Into Armenia

We crossed the border from Georgia to Armenia, and devoted most of the day to visiting three important, ancient monasteries: 10th C Akhtala, and 10-13th C Haghpat and Sanahin. The latter two are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

With Akhtala Monastery in the background, 

the sculpture symbolizes the close bond between the Georgian and Armenian faiths.

The Holy Mother of God Church in the Akhtala Monastery has many beautiful frescos,

of which a few are seen here behind the altar.

View of the large and complex Haghpat Monastery

Soaring, elegant column in the Haghpat Monastery

Gravestones with simple engravings in the Sanahin Monastery

Storage room in the Sanahin Monastery

The town of Sanahin is also the birthplace of the Mikoyan brothers, who have a monument here. 

Artem Mikoyan, with Mikhail Gurevich, designed the MIG fighter (this is a MIG-21) 

and his brother Anastas was a long-time, high-ranking Bolshevik and Soviet politician.

Last Day in Georgia

We began with a short ride from Tbilisi to Mtskheta, the first capital of Georgia (and still the champion judged by the number of consecutive consonants in the name) to view two churches.

The Church of the Holy Cross ...

... and the Sveti-Tskhoveli Cathedral

The Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is therefore surrounded by lots of shops 

selling food and trinkets, including refrigerator magnets with portraits of Stalin.

After lunch we returned to Tbilisi, where we had an afternoon free to buy a carpet ...

... and stroll the streets to see amusing things.

As we walked back to our hotel, the late afternoon light on the river was gorgeous,

a fitting end to a great tour of Georgia.

Kutaisi, Georgia

Kutaisi is Georgia's second largest city (next to Tbilisi). It has two UNESCO World Heritage religious sites, and a modern fountain that is probably worthy of that accolade. We first visited the Gelati Monastery complex. The Church of the Virgin Mary is the centerpiece, with wonderful old frescoes and some even more ancient mosaics. 

The contrast between the devout worshipers...

... and the avid photographers and selfie-takers was amusing but a bit jarring.

Some worshipers just found a quiet, plain corner.

In the Bagrati Cathedral we heard some of the lovely polyphonic singing for which Georgia is famous. Here a woman was teaching some young people.

Outside there was a professional group that gave an impromptu concert of secular songs.

In the central square of Kutaisi is this wonderful fountain, with the figures based on enlargements of ancient gold figurines from the Colchis civilization.

From Mountains to Caves

This morning we left the beautiful Caucasus Mountains of Svaneti and drove down to the Tskaltuvo region where we will spend the night. It was cool and a bit rainy in the mountains, quite warm on the plain.

Clouds hung low in the mountains as we descended the steep, curvy road much faster than we had ascended three days ago.

The Dadiani Palaces in Zugdidi. Now a museum, the palaces used to belong to an aristocratic Georgian family that was connected to Napoleon by marriage. The museum has one of three copies of his death mask.

We ended our day's touring at the Prometheus Cave near the town of Kumstavi in the municipality of Tskaltubo. It's a large cave system, with seven major caves on display (others are not accessible), lit in garish but effective fashion. It's a magnet for color photography; here are a couple of examples.

Ushguli

June 3: Today we drove — over a road that tested the mettle of our four-wheel drive vehicles and their drivers — to Ushguli, a collection of villages in the high Caucasus mountains of Svaneti that, at 7190 feet, is supposedly the highest permanently occupied settlement in Europe.

A beautiful luncheon table was awaiting us.

There were a fair number of dogs, but they didn't seem to run in packs. 

They were mostly solitary and fairly large, like this one who posed nicely.

Bells in the courtyard of a monastery

The village of Chazhashi, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Detail of overlapping walls in Chazhashi, like a Cubist painting

A Day around Mestia

This was a day to explore around Mestia in the mountainous Georgian region of Svaneti. We first drove about 20 minutes to a hilly farming area.

The mountains in the distance were covered with clouds, and a snowy pass was shrouded in fog.

We encountered this cheerful old woman on our walk. She seemed pleased to see visitors.

On the hillsides there are bushes of beautiful yellow rhododendrons, 

a color we've not seen elsewhere.

After our walk we drove to a mineral springs park just outside Mestia, where we ate a picnic lunch.

A strikingly patterned stone cliff stood above a rapidly flowing stream.

After lunch we went to the splendid Svaneti Museum (voted one of the 20 best museums in the world). The objects were fascinating, and the displays — making great use of colored lights and shadows — were among the most effective we have ever seen. This is a sort of ancient incense burner, perhaps used to deodorize smelly living spaces.

Georgia: From Batumi to Svaneti

Our goal for the day was to make the long drive from Batumi to the mountainous, semi-independent region of Svaneti.

However, we began with a short morning stroll around the center of Batumi,

to look at a couple of the parks and the exuberant variety of architectural styles.

We then spent an hour at the excellent Batumi Botanical Garden.

This photo is of women cleaning up fallen debris in the eucalyptus grove.

After a long drive, we finally arrived at our destination, the town of Mestia in Svaneti.

Towers like these, reminiscent of Tuscan hill towns in Italy, 

were used for housing, storage, and protection in Svaneti until recently.