Arrival

Sameba Church

Greetings from Tbilisi. I haven’t really gotten a feel for the city yet, but driving through it last night at 4 AM, I was very impressed. It reminds me a lot of hilly, temperate SoCal, except there is a river, not an ocean, and the city is filled with ancient walls and churches they light up at night so they look stunning. The hotel is pretty nice; it has air conditioning and hot water most of the time, so even though my towel had a mysterious stain on one side, I’d stay here again. I just finished breakfast (goat cheese, sweet tea, milk sausages, bread, yogurt, cucumbers and tomatoes) with the other state department folks (ELFs (English language fellows) and Fulbrighters).

Discovery Space Shuttle

Nazi Submarine Helicopter, WWII
Its purpose was to spot enemy ships.
It was never used because the propeller couldn't generate
enough lift to carry a man with the giant balls needed to fly it.

Blackbird Spy Plane

I had a pretty entertaining time on the way to Tbilisi. I visited the Air and Space Museum’s Annex next to Dulles International in DC. It was way better than the actual Air and Space Museum; it had a Blackbird spy plane, the Discovery space shuttle, a Concord, and about 100 different planes and helicopters from all of the world and every time period. I also (reluctantly) ate at a Five Guys and Fries. It was better than I give them credit for.

Marienplatz

Space Olympics Stadium

           

 My next stop was Munich; it seemed like the type of place you’d rather live than visit. It only cost 11 euros to use the subway for the day, so I traveled to the packed city center to look around.

I tried to eat at the Hofbrauhaus, but it was packed and rowdy, and the seating was communal, so after waiting to be served for a while next to an awkward German couple I left and got a Munich hot-dog thing outside.

"So many different types of sparrows!"

"It was marmot Walter."

After D.C., I was a little art and science museum-ed out, so I only went to the Museum of Hunting and Fishing and the BMW Museum next to the Olympic Park.

You will always be missed, beamer.

The BMW museum was odd because cars were also sold there, but nothing was stranger than the wolpertinger exhibit at the H&F museum.

These jackalope creatures are already a disgusting amalgamation of different animal parts taxidermied together, but I didn’t think it was necessary to have a stuffed rabbit mating with a stuffed chicken in the exhibit.

                

Konigsplatz, where Hitler held large rallies

Free Syria Protest

Before I left Munich, I ate (and drank) in the beer garden at the airport, which was surprisingly excellent. Both the house pilsner and draught beer were some of the best I’d ever had, and they pork cutlet and milk strudel I ordered were extremely hearty and delicious. How to German’s live past their 50s?

                

I know Georgia will be great because when you go through customs, they give you a bottle of wine.  You’ve got to love a country that starts the party right when you get off the plane.

EAHeiney