1994 Paris

26.4.94

Public architecture begins in the Charles de Gaulle Airport – a triumph of form over function (ish), with its weird subterranean links to the satellites and the interlocking glass tubes to luggage retrieval.  Back in the RER. Depressingly, the same ads as a year ago.  Building works in the station.

Back in the Hotel Ares – refurbished, and with rather nicer staff.  The elevated metro here has been repainted.  Nice that feeling of returning, of recognising, and of spotting differences.  Obviously architecture has much to do with this.

To “Le Suffren”, of course, and even here, there’ve been changes – new chairs, new interior – same wonderful dédaigneux waiters, though.  Prices seem higher – perhaps we’re poorer.  Our annual visite here provides a useful index to how things are going.  But what a lovely city nonetheless – the lights, the bloody Gauloises-smoking people in their outrageous shirts and jackets…

27.4.94  The Louvre

Nice inverted pyramid – volumes – stunning use of old foundations – the scale and breadth.  To one of the main sculpture galleries – so light, so successful.  The white marble.  Pretty impressive.  Interesting that the older part of the Louvre is looking distinctly ropey.  

To Galeries Lafayette for fine, filling lunch (72 Francs), then to Galerie de la Musique (Rue Réaumur) where I find an expensive book on French music and musicians.  Then café, then to Printemps, back to hotel – Paris, as ever, is exhausting, but pleasantly so.

28.4.94  Grand Palais

Last night re-found the fine restaurant near Liceo Italiano – La Fontaine de Mars.  Lovely weather now – pale blue sky, cool breeze.  Grass growing greenly before us.

Rather a failed morning: both Petit Palais and Grand Palais are extra to our tourist tickets, and expensive.  To FNAC – nice and cool, but without the mad excitement of London.  Then try to see Brassaï – also extra.  Metro to hotel – to find a bottle of champagne from the wise hotel manager (he recognised us).  Back in the Grand Palais (yo! Press card).  Origine de l’Impressionisme.  Curious pic by Bazille: atelier with pianist in the corner – new twist on pianist in a brothel.  The massive pix of Monet and Manet – new to me, particularly attractive.  One – “Marine: orange” has precisely the colours and contrast of sea we saw at the beach near Merida.

29.4.94

Back in the serene, majestic Louvre.  The other sculpture court.  Bosio: amazing effect of weather on bronze in his Hercules fighting Acheloos.  Lovely serpent.  Fine Mesopotamian collection – that sense of how much was achieved 4000 years ago.  To the restaurant – surprisingly good, and well executed. Cool here, even though there is ravishing sun outside.

To Denfert-Rochereau – for “Prospero’s Books” (ha!).  After lunch at the Louvre (a really happening place) to Île de la Cité for nice sit in the sun (very warm today), then to here.  The open air cafés – or rather the tables on the street – a part of the French love of la vie en publique.  Small arts cinema (30 Francs/seat), playing “Nozze di Figaro” – too low/slowly – of a kind almost extinct in UK.  A nation of cinephiles.

To the Café du Rendez-vous Denfert-Rochereau, typical French roadside café .  Good caffe (I’ve been spoilt by Italy for most) and crepes.  Classic facade opposite, six storeys, white wall of sun, trees breaking into leaf. Impressionism eat your heart out.

30.4.94 Tour Eiffel

Sunny but cool. Slightly hazy.  Waiting for the third étage lift.  Of course, the Eiffel Tower is pure architecture – without form or function, pure third dimension – which is the defining characteristic of architecture.  From the top: again, striking how tall French buildings are – not skyscrapers, but blocks of flats – the characteristic grey roofs.  Looking towards Bois de Boulogne.  More than any other city I know, Paris is a city of lines – Haussmann, Mitterrand et al.

Also very noticeable is that the flats – the great blocks everywhere – have very strong horizontal and vertical lines: everything is like a grid.  Due in part to the absence of detached houses or low maisonettes that might change the rhythm.  The overall effect is very like a synthetic cubist pic: an image full of clashing lines that hover and blur.  Also: there are very few office blocks here – mostly towards the periphery.  This is a city for living.  Down on the first étage – feels very low and open.  Descending, very noticeable the diagonals of struts – a huge Piranesian nightmare.  

