Day 10 - Copenhagen

Woke at 0730, miserable weather, cold, grey and raining heavily.
Pottered about, watched TV downloads because there was no point in going anywhere, packed up and went next door to the Cafe. It was a public holiday but it seemed most places were open, and although the Cafe was busy there weren't many people on the street.
Had a coffee and croissant, listened to some music then got the tram to the station then the train to the airport, grabbing a baguette on the way.
Flight was delayed about 30 minutes, but it was only a 50 minute flight anyway, arrived in Copenhagen at about 1800.
We stayed at the airport hotel because we fly out to Greenland 0900 the next day - we couldn't spend any time in Copenhagen because flights to Greenland don't go very often plus the hotels in Greenland are pretty much booked out as well, so we had to base the trip around that.
Song wasn't feeling too well and has been to Copenhagen before so stayed in the hotel while I headed into the city to be able to say I'd actually been to Denmark.
Hopped on the metro, which was driverless, cost 80 Krone (17 AUD) for a 24 hour ticket.
Got off in the city, then a bus, then a walk to the little mermaid statue. To be honest it wasn't worth the trip.
It was cold and raining so I didn't spend much time in Copenhagen, got back on a bus, then the metro back to the hotel. I hadn't eaten, didn't like anything on the hotel menu so went over to the airport and had something there.
Back to the hotel.
Tomorrow is the flight to Greenland.

Day 9 - Oslo

Woke up at 0800, such a good feeling to not wake up to an alarm.
Had some yoghurt for breakfast - it turned out that the apartment doesn't have a toaster, so went to a cafe next door for a small coffee and a plain croissant that cost 68 Krone, or 11.25 AUD. Probably about 4 AUD more than at home.
Walked around to the palace, it was sunny and a bit chilly but not really jacket weather. Song said she wanted to see the Scream, I thought she said ice cream so was very eager.
Took photos of the palace then walked into the city centre, lots of people on electric scooters everywhere, being used by kids and businessmen alike.
Carried on to the harbour, it was really warm in the sun, a lot warmer than I expected, but the temperature dropped when in the shade.
The harbour area was really nice - lots of restaurants, apartment blocks overlooking the sea, none more than 6 storeys high, and some with berths for yachts. One of the nicest docklands developments I've seen. Most of the restaurants were busy and I wondered why these people weren't at work. Many people were sitting on benches enjoying the sun.
There were also quite a few food vans, mostly selling burgers, but we had decided on a polse, the local, famous sausage. So famous and popular that we only found one place selling it.
Walked towards the restaurant, passing the ugliest town hall building I've ever seen, then through the main shopping area, again lots of cafes and restaurants. Several grand buildings, and lots of people about, locals and tourists alike.
We found the sausage restaurant, we were the only ones there, indicating how popular they were. I had a bratwurst with bacon and blue cheese sauce, Song had one with sauerkraut and mash. I also had a small local beer. Song wasn't impressed with hers, but mine was good. Came to 245 Krone (40 AUD).
Walked to the Munch museum, noticed lots of electric cars - BMW, Nissan, Hyundai and so many Teslas - they must have pretty good subsidies.
The museum was quite small, just one floor with about 5 rooms, and not very busy. They had the Scream and Madonna, his most famous works, on show. Both of these were stolen in 2004 and there was information about the robbery - basically 2 guys with guns walked in and took them. They were recovered in 2006 with some damage and were restored and security improved (you'd imagine).
Didn't take long to go around, about 45 minutes, then walked towards the station to get a tram, first stopping off at a Starbucks for a 9 friking dollar cup of coffee (medium). I don't know how the locals can afford to live here.
Got back to the apartment and relaxed for a while. Song didn't fancy going out again but I was hungry so went down the road for a burger - 29 AUD for a decent burger and chips.
Spent the rest of the night watching TV downloads.
We have half a day tomorrow before we fly to Copenhagen, but not sure what we are going to do because we've seen most of the sights here.

