Expedition to Elbrus – Part III

 

Georgia is a country, which charms every traveller. It definitely charmed us with endless mountains on the north of the country. At the border we immediately saw the might mountains on both sides of the border. We came to Kazbegi, an area that is considered the most beautiful in Georgia. Untouched nature, white mountain peaks, little villages, livestock with its herders. As if we were in the past. I read somewhere that there is a famous church on the hill above the valley. It is famous for its position and it offers amazing view on the mountains and to Mt. Katzbeg. It is a popular mountain for alpinists and skiers. 

 

We wanted to go to the church with a van, with which we travelled but didn’t come far. The locals were watching us when we drove on the steep macadam road, full of big rocks and holes, drove between cows and chickens and then we had to stop. The road that didn’t actually look like a road was so steep that we couldn’t continue. We stopped at the courtyard of one of the poor houses with lots of animals around. An older man with velvet pants and wool sweater was watching us and we though that he wants something. He hesitated to explain to us in bad Russian that we won’t be able to come to the church with the van. He offered us to call us someone to drive all seven of us with a van to the church. Of course we said yes and a man came immediately to drive us on even worse road. The road was full of rocks, holes and it was very steep with some snow. And then we came to the plateau with a church in the middle on the mountains. It really is a church with the most amazing view around. Amazing mountains were competing with each other, which will look better, but Mt. Katzbeg definitely won. The older sir was still waiting when we came back. He invited us to his home, in a typical Georgian house. A sir, named Genri, wanted to host us, made us dinner and a bed and a breakfast in the morning. And he didn’t ask for anything in return. Homemade goat and sheep cheese, fresh tarragon and carrots with sugar for desert. It was special for him and for us. Tears in his eyes confirmed that we were more than wanted. There’s nothing better than to spend time with a local in this kind of area. 

 

We continued our trip to the capital Tbilisi. We drove through valleys, mountains, scary roads, narrow tunnels where a truck surprised us and had to reverse from the tunnel... This isn’t a road for trucks and there was a proof on the side of the road that was there all winter. Views on the snowy hills that just wait for the skis were waiting for us. But there wasn’t time for everything. A little before Tbilisi we had to go off the road to see Stalin’s birthplace, which was recommended by Lonely Planet. Gori is a city where the birth house of Josif Visarijonovič Stalin stands and of course a museum and a wagon, with which he travelled. Ex capital of Georgia Mtshketa also became just a stop on the way to Tbilisi. And the capital city is big, tidy, modern and full of historical buildings.

 

 

Georgia has amazing nature, history and a special architecture. It is a country where you think that time stopped, everything has a slow rhythm (if I don’t count the crowd in Tbilisi). We especially liked a town with thousands of rocky spaces. It maybe doesn’t sound like anything special but everything is built into a rock. It’s more than an excellent place to hide – Vardzia...