Tbilisi: Marjanishvili

Marjanishvili is a neighborhood in Tbilisi. It's been undergoing renovation like so much of Georgia.

Tbilisi, Georgia. Marjanishvili.

There's a metro station here. A McDonald's. Several guesthouses or hostels. Numerous tiny fruit and vegetable markets. A Russian Orthodox church. Small, human-scale lanes.

Tbilisi, Georgia. Marjanishvili neighborhood.

Irina's in Marjanishvili. Tbilisi, Georgia.

A few weeks ago, Sandy and I spent Saturday night at Irina's Guesthouse. The hostel takes up a portion of this building - a two-level, maze-like place with many bathrooms, two kitchens, and an assortment of rooms filled with beds and antique furniture. Irina owns the apartment; I think the apartment has belonged to her family since her childhood.

Irina's in Marjanishvili. Tbilisi, Georgia.

Sandy and I enjoyed the exclusive use of a four-bed dormer. We met a trio of Swiss cyclists who've been wheeling around Eurasia since September or October. A Korean family was also in residence; parents and two or three young'ns.

Irina's in Marjanishvili. Tbilisi, Georgia.

Sandy had this intriguing, and a little creepy, sight from her bed.

Chucky? 

Irina's in Marjanishvili. Tbilisi, Georgia.

Cozy kitchen upstairs.

Russian Orthodox Church in Marjanishvili. Tbilisi, Georgia.

 
We went into the Russian Orthodox Church, a breath of artistic fresh air, outside the Georgian Orthodox design norm.

Russian Orthodox Church in Marjanishvili. Tbilisi, Georgia.

This weekend was a milestone in the Lenten season, so there were many worshipers entering the church, sharing or receiving food, lighting candles, getting blessings.

Tbilisi, Georgia. Marjanishvili. Russian Orthodox Church.