The other end of Tbilisi

So, after a week or so, we are getting ready to leave Georgia, and since our flight doesn't leave until 3 a.m. or so, I have time in an internet cafe (only 1 Lari an hour!--about 65 cents) to do some catching up. Photos still to come later.

This has been a fascinating week. We have had wonderful experiences here, even though there are some rising tensions with Russia. On Friday, July 31, we took a marshrutka (a 16-passenger van) down to a town near the border with Azerbaijan, and from there a taxi an hour into the desert over "roads" to an ancient monastery, David Gareja. Parts date to the 6th century. Among other things, we hiked up and over a ridge line, to where there are cave cells for monks (now abandoned), some of which have beautiful frescoes--many vandalized, but still nice. And the Azerbaijan border was only feet in front of those caves, so we stepped over and added that country to our itinerary.

Saturday, unfortunately, we found out what it's like to have the stomach flu in Georgia--pretty much like anywhere else. All of us except Noah (who, of course, is acclimated to here) got it. We were grateful for good plumbing in our room.

But it was the classic 24-hour bug, so we were recovered enough on Sunday to go rafting with some friends of Noah and some other Georgians--about 16 in all--on a nice river about 1-1/2 hours away, the Aragvi. Oddly, even though Georgians scorn seat belts while driving 80 mph in the wrong lane as oncoming traffic rapidly approaches (!!), we all wore life vests and helmets for the rafting. It was a Class 2 river, so not too scary, but a whole lot of fun. We were glad our guide gave instructions in English. Afterward, they provided a picnic on the banks, with freshly-roasted pork, tomato-cucumber-basil salad, bread, cheese, and wine. We were also entertained by one of the crew, Sandro, who enjoyed his alcohol very much.

On Monday, we bought Georgian rugs--very nice ones, handmade, a few decades to a hundred years old, for about $200 each. Then we headed to Kazbegi. To get there, we boarded another marshrutka, this time the four of us crammed in the very back of a packed van, and went over a mountain "highway" (yes, there's a theme there) into the Caucasus mountains. They are the highest in Europe, quite a bit higher than the Alps. We ended up in the town of Kazbegi that seems to have a mythical reputation among Georgians. Everyone seemed pleased that we were going to go there. And it is beautiful--in a valley amid the mountains. On a clear day, the view is dominated by snow-capped Mt. Kazbeg, the highest in the area at 5,037 meters (16,525 feet). I'll post a photo once I get to Germany. According to legend, it is the mountain upon which Prometheus was chained as punishment for bringing fire to mortals. For the next couple of days, we hiked in the area, staying at a very nice guest house where we had three huge rooms, two huge meals, and the company of a rooster, some chickens, and a goat, all for $40/person/night. We hiked over a pass 5 hours to a mostly abandoned village somewhat near the South Ossetian border, walked about 40 minutes out of town to a mineral spring that had delicious and refreshing carbonated water; hiked, jumped, waded, and climbed to a waterfall up near the Russian border (this is a small country), and generally had a fine time. The four of us also played Settlers of Camar, a fun board game that Noah had become hooked on--now we all are.

We returned home yesterday evening, today we bought a few souvenirs (watch out--I now have a Georgian dagger!), and as I said, soon we will leave for the more familiar land of Germany. Our itinerary there includes Heidelberg, Weimar, and Berlin.