We left Akhaltsikhe for a long traveling day, first going to Vardzia, having a great lunch at a nunnery, then crossing the border into Armenia, and ending the trip Gyumri for short walking tour. This first batch shows our van, our driver & Pavel in the rear view mirror, and some pix out the window…
Vardzia is a cave monastery site in southern Georgia, excavated from the slopes of the Erusheti Mountain on the left bank of the Kura River started in the 11th century, and featuring a long, tragic history. In the 13th century there was an earthquake which revealed the caves that had previously been hidden from below. Later, invading Turks burned the monks to death inside the caves. However, the soot from the fires served to preserve some of the frescos for the centuries during which the caves were uninhabited. The pix in his entire batch were taken at a roadside rest across the river before we actually visited the site…
Having driven up and hiked to the caves of Vardzia, this first photo looks back at the place were I took the previous batch. In addition to some swallows, this batch features the monastery’s church and some pix, surreptious and otherwise, of the blackened frescos dating back centuries…
More of amazing Vardzia. Amazing there is a natural spring in the cave complex that provides water for the monks. You can’t get to the actual spring (behind glass), but you can sample the holy water!
While Vardzia started with natural caves or rock alcoves, much of the complex was made by years of hewing stone by hand – the tunnels and the stairs in the tunnels. Amazing to see the actual carvings on the ceilings!
Here’s just a sample of the many caves and tunnels. This batch ends with a trip down the secret tunnel back to the bottom of the cliff…
From below, down by the river side, and from the bus window driving away…
Next, we went to small convent up on a mountain for lunch. Only three nuns live there supported by other local women.
Adjacent to the site are ancient megalithic structures that predate Christianity by millennia. Pavel estimated they may harken back to 5000 BC…?!
The lunch was outstanding, local, organic, fresh, and delicious. Loved the hands-free iPhone usage by my new friend. Big dog, lots of flowers…
In this next batch we have crossed the border from Georgia into Armenia. However, got no pix because, as you know, its generally not cool to take photos at border crossings.
Random views from the road: ramshackle shacks, random castles, hay!, stork nests on power poles, kids, cows, and apparently today is water day in Armenia – Vardavar – when it’s OK to douse people!
Vardavar’s history dates back to pagan times. The ancient festival is traditionally associated with the goddess Astghik, who was the goddess of water, beauty, love, and fertility. Get wet!
Finally, we arrived at our hotel in Gyumri. After freshening up, we took an architecturally-focused walking tour with a local guide named Ashot. This batch features buildings and statues he pointed out…
More from our walking tour in Gyumri, including some fun randomness, more hijinx with water for Vardavar, some interesting police action, and the large local cathedral, restored after an earthquate…!
Inside that church, Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God. And outside: the anecdotes wall, miscellany, another church, more miscellany, more dogs, and this batch ends with the picture in my hotel room…
After a leisurely morning in Gyumri, we eventually took the train to Yerevan…