Holy Georgia - from Kutaisi to Gori

I have no need for alarms to wake me up at the Tskaltubo Resort outside Kutaisi. The birds do the job more than adequately with their loud and exuberant dawn chorus - a joy to wake up to.
As we leave Kutaisi behind, we pass the all-glass parliament building (symbolic, as I said before, of the avowed openness now of Georgian government following their Independence), some wonderful sculptures, and a bustling and colorful flower market, before finding ourselves out of town and speeding back towards Gori on the main highway we came in on just two days before. Because of the mountainous nature of the country, the relatively few main highways between towns, and the fact that all main routes seem to radiate out from Tbilisi, we have to do a fair amount of retracing our own tracks if we are to see as much as we can of the different regions of this varied and fascinating country.

Snickerse, honey and pots for sale along the road 

The scenery is beautiful on this drive, much of it missed on our journey out to Kutaisi two days ago because of the torrential rain and storms we drove through. The pastures are lush, thick with wild flowers, and being enjoyed by the many cows wandering freely as they graze. They are a special breed, sure footed and able to deal with the sometimes mountainous terrain. Distant mountains to the South are dusted with snow on their caps. We drive through woodlands - a significant area of Georgia is still covered with deciduous and evergreen forest - many trees here are leaning over towards the South west, a clue that the prevailing winds here are from the North East. A wide river, the River Kvirila, meanders to our right, amidst marshland, and a man has driven his car into the shallows and is washing it! We pass large breeding kennels for the popular Caucasian Shepherd Dog, or Caucasian Ovcharka, an ancient breed popular as a guard dog and for bear hunting.

This is a big sweet corn growing region, used for the corn bread of this area, bread with a dense texture which is not to everyone's taste but which suits me fine when it is well made. This is also the area for wicker goods and pottery, evidenced by the many roadside stalls selling these goods. These are not for the benefit of the tourists, we are told, but are essential household items for the Georgians. The special clay for this pottery comes only from this region, the pots are all hand made and are used for both cooking and serving; the clay imparts a distinctive flavor to the food. On the far, Eastern, side of Zestaponi we stop at one of these stalls to buy souvenirs to take home. They seem so inexpensive. I am always worried about weight, in this age of airline restrictions, and have to resist some of the attractive clay vessels which I would have loved to buy.
There are also the Churchkhela or Georgian Snickers for sale, the lovely sweets made with nuts coated in grape juice- nutritious and calorific and for me delicious! 

Our first pilgrim stop of the day is at the little church of St George, in a delightful situation down near the river in the small village of Urbnisi (Ubisi). There are some beautiful and well preserved 10th century frescoes, most noteworthy being the ones depicting the Last Supper and the Annunciation. The church is only big enough for one coach party at a time and another group are arriving as we leave. Beehives are lined up beneath the almond trees near the entrance to the church. There is a churchyard slightly separated from the main church grounds, as is the Georgian custom, each grave surrounded by elaborate iron railings, the whole area somewhat overgrown with tall bracken. The priest sees us arrive and comes across to say hello to us; for some reason his eye is caught by my black tea shirt from Thailand with a striking elephant on the front!

beehives in the churchyard

entrance to St George's church

Leaving the church behind we soon go through the 2.5 km road tunnel marking the divide between East and West Georgia, thereby avoiding the scenic but tortuous old road over the Rikoti Pass, with 4 km of tight hairpin bends. We drive through Surami, famous for its pine tree forests and a popular resort for those with respiratory disorders.
We approach Khashuri. There are hammocks for sale everywhere here, around the town, at roadside stalls and small shops, popular purchases apparently for those heading West to the beach resorts on the Black Sea. The poppies are fantastic in the fields on either side of the road, and many calves are tethered in the pastures - destined no doubt for the veal market. At least they are not suffering the fate of many of their less privileged brethren who are destined to live their life in veal houses, where there are often issues surrounding their welfare.

