Last week I decided it was time to take advantage of my new found adventurous spirit and plan a roadtrip. My family had shown me photos of their favorite cities in Georgia. One was Sighnaghi, also known as the Georgian city of love. Located in the eastern Georgian region of Kakheti, Sighnaghi is only a 2 hour journey (or less with Georgian style driving) from Tbilisi. After careful study of the pre-war edition of Lonely Planet I also determined that Telavi was just a short one and a half hour journey (shorter with Georgian driving style) and was surrounded by worthwhile sights. More often than not worthwhile sights are churches. They never cease to amaze me with their beauty, especially since, more often than not, they are surrounded by or perched on top of gorgeous mountains.
My careful study led me to chose the following route: a taxi from Gori to Tbilisi, from Tbilisi to Telavi, overnight in Telavi, taxi from Telavi to Sighnaghi, Sighnaghi to Tbilisi, Tbilisi to Gori.
So on Saturday my friend Annette and I met at the taxi stand and started our journey. It was raining, as it has been for the last few weeks, but we didn't let that dampen our spirit. Once in Tbilisi we had a chaotic trilingual exchange with several taxi drivers. We bargained with one driver who agreed on our price as long as we agreed to wait for more passengers. Our friend Mike ended up joining us along with a teacher from another TLG group who also needed to go to Telavi.
Our driver was exceptionally gracious. He chatted with us as much as he could and made a special stop to treat us to snacks for the journey. The drive through the mountains was absolutely breathtaking. As we ascended the mountains we saw more and more snow on the ground and we began to feel the change in altitude. When we finally arrived in Telavi we met our homestay host, a kind widow who loves to entertain travelers from all parts of the world. After introductions we went for a long walk around Telavi. Unfortunately, we did not go to the surrounding monasteries or churches because it was now late in the day and it would require another cab ride. Since the weather was warm it was pleasant to walk around the town and see the beginnings of spring blossoms. We eventually returned to our homestay where our host had prepared dinner. Afterward we joined her by her fire and spoke in broken Russian and Georgian.
The following morning our host made us breakfast and we set off in the rain to find the marshutka to Sighnaghi. After some confusing conversation we determined that we had either missed it or it was not coming for another 2 hours. We bargained for a cab and moments later we sped off in the rain listening to Russian- Roma music. I felt like I was staring in my own version of Everything is Illuminated.
We arrived in Sighnaghi and had just barely stepped out of the taxi when a woman approached asking if we needed a homestay. We said no, but that we would like to find a cafe. She led us to a hotel/ restaurant. We had our doubts as we walked into a nearly deserted room. There was just one couple sitting in the corner. After watching us stand there awkwardly with uncertain looks on our faces, they eventually said, in perfect English, "Please sit down. She will be here soon." Sure enough just as we finished introducing ourselves, "we are teachers from Gori," and they themselves, "we are visiting from Tbilisi for the weekend," the waitress arrived. They went on their way and we drank our Turkish coffee and set out to explore Sighnahi.
After taking in the impressive views and making friends with a local dog (that was probably part wolf), we headed towards Bodbe convent. A short, slightly uphill walk from Sighnaghi is Bodbe Convent. This is where Saint Nino is buried. For those of you who don't live in Georgi and therefore do not know at least a dozen women named Nino, St. Nino played a very important role in Georgian history. She brought Christianity to Georgia, which remains a very christian nation. Legend says she fashioned a cross with a strand of her own hair. Her tomb is inside a small church, and even though we were there on a Sunday, we arrived after prayer service and therefore were entirely alone in the church. Even the surrounding garden was deserted. These were some of the quietest moments I had experienced since arriving in Georgia. -- In Georgia you are never alone. You are constantly surrounded by people, people who always want to talk or sing or dance, it is never quiet. This isn't a bad thing, in fact I have been enjoying it, but you do notice the absence of silence. -- Therefore, I savored my moments in the convent.
As we headed back toward Sighnaghi a car sped by us and honked. Georgians honk their horns as a way to say hello to people they know, not necessarily to say "hey get out of the road you silly English teachers." The car stopped and low and behold it was our friends from the cafe. They offered to drive us back to Tbilisi, which we thought was both a very kind offer and extremely lucky. As our new friends Eka and Iliya drove us along the winding Kakheti roads we learned that they are newlyweds, have good jobs that require them to converse with native speakers of English, they love to sing, have a rock band, and are more than eager to share their thoughts about the different Georgian regions. After such a lovely ride with new friends, the taxi from Tbilisi to Gori was uneventful.
There really is not enough that can be said about Georgian hospitality and openness to perfect strangers. When someone toasts you at a supra and tells you how honored they are that you are here with them, they truly mean it with all of their heart. If someone stops along the road to offer three strangers a ride, they have no intention of asking for gas money in return for their gesture. And when someone welcomes you into their home, they aren't worried about feeding an extra mouth, they feel blessed to add a new family member. Sure there are exceptions to these statements, but overall Georgia is filled to the brim with kindhearted, genuine people.
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