We were told to head down to the ground floor of the old Intourist hotel for breakfast, which is served in the cafe. Boy, they must think we are hungry. It is a huge spread. We are four people to a table and it is covered with dishes with cheese, meats, breads, cakes on other items. Then they bring us cooked eggs and coffee and tea and we have no where to put it - there is not room on the table. We make a valiant effort, but can only make a small dent in the food. We even try the cakes, but they are too sweet for breakfast.
Then it is off on our city tour. They have supplied a mini-van and we all pile into it and head off. The first stop is at the Metekhi Church. At this site there has been a church since the 5th century. It is a simple, small church. From the outside we have a good view over the city.
From there we drive back across the river and up the hill to the Narikala Fortress. A fort has stood on this site since the 4th century. Much of it, however has been ruined as a result of an explosion in the Russian munitions depot in 1827. The views over the city are fantastic.
Back down we head, arriving at the sulphur baths in one of the oldest parts of Tbilisi. The baths are underground and have been famous for centuries. From there we headed over to a traditional bakery where they make bread in the large ovens.
We finally finish our tour at the Anchiskati church - the oldest in Tbilisi. It was built in the 6th century and continues the cross made by the founder of Christianity in Georgia. Georgia was the second country in the world to become Christian. It is dark, with rays of light coming in from the windows. The candles flitter in the breeze and their smoke creates a haze in the air.
We finish our tour back at the center of town. We have a quick snack from some of the vendors on the street and then wander around doing some shopping. We find a few things of interest and then decide to slowly make our way back to the hotel. But first we check out an open air market. That does not turn out to be very special but on the way there, we find another form of market. There is a an area where people walk around with big signs around their neck stating what they have to sell or offer, from apartments to skills.
Back on the main street, we come upon a museum that has an exhibit on the attacks on the World Trade Centers. It has been sponsored by the Embassy and has photos of the rescue efforts and clean up. There are actually quite a few people that seem to be taking a look. That is good. It is a long walk back - further than we thought - and we break it up with a stop at the internet cafe.
We get back to the hotel just before 6 PM and return to our room to relax. An hour or so later, we join Lotta and Rick to go have some dinner. We catch a taxi back into the center of town and they take us to a small, local place that they have been to before. And the food is good. We get shashlyk and vodka. The shashlyks are huge and the serve them wrapped in flatbread. They have excellent chili sauce to put on top, so we are very happy.