Biliki handicraft for sale

Finally we arrive in Gori, and after the poshest "comfort break" of the whole trip, in a brand new and very modern "service area" with a fantastic range of food and drinks, we make our way into town. Our first stop here is at the Society Biliki (in Georgian this means path, or way forward), an NGO founded in 1997 to work with refugee children from conflict zones around Gori, Internally Displaced People (IDP) and those from poor local families. It began with 15 "street children" and now has more than 80 children on its register, offering them both education and medical support. It has a special focus on street children who are begging or trying to trade simply to survive.

Biliki handicraft for sale

McCabe Pilgrimages founded the McCabe Educational Trust in 1991, to help those in need encountered by pilgrims in their travels with the company. And so wherever the pilgrimages go, there will be an organisation grateful for the support of the pilgrims that we can visit and see how well our contributions are being spent. This also gives such places much needed moral support as we extend our hands of friendship to them. The Trust now distributes about £200,000 annually in grant aid. At Biliki we are given a presentation about their work and leave a gift for them. Before waving goodbye the ladies among us cannot resist buying some of the beautiful jewelry and felt work made there for raising funds.

Gori block of flats - many show scars of the 2008 conflict

There has been a settlement here at Gori since the early Bronze Age and it has been a military stronghold since the 12th century although the fortress may have been in use already by the 7th century. Gori has had a turbulent history, due to its position at a strategic crossroads of major transit routes. It suffered its most recent attacks with aerial bombardment from the Russian Air force from the outset of the South Ossetian War in 2008. Perhaps Gori is best known as being the birthplace of Joseph Stalin, although its fortress is also famous, towering above the central part of the modern city. It is a city of contrasts - some of the stark communist blocks of flats clearly still showing the damage of the 2008 invasion, whereas there were big gardens to large houses on the outskirts, often with cool looking arbors over them draped with vines, offering welcome shade against the excessive summer heat.

Poppy field along the way

Stalin's birthplace

We arrive in Gori at the time of the "Last Bell" - the last day of school for students until September - before then they have study leave and exams - if they survive their celebrations! Because it seems that the revelry primarily involves getting all your friends to sign your white T Shirt, then piling as many students as possible into each car and travelling at break neck and suicidal speeds through the town's streets and out of town to as many local and ancient monuments as can be managed, all the while leaning out of the side windows, standing up through sunroofs, taking up both sides of the road and generally behaving stupidly! Our coach meets a few such convoys, and in the circumstances I think our driver is very restrained.

Inside the Stalin museum

Driving a little way out of town for lunch we see more settlements for IDPs, with some productive looking "allotments" where food is clearly being grown. Then we go to the Stalin Museum. We were shown around by a guide who went through the many exhibits in several rooms at breakneck speed and the whole experience left me quite cold. I rather wish I had followed those who instead explored the Gori fortress and the fantastic sculptures below it. But it is certainly an incredible collection and display for those interested to delve more deeply into Stalin the man and his place in history. Sadly the captions are mostly in Georgian and Russian, with little attempt at English translations, which limits the value of the visit.

Stalin's Railway Carriage

It is a shame that we didn't have time to visit the nearby 7th century church of Ateni Sioni, said to be one of the loveliest churches in Georgia, and with some famous frescoes. It's perhaps good to leave some places to come back to on another trip! We have to move on as there is still a long drive ahead of us, once we have visited the Cave City of Uplistsikhe ………….

Holy Georgia - Bagrat Cathedral of the Assumption, Kutaisi

As usual McCabe have found us an excellent local venue for lunch, the Old Imereti, in Kutaisi. It seems as if we have arrived for a wedding feast, the tables already laid out for us with a plentiful variety of vegetarian dishes to start with, meat dishes to follow. Some have Turkish coffee here, Georgian style, but it seems it is very much an acquired taste, appearing to be something like black sludge to the uninitiated. I play safe and stick to my tea, served without milk and quite refreshing, not unlike the Turkish Cay I enjoyed so much in the monasteries of South East Turkey last October.
Because of the Independence Day celebrations, our coach cannot drive straight through the center of town to our next destination, the Cathedral of King Bagrat. There seems to be quite an argument between our guide, the driver and the local police controlling the traffic. After much gesticulating and angry exchanges, we lose, and have to drive a very long way round! Our driver is amazing, negotiating the narrowest of streets, seemingly passing perilously close to overhead power lines and managing to get us safely to the Cathedral.

