It was her city from the beginning. I would not have admitted it for a long time, i wasn´t even really aware of it, when i got off the train one early morning of may, making my way into Tbilissi. I stood outside the station, instantly having lost orientation. It was a grey, dull day and all was strange.
There was no sign of sun, it seemed there was no guiding star. A pack of taxi drives tried to hunt me down, but i escaped by steadily walking towards the minibuses, trying to look as though i knew where i was going. As a matter of fact, i had no idea. I could have asked, what bus to take to the inner city, but i decided not to.
Sometimes it´s not about getting there fast, not even after a nights train ride, it´s about getting there in the right way. Of course there is no general rule about right or wrong, right is what suits you, right is what compliments the very moment. So i sat down in the dust, looking over the railways, trying to regain a sense of direction.
There was a small map of the inner city in my guidebook, but the railway station wasn´t on it, apparently being situated too far from the center. The station was overviewing the city, which stretched alongside the valley. On the other side a television tower pointed into the grey morning sky.
After a few minutes of glancing over blocks, buildings and hillsides, i suddenly got the general idea: This is east and here is left, right is where i have to go. After a few minutes i would enter the map from the left side. Tbilissi had opened her arms and i was walking into them...