Day 8 - Vilnius to Oslo

Just breakfast then a bus to the airport, only took 10 minutes.
Vilnius airport was packed - every check in desk had a queue, and they were very slow.
Boarding was equally slow - we had our boarding passes checked then had to wait on some stairs for 5 minutes for the bus to come back and pick us up - the airport is not geared up to cope with the number of travellers. I was amazed at the number of tourists - I wouldn't have thought Vilnius would be so popular.
2 hour flight to Oslo, plane full, had a nap.
Landed in Norway, the 60th country I've been to.
Norway - land of Volvo, Abba; no, that's the other one.
Norway - land of the Fjords, which we won't be going to.
Got the train to the city, then a couple of trams to the hotel which was actually a serviced apartment complete with an oven, stove and dishwasher. We're only staying for 2 nights but might make use of it since everything here is very expensive. The bathroom had a heated floor, which was nice.
Dumped the bags and went out to get something to eat, The weather was overcast and about 10C. There were plenty of places to eat just outside the door. We opted for a restaurant attached to a pub - the menu looked pretty good.
I had lamb Bourgignon, song had mussels. I also had a beer, which I thought was local but turned out to be from Scotland. The meal cost 600 kroner, which was - holy moly - 115 AUD.
Left the restaurant before we got charged for sitting down, and walked about 20 minutes to the Frogner park. The houses in the area were very nice, and I saw more Teslas in 10 minutes than you see in Melbourne in a week (6 in all). There were dark clouds and thunder and lightning in the distance moving towards us, so we didn't spend long, just walked across a bridge that had dozens of statues of naked people, and to a fountain.
Decided not to risk getting caught in the rain so hopped on a tram and accidentally forgot to buy a ticket (it was only 3 stops).
The hotel didn't provide breakfast so we popped into a supermarket and bought some stuff.
Quite worn out, retired for the evening.
Tomorrow is exploring Oslo.

Day 7 - Vilnius and Trakai

Breakfast at 0900, not a lot I fancied so just had toast and cereal.
Walked to the bus station to get a bus to Trakai Castle, about 45 minutes away.
Weather was overcast and about 16c, rain was predicted and a top of 23.
It was pretty cold, jumper weather. We walked around the corner to a statue of a cat (seems to be a cat themed holiday), then carried on to the bus station.
The bus to the castle cost 2 Euro each and took about 30 minutes.
We passed quite a few old abandoned buildings, but most of the scenery was green and forest. The bus was almost full, clean and had WiFi.
Arrived at Trakai, piled out of the bus and tried to get our bearings, then just followed a bunch of other tourists and hoped they had a better sense of direction than me.
It was quite a long walk to the castle, but pleasant. To the left of the road were old houses made of wood, mostly not in great condition, to the right were blocks of concrete flats - also not in great condition. Again there were quite a few abandoned ones.
Beyond the houses on each side was a lake, and at one point we went down to the edge to have a look - the lake was quite large, and the water clear with several ducks swimming around.
The weather had warmed up and the sun made an occasional appearance.
We arrived at the bridge over to the castle, there were quite a few tourists around including a couple of tours, but it wasn't overly crowded.
We decided not to hire a pedal boat, or go on a yacht, or on a trip around the lake despite the best efforts of various locals.
We walked across the bridge and into the castle, cost 8 Euro each which was quite pricey based on what other stuff costs here, but it goes towards the upkeep.
The castle was in very good condition, had a wander and took loads of photos and managed to get some when the others were elsewhere.
We spent a couple of hours there, then plodded back, stopping at a supermarket, then onto a mini bus back to Vilnius.
Walked back to the hotel, then decided to head out straight away otherwise we'd just lie on the bed. Besides, all the antique shops that were shut yesterday were now open and Song wanted to make sure she visited them all.
Most of them were furniture, and for some reason a lot of spoons. So nothing of interest.
Found a modern Lithuanian restaurant so stopped there. I had a creamy beet soup (served cold) which was good, then a steak which I asked for medium but was served rare. Being English I am forbidden to complain so just put up with it. It was good, not great. It came with a cheese sauce which I couldn't really taste. Song had beef tongue which was a starter, but she wasn't hungry. I also had a local beer. I'd say 6 out of 10, a bit disappointing. Couldn't complain about the price - 37 Euro (about 60 AUD).
Waddled back up the road to the hotel, thought about an ice cream but decided that if I did I wouldn't be able to move.
Recovered from all the walking and food, tomorrow we fly to Oslo, a 14:00 flight so don't have to get up early.

