Georgia with Wild Frontiers and Wanderlust

I saw Joanna Lumley in a deserted village in Georgia on her Silk Road documentary and thought I would like to photograph the village.  I was looking up holidays to Georgia when Wanderlust advertised one with Wild Frontiers.  Lyn Hughes, Editor in Chief was accompanying the trip.  Not hard to choose the trip and I could meet up again with Lyn - last seen in Istanbul 10 years ago!

I flew to Georgia with Turkish Airlines landing around 3 am (yes, I should have gone the day before and caught up on sleep).  Alex met the small group at the airport - Geoff, Sarah, Katherine and Scott joined me.  I met the rest of the group at the welcome meeting at 9 am - Sue, Graham, Chris, John, Hadyn, Ruth, Manuelita, Winona and Lyn.  My phone was on silent so I missed my alarm and only just made it.  Dario, our tour leader outlined the tour and gave lots of useful information.  I grabbed a quick breakfast before we all went on a tour of Tbilisi.  I was in a fog until Dario found me a cafe so I could have my fix of espresso.

Standing at the site of Metekhi Church while Alex gives us all the information

Looking across to Narikala Fortress

There was a photo shoot while we were there

Cable car

The photo shoot

Near the Sulpher baths

River by the Sulphur baths

Alex with Katherine, John and Ruth taking photo

Chris doing his David Beckham impression

Dario waiting for us on the bridge

A few details

Fountain near the puppet theatre

A recent edition to the city

I was taking the 'no smoking sign' and the woman happened to be there

Lots of cute kitty images later on in the blog

Street art

Sarah, Sue, Katherine and Winona with green scarf

Reflection

Tbilisi

Alex and Lyn

Manuelita and her lovely scarf

Georgia is hoping to join EU

Windows abstract

We ended up in the National Museum.  My favourite was the Italian Art exhibition where I did a lot of in camera movement

Walked around before dinner to capture the better light

Sulpher baths

Metekhi Church overlooking the river Mtkvari

Part of the old town

We were off out early the next day towards Kvareli with a detour to Lavra Monastery and lunch at a home in Udabno.  We stayed at Old Meidon Hotel in Tbilisi and then at Chateau Kvareli.  All the hotels and guesthouses were comfortable.

Lines made to help the water flow

More information from Alex

The monastery

Inside the church

Pomagranites 

Lunch

Gate detail

At Marani Vellino for the wine tasting

Turkeys at the side of the road

Never had a chance to use my swimsuit and was envious of these bathers

Bulgarian folk dancers at the International Folk Festival in Kvareli

We stayed the night at Chateau Kvareli and were off early the next day to the Tusheti National Park.  A long bumpy mountain ride but first a stop at the Gremi complex

Gremi

Bats at Gremi

Alex providing scale

Snow bridge

Our group

Lots of beautiful wild flowers

Our mountain guest bouse in Omalo

View from the towers at Omalo

More info

Omalo houses

On Sunday was the start of our first walk.  Our transport took us to Dartlo and we walked to Parsma with lunch overlooking the village of Kvavlo.  For those who did not walk, the cars took them along the same route.  All our drivers were local and we had a local guide Luka for both days.  We stayed at a family owned guesthouse.  The villagers stay on the mountains for the summer.  Come September they come down the long bumpy windy road with their horses, cattle and sheep and spend winter in town.

Omalo

Explaining the pagan customs

View of the mountains from Omalo

Church at Dartlo - out of bounds to women

Alex giving info on Dartlo

Dartlo images

Start of our walk

We were joined by Lomo a dog who regularly joins hikers then returns home to his owner

Had we had wellies on we could have crossed the river on the road.  This was the detour.

One of many horsemen riding by

Alex and Luka at lunch

Lunch

Cricket

I think the amount of horse pic may beat the cute kitty pics

Another snow bridge

Broken bridge at Parsma

 We were taken back to Omalo after the walk.  It was cold in the mountains and you needed a good jacket.  As in all the areas we were treated to loads of Georgian food - all excellent and plentiful.

