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1997
Route in China (GEORGIA)
Bec2004-09-20 10:10:56
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set off for the 150 km drive to the Kazbegi mountains where we had been invited by his niece Tamar and her husband Gugua.
Mtskheta
Twenty km north of Tbilisi we reach Mtskheta where the Aragvi river flows into the Kura river. The Bebristsikhe fort above was an outlying defense point of medieval Tbilisi. Mskheta was the capital of Iveria from the 3rd century BC to the 5th century AD. It is here that King Mirian was converted to Christianity by St Nino in the 4th century. The Sveti Tskhoveli Cathedral below was built in the 15th century on the site of an 11th century cathedral destroyed by Tamerlane. It is highly revered by Georgians as the last resting place of many Iverian Kings.
Aragvi Valley
Further north we come to this handsome Ananauri castle with its great Assumption Church near the Zhinvali Reservoir on the Aragvi River.
The weather was great and scenery beautiful going north along the mighty Aragvi. Note how this small village is built high, out of reach of the Aragvi's flood waters.
Aragvi Gorge
As we enter the foothills of the Caucasus, the valley narrows to a gorge and we leave the Aragvi that flows south to follow the Terek flowing north through the Krestovy Pass.
Arsha
At the entrance of Arsha village, this ancient tower keeps watch to warn of invasions coming through the Caucasus range by the Krestovy Pass further up the Terek river.
Merab is serving me an excellent Georgian wine at an annual family reunion banquet to which I had the honor of being invited.
It was a unique experience to be treated like family by these happy, hospitable Georgians. The long weekend I spent with them stands out as one of the great highlights of my whole trip. Below, our beautiful hostess, Merab's niece Tamar Marsagishvili, her generous husband Gugua Marsagishvili, a family friend and great singer Zurhab Areshadze and Merhab's happy nephew Giga Kakusaadze.
Terek Valley
A mountain picnic is on the books for Sunday. We board two hardy Niva four wheel drive jeep-like vehicles and head north. After a while we leave the Terek valley to climb into the mountains with breathtaking scenery on all sides.
Kasbegi Mountains
This ice cold mountain stream will join the Terek, flowing northward across this picture from right to left far below us.
Kasbegi Mountains
With scenery like this all the vicissitudes of life in post soviet Georgia can be forgotten - for a while...
It was so nice up here in the mountains that we stayed yet another day before returning to Tbilisi where I picked up the visa I had applied for at the Armenian Consulate, said adieu to my friend Merab and boarded the overnight train to Yerevan.
Copyright Bernard Cloutier
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See photographs from:
Georgia Gallery
lela from georgia, 2006-12-17 09:49:16