Day 6 - Minsk to Vilnius

Up at 5, breakfast didn't start until 6 but they said we could go in early because our taxi to the airport was arriving at 6. Just had time for toast and yoghurt, then the 30 minutes drive to the airport.
The flight to Vilnius was only 30 minutes; we wanted to take a train but Belarus has a weird requirement that you can come into the country without a visa and stay for 30 days but you have to fly in and out of Minsk. So we did that.
Very quick through security and border control, then a wait of an hour to get on the plane.
The plane was one of the smallest we've ever been on - a CRJ 100/200 and felt more like a bus.
Out of the airport quickly, then a 30 minute wait for the train to the city that took 5 minutes.
It was a lot colder than Minsk, despite not being that far away, about 12c.
Walked 10 minutes from the station to the hotel but we couldn't check in till 3 so dropped the bags and headed out. Got as far as the supermarket across the road, popped in to get a couple of things, then carried on to the old town. It was overcast, grey and a bit cold.
The buildings here were what we expected Minsk to be like - large and grand, but with peeling paint, crumbling bricks and rusty balconies. Not as bad as Tbilisi, but nowhere near as good as Minsk.
Pretty soon we arrived at the old town, and it was like a different place - high end shops, lots of cafes and restaurants and the buildings in good condition.
There were also lots of tourists which was unexpected. We went to sit down in a cafe but they only had tables outside so we declined. Wandered up the road and found another Cafe, busy but we got a table. I had eggs Benedict, a coffee and an apple pie with ice cream, Song had toast with smoked salmon and avocado and a juice. Came to 20.6 euro (33 AUD).
Left the Cafe and went into one of the numerous churches for a peek. Took lots of photos of the area then walked down the main street getting buzzed by people on electric scooters - they are pretty popular here and I expect they'll be in Melbourne before long.
Almost every second shop sold amber jewellery so Song was happy, then we came across a market selling craft stuff so had a nose about.
Carried on to another square, then kept going to yet another one with a bell tower and the Cathedral. It was Sunday so all the churches (mostly catholic I think) were conducting services, but we poked our heads in to have a look.
Walked around the corner to the tower which was perched high on a hill, and took the funicular to the top.
Climbed up the stairs in the tower around a tight spiral staircase trying to squeeze past people coming down.
The view from the top gave a panoramic vista of the city. Took more photos then back down and back along the main street. We were passed by loads of people in traditional dress, just like Minsk, and saw a poster about a festival, but we'd just missed it.
Sat down for a coffee (4 AUD for a large) and relaxed before heading back to the hotel to check in.
Stopped off at the supermarket again and got a bread roll, cheese and ham for dinner - we weren't particularly hungry.
Tomorrow we might go back to the old town and poke about, or maybe take a trip out of the city to a castle.

