Thursday - Gadauri to Bakuriani - Gori

Off at 9.00 after everyone has stroked Tomba and said goodbye. On the way out we see trailers double decked stacked with bee hives. The weather was getting poor again in the mountains. Looked like we had been lucky with the weather. On the way we stopped at a fruit market where there was a lovely array of goodies. Rosemary tried some lozenge shaped red berries like rose hips.


Now we went into the town of Gori. Stalin was born in Gori. It is said Georgia was spared some of Stalin's excesses because of his mother. He was afraid of her. In Gori we saw the Stalin museum where there was Stalin stuff, including the house in which he was born, and the railway carriage in which he travelled. The trip around the museum was by candle. The guide looked very fierce and was definitely a Stalinist. Nino translated into English for us. The torch was very useful. No power cuts, but very dim lighting and bad displays.

Outside the museum was Stalin's railway carriage. This was armor plated and very luxurious inside.

In front of the museum was the preserved house where Stalin had been born. The whole area in front of the museum would have had fountains and running water, and gardens. this was now almost derelict.

We ate our packed lunch outside the museum, and then boarded the coach to go to the cave town of Uplistsikhe. On the way out of Gori we stopped to take some additional pictures of Stalin statues.

The Gori Stalin museum, looking up the garden.		The Gori Stalin museum. On the right is the house where Stalin was born. It is covered with a monument to protect it from the weather.
The Stalin Museum		The house where Stalin was born.
The house where Stalin was born.		Looking down the garden from the Stalin museum.
The Stalin museum from the far end of the garden.
The private carriage, Stalin travelled in.
Statue of Stalin in Gori.
Statue of Stalin in Gori.