Georgia is sacred in every sense of the word.
Sacred in the literal sense:
Georgia has a history that stretches back thousands of years. Bones unearthed in Dmanisi turned out to be the oldest ever found in Europe dating back one million eight hundred thousand years. My tour guide told me proudly that "Europe started here."
The geography is key. Georgia is situated in the Caucasus Mountains at a strategic crossroads of Europe and Asia - a threshold between the Christian and Muslim worlds. The ancient Silk Road routes chart through the country that linked the ancient worlds together. The history of this marvelous country is a rich and often bloody one because of its location. There have been many wars and many conquests, but through all of it, Georgia has survived with its culture and heritage and religion intact.
Sacred in the spiritual sense:
Coming to Georgia, I had certain expectations. I had expected, being a former republic of the Soviet Union and thus subjected to the rules of the central government in Moscow, that Georgia's relationship with religion would be one that was mending like it is in Russia. I asked my tour guide how the Georgian Orthodox faith held up during those years - and her answer was simple: it was hard, but they never lost faith. The history of Georgia is inextricably linked with religion - for Christianity was officially adopted in 337 - and thus Georgia was one of the earliest countries to do so. The name the world knows Georgia by is derived from the Georgians favorite saint - St. George.
I was able to tour some of the early Christian monuments such as the Anchiskhati Basilica originally built in Tbilisi in the 6th Century.
I suppose it would be wise to start with my arrival in Tbilisi. It was drizzling, but the moment I stepped outside the airport, I inhaled deeply, and felt the coolness of the air in my lungs. After spending two months in a city, I had forgotten just how good and how refreshing mountain air can feel. All I could do was smile. Ely and I were greeted by our driver who drove us to our small hotel in Old Tbilisi in a BMW along President George W. Bush Avenue. Georgia is trying very hard to be friends with the United States and Europe in order to join the European Union. Evidence of Georgia's efforts can be seen and sometimes in strange ways - like a main thoroughfare being named after an American president and yellow marshrutkas buzzing around the city in a timely and efficient manner. Our tour guide emphatically told us that they are yellow because taxis in America are yellow. The hotel where we stayed was tucked in an alley that we would probably have had trouble finding if not for the help of our driver. Ely and I liked that idea - we liked the idea of staying in a place that blended in, of being in a place that did not ooze with the aura of tourists even though that was exactly what we were. We set off into the city after checking in despite having no Georgian currency (the Lari) or knowing how to get around. We were both more than reasonably sure in our navigational abilities, not to mention we had a little help from the hotel clerk, so we were not worried. It did not take long for us to happen upon a delightful little Georgian restaurant steps from the Bridge of Peace. We followed a wooden spiral staircase down into the lower level of a small room and proceeded to have a delicious meal - rich in spices. Having such tasty food is a nice change from the good, but sometimes bland cuisine of Russian food. It was chilly that night and we were tired after a long day of travel, so we returned to the hotel after dinner and prepared for the next day.
Then came our first full day in Tbilisi! I woke up to crystal clear blue skies. This blue was intense, like the kind you find in Colorado or Montana...it really must have something to do with the mountains. Breakfast was a loaf of bread with different toppings like butter, jam, sour cream and impossibly wrapped sausages. After being picked up by our tour guide and chauffeur in a BMW around 10 am, our tour officially went underway. We started in Tbilisi's Old Town, and visited the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi. I realized that this was the cathedral that was the awesome view from my hotel room window. It was constructed fairly recently, having just been completed in 2006, but the traditional style with which it was built leads me to believe that it will stand for another thousand years.
At the next stop, the Narikala Fortress, we spent at least an hour there learning and exploring. The fortress overlooks the city and it is an ancient fortress. It is situated on a hill between the Sulphur Baths district and the Botanical Gardens and was originally established in the 4th Century. Much of the fortress was destroyed in the 19th Century following an earthquake. Now, behind the remaining walls of the fortress lies Saint Nicholas Church.
Sacred in the literal sense:
Georgia has a history that stretches back thousands of years. Bones unearthed in Dmanisi turned out to be the oldest ever found in Europe dating back one million eight hundred thousand years. My tour guide told me proudly that "Europe started here."