To the Institut du Monde Arabe.  Rather fine building.  To the café on the top – view from the roof over the Seine.  Nice artichoke.  Fascinated by the regulation system for the lighting: photoelectric cells control hydraulic pumps that move rotating plates, opening and closing apertures.  I’ve yet to see it in action: lots of Arabic gutturals around.

To the Syrian exhibition (last day today).  Generally disappointing, but a nice feel of tens of empires – Hittites, Hattites, Akkadians etc hurtling together, contesting this parcel of fertile land, inventing the city, writing…

Now drinking thé à la menthe on the terrace.  Very hot, very nice.  Next to us, three ladies of a certain age discuss computers remarkably sensibly.

On the Bateau-Mouches – an eternal cadence in six languages.
The smell in the Metro, pinned down: burnt wood…

1.5.94

Everything closed, of course.  Blue sky, but slight chill in the air.  Outside Saint-Roch, away form the bloody marchers.  To Le Marché aux Puces, Porte de Clignancourt.  A huge modern-day souk.  Wonderful.

2.5.94

La Samaritaine.  Fine view, good coffee.  A walk from the waxworks museum through some wonderful galleries, Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, to here.  So much to see in Paris, I feel.  Ashamed for London – whether justifiably or not is hard to say.

Lunch in Galeries Lafayette.  Walk down to La Madeleine – first time I’ve seen it: large, classical, covered in scaffolding.  Towards Boullée’s only surviving construction in Paris.  To 16, rue de la Ville l'Évêque – very strange, a bank now, with a glass portico, through which we can see Boullée’s sad remains.  Now crushed between two dull concrete slabs.  Seems to be the dining room of the bank now. Nice swags in the Corinthian columns’ eyes.  Corinthian passing to Doric. Sad.  Fine freizes in the portico, two sphinxes on the six steps.

Inside the Madeleine – much grander than I expected.  So many columns and arches and domes.  Light falls from the ceiling as if liquid.  A sea of open-backed raffia-seat chairs, surprisingly delicate, giving a refined ripple through the space.  Outrageous chandeliers like golden vines and creepers.

Outside the Madeleine, to a café behind it (or the restauration).  Ridiculously noisy, but hell, it’s the principle that counts.  

3.5.94  Carrefour Buci

Very characteristic quarter.  Sitting in the warm sun.  Clear blue sky.  Nice that though we leave at 5.30pm this evening we can enjoy Paris in this relaxed way.  Very noticeable how pleasant just walking in Paris is (from Le Bon Marché to here).  Cf. Köln or Stuttgart – dead boring, depressing even.  Here just being – L’être – basta.

To Loubnane, Rue Galande, for mezedes.  The parking here:  if there is two metres of road a junction, this is enough for a BMW.  Rich Turkish coffee – reminds me of Egypt.

Returning to UK, the contrast with France is clear: fluffy explosions of trees everywhere below us.  And on the tube bringing us in, greenery everywhere.  London is organic, Paris is planned and man-made.  Also noticeable how the Underground sprawls out into the suburbs – weed-like, and asymmetrically.  Le Métro is more dense and orderly, as strictly within the Périphérique – a name that says it all.

More destinations:

1991 Paris

1992 Paris

1994 Paris

1994 France

1995 Paris

2023 Paris 

2017 Georgia

9.10.17 Tbilisi

Well, here I am again in Prospero's Books Café.  Two years ago I was here.  Now it seems so familiar, as does Tbilisi – apart from all the building works.  Glorious sunny day, but alas it won't last when I drive up to the Caucasus tomorrow (I love being able to write that…)  Leaving yesterday, with a long, long journey ahead of me, I felt as I did when starting off on my Interrail travels – a sense of how far I had to go.  Yesterday, it was to Luton, then a direct flight to Kutaisi, Georgia's second city.  That was all easy.  The four-hour coach drive here was not.