inside the cathedral

This indeed was the building we saw so clearly this morning from the hills on the other side of the valley. Set high on the Ukimerioni Hill across the river from the city center, it is an incredibly prominent landmark with its emerald and azure roof.  A notice board tells us that "The cathedral was roofed with copper and covered with a special patina finish. The color of the patina is the same azure and emerald as the fragment of the roofing discovered during the excavations. According to Christian tradition, azure symbolizes Heaven and the Kingdom of God, while emerald embodies and glorifies the splendor of Creation. Emerald green symbolizes Resurrection, Paradise, the Holy Spirit and Spring."   Following its recent restoration, it is stunning.

There was a fortress here from at least the 1st century AD, and we can see remains from the 5th and 6th centuries and some medieval fortifications as well as the prominent bell tower, as usual separate from the church itself.

This Cathedral of the Assumption, commissioned in 1003 by King Bagrat III, is a huge triconch (with three apses or semi circular recesses) and cruciform church with a massive central dome, symbolizing the heavenly sphere.

The Turks destroyed this wonderful building in the late 17th century and it remained roofless and in a sorry state until UNESCO put it on the World Heritage list and it has been restored. Fortunately the unsightly scaffolding mentioned in the guide books has now been taken down so we can enjoy the building in all its glory. Unfortunately the nature of the restoration is controversial and has upset UNESCO. At their 37th conference session on World Heritage sites they reported (see item 32 - and incidentally item 33 re Mtskheta) regret that Bagrat had been altered to such an extent that its authenticity has been irreversibly compromised - but for the moment they recommended to retain it on the list subject to additional information requested to enable them to modify the boundary of the World Heritage site, seemingly to enable Gelati to be retained without the inclusion of Bagrat cathedral…at least that is my interpretation of the sometimes conflicting information on the internet.  

Our guide shows us an icon associated with a poem about the wine grape and the Virgin Mary - this was a 12th century hymn dedicated by King Demetrius I, (1093–1156 AD) son of David the builder, to his new kingdom.

She tells us that the hymn was forgotten in the Soviet period but at the time of Georgia's independence in 1991 it was resurrected… "you are a vineyard newly blossomed, young, beautiful, growing in Eden …" it begins...

See for example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shen_Khar_Venakhi and http://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-georgian+republic  for more information on this and on Georgia's wine making tradition, which began around 6000 years ago.

from a notice board at Bagrat

After spending some time at the Bagrati Cathedral we walk back down into town through the street markets towards the enormous main square where we will meet the coach later, before going back to the hotel. This square is closed to traffic for the independence celebrations - hence our coach driver's earlier arguments with the police - and there is plenty of lively activity. The Georgian army are taking the opportunity to show off their tanks and guns much to the enjoyment of lots of little boys, and some not so little, who mill around with obvious enjoyment and interest. I shrink away from displays of military strength. The street markets are noisy and crowded and I don't enjoy them much more. I see two poor little rabbits squashed together into a small box, panting and in obvious distress, destined for tonight's supper I suspect.

wall mural in Kutaisi

the impressive fountain in central square, Kutaisi

Independence Day celebrations Kutaisi 2014

Some of us have little appetite for the recommended Farmers' Market and make our way straight to the central gardens near the meeting point, where we find a café and some welcome tea, coffee and ice-cream to suit our various tastes! The service there is very friendly although little English is spoken. The day has been pleasantly warm, with none of the forecast rain. We have a welcome hour and a half back at the hotel before supper and the evening service of Compline, before most of us opt for an early night. We are off again in the morning with a long day ahead of us, and many interesting stops along the way. We will drive via Gori and Tbilisi up into the Caucasus Mountains in the North of the country, up to Gudairi, the highest village on the Georgian Military Highway, where we will stay for two nights…there is still so much to see and enjoy on this wonderful pilgrimage trip.

