Jessie J Takes Over Black Sea Arena
From Elton John to Christina Aguillera, Check in Georgia has brought a lot of stars to the stage of the Black Sea Arena in the past three years since it opened. The venue opened the 2019 season with a successful Black Eyed Peas’ concert on June 16 this year, meaning on August 6, Jessie J had a lot of pressure to keep up the audience’s expectations. However, with her astounding voice, fantastic band, and high level of organizational management from the staff of the Black Sea Arena, Jessie J’s show gave a new meaning to the combination of words ‘tremendous success’.
The gates opened at around 18:00, but devoted fans of the British Pop star had been gathering around the Black Sea Arena hours prior, some had even spent the night there to grab the chance to see their favorite performer up close from the Golden Ring. When the doors opened, they poured into the Ring, many of them humming Jessie J’s hits, from ‘Queen’ to ‘Domino.’
Jessie J appeared on the main stage a little later than scheduled, opening the show with a 2015 single ‘Masterpiece’, meriting endless rounds of applause from the cheering audience. After a couple of songs, the performer saluted the audience and explained her choice of outfit and hairstyle – so different to her look at her Amsterdam show just a few days before the one in Shekvetili.
“I decided to dress up as myself from 2010, because that’s where it all started, and I’ve never been to Georgia. So to make up for it, I decided to take you all nine years back and sing the songs that I think you might want to hear,” said the British singer-songwriter over loud screams from the audience.
Jessie J did not forget to mention her gratitude for the sold-out show, admitting that the love she gets from people never ceases to amaze her and that fame has never becomes normal for her. The pop star united the audience, engaging them all with her hilarious self-depreciating humor. The latter combined with her own words: “You came to see me, I came to see you.” She asked the audience not to record her performance of ‘Domino,’ just so she could see everyone’s faces and the blissful moment could be caught and enjoyed by all – making the public feel that Jessie J, the incredibly talented famous pop star, was just a regular person, equal to them. This integrity shone from the star’s personality throughout the two-hour show in many ways – adding a song to her playlist at the fans’ request, conversing with the audience and taking videos with their phones, reading a fan’s letter on stage, warming up the listeners by having them sing along to an improvised ‘Jessie J and Georgia’ bit – all these and much more made the Shekvetili show unique for Georgian and foreign music lovers.
The winner of the 2011 BRIT Awards expressed her desire to come back to Georgia and as her Instagram post post-concert reads: “…THE ENERGY WAS MAD!!! My 1st show in Georgia and it was SOLD OUT! YOU WERE SO LOUD AND FULL OF LOVE. Thank you, thank you…”. The singer also posted a photo on her page that shows her having a blast on Shekvetili beach.
When asked about Jessie J’s thoughts and satisfaction with the concert, Executive Director of Black Sea Arena, Tato Kharchilava, told the press: “I haven’t talked to her yet, but I don’t think we need any further confirmation – seeing her face and emotions on the stage spoke well of her satisfaction and happiness about today’s show.”
An excited fan, 20-year-old Katerina, shared her impressions with GEORGIA TODAY: “I’ve been to quite a few shows, but this one is particularly memorable for me. Because I’m such a huge fan. She’s such a modest person and an amazing performer – delivering 100% in every show. I can’t describe the feeling with words: it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
While the Black Sea Arena cleaned up after the show and started preparation for Thirty Seconds to Mars’ arrival on August 13, the music lovers left slowly, some of them admitting that they hadn’t known much about Jessie J before this concert but were completely in love with her from there on in.
Source: www.georgiatoday.ge; By Nini Dakhundaridze
Photo source: https://sputnik-georgia.com/culture/20190507/245151330/Jessie-J-saqartveloshi-koncerts-gamartavs.html
The International Folk Festival
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The International Folk Festival is set to kick off for the third time in Georgia. Under the scope of the government’s Check in Georgia program, the Black Sea Arena is to host the annual cultural event on September 7-9. The music celebration will be opened on the 7th with united concerts of Georgian and European ensembles.
