Finally the Narikala Fortress!

 Monday, August 8, 2022

The plan is to get up early and have breakfast, then go to the fortress before the heat of the day.  Have I mentioned the weather? The beginning of the trip it was much cooler than we had expected in Tbilisi and even nicer in Batumi, and it never rained out any of our plans! It has gotten progressively warmer and it is now two-showers-a-day weather! 


Anyway, best laid plans and all that...we didn't leave for the fortress until after noon.  It's a short cab ride and we know exactly where we're going. It's our old stomping grounds but something has always prevented us from getting there until today.

We queue up with all the other tourists for the tram ride over the river and up to where Mother Georgia welcomes visitors with a bowl of wine in one hand and threatens invaders with a sword in her other hand. She is made of aluminum and is twenty meters tall, and was designed by the famous Georgian sculptor, Elguja Amashukeli.  She was erected in 1958 to commemorate Tbilisi's 1500th anniversary. If you go right after getting off the funicular you pass through the little bazaar and can walk around the giant statue.  













If you go left you can go down to walk around the remains of the old fortress.  But whatever you do, you get a marvelous view of the city.  We do both, including a short trip around the church of St. Nicholas, and then walk back down Sololaki Hill, into the heart of the Old City.  There is a little shopping to do before we go home to shower and rest before dinner.


If you face one way, you see all of Tbilisi laid out below you.  Do a 180 and you see this!!


Coffee like in Turkey and Cypress and the Middle East




Pretty darn secure!

All the landmarks!





These are everywhere!  Someone has to tell me why!












No shorts!



The sulfur baths!

They all kind of look alike!



As we're crossing the busy and confusing traffic pattern/round about Ammar yells Rustaveli Street and a passing cab hears him and stops for us!  He knows exactly the best way to bring us home, unlike the guy who took us into town! We stop for yogurt and chips and head upstairs.  (At this point, my app says 7 floors, 5,018 steps, and 2 miles - easy day!)

Roasted lamb with vegetables and mashed potatoes, katchapuri, and sushi!

After some rest we get dinner and plan for our two-day adventure tomorrow.

Comments

  1. GingerAugust 8, 2022 at 5:18 PM

    1500 years! Wow! That is a testament to how secure it is! Looks like a nice day. The skies are blue so I guess you made it between rain showers.

    ReplyDelete
  2. CourtenayAugust 15, 2022 at 3:48 AM

    Your weather was MUCH better than ours in Alaska! And what a lovely photo of the two of you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mama dragonAugust 15, 2022 at 5:02 AM

      So sorry your weather wasn't cooperative! Thanks, I'm really fond of this one!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Maybe there is such a thing as a free lunch!

Image
 Sunday, July 31, 2022 Another sleep-in morning!  I love these!  Eventually we get our outside thoughts together and take a cab to the Wyndham.  We don't want to be all sweaty for our massages!  We are nice and early and go to the cave to play enough to feel justified eating our free breakfast.  It's so much better than I expected! And I'm starting to understand how the game is played (both meanings!)  And Ammar is a winner again! Such interesting stuff to see! Real vegetables on the buffet! The ladies who work in the spa are marvelous!  I really feel pampered and after yesterday's walk I can sure use this.  Ammar's masseuse was a physiotherapist in Ukraine!  She spots all the bad places in his back and neck and actually makes him feel better!  The last lady was afraid to touch his back!  We're going back tomorrow.  I'm just indulging myself; but he really needs the professional care. Back to the cave to assuage our guilt ...
Read more

Oooof!

Image
 Saturday, August 6, 2022 I really wanted to sleep in this morning;  I sure could have used it!  Stupid body clock doesn't have a reset button!  Ammar was up early, too, and we decided to do a little walkabout in the quiet of Borjomi before breakfast.  There was no one on the streets! The loudest noise was the rushing river, which we can hear from our room. Yesterday when Ammar was cruising the city he found an interesting building he wants to show me.  It is quite cool and is being renovated.  There is so much new building and building preservation going on all over the country, even large highway projects.                                                                     See (hear?) how loud this is! All the greenery on this side of the street is grapevines! At least the little sto...
Read more

Sigh...last days

Image
 Thursday, August 11, 2022 Okay, this is kind of a place holder!!  I'll write about today;  but right now I'm going to join Ammar for dinner before the taxi whisks me away at 1:30 a.m.  Sure wish these flights left at a civilized hour!! So - Thursday:  I've got a little shopping to do, so after breakfast we decide to walk to the Old City instead of taking a cab.  We need the exercise and we always talk more easily walking than in a taxi.  I know what I want and Ammar says he knows where to get it.  And he's right;  I should never argue!  last latte! "Royal Benedict and arugula salad" The Lamplighter You don't usually get to see the artist touching up his work! The churchkhela It was a nice walk, but it will be a nicer cab ride back home.  I need to pack and see what I can do about staying under the 22 kg (50 pound) weight limit.  That will mean putting small, heavy things in my back pack and saying another prayer to the travel ...
Read more