Telavi to Gudauri – Tbilisi

We were up very early and out by 8.00 am. Usual breakfast said our farewells and left. We had a long trip today, back through Tbilisi and then up the Georgian Military Highway to a modern ski resort at Gudauri.

The first stop was Tbilisi where we visited the post office to send out postcards and exchange a little more cash. On the way in and through the city, I took some pictures which I have included here. These were mainly taken on the move, and may not be annotated because I am not totally sure what they were off.

We saw David the Builder in Republic Square. King David IV Agmashenebelis. He was born in 1073. He made Georgia the most powerful state in the Near East, and economic strength led to a cultural Golden Age in the 12th Century. David died in 1125. He appears to have built the whole of Georgia. There were statues of him all over.

Another high light was the parade stand, built by the communists for the May day parades.

Telavi to Gudauri – Dzhvari

After our quick visit to Tbilisi, we set off for the Georgian Military Highway. On the way to Gudauri, we would stop at a number of churches, and of course lunch. First stop was the Dzhvari church, this is high on a rock outcrop. From here there were wonderful views of the town of Mtskheta (and Sveti Tshoveli) across the river Aragvi. Views of the Military Highway and the M27 road.

After this stop, we then went down into the valley and had lunch in the open. This was really the first restaurant I had seen. Lunch was cheese, salad, a red bean soup, bread and minced type meat in a pancake. All, of course, washed down with beer. There were some nice little cats which were fed by us. They were quite nervous.

After lunch, we visited the main cathedral of Sveti Tskhoveli. This had scaffold around the tower. There was also the nunnery of Samtavro five minutes to the North. This we did not visit.

The church name. Sveti Tskhoveli (Life-Giving Column), derives the name from the cedar which grew from the grave if Sidonia who was buried clutching part of Christ’s crucifixion robe. This cedar was felled to build St Nino’s first church here, and one column supposedly hovered in the air until Nino brought it down by prayer.

The first church was build of wood in the 4th century and was replaced in 575. The present church was build in 1010-1029 incorporating the 6th-century building. It is now the largest church in Georgia.

Telavi to Gudauri – Ananauri

Now we were on to the Georgian Military Highway. This road took us towards the North up a valley, getting higher as we went further along. The next stop was the churches of Ananauri, built over a reservoir which was opened in the 1980s flooding several villages. It had been proposed to build the dam higher up and flood the churches, but popular protest won the day.

Telavi to Gudauri – Gudauri

Next on up to Gudauri. This is where we were to stay for two nights. The weather was cold and drizzling. The accommodation was two European style ski lodges. We were split between the two eating all our meals in the main lodge. Here we had proper ensuite baths and showers. The electricity was reliable, (they generated their own).

Our building had the most horrible smell, at least in the hallway and not the bedroom. We ate supper and had a bottle of white wine, (clear proper wine)

Supper was chips, meat stew, beans, salad baklava and soup. We went to bed pretty early today.