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.