Hiking in the Kasbegi Mountains, and more cultural exchanges

An incredible but quick weekend trip to Kasbegi was just what I needed: a little getaway, a new place, and finally, some hiking in the mountains.  Kazbegi is at 1700m  or 5577 ft (yep that is lower elevation than Denver, but high for here)  - and the mountain of Kazbegi  is 5033m or 16512 ft. It is the third highest mountain in Georgia (and the seventh highest peak in the beautiful Caucasus Mountains).  Yep we have big and beautiful mountains here.

According to the Greek myth, Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. He was punished by being chained to this mountain (one of the two references to this region in Greek mythology).  He subsequently was attacked by a horrible dragon and the dragon eventually was turned into this rock. 

Yes, I did take these sunrise pictures - 5:30 am

Hiking to the Gergeti Trinity Church and Monastery 

  

The Gergeti Trinity Church was built in the 14th century and consists of a church and monastery. The separate belltower dates from the same period as the church itself. Its isolated location on top of a steep mountain surrounded by nature has made it a symbol for Georgia and its travel brochures.  The 18th century Georgian author Vakhushti Batonishvili wrote that in times of danger, precious relics from Mtskheta, including Saint Nino's Cross were brought here for safekeeping. During the Soviet era, all religious services were prohibited, but the church remained a popular tourist destination. The church is now an active establishment of the Georgian Orthodox Church.  I was hiking early and actually attended the monk's service early in the morning. (after I draped myself in a 'skirt scarf'and head scarf from the 'loaner box' near the church's entrance and enduring just a few stares from the young monks).  I enjoy the cadence of the prayers and calm recitations - like saying the rosary - but more active since there are no seats, and one still has to touch and then kiss the floor a few times. 

finding my way up the mtn

There are a few ways to get to the monastery but none of them are marked!  Really!  you have to guess, or get a hiking/tourist book.  I asked and gave directions several times during the hike.   How funny, considering it is probably the biggest mountain tourist attraction in the country in the summer.

I love this shot of the opposite mountain range in the valley.

And just like in Colorado, the clouds start accumulating in the afternoon, as I was leaving.

A little excitement on the trip to Kasbegi 

So here's the rest of the story.  We had lovely views driving up - 2 hours from Tbilisi.  We drove through this lovely valley, past the Zhinvali Reservoir, and then started climbing to the 5000 feet elevation to kasbegi.

 

As we began the switchbacks the marsh driver slowed to a stop and pulled over to the side of the road.  After opening the hood and contemplating the engine for a little while, another driver happened by and stopped to discuss the situation. I was sitting in the seat right behind the driver, so could see what was happening, to my dismay.  The accelerator coil had broken, so the accelerator wouldn't work.

And what happened next was amazing... As they say on Internet enticements.  The good Samaritan fellow went back to his car, pulled out a rope, tied it in the engine and then took the other end and hung it inside the drivers window.  And off we went!  The driver accelerated with his left hand, with a hand held accelerator and drove  AND  shifted with his right hand, up the switchbacks.  We did pretty well until the phone rang!  Thankfully he let go of the accelerator (not the steering wheel) and we coasted along until he hung up. :-).  It was quite an introduction to the kasbegi mountain.

Here is our driver manipulating his handheld accelerator up the mountain

Anano's Guesthouse - an interesting melting pot. 

I didn't have a reservation for the guesthouse and no one answered the phone number I had, so when I saw a school boy and asked for directions I was escorted directly to a lovely little home. After knocking on the door unannounced the man answered and said his wife was in Tbilisi on vacation, he had no food to serve, and he was full.  But being good at customer service, he offered me his room for the night, and he slept elsewhere.  It was a lovely room, with a great view of the mountain.  I captured this top picture as I rolled over at 5:30 am and caught the sunrise.  It really was magnificent and understandable that this room was chosen as the owner's room. 

The main room had a huge table - an inviting place for gathering all the guests - which tonight included 2 journalists from Siberia, a Ph.D. student from Zurich, two folks from Poland, and two from the Ukraine.  Our host pulled out his custom-ordered wine, a kakheti white with just a little saperavi (red) to make a nice pink color.  How interesting to mix one's wine for the color!  And didn't taste too bad either. 

As we discussed the day's hiking and bird watching some had come to do, I commented that it was really nice to have a Franco lingua of Russian so they all could communicate.  Well that went over like a lead balloon!  One fellow said that 50 years of the Soviet Union does that to people. But he didn't say it with a smile.  I then commented about the common supply chain during the Soviet Union times.  I recalled and shared a story of a fellow volunteer, a young woman from the Czech Republic who was part of GLEN volunteers and helped our Koda CEC for a few months.  She  joined me on a trip to a friend's house in a remote village near Koda one afternoon and she was shocked to see the kitchen cabinets were exactly like the ones her grama had in former Czechoslovakia.  How amazing that one place in all of Soviet Union was responsible for making kitchen cabinets for the entire Union - from Siberia, to Georgia, to Czechoslovakia!  The Siberian commented that the chacha decanter our host in Kasbegi had shared with us was exactly what her mother had.  To which the Lithuanian chimed in that his grandfather had the same set ,  with 12 small matching glasses.  

