After breakfast, we followed the Tergi River further up into the mountains (closer to Russia) heading to Stepantsminda formerly known as Kazbegi, our destination being the Gergeti Trinity Church.
While the clouds dimmed the light, they blanketed the mountains making our journey – especially the hike – cooler, and did not unleash the rains, which seem to come in the night, pelting down now as I write.
We stopped for awhile at the Russia–Georgia Friendship Monument to hear about the symbolism and take a bunch of pictures. Wild flowers and grazing animals will be a theme in this post. (see also)
After a beautiful drive, we stopped in Stepantsminda and started our hike up to the church. It was a wonderful loop trail, first up through the village and the forest, then down through the alpine meadows back to the village – and lunch…
The road to the Gergeti Trinity Church has only been there about six years, but the parking lots were packed and the construction renovation projects were in full swing…
Inside the Gergeti Trinity Church it was beautifully dark, and the art, religious iconography, drew one in close…
After some moments of contemplation, we eventually headed back down, taking in the breathtaking scenery and walking carefully. Near the bottom of the trail was a majestic watchtower, of which there are many…
Back in the village, we walked the old streets past various old buildings to the restaurant, after which we drove to a series of four gondolas which took us over another pass to the ski resort, close to our guesthouse.
For 35 Lari, we took the series of four gondolas over the pass to the Gudauri Ski Resort. Highlights included vast mountains, cool streams, sheep herds, etc. Here are some stills, AND a shot shared on our WhatsApp group of some fellow travelers also enjoying the gondola…
And here are some time lapse video clips of the gondola rides…
After two nights in Gudauri, and another wonderful breakfast, we headed out to Tbilisi. On the way we stopped at the Ananuri Fortress Complex. This batch shows some tourist souvenir options and shots of/from the road…
The Ananuri Fortress Complex has a long history as the place evolved from watch tower to fortress, and including a church. This last batch shows various views inside & ou,t and is included here as we passed this place along the way two days before…
Stay tuned for Tbilisi…