Trip to Tbilisi

We arrived yesterday in the afternoon. The bus ride was a little tiring but we made it safe at around 4pm. Friends were accompanying us. It is their first trip to Georgia, they are really excited to discover the place.     

Even though it is not my first trip to this city, it is going to be interesting to explore it once more through my kids. I often travel to this place for work, since it is the most neutral space in the region where we can meet with our partners from Azerbaijan and Georgia, all together. So Tbilisi has been over the years, a place of meetings and conferences, but this time i will enjoy it this time as a complete tourist. 

Celebrations 2018

It is our 15th Christmas and New Year in Armenia. Things have changed over the years; in 2003, we wouldn’t see a single decoration on the streets, on the windows of the shops on the streets, or on the balconies of apartments. We could find some lighting decorations here and there but nothing majestic. The markets, restaurants, bars, shops would all close from the 31st to the 13th of January, until the old New Year. Local friends would advise us to buy bread for a couple of days, as well as food, to survive the long holiday. The whole country would stop for 2 weeks; rest, celebrate, eat, drink, and visit each other. Mothers, aunts, daughters would spend days cooking the traditional food; the Bood (porc leg/thigh), dolma, blinchiks, “olivye” salad and many other meals essential to the Armenian festive table.