The geography is key. Georgia is situated in the Caucasus Mountains at a strategic crossroads of Europe and Asia - a threshold between the Christian and Muslim worlds. The ancient Silk Road routes chart through the country that linked the ancient worlds together. The history of this marvelous country is a rich and often bloody one because of its location. There have been many wars and many conquests, but through all of it, Georgia has survived with its culture and heritage and religion intact.
Sacred in the spiritual sense:
Coming to Georgia, I had certain expectations. I had expected, being a former republic of the Soviet Union and thus subjected to the rules of the central government in Moscow, that Georgia's relationship with religion would be one that was mending like it is in Russia. I asked my tour guide how the Georgian Orthodox faith held up during those years - and her answer was simple: it was hard, but they never lost faith. The history of Georgia is inextricably linked with religion - for Christianity was officially adopted in 337 - and thus Georgia was one of the earliest countries to do so. The name the world knows Georgia by is derived from the Georgians favorite saint - St. George.
I was able to tour some of the early Christian monuments such as the Anchiskhati Basilica originally built in Tbilisi in the 6th Century.
I suppose it would be wise to start with my arrival in Tbilisi. It was drizzling, but the moment I stepped outside the airport, I inhaled deeply, and felt the coolness of the air in my lungs. After spending two months in a city, I had forgotten just how good and how refreshing mountain air can feel. All I could do was smile. Ely and I were greeted by our driver who drove us to our small hotel in Old Tbilisi in a BMW along President George W. Bush Avenue. Georgia is trying very hard to be friends with the United States and Europe in order to join the European Union. Evidence of Georgia's efforts can be seen and sometimes in strange ways - like a main thoroughfare being named after an American president and yellow marshrutkas buzzing around the city in a timely and efficient manner. Our tour guide emphatically told us that they are yellow because taxis in America are yellow. The hotel where we stayed was tucked in an alley that we would probably have had trouble finding if not for the help of our driver. Ely and I liked that idea - we liked the idea of staying in a place that blended in, of being in a place that did not ooze with the aura of tourists even though that was exactly what we were. We set off into the city after checking in despite having no Georgian currency (the Lari) or knowing how to get around. We were both more than reasonably sure in our navigational abilities, not to mention we had a little help from the hotel clerk, so we were not worried. It did not take long for us to happen upon a delightful little Georgian restaurant steps from the Bridge of Peace. We followed a wooden spiral staircase down into the lower level of a small room and proceeded to have a delicious meal - rich in spices. Having such tasty food is a nice change from the good, but sometimes bland cuisine of Russian food. It was chilly that night and we were tired after a long day of travel, so we returned to the hotel after dinner and prepared for the next day.
Then came our first full day in Tbilisi! I woke up to crystal clear blue skies. This blue was intense, like the kind you find in Colorado or Montana...it really must have something to do with the mountains. Breakfast was a loaf of bread with different toppings like butter, jam, sour cream and impossibly wrapped sausages. After being picked up by our tour guide and chauffeur in a BMW around 10 am, our tour officially went underway. We started in Tbilisi's Old Town, and visited the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi. I realized that this was the cathedral that was the awesome view from my hotel room window. It was constructed fairly recently, having just been completed in 2006, but the traditional style with which it was built leads me to believe that it will stand for another thousand years.
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| Holy Trinity Cathedral |
Next, we visited the Metekhi Church and the statue of King Vakhtang Gorgasali, both of which were built on a cliff overlooking the Mtkvari River and Old Tbilisi.
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| Foreground: Metekhi Church and in the background the Holy Trinity Cathedral |
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| Statue of King Vakhtan Gorgasali overlooking Tbilisi |
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| Narikala Fortress |
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| Foreground (Saint Nicholas Church), middle (Metekhi Church) background (Holy Trinity Cathedral) |
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| Me at Narikala Fortress with Tbilisi and the Caucasus Mountains in the background |
After trekking around Narikala Fortress for awhile, we made our way down into the Sulphur Baths District and weaved ourselves through Old Tbilisi. While walking the streets, we saw a mosque, Armenian churches, sulphur baths, unique balconies, and many quaint cafes with outdoor seating. We also had the opportunity to visit Sioni Cathedral and Anchiskhati Basilica, both of which originally date back to the 6th Century.
