On to Kutaisi

 Tuesday, August 2, 2022

It's so nice that our 6:45 a.m. ride didn't work out!  We can take our time packing, straightening up, and getting on the road.  Beqa told us where to leave the key and the last thing we do is take a picture so he knows it's there.

The inside is SO different from the outside!

Good bye Batumi

Ammar finds us a taxi who knows where the marushka part of the bus station is and we're off.  I don't think I would have recognized it as a bus station, so it's a good thing we had help! The way this works is that the minibus leaves as soon as it has a full load.  That's not yet;  but we're told it will be a max of twenty-five minutes.  All we have to do is find our new apartment, so there's no rush. 

Bus station?

Apparently there are certain seats for certain destinations and one man shows me to a seat.  Then another man moves me back a couple of rows.  Ammar doesn't see any of that and when he returns he asks why in the world I moved?  I move back and then the guy moves me again.  I get to say I told you so! Anyway, it passes the time and I've got a good book.

Finally we're underway;  but after about twenty minutes we stop and the three passengers for Kutaisi are told to get off this bus and board another one that has pulled in behind us! I have no clue;  but we switch and are really underway this time.  It's about a three hour trip and we arrive mid-afternoon, as I had told our new landlord.  Our taxi driver speaks no English (this is really common here) and doesn't seem to have his reading glasses.  But his friend can read my photo of the address and they figure it out.  It's really not very far and our only hiccup is that the number is "21 a".  We find 21 pretty easily but our building is back and behind and takes a little hunting.  Got it!  and we have the door code, but that doesn't open the door.  It does ring the landlord's apartment, though and the door clicks open.  We know we're on the fifth floor and when the elevator opens she is there.  We're home for the next three nights.  The apartment is kind of industrial modern with white concrete-block walls and black exposed wiring. The photos are all black and whites of local scenes in black frames.

And there's a smart mirror!

It's a far cry from the last place.  This one would probably fit in the last one's living room!  But it's got all the comforts of home, including a washing machine and an electric mirror in the bathroom! We do a bit of unpacking and set out to explore.  We are close to the river and the Colchis Fountain, which is the big draw here and we head in that direction. The fountain is quite beautiful and the adjacent park has some lovely statues and fountains.  

Sisters Ishkneli
Urban fold singers who performed during World War II for the soldiers.
There is even a street named for them near Kutaisi's famous cathedral.

There is also a nearby casino called Las Vegas.  Not to be confused with tthe real thing!! The phrase "penny ante" comes to mind.  The only thing free is the water and it isn't even bottled!  Ammar plays out the credit they gave him to get started while I sit and read. (I have sure become a casino snob!  Where's my latte and chocolate?) Happily that doesn't take long and we soon find that we're at the office for Budget Georgia, where we'll need to be tomorrow!

Our two little girls are both there (really they can't be over twenty!) and we have some good giggles with them before asking for a recommendation for a good restaurant. Their directions aren't flawless and we miss Hoegaarden, but we find a place on the river and it's fine.  The Georgian salad is exceptional!  Thee chicken steak, not so much, but the Madame Bovary is beyond belief! It has potatoes, mushrooms, small bits of veal (which they call beef, so you don't expect it) in a light cream sauce and smothered in melted cheese! Superb!

View from our table

The Gardenia Restaurant

Maybe we'll take the short tram ride over the river.

Madame Bovary (interesting name!  great dish!)

It's been a long day and we head home, stopping for water and a tiny box of laundry detergent.  We discuss the fact that Tide isn't any better than the local products and isn't worth three times the price. Once home we do a load of clothes and scatter they around any available hanging space, like open cabinet doors, and call it a night!  Tomorrow afternoon is the Wine and Dine tour which the Russian family raved about!!