Folk singers and dance ensembles from Georgia and abroad will be presented to listeners in Shekvetili. The festival follows perfectly Georgia’s reputation for preserving cultural heritage. This time round, the International Folk Festival features representatives of even more countries: France (Corsica) will be presented by Spartimu and Italy (Sardinia) by the Castelsardo ensemble.
Georgia will be introduced to the Black Sea audience by the following performers: Bermukha (Ajara); Shilda (Kakheti); Trio ‘Shalva Chemo’ (Guria); Riho (Svaneti); Basiani and Kartuli Khmebi (Tbilisi); The State Song and Dance Ensemble of Kutaisi; Enver Khabadze State Choreographic Ensemble ‘Batumi.’
On July 30, a press conference was held in the garden of the Folklore Center, attended by the Executive Director of the Folklore Center, Giorgi Donadze, Head of Black Sea Arena, Tato Kharchilava and Director Nikoloz Heine-Shvelidze.
The festival aims to support the popularization and preservation of Georgian folklore. Georgia, the homeland of polyphony and ever better-known for its extraordinary traditions and its people’s outstanding ability to sing and dance, in September is grabbing the opportunity to host other nations with equally important traditions of different styles of folk music. With numerous emerging musical genres, it is important to remember where it all started. That is why Georgia is ambitious to make its own land the location of an annual meet up for Georgian and worldwide folk music.
When done at the Black Sea Arena, the festival will carry on, traveling to the mountainous region of Racha, where united concerts of Georgian and European ensembles will be performed in Oni and Ambrolauri. This time, Georgia will be presented by ensembles Pesvebi from Adjara, Shilda from Kakheti, Shalva Chemo from Guria, Iavnana, Sagalobeli, Racha, Salaghobo from Lechkhumi, Lile, Lagusheda from Kvemo Svaneti, Dziriani, and Basiani from Tbilisi. The closing performance of the festival will be given by Georgian Ethno Jazz group ‘Egari’.
The continuation of the International Folk Festival scheduled in Racha will also feature four foreign ensembles. “Spartimu” from France, “Castelsardo” from Italy, “Koniakow” from Poland, and “Ackups” from Latvia. Seminars will be led by famous ethnomusicologists Polo Vallejo and Renato Morelli. For foreign and local guests, masterclasses will be given by Giorgi Donadze, Levan Berelidze and Professor Natalia Zumbadze.
Tickets will be available on tkt.ge.
Source: www.georgiatoday.ge; By Nini Dakhundaridze
Photo source: www.Georgiatoday.ge
Easy summer destinations for Tbilisi travellers
Summer is the busiest period in terms of tourism. Here are 4 places a foreign visitor should see in Georgia, Tbilisi to experience city’s modern and traditional mix.
Narikala Fortress
Sameba or Holy Trinity Cathedral
Dry Bridge
So called Dry Bridge and everyday exhibition there reflects Georgia’s past and present. There one can see antique items dating back to centuries that will definitely attract attention. One can find there old items like a copper vase or an old dagger, or paintings reflecting contemporary Tbilisi views. If one is interested in collecting antique items, Dry Bridge is a great destination.
MoMA or Museum of Modern Art
Great News! Tbilisi is among 20 beautiful European cities with hardly any tourists
Tbilisi, Georgia
Orange, France
Norwich, England
Aarhus, Denmark
Antwerp, Belgium
The Hague, Netherlands
Sarajevo, Bosnia
Pristina, Kosovo
Malmo, Sweden
Aberdeen, Scotland
Bern, Switzerland
Wroclaw, Poland
Minsk, Belarus
Yerevan, Armenia
Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Debrecen, Hungary
Ankara, Turkey
Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Trondheim, Norway
Turin, Italy
Source: www.edition.cnn.com
Georgia plans to increase wine exports to Japan
Georgian Agriculture Minister Levan Davitashvili and President of Japanese alcoholic drinks consultation company ASIA AC Wataru Iwamoto met yesterday to discuss the prospect of exporting more Georgian wine to the Japanese market.
