Sand storm

Today we are experiencing our first sand storm! We've experienced pretty hazy, pollution filled days before, but this is the first actual sand storm. 

I've taken over a club out here and am coordinating Tea Club meetings once a month (I know, so right up my alley) so I had no choice but to get out today but if I had the choice, I'd be inside! 

It's the oddest color outside... just sort of a brown cloud. It's weird!

When I first left it wasn't too terribly windy, but almost three hours in Tea Club and when we walked out the wind and sand were blowing so, so hard! I had sand in my eyes and mouth and dirt just everywhere. Not fun! 

Visibility is terrible. The city is covered in a blanket of brown, the buildings are invisible from afar, and the sun is white! Just the most bizarre thing ever! 

Georgia...Day 3!

Saturday morning was our final morning in Georgia. We had a leisurely breakfast and spent some time in our room reading and just relaxing. We didn't have a lot of time before we had to head to the airport to get into too much and after such a busy day the previous day, we relaxed a bit that morning.

We headed out around eleven and walked a few blocks to find a flea market that is held on a daily basis. We walked across the street (well, underneath the street in the pedestrian walkways built under the roads) and found ourselves in a sprawling city park behind an old stone church. We walked through the park, little Bahrain-living hearts happy to be in a green (even in the winter) park and cold air.

We crossed a bridge and came upon a Christmas market we just had to investigate... and were quickly disappointed in. Not all the stalls were open yet but what was open was mainly food or just kitschy random stuff, nothing that stuck out as really special. There were gorgeous decorations and people dressed up like elves on stilts and dancing gifts, so there was that...lol!

We walked across the street to the flea market. It wasn't any sort of formal market space, just random people with their wares laid out in front of them on old sheets or the occaisional card table. There was a myriad of stuff... everything from costume jewelry to cold war era stuff, gas masks, old money and pins, knives and junk. Again, nothing really popped out at either one of us, but it was neat to look around. I'll never say no to any type of market.. you never know what you might find!

Below the street level market was another little park area that was over taken by artists and art vendors. There were paintings and other little stalls galore with handmade treasures. We normally buy a piece of art from our travels, but there was so much I just couldn't decide what I wanted. And now I'm looking back through my pictures and kicking myself for not deciding on something!

I did find Stella a little wooden string toy, so that was her souvenir from the trip (her daddy got a bottle of Chacha).

We meandered through the art park and made our way back to the hotel. We went into the restaurant for a cup of tea and to wait on our airport transport to show up. And show up he did... this taxi driver was a young guy who was, in a word, crazy. Michelle and I both could hardly keep a straight face through the insanity that was our drive to the airport. He sped and cut corners, passed cars so flipping close it wasn't funny, and just overall made poor driving decisions. I would say he was the worst taxi driver I've ever experienced...lol!

We finally made it to the airport in one piece and started the whole checking in process. We got to the security gate and passport control and there was a big hoopla going on and it was one of those times where I really regretted not speaking the language. Some crazy lady was yelling and screaming at the security officers, just losing her mind on them. The lady checking passports and boarding passes was just standing there flabbergasted and holding the line to make sure nothing worse was going to happen. After a minute she sent Michelle through and then she was holding my passport when this crazy dude came up from behind us, shoved through the guard and myself and ran through the metal detectors (setting it off, of course), and meeting up with the crazy, yelling lady. More guards rushed in, there was a ton of yelling and screaming, and again... I had NO clue what was going on and the curiosity was killing me!

After all that nonsense (and still having no clue what happened), we finally made it through security and passport control and headed to the duty free to stock up on a couple of bottles of Georgian wine before we stopped in a little restaurant for a bite to eat before our flight. Gulf air might have plenty of leg room and be the airline for Bahrain, but good food it does NOT have. So any opportunity to eat before a flight, I'm taking it!

So, we stopped at this little cafe and ordered another Khachipuri (though, sadly, not the amazing egg one) and I ordered a tarragon lemonade and Michelle ordered a pear lemonade. It was boiling hot in the airport and we were carrying heavy backpacks so lemonade sounded cool and refreshing... which, actual lemonade would have been cool and refreshing. What we got was in no way actual lemonade....

