A Day Back in Tbilisi

Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2008--Tbilisi

I had a good breakfast this morning. There was a hot mixture of potatoes, onions, and pork. There was a pancake-type bread that I ate with it. Then I also had a piece of the bread with jam. Also, there was a bowl of rice porridge. Ummm! I worry a bit that I might be starting to gain back some of the weight that I have lost, since the meals are so filling here in Georgia.

I had sinus problems during the night along with bad dreams. I guess walking out in the countryside yesterday stirred up the sinuses. I also had sinus problems after the day that I walked across the fields to go from one old church to a village with other churches last week here near Tbilisi. The worst of my bad dreams was one about having my luggage stolen. I was so upset to lose everything again. I'm glad it was just a dream.

The van got us to Tbilisi fast today. It took only a little over 2 hours. The driver really put on the brakes when he saw a police car ahead. Police cars seem to be everywhere today. Maybe it is because the French President is in town working with the government to try to settle the problems between Georgia and Russia over disputed land.

It's nice to be back with the family here. They are so friendly and nice. They served me tea and cake when I returned. And they wanted to hear all about my travels and the experiences I had. I had asked them for a recipe earlier, and they were making the dish today so that I could see the process and write it down. I am bringing the recipe home with me to try as a party snack sometime. It is called Eggplant with Walnut Mixture in English. There is a special spice mixture for it that they bought for me to have to take home with me. While I was getting recipes, I also got their recipe for fig preserves. It is almost exactly the same as my pear preserves recipe I make (which I had figured out just from the look and taste of it).

I went exploring in the city again this afternoon. I found an area I had not seen yet. I bought a gift to take to Copenhagen. I wandered through a mall and a supermarket. I eventually sat in a nice park for about an hour just relaxing and watching people. Before returning to the room, I bought a large wrap-style sandwich with chicken, beef, tomatoes, onions, cucumber, mayonnaise, sale, etc. It was delicious. Then I stopped at the store to buy a local beer and some chips to share with the family tonight. I wanted to see what the local beer is like, and this one is supposed to be the best made here in Georgia.

I finished reading The Lost Heart of Asia tonight. Usually, I read novels. This book, however, is a travelogue written by a historian. I really enjoyed it, especially since the countries covered (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkministan, Kazakstan, and Kirghistan) are just a little further east than Georgia and are also former members of the USSR. I found that many of the things he described (the conditions of the cities and the buildings, the customs of the people, etc.) are much like I have seen and experienced here in Georgia. I would give the book 3 stars out of 4.

Note: I will be traveling to small towns (Signaghi, Gurdjiani, and Telavi) before returning to Tbilisi in 6 days. I will try to post, but there could be a lack of cyber cafes in some of them.