Old Tbilisi

The view from our bedroom window. The fortress is is called Narikala. Fortifications date from the 4th - 17th centuries. We can see no fewer than 12 ancient churches from our windows and balcony, plus the modern national cathedral and the president's house. We are located in Old Tbilisi, just uphill from the ancient sulfur baths/banyas.

As is evident from the photo, we have safely arrived and moved into our new home. A friend; neighbor; and fellow Fulbrighter, Dan; arranged to have us picked up at the airport by our kind landlords, Tamriko and Justani, as well as their children Sophie and Alex. We were wisked away to a restaurant shortly thereafter to enjoy some authentic Georgian-Ossetian food and wine.

Just as my lovely wife, Sora, and I are beginning to recover from our 10-hour jet-lag from Denver, I fall ill. This of course gives me ample opportunity to stay home and catch up on the more computer-intensive things--like writing this first posting. Before falling ill, Sora and I had enough time to run errands and explore just a bit. The fortress which dominates our amazing view was a natural choice for our first adventure (besides securing cell-phones at the city bazaar). The view below is looking from the fortress back on the baths district/old town and our apartment door is visible. I was able to paste a tiny red arrow pointing to our roof which may not be very visible.

The city is beautiful and there is much exploring to be done. However, our tasks for this week are many--finding both Russian and Georgian teachers, teaching job for Sora, registering at the embassy as well as passport renewals there, confirming meetings with my research center, and errands for the house.

Posts to follow will hopefully include more entertaining information and a few silly stories, but for the time being we are working on getting settled. For freinds or family from back home who wish to visit, we assure you that even if you were not planning on visiting us, the trip would be well worth it. Until next time...