Another Day #3/13

7 September
Needing to move around, I decided to go running in the morning. I didn't see anyone else doing it, but I also didn't get any funny looks. I ran through the botanical garden, high up on the southern side of the valley and was thrilled to be able to run through flowers, trees, ponds, bamboo forests, and a kid's playground (with a zip line!) within an hour.

 After breakfast I walked up to Tsminda Sameba (Holy Trinity) Cathedral built over ten years and finished in 2004. Despite its massive bulk, it was surprisingly open inside, the ceiling rising to over 270 feet.

Despite many new beautiful buildings, much of the city is full of cracked, falling down structures. When sagging balconies are braced with 2x4s it makes you wonder how they don't fall down. Some have entire walls that have crumbled, exposing rooms with wallpaper still showing. The 1990s were really hard for Georgia and although the capitol is booming, there is still a lot of poverty. It's getting better but makes me wonder how things will be when I pass through the smaller towns.

I planned to take the train to Zugdigi 330 miles away but at the station, which I couldn't find because it is in the middle of a shopping mall, I found out my bike would have to be disassembled and reboxed. I just put my bike together and tossed out my box from the airplane so plan B. I'll see if tomorrow I can find a marshruka (bus) to take me instead. It will either work, or I'll actually have to ride my bike.

Walking back towards the hotel I kept getting distracted by the street markets. Hanging from all the stalls is a unique Georgian candy, walnuts threaded together and dipped in sweet sticky grape juice, rolled in flour, and repeated until it resembles a knobby purplish candle. I settled on grapes shaped like tear drops.

For dinner I went to a cafe that had a fantastic trio singing along with a guitar. I have no idea what the words for certain foods are so I impulsively pointed to two things on the menu. First a mushroom salad, quite good. Then, I was brought two plump sausages, awkwardly rolling around on the plate all by themselves. Despite the presentation, dinner was delicious.