Marcel met Giorgi Isakadze, vice president of www.bag.ge the Business Association of Georgia. In january 1998 Marcel met Isakadze during a conference about renewable energy. Isakadze was at that time part of the staff of President Shevardnadze
Dear Sandra,
I am back in Langedijk now, getting ready for Sail Amsterdam. I left Tbilisi with my Volkswagen Golf on the day it was two years ago Stan Storimans got killed in Gori.
In the morning I drove to the Edelweiss Flowershop from David and Marieke, that I knew from Vaxi flowershop in Nikoladze in Perovskaya.
In Vaxi shop I have brought cut flowers and pot flowers in the beginning of 2008, in january. The first order of flowers that I tried to export to Tbilisi stayed in Holland. Agreements that were made about the shipping to Tbilisi were two times denied by Airzena, so my first export that cost me a few thousand euros, stayed in Holland.
On X-mas eve, the 24th of december, I drove with these flowers to Amsterdam. And I put the flowers at the Anne Frank Monument, next to the Westerkerk on the Prinsengracht and the Rozengracht. Other flowers I putat the Monument of Multatuli, on the Singel and on the Gay Monument in the Keizersgracht. In front of the house of the Mayor of Amsterdam is a monument that reminds us of the slave exports to the USA. Do you know that the house of the mayor was built from the profits of the slave export ? There I also put my first export flowers to georgia.
Marike and David from Edelweiss shop made for us a nice bouquet with white roses and gladioles. I added a small Holland flag from the football times together with a letter in Georgian and English. We drove with the flowers to the square where the Russian bomb exploded two years ago and made many victims.
The letter remembered the victims of the Russian bomb in Gori, especially our RTL cameraman Stan Storimans. And all journalists who are working around the world, informing us what is happening everywhere, to tell the importance of journalism.
Pirveli TV was there and also Imedi, so later I heared compliments of what I did there when I came back to Tbilisi.
Unfortunately my tardjimani translator Zaza Maisuraze was not there with me, like last year. He had to go to our Dutch embassy, to bring extra documents for his visa application. He brought his diplom of the Suchumi University and a reference letter from a German Human Rights Organisation. And also some money transfers.
visum geweigerd !
Zaza was unfortunately again refused a visa. For the second time already ! Oh my god, how angry I was ! The man that is very honest and reliable person and that helped me with many things, got NO VISA !
I wanted to speak with Patrica La Cognata, but she refused to communicate with me. I called to the emergency telefon line of the embassy and spoke with Heino van Houwelingen. He explained me why Zaza did not get a visa. He needed proof of paid work with bank statements, but Zaza did not have this. I found a very helpful man, refugee from Abchasia and unemployed and gave him work and dignity.
But this was not enough. I tried to work in Tbilisi and restart my activities and for this I wanted to show Zaza Hollands way of working, but my country did not want this ! Horrible !
dont sit on the grass
It was all day very hot, about 38 celsius, so I decided to sit on the grass in front of my embassy to let my emotions go and speak with our representative. But there was a sign in Georgian that I was not allowed to sit on the grass. But I felt overwhelmed by the heat and emotions. The security Guram, working for our embassy, called the police, same like last time, and they wanted to take me away from the grass. I said, I am not going, you can lift me up, I want stay on this ground !
Well, very disappointed I left the embassy territory and we drove back to III Massiv.
There I packed my things and we left at 7 o clock for the direction of Holland. With on board Vano and Dato, the sons of Marine Todua. They got a visa very quickly.
Sail and georgian flag on toidverdroif cabbage boat
The drive back to Holland was a long way, but we made it. We arrived on monday at 5 pm. I mmediately I went to my neighbour Pieter de Wit from the shipyard Houdt Moed. I called him one time from Tbilisi to ask him to prepare the Toidverdroif, that had not run for two years already, for Sail Amsterdam. When I came to his house, his answer was: "Marcel, the Toidverdroif is running OK and ready to go to Amsterdam !"
Good service, Pieter, who still works daily with his father, another Piet, who is already 85 years old, to maintain our traditional agriculture ships from the country of the 1000 Islands.
We had a test trip on tuesday afternoon with the Toidverdroif and loaded the boat at night with famous Langedijk cabbage and my Georgian matros Vano and Dato were of great help. And also my friend Jan Sterringa, who organised for us a trailer.
So Sail Amsterdam was going to have one participant carrying the Sakartvelo flag.
Unfortunately, pirveli matros Marine Todua came not with us, same for Nidas, pirveli stuurman from Toidverdroif. His mother Aida said Nidas had to prepare for his new school in Delft, but I think the best preparation for his new schoolyear is participating in Sail Amsterdam with the famous Toidverdroif boat from your father ?
But we will do our best to have the Georgian flag be shown to the nautical world during Sail Amsterdam.
Sandra, I hope one day also Georgia officially participates in Sail Amsterdam. I brought the Sud 1 from Lithuania in 20005 to Amsterdam Sail and this was the first time Lithuania participated in Sail Amsterdam. Now it is Georgias turn ...
You have Zeeland blood and Zeeland has a lot of water and sailing activities so I hope one day Georgia is also part of the international Sail world, because Georgia has harbours along the Black Sea.
The Toidverdroif went with Georgian flag and two Georgian matros, Vano and Dato Eloshvili, and with 800 kg cabbage from Langedijk to IJmuiden on wednesday 18 august. On thursday 19 august we gained a lot of attention and applaus from all the spectators and boats on the great Noordzeekanaal.
Vano and Dato enjoyed this attention very much and were proud matros, representing Georgia in the Sail In to Amsterdam.
Cabbage for Queen Beatrix presented by Vano Eloshvili from Tbilisi
Highlight of the visit was the presentation of a cabbage to our Queen Beatrix on board of the Groene Draeck, the Green Dragon, on sunday 22 august. Already in the morning when we passed the Groene Draeck, the boat of the Queen, the Prince of Orange Willem Alexander asked me if the flag that was on our boat was the Georgian flag. So he recognised the Georgian flag!
Vano later threw the cabbage in the Y harbour, where all the tallships were, to one of the crew of Beatrix and he gave the cabbage to our Queen and she was very happy with it.
In the Telegraaf, Hollands biggest newspaper, was a photo on the front page showing the happy Queen Beatrix with her cabbage. Also SBS 6 Shownews interviewed Vano and me and in evening of 23 august this was on SBS 6 TV with nice video from Vano who threw the cabbage. On youtube you can see a video that was made by a friend of my neighbour Pieter de Wit, the nineth generation of shipbuilders and maintainers from the family De Wit, from the shipyard "Houdt Moed !". See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMchDgPoAy8 or put in the two words koningin (queen) and kool (cabbage) when you are on the youtube site.
sauer feeling from dutch embassy in Tbilisi
How sauer it feels at the same time that tardjimani translator Zaza Maisuradze was refused a visa to travel to the Netherlands and could not be with us and how terrible it feels that my embassy in Tbilisi did not allow me to visit the reception of the Queens Birthday in Radison Hotel on 30 april 2010 this year in Tbilisi.
We all wondered what the Queen will do with our cabbage but it is the second time she got a cabbage during Sail Amsterdam !
Greetings, Marcel Maria Brandsma, still waiting for many answers from Tbilisi
