June 29 - 30 Svaneti in Georgia's northwest

 

Mountainous Svaneti

From the mountainous northeast of Georgia, today we journeyed to Georgia’s northwest, the Svaneti region which is home to the highest mountains and glaciers in the Caucasus. It is also home to some of the most enduring ancient traditions. The people of this region, the Svans, have their own unwritten language largely unintelligible to other Georgians. They are fiery people with a history of bloody family feuds and live mainly from farming cattle and pigs – and more recently tourism. It was here gold was fleeced – more on that later. It is a place where time seems irrelevant. The whole Upper Svaneti region is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We are entering the Greater Caucasus

The rivers are raging torrents

At 5068m Mt Shkhara is the highest mountain in Georgia 

It was a long drive but the scenery was wonderful.  As we headed higher into the mountains, some of the roads were washed out or there had been landslides but that all added to the thrill. Driving there was not for the fainthearted. Steep valleys mean the rivers barrel along at such a pace that the waters of merging rivers retain their original colour for long stretches. 

In the distance we could see Mt Shkhara (5068m) the highest mountain in Georgia – I was lucky to get a photo of it looming up out of the other peaks (it is often shrouded with cloud). The Svaneti is beautiful, wild and dotted with strings of medieval and still-inhabited stone towers, koshki, built in 9-13C. The Svans lived in these watchtowers along with their cattle which were housed downstairs. Many of the towers have survived thousands of years of earthquakes that continue to shake this huge mountain range almost daily.

Our first night was in a guesthouse in Mestia. The food was delicious and always accompanied by fresh tomato and cucumber salad as well as fresh yogurt and kefir (a fermented milk made overnight).

The first koshki we sighted

Old and new stand side by side

Outside Mestia before heading further north

The summer flowers were glorious

Next morning we set off north again. We were heading for Ushguli, the highest permanent settlement in Europe. Along the way we stopped at a beautiful old koshki, Lover's Tower. It is perched over a raging torrent and set amongst a field of glorious wildflowers.  The story tells that this is where a young woman waited for her soldier lover to return from the north where he had been sent to fight in the mountains. Sadly he never returned.  Lindsay and Nino climbed the ladder to have a look inside while I wandered amongst the wildflowers. I had a 'chat' with the man guarding the place and came away with a small piece of crystal quartz from the river.

A rather poignant and romantic spot

Lindsay and Nino climbed the different levels inside this tower 

Two happy lovers outside Lover's Tower

It was a delightful three-hour drive to reach Ushguli which is at the end of the road at the head of the Enguri Gorge near the foot of Mt Shkhara, the highest summit of the Greater Caucasus mountains. Ushguli is a community of four small villages of about 70 families (about 200 people), enough to support a small school. The area is snow-covered for 6 months of the year, and often the road to Mestia, its nearest neighbour 50 Km away, is impassable. Typically Svaneti defensive tower houses are found throughout the villages as well as other areas in Svaneti. 

Approaching Ushguli

One of the communities of Ushguli

On the outskirts of Ushguli, under the protection of a towering hill, stands the ancient Lamaria Church.  Christianity and paganism sit side by side in Georgian history.  The belief is that the name Lamaria was derived from the Christian, Mary mother of Jesus.  However, Lamaria was a goddess in Georgian mythology, specifically of the Svans. She was goddess of the hearth, protector of cattle, women, and the fertility of a village's grain fields.  It was a special place and its isolation added to the magic. 

The Lamaria Church 

There was only one priest there that day

Strange symbols adorn metal doors and statues

Frescoes worn with age

Ancient frescoes still adorn some of the walls and ceilings. Some are worn or have been burnt and there is even evidence of graffiti. The priests are a dusty black silent presence and engender a feeling of reverence.  It was a special experience to visit this tranquil church deep in the mountains. Gia our driver had never visited this place and so it was a special experience for him as well.  We felt pleased to have been able to share it with him.  

We wandered through one of the village settlements which was undergoing some repairs.  They have little in the way of services, but the region is growing in popularity.  The current public toilet is a bench drop over the stream - it was not particularly 'comfortable'! Maybe something that could do with a wee bit of 'upgrading'. But many of the old watch towers are being renovated as more and more tourists come into the region each year. Yet still you walk between houses along with the cattle over rough stones and through mud. A romantic, charming albeit rugged setting.

Visiting another of the Ushguli communities

Nino stopped for a chat with a local

We picked our way through rubble, cows and chooks

We said a sad farewell to Ushguli

What goes up must eventually come down and it was time for us to make tracks back to Mestia. The upper Svaneti offers amazing walking and climbing opportunities and on the way back we passed quite a number of people either walking or cycling, heading up into the high peaks and subalpine meadows to trek, bike or horse ride.  

I loved this region! On the way back to Mestia where we were staying for the night, we stopped by the side of the road for a picnic which the hotel had prepared for us. It was a simple salad and cheese but tasted just so delicious in the open air with mountains staring down on us.  The Georgian food - the cheeses and breads - are so delicious. We ate yogurt each morning made fresh each day and sampled wonderful fresh cheeses. Gebzhalia, my favourite, is an ancient dish from this western region made from sulguni cheese, a brined Georgian cheese, and served swimming in warm sour cream or milk with mint. And Khachapuri is to die for!  This is a traditional Georgian dish of cheese-filled bread and is served both in restaurants and as street food and as an indication of its popularity, it is included in the list of the intangible cultural heritage of Georgia. 

