A quick tour to the funicular on Tuesday

Tuesday afternoon we had a late lunch with our "daughter" Oksana who is currently in Georgia to visit her mother.  We were lucky to be here at the same time as she is now married and lives in Germany.  We ate at Entree, a French coffe shop/bakery, where we took the photos of all the sinful desserts!  

This dessert was light and fluffy inside with a creamy filling and the lightest cake ever.  The chocolate on the outside was just slightly bitter and very very thin it was the perfect contrast to the cake and filling.  The little red pillow was solid chocolate!  Of course the coffee with the lightly sweetened chocolate was the perfect topping.

After saying good bye for the day we decided to walk up to the funicular station to check it out.  Along the way we got the shots we are showing below.

These little outdoor/corner fruit and veggie markets used to be more common, but with the city undergoing so much renovation they are being removed from many areas.

We really liked the detailing on these balconies so are showing you!  And below, just because it is so typical to see the laundry on lines outside the window.

As we got closer to the funicular we got this great view up the street.  The structure on the top of Mtatsminda (not the TV tower) now has both an elegant restaurant and cafe!  All this in just a year.  If you had seen that derilict building two years ago you would have said "no way".  

Now here's the funicular station and the view of the new funicular car.  Pretty spiffy.  It runs from 9 or 10 am till 04:00 in the morning!  It was originally built by a Belgian firm in 1905, falling into disrepair during the later years of the Soviet era.  David rode it once in 2000; soon after there was an accident that kept it shut down for over a decade.  In 2012, following renovation, it reopened and now is a popular way to reach the Luna Park and its restaurants high above the city.