It sits upon a hill with a church at its entrance. We found the fortress, now we just had to find a way to get up there.
We were going to just drive up there, but somehow we got caught up in a wedding procession as we were all going to the same place. Unfortunately the lead cars were skidding backwards as they tried to climb the hill, so we all had to back up going down this narrow winding cobblestone street, at which point we all decided it would be better if we parked the car and tried to make it there on foot.
There was no where to park at the bottom of the hill, so we drove a few blocks away and parked illegally in the street. To get back to the main road up to the fortress, we walked by the famous thermal sulfur baths of Tbilisi. Underneath these brick domes is an entire underground bath house where some of the water comes out of the ground already steaming. They are segregated between men, women and families. 
For whatever reason, it is completely OK to run around on top of these things, but you have to put up with the pungent smell of sulfur.
Beyond the baths and through the main parking lot in Old Tbilisi we walked until we reached the road we were forced to back down. Once again we were faced with hiking up a tall hill around hair pin turns at a steep angle. Good thing we had tested our legs out on these hills just the day before. Yeah, felt really good. Breathing hard never hurt anyone, right?
So we got to the place where the wedding party was sliding backwards. There was construction in the area and a lot of dirt and sand had spilled onto the cobblestone possibly allowing bald tires to lose grip. Or maybe the Georgians' cars just couldn't handle the climb. Either way, I'm glad we didn't try to drive all the way up.
Lexi walked the whole way, declaring "Look me walk up hill", over and over despite the fact that she was panting like crazy. Wish I had energy like that.
Narikala Fortress was established in the 4th century. It was expanded in the 7th and 8th centuries by Arabs and later by Georgian King David the Builder (1089-1125). In the 12th or 13th century a church was built in the lower court. The Mongols named it "Narin Qala" meaning "Little Fortress. Most of the fortifications are from the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1827, parts of the fortress were damaged by an earthquake and were subsequently demolished. When the Russian empire controlled the area, a Russian garrison was established in the fortress and the church was used as a gunpowder store. Legend has it that lightning stuck and the gunpowder exploded destroying the church and many near by buildings as a sign from above. A new one (not pictured) was built in 1996-97 as an exact copy of the original. 
I climbed to the highest point I could find without causing Grandma to feint, while Grandma grounded herself in a place where she wouldn't accidentally plummet over the edge. Grandpa helped Lexi reach some of the places where they could explore safely.
And then we went all the way back down again.
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