Christmas in Georgia

Kelsey Strait, Mira, and Nathan were all flying out of Tbilisi at almost the same time Arlie was flying in.  I met up with them in Tbilisi before they had to leave for one last romp round the city.  Kelsey and I made our way up to Sameba Cathedral, where we once again stumbled into a Georgian church service.  Why do I seem to keep attending service accidentally with Kelsey?  The choir was amazing, and I think the Patriarch was there, or at least some guy who resembled him quite a bit.  It was more than bit like a graduation ceremony, with all the priests and prelates in their different coloured gowns parading around the church. 

We saw some sort of convoy of Coke trucks driven by Santa Claus and spouting really strange music while on Rustavellli near the Square. 

Finally we went to the airport, where they were leaving and I was meeting Arlie.  I could hardly stand still I was so excited, and Neema thought it was hilarious.  Her mother was coming in on the same flight as Arlie, and she was just about as excited.  And then the doors opened and there was the most wonderful sight I’ve seen since August 13^th.  Arlie coming through the arrivals gate. 

Jet lag hit him pretty hard, so we spent most of his first day hanging out in the hostel while he recovered from two days of travelling. 

Arlie brought me a Christmas present!

Freedom Square

You can see Sameba and the Millenium Bridge lit up behind him

The kinkhali was happy to see us

We spent Christmas in Tbilisi, admiring the lights on Rustavelli Avenue, seeing the old castle, and visiting the unofficial American Embassy, where Arlie had his Christmas dinner.

I think it was a Big Mac

We spent a day in Mtskheta, where we were given a tour of the Church.  Apparently, the walls are hollow and can hide up to six hundred people in the event of a siege.  There’s even a well inside the church walls. 

After Christmas, we went to Sighnaghe, which everyone had told me is known as the City of Love in Georgia.  It’s supposed to have pretty spectacular views, but everything was covered in fog when we were there.

I still think the view was amazing

Arlie was a big hit in Telavi.  My host family all loved him, especially Goga.  The two of them played MineCraft together, and Goga resolved to study English harder so that he can talk to Arlie over Skype (a resolution he has since forgotten).  Maka likes Arlie so much that she found him a job at one of the cafés in the city square and told him he can live in her house. 

They bonded over MineCraft

We had a supra just about every night Arlie was there.  There was a supra to welcome Arlie, a supra for New Year’s Eve, a supra for New Year’s Day, and a supra for the new television my host family bought.  One of the reasons Maka loves Arlie so much is that he helped her prepare all the food and then did the washing-up all on his own.  He also brought in firewood, kept Goga entertained, made pizza, and told Maka her cooking was delicious before eating second and third helpings.  No wonder she wanted him to stay. 

New Year's Eve supra.  Giorgi, the guy in the middle, shot his hair off with a firecracker.

New Year's Day supra

Arlie got a chance to see the many fabulous sights of Telavi. 

King Irakles and the mountains!

We never got around to visiting Armenia, Bakuriani, Lagodekhi, or any of the other places I’d planned on seeing with Arlie.  Somehow, the effort never seemed worth the payout when the only thing I wanted to do was hold Arlie’s hand.