Architecture Nouveau

This is the new walking bridge here in town. In contrast to the older Soviet style buildings, it stands out.  Because of its shape, it has been graced with many nicknames: The Always Bridge and Sandra's (the president's wife) Maxi Pad are among a few.

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

Apartments are crazy here in Tbilisi.  From the outside, they look sketchy. The outside doors are often plastered with advertisements, the hallways covered in graffiti, and many times the stench is too much to handle (for example, today I went to my friend's house and had to jump over a huge puddle of pee to get to the stairs).  However, once inside, the actual apartments are magnificent. 

Some people blame it on the Soviet mentality....never show your wealth. You wouldn't want others knowing that you are able to afford nice things. It is a way to keep thieves at bay. 

Others explain that the common areas are not owned by the tenants, but rather the city. I guess people from the city don't come out too often to paint over the graffiti.

I am not sure what the answer is, but I think it's a shame.  I wish there was a little more pride in property ownership.

This is the outside door of a friend's apartment building.

This is the hallway inside the building.

I guess some people didn't like the advertisements!

This is the outside building of another friend's apartment.

Not sure if the single lightbulb's eerie feeling is truly captured here.

One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

We moved out of our apartment yesterday and I am once again reminded of how crazy our landlady is.  I won't tell you about how she calls every day to "remind" us to do things (like wash the curtains).  She is just completely and utterly over the top.

Last August, when we were negotiating our move in, she was obsessive about showing us every little detail of her house and making sure we knew exactly what condition it was in. I understand it is hard to let go if you love your house, but if you are committed to renting, then at some point, you just gotta let go. One of her demands was that we hire her cleaning lady. We explained that we have a nanny who is wonderful and also helps with the cleaning. That was not good enough for her. We went back and forth for what seemed like forever because she didn't feel like just anyone could clean her place. She almost didn't rent to us. Finally, she agreed and then created a list of all the special products she wanted us to buy for cleaning. She went shopping with Tamriko and spent hundreds of our Lari on sponges, soaps, rags, and brooms. She then spent the next hour giving special instructions on how to clean each item in her kitchen, which rag to use when, etc. Honestly, she was exhausting.

But the best part was when she left. Aidan showed me his feet and I just had to start laughing.

For someone who had just put us through the wringer about cleaning her apartment ALL AFTERNOON, she sure didn't care about cleaning her floors!

Giji. That's what they would call her in Georgian. Giji gogo.