We left at 3.30am, with about 60 of us crammed into a coach.  Fine, except the seats were so close together – good job I'm not claustrophobic.  I did manage to sleep for an hour or two.  Fortunately, I slept about five hours on the Wizzair flight – I was in row 12, the emergency exit row, and was left along there, so I lay down across three seats.  Plane about 90% full, mostly Georgians.  Great deal – I paid £160 return with all the benefits… Kutaisi airport small, but functional.  Coach service efficient.  So when I got to my hotel at 7.30am, I showered, then had breakfast.  I chose Marlyn Hotel since it is very close to the coach drop-off point.  Aptly enough, by Pushkin Park.  

Eating lunch in the place overlooking bridge and statue.  Busy – I'm in the basement, where even the waiters are smoking…  But cheap and good.  I've been busy too.  Went to Geocell, bought 30 minutes international calls, plus 2Gbytes of Internet for £6.  Took out money, bought maps from Geomaps – hidden away, a rather bare room.  But the best maps.  Then to the central Carrefour to buy water and walnut things - churchkhela.  Since I was carrying a small bag, the security man wanted me to seal it.  He called out loudly "katso" – sounded like "cazzo".  Lots of wine here – Georgian – so I'll come back here on Saturday to buy that, and more churchkhela…

Internet connection in the hotel fast, if a bit intermittent.  VPN working well.  I think I've worked out how to get the car out of the city tomorrow.  Various closed roads to navigate, plus the need to make a U-turn…

Tbilisi still beautiful and charming, but I wonder how long it will last.  Lots of building – big shops – and there's a lot of old, rambling houses that are surely going to go.  Sad, but I'm lucky to have seen it before they do.  I imagine outside Tbilisi, things will last longer.  Although the weather is glorious here, sadly seems dismal up in the mountains.  Ah well…

10.10.17 Stepantsminda

Sitting in Restaurant Khada, as I begin the long ascent to Stepantsminda.  Not a good start: Hotel Kazbegi cancelled my reservation – no electricity, they say.  Luckily, I had time to find another – Green Sheep...we'll see if it has the mountain views they promise.  Then to pick up the car at Citadines hotel.  Typical old Georgian crate – 120,000 km on the clock, bits pretty rough.  Hope it gets me there OK…

Then over an hour to get out of Tbilisi – terrible signposting – I ended up on the main road going back into Tbilisi… Luckily, U-turns are allowed, even on a dual carriageway.  Finally got out, in the pouring rain.  Found road to  Stepantsminda.  OK now, moving slowly up and up.  Presumably Jvari pass will be misty, but all part of the fun.  I stopped at this restaurant because it's getting late.  But another reason was the flock of sheep blocking the road ahead of me…

Sitting in Restaurant  Stepantsminda.  Has the virtue of being central, though not very Georgian in its ambience.  Limited menu, but hey… What a journey.  The rain never stopped, but the landscape became more and more majestic beyond Khada restaurant.  The road followed the river, which was low, but wide.  The valley went on and on, deeper and deeper, higher and higher.  However, I soon caught up with lorries – lots of them.  Many from Russia and Armenia, belching appalling fumes, making me feel sick.  I had to have the air conditioning on drawing air from outside, otherwise the glass misted over – adding to rain, constant bends, and people overtaking all the time (even I did a few times).  The real problem was after Zemo Mleta – constant, tight turns – then Gudauri.  Alas, not much to see in the rain at Jvari – just swirling clouds.  But mercifully, once past Jvari, the air cleared and I could make out walls of stone plus brown colouring lower down (ferms?).  In the distance, I could see some of the snow-capped peaks.

Amazing that I am here in the Caucasus.  Even with the awful weather now, definitely worth coming.  My "new" hotel – Green Sheep – is basic but cheap – and warm.  Also has amazingly good Internet – managed to hold Google Hangout with video – impressive considering where I am.

Walked around town briefly – very weird.  Lots of half-hearted building, even more half-ruined buildings – looks like some Tarkovsky set.  Couldn't see Gergeti church, but caught a glimpse when I arrived. Still a few lorries thundering through.  I admire their drivers – bad enough during the day, but at night must be frightening negotiating the unlit roads… Underlines how this is one of the most important road links across the mountains.  In town there's a sign: "Vladikavkazi", reminds me how close Russia is.  Also striking how many Russians here in Stepantsminda – obviously they pop across the border for a few days.  Also in Tbilisi: my hotel was full of them.  Huge lorries still heading for Jvari pass…  The marshrutkas from here are very cheap – only 10GEL for Tbilisi.  Probably a bit of a squeeze for three hours, but cheap...

