For a Briton used to seeing his countrymen using the cross of St George as a nationalist-anti-European symbol, it is surreal to be here in Kutaisi, Georgia's 3rd city, where protesters firmly associated *their* flag with being fervently pro-EU.
This is not Beirut.
It's the view from my hotel room in Tbilisi Georgia at 6am on December 2, 2024
The 4th night of protest against a most-likely rigged election and a move away from (highly popular) accession to EU membership and towards closer relationship with Russia
Protesters have been out all night
Much earlier, there were reports of >40 hospitalizations. That figure must have gone up. Friends of mine and friends' children are protesting.
This feels very like the 2014 Maidan protests in Ukraine following a similar swing to Russia.
Those protests led to the fall of the pro-Russian Yanukovych administration
And then to the invasion of Crimea.
Followed by the more recent full-scale invasion.
Russia has 2 enclaves in Georgia: Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Grim times
Real estate prices have been booming in Tbilisi over recent years. I wonder how they will fare now that Georgia appears to have turned its back on Europe...
This property is a prime site, bang next to the ultra-cool Rooms hotel, outside which hangs... an EU flag
McDonalds, old books and LPs and newer posters, plus statue in the heart of Tbilisi, Georgia
In most countries, you'd imagine these to be motel rooms
In Georgia, they are private dining rooms for 2-6 or 8
The parallels with China, where diners also serve themselves from a range of dishes spread across the table, are striking.
Trying to remove reduction character from a Saperavi at the Qvevri Wine Competition in Tbilisi Georgia
(It didn't work for this one, but I managed not to.get any indelible stains on my clothes)
Foucault pendulum in the National University of Moldova...
Another view of Bonjour Cafe, one of my favourite places, in Central Park, Chisinau, Moldova
You've seen eggs and amphora. Here's a Seguin Moreau sphere...
Phelan Segur presentation at @asisomms_ #meilleursommelierdeurope competition in Belgrade
Note the little form at the end of the clip...
Bordeaux chateaux finally focusing on building up mailing lists...
