Toidverdroif with capitan Marcel on the Northsea canal, 18 august 2010. On board are matros Vano and Dato Eloshvili from III Massiv, Tbilisi. Cargo is Langedijk cabbage from Jan and Bertus Bruin. The cabbage is grown from Bejo seeds with the name Eton. The flag of Toidverdroif is this time from Caucasus Georgia. In 2005 Toidverdroif brought Lithuania ship called Sud 1 from Nida, Klaipeda to Sail Amsterdam. And in 2000 thanks to Toidverdroif the replica of Shtandart, flagship of Peter the Great from Peterburg, Russia, came on time for Sail Amsterdam 2000 !
Pathefoon Dirk with Holland bakfiets transport bycycle and Nidas and Marina on the way to Vomar supermarket in Langedijk near Alkmaar to buy food to make georgian supra for megobari (friends), mesobelli (neighbours) and ojachi (family) summer 2006Dear Sandra,
How was your holidays ? Have you visited Holland ? I drove without my tardjimani Zaza but with ori matros, Vano and Dato, by car all the way from Tbilsi - 5000 km - to Amsterdam to visit SAIL. We had fun there, but at the same time promoted your husbands country. On my Toidverdroif ship was the Georgian flag.It was recognised by our
Prince of Orange, Willem-Alexander, who was sitting in his mothers boat, De Groene Draeck, the green dragon, in the Y-harbour.
Willem Alexander said to me:
Is dat de Georgische vlag ? Is that the Georgian flag ? Later on sunday Queen Beatrix received from us a cabbage from Langedijk, like many other ships. She asked for one, because she also got one cabbage five years ago. The cabbage was thrown by Vano, my Sakartvelo matros. You can see this on you tube if you search for koningin (queen) and kool (cabbage). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMchDgPoAy8A A better movie was made by AT5 Amsterdam TV and SBS 6 TV interviewed us.
The Queen with the foto of the cabbage that she got was published on front page of Telegraaf, Hollands biggest newspaper with daily two million readers. I brought two cabbages to Tbilisi that were all Sail on my boat and one I wanted to give to my embassy representatives Ambassador Langenberg and Heino van Houwelingen, because this year two times they "
stoofden mij een kooltje !" How I must translate this, I do not know. But you know what I mean.
One time I was not welcome at the reception of Queen Beatrixs birthday in Radisson,30 april 2010. And when you came there, security distracted my attention, so I did not see you when you entered the hotel.
Second time they refused to give visa to my assistent Zaza Maisuradze, who helps me already one year to find my way in the political and juridical and street labyrinths in Georgia. It was on the day I brought flowers to Gori for Stan Storimans second year after he was killed there, 12 august 2010. It was already second time my embassy refused Zaza a visa !
My embassy is afraid he will stay in Holland and dont return, but he lives here together with his mother in horrible situation in Gldani ! He looks after his mother, who was advocat for many years ! Well, I was very angry at my embassy representatives about this !
Tsadi Tsadi Go Go !!!! After Sail I visited with my matros Vano and Dato many places in Holland and in september we flew together with Turkish Airlines back to Trabzon and took a bus to Tbilisi. Flying with Airzena is too expensive for us but I also boycot this airline ! Because they could not organise to send my first flower export to Tbilisi, that costedme a lot of money !
So many trucks are always waiting at the border of Sarpi, waiting to enter Georgia.
Why this line is so long, Sandra ? I feel sorry for the drivers who have to wait there for how many days ? Many of them are Turkish trucks and Turkey is Georgias neighbour and very important business investor.
Tell Misha to get rid of this propka as soon as possible ! It is a shame for Georgia, that wants to be the Singapore of the Caucasus ! A Georgia that raves about the freedom of doing business here.
Going with the bus from Turkey through Georgia border is another interesting experience. But at the border the Georgian border gards are friendly and they say all, "Welcome to Georgia !"
Why you have face control there, I dont know. We dont have this at Schiphol airport. Misha got this as a present from the US, Sandra ?