11.10.17 Stepantsminda

Back in the restaurant for lunch.  Great morning despite the pouring rain when I woke up.  A slightly restless night – woke up so thirsty several times – thanks to too much salt in my meal last night.  No breakfast at Green Sheep, but a kettle and coffee powder.  I bought Danish pastries and croissant (but with chocolate – yuk).  Then out to the Russian border.

Wonderful drive – downhill, which surprised me – I expect borders to be at the highest point.  Little traffic.  Road good but a few rock falls.  Amazing rock walls around valley – nearing Darial.  Road turns to rocks near border – rough for my hired Megane.  Then I hit the queuing lorries.  But I overtook them, and pulled in to the parking by the Mtavarangelazi monastery.  Walked to the border – the alleged shopping centre closed, desolate.  Gravel extraction, whole place grim – but worth seeing…

Now the Gergeti church peeking out through the clouds.  The sun has come out at times - so, lucky really.  Managed to spot the road up – looks very slow and steep.  Not sure my old banger can cope.  May go for taxi…

Walked around the town – everywhere being built, everywhere in ruins, everywhere roads dug up.  Took lots of pix, since I reckon this old town will be gone soon as more people come here.  Have to capture the place.  I'll probably go down the Sno valley this afternoon – reasonable road for most of it, even it rains.  Yesterday, I realised what this journey reminded me of: driving up (in a coach) to Kashmir Valley from the railhead at Jammu.  That constant sense of up, then the tunnel, the bursting out into light… This was shorter, less dangerous, but more personal – I drove.  

To my left, viewed from the restaurant, there are six eagles swooping around the mountain.  I saw one earlier – took some poor pix of it.  Beautiful.  Looks like I misjudged the Khevi Restaurant.  Although dingy from the outside, food is much better than the other place.  

I was lucky today.  As I left after lunch, the sun began to break through.  I drove to Sno valley, and the sun and blue skies became more evident.  Sno valley stunning.  Stopped at the Sno fortress, took pix – so dramatic.  Then drove on, down the increasingly dodgy track.  Ahead of me the snow-capped peaks dazzled and tantalised.  The true scale of the Caucasus became apparent.  One or two taxis with other tourists, but otherwise I had this place to myself – with the pigs, horses and cows.

Thing is, the Georgian telco Geocell has done a fab job.  Everywhere I've been, not matter how remote, signal has been strong and Internet speeds good.  Certainly makes here even more attractive.  As I drove back to Stepantsminda, the upper regions of the mountains to the east appeared – wow, they are tall.  Hope I get to see them better…

12.10.17 Stepantsminda

Awoke to sunshine, amazingly.  Went out and saw the great glistening peak of Mount Kazbegi behind the lower hills.  Today was my chance.  I went down to the Moedani at 9am, hoping to find a taxi.  For once, somebody leapt at me.  So I had to ask: "how much to the church?".  "60GEL" – I said 40, he said 50 – deal done.  It was perhaps over-priced, but I couldn't risk losing this opportunity while the weather was good.  It proved a wise move.

We set off along the road to the border, then turned left up a track.  But this was nothing – at least it was level.  We entered the village.  Tiny streets, full of puddles.  Ahead of us five 4x4s also making the trek.  We rose higher, and the road became worse – muddy, huge puddles.  Then we halted.  A police car blocked the road, stopping anyone going further.  This seemed ironic: was I to get so far, only to be thwarted at the last moment?

But my driver was a typical dammit-all Georgian.  He managed to find a way round the police car – and the other waiting cars – and we continued.  Now the road became seriously bad: it would have destroyed my rental car.  Good call.  Then we found what the problem was – a rock fall, half blocking the road, and a great JCB dealing with it.

To get around the rock fall, my driver went to the edge of the road – with me hanging over the steep drop.  Then he sneaked behind the working JCB, honking furiously.  "Shtraf" – he said, meaning he risked a fine for this; "70GEL". Given his quick action, and the terrifying state of the road, it seemed fair, not least because no one else was doing it.  So when we arrived, we had the place to ourselves.  The odyssey was not finished.  Now he drove across the great churned mud fields – I was sure we'd get stuck, but we didn't.  He was insane, but good at his job.  Finally, we arrived by the church.