Wataru Iwamoto stated that Georgian wine is in high demand on the Japanese market after the ‘Georgia – Homeland of Wine’ exhibition was held.
Minister Levan Davitashvili said he hopes the partnership with the Japanese market will be fruitful.
The employees of the Asia AC company will have a two-day tour in Tbilisi and Kakheti region to taste different varieties of Georgian wine.
Source: www.agenda.ge, photo source: www.agenda.ge
Batumi Boulevard Development Plan
This week, Batumi Boulevard announced plans to open a tender for a company to provide functional zoning and landscaping on and around the boulevard. The boulevard is being updated in accordance with city development plans, which include preserving the historic parts of the boulevard and expanding its footprint, with particular emphasis on preserving its character and nearby historic buildings.
The Batumi Boulevard was born in 1881 as a seaside park built by a German landscape artist, commissioned by the governor of Batumi. Today’s boulevard, divided into old and new parts, is approximately 7 kilometers long.
The company selected by the Batumi Boulevard will have one year to complete the work, at a cost of 435,000 GEL ($151,300). The three-part project will include research, the creation of a development plan, and the production of guidelines for the administrators of the Batumi Boulevard to follow. The project aims to produce a development plan that will preserve the landscape and architectural beauty of the old Boulevard, while establishing new recreation areas that can be enjoyed by both locals and tourists, and people of all ages and abilities. The deadline to submit a bid is August 19.
The announcement is part of a series of efforts over the past few years to update and improve the tourist infrastructure of Batumi.
In June 2016, then-Chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Archil Khabadze, announced plans to invest $40 million in the development and reconstruction of the New Boulevard of Batumi. The original plan allocated 50% of the territory to tourist-recreation zones, and included the construction of hotels and other tourist-focused facilities.
32,000 square meters of the New Boulevard of Batumi was previously been put up for auction with a starting price of $2.3 million. Orbi Group Millennium Construction Company bought it for $4.3 million. More than $520 million was invested in the New Boulevard’s reconstruction in 2016.
In August 2018, the Municipal Development Fund of the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), announced plans to commit $21 million to protect beaches and refurbish pedestrian bridges in the city. 12 pedestrian bridges will be constructed, and the damaged sections of the boulevard will be refurbished. The works are scheduled to be completed this year. In 2015, a similar project amounting to $20 million was also supported by the ADB.
Among all the investment and ad-hoc projects, this week’s announcement marks the beginning of a new phase of development for the Batumi Boulevard, which will be led and framed in by a development plan. The most recent Batumi Development Strategy, 2018-2021 was approved by the Batumi City Assembly in April of last year. “For the first time in the history of the municipality, we managed to develop a full 2018-2021 strategy for Batumi Municipality. This is a 240-page document, a very detailed book, for each service, in which all the measures necessary to achieve the goals set for the next four years, all the methods, timelines, budget, etc. are broken down into detail,” said Batumi Mayor Lasha Komakhidze.
In the nearby town of Kobuleti, earlier this month renovations were completed on a two-kilometer stretch of coastline. The Municipal Development Fund of Georgia headed the renovation works, which cost GEL 9 million ($3.13 mln). The World Bank funded GEL 2 million ($70,000) of the total cost, with the state budget covering the rest. The rehabilitation works in Kobuleti began in 2017, but were delayed. The contract with the original construction company was cancelled after public outrage at the delays, and, ultimately, the State Construction Company completed the project.
Source: www.georgiatoday.ge, By Samantha Guthrie
Image source: In Your Pocket
Koruldi Lakes in Svaneti – Heaven On Earth
Koruldi Lakes is one of the most magical places in Georgia. The lakes are situated in Upper Svaneti at an altitude of 2850 meters above sea level , 10km away from Mestia, the main regional center of Zemo (Upper) Svaneti.
Koruldi Lakes are surrounded by glaciers and peaks of the Caucasus. Visitors will spot Shkhara, Tetnuldi, Ushba and other peaks of the Caucasus Mountains. The lakes can be reached via a car, horses or hiking. The best view at the place is the Mountain peaks mirroring in the lake.
