Arrived in Mtskheta by taxi for £10 (!)
Its 1gel (27p) by bus, only Ididn't know where to get the bus and didn't want to be traipsing around with my bags, (even though when I checked at the airport it was only 7.5kg.)
Delighted with the place at once. Super friendly, landladies daughter speaking English. Super clean and comfortable bed.
Cool, fresh air, grapes hanging from pergolas. So nice to be out of the city.
Walked around and saw the sights, two major old churches,lots of tourists, (religion is big here, and wine). The town has all been restored so it does not seem real. Its more like a film set. Also really small. I'd pretty much covered the whole town by the end of the afternoon.
Pleasant though, and comfortable, cool weather.
Had an excellent red berry icecream and dinner in nearby restaurant.
Aubergine with walnut paste and saute potatoes and drank what turned out to be something like scrumpy cider which went straight to my head. Only £3.50 in total.
women with dyed hair and towering platform shoes, men smoking and drinking beer followed by vodka and some green liquer.
Bought a new case for my phone to replace the one from Italy, (stolen in Ub) Nice, hand embroidered.
Walked to ancient palace ruins opposite the town over the river.
Spent next day at an enamelled jewelery making workshop (it is the thing here) run by volunteers at a centre for refugees.
It has to be finished and polished and I will collect it on my way back.
Since the weather is forecast to be terrible next week, decided to postpone trekking in northern mountains and head east to wine/ monastery country.
Left after leisurely breakfast with 2 hours to get bus to Signaghi.
Did not realise the Signaghi bus station was on the other side of the city. Not difficult though, Directed to nearby metro and walked from there to bus to find I had missed the 11am by seconds. Next one in 2 hours.
It was raining, turning this scruffy, run down, back end of Tbilisi into a muddy mess. Enormous contrast between the metro here and the one in Almaty .
People sitting on the street selling fresh wild plums, rose hips, blackberries and raspberries; unfortunately only in large quantities.
Eventually reached Signaghi, another pretty tourist town with steep cobbled streets. After considerable difficulty found my guest house (no sign, just a normal home) owned by a lovely old lady who at once plied me with home made figs in sweet syrup (they were boiling on the stove) and red wine, so sweet I drank it without realising how strong it was and passed out for the afternoon.
Wonderful dinner cooked by Maria but with one dish I did not recognise. Some kind of offal, dark brown, tasting like kidney but wrinkled chunks. Declined any more wine. Marias family and chubby grandaughters, so charming in the afternnon, were crashing around, shouting until 2 am. I wanted to strangle them so moved to another guest house in the morning.
Torrential rain turned the streets into rivers, not for long but caught some guys who had hired quad bikes. Completely saturated.
Saw them again in the restaurant where I had dinner. There was traditional music and their girls danced.
Very glad to have moved to town centre only 2 minutes from bus station; more heavy rain all day.
Beat up marshrutka 2 hours to Telavi. Planned a tour of the region but no point in this weather.
Its 1gel (27p) by bus, only Ididn't know where to get the bus and didn't want to be traipsing around with my bags, (even though when I checked at the airport it was only 7.5kg.)
Delighted with the place at once. Super friendly, landladies daughter speaking English. Super clean and comfortable bed.
Cool, fresh air, grapes hanging from pergolas. So nice to be out of the city.
Walked around and saw the sights, two major old churches,lots of tourists, (religion is big here, and wine). The town has all been restored so it does not seem real. Its more like a film set. Also really small. I'd pretty much covered the whole town by the end of the afternoon.
Pleasant though, and comfortable, cool weather.
Had an excellent red berry icecream and dinner in nearby restaurant.
Aubergine with walnut paste and saute potatoes and drank what turned out to be something like scrumpy cider which went straight to my head. Only £3.50 in total.
women with dyed hair and towering platform shoes, men smoking and drinking beer followed by vodka and some green liquer.
Bought a new case for my phone to replace the one from Italy, (stolen in Ub) Nice, hand embroidered.
Walked to ancient palace ruins opposite the town over the river.
Spent next day at an enamelled jewelery making workshop (it is the thing here) run by volunteers at a centre for refugees.
It has to be finished and polished and I will collect it on my way back.
Since the weather is forecast to be terrible next week, decided to postpone trekking in northern mountains and head east to wine/ monastery country.
Left after leisurely breakfast with 2 hours to get bus to Signaghi.
Did not realise the Signaghi bus station was on the other side of the city. Not difficult though, Directed to nearby metro and walked from there to bus to find I had missed the 11am by seconds. Next one in 2 hours.
It was raining, turning this scruffy, run down, back end of Tbilisi into a muddy mess. Enormous contrast between the metro here and the one in Almaty .
People sitting on the street selling fresh wild plums, rose hips, blackberries and raspberries; unfortunately only in large quantities.
Eventually reached Signaghi, another pretty tourist town with steep cobbled streets. After considerable difficulty found my guest house (no sign, just a normal home) owned by a lovely old lady who at once plied me with home made figs in sweet syrup (they were boiling on the stove) and red wine, so sweet I drank it without realising how strong it was and passed out for the afternoon.
Wonderful dinner cooked by Maria but with one dish I did not recognise. Some kind of offal, dark brown, tasting like kidney but wrinkled chunks. Declined any more wine. Marias family and chubby grandaughters, so charming in the afternnon, were crashing around, shouting until 2 am. I wanted to strangle them so moved to another guest house in the morning.
Torrential rain turned the streets into rivers, not for long but caught some guys who had hired quad bikes. Completely saturated.
Saw them again in the restaurant where I had dinner. There was traditional music and their girls danced.
Very glad to have moved to town centre only 2 minutes from bus station; more heavy rain all day.
Beat up marshrutka 2 hours to Telavi. Planned a tour of the region but no point in this weather.
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