Final Day in Georgia (This Trip)

Starting the day with some communist art in the heart of Kutaisi

Today will conclude the Georgia portion of this vacation. I will catch a flight to the final stop on this trip early tomorrow morning.

The sun was shining so, before breakfast and before the drive back to Tbilisi, I decided to do some shutterbugging in Kutaisi.

Where I soon saw a street dog tree a cat.

I heard the dogs bark and a cat scream and run and, then, I saw the cat up in the tree, right at that first branch coming off the trunk.

There was not much car traffic, and no bus traffic, at this morning hour, so I was able to take some unobstructed photos sans automobiles of Colchis Fountain in the heart of Kutaisi.

I also was able to take an unobstructed photo of the gateway entrance into Kutaisi Park:

Some fellow tourists had the same idea that this was a great hour for some tourist photography.

There was something on the map called the "Soviet Sculpture Complex" nearby that I had not yet checked out. Well, as Elvis once said/sang: It's now or never. I chose "now."

I may hate communism, but I am fascinated by Socialist Realism art. The display was small, but it was quite communist in tone.

Socialist man, looking socialist.

The reviews mention that these sculptures are poorly maintained and vandalized. I didn't really notice that, except for one point in the back corner that seemed to be missing a statue. It looked decently well-maintained to me, although it was missing any explanatory notes.

All in all, I thought it was nicely maintained when you consider that there is absolutely no nostalgia for the Soviet era anywhere in Georgia, except maybe for some clueless tourists at the Stalin Museum in Gori.

That is the respected (within Georgia) poet Akaki Tsereteli. He died in 1915, so he was fortunate not to see the Bolshevik takeover of Georgia. The Soviet conquest of what had been an independent republic after the fall of czar resulted in a massive slaughter of artists and poets, as well as politicians, religious figures, and the community elite. Just finishing up the communist detour here.

It was time to get back to the hotel to eat breakfast, shower, and pack for the drive back to Tbilisi. With a few stops along the way.

The first stop was Samtavro. This is a historic (but still in use) convent in Mtskheta. I visited Mksheta on Wednesday, but not the Samtavro convent.

I did visit Jvari Monastery high atop that hill, however, on Wednesday.

There was a nice crowd there.

The buildings of Samtavro originally were built in the fourth century, which would before Christianity came to Georgia. It was reconstructed as church property in the 11th Century.

I was dressed in shorts and a polo, so I could not go inside initially. The polo was acceptable, but not the shorts. But then one of the priests gave me permission to enter as long as I got some fabric to cover my bare knees. I had mentioned the Serbian Orthodox church that has been under construction in Las Vegas for maybe a decade and a half, and was being built in the traditional style. The priest was actually familiar with that church, although he definitely had not traveled to Las Vegas.

So, after getting wrapped in fabric, I was able to enter. The interior was beautiful, but no photography was allowed inside. Not even without a flash. One of the major focal points of the church is the tomb of Saint Gabriel, a monk who died in 1995. His tomb is a major pilgrimage site.

And so it was time to leave Samtrovo to head for Tbilisi.

The final stop of the tour was a site I had visited before going to Kutaisi: the Chronicles of Georgia. I was very happy to return here because this time I had a guide who would be able to explain some of the iconography involving the history of Georgia and the history of Georgian Orthodox church that were lost on me when I walked among the giant pillars with no guide.

For example, I did not need an explanation for this:

It's a Biblical scene. Adam naming the animals. If you know the Georgian language and alphabet, you would know that the word "Adam" appears in the upper corner.

However, my guide was able to tell me that this column is of King David the Builder, who earned his name by building much of Georgia, both in the sense of building buildings and building a Georgian culture.

This, a bit covered in shadows because the sun decided to go into hiding, is the only woman "king" of Georgia.

Tamar. She reigned from 1184 to 1213. She earned her place in the Chronicles of Georgia.

Here I am in front of one of my favorite scenes. Jesus walking on the water and, more importantly, Peter being unable to do so.

Again, I find the imagery comforting. Peter was a weak man whose faith was not continuously strong. Not only did he deny Christ three times on the night preceding the crucifixion, but he also showed a weakness of faith when Christ invited him to walk toward him -- on the water -- and Peter soon realized that he could not do so so he began to sink into the waters.

And how do I honor this?

With a sacrilegious reenactment.

One final pose standing tall in the midst of the Chronicles of Georgia.

And that will end the Georgia part of this vacation. One week in this country and it was not enough. Beautiful scenery. Great architecture. Delicious food. And, most importantly, so many of the warmest, most welcoming people I have met anywhere in all of my travels.

The Tbilisi Rain Lets Up: Time for the Ropeway and the Mother of Georgia

Cable cars above the Kura

This is my last full day in Tbilisi.  And time to check off the last must-do item on the Tbilisi agenda:  taking a cable car up to the Mother of Georgia.

As with most of the key tourist sights, the station to catch the cable car up to the Mother of Georgia is a short walk through the Old City from my hotel.  The walk takes me close to the statue of the founding king of Tbilisi and the Metekhi church of the Nativity of the Mother of God.

And right across the Kura River is the cable car station, again, in Tbilisi, the "ropeway" station.

This sculpture is called "The Tree of Life."

