Greetings from a very sunny Tbilisi. I decided to fly with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul as they offered a reasonable return flight but it did require a 6-hour stopover in Istanbul on the outward journey - initially reduced to 5 hours as we were an hour late getting into Istanbul but then extended by over 90 minutes as were late taking off - a storm in the region. Not that you'd know since there was never any explanation other than a very bumpy flight all the way from Istanbul to Tbilisi with the seat-belts sign on the whole time & occasional reminders to remain seated.............

Apart from that the journey was straightforward - they feed you well in Turkish Airlines Economy Class - the flight from London was on a Boeing 777 & was given a seat in what I assume is their "premium economy" section, so more room & the flight (once airborne) was less than 3 hours - the flight from Istanbul to Tbilisi was on an A320 with the most riduculously gaudy seats - turquoise leather with brown inserts - really - that's not nice, is it? Despite the hour we got a nice meal but no coffee/tea service as it was too turbulent..........

So, instead of arriving in Tbilisi at 02.45 we got in about 04.08 - no landing cards to fill-out so top marks to Georgia for that - you vie with Iran for ease of entry (err....) (no landing cards) (ahh..) - nice, smiley lady on passport control (at 4 in the morning?) & then a short wait for bags & out to meet a less than happy driver............

If you've ever studied the flight schedules at Tbilisi International Airport you'll have noted that about half of the international flights get in between 01.00 and 04.00 - when I say "study" a glance will do - anyway - it means that the airport here (like Yerevan) is a busy place in the wee small - when sensible folk would be tucked-up, securely in the land of nod........

The drive into the city was straightforward - as you'd expect - but was amazed at the number of police - police cars & then, in the city itself, police/security on the streets - nothing sinister - police - on the streets -

really?

Quite how they think this contributes to having one of the lowest crime rates in Europe - move along, clearly nothing we can learn here............

I was due to stay at the British House hotel but the booking was transferred to the VIP-Victoria - which was a shame - but the room I had was spacious & the hotel staff friendly. The VIP-Victoria is a bit of a trek from the city centre but in a nice area called Vake (after Vake Park) and the walk in quite interesting.

Notes on pavements: usual pot holes & cracks plus random bits sticking up (old tree trunks/remains of old posts, etc.) - plus, for a city where I only saw a few dogs - so take the usual care when walking. Crossing the road - well, i say road - clearly that isn't how Georgian drivers see them - so crossing the race-track can be an adventure - you soon get the hang of it - and using the under-passes obviously helps & - as many of them have shops - makes it interesting, too.......

A novelty, which i wasn't expecting, was that the wide pavements are used for car-parking & so you have to watch out for cars driving & manoeuvering.......

Anyway, I Chavchavadze Avenue has several colleges on it so the area is teeming with students - most of the buildings are old so lots of character and quite green, making it a pleasant walk -

Day One was spent wandering around the city getting my bearings - it's a lovely city to wander around - it was surprisingly warm & sunny, too......

I had lunch in the Old City, sitting outside & had an Argo and a Natakhtari - both local beers - they were setting up a big TV so that patrons could watch the Georgia-Greece Euro 2012 qualifier later in the evening. Georgia subsequently lost 1-2.......