The Renovated Tbilisi Opera House and Ballet

Great seats, great friends!

Tbilisi Opera House 2016

19th century Opera House

This famous hand painted curtain was
refurbished in Germany

Georgia has a rich tradition of performance art dating back centuries, long before it was

swallowed up by the Russian empire and then the Soviet Union. Its movie industry was famous in the USSR. Tbilisi's Opera House is the 165-year-old home of Georgian opera and ballet. The opera house’s history is also entwined with its tortured relationship with its giant neighbor. It was built in the mid-19th century by the tsar’s pro-consul in the Caucasus as a kind of bribe, hoping to win restless Georgians over to Moscow’s rule. During communist rule, Tbilisi was established as one of the premier venues for opera and ballet outside Moscow.

800 lightbulbs were replaced

 

The opera house was damaged during the Soviet breakup, and reopened in the 1990s.  Tickets were priced very low, citing the fact that in those years in Georgia theatre was more of a necessity than a luxury. The house was then closed for 6 years, for a multimillion-pound refit paid for by the country’s richest man and former prime minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili.  It was spectacular.  Here are a few pictures of the renovations.  Even the bathrooms were amazing, although I held off taking pictures of the massive entrance, mirrors, and beautiful decorations.    

I was lucky enough to get a ticket for Gorda. 

Gorda premiered in 1949 in this Opera House in Tbilisi.  It is a beautiful 2 act ballet, with beautiful sets, incredible dancers, and a great plot.  The dancing integrates ballet with the georgian dances beautifully.   The plot has a little of everything, unrequited love, witches, beautiful love scenes and the omnipresent celebration of children that is mandatory in Georgia.  There are kings and ambassadors, oracles and warring armies.  It was really excellent and has played around the world.  It is such a treat to see live theatre here in Georgia.  I know how lucky I am. 

With Marcia and Pam out front

Plastic Garbage, here and everywhere

 When I first came to Georgia, I was overwhelmed by the trash, everywhere, or so it seemed.  I think I didn't realize how nice it is in the US now, where it is really socially unacceptable to throw things out the car window, etc. You can't just pick it trash here and dispose of it when you go for a walk, because you wouldn't get far.  Along main roads it is the worst.  The Georgian government pays people to clean up, but each assignment has boundaries, so there is still a lot of trash around.  Plastic, of course in particular,  accumulates and will just sit there for decades, until a really hungry dog, bird, or chicken decides it looks appetizing ( yes, I've seen chickens eat plastic bags.)

This plastic waste is not just here in Georgia. According to a new Ellen MacArthur Foundation report launched at the World Economic Forum at Davos every year “at least 8million tons of plastics leak into the ocean – which is equivalent to dumping the contents of one garbage truck into the ocean every minute. If no action is taken, this is expected to increase to two per minute by 2030 and four per minute by 2050. “In a business-as-usual scenario, the ocean is expected to contain one ton of plastic for every three tonnes of fish by 2025, and by 2050, more plastics than fish [by weight].” The Guardian summarized the report in an article last month.

Yes Georgia has a lot of waste, but they also have some creative recycle applications that I thought you might to see.  Yes, necessity is the mother of invention. But we still all need to work on it. 

This bottle was tied to the bottom
of a underground passageway in Tbilisi.
I loved the concept.  But who empties it?

I bought my honey from a guest house,
in this coke bottle.

More recycling in the village. If I want milk, we hang a used plastic bottle from the fence post. The neighbor fills it after milking, and gives them to a downstairs neighbor, who lets me know she has it, when I come home after work.

Also, if you want saklis gvino ( house wine) from a shop, you have to bring your own plastic bottle. NOTE: They tell you to squeeze the plastic bottle, so there is no air in it, and the wine won't go bad.  We believe the same thing back home, but it's more expensive with adapters for glass bottles.

I bought this from the shop in this recycled Fanta bottle.
They don't need fancy new containers.

Gas and  electric bills are posted here. 
We have no postal service.

Our bills hang from a recycled bottle in the entrance of
my stairwell.  If I forget to notice and pick it up to pay,
the neighbors remind me.  :-)

If you buy yogurt, you have to bring a replacement glass bottle to swap for the one you buy, or they won't sell you any.  :-)  Not the best marketing approach,  but then, this isn't the US.  They have different priorities for sales goals.

Let's hope we continue to focus on these problems - for us, our kids, our grandkids...

Some Tidbits from Georgia for early 2016.

