Up at 5.15, because today we're off to Tbilisi, Georgia's capital city, on the 7.55 am train, and there's breakfast to have, and washing to sort...

Then, because the railway station is a bit out of town, a cab (the Yandex ride-hailing app that we'd used in Kazakhstan works here).

Once again our ill luck with train seats struck. The inner two of three, and only half a window... And we were on the lower level of the double-decker arrangement, so that further reduced our perspective.


The first part of the five-hour journey is nice, as you ride along by the Black Sea. Then there's a relatively nondescript bit (at least in comparison with the splendour of Turkish rail journeys). Then you're back among the mountains.



There's a vendor of pies, cakes, and tea/coffee who occupies one of the carriage-ends. This was good, as early hazelnut-spread sandwiches have worn off by the late morning, we find.

We arrived on time, plunged into the Metro, which is just by the railway station, and bought a Metromoney card (which you can share between two). Our guesthouse (again unmarked) is handily close to Rustaveli Metro station.

It's quirky, this place... It's run by an elderly lady, who talks very volubly, mostly in Russian, with the odd English or French word thrown in (ironically, the English and French bits I would readily have understood in Russian, whereas the flow of Russian is quite fast, and I have to really concentrate to get the gist...). She has an over-exuberant dog, who made a spirited attempt to eat Redd (the poor bear later insisted on a thorough wash).

The apartment has an old-fashioned air, and as you're given a stream of sightseeing advice, and introduced at length to the idiosyncrasies of the accommodation, it all starts to feel as though you're staying with your Russian-speaking Great-Aunt Ethel (who's very careful with her electricity, and disapproves of the fact that you've stopped working at your young age).

We're due to be here for three nights, and then away on a side-trip and back for another three. I must admit it initially felt as though we'd made a bad move...

But the building dates back to the early 1900s, and the apartment is full of character. The room is big, with a high ceiling and a little balcony. The internet works well. The walls of all the rooms are covered with the landlady's paintings, which feature a variety of mythological themes, and certainly make for a more interesting decor than you'd get in your average hotel.

And President Putin's reprisals in response to recent Georgian discontent over relations with Russia have caused cancellations, which must be quite hard for her. We seem to be the only ones staying at the moment.





(Later, on our way down to the old city, we walked past the Parliament building, where the protests have been taking place. There are still tents set up outside.)


The highlight of the rest of the day was our late lunch at House of Khinkali, which gave us the opportunity to try several classic Georgian dishes. Every one was a winner, and good value too. First pick was what the English menu described as "spinach and walnut salad". This turned out to be pkhali, which is actually more like a vegetable pate than a salad. Spread on bread, it's really fresh and delicious.


Then lobio, a satisfyingly thick bean soup/stew served in a clay pot:


And finally the khinkali themselves. These are robustly chewy dumplings, which come with a variety of fillings. You grab them by the topknot (which is then facing down), bite a hole in the side, tip the dumpling back like a cup to drink the gravy, eat the rest of the "ball", and leave the topknot on the plate.



After that, well, my best advice would be not to follow the Lonely Planet's "Tbilisi new and old" walk...

We thought it would be a good orientational exercise, and I guess it was. But the "new" bit brings you into contact with far too much traffic, and the "old" bit is super-touristy. Really, it's hard to squeeze between the rows of tables on some of the roads of the old town.

We abandoned the walk at the Peace Bridge, which was awash with selfie-stick-wielders and boat-trip-sellers.

I know... Don't come in summer...

But on this trip so far, we've generally been good at avoiding the crowds, and here it doesn't seem that easy.

I ended the day a little disappointed.

For Emily Lush, a blogger who has written extensively about Georgia, "Tbilisi is a city beyond compare."

Lonely Planet claims: "Tbilisi remains the beating heart of the South Caucasus and should not be missed by any visitor."

I'm not getting it yet.

Whereas Batumi was instantly lovable, I seem to be finding Tbilisi harder work.

But I'm willing to defer to their greater experience, and suspend judgment for the time being.

Meanwhile, there are lots of interesting things to look at: