Davide Cassenti

Malpensa airport, Milano, 4:25pm. More than one hour is missing to the flight to Istanbul, first step to go to Tbilisi. Nothing better than buying a book to read to avoid getting mad waiting and the Da Vinci Code is the choice. Actually, I’ve read it already, but in italian, so it will be a good exercise to improove my english. Waiting is not such boring, but flight is quite terrible: feeling too much hot and uncomfortable, wishing to land soon, already when more than one hour is missing.

Finally we’re landing in Istanbul: airport there is really big, it would need to have an internal bus service for passengers. Once again, waiting is quite boring, but I got some turkish coins as change buying some water: good for my (not)collection.

Finally, gate opens and we got on the plane; after 15km of road, it’s finally ready to take off on the runway, when suddently the men sit next to me decides to stand up and take his suitcase from the container: I believe the hostess has entered the guinness world record for the fastest “take baggage from passenger’s hands and put it back away”. In just 5 seconds suitcase was again safe and airplane started to run to leave Turkey: destination Tbilisi.

Second flight was better and in a couple of hours we landed in Georgia: it took some time, as usual, to get the suitcase, but after that I was finally out. Nana and her friend Mario were waiting for me there and we arrived in few time in my house, in Vake: small but really new and beautiful place, full of anything you may need – except a comfortable table. After some hours of thoroughly deserved sleep, I decided to go out to take money from the bancomat: and that’s were problems begun.

The first attempt to get 500 $ failed: after I entered all the details, I got my card back. Strange, I thought, it usually gives you the money before the card here; in fact, after I got the card, nothing else came out, neither an error message. Trying again, the message says there are not enough funds to complete the operation. I’ve then tried all the bancomats in the road, in order to manage to get… just 300 lari. Scared about what’s wrong with my account, I decide to get to my bank’s website to check it out: and surprise, here’s the movement of those missing 500$!

Came back home with the few money I could get, I’ve waited for the owner to come to (not) get the money. The house is actually really nice: not so big, perfect for one or two, in a nice part of the city and full of everything needed.

Time to lunch in Tbilisi, and what’s better than an acharuli khachapuri to begin the day? I was there with Nana and Mario again, in a nice restaurant I had never been before, with tables outside under the nice sun in the first day of summer. After the lunch I decided to have a walk in Rustaveli, which could be described in one word: terrible. Usually full of thousands of cars, running 200km/h and not stopping at all when you walk across the road, it looks now as a street in a ghost town. No cars. At all. But cages. The georgian opposition is demostrating since April, 9th and they stand there inside those strange cages, all of them distinguished by a number; some people were inside there, with tables, talking or drinking. Not nice to see one of the best streets of Tbilisi in such conditions; however, some people were sitting at the sun, singing and talking near that strange place: not so bad as well.

Actually one thing was good: I met my friend Ani exactly in the middle of Rustaveli, something I could even imagine it would have happened! We just had some talk after months, and then I met also my friend Mzika, who couldn’t wait anymore to meet. Very nice evening, talking and talking, making her angry as I use to do and dinner in my favourite restaurant in Marjanishvili street; just in front of the main office of the bank who gets my money, cruel destiny. Being in Tbilisi one day seems to me, as usual, as I’ve always been there: feeling comfortable, like at home. Some plans for the next days are trips all around Tbilisi in the weekends: if anyone has ideas, they’re welcome! More to follow.