Lunch with Mike at Stamba. Weather beautiful.

Stamba—hotel, bookstore, gift shop and restaurant. A very unique place. I think hotel is 5-star, bookstore has a large(ish) English section, restaurant was delicious and very nice and gift shop carries only items made in Georgia. Met Mike for lunch here on Saturday. Bought a couple of gifts and two books, John Grisham’s, The Broker and Katie Bishop’s, The Girls of Summer. I need easy reading. I have been surrounded for weeks by people speaking a very difficult language, in a city/country I know very little about and a history and culture dating back to mid-6th or early-5th millennia BC. Cut me a break, I need some easy reading! ; )

Walk back to the apartment after lunch and time with Mike. Lovely glass of wine—Saperavi qvevri, passed this shop with Talbots, J Crew and Old Navy goods (didn’t go in) it struck me as funny to see here, and yet another park close to my apartment with yet another larger than life Soviet era statue.

I like these Soviet era monuments. So big and imposing as I guess they were supposed to be. Nice to see (and photograph for me—hope I am not being too politically incorrect here) all around the city. Not every monument built in Soviet Georgia was overtly political and some succeed in shaking off/surpassing former associations including (but not limited to) the Monument to Saint Nino (the Enlightener of Georgia), the Chronicles of Georgia memorial complex—both designed by Zurab Tsereteli. And, then there’s Kartlis Deda, the statue of Mother Georgia—my favorite, an enduring symbol of nationhood with or without the context of her socialist sisters. I’m not sure about all of the monuments, but I think any Soviet-era monuments that can’t be rehabilitated as national symbols now (and rightly so) face demolition, obscurity and decay. Again, I hope I am not being politically incorrect here.

PS I know I need more pictures of Mike—he doesn’t like his picture taken. ☹️

The Dry Bridge is a decent swap market meets flea market. It’s big. There is art, Soviet collectibles—pins, medals, coins, etc., see my purchases below and all sorts of random stuff being sold here. While the weather is good, this is a very fun way to spend an afternoon.

Matasse 1882 – la Desserte Royal Georgien

An exquisite little gem of a coffee shop and French patisserie in Old Town.
Very small, only four or five seats inside and five or six seats out on the pavement. The ambience, interior setting, cups and saucers, cakes, cookies and honey . . . were beautiful and the macaroons and coffee absolutely delicious! I had a latte and mandarin, cream filled macaroon. I may need to go back. Yum!

Mtatsminda Park is a park and amusement facility located atop Mount Mtatsminda overlooking all of Tbilisi. The views are fantastic. It is the highest point in Tbilisi and located on more than 100 hectares/250 acres—in the park is the tv tower and ferris wheel often seen in the pictures taken from my apartment’s balcony. The park has a ~100 year history. You can hike up to the park, take the funicular or a brand new/just opened cable car. I took the funicular and cable car. I went up via the cable car, but accidentally took the funicular down (it goes down to a different location from the cable car 🤦‍♀️). So, I took the funicular back up and the cable car back down to my original starting point. I needed to be at the cable car entrance location/Rustavelli Metro Station to meet Mike for dinner.

Cable car up,

In the park,

Funicular and cable car to get me back to the correct location on Rustavelli,

PS I did go to the sulfur baths again too.

PPS I’ve been here so long that I also have to do normal, everyday stuff too. I have to grocery shop, vacuum, pay bills, emails, laundry, buy incidentals . . . I even got my hair trimmed.

Dinner with Mike and Evan Friday early evening at 2 Tons restaurant and brewery. Nice place, good beer. Ample kitchen and decent service. Friendly staff and fun vibe. We sat outside. No cha cha though—the boys were mildly disappointed. We had the delicious mushroom khinkali, Georgian salad and mtsvadi—Georgia’s version of BBQ chicken.

Guard street dog. Claiming his territory. 😉 And our mushroom khinkali. I think they lay the mushroom khinkali on its side sometimes so they can distinguish it from the different kinds of khinkali. FYI: Khinkali is always boiled—not steamed or fried.

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I know most of my blog posts are about eating, but I don’t think I have gained any weight . . . The food is decently healthy and they don’t serve large proportions EXCEPT with the khachapuri. And, I do limit my khachapuri to once a week in a smallish size.

Moseying around.

On Saturday we fall back one hour at home. So, starting Sunday, I will be nine hours ahead of you.

Talk soon. xoxo, —nancy

Lindsay and her friend, Sam, arrived just after 3AM this morning. After a brief nap, we were off sightseeing—and here we are.

Street dog and love locks and street dog and door.

Sulfur Baths and Spas. I think we are going to Chreli Abano tomorrow morning.

Art: @goshaart and the Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theater.

Gosha Art, making Tbilisi brighter every day If you go to Georgia’s capital, you’ve seen @goshaart’s works. The goshaart trademark are cats, which are included in a lot of his art pieces. And this year, I am going to try to catch a performance of The Autumn of my Springtime at the Gabriadze, hopefully in early November. Last year I saw Ramona.

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On Saturday my building was a polling site. I wish them good luck. As it turns out, luck was not on our side. With more than 99% of precincts counted, official results from the Central Election Commission give the ruling Georgian Dream party a 54.23% lead. The Georgian Dream celebrates the victory. The opposition denies the legitimacy of the elections.

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And now a week or two into my Tbilisi time, I have decided on my November exercise routine. Vake Park. Down 75 steps, walk for 30 minutes and then up 75 steps. Do you think I can do it? ; )

Best chicken noodle soup in Tbilisi. And a delicious Georgian salad.

Walked all over today. Saw a few street dogs basking in the sun. ☀️

Ok, since I will be in Tbilisi with Mike for the next few weeks, I will only be posting every few days. Really, how many pictures of Mike and me can you take? ; )

Political note below — mostly taken from the internet. Streets in Mike’s neighborhood, Vera, by the Parliament building were gridlocked this evening. My neighborhood, Vake, did not feel the gridlock:

Upcoming elections on October 26 present a crucial opportunity for Georgian voters to shape their political future.

Georgia is facing an unprecedented challenge which could alter the country’s EU trajectory. The country’s European future is under threat from the current government, led by the Georgian Dream party, which manipulates public opinion with pro-Russian narratives in hopes of sabotaging Georgia’s European aspirations.

In the process, it purposefully turns a blind-eye to the international financial support provided by the United States and the European Union over the past three decades.

After months of protests by pro-European Georgians who aspire to see their country follow its EU path, the October 26 parliamentary elections represent a last chance to reverse this dangerous rapprochement with Russia.

The outcome of this vote will determine whether Georgia retains its EU candidate status and unlocks financial assistance from the EU and the US. Otherwise, the EU enlargement train, which includes Moldova and Ukraine, will depart without Georgia.