Yes, that's neon green... like the Wonderful Wizard's Magical Green Elixir green...
The first sip was...intriguing, the second sip was interesting and the third sip was not good. And thats about all I had of it. It was sticky sweet and sort of licorice-like, but not at the same time.  Michelle's pear "lemonade" tasted like liquid circus peanuts. It was also odd and not appetizing at all.

We finished our mediocre airport snacks and headed to our gate to be greeted with the thickest fog ever. It was insane! We wondered if we were going to even be able to take off. After only being delayed a few minutes we boarded the plane and headed back to Bahrain!

This was directly over the wing after we'd boarded... it was crazy! 

It was a bit of a whirlwind few days but I'm so glad I took a chance and went! Getting out of your comfort zone can be uncomfortable, but so worth it!

Georgia...Day 2...Old Town Tbilisi

After a very full day of exploring the Georgian mountains we headed into Old Tbilisi around sunset. Our guide, Zura took us up to overlook the old part of the city and it was gorgeous! The buildings all climbing up the rock face with Mother Georgia looking over them and protecting them was quite the sight. It was really beautiful! 

Looking across you can see the Bridge of Peace that was built after the last war with Russia in 2008. Also, that odd shaped tower in the middle is a hotel built by a Prince from Dubai. It is gaudy and modern and doesn't fit at all with the rest of the Georgian architecture. Michelle joked and said that it was "very Dubai" and Zura loved that and kept chuckling over it. Middle Eastern modern architecture with all its glass, clean lines, and lights is very beautiful in its own right... but when paired with Eastern European old stone? It just sticks out like a sore thumb!

That domed building in the center is their white house

Looking down over the river we saw a water taxi!

After a few minutes of taking in the sunset and the city we made our way down into the city itself to explore on foot. Our first stop was the Sulphur Baths. 

Legend has it that King Vakhtang I Gorgasali of Georgia came across a beautiful forest and he set his falcon out to hunt. The falcon caught a pheasant during the hunt but both birds fell into the hot springs and died. The king was so impressed with the springs that he decided to clear the forest and build the city around them. Tbilisi means "warm place", thus its name! Walking up to the bath houses, the smell of sulphur permeates the air and while its a little overwhelming at first, you get used to it and its not terribly bad. 

Here you can see the old, original bath houses that were built.

We walked around and behind the bath houses and tucked away sort of behind the farthest of the city buildings is a waterfall! Its not a hot spring water fall, but the Georgians love it and have preserved and built the city around it. 

And when I say around it, I mean over it too. This was standing by the waterfall, looking up. Those are buildings just hanging over that ledge! Eep!

From there we walked up into the city proper, crossing over a small bridge where people have placed locks holding onto wishes that they hope to come true. We asked Zura if he'd done it and he replied, "No. That lock will cost me twenty lari and for twenty lari I can buy four pints of German beer, which is better than any wish I could make!' And we carried on. 

We climbed some spiral stairs and found ourselves sort of in the middle of all the buildings. Everything is connected with walkways and stairs. It was really neat! Zura told us that balconies are a big part of the old Georgian culture and they were a way for neighbors to hang out and exchange gossip and news and that they would take their carpets and hang them over their balconies and whoever had the largest and brightest was the most wealthy. 

We climbed down out of the middle of the buildings and continued our tour. There are multiple bath houses where you can go and soak in the sulfur springs, some fancier than others. This one was the premier bath house in Tbilisi and it was gorgeous! It had recently been renovated and the persian influence was obvious. The tiles and designs were just gorgeous! 

We walked past shops and restaurants and headed towards this steep road to make our way up to the top to get a view of the city all lit up for the evening. Along the way Zura pointed out the Muslim Mosque that was tucked away and he said that its the only mosque in the world where the Shiite and Sunni Muslims pray together. He explained that they had fought hard to keep the mosque standing when the Russians wanted to tear it down and to honor the fight and sacrifice they prayed together as a symbol of unity and to honor the importance of the mosque still being there. I thought that was really neat... especially being in Bahrain and regularly exposed to the separation of the two sects of the faith. 