June 27-28 Mtsketa to Northeast Georgia - rethink awesome!

Mtskheta

Our next destination was the ancient capital and religious centre of Georgia, Mtskheta - one of the oldest cities in Georgia and one of the oldest contunuously-inhabited cities in the world, with its UNESCO World Heritage sites - Jvari Monastery Church of the Holy Cross and Svetitskhoveli Cathredral. The Church of the Holy Cross is built on the site where a cross was planted to mark the christian victory over the pagans around C4. Hundreds of photographs later ,,,,,,,  

Church of the Holy Cross on its high rocky perch

This cross is situated above the platform of the original cross

Father David with our guide, Nino - they were from the same village

Svetitskhoveli Cathredral

St Nino Cross was originally made of grapevines lashed together with her hair 

Magnificent

The spiritual ambiance of these places had us whispering and wishing we could dwell in the silence for a while longer. But we were swept northward on the famous Georgian Military Highway (more later). It was an incredibly beautiful drive through 'gorgeous' valleys and woodlands to the ski resort of Gudauri.  On the way we stopped for a quick look at the medieval Anauri Architectural Complex where an old fortress still sheltering chapels, monuments, monasteries and an old watch tower, as well as a prison.

Anauri Architectural Complex

The Old watchtower

So many of the frescos we saw here and elsewhere had been vandalised 

Lindsay had a marvellous time exploring the fortified walls 

After an overnight stay in Gudauri, we travelled further north on the Georgian Military Road which is 200km long and runs between Tbilisi and Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia across the Great Caucasus Range. The road has existed as a route for traders and invaders since before the 1st century BC (including as part of the Old Silk Road) but was only a crude horse trail until the Russians converted it into a carriage road in the late C18.  Today it leads to the only legal border crossing point to Russia.  

The drive was stunning, breathtaking, awe inspiring, extraordinary, incredible - merely words which can't possibly describe what we saw as we drove. A place that could almost convinced you to stay and become shepherds. 

Gudauri

An oddity along the route. An old Soviet period lookout covered in historic 'grafitti'

Cows have right of way ...

... but they would move over for you on very narrow roads

Towering mountains, steep slopes blanketed in vivid green and glorious wild flowers  - yellows, white, purples, blues, pinks. Colours in a myriad of shades, flowers in many shapes from the simple pea flower through bells, daisies to more intricate complexes designed to capture passing insects and the meadow bees who hovered like wooly drones lazily buzzing from one flower to another.  Butterflies like handfuls of confetti scattered over paths and banks competed with wandering cows along most roads. I so wish that I could paint!

We were following beside the Tergi river into the Sno valley and then via very narrow roads deeper into the High Caucasus - we were surrounded by the gorgeous mountains.  Gia, our marvellous driver,  drove us through isolated, rugged terrain. alongside raging streams up blind valleys - we were heading for Juta at the end of Sno Valley where the road, mere wheel ruts much of the way, finally petered out. 

We climbed through herbs and flowers as high has an elephants eye (almost!) to visit a family in the village of Juta. There we were fed on mountain honey and fresh-made cheese with bread straight out of the oven. Juta is completely cut off from the world for 6 months of the year by snow. It can be a hard life but the simplicity is enticing. We watched eagles soar over high mountain pastures dotted with sheep and goats watched over by shepherds who camp out with their flocks in the summer months. 

The home where we stopped for honey and cheese

A three-horned goat's head hung in the tree to ward off evil so we were safe

The attempted confluence of two rivers

We travelled and stopped by raging ice-cold torrents barreling through valleys and deep mountain crevasses or spurted from beneath sheets of ice. Some rivers were bi-colored because they flowed so fast that the tributary waters couldn't mix - a grey churning flow beside a black roiling torrent, the confluence of mountain rivers reluctant to give up their own identities.

Mt Kazbegi

All the while we were continuing north towards Kazbebi, the main town of the region and our goal Gergeti Trinity Church l;ocated at over 2000m.  Towering in the background was Mt Kazbeg, an extinct volcano, which at over 5000m is one of the highest glaciers in the Caucasusa and only 5-6 Km from the border with Russia. It is an extinct volcano.  Today the cloud cleared so we could see this giant - magnificent.

Gergeti Trinity Church in the distance

Great photo ops!

This structure has seen many hands of change 

Lindsay and Nino always in front while I lingered taking photos

The stonework was intriguing, a mixture of patterns - and wee crevasses are home to tiny plants

The symbols on these stone blocks could be pagan as these sit side by side many places - along with wee flowers

A stunning vista await as you round the corner of the church

Gergeti Trinity Church's isolated location on top of a steep mountain surrounded by the vastness of nature has made it a symbol for Georgia and it is often depicted on tourist brochures.  During the Soviet era  all religious services were prohibited, but the church remained a popular tourist destination.

It was quite glorious – rough stone walls surrounded by beautiful wild flowers. Quite romantic. From our lofty vantage point the valleys were in miniature.  It was breathtakingly beautiful - but I think I've said that before!

The township of Kazbegi way below

Cars carve up the country here as everywhere

It was so tempting to linger longer, but we had a 9 hour drive skirting around South Ossetia to reach the Svaneti region in the north-west. On the way we stopped at isolated streams many with crosses or monuments adorning their banks or rocks.

What prompted putting this cross here!?

Turgid raging flows - envigorating 

An ancient monument with no explanations. It includes an old Georgia Cross with anient pagan symbols