Tour Day 5: “Say goodbye to Armenia this morning as you board a public bus to Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia. On arrival, you’ll have time for your own discoveries of this vibrant city. You may like to wander the old districts, which are structured like terraces, take a walk along the river, visit the Tbilisi Concert Hall and Public Service Hall, or grab a great coffee and check out the artist pop ups at Fabrika.”
.
That’s right…we rode a public bus from Dilijan across the Armenia-Georgia border and on to Tbilisi. Here we are starting to gather after the trek up the hill with our baggage to load into said public bus.
The border crossing went smoothly and although the bus was more crowded than our previous bus, all in all it wasn’t bad. (Hilda’s picture)
A thing along most roads we traveled in both Armenia and Georgia.
And trucks, oh my goodness. There’s an interesting and controversial story about the Chinese building a massive tunnel to alleviate some of the congestion on the Georgia Military Highway. The trucks tear up the roads so terribly that all the other vehicles are paying the price.
The tour hotel was up the hill past that church and statue. The river, the Kura, I heard was dirty from the muddy flow and that the river rides were not worth it, but I might throw advice to the wind and do it anyway.
The Tree of Life installed in 2016. One website said the locals call it The Tree of Wishes because you can leave coins in the base of the tree. You’ll see more of the train car later.
Those domes are Georgian spas – sulfur soaks, hammam style scrubs, and even massage. Oh you know it, that’s for ME!
The Bridge of Peace, opened in 2010, designed by the Italian architect Michele De Lucchi, transported from Italy in 200 trucks, “a message in Morse code “that renders the periodic table of elements goes across two parapets every hour. The lights designer Martinaud considers this communication celebration of “life and peace between people”.”
I’m liking the look of Tbilisi.
Merlyn, Hilda, and I came out for a very light dinner having eaten and eaten until we thought it was impossible to eat again. But no. It was possible.
A balloon ride rising like the moon above a bar and snack place on the river.
I’m going to be doing this! That’s the Bridge of Peace in the lower left.