No more banana and puri and cigaretta kalis and katsi on the street Today - saturday 25 september - I walked from Shuamta III Massiv to the metro Varketili and discovered all street vendors have disappeared. I wonder what these people are doing now and how they make some money to survive ? Bread goes up from 60 to 70 tetri (up 16 %). I wonder if the disappeared streetvendors went to vote for mayor and if yes, if they voted for Gigi Ugulava. And if they will do again vote for Ugulava after they had to leave the Tbilisi streets ?
I hear opposition will again start protests and being an opposition specialist I am curious how the protests are next week. And how many people will show up ?
Biggest rose in Tbilisi in metro padwal It was nice to be on Rustaveli again. I got out at Mishas Tavesupleba Moedani metrostation. Inside there is nice rose but it is imposible to come close to this rose and make a picture of the biggest rose I have seen in Tbilisi.
I can imagine why it is protected because in the underpasses of Freedom Square beautifull Georgian history explanations are destroyed by vandalists. But, I hope I can pass one day the fence in the metro to make a foto of this biggest rose together with me ?
At the parlement fontankas were working and I walked up the stairs. I always check the mitsa ground in which the EU flag is standing. Please, Sandra, ask Misha to put a new EU - flag there, the yellow stars are not so bright anymore. It is time to replace the flag ! The Georgian flags I saw from all political parties on the parliament area have great quality.
Like always, at the parliamant, security comes to me and they can say only one word I understand. TSADI ! It means GO ! TSADI !!!!!
I say to the security, do you speak English ? But almost no security at the Parliament or at the White House, the Tetri Sachli, the big palace Misha built, speaks English ! Every time I hear the word TSADI ! GO !
Sandra, your Misha says everybody must learn English, well let he say TSADI to all his security at parlement and residency to go to LEARN ENGLISH !!!!!!!!!!
So security can communicate with tourists and visitors about things and explain eg. where you must go to visit the parliament inside like we can do in Den Haag, to see our famous Holland democracy working.
I only was inside once when the President of the Dutch parliament Weisglass visited the parliament in Tbilisi. But in Holland we can visit our parliament when they are active. Ofcourse if you behave normal and I dont disturb the democratic processes. I dont think the Georgian parlement has this transparency. There is too much opposition, and the temperament of the Georgian people is too emotional, I guess ?
I asked Levan Gachechiladze and Konstantin Gamsakurdia if they ever have visited our parliament, but they never did.
I hope, Sandra, that your Misha takes them there as soon as possible and all other opposition leaders that want to improve your Mishas democracy. I can be their guide, I know the way and Julius Vischjager will help me with it.
Anyway, Sandra, walking around downtown Tbilisi, I discovered again new shops and bars in Perovskaya and Charden and other places were closed and disappeared. That is the reality of the market economy, but Georgia and Tbilisi need much more visitors and tourists, so more businesses will survive. And I know Misha is doing his best for this as much as he can !
Pegasus flies from Tbilisi to Istanbul and Europe !I read today all newspapers and I am happy that Turkish Pegasus starts to fly cheap to Istanbul and European destinations ! But Austrian Airlines stops flights to Tbilisi because of economic reasons. Not enough passengers ? With Austrian Airlines I flew first time to Tbilisi in january 1998 !
By the way, I boycot Airzena as much as possible because in december 2007 they did not bring my first export of flowers - cut and pot - mitsa to Georgia and it cost me a lot of money and they gave me no service or excuses. Talking about flowers, many Georgians say that Sandra is here in Georgia queen in the flower business, but I dont believe this.
I think the people who are in the flower business are using your name and the excellent Dutch flower reputation ? I dont think you need this business and I dont think you have time for it ? The quality of the flowers in Tbilisi is not a real visit card for Holland, sorry to say this to you, Sandra, it can be much better !