Day 5 - Minsk

Down to breakfast at 09:00, then off exploring again. Feeling very weary, all the walking in the heat and humidity yesterday took it out of us so we decided to take it easy today and would probably skip some of the sights. They were only a couple of churches and war memorials so we wouldn't be missing much.
I realised we hadn't had a local meal in Belarus so we'd look for somewhere that served traditional food at some stage.
Walked back to the underground supermarket, the weather a bit cooler than yesterday but still sunny, had a wander around the shopping centre then walked back to the old town. Walked down the main street, lots of huge buildings, different colours and all grand and in perfect condition. Most of the Eastern European countries we've visited had similar buildings but most were falling apart. Popped into the Gum department store (we've been to the original in Red Square in Moscow), took a photo of the interior then carried on.
Stopped off at the Grand Cafe for a coffee and juice. You need to learn about what different coffees are called in different countries; an Americano is a long black, a cappuccino is a latte, a latte (if they do it) is served in a tall glass in layers of milk and coffee. If you usually have a weak soy decaf flat white with hazelnut syrup, you're out of luck.
Coffee and juice cost 11 roubles (7.66 AUD)
Sat in the Cafe watching the locals walk by. They seem reasonably wealthy, a lot of the women are quite stylish, lots of iphones and Samsung. Vaping is looking to be popular (ugh). We haven't seen any homeless people, there's lots of public transport (including a small metro), the cars look new and in good condition. We walked past a parking spot and every car was a BMW, Mercedes or Porsche (and a Renault, not sure how that got there).
Not what I'd imagined Minsk would be like.
Arrived back at the old town square and saw there was a crowd, they were watching some guys dressed in armour having mock battles. After that a medieval type band started playing and a bunch of young people in traditional dress did some traditional dancing. It's amazing how we keep stumbling across things that are going on like the Opera building open day yesterday. It just shows that people and countries like to celebrate what they have and their traditions.
In addition to the performers there was a craft market and the stall holders were also dressed traditionally. I sat down while Song did her best to reduce the amount of local currency we had.
The market covered the main square as well as some side streets, there were more performers dotted about, singing and dancing. We were pretty lucky to be there, I suspect it's an annual festival because there was also a stage set up with more performances, including the Cossack dances. It's not often you get to sit in the Minsk old town centre and watch people in Belarusian national dress performing their music and dance, so I made the most of it, sat on the steps of the town hall.
Song visited every one of the 300 stalls while I watched the dancers, then we went to get some lunch.
Found a traditional restaurant, and ordered assorted dumplings, I went for a pie with potatoes and cheese and a local beer, Song had a tuna salad. I use Instagram for the food photos, so if you are interested click on the link at the right of this.
Despite being a traditional restaurant, they didn't allow smoking, which was a pleasant surprise. There's a lot less smoking in Belarus compared to Georgia (a pack of cigarettes in Tbilisi was about 2 AUD), and we noticed that cigarettes aren't displayed in shops in Minsk, like Australia.
The dumplings were similar to Chinese ones, but a different shape, and were OK, not brilliant.
The potato and cheese pie was a bit bland and stodgy. At least the beer was good. You have to try the local food, and some you win, some you lose. Lunch costs 26.50 roubles - 19 AUD - 6 dumplings, a salad, beer, sparkling water, pie.
Suitably full, we walked back to the park with the Opera academy and had a stroll.
Back to the market just in case Song missed a stall, then hopped on the bus (number 38 in case you missed the 53) back to the hotel.
Overall we were very impressed with Minsk - lots of amazing buildings in perfect condition, wide streets, very clean and no graffiti. The old part was small but quaint, decent cafes and restaurants. Though not a lot to do, we stayed a day more than was really necessary, but we spent the first day recovering from the early start from Tbilisi.
We fly out tomorrow morning to Vilnius.

