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Freshfield in Svaneti (late 19th Century), II
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Author: By Tony Hanmer
This week, for a change of pace, some more quotes from the great English explorer Douglas William Freshfield’s 2-volume book “Exploring the Caucasus”, 1896, illustrated with photographs by Vittorio Sella. Freshfield made a number of visits to the Caucasus from 1868 for several decades, was editor of the Alpine Journal (Britain) from 1972 to 1880, and an active member of the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club, serving as President of both organizations. He explored Svaneti especially well, and has many things to say about it, some samples of which are below.
“The interior [of Svan churches], and sometimes the exterior, are frescoed in a style varying from pure Byzantine to what in Italy might be called Giottesque. The roof is often decorated with representations of the heavenly bodies, on a blue ground. A large wooden cross, covered with silver repousse plates, is sometimes found in front of the iconostasis. There are few Georgian features in the architecture, and it appears at least probable that the builders were rather under direct Byzantine influence.”
“Pliny speaks of the Svanetae. It is, perhaps, worthy of notice that Suanetes and Consuanetes appear in the catalogue of the Alpine tribes subdued by Augustus, inscribed on the Trophseum that still shows “its Roman strength” on the heights above Monaco. Suanetia was included in the Roman Empire, and Christianity, as is shown by the lists of Bishops present at the Ecumenical Councils, took root at a very early date in Kolkhis. When it penetrated to Suanetia is a matter of conjecture, but M. de Bernoville seems to have some reason for his belief that it was derived directly from Byzantium and not through Georgia.”
“When the Georgian kingdom first established a suzerainty over the Suanetians is uncertain. It was before the eleventh century, during which they temporarily asserted their independence. A hundred years later (A.D. 1184-1212), Queen Thamara became the ruler of Suanetia. ... If we may believe the ballads still chanted in her honour by the Suanetians, she led the mountaineers to victory over their neighbours, the Abkhasians and Tauli, and, better still, reduced their taxes to the nominal fee of an egg per household.
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Natakhtari turning an ordinary day into a celebration for kids
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Author: By Kate Lekishvili
Demonstrating high social responsibility, Georgia’s beer producer Natakhtari has made yet another kind public overture by inviting kids from Saguramo Children’s Home to enjoy a hot summer day at Euro Park (Aqua Park) , a swimming and recreational facility with many pools and slides.
The invitation was made in the framework of the Natakhtari Lemonade initiative, which brought twenty-four children from the Saguramo Children’s Home to the park for a day to enjoy the various water attractions. The children were also provided with special gifts including swimming equipment.
To make an ordinary day into a real celebration for the children, Natakhtari also invited animators, who performed some entertaining and intellectual programs for the kids. Later, the kids were served a delicious lunch with Natakhtari lemonade.
Georgia Today had an opportunity to talk to several children; all of whom were happy and grateful to the company for “such a magnificent day.” One little girl mentioned that she and her friend were getting ready for this day for the last two days, as “it was very exciting” for them.
At the end of the day, all organizers of the event had a feeling that Natakhtari has achieved its goal: to make the day a great experience for the children.
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Panoramic restaurants in Tbilisi: eating and dancing with the city at your feet
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Author: By MJ Riquelme del Valle and Pedro Leyva
There is one Tbilisi, but many perspectives from where one could look at its mountain ranges and centenary skyline. The Cafe Flowers and the Skyy Bar offer two very different ways to enjoy the city’s panoramic views, one more suitable for a quiet afternoon, the other for a lively night.
Right in front of the body of glass and metal of the Bridge of Peace, the Cafe Flowers shows a perfect view of the Kura river (the River Mtkvari) and the houses perched on the mountains in Ortachala. In the cafe's building walls one can see rests of many coats of paint - pink, white, greyish blue, green... like if one could see the skin of history. Among little rose bushes and climbing plants, its wooden terrace offers a fresh shelter from the afternoon torrid sun.
During the Soviet era, the building used to be a guest house for geologists coming to Tbilisi for scientific purposes. After, when Georgia became independent, it became the headquarters of the Red Cross in the country and five years ago it, until then public property, was sold. The buyer started a flower and plants business that is still in place. People going there used to sit in a little table and ask for the chance to have a cup of coffee or tea enjoying the views. Then two years ago the idea came in: Why not start a cafe next to the flower shop?
Nata Jariashvili, Cafe Flowers’ manager, proudly explains that one can come, order a cup of coffee and stay all day. Service is indeed very important here and one could feel waiters and waitresses go out of their way to please a customer. Jariashvili states that some bits and pieces need to be fixed, but she thinks that beyond those details the most important thing they have to offer is a nice atmosphere. “We have received visits from marketing agencies telling us that introducing some changes we could boost our clientele... but they have nothing to do, we like this place the way it is”.
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A new face of Georgia
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Author: By Vlad Vernygora
Georgia is the land where Jason found the Golden Fleece. However, it was a while ago. The wild 1990s brought an image of Georgia that was very different from what the mythical Greek hero could have ever imagined. The ancient land of 4 million people was torn by military conflicts, social unrest, mafia wars, widespread corruption and blackouts. Remarkably, in 2010, it was not the same country I saw a bit more than 20 years ago. The only thing that reminded me about the old Georgia was the unmatchable Georgian hospitality.
The initiator of the ‘coloured’ democratic revolutions on the post-Soviet area, Georgia embarked on a list of deep political and economic reforms right from the end of the 2003 Rose Revolution. The methodical implementation of those initiatives – drastic anti-corruption laws, flat income taxation and economic liberalisation – allowed many experts to talk about the ‘Georgian economic miracle’.
In 2007, Georgia was declared the world’s “top performer” by the World Bank’s Doing Business report. The Caucasian state climbed from 112th to 37th place in the rankings on the ease of doing business. The 2010 report features Georgia proudly holding 11th place, leaving behind a number of powerful European economies like Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Germany.
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