We drove up Mtatsminda Mountain and visited an open-air ethnographical museum that contains examples of the different types of housing from all over Georgia that people have lived in over the centuries. It looked as if we walking through a pre-modern village. I was also able to practice my very meager knowledge of Georgian there by saying hello, goodbye, and thank you to the curators. At the top of the mountain, we stopped at Turtle Lake and just relaxed in the sun for a little while.
After the tour, we were dropped off at a restaurant on Tbilisi's main thoroughfare - Rustaveli Avenue, ate another delicious meal, and wandered some more. It was here that I was beside myself upon entering an English bookstore and noticing all the literature on the Caucasus. I ended up buying a Georgian-English dictionary and a teach-yourself beginner's Georgian handbook complete with audio CDs. This was how I started learning German and learning Russian, by taking the initiative and beginning to learn it on my own. Unfortunately, unlike with German and with Russian, I cannot just take language lessons in school to bring myself to the next level, there is just hardly any program in the United States that offers Georgian. I will find a way, somehow. But, I am getting distracted! Back to the tour.
Wednesday. I was greeted to a slightly overcast sky when I woke up, but as I ate breakfast, cleared into what would end up being another gorgeous day. Our first destination for the day: Jvari Cathedral sitting at the top of a mountain that overlooks the ancient capital of Georgia, Mtskheta.
Once back in Tbilisi, we had dinner at an outdoor cafe, and following our meal, went exploring the neighborhood beyond the Sulphur Baths District. It was there that a rather jolly older Georgian man saw us and invited us up to his balcony for wine. At first, we ignored him, but he persisted, along with his wife, daughter, son, and grandchildren, and we finally accepted his offer. The view of the city that he had was spectacular; in America, it could be worth millions. Ely and I each received a full glass of white Georgian wine (oddly enough, from a plastic bottle), and encountered a night of many toasts. We also had fresh pickles, pear compote (juice), and cheese. It was a lively conversation spoken solely in Russian since Ely and I did not know Georgian, and the family did not know English. I think it is exciting to be put in a situation where you are forced to speak another language in order to communicate and there is absolutely no safeguard in terms of your own native language to back you up. Thus, with the knowledge of Russian that I do possess, we were able to communicate rather effectively.
We drove up Mtatsminda Mountain and visited an open-air ethnographical museum that contains examples of the different types of housing from all over Georgia that people have lived in over the centuries. It looked as if we walking through a pre-modern village. I was also able to practice my very meager knowledge of Georgian there by saying hello, goodbye, and thank you to the curators. At the top of the mountain, we stopped at Turtle Lake and just relaxed in the sun for a little while.
After the tour, we were dropped off at a restaurant on Tbilisi's main thoroughfare - Rustaveli Avenue, ate another delicious meal, and wandered some more. It was here that I was beside myself upon entering an English bookstore and noticing all the literature on the Caucasus. I ended up buying a Georgian-English dictionary and a teach-yourself beginner's Georgian handbook complete with audio CDs. This was how I started learning German and learning Russian, by taking the initiative and beginning to learn it on my own. Unfortunately, unlike with German and with Russian, I cannot just take language lessons in school to bring myself to the next level, there is just hardly any program in the United States that offers Georgian. I will find a way, somehow. But, I am getting distracted! Back to the tour.
Wednesday. I was greeted to a slightly overcast sky when I woke up, but as I ate breakfast, cleared into what would end up being another gorgeous day. Our first destination for the day: Jvari Cathedral sitting at the top of a mountain that overlooks the ancient capital of Georgia, Mtskheta.
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| Jvari Monastery |
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| Mtskheta |
Afterwards, we went into the city of Mtskheta itself and toured the Samtavro Convent where the Georgian royal family is buried. The first Christian king and his wife are also among those buried here. The site initially dates back to the 4th Century, with buildings that were added on throughout the centuries. Here I was able to witness the Georgian Orthodox peal of the bells, which was beautiful.
