You see this street above? It is one of the many side streets off Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi’s most popular street. Sure, Rustaveli Avenue is a worthwhile stroll in itself. But be a bit adventurous and make a left or right turn along the way. You’ll discover not only spectacular architecture, but balconies which will make you stop in your steps. And people you will run into, if you can communicate with them, are more than happy to open their homes to you, as was the case with me. Lets make a right turn. Come with me…
These homes are indeed crumbling and are in need restoration. Yet, there is an old charm to them. Another feature these homes have are their open yards, which lead to simple, yet interesting architecture. Ok. I see a long tunnel-like entrance into someone’s yard and it looks interesting. Lets take a peek.
Just a few more steps…
Here we are. These open spaces, which would be bare in many other towns around the world, are full of color and life. These people, pictured above, saw me with my camera and were more than willing to let me shoot photos. They even stepped inside their homes as I shot photos.
You see those leaves in the upper left hand corner? Those are grape vines actually. The grapes were sweet and ripe and people offered me bunches of them.
As I walked down the street, you will notice even more grape leaves hanging from above. If you’re tall enough, you can even grab some. People won’t mind at all, so don’t worry! You may also notice that big mountain above the vines. They all around Tbilisi. Oh, if you are from Kyiv where I currently live, you’ll notice the sunlight. It was actually pretty warm there and no one was wearing sweaters.
Ok, lets take a look inside. I was caught by the pink walls and velvet red curtain in the front door. The gate is open, so I assume it’s ok for us to walk in.
These ladies were doing laundry. The one in the red is holding a jar of Georgian-style jam. Its the most delicious jam on earth. If you ever come to Georgia, ask for “Muraba” and someone will lead you to a variety of flavors you can choose from. As soon as these women saw me, they were more than happy to let me shoot their yard. “Sure, go ahead,” the woman in red said.
Just as I was going to exit her yard, the woman in red asks “aren’t you going to shot this. This is a beautiful photo, yes?”
Just before the lady lets greets me off, she asks that I take a photo of her door. “Its old,” she said. “More than 100 years old.” Don’t ask me how she knows this.
As I continued down the narrow street, I saw these folks.They actually invited me inside for coffee.
The little girl was quite friendly!
For nearly an hour, we small-talked about Georgian life and my life in America. Then one of the women said something interesting…
“You know, on Rustaveli, you can see one black guy walking with five Georgian girls,” the lady on the left said. “Yeah, just right there on Rustaveli.” In the former Soviet Union, people of color, especially those of Africandecentlike myself, areexorcized. The woman’s comment, though I feel no real harm was intended, does reveal a sexualized assumption that many Georgians (and Ukrainians and others in the former USSR for that matter) have of Africans and black Americans.
For example, people are often puzzled that I have lived in Ukraine for over a year and have not had a girlfriend. “Well, I know that our girls like black guys,” people often tell me. Well, that may be true but its certainly not in my case! Moving on…
After saying my goodbyes, I was on on way again when someone, in great English, told me to walk up this street pictured above and make a right. “There are many interesting things to photograph the middle-aged man told me. So I followed his advice!
After a few flights of stairs and a few turns…
I arrived here. Its an old street which you’d never run into unless someone recommended you to do so, as was the case with me.
As I said earlier, I am no expert of architecture so I do not have the vocabulary to articulate what you are viewing. But one does not need an expert eye to appreciate beauty!
There was an art institute along the way and these nice ladies invited me in when they saw me poking my head through the window. Here in this picture, they were cleaning their art studio classroom.
We exchanged contact information and chatted about each other’s lives.
Then, of course, we took a group photo. I was lucky indeed.
This is another building I found quite attractive.
And this is where the tour ends. So if you ever make it to Tbilisi and find yourself on Rustaveli Avenue, make a left or right turn and enjoy the beauty of the unbeaten path.
Stay tuned for the next post of my Georgian journey in the next few hours…
You can read Terrell J. Starr’s blog here.