We climbed and climbed this incredibly steep hill and were rewarded with a spectacular view of Tbilisi! We were out of breath and exhausted, but it was worth it!

We made the arduous climb back down (why is it always worse going down than going up!?) and Zura showed us an open air museum in the middle of the city. It was closed for the evening, but you could look over the walls and see some of the displays. It was excavated and they found clay wine pots and tools for making wine from the 4th century! 

One final stop before we were finished with our tour and it was the I ♥ Tbilisi sign! 

Also at the sign was a statue and tribute to a musician who wrote a song about Georgia and with it was a pomegranate tree! There were pomegranates every where in the country and I asked Zura if they held any significance but he just told me about the song. Either way, my little pomegranate loving heart was happy here!

We headed back to the hotel, tired and cold and called it an early night! We'd eaten a late lunch so we skipped dinner all together in favor of a hot cup of tea and warm blankets to thaw us out. It may have only been in the 30's, but after leaving a balmy Bahrain, 30 degrees was pretty chilly! 

Georgia... Day 2...The Moutains

Our first morning in Georgia found us waking up early but well rested. We slept with the window open and the heat on low so it was chilly, but crisp and refreshing air. In Bahrain its so dusty and the air quality so poor that we rarely open the windows, so to wake up and have slept in fresh air was pretty awesome.

We headed down to the hotel restaurant for our inclusive breakfast and were blown away by the offerings! I've stayed in a lot of hotels and done a lot of continental or included breakfasts and this one was one for the books. There was a spread of cold cuts and cheeses, fresh fruit and roasted fruit, vegetables, a cold eggplant stew, pickles, georgian nuts, and some spreads and fresh breads... and that was just on the buffet. Also included was crepes, cottage cheese pancakes, eggs Benedict, eggs made to order, and different porridges. Also on the drink side of the buffet were a whole coffee bar, sparkling wine, fresh orange and pomegranate juice, water, six different loose leaf teas, and a box of different tea bags. It was awesome! 

After breakfast we grabbed our stuff and headed to lobby to meet the tour guide we had booked the previous day. Our guide, Zura, met us and showed us to his car and we started our day. He explained that Georgian weather, especially in the mountains, was incredibly unpredictable and that, as of that morning, we were slated to have a sunny day, but it could change. He assured us he had a reliable car, chains for his tires, and a will to give us the best tour ever! 

Our first stop was the Jvari Monastery. It was about 30 minutes or so away from Tbilisi and as we drove further away from the city we drove deeper and deeper into fog. The Monastery is situated atop of a rock and overlooks a town called Mtskheta. When we started up the road we were met with snow and more fog. 

We pulled up to an empty parking lot and could barely see the Monastery... Zura was pretty disappointed, but we were happy to just be there and see it, so not having the view wasn't too terribly disappointing. We also found out here that Zura was an exceptional guide. He was so knowledgable and engaging and really knew his stuff-- from facts and figures to legends to personal experience and opinion, our trip was filled with fantastic information. I literally sat in the backseat jotting down notes after we'd stopped at all the places on our tour!

We walked up the steps and finally got close enough to see the church. 

Java Monastery was built in the 6th Century and Zura explained that its the first stone church in all of Georgia and that it was built out of stone so it would be able to withstand anything since wooden churches cold be burned or easily destroyed  The name Jvari means "cross" in Georgia and legend has it that Saint Nino placed a Georgian cross in this place to symbolize Georgia's acceptance of Christianity. The Georgian Cross has a distinctive shape because Saint Nino was said to have taken grape vines and tied them together with a lock of hair. So the shape is different and very important to Georgian culture and tradition. 

