Tbilisi, the Capital of Georgia, was founded in the 5th Century by King Vakhtang Gorgasali.

Another shot of the city which is vibrant, interesting to explore and modern.

This contemporary-looking bridge is an example of modernity of the city.

An underground shopping mall in the city.

The Metekhl (Virgin Mary Assumption) Church perched on a hill from which we viewed the city. The statue on the left is that of King Vakhtang Gorgasali.  

The church from a different angle

Givi, our guide, explains that the Hamman is a Turkish bath popular in the Turkic-speaking world. In the adjoining area of the hamman, there are many sulphuric baths. This district called Abanotubani is the first district of Tbilisi. There is a tale related to the structure in the next pic of a falcon and pheasant. The king was out hunting when he saw the pheasant flying. He launched his falcon which swooped on the pheasant and they both fell but didn't resurface. The king sent his men to check and they came back saying they found the "Gates of Hell". The foul smell was that of sulphur. The sulphuric baths flourished from then on. The king's falcon was hanging on to the pheasant as depicted below

I had to take it from the back because of the the angle of the sun.

Georgia is a great place for fruits. Pomegranate juice is a very popular drink and inexpensive too.

Mushrooms baked with cheese - part of Georgian cuisine.

A popular Georgian starter.

The restaurant was noisy as Georgian men seemed to like coming out in groups to dine, drink, and talk boisterously. There were also two men singing Georgian songs in the background adding to the din. 

Givi is an extremely friendly man who seems to know everyone he meets, including this motor-cyclist with a side car.

 Signaghi is an old city (790m ASL) also called the City of Love. There are cobbled-stone streets and buildings have old Georgian-styled balconies. It overlooks the AlazaniValley and faces the Greater Caucasus Mountains.

This is a memorial wall with names of fallen Georgian soldiers.

The statue of Solomon Dodashvili, a prominent Georgian philosopher.

This pic is to show that bread plays a dominant part in Georgian cuisine,