This gallery contains 20 photos.
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 … 😉
This gallery contains 15 photos.
The real highlight of Kutaisi though was only to come now – Gelati Monastery (გელათის მონასტერი). Gelati Monastery goes back to the year 1106, is considered a masterpiece of the Georgian Golden Age; its inside features many colorful murals and … Continue reading
A drive of about 2.5 hours got us to Kutaisi (ქუთაისი).
Here we made it straight to the Green Bazaar for a bit of shopping, photography or just for soaking in the market atmosphere with all its smells and sights. Flavors got into the game during a coffee break with local sweets later on – after a small walk around town, which also included a stop at the Tetri Bridge across the Rioni river.
According to the itinerary, we should have visited Batumi Botanical Garden just after our arrival to Batumi. However due to the torrential rain two days back, we were now making it up and had the visit thrown in today, before continuing to Kutaisi.
The bus did drop us at the top entrance of the park and we made our way through the nine themed sections (including Caucasian, East Asia, New Zealand, South America, Himalayas, Australia and the Mediterranean) – until we eventually got to the exit at the bottom, where the bus was already waiting for us.
As the weather had cleared up, we decided, to go and enjoy the views and the sunset over a pre-dinner cocktail from the Nephele Sky Bar on the 20th floor of the Batumi Hilton.
This gallery contains 20 photos.
We had made it into Batumi yesterday – a rainy day. The rain continued today, though with some sunny spots, things looked better. I decided to have a walk on myself in the morning (with the occasional shower), making it … Continue reading