Monday, June 10, 2019

Day One: Tbilisi

This past Tuesday we were winging our way to Tbilisi, Georgia for the holiday of Eid Al Fitr that marks the end of the month of Ramadan.
The forecast called for rain and a heatwave the 4 days we were there, but fortunately, we only saw rain on the drive from the airport to our hotel; and the heat wasn't really what we would consider overly hot.
Our hotel was right across the street from the Kura River and was an easy walk into Old Tbilisi.
We crossed Baratashvili Bridge where there's a sculptural composition of bronze figures entitled "Youth" by Georgi Japaridze.
And explored a bit before deciding to eat at Stelzen Haus which is a German-Georgian restaurant.
My friend Mini at MinizDiary (who is vegetarian) visited Tbilisi last year and wrote a blog post about the food so I had an idea of some of the traditional dishes I might be able to try.
Badrijani is eggplant and peppers stuffed with walnut pate and Phkali is a spinach mousse with walnut paste and traditional herbs.
My husband had a vegetable soup and I had a salad of cucumber and tomatoes with walnut paste, so by the time the Lobiani arrived (bread stuffed with kidney beans) we were already feeling pretty full.  We only managed to eat a few pieces, but it was so very good and if I had known the portion size, I wouldn't have ordered the starters.
After dinner, I did some wine tasting and bought a bottle to take back to the hotel.
Then we walked across the Bridge of Peace over to Rike Park.
Unfortunately, it was cloudy and starting to get dark so some of my pictures aren't so clear at this point.
Lavender in bloom that smelled so good.
Walking back to our hotel for the night.
Day two included lots more walking, a cable car ride, the botanical garden and Narikala Fortress.
More next time.

Wishing you a great week.

19 comments:

Terra said...

Oh Tammy, I would love to visit that city and country, all of your photos make it look charming and cultured with a bit of fun in the sculptures. The food sounds yummy too. The lighted bridge is beautiful.

My Creative Life said...

All your photos look amazing Tammy, the bright coloured foods, the gorgeous Lavender that I can just imagine the sweet heady scent. The Sculpture dog - how cute is that! And the lit bridge, as Terra said - it's beautiful. Thank you for sharing your trip photos, Cathy x

Wanda said...

Oh my goodness, what lovely pictures. I was especially interested in the eggplant wraps...I LOVE eggplant, and fixed it the other night. Would love to know how they made them.

Betsy said...

Tammy, you visit such interesting places. My favorite sculpture is the little dog. So sweet! The food looks amazing! Thank you so much for sharing your adventures in far off places with us.
Blessings,
Betsy

crafty cat corner said...

This looks like a wonderful place to visit, enjoy your time Tammy.
Briony
x

Susan said...

Oh Tammy. What a delightful trip you are having. Everything looks so inviting. I think the food must be most unique and delicious. You are so lucky to be able to travel to new places. I know you are having a wonderful time. Thanks so much for sharing. Susan

Teresa Kasner said...

How fun to see that amazing place you visited. I was fascinated by the crocheted doll in that shop.. I would have been tempted to buy one! I'm glad you had good weather and not too much heat while there. Is your husband vegetarian too? It's fun to see a different kind of cuisine. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Serena Lewis said...

What a lovely trip it would have been, Tammy! The pics looks wonderful and ALL the FOOD...YUM!!! I made a roasted eggplant and potato vindaloo curry just last week and it was delicious! Those eggplant rolls look so yummy along with everything else. I'd have never thought to do a type of flat bread with kidney beans...looked up a Lobiani recipe and might give that a try.



Maya Kuzman said...

Thank you for offering a glimpse of Tbilisi through your pictures!
I must say we have a similar delicatessen here - red peppers filled with white cheese or urda to be more specific. Always makes my mouth water :)

Angie said...

Tammy - glad to see you get away for a few days with your hubby. I couldn't help but notice the crocheted figures in one of your collages - will we see you trying that out in one of your future posts? I always like seeing your shoes in your photos - I know it's you and it gives a perspective on size, etc. of what we are seeing! I look forward to more posts about your trip!

Melanie said...

I love hearing about and seeing photos of your travels to other countries. The food looks and sounds delicious, too. Obviously, walnuts are a big thing in that area.

Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder said...

Dearest Tammy,
That no doubt was a wonderful little holiday to get away on a special festival!
You did not know that we were rather close to you in a way...
We were across the Black Sea in Bulgaria and Romania until we flew out from Bucharest yesterday.
Sending you hugs,
Mariette

Lisa said...

The food looked delicious! I’m glad the weather was better than expected. I love going on your walks with you and seeing all the fabulous sights.

Mereknits said...

I love the adventures you take us on Tammy. Beautiful!

Dee said...

The dog sculpture really made me laugh!!! Looks like a beautiful place to walk.

Kit said...

I loved your photos! Thank you for taking us along on your trip. It looks like a lovely place, and the food looks wonderful! :) Kit

Quinn said...

Off to google lobiani recipes!

Derya said...

Hi, It has been a beautiful trip, the photos are great, the Georgian cuisine is not very unfamiliar with us, the food photos look exquisite, the travel is very nice ..

Jodiebodie said...

Tbilisi looks like a fascinating city.
Your description of Lobiani reminds me of quesadillas my daughter likes to make.
You have given me more recipes to investigate. I always learn something when I visit your blog, Tammy! :-)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...