No, No! The Republic, not the State!

 October 4, 2021 A day of firsts!!  The first one being a blue sky over Tbilisi!  That's a welcome sight after several overcast days!  And the second is that Ammar is awake before I'm finished with my yoga and meditation! We head down to the breakfast buffet where the only change is that I succumb to the chocolate croissant, hoping that my virtuous tomatoes and cucumber slices will protect me!! We spend sometime chatting with our personal tour guide at the front desk (she's just so adorable!) and she gives us a map of the city and calls us a cab.  Well, she calls a cab for us.  I've asked for a place to buy handicrafts.  That never seems to work!  Today was no exception.  She sends us to the Galleria, which is a multi-story mall, just as you'd expect!  It was interesting to see how they are handling the pandemic, though!  But there sure isn't anything here that is coming home with either of us. We are just a short walk from the Old ...

 October 3, 2021 We get kind of a late start to breakfast and finally wander back upstairs to consider the day.  Consensus is that a nap might be in order after all the jet lag and four miles of walking.  During that time the plumber comes to fix the issue of water on the floor (the bidet hose was leaking a little) and the handy man fixes the bathroom light that seems to go out as if on a timer and housekeeping is turned away altogether!  Tomatoes and cucumbers are s staple everywhere but at home!  And delicious cheeses! Only two people at a time in the elevators, and in opposite corners. One of Tbilisi's claims to fame is the hot sulfur springs for which the town was named and which caused the king to move hiss capital here.  But everything I read describes the baths as a significantly NOT relaxing experience.  One woman spoke of a man as strong as a half bear/half wolf scrubbing the skin off her body before she was plunged into a freezing bath. ...