I couldn't tell how that felt about it all - comfort, resentment?  In the US it is endearing to see vintage common items: old Hoosier hutches, fiesta ware.  But maybe it is different here. We had a choice of buying these items and they were special to us.  In the USSR, there was only one choice.  So maybe they felt nostalgia now, but it was not so special.  I'm not sure.  I was going to bring up a few positive things I have learned about the USSR, like their decent and affordable health care I have heard about,  or the constitutional right to a paid vacation! But it probably wasn't a good time to discuss old politics, after the cha cha that is.  So I retired and left them to their Russian discussion.  :-) 

 All in all, it was a peaceful quiet time, and I look forward to discovering more of Georgian mountains, people and visitors.

... 

Catholic Easter in the Country of Georgia

H A P P Y  E A S T E R

Best wishes for a wonderful Easter filled  with sweet friends and the joy of spring.

Kimi

It is lucky I was assigned so close to the Georgian capitol of Tbilisi so I can attend one of the three Catholic churches in Georgia - two of which are in Tbilisi. Mass attendees see a melting pot far more than in the States (although our Raleigh churches are pretty diverse as well)  Georgians are  95+% Orthodox since, I think, it is part of their national identity. They are very open and interested in the Roman Catholic church, and they also welcome me to their church which I enjoy very much.

The one comical incidence was when I joined some Georgian friends in their journey to a wonderful little village of their ancestors.  It housed maybe 20 families at the most.  One neighbor came to greet us upon our arrival to the house.  She had I think 6 kids with her.  My friend bent over and carefully whispered in my ear "catolici."  :-)

A little history on the church I attend in Tbilisi....

  Saint Peter and Paul Catholic church was built in 1870 with the order of Konstantine Zubalashvili, the lead of the Roman catholic parish and supporter. Many of the Catholic churches in Georgia were decommissioned - I guess that is the word - under the Soviet times.  After the Soviet times, they were given to the Georgian Church.  But this one survived.  Pope John Paul II visited Georgia in 1999 and performed Mass here.  They want to erect a statue of him and are collecting funds for it.  I am not a fan of spending money like this and prefer they put up a plaque and use the money to exemplify what we believe is one role of the Church - to care for one another. 

 The Orthodox church does not have many initiatives to care for the poor as we do in the states. The current Patriarch was here in '92 when the Soviets fell. I think his main goal was to re-establish their national faith community. And he has done a wonderful job of that.   

Here is the church on Easter Sunday. Felt funny to take a picture, but... Lovely church

Easter was a lovely affair at our church.  We had a pot luck afterward, organized by a lovely couple from Britain that have been here for the better part of 15 years, and always supporting the church.

We had mostly Indian, African and Sri Lankan food. It was great. Coffee, tea and a tasty sweet pudding.  I love that we can meet people from all over the world on Sundays... visitors, medical students, international travelers, Georgians,  It was a blessed Easter.  And the regulars are Irish, British, Austrian, African, and other nationalities as mentioned above.  

Later we celebrated Easter dinner at a local American restaurant in Tbilisi, owned by a US Air Force retiree who moved here.  She found and serves the best bacon in the country.  

A few fellow Catholic ex-pats celebrating Easter

Easter decorations are so interesting.  Everyone grows little wheat gardens before Easter,
 so they are nice and high as you can see here.  Then they put in their traditional RED Easter eggs.

The other Catholic Church in Tbilisi is the Catholic Cathedral of the Virgin Mary, built in 1804. Long is the history before the church was even built.  It started with the XIII century when a mission of Catholics started their activities in Georgia. They have a lovely church, but no English Mass. I have yet to figure out about all the pictures on the sides of the aisles.  As you can see they are not the regular Stations of the Cross.

This coming week is Orthodox Easter. It began on Palm Sunday ( our Easter) and continues.  National holiday starts Thursday through Monday.  And Easter Monday is NOT because it is the start of baseball season!  I feel privileged to be invited to several homes to celebrate over the holiday.  ... to be continued.

Hiking to Tabor Monastery

It was a tough few days. It was my day off and  I had to run into Tbilisi for an errand, and to buy some vegetables and wine.  I don't like buying wine in the village - you know how people gossip :-)   So I decided to make a day of it. I jumped off the marchutka in Old Tbilisi and hike up to Tabor Monastery. It isn't a very famous landmark, but I it seemed so isolated on the edge of the city, I wanted to take a closer look.   Here it is on the top of this hill, just on the south east edge of town.

Although we are still in Tbilisi, it becomes more and more remote the further up we go.  I couldn't make out the make of this car... maybe one of you can? 

And soon after, it looks like I'm out of the city completely.  I couldn't see the church at all, but low and behold, coming towards me was a monk!  Me mivdivart eklisiastan, tushadesleba?  (I am going to the church, right?) Ki, ki ( yes, yes, as if he had been asked a thousand times... and I'm sure he had been)

Finally, it is lovely from the river's edge in the city, but more beautiful up here, inside and out.

And a few from the top.  Old and new Tbilisi converge.