KathleenBack in Tbilisi, we now have one full day to explore the city on our own. We started our day with a soak at one of the city’s fine hot mineral baths, where we had our own private bath suite and two attendants to wash and exfoliate us….delightful! We then wandered up the hill nearby with its ancient monastery and fortifications only to find that the whole area was under renovation. Searching for another way to get to the gondola to take us back down off of the hill, we found the most delightful botanical garden area! Set in a river cutback leading away from the city, it was full of natural and cultivated beauty. Honestly, we could have wandered around the extensive gardens and trails for days. Because we were limited on time, we only spent a couple hours in the gardens, and then enjoyed taking the gondola down to the newer area of town and seeing the friendship bridge, performing arts center and city market, finishing up at Tbilisi’s newest and most central catherdal. In the evening, we were treated to live music and local dancers followed by some more modern dance music and we had a blast boogying with the locals. Beautiful city and country! We highly recommend a visit. Unfortunately, it is now time to move on…..
