The end.

We had one final, relaxing day in Tbilisi. We visited a beautiful old Orthodox church (where there was a baptism going on, making the place feel very much alive). We encountered these two beautiful peasant women.

And then it was the long flight home from Tbilisi to Boston, via Doha. I managed to take a 2 1/2 hour nap on the tile floor in the Doha airport, using only my camera bag as a pillow. So I have acquired at least that skill on the trip. All went smoothly and the kids were delighted to meet friends at the bus stop in Hanover. Very strange to be back in exactly the spot from which we left nine months ago.

We are home. Time to begin the mundane reentry tasks, like finding the keys, getting the car running, visiting the doctor and dentist, and so on. How wonderful to return to a beautiful place with so many great friends. Thanks for reading!

Homeward bound!

On Tuesday morning, we'll make the long flight from Tbilisi all the way to Boston. Georgia has been a great end the trip: an easy place to travel that is still really interesting.

By coincidence, we were here for Independence Day.

Nothing says happy Independence Day like posing on an army vehicle.

Or in front of common Georgian vegetables molded in the shape of the country.

The adventure draws to an end. Next stop: Hanover!

Georgia on our minds

We enjoyed each day in Tbilisi a little more, as we got a better feel for the city. Also, the weather improved appreciably. There is a ton of great old architecture, though many of the buildings look as though they were neglected terribly during the Soviet era. This is the entrance to our Airbnb apartment.

The back view: We had some concerns the whole place might collapse. Is that crack in the bricks normal??

But inside, the apartment had been completely renovated: post-communist chic. The ceilings were about 18 feet high. (Note the pants hanging to dry on the door to the kitchen.)

Yesterday, we set out for the mountain town of Kazbegi. Things turned rural very fast, as this shot out the minivan window attests.

We stopped at some ancient Georgian orthodox churches and crossed a serious mountain pass. The surrounding mountains are all still covered in snow.

At the top of the pass, a local honey salesman was plying his trade. Since then, honey and bread (also delicious) have been our breakfast and snack of choice.

Kazbegi is a charming town, but so far we've been socked in by fog and rain, allowing us only short walks from our hotel.

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be clear and sunny, so our goal is a hike to Gergeti Trinity Church, one of the most famous churches in Georgia (and at the top of a nearby mountain, so great views).

She's back!! Katrina and Kati join us in Tbilisi

The last time we saw Katrina, she was headed off to Munich to be treated for a flesh-eating parasite. So imagine our joy when she arrived in Tbilisi yesterday to finish the trip with us. She and her friend Kati have been traveling for two months in Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka.

We are enjoying spring weather, interesting architecture, and great street food.

My visit to a Wiener Waschsalon!!!

You can imagine my excitement when Leah first proposed a trip without the kids to the Wiener Waschsalon. I was severely disappointed when we ended up spending an afternoon at the Vienna Laundromat. Shame on me for not speaking German. At least we now have clean clothes.

Vienna is the epitome of a European city, with grandiose palaces, majestic churches, streets lined with lovely pre-war apartment buildings, and loads of cafes.

And fountains, of course. Always fountains.

It's not hard to imagine being here in any number of different eras, especially since the street cars are still running.

For all that, our most enjoyable day was when we stumbled on a HUGE amusement park near the center of the city--as big as Disney World but free to the public (you pay by the ride) and with just enough rough edges to feel like a really fun carnival.

Yes, Leah and I rode that thing spinning in the back, shortly after sampling the national dish of fried bread with butter and garlic. We did not vomit from 90 meters in the sky, but the thought was never far from my mind.

CJ opted for some ride that involved a 100 meter free fall.

Ljubljana: Beautiful even if you can't pronounce it

We spent several days in Salzburg, which is every bit as charming as "The Sound of Music" suggests--if it had rained in every scene in the film. Yes, it's spring in Europe. Still, we are so deprived of cool temps and big sidewalks that it was a pleasure to explore even in the rain.

We took a train from Austria to Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia. We are now close to the Italian border and can feel that we've left Northern Europe for the south: more wine and gelato, less beer and sauerkraut. Ljubljana is one of the most beautiful European cities I've ever seen: cobblestone paths; multiple bridges over the river that runs through the city; tons of cafes; and, of course, a castle perched atop it all.

We are in the middle of the old city. This is the entrance to our stylish (for real) Airbnb apartment (on the third floor of the pinkish building).