Tbilisi run

Not the most ideal city for running in, but I finally found myself with a bit of free time this afternoon during a four-day trip to Georgia. Mount Mtatsminda dominates Tbilisi and was a very obvious objective, and after finding a tortuous route through the winding cobbled streets above Rustaveli Avenue, I stumbled across the group of monasteries that I was aiming for. Here a very long sequence of stairs twists through the woods below the defunct funicular to the Soviet TV tower at the top of Mtastsminda. I couldn't help wondering whether I was the first person to use this route as fell running training. The weather had cleared by the time I got to the top: great views east towards the semi-desert and wine regions. The peaks to the west were snow-covered, unsurprisingly after sleet in Tbilisi yesterday, and the hills above Mskreta (visited on Tuesday) looked appealing. Seemed a shame to leave the country after seeing so little of it: will return to take in the High Caucasus some day.