Visit to Georgia (3): Tbilisi
Our first day in Georgia was very enjoyable indeed. We are all staying at the Mirabelle Hotel, a small place of just 14 rooms located very centrally on the north side of the river and very close to the imposing, new Sameba Cathedral (built 1995-2004). The group – all friends of Eric and Cindy – have travelled over from Britain, France, Spain, Switzerland, Israel and the United States with the common purpose of attending the launch of Eric’s latest book and seeing a little of this largely unknown country .
Most of us spent most of today looking around Tbilisi. The weather was glorious – clear blue skies and a temperature of 33C/91F. The capital of Georgia is located along the River Mtkvari and there are mountains on three sides. The name of the city comes from the Georgian word for ‘warm’, a reference to the 30 hot springs nearby. The population is 1.4 million – over a quarter of the country’s total populace.
The Old Town (the Kala) is located on crowded slopes and has been occupied at various times by Persians, Tartars, Jews and Armenians which presents an array of architectural styles.
Our main destination was the Georgian National Museum which reopened after refurbishment in 2011. The star attraction of the museum is the treasury of largely pre-Christian gold and silver, but we spent our time in the new Hall of the Soviet Occupation, a grim display explaining the suffering of the Georgian people during the the period 1921-1991.
In the afternoon, many of us took a cable car from the north bank to the south bank of the river and, from the hill, we had excellent views of the city and saw the huge stature of Mother Georgia.
The evening started with the launch of Eric’s book “The Experiment: Georgia’s Forgotten Revolution” which was hosted by Prospero Books. The event was introduced by co-owner of the book shop-cum-cafe Peter Nasmyth who declared that this is “a book whose time has come”. Eric’s mentor Dan Gallin, a former trade union leader now In his late 80s, highlighted some of the themes of the work and insisted “This is a very important book”.
The main speech came from Eric who told the crowded room that “We live in an age of fake history”. He declared that what happened in Georgia between 1918-1921 – a radical experiment in social democracy – was “nothing short of remarkable” and needed to be understood by Georgians and others today. You can read the full speech here.
Before and after the launch, he signed books and gave interviews.
Eric and Cindy’s group then repaired to a place called “Betsy’s Hotel” with great views of the city by night, delicious Georgian food, and splendid Georgian wine. We all toasted Eric’s success.