Georgia Diary 2 Driving towards Russian border

Georgia Diary -2

Driving towards Russian border

Ananuri Complex

Last Saturday I had started writing about our visit to Georgia and told you about our first day in Tbilisi, the capital city. Now we planned to travel to see other places.

We started for Gadauri and Kazbegi around 10.30 a.m. the next morning, to drive towards Georgia- Russia border, on the Georgian Military Highway up North.

Jhinvali reservoir

Our first stop after an hour or so, was Jhinvali Water reservoir, an artificial lake on Aragvi river. The Soviets had constructed the dam on this important trading route in the 1980s. Nestled amidst picturesque mountains, the still, clear blue waters of the reservoir fulfil the daily water needs of Tbilisi.

The scenic Georgian Military Highway is a high-altitude road. There was a lot of construction going on. Beka, our driver, told that the new road would solely be for trucks supplying goods to the cities along the way or going further to cross the border into Russia. We had no plans to go to Russia, but smoke-spewing, paint-chipped, old Russian trucks were easily identifiable among the endless row of neater ones with Armenian, Georgian, German and Turkish number plates, crawling on the road, busy at this time of the day.

Driving a few kilometres ahead, we reached the Ananuri complex, a UNESCO World heritage site (Top photo). It is a walled castle with a church and towers dating back to the 16-17th centuries. Want to have a great view around? Climb the tallest tower.

In a decree written by Prince Erekle II in 1791, Ananuri Fortress was mentioned among the seven strongest fortresses. The complex has been a witness to several local (peasant) uprisings and battles with rival duchies. It was set afire once and again later by Russian troops during the Kakheti uprising of 1812. The fortress remained in use until the beginning of the 19th century.

The legend is that even when under siege, the castle could not be defeated because a secret underground tunnel went to the village across the Aragvi. Villagers could bring in food and water for those taking refuge in the castle during attacks. You can see the fenced area near the bell tower, steps going underground. But the enemy captured Ana, a resident of Nuri village. They tortured her so that she would reveal where the tunnel was located. The castle was named after this brave woman who gave up her life, but kept the secret.

There are ruins of a church inside the castle, but the other bigger one, the Church of the Mother of God, is in good shape. With a central dome, decorated façades and frescos, it gets etched into your memory.

Gudauri church

What also got marked into mine was the usual loud group of my fellow countrypeople appearing there after the contents of a mini bus were emptied by the driver on the narrow road in the front. They were easily identifiable- men among them with protruding bellies overhanging their belts, everyone talking and laughing loudly, shouting instructions to one another, stopping anywhere to pose for selfies, making it difficult for others to move around.

Driving another few kms, we stopped at Pasanauri, a small town, to see the confluence of Aragvi and Mtkvari, two mountain rivers. Although everyone sings its praises that the rivers though different in colour, keep their own colours even after merging, I did not see that very clearly. Moreover, at the risk of sounding biased, I can say I was more impressed by the merging of the mighty Sindhu and smaller Zanskar at Leh in India (see inset in photo).

It was noon when we stopped at the Russia-Georgia Friendship monument. The Soviet government built the monument to celebrate 200 years of the treaty of Georgievsk signed in 1783. In this treaty Catherine II of Russia had promised military assistance to Georgia in return for loyalty. But it was not a story of peaceful, friendly neighbourhood. Bloodshed followed and Russia annexed Georgia to its own territory. Now the structure stands as a symbol of reconciliation and friendship between the two countries.

The monument, a circular stone and concrete structure, hangs off, hold your breath, a 600-meter cliff overlooking the Devil’s Valley in the Caucasus Mountains. On the inner side is a large tile mural showing scenes of Georgian and Russian history and covers the whole circumference.

Russia-Georgia Friendship monument

I am not brave enough to take photos standing against the railing over the lush green deep gorge of the valley. So, I admired the beauty of the mountains staring back at us from across the gorge, from a few feet away.

Gudauri is popular with thrill-seekers. We could see people floating in the clear blue sky, paragliding. There were rows of quad bikes for speed riding, jeeps and horses for anyone interested in some adventure.

There are trails and routes for hikers in the area. Gudauri is counted among the best places for skiing as the slopes are above tree-line and said to be safe from avalanches. Anyone interested should go in winter, around December - late March period.

We still had our final destination to go to. We drove further to Kazbegi town, 155 kilometres from Tbilisi. The town just about 12 kms to the Russian border, does give a touristy look.

Needing to recharge our batteries, we stopped at a Georgian restaurant for late lunch. Looking at the nearer verdant mountains and the still snow-capped ones afar, we enjoyed our lobiani, kharcho, chikhirtma  and kebab(more about food in next post).

Look, what I found in Kazbegi!

The official name of the municipality is Stepantsminda, meaning ‘Saint Stephan’, the Orthodox monk who constructed a hermitage at this location in medieval times. During Imperialist Russian times, the settlement got its new name as a tribute to famous writer Alexander Kazbegi, but reverted to Stepantsminda in 2006.

Although people hike and trek the distance to visit the 14^th century Gergeti Holy Trinity Church (2170 meters) from here, we chose to change to a four-wheel drive vehicle to reach there. The short climb from the parking lot to the church is steep, but the sight of several old people slowly climbing up was our inspiration.

Gergeti Trinity is an active monastery and a functioning Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic church, and has a strict dress code. Both men and women need to cover their legs. Women must wear skirts and cover their head as well. The easy way is to wrap an apron skirt around your waist and there are several (besides scarves), lying in the basket outside to borrow.

The church, constructed with conventional architectural techniques and materials, including stone and wood, was also a place for both people and treasures to hide during the invasions. Religious artifacts, including an icon of St. Nino, (patron saint of Georgia) and frescoes and decorate the inside.

Sorry, my mind is in a whirl about churches I went to during this visit. I have no photos of this and I do not remember if photography was allowed inside.

Gergeti Holy Trinity Church Photo: Wikipedia

But like me, do you also wonder how workers would have brought stones to such a height, on this distant, desolate, tough terrain to build the church during times when there were no machines or motor transport? How did the monks survive during severe winter, in times of ill-health? How did they arrange for food?  

Those choosing to spend a night in Kazbegi can have a look at the Archangel Gabriel church, history museum, lion’s head fountain etc., too.

Our 200 km drive back to Tbilisi was short. By the time we reached our hotel, it was around 8.00 p.m. The day had been less tiring than the first one.

As our hotel was bang on Liberty Square in the heart of the city, we took a short walk on our side of the road after dinner. People, mostly old, had put up wares on the pavement to sell. Music was playing at some places and near Liberty Square Metro station, two girls were teaching dance steps to whoever was interested. Teenagers, young, and some old men and women, were hanging out in the area.

When would I see such peace and safety for women in my own country, was the thought needling my mind as we quietly walked back to our hotel and called it a day! 

                                                                                                     - Anupama S Mani