Postcards From Tbilisi with ❤️
Back in my husband’s hometown
We arrived early Tuesday morning and are settling in for a good family visit. I thought I’d share some photos of gardens I’ve seen so far.
(I’m writing this on my phone and haven’t figured out all the details, so bear with me, please.)
We flew LOT, which was unexpectedly easy. Despite trepidation over flying in a Boeing aircraft, the Dreamliner was amazing. It felt spacious, even in coach. We had an 8+ hour layover in Warsaw and explored the central Warsaw & the old town. It was cool and grey, which was great for my sun allergy. We also had a great meal, but I didn’t photograph it.
In Tbilisi, we stay in a family flat, well away from the tourist area. Despite the Soviet grimness, gardening thrives here.
This gardener in the building across from us has created a lush and productive oasis on her balcony.
There’s quite a few, let’s call them unofficial, allotments around, where people grow fruit, vegetables, and nuts to feed themselves and sell to their neighbours. Some have chickens too.
There are many efforts to beautify neighborhoods, like these planters of conduit and tires and this resident-tended garden between apartment blocks.
Nearly everyone who has a house instead of a flat has some sort of grape arbour. Often they also serve as a security feature. This home with its giant arbour is near Dighomi Cemetery. And here I feel I need to share that the earliest archeological evidence of wine making is in Georgia. The Georgians are sure they invented wine and it’s still made in buried clay casks here.
We visited my relative’s friend and saw this beautiful rainbow.
And we admired his garden and young orchard, which includes loquats, walnuts, apples, cherries, green and purple plums, etc. It’s amazing what he’s done in just 4 years. And yes, that back corner will hold a grape arbour.
We’re going to the Black Sea resort city of Batumi on Saturday, so they’ll be more beautiful gardens there. We’ll meet my SIL’s family. By Georgian reckoning, my late husband’s little brother’s nearly ex wife’s sisters are also my sisters. Or perhaps my sisters-in-law. I’m not entirely clear. Family has an expansive definition here.
Until next time,