What a place. Looking back at Mount Kazbegi, its white snow stood out above all else.  The huge mountains covered in golden foliage/grass, with amazing folds in their surfaces.  Up at the church, a wonderful view of Stepantsminda, the houses looking tiny.  Opposite, the great wall of rock truly grandiose.  Eagles wheeled overhead – a dozen of them.  The wind was forceful, and my hands became numb as I took pic after pic.  But they could never capture the sheer grandeur of the place.  So like the Lake District, but so much bigger.

I stayed up there over an hour, reluctant to leave this place, but my driver was making subtle hints, like following me with his Mitsubishi minivan as I explored the place.  Have to say, this was a doughty little vehicle – truly, this was the worst road I've ever been along – no idea how the  Mitsubishi's tyres and suspension held up.  We were jerked from side to side violently as the wheels went into deep puddles and ruts, or over big, sharp rocks.  We made it down, we shook hands, and I paid the 70GEL – well worth it for (a) making possible a long-desired experience and (b) not getting me killed…

After lunch in the restaurant of yesterday, back, to the room to work.  One of the amazing things here in Georgia is how good mobile Internet coverage is.  So just as I was able to make calls from beside the church, so I have been able to do work here.  Today, I sent off questions to the Polish MEP Michał Boni about copyright…

Then, out for drive.  It was raining again, but it didn't matter – rain and sun both belong here.  I went all the way back to Kobi, near the ascent to the Jvari pass.  I wanted to see what the track into Truso valley was like.  I quickly found it was bad, and gave up any thought of proceeding.  I would love to come back here with a 4x4…

Truso valley looked really enticing.  But I was happy to drive back along the main valley, recapitulating Tuesday's route.  Today I had sunshine and a clearer view of the walls.  I stopped and took pix – of the amazing black, volcanic stream-bed past Kanobi, and the villages perched on the high foothills, all with their tin (?) roofs, a kind of prism shape – very striking.  I started up into Sion to see the church, but a car blocked the way, so I reversed back.  Luckily very little traffic today.  I hope it's like this tomorrow as I begin my long journey back to Tbilisi… But all-in-all, really something I'll remember…

13.10.17 Tbilisi

At Mtskheta's Check-in Garden restaurant, as planned.  Sitting at the back, under an awning, the sun pouring down, the wind rippling the river in front of me.  The nearby cathedral full of promise.

Back in Tbilisi now.  What a ride.  So, when I rose, plenty of clouds, but blue sky over the pass, and the forecasts were good for both the valley and the pass, and so it proved.  Amazingly little traffic on the road when I left at 9am.  It was as if I had a perfect landscape all to myself.  The hills a glorious golden brown, the snowy peaks blinding white.  Everywhere that was safe and there was something to see, I took pix – about 150 during the day.

Up to the pass, stopped at the cross – nothing special.  Then on to the kitsch monument to "Russo-Georgian friendship" – yuk.  But the view from its platform was spellbinding.  In fact, I stayed there about 30 minutes, unable to tear myself away.  Then through the twists of Gudauri – looking really ugly in the sun, where it looked more grim in the rain – then on to the great zigzag descent.  A few lorries, but again remarkably sparse.  Then into the endless, wonderful Aragvi valley – a visual paradise, especially in autumn, with such soft colours everywhere, and the streams gradually gaining force.

Since I was taking much longer than expected – lingering to look – I stopped for a (turkish) coffee about 15 minutes from Ananuri (at Meneso?).  Then went around the monastery there – relatively busy with tourists, but only relatively – a few dozen, nothing terrible.

Then on to Mtskheta, to the Check-in Garden restaurant, found by recommendation of some online comments.  Food good – chicken cooked in milk – location even better – on the banks of the Mtkvani river, glittering in the sun.  Afterwards to the cathedral.  Beautiful and intense, with narrow nave, and lovely stone.  Svetitskhoveli Cathedral a true medieval masterpiece. 