Also I read about prisoners who get beaten in jail here. Is one of the sons of President Gamsakurdia who is in jail still in hunger strike ? In june I met a group of worried woman on the stairs of the Parliament area and they were protesting to improve the conditions of political prisoners. Can I visit the prisons here, Sandra ? Can youa ask Misha if it is OK ?
And I read in Georgian Times that there is finally a wine producers association for promoting together Georgian wine and wine history abroad. Please tell them that I have good ideas to do this in Holland and I am specialised in organising unique events for low budget costs with much free publicity. What Georgia needs !
Gouda Holland cheese and Georgian wine tasting in Alkmaar cheese market ? It reminded me of an old idea in 2006 that I wrote to you, but never had a reaction.
Send to the world famous Alkmaar cheesemarket - where Shota Arveladze was succesfull - wines from Georgia and organise a wine tasting there with famous NoordHolland Gouda cheese !
It is great place for it and all Dutch know that in Alkmaar starts the Victory. Why not for Georgian wines ? When AZ Alkmaar became champion because of coaches Louis van Gaal and Shota Arveladze there was no Georgian wine and champagne to celebrate the victory !!!!
I hear you was in Alkmaar a few years ago to visit the Beatles Museum with your sun Eduard and wonder if you ever received my idea about the wine promotion in Alkmaar ?
I was unhappy that you did not think of me to meet me there because I live 30 minutes cycling away from Alkmaar and you could visit the flowerbulb company VWS that
decorated your lecture room in Amsterdam with lilia when you was giving the book presentations in march 2005.
You still have a gift waiting for Tbilisi there, tulip bulbs. You told me to put them in the Botanical Garden Mitsa, but I had not had the chance to do this, because I got involved in a dramatical business cooperation with Giorgi Baindurashvili from Saburtalo, who turned out to be an unreliable business partner for me that destroyed my reputation, misused my contacts, lied to me many times and that still has to pay me back much money.
That is all for now, Sandra, I want go sleep now. I can be very critical about Sakartvelo but I love it here also very much ! I am waiting for a court decision about Baindurashvili, but I hear today that next weeks important things are going to happen so I can finally take my money back ? I have paid enough lesgeld now, learning money.
Georgian wine promotion to new dutch Minister of Justice ? Talking about court, Liberal VVD parliament member Fred Teeven maybe will be Minister of Justice in Holland and I think I will present him a bottle of Georgian wine,if he gets the job, because he knows me, he lived in Langedijk for some years and when he started his political career, I helped him little bit. Is there any cooperation between Holland and Georgia in the justice ? I have no idea but it would be good.
Georgian wine promotion to new governor of Noord-Holland ? Talking about wine, the bottle of Georgian wine that I brought to Newspoort newsagency in Hague in 2003-2004 was drunk by Johan Remkes, at that time VVD minister of internal affairs. Well, Remkes just became now Commisaris of the Koningin, Governor, in Noord-Holland. And last, but not least, I hope when the wine Association starts to promote Georgia wine abroad, I hope they also dont forget Borjomi mineral water !
I also saw Maartje van Wegen on dutch TV when I was in Holland and I hear she flies to Tbilisi beginning of oktober to bring classical CDs for the classical radiostation that you started here. When Maartje is here, maybe you can ask her if she can call to the Prince of Orange Willem Alexander and ask him if he comes to visit Georgia one time with Maxima, his wife ?
Our Royal Family was never in Georgia and I think they want come here. But our government will not let them go, I think, because our governement is afraid Russia, our very important trading partner, will not like this ?
Many questions, many answers, many ideas, Sandra, but you said that you are eyes and ears for Misha in january 2004. I hope you can handle this sort of toidverdroif kalashnikov bullets ?
Sakartvelo kaumardjos !
Greetings from Shuamta street, also to Misha and Eduard and Nikoesja,and your parents in Zeeland, that were not willing to help me to bring me in contact with you last year, when I was about to sink down financially and had to sell my house where my son was born.
Marcel Maria Brandsma sometimes also called
Marcel Oltmans, with thanks from Julius Vischjager
