Last weekend I went into Tbilisi for a quick day trip. What I love most about Tbilisi is that is unlike any city I have ever been to. My fellow teachers, Annette and Jessica, and I decided to walk up to Narikala Fortress. As we made our way up the back streets of Tbilisi and ascended the stairs leading the to fortress we had incredible views of the city. In addition to the cityscape we also got to peek into the daily lives of Georgians -- a man working in his garden, a woman hanging out the laundry, another man repairing his house. Approaching the top of the fortress we saw a group posing for pictures at the highest point. They had slipped underneath the safety rails and were standing on the rock jutting out over the city. It was a gorgeous day for looking out over the city, so naturally we did the same once we made it up there...when in Georgia.
The next day I ventured up Gori Fortress with my teaching assistant Nino and my host sister Nata. Nino led me over to the the binoculars and the guard pointed out all the surrounding sights for us: the church on the hill, the church on the mountain top, the cemetery, the neighboring town, South Ossetia, and the refugee settlements. Next Nino led us down what I have been calling a "hole." Really it was an opening that led us down over some rocks, through some bushes, over some more rocks to the the fortress wall. There was also a slightly hidden alter where people had bound their own crosses with sticks and grass, similar to how St. Nino bound her cross with stick and a strand of her hair.
When we returned home I was feeling rather accomplished as I sat munching on my soup. My host father came home and Nata filled him in on our excursion. There was some rapid chatter followed by everyone's eyes lighting up. My sisters informed me we were going on a picnic to Uplistsikhe, which is a cave city a few miles out of Gori that I have been very eager to see. We hurriedly packed up the picnic supplies and headed out the door. Moments later we were cruising down the street -- quick stop for lavash, another for fanta, another for the lamb meat for the shishkabobs. My family led me through the various nooks and crannies of the cave city, which was even better than I expected. It reminded me a lot of the places I would explore with my parents when we would travel to southern Utah. Next we found a nice green spot, dad fired up the grill, and we sat enjoying the warm weather.
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| Me on a fortress wall |
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| alter |
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| alter |
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| alter |
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| Uplistsikhe |
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| Uplistsikhe |
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| View from picnic spot of Uplistsikhe |
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