[Eating now in "Tifliso restaurant – not bad.  Nice red wine and veal hot dish.]

After the cathedral, I had to negotiate the road to Jvari Monastery, high on the mountain nearby.  Happily, for once, the roads were well signposted.  The road up very long, the views worth it, though, over the city and the two rivers.  Sun really hot – getting burned.  Then the fun bit: Friday evening rush hour in Tbilisi.  Amazingly, I managed to find the way, avoided hitting anyone, despite their aggressive pushing in.  Had to wait in Citadines forecourt – which is very small, which meant moving the car to make room for others.  Eventually Hertz bloke came and I went back to Marlyn hotel.  A room at the back, but rather nice view of the ramshackle old buildings.  Then along Kote Afhazi Street, after a shower and downloading the pix, to here.  Lovely atmosphere at night – very relaxed and cosmopolitan.

14.10.17 Tbilisi

Sitting in Aripana restaurant on Davit Aghmashenebeli Avenue – which is very lively.  Gorgeous Saturday in Tbilisi.  Ordered kubdari, a speciality from Svaneti.  I earlier went to Prospero's Books for coffee and cheesecake, and only bought one of the three Georgian language course volumes – the others were sold out.  Seems hard to find the others.  Walked across the river to part of the city I don't know – found this great food street.  Went to Santa Esperanza bookshop – which had nothing, but bought Harry Potter 2 in Georgian, only to realise that I already have it, so have to go back and exchange it.  Also topped up the old metro card. Marjanishvili nearby.  The cheese soup tepid, but the cheese balls were nice – a bit like mozzarella.

15.10.17

On the bus, waiting to leave for Kutaisi...

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Moody's Black Notebook Travels

2015 Tbilisi

3.10.15

Sitting in Gatwick.  Rather appropriate that the previous entry in this notebook was for Latvia, where I went to the Georgian restaurant, and I wrote: "felt like I was in the Caucusus – if only…".  And here I am, waiting for a flight to Istanbul where, if I'm lucky, I will connect to a flight to Tbilisi.  My only fear is that fog here will delay my flight – but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

4.10.15

Sitting outside Sion cathedral, Georgian polyphony pouring over me.  Church full to overflowing.  Glorious sunny day – for now.  Rain promised later.  Tbilisi beautiful, as I knew it would be.  Old Metekhi Hotel great – fine view over river to the fortress.  Breakfast, er, simple – instant coffee, nice Georgian porridge.  Almost without exception, the women wear scarves for the church.  Gives a very middle eastern feel to the scene.  Quite a few young people here too.  An old geezer cam up to me, shook my hand.  Only spoke Georgian, so I don't know what he said…rugged, weatherbeaten face.  As I walk away, the bell tolls slowly…

Sitting in Café Tbilisi in Rustaveli, maybe not a wonderful choice, but I'm tired and thirsty…  Been walking for two hours.  Up Rustaveli, past all the landmarks – theatre, museums, parliament, up to Rose Revolution Square – where there is a wine festival.  Then to the concert hall, where TV are recording a load of children.  Lots of pet shops around here – weird.  As I went down Rustaveli, heard incredible Georgian singing everywhere – came from Georgian Day of Wine.  Deafening, amazing.  Wine not bad too – pity I couldn't get one of the t-shirts.  Now in Khinkhali House nearby – strange to see fags on menu, and people smoking in the restaurant.  Bare, but looks pretty popular with locals – a good sign.  

Now sitting in Prospero's Books – or rather, Caliban's Café.  I have been weak, bought two Georgian language books – but they look good, and the pound is very strong, so prices low.  Very nice here, good atmosphere – not sure about Caliban's coffee…  Down Rustaveli, then across to the National Gallery.  Into Pirosmani gallery.  I vaguely know these, but to see them together, up close, is weird.  A kind of darker Rousseau – almost bonkers.  For example, his "Donkey Bridge" is just bizarre… There's a small group of Germans having a tour here – there were several on the plane from Istanbul.  I got the impression they are one of the main tourist groups here.  In the other side of the gallery, mostly a painter called Gudiashvili.  Rather depressing, but certainly has his own style.  Another painter, David Kakabadze.  Rather more humane.  Nice portraits and landscapes.

