A typical morning

I brought my camera along for a morning drive. The images are taken from a moving vehicle (not great), but they give an idea of typical sights around town.

First off the Georgian flag, also known as the "Five Cross Flag," is a recent Georgian addition, officially adopted in 2004 under President Saakashvili following the Rose Revolution. They had a different flag under Soviet rule, and a number of other flags before that. This flag draws on designs from antiquity that reference their long Christian history.

This man taking a leap off the riverbank is my favorite example of graffiti around town. Every so often you find fine examples which approach a higher form of art.

Street cleaners. Early every morning there is an army of workers, usually dressed in black (including women in skirts, as pictured), sporting neon orange vests. They are armed with rustic brooms made of dried grasses or branches and they sweep up the daily remains of the public. A thankless job, no doubt.

And the gypsies. They are always at this particular intersection. It's a long wait so they walk up to every car and knock on the window. I am told that the Georgian government provides funding for them to send their children to school, but without success. They allegedly drug their infants so they appear sick or sleeping, which must bring in more money. Usually the babies are passed out on their mothers' shoulders. But today this one was awake.

Gas stations in Georgia are all full service. I've gone a year now without filling up my own tank, it's kind of nice. The attendants always wear a uniform that matches their station's color scheme. Unleaded gas doesn't exist here, which means the air quality suffers.

And this guy, with the papakha. These sheep's wool hats are a traditional Caucasian style which are mostly worn in the mountainous regions of Georgia, but you always run into a few die-hards who sport them in the city throughout the summer.

Another glutton for punishment. They must breath really well.

The melons. Some streets seem to attract a plethora of vendors that all cluster together, such as you see here. In any case the melons are delicious, they sell them by the kilo, but these guys always overcharge the likes of me.

And, finally, here's a peek at the American Embassy from outside the wall. They have the only sprawling green lawns I've seen in Georgia. Feels like home.