The conference’s opening day was at the Pullman Hotel located in the exclusive neighborhood of Vake and its glorious Vake Park. Sean and I walked around the park, taking in the sights and sounds of a beautiful spring afternoon. It is a classic Soviet-era urban park that was originally called Victory Park and opened in 1946. There is a grand entrance with a long staircase leading up to the grave of the Unnamed Soldier, now the People’s Monument. The neighborhood was originally designed for Soviet intelligentsia, politicians, and scientists. Today it is an upscale neighborhood with 112,000 residents and is popular with expatriates, diplomats, and the Georgian professional class. The next time I am here I want to hike up to Turtle Lake (Kus Tba).
I spent the last day working in Sean’s apartment in the outer suburb of Saburtelo. This is a growing area north west of the Tbilisi city center. He lives in a beautiful apartment complex completed in 2019. After I finished the school leadership team meeting, I went for a walk in the hills around the complex. It was an overcast day with heavy rains in the morning, but it was great to feel the fresh air walking around before an afternoon spent sitting in a plane. The city is expanding, and I can imagine that the now empty fields and scrub land will have more homes and apartment complexes.
Tbilisi and Georgia are one of my favorite places on the planet. The city has such a warm and edgy vibe, the people are really good-looking and interesting, and it is set in the mountains. The cuisine and wines are world-class – there is a lot to like about the country.
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