Day 4 - Minsk

Got down to breakfast at 08:30 having slept like a log, filled up then out. It was hot and sunny, Google said 20c but it felt more than that.
Walked through the train station which was still being built, but was clean and modern, then took a photo of the Gates of Minsk.
Past the university and then crossed underground and found ourselves in a shopping mall so had a look around.
Came out to the Saint Simon and Saint Helena Church, an impressive red brick building. Had a look inside, then carried on down the main road, an impressive sight, very wide and lined by huge, grand buildings.
Everything was very clean, no rubbish in the streets, the buildings very well maintained, and no graffiti.
Turned down another main street and walked to Trinity Hill, part of the old town on the edge of a lake with cobbled streets and old buildings. It wasn't very big so didn't take long to see, popped over a bridge to the Island of Tears, a memorial to soldiers lost in Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989.
Walked across the road to go to the old town but spotted a park with a fountain and large building through the trees so decided to take a diversion. There was a brass band playing and a large crowd milling around and some TV cameras. The band stopped playing, a lady in a formal dress made a speech, everyone clapped and some young girls released balloons into the air to oohs and aahhs. I didn't expect to be greeted like this but it was obviously for me.
Everyone headed into the building which turned out to be the National Opera and Ballet Academy.
It looked like it was some kind of open day for the public, and since we are technically members of the public we followed the crowd and went inside.
Lots of marble, red velvet, chandeliers and gold trimmings abounded. There were a couple of string quartets playing familiar classics.
We went and sat in the upper area to relax, took some photos. There were mini events going on, we saw several women in wheelchairs ballroom dancing with able bodied men, something you don't see every day.
Left the hall and walked through the park and towards a Paul bakery for lunch.
Very impressed with Minsk so far, I'd imagined a dull, grim ex-soviet state but it was clean, open and vibrant.
Had a sandwich each, a cake each, a coffee and 3 cold drinks in Paul, cost 37 AUD.
Finished up and went next door to the cat museum. Yes, the cat museum.
There were 16 adult cats and 3 kittens wandering around, you were allowed to touch them and play with them but you couldn't pick them up. There were pictures of cats, paintings of cats, statues of cats and the unmistakable smell of cat's piss. Well, it made a change from visiting churches. The guy who ran it was not sad at all, just like the people who visit, and the cats were all homeless, he took them in, got them desexed and vaccinated and they were available for adoption - over 100 in 3 years.
Left the cat museum and walked around more of the old town - old buildings and cobbled streets, quite a few bars and restaurants.
Went back to where we first arrived because Song wanted to look at some antique shops we didn't spot before, but stopped off at a small market to pick up the compulsory fridge magnet.
Found one shop but it only sold furniture and clocks, so decided to call it a day and go back to the hotel. Went to a bus stop and asked a few people which one went to the main station, which was near the hotel and eventually someone helped us out (the number 53 in case you're ever in Minsk and need to know). Got on the trolley bus and sat on it as it went past the road we thought it would turn down, so got off and discovered a supermarket which we wanted to visit anyway so bought some provisions.
Walked towards the hotel but both of us were hot and sweaty so hopped on another trolley bus and got off at the train station. We saw a 53 bus, so obviously they have the same numbers but go in different directions in a ploy to fool tourists.
Walked back to the hotel, had a shower and collapsed.
Neither of us fancied going out again so just watched some TV and had some snacks.
Another full day in Minsk tomorrow, haven't planned anything but it doesn't include another visit to the cat museum.

Day 3 - Tbilisi to Minsk

Got the hotel car to the airport at 00:30, took about 30 minutes. The airport was surprisingly busy and most of the shops were open, and there were quite a few people sleeping wherever they could.
Got through check in, waited in the lounge, got on the plane, landed in Minsk, slept a bit on the plane, very uneventful. Looking out of the plane window we saw that Belarus is very flat, not a hill in sight, and quite a few forests.
Bit of a hiccup at Belarus immigration - they said we needed travel insurance, we said we had it. They needed to see it, but we bought the tickets on credit card which comes with insurance so we didn't have a policy document. There was a bit of "you need insurance", "we have insurance", "I need to see it", "we don't have a document", but in the end we just bought a policy from a conveniently located booth selling it.
The immigration guy then proceeded to look at the passport, look at us, check every page of the passport, look at us, ask us how long we were staying, why were we here, scanned the passport, and finally stamped it. I don't know if there has been a flood of Australian and English spies trying to get in lately, but it seemed a bit excessive.
Changed some money and asked at information how much a taxi to the city cost, she said 30 roubles for the official taxi which made me a bit wary to look out for dodgy ones.
Went outside and spoke to a guy with a walkie talkie and a sign around his neck that said "taxi" so I guessed he was official. I asked him how much, he said 60 roubles. Hmmm. I told him the information inside said 30. He said 2 people, 30 each, 60.
I told him we'd take the bus.
For the next 15 minutes we were approached by every taxi driver in Minsk offering ever decreasing fares, one guy even said free taxi, I'm not kidding.
We just politely told them we were going to get the bus, they didn't seem to understand why anyone would take the bus. Maybe because we don't trust you, I felt like saying.
We got the bus, cost 4 roubles each.
First impressions of Minsk - it's big. Such a contrast from Tbilisi. The airport to the bus station took about 30 minutes along a freeway, the road a lot better than Georgia, and we hit the outskirts of Minsk quickly. There were lots of modern apartment blocks, then as we got closer to the centre we saw some grand buildings - a library, university and the state circus building among others.
Everything looked well maintained and clean. It was sunny and about 24C.
Got dropped off at the bus station and walked the 800m to the hotel, paid extra for an early check in (a bit of a con if you ask me) which included breakfast so dropped the bags in the room and went to eat.
The breakfast wasn't great, but did the job.
Went back to the room - we'd been given one that was designed for a wheelchair - lots of room, handrails everywhere. I wouldn't have minded keeping it but the shower head was too low so I whinged and got given another room and a king sized bed.
Both of us were suffering from the lack of sleep so had a nap for a few hours, then decided that we didn't really want to go out so I went down to the restaurant and had pasta and Song had a sandwich in the room.
A bit of a nothing day, we are here for 3 nights so will spend the next couple of days exploring the city.