Svaneti is a historic province in the northwestern part of Georgia. It is surrounded by the Caucasus Mountains. The highest mountain in Georgia, Mount Shkhara (5,201 meters) is located in the province. Svaneti has a unique nature and architectural monuments.
Source: www.georgianjournal.ge, Photo courtesy: Shermazana
18th century iconic Tbilisi palace undergoing restoration
A historic palace located at the foot of Metekhi rock overlooking the Georgian capital of Tbilisi is undergoing major renovation, announces the Tbilisi City Hall.
Built in the 18th century palace Sachino, a summer residence of Queen Darejan, the wife of King Erekle the Second, is one of two palaces in Tbilisi that remains to this day.
About 2 million GEL ($710,480/€629,474) will be spent on the renovation of the Sachino palace (which is also called Queen Darejan Palace) and the work is due to be completed in 16 months.
We will do our best to make this area one of the best [in Tbilisi]. It is a very attractive place for tourists, many people visit the palace… This project is of utmost significance as the palace is a cultural monument,” Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze said when visiting the renovation site today.
In 16 months the palace complex, which includes the King Erekle’s bath, a church and a fence of the palace, will be completely restored.
Besides, conservation work of the wall painting of the Peristsvaleba [Transfiguration of Jesus] Church will be carried out which will cost 52,000 GEL”, said Kaladze.
The Queen Darejan Palace was built in the form of a castle to protect its inhabitants from continual invasions of foreign occupiers. However, neither the location on the top of the rock, nor the high defensive walls could protect the palace from the Iranian invasion of Agha Mohammad Khan at the end of the 18th century. As a result, the palace was destroyed and ravaged.
After this invasion the King Erekle moved to Telavi, Kakheti where he died in 1798. Having lived for some more time in her palace the queen Darejan was deported to Russia on a charge of a plot against the future head of state appointed by the Russian Emperor.
Source: www.agenda.ge, Photo source: www.agenda.ge
Ajarian Khachapuri at Argentinian Restaurant
Ajarian khachapuri, one of the most outstanding dishes of the traditional Georgian cuisine, has moved beyond the borders of Georgia and is quite successfully establishing itself on the foreign gastronomic markets. It first became popular in the USA, and has just recently appeared on the menu of a prestigious Argentinian restaurant chain, Almacén de Pizzas.
Visitors to the restaurant will have a chance to taste three varieties of Ajarian khachapuri, prepared with four different types of cheese. The options are to include bacon and cheddar, as well as spinach and blue cheese.
The price for discovering the taste of the Georgian gourmet pleasure amounts to 499 pesos, which is about $12.
Khachapuri is Georgian bread stuffed with melted cheese and represents an inseparable part of the Georgian festive table. The Ajarian khachapuri is a boat-shaped khachapuri topped with the raw egg and butter before serving.
source: www.georgiatoday.ge, By Ketevan Kvaratskheliya
Euronews: “Batumi as a center of youth culture”
Euronews has recently published an article about Batumi, a seaside town in Georgia. Thearticle reads that the city witnesses a tourism boom after winning the 2019 title of “Europe’s Leading Emerging Tourism Destination” at the prestigious World Travel Awards. With the number of tourists increased, new hotels have also appeared in Batumi.
“It’s also gaining a reputation as a center of youth culture. Joseph, a young street-artist, believes his city has much more to offer. He’s confident that soon Batumi will be a focal point for creative youth and compete on an equal footing with the capital, Tbilisi,” reads the article about Batumi.
According to the article “Georgia on their minds: why tourists are flocking to the Black Sea”, new trends in Georgia are influenced by the country’s rich culture and history. The article reviews two important cultural heritage of Georgia: wine and polyphonic singing.
The unique ecosystem of Adjara makes it possible to switch between beach and mountains. Due to the diverse experiences available for tourists in Batumi, locals hope they will have a successful season.
Source: www.georgianjournal.ge