Gori&Mtskheta

Above is a picture of me at Jvari church which overlooks Mtskheta. Below is Khinkali, which is what I eat for almost every meal. It is a large pasta pocket stuffed with spiced meat and meat water. They cost about 20 cents a piece and 6 is sufficient to fill you up.

Blow is Stalin's house where he grew up in Gori. It is surrounded by a monument. Gori is very proud of old Joey.

This is Stalin's private rail car.

This is me with tyson and some girls who attended my talk there. They stuck around for coffee and treats. The talk went well. The venue was a library. As you can see, this library in Gori is no Herman B. Wells library. The ride to Gori was heartstopping. On the way back we were weaving in and out of traffic at speeds sometimes as fast as 160 km/hour. I figured that since it was an Embassy driver, I'd be spared the anarchic experience of Georgian driving. Little did I know, the Embassy's drivers are Georgians.

Next week I am off to Telavi for another talk.

Pictures

Above is the view outside our apartment, below is the view inside our apartment.

A juxtaposition of Georgian church architecture and Soviet residential architecture.

Me and Gypsy-boy just before I gave him a lari.

And back again.

I just got back from Florida. What a long haul. Coming back seemed a bit lonely. I left my canine companion with my brother. I'm trying not to think about it too much. Luckily the pain in my back from sitting for so long is effectively distracting.

We have a place in Tbilisi. What a load off! However, my travel companion was supposed to call me the morning he left, which he did not. He did not answer my phone calls, so I don't know if he is aware that he is supposed to meet the landlord today. Hopefully he received my messages. I'm a bit miffed that he did not call. We agreed that he would call during his layover in Denver just in case anything came through at the last minute, which it did. People are so unreliable. I'd trust this guy with my life, but I wouldn't trust him to take out the garbage. Ironic. Like rain on your wedding day or a free ride when you've already paid.