31 January 2007

My favourite Art books

I collected for display about 150 of my favourite Art Books, including the classics like Matisse, Modigliani, Rodin, Balthus and contemporary painters like Hockney, Richter, Rauch, Kitaj and others. Mixed English and German titels. Splitted into three groups. Only the finest.

New Fine Art Books

Artbooks for Artists

Famous Drawings

and by the way, check out my artblog New Images too

30 January 2007

Schafherde bei Kasbegi / Flock of sheep near Kasbegi, Republic of

Check out Henning's marvelous photographies at Caucasus Pictures

Kaleidoscope Books Kaukasus

A new collection of recommended books on Georgia and the Caucasus at my aStore
Kaleidoscope Books Kaukasus
with English and German titles. Have fun !

29 January 2007

Bergwelt Chewsuretien August 2007


khev03opt, originally uploaded by grijsz.




armas-hans, originally uploaded by grijsz.




Dshutaoptxx, originally uploaded by grijsz.




view3, originally uploaded by grijsz.



25.08.-06.09.2007
Mehr Informationen hier

26 January 2007

2007-2-litho-white


2007-2-litho-white, originally uploaded by grijsz.



Drawing with litho-chalk on litho-stone. Its not printed yet. The right drawing is of my son Hansi and the left one mine on the same stone.

25 January 2007

Old Quarter Tbilisi


sayatnova-street-square, originally uploaded by grijsz.




sayatnova, originally uploaded by grijsz.




roofs-tbilisi, originally uploaded by grijsz.

From Tbilisi to Jerusalem by horse

This cool journey will be organized by the Club Tadzari Tbilisi and everybody can join, who has the necessary health and can finance the own expenses. I try to get more info
Full story at Georgia Today here

22 January 2007

Winter day in Kakheti


wintertag2, originally uploaded by grijsz.




wintertag, originally uploaded by grijsz.




wintertag5, originally uploaded by grijsz.




wintertag4, originally uploaded by grijsz.




ostgeorgien1.jpg, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Henning found an own group pool of photos only for Kakheti. Check it out here:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/kakheti/

Katie Melua's way

comes close to a fairy-tale. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katie_Melua

15 January 2007

Prices in Tbilisi, roughly, January 2007

(100 Euro=220Lari) or (1 Lari= 45 Cent)
(100 USD=171 Lari) or (1 Lari= 58 Cent)

1 Liter Diesel fuel = 1,50 Lari
Haircut Men = 4 Lari
1 Bread = 0,50 Lari
1 Cup of Coffee in a Cafe= 1 Lari - 2,50 Lari
1 Beer= 1 Lari (Shop) or 3-4 Lari (Restaurant)
A good meal in a Restaurant with different courses ca. 25-30 Lari
1 Pair good shoes = 100-150 Lari
1 Pair Jeans Levis= 90 Lari
1 Pullover from the Basar= 25 Lari
1 BigMäc Mc Donalds = 6 Lari
1 Bottle of Quality wine 8-12 Lari
1 Liter open Wine ca 2 Lari
Taxi in Tbilisi 5-15 Lari
Gas-Bill Heating ca. 100 Lari/month (Winter)
Electricity ca. 60 Lari/month
Cell-phone without contract 75 Lari - 800 Lari
Adsl-Internet-connection ca. 70 Lari/Month
Train Ticket Tbilisi to Batumi ca. 20 Lari
Mercedes Benz 230 prod. 1995 ca. 5500 USD

But

Hotel 3*** ca. 60-70 USD
Rent Tbilissi 1-room apt. ca. 200 USD
3-room apt. ca. 400 - 600 USD
5-room apt. ca. 700-800 USD

To buy an apt. (4-rooms) in Tbilisi ca. 40.000 bis 80.000 USD, varies depending on location and details

Do you have different experiences, please comment

Kaffeekranz: Europe or Asia

This question really gets boring, or not ? Wikipedia had some updates trying to define the "real" border between Europe and Asia. But on this nice map you clearly see without any doubt, that at least Khevsureti, Tusheti and a small part of Khevi ;-) are parts of Europe.


Map: Wikipedia

Personally I think, that Georgia will very soon benefit from its strong geo-strategic position between Europe and Asia. I understand the wish for joining the EU very well, but I don't wish the Georgians all the over-regulations, the bureaucracy and the patronizing lately so characteristic for Europe. (Here is just a random link (German))

A FistfulofEuros today displays its Kaffeekranz-Discussion, don't miss the long section of Comments (most commenters had never been in Georgia or Armenia but clearly put the two to Europe but Azerbaijan to Asia...

Who had been in the Caucasus knows, it just belongs to heaven.

Ok, lets put it different: We're retagging Batumi to Europe and Friedrichshain to Asia.

