On the Road Again

Today we were back on the road traveling the long road from Tbilisi to the coast of the Black Sea in Batumi.  Along the way we dropped of others of our group in places like Kutasi.  A few pictures of the journey here...

So, you know, just your average castle hanging around in the middle of a field.  Speaking of fields, there were grape arbors in everyone's yard, just like you'd find a garden in one of ours.  Here's one....

And I didn't get a picture, but there were COWS everywhere along the side of the road and lots of homes had chickens in the front yard.  I have to say the buildings the Russians built when they occupied Georgia have not held up well and are utilitarian to say the least (okay, I'm going with ugly).  I'll post some later from my trip back...I didn't get any good ones on the way here.

Lunch was a traditional Georgian dish, Khachapuri, which is, in this case, cheese bread.  I'm sure I've gotten some of this from Dominos or Pizza Hut.  I haven't tried all of the varieties of khachapuri, but I did try the bean variety for dinner and that was...interesting.  Not a big fan of mushed up beans in bread, but it is apparently VERY popular.

The capital of Georgia moves around a bit.  For the last several years (until the new government came in), the Parliament was located in Kutasi.  It was very beautiful and had some amazing fountains.  I hope that my friends Kelli and Bonnie are enjoying the beautiful city.

(Monster took  a break there, too)

I am staying at a hotel called Hotel Elegant and it is just that.  It is not modern in most ways--it has actual keys that you leave at the desk when you leave the hotel.  This is one of the windows in my room.  Stained glass, it is.

This is the view out of my window.  I'm not sure what that building is, but it is certainly very pink!

Ceiling of the hotel foyer.  Beautiful!

I can have tea anytime I want.  This is located right outside my door.  (And most of you know how much I love a good cup of tea!)

We visited with the head of school of St. Andrew the First-Called and had traditional Georgian desserts and wines.  I learned about the toasting procedures (they go in a certain order) and the history of wine making in Batumi.  Oh, and I also watched a basketball game (they only played four on four and their coach plays on the Georgian National Basketball team) and toured the city at night.  I hope to touch the Black Sea tomorrow!