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| Svetitskhoveli Cathedral |
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| Inside Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (on the floor you can see where Georgian royalty was buried). |
What is fascinating about the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is that is known as the burial site of Christ's mantle. It is one of the most venerated places of worship in the country and also functions as the seat of archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi.
Then, we traveled through the Georgian countryside, seeing villages where there were cows in the streets and modes of transport involved donkey-drawn carts along the way to our next destination, Uplistsikhe, an ancient cave city. It is known for being one of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia and was a major political and religious center. At the summit, there is a church dating back to the 9th-10th Centuries.
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| Uplistsikhe |
After exploring Uplistsikhe for awhile, seeing the caves and climbing around on the rocks, we drove to Gori, the birthplace of Joseph Stalin. While there, we were able to tour the museum, the house in which Stalin was born, and his personal railcar. It was interesting to be able to see the place where Stalin was born and where he was buried (along the Kremlin wall in Moscow) in one week!
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| Statue of Joseph Stalin |
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| When I asked if I could take his picture, he told me that it was a must! |
The third full day (and unfortunately, our last), greeted us much like the last two - warm and sunny and clear. I really could not have asked for better weather on this trip, especially after two months of the cold gray that is the Russian winter. That day, we did not have a BMW to guide us around, instead, it was a stick shift minivan, and it is a good thing, because the roads we drove on that day were not well maintained. After a long drive through the beautiful Georgian countryside in the southeast Kakheti region, we arrived at the David Gareja Monastery complex, which happens to be on the border between Georgia and Azerbaijan, and is one of the holiest places in Georgia. This complex is on the Udabno half-desert slopes and includes hundreds of churches, cells, caves, and chapels hollowed out on the rock face on both sides of the mountain. Monks still inhabit some of the caves there. Then we did something that I did not think I was going to be able to do on my semester abroad - we hiked! We hiked up a mountain in Georgia, and hopped the border more than a few times into Azerbaijan! It was so much fun. Added to that, we were able to view the fantastic churches filled with frescoes hollowed out in the rocks by monks centuries ago.
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| Kakheti Region of Georgia (filled with sheep). |
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| David Gareja Monastery Complex (that is a dog, by the way). |
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| Monks still live in these caves. |
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| David Gareja Monastery Complex |
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| This mountain (and church) forms a natural border between Azerbaijan (foreground) and Georgia (background). |
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| Monks would convene here for meals and meetings (on the wall, you can see a fresco dedicated to the Last Supper). |
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| This fresco was in the most intact room of the entire cave complex. |
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| Overlooking Azerbaijan |
After the hike, we visited the Bodbe Monastery that overlooked the Caucasus Mountains. Then, we drove to Sighnaghi, a fortified city with awesome views of the Caucasus Mountain Range. We stopped there and walked around, the evening light dancing playfully over the city.
That night, after returning to Tbilisi, we had another delicious dinner downtown at a restaurant that played traditional Georgian music and performed traditional Georgian dance. By this time, Ely and I had discovered the wonders of Georgian lemonade, which is not really lemonade at all, but exquisite carbonated fruit drinks from the Kazbegi region of Georgia in the north. It was a fantastic evening on which to end this trip. Below, you will find a video of one of the dances (if reading this by email, check out the website gretainrussia.blogspot.com to view the video, I also apologize that the video quality is not the best).
Georgia is also sacred in the personal sense:
For years now, I have had a passion for the Caucasus region, the culture, politics, history, and Georgia has always been at the center. I am not quite certain what draws me to this region, perhaps it is my deep love and connection with the mountains - but I am not always able to explain why, I just know. Being able to visit Georgia, even if it was for only five short days, really reiterated the interest that I have, and I know on what I would like to focus. Georgia and Russia, Russia and Georgia. I would love to return to Georgia whether through the Peace Corps or on some other avenue, teaching English or helping a community. Georgia is incredible in so many ways, the mountains, the culture, the food, the hospitality - it was the experience of a lifetime, something that I will never forget.
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