I, wanting to please a person, praised the successes of the Georgian economy. A 10% growth, they say, is faster than even in China.
It would be better to be silent, or to ask which wine is tastier.
Giorgi tells me at length and with emotion that the economy is one thing, and that one cannot live on a pension of 180 lari: “If economists were paid so much, then they would not boast of some kind of growth !”
Multiply the lari by 31 – you will get Russian rubles.
Speaking of taxis. A liter of regular gasoline costs 2.1-2.2 lari (about 65 Russian rubles), diesel – 2.4 lari (77 rubles), Eurodiesel – from 2.5.
And the trips are cheap. In the center of Tbilisi, on average, from 3 to 5 lari (90-150 rubles). One-day metro ticket (with a map) – 3 GEL. Cheaper by taxi. Even from the airport, which is expensive in any country, you can negotiate 20-25 GEL, although they may charge 50. It all depends on how you look. Taxi drivers are physiognomists and psychologists.
For a visitor, Georgia, to put it mildly, is not ruinous. Dine in the dining room (soup, main course, salad) – 10 GEL, in a cafe – 12-15. Well, the restaurants… There is a wide range of prices. And a lot depends on the class of the institution and the place. Dine with a jug of wine – 30-50. It is good to spend an evening in a decent restaurant with live music and dancing (everyone dances: first the professionals, then whoever wants) in the company – from 150. In the shops a bottle of beer at from 3.5 GEL, a bottle of wine – from 10, but it is better not to go shopping.
Yes, I almost forgot, it is not necessary to prepare in advance for a meeting with Georgia. Unnecessary occupation. Better to buy a bottle of Kindzmarauli at home. Have a drink. And then here, in his historic homeland, order this – but pay attention not to the bottle, but to the draft.
By the way, this is where you start. It is better to dive in Georgia with the head.
If you know the main words (“gamarjoba” and “madloba” – “hello” and “thank you”), this is enough for the first time.
So, Gamarjoba, Tbilisi!
The color is simply stunning. We must remember: always look under your feet. There are dogs on the sidewalks. Huge, imposing, nice. Homeless, but everyone has a blue chip in their ear.
Photo: Igor Elkov
They won’t stray, often they fold in twos or threes, in which case you may need to walk around them along the roadway. Don’t be afraid, it’s fine.
I befriended a couple of hulking bums, they picked an asset: on Avenue des Stars, which is near the local theatre. Preferring to lie on the stars of the sidewalk. Every morning I steal sausages for breakfast, bring them to the dogs. They accept with dignity, tilting their muzzle with emotion – this is to make it easier for you to put a sausage in your mouth. Then they smile politely: bravo, madloba, bring more. But without enslavement. Well, as it is – the stars.
Ignore endless car signals (unless, of course, you’re not crossing the road outside of the zebra), which is how drivers express their emotions. For some reason and without. Maybe he saw a friend in an oncoming car, but you never know. However, this is the case almost everywhere in the South.
We pay attention to the walls. There are buildings running the gamut, from “you can’t take your eyes off” (the florists and landscapers here are just outstanding) to almost ruins. There are plenty of homes that need at least cosmetic repairs. Very very. But they are also part of the color of this city. Yes, on the walls. There is a free guide. I run past an ordinary house, out of the corner of my eye I cling to a sign… I stop. “Prominent Georgian artist Pirosmani (Niko Pirosmanashvili) lived in this house in 1916-1918.”
your department ! First, I could pass. Second… Just prominent? Not great, not brilliant?
Oh yes, I am in the land of poets and artists. Well, think about it, Pirosmani and Pirosmani, here every second can draw like this …
Evening. I walk around the city center – a cozy square, comfortable benches … I collapsed, took out a bottle of “Borjomi” (1 liter – 2 lari, or 60 rubles). I look around – I am in the synagogue.
Photo: Igor Elkov/RG
I listen – strange sounds, something like a car alarm, but somehow it’s unusual. I go to the noise. By the way, the National Parliament of Georgia is a building of indescribable beauty, especially at night: fountains, lights. Lots of police hold the perimeter, but they let everyone in and out in the epicenter of the events. There are hundreds of people in the center.
Yes, old friends. The Dwarven Radical Party and its allies. Those who protest against the establishment of relations between Georgia and Russia. Their gathering, as usual, is not allowed, so the gathering takes place in silence. Otherwise, they will be taken away and fined. They just whistle and hum. Then they step aside, their leader makes a speech in Georgian (he speaks alone, so it’s not considered a gathering), they come back. And I follow them: back and forth.
I only counted three banners. On one of them they offer to get to Moscow by taxi, this one is in the hands of a young girl with a ribbon in her hair in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Everything is clear here.
The second poster is in Georgian. Alas, nothing is clear.
The third was amazing. It is in English. Bidzina – … (swear word).
The level of political culture is simply exaggerated.
Photo: Igor Elkov/RG
It is not difficult to guess which Bidzin we are talking about. Head of the Georgian Dream Bidzina Ivanishvili, former Prime Minister.
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p class=””>According to the protesters, it is he who is responsible for the fact that Russian travelers steal here and leave money here. Because of what – what horror! – relations between our countries can be strengthened. And then what do you order a girl with yellow-blaky pigtails to do? Sponsors will remove the stipend – as having failed the mission. And how to live? You will have to work…
However, the tourist will fall – there will be enough work for everyone.
Back at the hotel, I turn on the TV. I’m changing the local channel – not a word about the process. Looks like they are tired of themselves.
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