrounding area. One thing, the view from the backyard and across the field is of Culebra Road for any San Antonio residents who might be looking at these. I hope it's a long time before that field is sold for commercial reasons!

Normally, I would never post a picture of someone at a party without their permission. However, in this case, the person insisted that I post the picture! This individual served as the 'Tamada' at a 'Supra' I attended a few weeks ago. To refresh your memory, a Supra is a kind of Georgian party that is held on special occasions or, possibly for no special reason at all. The Tamada is the person who proposes toasts during the Supra. But, he doesn't propose just any toast-there seems to be a formal process that occurs during the evening. I must admit, I don't really understand how this proceeds so maybe others out there can comment on this. All I can say is, our Tamada was a very talented toastmaster dare I say, almost poetic! You may notice a glass in the person's right hand. I believe there was only water in his glass the whole night. Otherwise, no human being could have drunk as many shots as this person seemed to have done!

I was working in the yard today (enjoying my vacation) and decided to snap some pictures of my house. Here are a few with descriptions below each picture. Various bushes/plants that need to be trimmed! My house (full view) The cul-de-sac nearby Back Porch SUV in the driveway (I'm one of the few who can actually use their garage)

Here is another video from the performance I saw a few weeks ago. Again, the music/dancing is amazing!

I've finally started getting over the jetlag but I'm still missing Georgia terribly. Fortunately, I'm in touch with friends over there so this makes it a little easier to cope. Here is a view of T'bilisi that I'm posting just to remind myself of how beautiful it is/was.

I returned about two hours ago and just wanted to let everyone know I made it back safely. The house and yard were in pretty good condition primarily because a trusted friend was looking out for it these last three months. I better stop now because I am so jetlagged! I'll post more tomorrow after I get some sleep.

Well, I will be leaving T'bilisi early Saturday morning. It's been a great three months and I wish I could stay here much longer. You know, when this opportunity came up, I almost didn't pursue it. There were so many reasons why I should not have left the US at that time and yet, for some reason I decided to come anyway. Now that I've had all these fantastic experiences and met all these wonderful people, I have to wonder if fate had a hand in my decision. My life and perception of life have been altered so much in the last three months. Thank goodness I followed my instincts and came. So, my body will be leaving Georgia but my heart will always be here. I wish to say goodbye to the wonderful friends I've made and to thank them for the generosity they've all shown me. Until the next time . . . Russ

Here is a video showing a traditional dance that involves sword/dagger fighting. I wish the video quality were better because you could actually see the sparks flying from the metal as you viewed it in real life. What an amazing performance this was! I'll post some more videos this week along with still pictures. Enjoy! PS Isn't the music great as well? Be sure to turn up the volume!

I'll be posting some pictures/videos of Georgian traditional dancing in the next few days. I think the videos will be very entertaining!

I'm trying to catch up with pictures I never got around to posting. Here are a few more from Ananuri about 70kms north of T'bilisi. In case you forgot the history of this site, you can review it at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ananuri Nice Cloud The Monastery Grounds The Lake

I didn't realize I had not posted on my blog since last Saturday. I think it's because I've been so busy trying to do as much as possible before I leave Georgia. I've still got plenty of pictures to post and so, I will continue to do so even when I'm back in Texas. When I run out of pictures, I will probably post news articles about Georgia and comment on these. Whatever, I will never forget this wonderful country and the fantastic friends I've made here.

Here is a video from last night showing traditional Georgian dancing. There is some streaking in the video from the lights but it's not too distracting. Be sure to turn up the volume on your computer!

Wow! Last night, I went to a Georgian 'Supra.' This is a kind of party that involves a lot of eating and drinking. The most interesting part is when the 'Tamada' (the toastmaster) stands up and begins with the various toasts. These toasts are well thought out and follow a pattern as the night progresses. We also listened to Georgian traditional music played by a live

And you would be, too if you lived in Georgia! For my Georgian friends, can you guess where this picture was taken . . .

It's already Wednesday!  Why don't I remember Monday or Tuesday?  Seriously, time is moving so fast here.  I will miss this place so much!  I took a walk in the freezing rain yesterday evening because I couldn't bear the thought of wasting time in my room!  I've been here almost three months and the romance is not fading at all!

These are the last pictures of my favorite stroll in T'bilisi.  Years from now, I'll look at these pictures and reminisce about how much joy I got out of doing such a simple thing in such an amazing place.  I wish I could convey to all of you how wonderful it is to live here. Freedom Circle from far away Mother Georgia in the distance Close Up Church entrance on the way back Typically beautiful T'bilisi architecture

I had a wonderful weekend!  It was great getting outside the city and seeing some of the countryside even though it rained a lot!