Day 2 - Tbilisi

Woke up at 08:00, down to breakfast at 09:30, back to the room and decided to hang there till check out since we've only got a couple of things to do today, then the flight at 03:45 so we'll have to find something to do.
Headed off, walked along the old city wall which was bits and pieces interspersed with new buildings.
Walked along a small street lined with restaurants and saw the leaning clock tower. It was sunny and about 25c.
Carried on to the dry bridge market which was very disappointing - most of the stalls were not open, and those that were only had old cameras, some jewellery and war memorabilia.
Sat in the park for a while just relaxing, then walked back to the Paul's for a coffee . By now it was 13:30 but we weren't hungry.
Chilled there for a while then wandered along the main road and saw a shopping mall, so ducked in there because it was a bit hot and humid outside.
Sat down for an ice cream, today is going to be a lazy day because we've just about seen what we want to - there are some churches but unless we happen to walk past them we won't seek them out, there's also a funicular but we've seen a view of the city from the cable car stop.
Headed back to the hotel in the rain, spent some time in the hotel lobby before going to dinner, a Georgian restaurant just up the road from the hotel. We shared mushrooms in cheese to start, then I had lamb, Song had trout. I also had a glass of wine.
The mushrooms were good, the lamb OK and the trout average, and the portions were small.
The meal yesterday was much better, and a fair bit cheaper, this cost about 50 AUD.
Walked around the corner to Lado Gudiashvili Square, a collection of Art Nouveau buildings. Unfortunately they were all virtually demolished, all we saw was one building with ornate balconies.
Went back to the hotel and hung in the lobby watching stuff I'd downloaded until the taxi took us to the airport at 00:30.