Back to the hotel using the metro.  Which is incredibly deep: 100/150 metres perhaps?  The escalator is like a trip down to hell.  Trains look Soviet style, old but functional.  Easy trip back, though.  Then showered, logged on – wifi very good, makes Google Hangouts work really well.  Finally, the clouds have come, rain falls in big drops, lightning in the hills.  So I decide to take the easy option, go to Old Metekhi restaurant next to the hotel.  Got last table – full of groups, mostly tourists.  But food is supposed to be good.  Ordered cold soup, and chicken in blackberry sauce, plus red Georgian wine.  Nice – strong, with marsala-like aftertaste.  Very dark ghvino… Judging by the soaked people coming in, I made a good decision not to walk… Lots of old people here. 

It feels good making these trips, plunging into the unknown.  I certainly want to travel around this region – Iran may be possible now things are opening up there.  Plus Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan… 

Cold soup – yoghurt, dill, cucumber, garlic – yum.  And...people are smoking in here….

5.10.15

Slept very well considering the three-hour time difference – amazing how walking tires you out.  Today, as feared, rather damp and fresh.  Still, yesterday was perfect.  Two things I noticed.  First, Georgian women look very typical for the region – Armenian/Iranian.  Dark, heavy brows, rather bulging features.  The other is how few fat people there are.  Yes, quite a few men have booze bellies, but few really fat.  Poverty maybe a factor: there are a lot of old people begging in the streets.

Out into the rain, which is more a drizzle – not unpleasant.  Over to the hot baths, smell of sulphur in the air.  Found a couple of restaurants for dinner.  Then up to the fortress – to the top, with very dodgy steps, no handrail.  Now sitting inside the church within the fortress.  Very simple iconostasis in on the east side, frescoes and icons everywhere.  Faint smell of incense.  Priest/guardian here, doing stuff.  Distant car horns – the Georgians love them some car horns.  One interesting fact: of the million cars here, 250,000 use right-hand drive – because they are cheaper, imported from Japan, mostly.  Strange to see this mixture of left-hand and right-hand drive.

On the way down from the fortress, I stopped off at the Armenian church.  To the right, the tomb of Sayat Nova, killed in 1795 by the Persians.  Amazing that he's here – emphasises Tbilisi's key cultural role.  Church being restored.  Then back to the old city, to here, the Anchiskhati Basilica.  Truly ancient – small, old frescoes, older stone.  Goes back to the sixth century.  Sitting in a café by the church (Gabriadze).  Sadly there are some noisy USians, but otherwise rather beautiful here.  Church was fantastic, took many photos.

Topped up my Geocell SIM, asked where post office is: no one knows… weird.  Now back in Caliban's Café – all galleries closed today, so choice limited for cafés (assuming they have any).  Will go out to station after – I like stations.  Also, the main market is supposed to be there. On meeting, people kiss once – left cheeks touching… Surprised how few Russians around – only heard it spoken a couple of times.  I suppose they don't get on well, now…

Took metro to station, wandered around market there – very middle eastern/Turkish.  Big jewellery hall.  Then tried to find post office.  There's one at the station, but they didn't sell stamps.  Told to go to next metro stop.  Did so, failed to find anything.  Then took metro down to my "home" stop, Avlabari.  Didn't go to hotel, but turned towards huge Holy Trinity Cathedral.  Very impressive – soars upwards in beautiful stone.  Inside, very clean, very tall.  Georgian orthodox wedding taking place – bride and groom wearing crowns.  Surrounding local area strikingly - poor rundown houses, etc.

Along to Puris Sakhli – House of Bread, opposite my hotel, on the other river bank.  Ordered a bottle of Teliani red – 20 lari – not much more than a glass of something else.  Also ordered khachapuri to mop things up, plus pig's heart and liver.  For some reason, the twinkling radio mast up on the hills ahead of me reminds when I was taken to Lykavitos...now, that was a while ago.  Kupati – a kind of sausage, it seems.  Rather rich.  Might try the churchkhela, seen them everywhere…

6.10.15

Another glorious day.  Sitting on seats in alcoves opposite Sioni cathedral.  Earlier, I went in Old Metekhi church – rather nice.  Then, finally found someone to sell me a stamp.  Looked in the church next to the dilapidated Armenian church, but there was a service.  To Sioni, hit by a wall of incense as I entered.  Sun now really hot.  Surprising number of nuns around, in their pillbox black hat and veil.

