Day 10

Last night after checking in (hotel Mercure) we walked the city -- from our location in the old town to Freedom Square and then along the most prestigious street Rustaveli Ave and then back a totally different route through the flower market and along the river. We ate dinner in a local inexpensive Georgian restaurant recommended by the hotel and a number of bloggers. In the morning we walked across the river and high up to the Armenian quarter called Avlabari. We visited an Armenian church and got an earful from an Armenian priest. There is no love lost between the Armenian Orthodox church and the Georgian Orthodox church. He told us that at the beginning of the 20th century, there were 300, 000 Armenians living in Tbilisi and 38 Armenian churches. Now, there are only a few thousand and 4 churches left. He also told us that Georgian cathedral (which we then visited) was built on the location of an old Armenian church and cemetery where many famous and prominent Armenians were buried. Both the church and the cemetery were destroyed. He told us of an ancient Armenian church in ruins (which we later visited) that the Armenian diocese wants to restore but the Georgian powers wont let them. We visited the cathedral which was huge and impressive, and actually, there are several smaller churches on the enormous cathedral grounds. The neighborhood had only one restaurant that we could find so we went there for lunch --- excellent food and ambiance overlooking the river. We then took the aerial tramway across the river to the top of a hill and visited a fortress. Our hotel is located in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Tbilisi called Abanotubani, the place where the old sulfur baths are located. They are still operating and they make for a very unusual sight – with many stone domes and chimney sticking out of the ground. On the way down from the fortress, we walked through a beautifully restored old Jewish quarter, and through the baths are, which was restored in 2011-12. After resting we walked the old town, booked our tour to Kazbegi for tomorrow and bought some good Georgian wine and pastry. The number of wine shops is astonishing – one after another, and each with hundreds of different Georgian wines. Obviously, Georgian wine industry is flourishing. They also always ask if you want wine made traditional Georgian way (fermented in clay containers in the ground) or the European way. We passed numerous fruit vendors along the street selling many varieties of fruits including feijoa.