Driving Tour and Dinner

I woke up around 1pm.  I called my friend and made dinner plans.  I had the afternoon free to walk around and explore Tbilisi.  First I had to get something to eat.  The cafe in the lobby seemed like a nice place.  Couldn't beat the convenience either.   I had my requisite multiple cups of coffee to ensure a headache free afternoon and a sandwich to keep my belly happy.  I think I was the only one in the cafe who wasn't smoking.

I left the cafe and went for a stroll down Rustaveli Avenue.  Rustaveli Avenue is the main street in Tbilisi.  I was surprised at all of the sculptures that lined the street.  All types of sculptures ranging from statues of people to abstract art forms.  I passed by several buildings of importance but I didn't have a tourist map with me and there weren't any signs that indicated the purpose of the building.   After a couple of hours in the 90+ degree heat, I headed back to the hotel room for a little rest before dinner.

At 7pm I went to the lobby and met my friend.  It was nice to see her after 9 years.  She introduced me to her husband.  He seemed like a very nice man.  We had an hour to kill before dinner, so they drove around the city and showed me the sights.   They explained all of the buildings that I walked by earlier in the day and showed me sights I hadn't yet seen.  It was time to meet up with some of their friends for dinner.  They took me to a Georgian restaurant that had folk dancing and Georgian music.  The entertainment was great.  I loved the food.  Several of the dishes had influences from the middle east.   As we were leaving, some other patrons heard us speaking English.  When I told them I was from the United States, they invited me to their table and poured me a few shots of vodka.  Very hospitable of them.

On the way back to the hotel, they took me for another driving tour of Tbilisi.  Ramaz showed me where he attended math school when he was growing up.  Math school?  It was actually more of a boarding school that stressed mathematics.  They told me about all of the changes that has taken place in Tbilisi over the past five years.  Important changes like reducing corruption,  reliable electricity,  trash service, effective police force, etc.. - things that I take for granted.  We arrived back at the Marriott and we said our goodbyes for the night.  I was fairly tired so I went up the my room, watched a little television and drifted off to sleep.

My flight into Tbilisi was not even 25% filled.  That wasn't very surprising because the previous month the Russians had invaded the Republic of Georgia.  I'm assuming many people had canceled their travel plans.  Not me.  It's 3:00 am as the flight nears Tbilisi.  The flight attendant makes the usual announcement about buckling up blah blah blah..  I notice a few people around me are making the Christian sign of the cross.  Not once or twice but over and over.  Do they know something that I don't?   The plane touches down and we're still going over 100 mph when several people got out of their seats and started getting their carry-on luggage from the overhead bins.  No lie - we couldn't have been on the ground more than 5 seconds when this happened.   The flight attendant makes an announcement about remaining seated while the plane is in motion.  Nobody listens to her.

I pass through immigrations and customs without any problems.  The usual crowds of people are waiting for the passengers who just arrived.  I see a stranger holding up a sign with my last name.  That's strange - I hadn't arranged a ride.  I planned on taking a taxi to the hotel.  I smiled at the man and said hello.  I asked if the hotel had sent him but he didn't speak any English.  I assumed that either the hotel or my friend had sent a driver, so I followed him out to his car and got in.

We're driving down the highway heading towards downtown Tbilisi.  Soviet era apartment buildings flank the road.   Not very attractive.  We exit the highway and make a few turns.  The buildings are now looking very European.  Soon we arrive at the Marriott.  I grab my bags, tip the driver and walk inside.  Wow!!  Surprisingly beautiful lobby.  Sort of Victorian style.  I check-in at the front desk and the clerk hands me a note.  It's from my friend.  Get some rest and we'll talk later is the gist of the note.

I enter my room.  It's a nicely sized room overlooking Rustaveli Avenue.  Sitting on the coffee table is my fruit and vegetable platter that I requested when I booked my room.  I'm glad I did it because it was 4:30 am and I was hungry.  I did some cable TV channel surfing as I ate my snack.  It was close to 7am when I finally felt tired enough to get some sleep.