Out to the station by metro (again).  Really hard to find the platforms – hidden away behind a huge shopping centre.  Very bare and forbidding – looks very Soviet, even if later.  Then back to Rustaveli; along to Museum of Modern Art.  Mainly Zurab Tsereteli – very vigorous, a bit monotonous.  But what strikes me most are the photos.   Tsereteli with Clinton,  Tsereteli with Deneuve,  Tsereteli with Richard Gere…  The constant grin on everyone's face – so false.

Now sitting in the sepulchral Alani restaurant – Ossetian fare, and nearby.  Another fab day.  Lunch at Prospero's Books – conveniently placed, and I wanted wifi to check on something.  Very pleasant idling time there – maps on to lots of other places – Dublin, New Zealand, etc., those moments of tranquillity.  Also, I wanted to buy Harry Potter 1 in Georgian, which I did.  I also bought another, bigger dictionary from one of the dozens of people selling books in the street – especially Russian books.  Very tempting, but carrying them back a problem.

Then to the National Museum.  One of the impressive things there is the 1.4 million-year-old skulls, found in Georgia, some of the oldest hominids.  One touching fact: one skull has no teeth – and worn down gums.  Clearly quite old, and looked after by the tribe.  This is the basis of our success.  Also impressive the Colchis gold – amazingly able goldsmiths and quite unknown to the rest of the world.  All those civilisations…

Eating Alani salad – meat, mushrooms, etc. – meat rather fatty; lobiani – bread with bean paste – nice; and lamb stew – again, meat not wonderful.  A glass of rather perfumed wine, plus Borjomi water.  Upstairs in the museum, a display about the "Russian occupation" – which Georgians clearly feel bad about.  Strange to see pix of Saakashvili, with music by Michael Nyman in the background.  Oh no, the music show has started in the restaurant – very bass heavy, mournful soprano singing of her woes.  Too loud…

After the museum, walked down to the old town – feels like middle east/turkey/Samarkand.  Popped in to the church I saw briefly this morning – completely painted inside, very small.  As well as the music here in the restaurant, place is full of smoke – very authentic.  A table is full of baldy men who periodically rise to toast.  Food interesting, but not great – lots of fat, but probably reflecting cooking reality when times are hard.  Talking of which, lots of beggars around – old ladies, just lying in the street, wrapped up, with begging bowl for money.  On the metro, a lone clarinet player today; yesterday, a blind man led by a young man with some genetic disease… On the metro, felt again how deep we were: and if there were an earthquake?  The distance between stations great – one kilometre?  A long way to walk…

Afterwards, in my room, plunging into Twitter discussions.  Connectivity very good – video calls pretty clear.  Shows one could live/work here…  Finally trying chacha – identical to grappa..  On Mekhiti bridge – amazing atmosphere – balmy, calm, everyone out.  Pity about the beggar girl that grabbed on to my legs as I moved off…

7.10.15

Rain when I woke up, but cleared to a hot and humid day.  Given that I have to get to the airport by 3, I went up to Holy Trinity Cathedral – seems a quintessential combination of ancient and modern, of Georgia's religiosity, its ambitions.  Three monks singing in three parts to accompany the service.  Pretty empty otherwise.  Sun really hot, so I've taken refuge in the main restaurant overlooking Vakhtang Gorgasali Square.  Again, they seem to think I'm Russian – gave me the Russian menu… Weird seeing cable cars passing overhead out of the corner of my eye.  Nice pix of Old Tbilisi including Metekhi church, where my hotel now is.  

To the airport.  Driven by a crazy old geezer, answering his mobile, steering with one hand, and doing 120 km/hour where the limit is 40 km/hour.  Oh, and no seat belts in the back…  But I made it, through security, looking at the fine Georgian wines.  Hope I can get them through security in Istanbul, where they've added it for transit.  At least this time I have longer to get to my plane.  And anyway, staying over in Istanbul would not be the end of the world...

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Moody's Black Notebook Travels