Uplistsikhe
Our day started gently. After breakfast in Poki, we packed up and left Poki in the hotel parking. We walked to the magnificent cave town fortress of Uplistsikhe. On the way we passed some beautifully dressed local girls preparing for dancing. Uplistsikhe is located on a rocky massif, about 15 kms east of Gori on the left bank, overlooking the river Mtkvari. It contains structures dating back to the Early Iron Age to the Late Middle Ages, and is notable for the unique combination of various styles of rock-cut cultures from Anatolia and Iran, as well as the co-existence of pagan and Christian architecture.
Local dancing girls
Gori and Stalin’s Museum
Next we set off into Gori. No problem parking. A friendly attendant beckoned us into a space and for 5 Lira, less than £2, we were well looked after.
Central Gori
Stalin’s Museum was constructed in 1957 as a purpose built building to house a museum dedicated to his life. The building in the forefront is a cover for his original modest home, but is currently under renovation. Also in the grounds is his personal railway carriage. The museum itself it full of photographs, paintings and papers relating to Stalin’s life. It is an extensive coverage from his modest childhood, his father was a shoe maker, to after WWII with Churchill and Roosevelt.
Stalin was Gori’s most famous, or infamous, son. His original family name was Jughashvili. He adopted the name ‘Stalin’ in 1912. It is derived from the Russian word for ‘steel’.
Stalin’s personal rail carriage.
The man himself
Mtshketa
After a lunch stop outside Gori, we headed the 60 plus kms to Mtshketa, Georgia’s former capital. The city sits at the confluence of the Aragvi and Mtkvari rivers. Here we visited two World Heritage sites. First the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, then the 14 km away, mountain top, Jvari Monastery.
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
Located in the heart of the town, this 11th century architectural marvel is the headquarters of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Ancient Georgian kings are also buried here.
Jvari Monastery
The monastery is dramatically perched above the town on a cliff and overlooks the river confluence. It’s a 6th century masterpiece. The interior was under much reconstruction and preservation.
View over the town and confluence.
Parked in the monastery car park. Only in Georgia! it is known as one of the oldest wine producing areas in the world and there are wine cellars everywhere.
This was the end of our planned sightseeing for the day. By now it was around 4.30 and time to head into Tblisi and find our hotel for the next 2 nights. This was when things started to unravel
Tblisi
By now we were tired and the traffic was a nightmare. Dennis doesn’t like being without the sat-nav to guide him. My efforts with Google Maps don’t cut it. Sometimes Google Maps doesn’t react quickly enough, or I misinterpret which lane, which leads to, shall we say, tension. At one point we entered a tunnel and in the tunnel the road divided, I hadn’t been paying attention, as I wasn’t expecting it and we got the wrong lane. Anyway, we righted ourselves quickly and turned into what appeared to be a pedestrianised square. Oh dear!
Pausing to collect our thoughts, a young lady came to the driver’s window. She was a young German girl driving a Toyota Land Cruiser and was fascinated by us. She was about to drive across Russia and, although usually driving alone, this time had bought her father for support. We stopped for a chat.
Realising we could progress through the cobbled square, we followed some increasingly steep and narrow streets up to where we found our hotel. I went to check things out and a gentleman standing on the doorstep was the welcoming owner. A fluent English speaker. He showed Dennis where to park Poki. All ended well
Hotel Panora
Hotel Panora has exceeded expectations. I had originally wanted another hotel, but it was fully booked. The Panora is quirky, full of character. Our room is cool and modern with all the necessities. There is a roof terrace with a great perspective over the city for breakfast and dinner.
After a shower and rest we ventured up to the roof terrace, sampling some local wine and beer and dinner. I had a dish called Chkmeruli. It is chicken in a rich, creamy garlicky sauce, with some delicious bread. It was extremely filling The local dish Dennis wanted, was unfortunately, not on the menu. He had a pizza instead, which was equally good.
Some views of the city from the Hotel Panora terrace.
Tomorrow will be a day of city exploration, but slowly. Maybe we will even stay another day.
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