The saint on the right is Saint Nino holding the Georgian Cross

We walked out of the Monastery and I swear the fog was even thicker. The views from the top of the rock that the Monastery sits on are supposed to be incredible, but we literally couldn't see anything past a couple of feet ahead of us. While I would have loved to see the picturesque city and rivers flowing beneath us, being surrounded in the quiet fog was quite the experience as well! 

Back in the warmth of the car we headed down to continue our journey. We got on the only highway in all of Georgia, which is only 400 km long and continued our trek into the mountains. 

We stopped at the Jinvali Reservoir and it was beautiful! The Soviet Union built this reservoir to bring clean drinking water to the people of Georgia in 1985. Sounds nice, doesn't it? And I suppose it is. They have clean tap water. However, in doing so they destroyed eight villages and relocated poor, peasant farmers who had known nothing but their villages and stuck them in crappy apartments with no way to make a living since all they'd known was farming. There was no place for their animals or farms but they had no choice or say in the matter. Anyone who complained was sent to Serbia... or worse. 

So it was a beautiful backdrop to snap a few pictures at and you could see how beautiful the country must be in the summer, when everything is verdant and lush with life, but it was hard to see past the devastation those villagers went through for the sake of the whims of the Soviet Union. 

Along the road are these watch towers and they were used to alert people all through the country. They would light fires to pass on big news-- white smoke meant something good; the king was coming or something very good was happening, while black smoke mean enemies were coming. 

Our next stop was Ananuri fortress. The large watch tower was the first structure built in the area and it was constructed in the 14th century. There were other buildings added on later and walls that surround the structures making it a true, easily defended fortress.

The church was built in the 16th Century and all the ornamentation was handmade. Even today the Georgian people stick to the same methods of hand making ornamentation for their buildings and churches and take pride in the mastery necessary to handmake it all.

We walked into the church and our guide explained that it used to be covered in Fresco's and that the Soviets had come in and painted white all over the walls and ceilings and they were still trying to recover and restore the old paintings. He also told us that the Soviets destroyed 1500 churches in their reign. 

I know that the destruction of churches and decimation of the art and treasures inside was common practice, but I wish we could see these old churches and cathedrals in all their glory. The small bits and pieces that have been restored give us only hints at how magnificent the craftsmanship in centuries previous truly was. 

We walked around the fortress taking in the impressive buildings and the views from the Aragvi River. We came across a small tower and our guide told us that older people believe that it has healing properties and they come from all over to pray and hope for healing. 

The largest castle tower in the fortress is one of the tallest towers like this in all of Georgia at seven floors high. It was built to house the villagers and keep them protected in case of attack. They had also put into place a basic plumbing system made of clay pipes that piped water in directly to the fortress so they could close the gates and defend themselves, but stay alive. Very, very few people were privy to this knowledge so they maintained their water supply until word got out and their enemies cut the clay pipes.

We climbed up some extremely old and not well formed "steps" and made our way across a skinny stone ledge connecting the large tower to other parts of the castle. It was quite the experience... crumbling, uneven stones sprinkled with snow are not necessarily the most trustworthy of paths to walk on.

But alas, we did it (and survived with nary a broken bone!) and got to see one of the rooms in the tower and our guide told us stories of the fortress.

In the 17th Century two dukes were fighting over claims to the area. One of the dukes was defeated and the winning duke captured the defeated duke's family and locked them away in the tower and cut them off from the outside world and food and water and left them there to die. 200 years later, when the tower was excavated in the 1940's the bodies of that family were found. 

We made it back down (which seemed more harrowing than the walk up!), snapped some pictures and headed back to our car.

We stopped at the bathrooms for the last bathroom for a few hours and I walked in to find this... 

thats right... a hole in the ground. I did say Georgia was the crossroads between Asia and Europe and here was some Asian influence. I managed to do my business, thighs burning the whole time... haha! 

From that little adventure we were off and headed higher into the mountains for Guraudi Ski Resort.

