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We had a full day in Tbilisi today, the weather was good and we got going with a guided tour around town. We made the first bit by bus and were driven to the Metekhi St. Virgin Church (მეტეხის ღვთისმშობლის … Continue reading
We finally made it to Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, in the early afternoon – so with plenty of time, to visit some museums and do other things.
Well – I took it easy and ended up doing an extended walk around town, covering the main sites, having a drink, to then head for an early dinner. After dark I also took the funicular up to Mtatsminda Park for some night-time views of town.
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We had a further stop around midday in Mtskheta, one of the oldest cities in Georgia, a former capital of the country and holy city of the Georgian Orthodox Church. We were dropped at a parking lot just outside the … Continue reading
We had left Stepantsminda in the morning, to make the three hour drive to Tbilisi. Sure enough the drive was split up with some visits on the way.
The first stop did come early and before the Jvari pass – a short one at a war cemetery. As we crossed the pass and got to the other side of the mountain range, the weather had turned – blue skies (with some clouds) and sunshine.
We continued to the Ananuri Fortress Complex (ანანურის ციხის კომპლექსი). The fortress dates back to the 13th century. Given its location right next to the military highway, the fortress was the scene of many battles over the centuries. The castle grounds include two churches, the smaller Church of the Virgin built in the first half of the 17th century – and the larger Church of the Mother God built in the second half of that century.
Today continued to be an active day.
After lunch we got on the bus and left town heading North. After a quick stop at the Terek Valley Viewpoint (and an opportunity for some panoramic shots), we made it (after a bit of confusion) to the trail head for the Gveleti Waterfall hike.
The hike got us up a side valley – with the high Gveleti waterfall being the destination – all in all a worthwhile exercise.
Back at the bus we did kept on heading North and toward the border between Georgia and Russia. While we got a glimpse of the border (with clear instruction, to not take photos), we had a different reason for being here: a visit of the Dariali Monastery complex.
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We had continued into the mountains border yesterday in the late evening. A somewhat scary drive along the Georgian Military Highway and over the Jvari Pass (2379m above sea level) had brought us right into the heart of the Kazbegi … Continue reading
A short drive got us to the ancient rock town of Uplistsikhe (უფლისციხე, translating as lord’s fortress).
The town features structures from the Iron Age up to medieval times – and also is a good showcase of pagan, as well as Christian buildings – as such reflecting the Christianization of Georgia from the forth century.
A trip of about 2.5 hours got us to Gori (გორი), known as birthplace of Joseph Stalin. We had a quick tour of the park, to see his statue and birth house.
I declined the opportunity, to visit the Stalin museum – and instead tried to get in some food in a nearby restaurant – and spinach soup actually worked well.
I had spent most of the night going back and forth between bed and bathroom – something had upset my stomach – and as such did not feel too good this morning. The tour continued nevertheless. We left the hotel after breakfast (just tea for me) and made the short walk over to Bagrati Cathedral (ბაგრატის ტაძარი).
The cathedral was originally built in the 11th century by King Bagrat III (hence the name) and is a great piece of Georgian medieval architecture. However – as with so many other buildings in the region – invasions and earthquakes have taken their toll. Reconstruction works were started in the middle of the past century and finally concluded in 2012. Though the changes done as part of the reconstruction ultimately resulted in the cathedral’s status as UNESCO world heritage site to be revoked.
We were through with the program for today and had made it to our hotel in Kutaisi. There was still an hour to kill until dinner, so I decided for a walk over to the little amusement park on the next hill. And then – well – the usual story did set in … if I see a Ferris Wheel, I need to have a ride – especially if it is old and rusty – and Soviet built. There is nothing better than enjoying the views, while listening to the squeaking of the gondola … 😉