Day 1 - Tbilisi

Woke up at 0800, forced myself to get up even though very tired, but didn't rush and were at breakfast at 0930.
I was a bit disappointed with the breakfast, the emphasis was on cold meats which I'm not a fan of.
Had toast, cereal, yoghurt, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and orange juice. Didn't bother with coffee, picked one up in Paul's instead. It was lightly raining and about 17c.
Wandered down to the Peace Bridge, a very modern looking construction spanning the Mtkvari river, crossed over into Rike Park and strolled around. Came across a bench with a bronze statue of Ronald Reagan, and why not? By now, after only about 20 minutes, it was sunny, humid and about 25c. Went to go to the Dry Bridge Market, which is a large covered flea market, but couldn't see where to cross the busy road so turned around and walked back through the park to the cable car. Decided to try approaching the market from the other side of the river later today or tomorrow. Walked back through the park to the cable car. The cable car only took a couple of minutes to get to the top of the hill, but there were some good views. There wasn't really much at the top, just a view over the city, a Fortress that was basically a couple of walls and The Mother of Georgians, a large shiny statue.
Even though I'd paid for a return trip we decided to walk back down so got some more photos and it only took about 15 minutes.
The paths and roads of Tbilisi are in a state of disrepair - pot holes, missing bricks etc, and there are a lot of abandoned houses. There are also lots of houses which look abandoned with old doors, broken windows and huge cracks in the brickwork but had people living in them.
There are loads of dogs lying around in the streets, most have registration tags and all they seem to do is sleep. In another area we saw loads of cats wandering around. All of them looked pretty filthy though.
Found ourselves in the Jewish area and Betlemi Church, poked around a bit then carried on back to the hotel.
We've realised Tbilisi isn't very big, and have already seen most of the main attractions.
The plan for the rest of the day was to chill in the hotel room for a while then head out to the Sulphur Baths, then onto dinner, so that's what we did. Tbilisi is quite busy, lots of people around, quite a lot of tourists, though we hadn't come across any other Aussies. The locals smoke a lot as well, so we were often walking around with the smell every where. Every 5 minutes we'd be approached by someone trying to give us a leaflet about tours, and most of the cars that were parked had signs on them either advertising tours or for hire.
Went into one bath house and were told we'd have to wait 30 minutes for a private room and it would cost 150 Lari ($80 AUD) for an hour. Said OK and went for a walk straight into another bath house that said we could have 30 minutes immediately for 30 Lari ($16 AUD). So I cancelled the other place and we went in.
The room was decent enough, all tiled with a table and chairs in the first bit. There was also a toilet, and the bathroom itself was a large room with a shower (basically a pipe with the red tap cold water and the hot one green, which caught me out) and the main pool. The room was very humid and smelt of sulphur, unsurprisingly.
We stripped off and dipped our feet into the water.
It was very hot. Very very very hot.
We eventually managed to immerse ourselves, and if we kept still it was just about bearable, but any movement felt even hotter. After a couple of minutes we had to get out and cool off under the shower. We kept this up for 25 minutes, dipping in and out and thankful we'd only booked half an hour. We were dripping sweat and just about managed to get dressed then left and sat on a bench outside for 10 minutes to cool off. There are only about half a dozen bath houses, and all are busy, so they must be a bit of a gold mine.
Walked back to the hotel to drop off some stuff, picking up a fridge magnet on our way,  then walked around the corner to the number one Georgian restaurant in Tbilisi, and therefore the number one in Georgia, Salobie Bia. I'm pretty sure I've never been to the best restaurant in an entire country before.
Everyone we've come across speaks English, which is just as well because my Georgian is a bit rusty. Plus there was nothing on the menu I recognised, so the waitress had to explain all the dishes.
We went for a starter of beetroot, a beef thingy and a potato and pork dish. I had a glass of red wine (served chilled). Georgian wine used to be the largest export to Russia until they had a few political differences and Russia banned the import of it, so is pretty good quality.
The beetroot dish was cold, with some paprika on it, very nice. The beef dish was very finely shredded, on a bed of something like polenta, cooked with some spices and was really good. The pork and potato dish was pieces of pork cut into small squares, the potatoes were like wedges and there was also onion and coriander, with spices, and was also really good. The wine was also good. We nearly ordered another 2 dishes but it was just as well we didn't, there was more than enough. It was very good, and cost 69 Lari ($36) - amazing value.
We were both very full and weary (a combination of jet lag and being boiled alive) so went back to the hotel.
I popped out in the evening to take some photos - they're now uploaded.
We have all day tomorrow, then fly to Minsk the following morning at 03:45!! So we need to be at the airport at 01:45. We might book the hotel for the night and just leave at 01:00, or maybe eat late and go to the airport early (although it's small and I suspect everything will be closed). We'll decide tomorrow.

