This morning I walked back to the old neighborhood to make a reservation for the spa and to walk up to the prominent Virgin Mary Assumption Church of Metekhi that I’d passed so many times before. In the above picture you can see more of the graduates that were out and about for the last few days, here taking advantage of the venue for photos.
Below is a picture from the church patio. I talked about all the EU flags before and how the demonstrations were against a law that would complicate Georgia’s acceptance by the EU, a controversial issue for the people and the government.
You’ve seen this building in the background of many photos. It’s the Presidential Palace and there are administrative offices in that oval building.
More flags large and small.
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The sign on the box says “Cats Arrived in June 2020” and I found several others in my new area but not further afield. You know I love it! The artist has a website and instagram. She’s gosha art and what a cutie.
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Heading into another kind of neighborhood approached from an underground tunnel. Check out those images.
I went into the door below, curious as to where it would lead.
And it led to a bar/lounge/art studio and a book that was the inspiration for all the tunnel paintings. I had a delightful visit with “the guy” in the bar who told me at some length about the great Georgian myth illustrated below.
More from the tunnel.
And here we are.
A lot of the dogs just lie on the street waiting for someone to put food in front of their nose. Sometimes they’re just too full to notice even left-over steak. When they can rouse themselves they like to put their head against your leg. One of the tour ladies thought they must be sick, they were so lethargic. I tried to find out but failed.
My destination was this handsome pedestrian street (Agmashenebeli Street..if I remember, and that’s a big IF) full of halal restaurants, hookah bars, and music from Turkey and India and Iran pouring out of the open doors, although you can’t tell from this picture.
At the end of the several blocks that make up the pedestrianized zone, was this sweet little place run by a grandma who was entertaining her guests. She took 30-45 minutes to cook the best version of the eggplant appetizer yet, called nigvziani badrijani, and we’d had it almost every day of the tour. She also made the best version of the mushroom soup so YUM!
And then I took the long trek home to spend some time on tour pictures.