Oooooo! Mountains!

 03-02-2022

Sometimes there's a reward for waking up early!  I got to see the mountains without a lot of drizzle in the way!

We're going to see what breakfast is like in the Wyndham and then Ammar is going to walk me to Neptune's Fountain to be sure I meet my cooking class transportation.  Breakfast consists of a large buffet, with Covid restrictions still in place, plexiglass shields and ladies serving large portions regardless of how often you say "small, please"! There aren't really any surprises but the braided cheese is really delicious, as are the other cheeses and the home fries are lovely.  I'll try to get some photos tomorrow.  Today we just wanted to stay on schedule.

We're at the Fountain with fifteen minutes to spare.  I'm really concerned because I never got anything but a booking and confirmation number, no other correspondence, and there was no phone number or website or anything, just the glowing reviews on Trip Advisor. Sure enough, by quarter past the pick-up time I'm ready to give up and re-plan our day.  I was going to learn to make katchapuri and other goodies and Ammar was going to look for a barber and money exchange.

Back at the room we regroup.  Ammar goes downstairs for an espresso and I check my mail.  After a while I decide to go exploring in the neighborhood.  I send a photo of my destination, the Piazza Square, and a Google map of my proposed route, and away I go.  it is fun to go adventuring when you're pretty sure you can find your way home!  Bless Google maps that you can download before leaving!  The magic blue dot will always lead you back!

There are lots of things to see in our little neighborhood!  I'm especially taken by the many and creative ways people have of displaying their solidarity with the Ukraine.

The Church of St. Nicholas

Ammar's been looking for me and we connect when I get back to the lobby and text him.  We stopped in this morning at the hotel's spa and made reservations for massages at 4:00.  That gives us time to wander a bit and look for lunch.  I'm still "Jonesing" for my lost katchapuri but somehow we wind up at a shwarma place.  Happily they also have Adjarian katchapuri and Ammar orders a chicken (I thought it would be a shwarma but you never really know what's coming!)  I guess you could call it a do-it-yourself shwarma!  At any rate it is an entire chicken!  It's almost too much food for both of us to finish and the katchapuri will just have to come home with us (Oh! boo hoo!)

Holy Mother Virgins Nativity Cathedral

I got hungry!

We get home in plenty of time to shower and get to the spa by four.  I'm getting a Thai massage!  I'm shown into my massage room and there are two tables, one of which I assume is mine.  I get undressed and make the covering over the face hole easier to breathe in when my masseuse walks in with a mat which she places on the floor and covers with fabric.  She hands me a set of gray scrubs which I'm supposed to wear and then lie down on the floor mat.  Okay.  Then the magic begins!  She does things I've never had in a massage before and she even walks on me (I've heard of this but never experienced it!)  She pulls and pushes and folds me like an origami project!  And there's a full scalp massage and a facial and oh the feet!!  And neck!! 

Ammar stops in to say that he's going to the barber and when I'm done I find him getting a pedicure.  Works for me!!

I go back upstairs to melt and indulge myself with some katchapuri.  My email is being very hinky and messages are taking hours to get to me.  One of those is from Trip Advisor saying that my class didn't make and my card wasn't charged.  There's no explanation but at least I won't have to fight for my money.

Ammar has called our taxi driver from the train station and he will take us to see waterfalls tomorrow at ten!  Interestingly he asked Ammar to call him back tonight at eight o'clock!  Is he afraid he'll forget?? I don't know!

While Ammar is back at the spa waiting for the barber I spot a visitor!  There's a drone doing a fly-by outside my eleventh-floor window!! Creepy!  

And later Ammar says to look out the window.  People are marching in the street in the direction of the same government building as last night.  It houses the offices of the Adjarian Republic, which this part of Georgia is called.  I gather that it is semi-autonomous.