Driving to Guria

My trusty driver arrived outside the hotel on the dot of 10.00a.m. We loaded the van and were off. Driving through Tbilisi in the rain was as miserable as driving anywhere in the rain – but this was an adventure well and truly beginning.

It was well past 1pm by the time we even thought about stopping after driving up a roughly-made road, akin to a farm track, near a tree under which my companion had camped a few years ago. And then a walk down a stony lane and through some bush and small trees that reminded me of childhood walks. We stopped by a gap in the trees and I was encouraged to look to my left:

Apparently it’s thought that there has been a monastery on top of the granite pillar at Katskhi since about the 11th Century and the World Bank funded a project to build a road at the base to enable easier access though the ladder to the top is still only for the monks to come and go. The church and the buildings at the base of the pillar are accessible to the public.

A brief stop, back to the van and we were off again aiming for Zestaponi where there is an interesting market and good Georgian food. We found the first but the restaurant we’d intended to go to was closed. Nonetheless it was a fun trip with the various stall holders happy to be involved with the camera as they offered us various food products as well as red eggs and stands for displaying them. Intriguingly one lady had been growing the grass needed for the ceremony of the eggs without planting it in cotton – and the root system was really pretty.

There were points on this journey where we could have been in Thailand, England, France or even Scotland: there was quite a long stretch of river which reminded me strongly of the river flowing along the side of the road just south of Pitlochry.

We arrived with Lika, our host for the next few days, in time to catch our breath before the evening meal was served: two types of salad, pasta, lobio (a bean stew) and lobiani (bean-filled bread) – all really nice and easy on the digestion. That’s helpful as I’m sleeping in a very over-sized barrel and the nearest bathroom is about two minutes walk away!

A long conversation ensued about Lelo Burti. and the festivities of the Easter period before we decided to relax for a while until it was time to go to the church service – that would start soon after 11 and continue until about 4.30a.m.. We didn’t stay the whole time but I was glad to have attended. The first hour was mainly a man- who could have been either clergy or laity and a few different female members of the congregation speaking. I am given to understand most of the readings were from the Old Testament, prophesying resurrection before midnight.

At midnight the icons were processed around the outside of the church three times with the whole congregation involved. Before leading them back into the church the priest proclaimed ‘Christe aghsdga'(‘Christ is risen’ ) three times, inviting the response ‘Chesmaritad’ (‘He really is’) and the mood seemed to change to one of rejoicing.

We left soon after that, having decided we would need to be up early the next day to travel an hour or so to Shukhuti – and we were! But that’s another story!