My best sleep of the trip was to lead in to one of the best days as we headed back to Tbilisi to ‘tie up the ends’, celebrate my birthday and get me on a flight to Istanbul. I wasn’t sure I was ready to leave..
Breakfast in the cute wine bar/dining room over, picked up my things and the van was at the door waiting for us to set off – in very heavy rain! Again! That was a shame as there might have been some staggering views. Little did I know that one of the highlights of the trip was just a few minutes away at the Bagrati Cathedral overlooking the town.
There was clearly something going on when we arrived with bags of food being carried to the centre of the church. We thought, maybe, an offering for the dead.
And then the singing started and I was enthralled
I don’t think I had ever heard such a powerful combination of three male voices and superb acoustics. The disappointment was that when we left the building and tried to speak with one of the musicians outside he was only interested in taking money from people and, even though I would actually have paid, he walked away with those who paid first and made it clear the ret of us were not welcome. That was a shame – and probably the least hospitable moment in the whole trip.
Sadly, the building lost its UN Heritage status a few years ago because of some inappropriate materials used in reconstruction – including the addition of a metal lift on the outside of the building. Yet, inside, this was one of the most impressive Orthodox churches I have visited: it was ligt (though not as light as the video suggests!) and had the feel of being a place of worship. As in many of the churches we visited I was impressed by the number of men we saw pa
And from there we hit the road for the final drive to Tbilisi – though there would be stops along the way.
As we approached the market town of Zestaponi, we began to look out for the khachapuri shop that had been closed when we passed through on our way to Svaneti. Disappointingly, it still wasn’t open and we began to wonder why: could it be because of the current political situation or was it that a new road had been built and they had found premises nearer to that in the hope of catching more business? T There was no way of knowing. However, there was a Plan B and it centred on this ramshackle hut at the side of the main road.
Tako was gone from the car a very short time but came back with what she called sweetbread: crispy on the edges, sweet and a little bit spicy, it reminded me of toasted teacakes on a miserable winter’s afternoon. As the rain was still pouring down around us that was quite appropriate!
We drove past Gori, where Stalin was born, and on to Uplistsikhe to see the cave town dating from about the 2nd millenium BC. However, the rain was persistent again and I didn’t feel safe on slippery rocks with lots of scrambling so, having seen the size of the place and getting a general impression, we opted for coffee in the cafe before driving on to Mtskheta, Georgia’s ancient capital, to see the famous Svetiskhoveli Cathedral.
This was the first time I had felt a place of worship was being viewed as a tourist trap. Here all the little souvenir shops suggested much more focus on tourism than on the cathedral itself, though it is a beautiful building with some incredible frescos and impressive height.
If you look closely here you can see a shrouded body lying in a coffin. We were both a bit taken aback by that! Especially as it was right in the middle of the nave near one of the most important places for visitors and quite near the replica of the Shroud of Turin that hangs proudly on one of the outer walls.
But more impressive is the painting of Jesus, behind the altar area overlooking the whole scene.
Once again, I was impressed by the simple grandeur of the building: there were plenty of icons and places for individual prayer and there was not the heavy darkness that has been my previous experience in Orthodox churches.
Finally, it was time to return to face Tbilisi’s traffic and the possibility of being affected by the political rallies. I had deliberately booked a hotel room nearer Tako’s home so that it was not necessary to drive through the old city. That was a good move, though the only real disruption from the protests was through from late afternoon until late evening.
Back in Tbilisi it was time to pack and be ready for one last day of sight-seeing. I was looking forward to the Holy Trinity Cathedral which I hadn’t managed to see when I was in the city at the start of this trip – but first, a good night’s sleep……
The next day would be very long…. indeed, it would almost be two days in one!
Living the Journey 