Sighnaghi's Grand Opening

October 27, 2007

Today was the big grand opening of Sighnaghi. Unfortunately, the weather was cold, rainy and foggy so anybody visiting the city didn’t get to enjoy its true beauty. One of my friends, who wants to remain nameless, came into town for the festivities. We hadn’t even made it down the main street without having a nice refreshing shot of tchatcha (homemade vodka). That stuff had a nice little kick for it only being 11:30 in the morning. It sure does warm you up. (I still don’t like the taste vodka and rarely drink it for those who said I would drink it more often living in Georgia.) The main street was lined with booths of crafts, traditional Georgian outfits and weapons. The colors that lined the walls and streets were brilliant. There tons of people and VIPS all over the town. There we little cafés set up along the street where you could buy and enjoy a bottle of wine. There were several concert stages set up in various areas of the town. Later in the evening the President came to town to officiate the unveiling of the town. There were even fireworks at the end of the festival. So I saw my fireworks for the 4th of July a little late.

Sunday we checked out several of the new cafés in town. I am just excited to have some place to go every now and then without having to leave town. The café we had lunch at served traditional Georgian food and had a great atmosphere. Later in the afternoon we met some Americans that I have become friends with who are trying to get into the agriculture business in Georgia. We met them at the “French” café. We enjoyed a decent bottle of wine and cheese. It was the perfect rainy Sunday afternoon as it was still cold, rainy and foggy. For what’s worth this little café reminds me of some of the places from home. But it won’t be somewhere I go all the time since the prices there are a little steep for my living allowance.

When I first arrived in Sighnaghi I really wondered what was going to become of this town as everything was in shambles. It has come a long way since the end of August and it definitely has the potential to cater to tourists when it’s all said and done. When you walk down the streets it is hard to believe you are in Georgia.