Hi Folks, I'm reading The Martian, by Andy Weir, and love his attention to small details that really are interesting.  So, in that vein... Last year I sent you  the David Letterman Top 10 Differences between Georgia and America  (click to review).  This year I've learned a little more. So here is  my early 2016 list of random info and pictures, for your enjoyment. 

our garbage men empty the outdoor bins
 and separate garbage right in the truck

Plastic bags: I have mentioned previously that in Georgia, and if you buy 5 things at the magazia, you get 6 bags.  Now, hold on a minute, let me explain.  One bag is for your eggs - yep, you really can take 5 eggs home in a plastic bag and not break them. Most things in the store are bought bulk and you put it in a plastic bag - no packaging to deal with, or worry about throwing out - macaroni, flour, sugar, coffee, frozen chicken legs, kingali (only want 3 of these meat stuffed dumplings tonight, just buy 3. Our freezers are VERY small!), all your produce that are weighed, cookies, chocolates, beans, cheese - all in little plastic bags.  Now for recycle... we do use these bags for everything, including take out the garbage.

Here we are with all the food PILED up in front of us

Entertaining: When we are invited to someone's house in the US for a dinner party, at least most of the time, you eat, you drink, you talk a lot, maybe a little music, then you go home.  Maybe it's just me and my friends.  But here one is expected to at least add to the enjoyment of the evening. Sing, dance, play an instrument, play a song through your nose, poetry is popular too. And Expected!  That is why every party (every party!) has a Tamada, a master of ceremonies. The good ones can give impassioned speeches, sing and recite poetry. Here is a fun party we attended in a small town in the wine country.  The locals from another Community Education Center - funded by the DVV Foundation that I have discussed -  went all out to entertain the 20 of us on our little excursion. Enjoy some pictures...

The guests jumped in to help make our khachapuri.
Women don't just sit and be served here!

And of course, the traditional georgian dances are performed.

A novel way to play a song with flutes

 Eight men sang in polyphonic harmony,
while one accompanied them

Poetry in motion

Real Estate:  I am on one of a main shopping streets in Tbilisi, the nation's capitol. And here is prime real estate, just sitting empty, with junk piled up.  How can they do this?  Because they can!  People here own a lot of real estate. It seems they never sell it!  You inherit your aunts village home, a place to relax in the summer, your parent's home...  A shop front could stay empty for a long time.  They don't need the rental to pay a mortgage. In many cases, they just own it, and will use it or rent it when they feel like it. ROI doesn't enter the picture here.  

 January:  In January America leaps into action. Of course it has been more than five weeks since we were really productive,what with thanksgiving, etc. of course, year-end sort of  puts a damper on things, especially if you are in sales.  In Georgia,  the partying begins on New Year, when small gifts are shared. Then Christmas on January 7th. Now we have old New Years January 14th. The decorations will still be up for a while longer, but January is a very laid back month - no kickoffs, quotas, goal and strategy session. We drift into February amidst a choir of "jer ara, kimi" (not yet, Kim).

Coka Cola Local Customization:  I just thoughts this was interesting. Local customs targeted on their packaging. Good for them. People bring a bottle of Coke when they come to visit.

This says  - "for our Guests"

Fuel: Our President talked about gas under $2 in the US. WOW.  Here are our prices, per liter of course.  And remember there are almost 4 liters in a gallon!  They still have some leaded fuel as well.  And they sell some type of propane, and convert their gas line to intake from a large propane tank in the trunk. It costs about half the gas prices, but safety is a question.

Local Produce: I really like my favorite 'travelling magazias' now.  The same produce I find in a market in Tbilisi, I can buy for much less here... no overhead of course. :-) I love that vegetables can be so inexpensive and candy and sweets are so much more.  This is what I bought today - in multiple plastic bags. 

 All this for 4 lari ( $1.80)  

Christmas Decorations: Umbrellas to decorate for Christmas?  Why not? Just seems odd when we associate them with baby showers.

  

Church habits: Almost everyone crosses themselves one or three times when they pass a church. I find myself dong the old Catholic sign of the cross over the heart thing, just automatically now.

My sunrises:  Why are the sunrises so beautiful here.  Big sky I call it.  Well of course.  In Raleigh there are so any trees. One has to drive to even find a place where one can see the horizon.  And in Colorado the sun sets behind the mountain way before any show of colors appears.  Not that I will move to a flat state anytime soon, but I really have enjoyed this.

Knitters gone wild!:  And the #1 most interesting tidbit today...  People home asked me if I had woolen long underwear. Is this what they meant?

From the Tbilisi bazaar

Playing Tourist in Tbilisi

For some of you that want to come visit Georgia before I leave, here are more pictures of Tbilisi.

 

Modern bars in Tbilisi

just across from the modern bars!

The largest cathedral in Tbilisi,
with one of the oldest ones in the foreground.

Gondola goes to the top of
the old fortress on the hill

The Turkish baths, where one gets naked
 with some of your favorite friends.

Lack of architectural controls gives rise to creative building,
plus a loss of historical congruity.

view from a tourist restaurant 

 

Tourist prices: salad, deep fried kingali with soy sauce, and 2 glasses of wine
$4.80  :-)

In the middle of Old Town tourist area

Underground walkways beneath the busy roads

The same flower ladies have been here for 2 years. They wouldn't let me
take their picture until I said I wanted to buy a bouquet. Now
they smile each time I walk by.  

Finally, a efficient, well utilized Metro