We made a pit stop to see the convergence of two Georgian rivers and Zura told us that the legend was that there were two sisters who were in love with the same man (I cant remember if he was a monk or a prince but no matter...) and their father wouldn't let them marry him. One sister dressed in all black, as a widow, climbed high into the mountains and killed herself and her river runs black. The other sister, equally as devastated that she couldn't marry her beloved, dressed as a bride in all white, killed herself, and her river runs white. This is the place where the two rivers meet and you can actually see the separation of the two waters which goes on a few meters before fully merging into one river. Theres a scientific explanation for this, but I rather like legends more!

As we climbed further up into the mountains the roads got worse and worse and the snow heavier and heavier. The mountains themselves were covered in a thick blanket of snow and fog.

We came across a ton of huge trucks just parked on the side of the road. All of them had Russian or Armenian license tags and the police had closed the roads off to the big trucks since the roads were so bad.

Still we kept on and then, when we were just a few kilometers from our destination we came to a blockade from the police. Our guide was determined to get us through so he got out of the car and tried to plead with the officers to let us through. It was not successful. Haha! Despite his promises of good, winter tires with chains, they wouldn't let him pass. To be honest? We were totally fine with that. Visibility was atrocious and it was only getting worse.

Zura was really upset and disappointed. The road being closed also kept us from one of our stops, Kazbegi, which is a village on the border of Russia. We assured him that we were fine and happy to be skipping that in favor of being safe and seeing other things. So we decided we'd finish out the tour we'd planned and then he'd show us around Old Town Tbilisi when we got back into the city.

We headed back down the mountain and ended up stopping at an overhang to get out and snap some pictures and enjoy the snow a little bit! Apparently the mountain range is huge and we could only see a fraction of it that day.

Our guide told us that this was one of the first snows of the year and that before much longer there would be at least two meters (6.5 feet) covering the mountains! That little village in the picture will be blanketed in snow and they spend their entire summer and fall gathering supplies and food for the winter!

Once we were back down the mountain and closer to the city, we stopped for lunch. I have no clue what this place was called but it was so quaint and adorable! There was a wood burning fire going in the middle of the room and the restaurant was filled with locals. We were seated and Zura opened the menu and explained all the food to us and helped us pick out what we were going to eat.

We decided on some Georgian dumplings called Khinkali. The ones we chose were filled with beef, pork, and broth and he told us there was a special way to eat them.

They arrived smelling wonderful and looking delicious! Steaming plates of dumplings passed by our table a few times before ours arrived and I'll be honest, my stomach was growling and my mouth watering by the time ours made it.

Zura explained that we had to hold it at the top and bottom and bite into the side and slurp the broth out before eating the dumpling. They were boiling hot, but I dove right in. It. Was. Delicious. The broth was salty and meaty and the meat inside was decadent and it was all surrounded in soft, chewy dumpling dough. I couldn't get enough!

So, turns out that if you finish your khinkali with a clean plate, you're a Georgian dumpling expert. Guess who's an expert? ::takes bow:: Should I need to write one ever again, I think its going on my resume...haha!

After finishing our dumplings, our khachipuri came out. There are different types of Georgian cheese bread and we had been on the hunt for this one. The bread is shaped like a boat, filled with cheese, topped with a raw egg, and a pat of butter. Again, pictures do not do this thing justice. I don't even think words will.

This beautiful piece of culinary art was placed in front of me and excited doesn't even touch what I was feeling. As instructed, I took my fork and whisked my egg around in the cheese and butter melting it and mixing it all together in the center of the bread boat creating this melty, cheesy, gooey, amazingness. I took my first bite and... euphoria. Seriously. This thing is now one of my favorite things I've ever eaten... at least in the top 10, but probably in the top 5. I mean, its melty cheese and egg in bread. Its decadent while managing to feel like comfort food.

Zura also let us try his beans and cornbread which were both delicious and similar to soup beans and cornbread thats prevalent in the south. Its so interesting to me the parallels all over the world with some things. Those random similarities crop up at the most unexpected times!

After our amazing lunch, we made our way to Mtskheta, the little village that is at the foot of the Jvari Monastery (the one we couldn't see because of the fog earlier in the morning). The fog had cleared and we could see the Monastery overlooking the little village and I can only imagine what a spectacular view there is from all the way up there on a clear day.