Thanks to Registan.net

KRAZ working, River Mtkvari, Avchala



More images of this great truck here

Company website of Avtokraz in Kremenchuk Ukraine here

Kachetien - Wunschbaum im Zivi-Gebirge / Kakheti - Wish-tree in Zivi-mountains

14 January 2007

Flora Caucasus June/ July 2007


A view with river Terek near Kazbegi

In cooperation with botanists from the Botanical Institute Tbilisi we prepared a journey to the most interesting botanical sites in Georgia from June,24th till July,9th to the Steppe near David Gareji, to the Greater Caucasus at Kazbegi, to the Lesser Caucasus at Bakuriani and to the Black Sea Coast. See all information on this trip here.


Rhododrendon colchica, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Viehtrieb, Cattle Drive Tusheti 2007


cattle-drive-text, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Cattle Drive Tusheti, Georgia 2007 Link

Viehtrieb Tuschetien Georgien 2007 Link

I had a request for an additional Cattle drive in Spring 2007 from Alvani to the summer pastures in Tusheti with the start at around 20th of May. Included in the adventure with the herders and the animals over snow, rocks and bright meadows are a couple of days in the capitol Tbilisi and in the wine-region Kakheti. If you are interested to join, contact me via the link above

It's wonderful to be back in Tbilisi

It's wonderful to be back in Tbilisi, after 3 weeks in Germany over Christmas and New Year. My kids learned lots of new German words and phrases and used the Indoor-playgrounds for Kids in Berlin extensively. I had many nice moments and ideas with my German friends, one opened a bar, the others divorced or are in new relationships. We had Goose and Duck and Hungarian Salami, Christmas trees and Santa Claus and the over-regulations of public driving, like 30 km/hour on roads you could safe go by 120.

10 km from the airport I saw the first car crash (on an empty wide street at night [Sanapiro]) and today in 1 hour two other medium heavy crashes. Where in Berlin are 150 traffic signs on 100 meters here you have (if necessary) 1 or 2 on one kilometer in Tbilisi.

It's the clean cold air, the fresh tasty water from our facet in Avchala (better than Evian actually), the bright views to the monster-clouds above the mountains and the strong fat pig-meat roasted with onions enjoyed with huge glasses of black wine, the friendship and welcome of your closest Georgians, who makes a perfect start in a new 2007 in Sakartvelo.

When I jump in the car and hear the deep sound of the bright Diesel engine, switch the lights on and speed up to Jvari monastery for a short ride, I feel the power for the adventures ahead.

Gaumardschoss !

07 January 2007

Svaneti: Cows blocking the way


Cows blocking the way., originally uploaded by Patricia Scherer


Susanne under Protection, originally uploaded by Patricia Scherer.

Check out the great Svaneti Images by Patricia, Link to her Flickr-Set

06 January 2007

rain of fire


rain of fire, originally uploaded by vshioshvili.

...this is what Tbilisi looked like at the New Years Parties,
thanks to vshioshvili, more photos here

31 December 2006 Central Market Tbilisi


***, originally uploaded by BarryGeo.

See the superb photos of BarryGeo at Flickr here

05 January 2007

Pravda, Wodka, Bread, Fish


art12, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Otari Arisheli, 1996, Collection Avchala Fine Art

Orchids in Georgia, Caucasus, Orchideen in Georgien


Dactylorhiza urvilleana

Orchids we found in Georgia on our tour "Flora im Kaukasus" June 2006

· Coeloglossum viride (L.) Hartm.
· Corallorhiza trifida Chatel.
· Dactylorhiza euxina (Nevski) H. Baumann & Kuenkele
· Dactylorhiza romana (Sebastiani) Soó ssp. georgica (Klinge) Renz & Taubenheim
[syn. Dactylorhiza flavescens (C. Koch) Holub]
· Dactylorhiza spec.
· Dactylorhiza urvilleana (Steud.) H. Baumann & Kuenkele
· Dactylorhiza -Hybride · Goodyera repens (L.) R. Br.
· Gymnadenia conopsea (L.) R. Br.
· Neottia nidus-avis (L.) Rich.
· Orchis mascula (L.) L.
· Orchis maxima C. Koch
· Orchis purpurea Huds. ssp. caucasica (Regel) B. Baumann & H. Baumann
[syn. Orchis caucasica (Regel) Soó]
· Platanthera bifolia (L.) Rich.
· Platanthera chlorantha (Custer) Rchb.
· Traunsteinera sphaerica (M.B.) Schltr.

Identification: HDoz. Dr. habil. Helga Dietrich, Jena

Our next journey "Flora im Kaukasus 2007" is planned 23th June-8th July 2007, Details here: http://www.kaukasus-reisen.de/flora-im-kaukasus.htm

04 January 2007

Karten, Landkarten, Wanderkarten,maps,Caucasus,Kaukasus,Georgien etc.





http://tinyurl.com/yahd92

Auf der Übersichtskarte kann man sich die nötigen Kartenausschnitte raussuchen:

Der eine Ordner mit den Karten für Ostgeorgien, der andere für Westgeorgien.

Khatia



Khatia just finished her Master of European Law in Saarbrücken and has an internship at the Georgian Embassy in Berlin right now. In a couple of weeks she will return to Tbilisi and will bei my most beautiful neighbour again ! To the left her brother Irakli.

01 January 2007

To a great 2007


2007-niza2, originally uploaded by grijsz.

Best regards,
Hans