Holy Georgia: The Gelati and Motsameta monasteries, Kutaisi

Tskaltubo Resort

We are staying for two nights 12 km NW of Kutaisi at the Tskaltubo Resort. This was built by German prisoners of war after World War II and was a popular Soviet Union health spa and resort and sanatorium, much frequented by the rich and enjoyed by Stalin for its recreational facilities. There are the remains of a railway line from Moscow which serviced the center. The approach drive is almost spooky, as we pass massive buildings in process of restoration, amidst neglected and extensive Italianate style gardens which were clearly once opulent. The hotel accommodation itself is modern and fairly simple, but very clean and comfortable. Opening the window in my room, I am rewarded with the cleanest crispest smelling air imaginable, filled with exuberant birdsong.

Tskaltubo Resort the Restaurant Building

Next morning I am awoken at 5am by the noisiest and most glorious dawn chorus of birds I have ever heard anywhere. What a total joy to hear. Strolling through the grounds before breakfast I find some beautiful flowering Oleander and a glorious Magnolia. The meals are taken a short walk away through the gardens, in a huge building adorned within by marble pillars and fountains, the latter not currently functioning. Like Marmite, this hotel is to love or hate. I loved its quirkiness and faded charm, the glorious wild life and clean air, the vast gardens a relic of a different era. Efforts are clearly being made to slowly restore the whole complex to something of its former glory.
For the tourist there are caves to visit nearby, at Kumistavi, with 15 chambers underground, including an underground waterfall, and the habitat for 10-12 species of bat. But we are pilgrims so the bats are given a miss!
Monday morning sees us setting off at 9am after a good breakfast at the hotel to visit Kutaisi itself. The road to the town is sadly littered and unsightly, but I am pleased to see that at least some people care; I see a man picking up litter outside a small roadside café, and an old lady is sweeping the pavement in front of her small shop. And the town itself, as with most towns we visited here, was relatively clean and tidy.

beautiful frescoes, Cathedral of the Virgin, Gelati Monastery

At the time of our visit it is Georgia's Independence Day, with lots of celebration going on across the country. There are events in the town center here so some roads are closed and security appears tight. We pass the town's statue of King David the Builder, much revered King of Georgia from the tender age of 16, then we cross the river and climb up out of town into the mountains, through deciduous woodland and lush green glades, past small fields of sweet corn and groups of placid grazing cows along the roadside.

the mosaic Virgin and Child in the Apse, Cathedral of the Virgin,
Gelati Monastery

King David's grave

The iron gate at King David's grave

the rather curious St Nicholas church
with the bell tower behind

We are visiting the Gelati Monastery, founded by King David whose statue we had just passed in town. He wanted to create a new Jerusalem or Athos here to serve as a major center of Christianity in Georgia. This is said in the guidebooks to be one of the most beautiful spots in Georgia. Maybe, but we will see other strong contestants for this claim later in the week. The guidebooks also warn about the crowds of pilgrim and tourist groups visiting this site, although when we visited it was very quiet. The Cathedral of the Virgin, the centerpiece of the monastery, features many rather fine and colorful frescoes, dating variously from the early 12th century through to the 17th century.

information plaque at Gelati Monastery

But most remarkable is the stone mosaic in the apse, made with 2.5 million stones, featuring the Virgin and Child and the two archangels Michael and Gabriel, dating back to the 1130s. It has suffered some earthquake damage and the lower half controversially restored by painting rather than mosaic. Other features at this monastery are the bell tower, the south gate with King David's grave, the Church of St Nicholas (one of the oddest designs of church in Georgia, and the Church of St George (closed but apparently often opened at weekends for weddings). King David died in 1125 and at his request was buried in the center of the South gateway, so that churchgoers would be forced to walk over him and remember him for ever! The battered iron gate there was built in 1063 in Ganja, then in Persia but now in Azerbaijan. David's son Demetre I brought it back from Persia in 1129.

One of the best detailed descriptions of the Gelati monastery complex is at the UNESCO website.

Having spent some time at Gelati, we retrace our steps in the coach to Motsameta (meaning; martyrs) Monastery, founded in the 8th century. This is smaller than the Gelati Monastery, and again we have the place pretty much to ourselves, at least to start with, although as at Gelati, the liturgy is being said at the time of our visit.

