Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we have spent with family. Monday and Tuesday, here in the city, and Wednesday on the road in the rain. But first, let's back up to Monday and Tuesday which are already becoming a blur!
Monday we had time in the Old City, lunch, and then some walking. Our favorite cat lady was in her accustomed place and the children gave her money for cat food (handouts probably support her as well). Here are two of her kittens that Sandro and Kira would have taken home if they had been allowed!
The cat lady!
We ate our lunch at the Kala and the kids had pelmeni that was cooked in a clay pot in a broth containing milk with a wonderful pastry topping that made the whole thing look like a mushroom cap. There were 10 pelmeni in each pot; Sandro ate about seven of his and Kira polished off hers as well as what her brother had not finished!
This was yummy beyond words.
Marty has photographed this old house so many times. One of these visits it won't be here any more so it is important to her to keep on taking these photos.
Waiting for our lunch. Sandro got a freshly made glass of mint lemonade that was tasted great and was pretty to look at. Kira decided to try the carrot juice which was pretty but not quite what she had expected!
Inside the Caravansarai, which used to be the Tbilisi History Museum.
Tuesday was another day with the family in the afternoon. We met again for lunch, which we tried to eat outside only to be forced to retreat indoors because of rain. We did see more interesting things in the Old Town though.
There is always something interesting to see in the Old Town. Below is the puppet theater which is just such a charming structure. With all the tourists in the city it is a challenge to get a shot of this without having them in the shot!
We rode up the cable car to Narikala Fortress which was quick, but afforded some good views of the city. The only problem is that the windows are not necessarily the cleanest!
Wednesday found us headed to the east-Georgia region of Kakheti in the rain and fog for a visit to Sighnaghi. We ate lunch there all sitting around rather damp. Sighnaghi is a very interesting walled city that has been recently restored and has become a tourist destination.
After lunch we had a break in the weather and drove to the Alexander Chavchavadze Museun in the village of Tsinandali. Mr. C was a famed 19th century poet and man of literature. His house, now the museum, is a wonderful place to see and have a taste of wine!
This was also a good place to have the kids run around and let off some of their excess energy.
The grounds are lovely with some formal gardens as well as some more wild areas. Above is a wonderful "people" gate into the museum grounds.
The last event before getting in the car to head back to Tbilisi was this drinking fountain, where most of the kids had to demonstrate how to drink from it. Above Kira is demonstrating the less-splash approach, while Marishka is demonstrating the dramatic approach!
We ate one more time on the way back to Tbilisi and had an amazing meal. Guess we have eaten away our time in Georgia because there was always something to be consumed, being suggested or placed in front of us.
Our friends Jodie and David had given us a beautiful book of hidden architectural treasures of Tbilisi, which got us following its leads in houses nearby. Below is a stairway in the entrance hall of a building nearby us on Antoneli Street. Originally it was the London Hotel, a very classy place at the close of the 19th century; now it has been converted to apartments. The city is full of such treasures.
Marty's birthday was celebrated with family and then it was time to get some rest. We took Saturday morning to just get organized and then off we went to the airport, where there were many goodbyes to be said.
Now we are in Istanbul and it is Sunday. Last night it was dark when we got to the hotel, but there was still plenty of time to get a shot of the Blue Mosque from the top of the hotel. Sunday is our family sight-seeing day in the city, and early Monday morning we will be headed back to the US via Amsterdam, an overnight in McLean, and home Tuesday sometime in the late afternoon. It has been a great trip for all of us.
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