We started walking through the village and saw a set up of how they make Georgian wine. Zura explained that they take the grapes and press them, getting the juices out, and then they put the juice, the grape skins, stalks, everything into a clay pot called a Qveri which is then buried in the ground and left to ferment for six months or so before its unearthed and the wine is collected. All the leftover stuff from the wine is then made into something called Chacha, or vine vodka.

We did some walking and a little shopping in town and I found a gorgeous handmade, wooden pomegranate that I just had to have!

So there are these odd looking things all over the place-- outside of shops and stores, in vendor stalls, all over. They look sort of like bumpy wax candles and they're called Churchkhela and they call it "Georgian Snickers". Zura took us to his favorite Churchkhela maker and had us try a couple of different varieties. It was... interesting. So its sort of like a fruit snack with nuts inside of it. Its an odd thing. The different colors are different juices and flavors they've used. We tried honey and grape and neither Michelle nor I were fans.

And then she poured us some homemade chacha.  I know its called vine vodka, but I think a more appropriate name would be jet fuel or rubbing alcohol. Also, tourists take note... the saying "well, that'll put hair on your chest" is not something the Georgian's say... nor will it translate well. The humor was lost on poor Zura.

Chacha burning away in our chests and keeping us warm, we continued through the village to the old church in the heart of the village, passing by more vendor stalls and beggars with hats or empty cups. Zura tried to avoid the beggars and keep us away from them, but there were quite a few congregating in front of the church grounds. 

The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral was originally built in the 4th Century but it had been damaged by multiple invaders so what stands today was built in the 11th Century. Its an extremely important place for the Georgian's as their kings were coronated and buried here. Ten kings are supposed to be buried here, but so far, only six tombs have been discovered. 

As we walked into the church, he explained that again, it was all built by hand, down to the last detail, and thats something the Georgian's are really proud of. When you first walk in, theres a small alcove to the right and inside of it is a baptismal font that is from the 4th century! Zura's daughter was just baptized in it a few months ago.

If you look in the corner of this picture below, there is a hole there in the corner. To protect the church's treasures they built 60 secret tunnels that only a handful of people knew about. Whenever raiders or enemies would come to loot the church, they wouldn't find anything... it was all hidden in the walls and ceilings of the cathedral!

We continued on, seeing that, again as with most old churches and cathedrals, the walls had been painted over and frescos were covered but trying to emerge with restoration.

We came across a large, painted structure in the middle of the cathedral and it is said to house the Mantle of Jesus. There was a Georgian Jew named Elias who was at Jesus' crucifixion. He bought Jesus' robe off some of the soldiers and took it back to his native Georgia where he met his sister, Sidonia, who, upon touching the robe of Jesus, died, she was so overcome. They tried to remove the robe from her grasp, but couldn't, so she and the robe are buried here in the cathedral. Later, a giant tree grew from her grave and Saint Nino ordered the tree cut down to build the church around her grave. Seven pillars were made for the church's foundation and the first six went into the ground with no problems, but the seventh column could not be placed in the ground. It had magical properties and rose into the air and only after Saint Nino prayed all night did it fall into its perfect place to complete the foundation. Since then, it is believed to have healing properties and was said to have sacred liquid flow from it and cured people of all diseases. In Georgian sveti means "pillar" and tskhoveli means "life-giving" or "living", hence the name of the cathedral. 

We continued on through the church coming across more frescoes and the tombs of Georgian kings.

We walked outside and walked around the cathedral taking in the architecture and crisp, cold air. The cathedral is surrounded by large stone walls and villagers used to live within, but now local monks live there and take care of the grounds and cathedral itself. Zura also told us that after the master builder finished building the cathedral, the king had his hand cut off so he'd never be able to build anything to rival the Svetitskhoveili Cathedral. 

After winding our way back through the village and to our car, we headed back into Tbilisi for a tour of the city!