I still find it very difficult to take photos whilst respecting the mystery and divinity of the occasion. The present church was built in the 11th century by Bagrat III, the bell tower perhaps later, in the 16th century. The buildings are set in a spectacular cliff-side setting, with fabulous views into the gorge far below. Within the church there are two skulls in a casket, recovered and reburied from the earlier church. These belong to the brothers David and Constantine Mkheidze, now saints, who refused to convert to Islam in the 720s and were killed by Arabs and thrown into the gorge. I missed my chance here of having a wish granted. Apparently this was available to me if I had crawled three times beneath the tomb of the saints, without touching it! A missed opportunity! The church has only been open again for two years, and has modern frescoes. There may well be a secret tunnel between Gelati and Motsameta, useful in periods of the all too common invasions that this country has suffered.

Motsameta Monastery from approach road

For the tourists with more time on their hands there is a pleasant half day hike to be had between the two monasteries, and in the heat of the high summer a walk down to the river below from the gatehouse of the Motsameta monastery is a popular jaunt for the people of Kutaisi. As we drive back down into Kutaisi there are stunning views of the town spread out below, enjoyed by many of the quality villa-style houses lining the route up here. Always we can see the prominent golden dome of the restored Cathedral of King Bagrat, a striking landmark which we shall visit this afternoon.

The Bagrat Cathedral, Kutaisi

Holy Georgia - in the steps of St Nino and the Syrian Fathers - the road to Kutaisi

We are pilgrims on a journey; in Caucasian Georgia, in the steps of St Nino and the Syrian Fathers. We have explored the Dzhvari or Jvari (cross) church in its proud and very prominent position high above the town of the sacred city of Mtskheta, and then visited the cathedral in the town, related in my last post here.
But now we have to travel on.
Back in the coach we travel westwards, passing close to South Ossetia. Advice on safety and security for travelers from the UK foreign office advises us that: "along the M27 road (also known as the M1), particularly where it runs very close to South Ossetia (between the Stepantsminda/Gudauri turnoff and Gori, and between Gori and Khashuri)... There is a risk of criminal activity in these areas." This is our route!  The website further advises that: "The British government does not recognise the unilateral declarations of independence made by the de facto authorities in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. There is no UK diplomatic representation available in either location." We have every confidence in McCabe's meticulous attention to such details, and also in our excellent Georgian guide and driver.

A refugee camp on road to Kutaisi

on the road to Kutaisi

Our guide tells us that 20% of Georgian territory is still occupied by Russia today, 400,000 people have been turned out of their houses to live in refugee camps in Georgia or to leave the country. We drive past one such camp where some of these Internally Displaced People, or IDPs as they are known, now live. We are told that this camp was partly funded by the European Union and the World Bank. Since its independence, Georgia did suffer civil conflict, fueled, our guide tells us, by Russia who would like the world to think Georgia is unstable. But whilst Georgia did have a corrupt government and economic problems in its early days of independence, for the last ten years or so it is making positive steps forward and life is generally good. There is plenty of new building going on, and the roads are being substantially improved. Georgia wants only to build peace and stability for its people, a desire shared by most of us. The country is expanding its export market around the world, especially for its wine for which it is justly well known, and in 2011 the new Georgian government even renegotiated its exports to Russia again, a huge and very important market for them. As she tells us this, we pass a tourist sign to the "Wine Route", the first of many such signs we will see later in our pilgrimage.

on the road to Kutaisi

There is a family of stray dogs basking on the bonnet of an abandoned car by the wayside; a bitch and her pups, clearly set up home there. There are too many emaciated stray dogs around - so sad.
The wild flowers in the meadows as we drive along are stunning in their diversity and colors. Poppies give us flashes of bright red brilliance, there are fields of barley and wheat, and there are plenty of smallholdings and small orchards in and around the villages we pass through. Much accommodation here seems very old and run down, in stark contrast to the very modern IDP settlements. Rusty corrugated iron roofs cover many of the older buildings, again in contrast to the many shiny new satellite discs seen as we drive further to the west.

typical Georgian food very Veggie friendly!

