And back to the next half of my day1 in beautiful Georgia the country! If you have been following my blog, I previously posted tips about travelling to Georgia if you are coming to Dubai through Holiday Factory and a photo dump of Gori and Uplistsikhe. To be completely honest, I've been getting a lot of great feedback from both and I'm so overwhelmed with the amount of love I've been receiving from the readers, so thank you! This is still part of the tour I have paid which is the travel to Mtskheta, Gori and Uplictsikhe that I booked through David from Holidays Travel Agency.
My first day in Georgia could possibly be one of the longest day in my life - hiking, walking, and visiting monuments and monasteries. As early as now, I'm gonna tell you that I didn't pay that much attention to history but rather the rustic beauty and breath-taking scenery of the Caucasus Mountains.
State Museum Of Stalin
One of the places we have visited is
the State Musuem of Joseph Stalin (the
leader of the Soviet Union, who was born in Gori), his first cabinet which
was transferred from the Kremlin, his home-museum, and wagon of his personal
train. The ticket to this museum is not included in the tour package so we had
to pay extra 15GEL to get inside. We were able to go through every period of
Stalin's stay in Georgia so to speak but the only thing that picked my interest
was his wardrobe *inserts smile here*.
Our tour guide mentioned that this mask is the 5th replica of what Stalin may have used during the early years. So eerie.
A few more rustic things (doors, hallways, buildings) that I found while walking around the museum. Doors fascinated me the most when I was in Georgia.
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral
After visiting the museum, we were given 2 hours to spend
lunch in Gori. I had mine right across the State Museum but I will have to
include food on a separate post. We headed to our next destination
- Svetitskhoveli Cathedral.
This cathedral is just one of the many Orthodox churches
in Georgia and is located in the historical town of Mtskheta, 20 km northwest of
Tbilisi, the capital of the country. Many tourists visit here as part of their
pilgrimage.
Taking photos inside the cathedral is ok but try to limit
clicking your camera because there are some locals who are paying respect to the
House Of God. Also, our tour guide strongly advise to wear a head cover when
going inside. Revealing clothes are also not allowed.
Took 2 shots inside the cathedral and that's it, I
immediately went outside (despite the freezing weather) because the view is just
wow. Don't believe me? Here it is:
Another jaw dropping view just outside the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. Saw mountains, mountains! More rustic things like walls, streets, and abandoned shops are really worth the photograph.
Jvari Monastery
We stayed for less than an hour at Svetitskhoveli
Cathedral and headed next to Jvari Monastery - our last stop for the day. As
always, the road going to the monastery located at the top of the hill is
absolutely stunning.
The sixth century Georgian Orthodox monastery near
Mtskheta excited me this time. Jvari Monastery, also known
as The Mtskheta Church of Holly Cross, is listed as a UNESCO Heritage
site. How old is this church? It was completed in 605 AD.
The church keeper selling candles inside the monastery
said taking photos is allowed though he refused to have his photo taken. I took
one snap when I lit a candle that I bought for 2GEL. I had a different feeling
when I was inside the church, something I can't really explain especially when I
saw a portrait of The Mother Of Perpetual Help located at the right wing of the
church. I felt like crying, really.
Visitors pay respect everywhere, this orthodox church is
one the greatest religious sites and a center of pilgrimage for many Christian
nations of the Caucasus. Thus, the fleeting feeling of being connected to God
just by going inside it.
The wind is really strong in this side of Georgia, you
can even hear the howling wind inside the church. Then again, even the strong
wind (that scared most of the tourists from our group) didn't stop me from
taking pictures of the amazing view from the hill top.
And that, my friends, is how I fell in love with Georgia
the country on a rainy day. If you liked my first 3 posts
about Georgia, stay tuned as I take you to the beautiful Signaghi
(the City of Love) and Gudauri in the next couple of days.
* * * *
Photos above were taken and processed by me and is
intended for this blog alone. If you intend to use this for commercial OR
editorial purposes, please email me at joy.caasi@gmail.com.
I booked my tour (travel to the first capital of
Georgia, Mtskheta and to the oldest city carved in a rock – Uplistsikhe) with
David through Facebook and email. The price was 49GEL at the time of travel and
this includes transfers, a qualified guide, tickets to Uplistsikhe Complex and
the tickets to Uplistsikhe Museum. The ticket to Stalin Museum is not included
in the package.
Không có nhận xét nào