Day 0.75 - Singapore to Dubai to Tbilisi

Got off the plane at Singapore, had to wait for about 20 minutes on uncomfortable seats, then queued up, got our boarding passes checked 3 times in 10 minutes, then through security again and sat in more uncomfortable chairs for another 30 minutes until finally back onto the same plane and the same seat. I would have been happy to have stayed on board and just lift my feet up while they vacuumed.
The seat next to us was taken by a young bloke who kept to himself but occasionally got up to stretch and pulled his legs into what looked like painful positions.
Arrived in Dubai, only slept about 3 hours on and off, then got off the plane, back through more security, then onto a bus to go to a different terminal. We're flying to Tbilisi with Flydubai, a budget airline that doesn't have the best reviews but none of the big airlines fly to Georgia, funnily enough.
The food on the plane was pretty bad, and the food at Dubai airport was limited to MacDonald's, KFC and Subway. But I did have a Costa Coffee which was also bad. Decided not to use the lounge because it didn't have showers which was the main point.
Plane to Tbilisi was OK, not very full and reasonably modern. Mind you, I always think that the pilots who fly the Airbus 380s between Melbourne and London probably did well at pilot school, but those that fly FlyDubai between Dubai and Tbilisi not so much.
From the plane, the landscape was quite hilly, and very green. There were lots of valleys but no mountains.
Tbilisi airport looked a bit grim, some old abandoned buildings and aircraft dotted around, but the terminal was new and we were the first through, questioned by the bored immigration staff (she actually yawned) and out into the arrivals section where all the shops were currency exchange places. Were accosted every 30 seconds by guys asking if we wanted a taxi but I checked before we came and there's a bus that goes past the hotel more or less and is very cheap. The taxi is 12 Haloumi or Zucchini or whatever, the bus is 50c. Changed some cash to the local currency, asked at the information desk for the bus stop and hopped on with about 20 other people.
The bus was packed and got busier as we went on, people crammed in and it was pretty hot as well. It got to the stage where the doors wouldn't close and people had to get very friendly. I felt that I should have given my seat up to an old lady but I couldn't get out, plus she'd lived through Soviet occupation and was probably tougher than me and standing on a bus was not going to be a big deal. Added to this, we'd been travelling for about 32 hours without a shower so I was feeling a bit grotty.
Driving into the city we saw quite a few abandoned buildings, some looked relatively recent, after the collapse of the soviet union, and some older ones. Also the obligatory concrete housing blocks.
The hotel was just down the road from one of the main squares, another great choice by Song. And to add to our joy, a Paul's patisserie opposite the hotel, our favourite chain of French Bakeries, they are all over Europe.
The hotel was very funky, the Ibis Styles. Lots of bright colours and quirky artwork which for some reason had a sheep theme. The room was spacious and comfortable, and the shower was fantastic after the travel. Cleaned up and pottered around the room for a bit and decided to see what Paul's had to offer for dinner.
The Paul's was more than a bakery, they also did meals which we hadn't seen before. I had a tomato soup to start and then a chicken roulade. Song had a seafood salad and a tuna baguette.
My soup was supposed to be cream of tomato but it wasn't really, it was spicy, but still good.
We also discovered that smoking is allowed in restaurants here, which is really annoying.
The chicken was on a bed of pumpkin puree and was pretty decent, not fantastic, but the cigarette smoke wafting around from other tables didn't help.
Total cost was 77.15 Georgian kablooies, about 40 AUD. Not bad.
Back to the hotel to watch some downloaded TV, then crashed.

Day 0.5 - Singapore Airport

Flight left on time (yay), we'd booked exit seats for the extra legroom and scored an empty seat next to us so had a lot of room. The downside is that they are near the toilet and crew area so it can get a bit busy but I think the extra legroom is worth it.
There were also a couple of babies nearby but I didn't hear them (noise cancelling headphones).
I didn't sleep, but Song did, I watched some TV shows and movies.
We're currently at Singapore for an hour and a half while they swap the crew over, and then another 7 hours to Dubai, 6 hours in Dubai airport then 3 and a half hours to Tbilisi.
Australia is a bloody long way from anywhere.
We're going to pay for a lounge in Dubai so we can have a shower and relax a bit in comfort.

On our way again

Flying out tomorrow Sunday 19th May 2019. First stop Singapore, swap planes to Dubai, swap planes again and onto Tbilisi in Georgia.

Flight is https://flightaware.com/live/flight/UAE405/history/20190519/0810Z/YMML/WSSS