It is lunch time, and we stop at Venecia Ristorante, before reaching Gori. This restaurant has been built around an artificial lake and canal with arched bridges and plenty of outside terraces. We discover later that this is a very popular style of restaurant in Georgia. A long table is set out ready for us, groaning with enticing plates of food and baskets of the flat bread for which the region is known. We are seated on one of the covered balconies overlooking the lake, which is full of trout. I'm finding the Georgian food very veggie friendly on the whole, helped by the way they keep bringing various dishes, both meat and salad based and there are no defined courses as such, which we are all used to. So at first it seems a little strange, but I like it. I only miss having a sweet "pudding" to finish the meal, that's all. And my wheat free diet, recently imposed for medical reasons, is proving to be a challenge, with so much delicious looking fresh bread always generously provided. But my wheat abstinence is certainly helping me, so perseverance in this respect is definitely worth while.

dough for the flat bread

colorful roadside market stalls on
road to Kutaisi

After this meal we go around the back of the restaurant where the coach is parked and watch an elderly lady making this flat bread, sticking the shaped dough with apparent ease around the sides of a stone pit at the bottom of which are red hot embers; a skill no doubt learnt over decades and passed on through generations. Also here a man is catching and killing some of the free range chickens for supper tonight. I give this a miss! At least the birds have had a happy life scratching around the coppice behind the restaurant and their end comes mercifully quickly.
It is a three hour drive after lunch to Kutaisi and our hotel for the next two nights so we settle down to read, sleep, watch films on our personal tablets etc. or listen to music. I cannot do any of these things; I watch out of the window continually, anxious not to miss any detail of the changing landscape of this lovely countryside. There is so much of interest to see along the roadside;

There is a craftsman making wooden ladders. Then there are the many colorful street market, the stalls stacked high with local fruits. Each market comprises a collection of many small stalls, but many of these appear to be very run down, even abandoned. I've mentioned the cows before, grazing everywhere, with no boundaries, usually under the watchful eye of one or two men, who we later learn are paid per cow per day for this watchful duty. Some keepers are on horseback - one we saw was galloping bareback somewhat dangerously I thought alongside the fast moving traffic!
There are many small fields of newly planted "greens." Then I see a motorbike pulling a farm trailer! A large and rare road sign in English at the road works along the way urges the traffic to "Slow Down." They are widening this very main and busy route and improving its surface at the same time.
Always there is litter, especially at junctions and along the main roads. Curiously the towns themselves are nearly always relatively clear of litter. Lovely Georgia, please stop desecrating your beautiful countryside in this way. Sadly, I fear the UK is heading in the same direction unless we change the filthy habit of "litter bugging" soon.

Kutaisi street scene

We are warned to expect a higher humidity in Kutaisi than in Tblisi. We are driving towards higher mountains on our left, to the South, and into rain - we are only one hour into our drive and can see the clouds coming down the mountain sides towards us. I even think I see snow on a distant peak, glinting in the sunshine before the rain clouds blot out the view. And do they just! It is raining really hard now, the view ahead almost obliterated except when vivid lightning flashes momentarily open it up again, and thunder roars around. It looks to be set in for the day.

poppies!

Water pours down roadside gullies presumably to a collecting reservoir somewhere? Meanwhile we are noticeably climbing. My ears start popping. There is evidence of quite a few rocky landslides which have been cleared away from the road. Then we begin our descent. We drive down verdantly green and steep wooded gorges and we can see a river, sometimes alongside the road, then far below us, always swollen and fast flowing with the rain. There are regular "wrecking cul de sacs" - the signs again in English. Presumably these are the same as our "escape routes" (what do Americans call them?) for lorries with failing brakes on steep hills and the assumption is that Georgian lorry drivers don't need them? I understood that English is not widely spoken here outside Tbilisi so why the English signs?

Home to the story of the Golden Fleece, Kutaisi is Georgia's second largest town, with a population of 200,000. It is also the oldest, with evidence of settlements going back to perhaps the 17th century BC. It was certainly established as a Greek colony by the 7th century BC.
Here we will be visiting two monasteries and the wonderful Bagrat Cathedral, as well as soaking up the atmosphere of the Georgian Independence celebrations which happily coincide with our visit....to be continued...