Chapter One: England

England is a green and pleasant country, but Georgia is even more

impressive. Looking out west over the fields between Marneuli and Tbilisi
we can fly in our minds to the great city of London with its modern
buildings and ancient river which is also the financial heart of the world.



London was always a great city, and you can see that in books we may well
study, like Around the World in Eighty Days and the Adventures of
Sherlock Holmes.



But England is more: green hills, quaint and silent villages, ancient
churches, and beautiful formal gardens.



There are cities far larger than Tbilisi, with far more shops and
restaurants. But in these cities, you can sometimes think that the
personality and soul which is so apparent in Georgia has been lost; and
that all people think about is money, and their families and their jobs.



When they have time to relax they will be quite different!



There is plenty of entertainment and cultural activity available in the
United Kingdom, especially in London; and cities such as Manchester,
Edinburgh, Bristol and Bath. At Stratford there is of course Shakespeare;
and he is also frequently performed in London at the reconstructed
Globe Theatre, and at other theatres too.

You can travel by boat along the Thames which in olden times was a busy
river and then was for a long time neglected. There is more traffic on the
River Thames today; and every year in March, the famous Oxford and
Cambridge University Boat Race happens. The Mtkvari, by contrast, is an
empty and deserted river, even though the way it twists and turns through
Tbilisi is magnificent and dramatic.

Welcome to my course and welcome to England etc! There is a lot to
enjoy and understand. You are my guests on this journey of discovery!
Georgian


Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race on the Thames at London