Because it is filled with non-living depictions of things alive.  It is mandatory for us tourists to snap a picture or three of it when we're near.  So I did.

Time to hop on board the ropeway and see what is at the top of the hill.

And it's this view:

Left to right:  the Bridge of Peace, that ugly tube-shaped building that once, briefly, was called the Rike Center or something like that -- it doesn't matter because it is closed -- then the Air Balloon Tbilisi -- which only goes up and down -- it doesn't float all around -- and then, finally, on the right, the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, which dominates the skyline on the east bank of the Kura River.

This is the National Botanical Garden, I believe.

The sign said Botanical Garden, but the path led to a closed gate.  So maybe it already had closed for the day.  Or maybe it never opened today because of the deluge of rain in the morning.  Whatever the reason, it was not open for tourism.

From this vantage point, you could see the summit of the funicular at Mtatsminda Park:

Include the mausoleum building, which is the midpoint station on the funicular route.

And there she is:

The Mother of Georgia!

The Mother of Georgia is a giant statue overlooking the city.  She can be reached via ropeway or walking up an extremely long and steep staircase that no human being would ever consider using.  But the locals dogs do.  I seen it.

The day was getting late.  And I was getting hungry.  Time to descend.

Time for some photos featuring cable cars:

That is a cable car with the Mother of Georgia herself in the background.

This one has a cable car and the giant balloon that only goes up and down like a balloon-powered elevator.

And this is a cable car and the Bridge of Peace:

The hour is getting late and the stomach is getting empty.  I did not want much of a supper.  Maybe this would be the night to sample some Georgian dumplings, known as Khinkali.  The hotel door man recommended 2 Tonas, a local brew pub, for the khinkali.  Dumplings seemed like something a brew pub could do well, so off I went.

"2 Tonas" means two tons.

The restaurant was not very crowded, but, once again, the service was indifferent.

It's interesting.  Georgia is a warm, wonderful, welcoming country.  Everywhere.  Everywhere that is but the restaurants.  Then it's a rude indifference that would make a New Yorker proud.  You walk in.  Stand around.  No one wants to seat you.  And when you finally get a seat, you wait an eternity for a menu.  I thought it was me.  I thought I had a bad case of tourist cooties.  But then I saw two attractive young ladies walk in -- the time you would think the male staff would fall all over -- and they received the very same cold shoulder treatment I did.

This is the beer menu, all brews made in house.

I had the pilsener, which I thought would pair well with the dumplings.

The menu listed about seven types of khinkali.  Beef only.  Cheese only.  Mushroom only.  Mountain style, called "Mtiuluri."  And city style, called "qalaquri."  Minimum order size was five, which sounded about what my stomach needed.  I wanted to try a variety.  And I could get any flavor, as long as was Qalaquri, city style.  It was like a homage to Soviet communism.  You can have whatever you want, as long as it is the one style that is available.  Tonight it was qalaquri, which is spicier -- meaning seasoned with herbs, not with heat -- than the other types of khinkali.  Five khinkali hit the spot.

Then it was a short walk back to the hotel.

The Mother of Georgia was watching over us all.

Even lovers in the park:

And that concludes the Tbilisi part of this tour.  Tomorrow I am off to Kutaisi.  Still in Georgia.  Just not Tbilisi.

A Rainy Day in Georgia: Time to Head to the Museum

Metal heads in bowls. Now at the Georgian National Museum.

It was a rainy morning in Georgia.  It was pouring down rain hard with lots of loud claps of thunder.  Not ideal tourist conditions.  But when you on vacation on a rainy day, that means it is a great day to go to the museum.

I went to the Georgian National Museum, which -- and this is important given that it was pouring rain -- was only a 10-minute walk from the hotel.  The bottom floor has the anthropology section.  Skulls, like above, and animal bones, such as these:

There once were rhinoceroses in Caucasuses.

Ostriches too.

Are these what I think they are?

Historic, even prehistoric, jello molds.  From so long ago they were from a time before jello came powdered in a tiny box.

And this is a belt.  For a man.

What fascinated me about this was just how tiny the men's waists must have been from when that belt was new.

Hunting scenes on the side of the belt:

And here is a metal female head in a metal bowl.

It's like the metal male head in a metal bowl up top, only female.

And this is a small piece of gold ornamentation:

There also was an interesting exhibit of Georgian Orthodox church art that, for some reason, forbade photography.  So I took no photographs.

All in all, the national museum was not very detailed on the history of Georgia, with one notable exception.

The exhibit covering the period of Soviet occupation of Georgia, which is roughly from 1921, when the Bolsheviks conquered Georgia and ended the First Republic of Georgia up through the fall of the USSR in 1991.  Georgia had a treaty with the Soviet Union to recognize Georgian independence, but once the communists had full control over Russia, they broke the treaty.  And proceeded to go on a massive killing spree.

The communists slaughtered the Georgian elite, the religious leaders, artists, anyone of prominence in the Georgian community.  Why?  Because they were communists and communism is evil.  Satanic evil.  If you know anything of the history of Bolshevism and communism, you know that is not hyperbole.

The exhibit consists mostly of photos are writings of those slaughtered by the communists,  It tells the story of the evil of Soviet communism more eloquently than a timeline ever could.

This is an exhibit of the first in Georgia to be murdered by the Soviet communists:

Never again.