On Monday our walk took us from Shenako to Diklo then old Diklo on the Russian border.  Lomo our guide dog did not accompany us.

Russian built 13th century Church of Holy Trinity

According to the owner this house was used in a Georgian film maybe based on the story of Ali and Nino

Waiting for the seller as Ruth wanted to make a purchase

On the otherside of Shenako

Winona, Haydn and Katherine taking a pic

Alex and Ruth bringing up the rear

Marbled white

John and Winona

Diklo wares

Alex and Luka had a chopping wood contest

With onlookers

Walking on to Old Diklo

We bought sheep cheese from this lovely woman

Overlooking the border.  We had to wait until the border guard finished with some other tourists before he could see to us.

Shrine to a young local guide

Our three leaders in discussion

Old Diklo

One of the many fritillaries

Walking back to Diklo  Ruth followed by Haydn, Geoff, Sarah and Katherine

Katherine with a local child

More horses

Back down the mountain on Tuesday.  Most of us would have liked an extra day.  Tusheti is a beautiful area with lots to explore.  There were a lot of horse tours too.

Omalo kitten

Remnants of the Russian pylons.  Solar panels have taken over

4 wheeled camper - needed on this road

View from the Albano pass

Barcelonas coffee stop near the end of the road.  I had spotted the coffee machine on our way up.

Alaverdi and the Ikalto cathedral

Orchard

I am hungry

We learn how the clay jars called quevri, used in wine making, are made

Behind the bricked up wall above the fire, the quevri are being fired

We stayed the night at the Hotel Zuzumbo in Telavi and were treated to a bread making demonstration.  Stopped off at the Telavi farmers market then made our way to Gori via Mtskheta to visit the Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral.  I was looking for local wool.  Alex and Dario were trying very hard for me but we failed.  Lots of knitted goods and I saw some made with local wool but none for sale.

On the hotel landing

Telavi market images

Outside the market

Donkeys at Jvari monastery

View from the monastery

Jvari monastery

We had a lovely lunch here.  First time I overate.  Dario and Alex were demonstrating how to eat the  Georgian dumplings

On the way to the cathedral spotted another cute kitty

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral

Outside the Cathedral

Our second wine tasting.  I liked the Georgian wine made with all the pips and skin, but it did not make me want to drink again.

We arrived in Gori and checked into Hotel Victoria.  Manuelita and I went for a walk around the block before dinner.

Hotel Victoria

Little girl in red

Images around Gori

Sign of the times

Posing in front of Stalin

Sign in the coffee shop by the Stalin Museum where I had my fix the next day

Stalin Museum

Stalin's train

Stopped for a leg stretch on our way to Akhaltsikhe

Hammock town

Akhaltsikhe complex

From the top of the tower

View from the balcony outside my room at Valodia's cottage

Finally managed to take some sunflowers.  There were fields of them earlier in the tour but not convenient to photograph

Beautiful flowers in front of our accommodation

The kitten is hiding from his father

Kitten pouncing on mum

Vardzia a 12th century cave town

Alex giving us info as we waited for the caves to open at 10 am

Alpine swifts 

About 5 or 6 monks are living here

Old wine store

Emerging from the tunnel

Souvenirs

Images seen from the coach on the way back to Tbilisi

Storks at last

Lunch overlooking the lakeside.  Spot Sarah who sensibly was out of the wind

I thought there were white stones in the distance but they travelled up the road and became sheep and goats

Taken through the coach windows

Stop at the largest lake Lake Paravani but it was obscured by mist

Images from the coach

Arrived back in Tbilisi where we had a farewell dinner.  We all went our separate ways the next day.  I flew back with Geoff, Sarah, Katherine, Scott and Lyn.  Georgia is somewhere to return to.  There is so much to see.  Thank you to Dario and Alex who made the tour so interesting.

I bought two CDs from the Ikalto cathedral shop as music was playing in the cathedral.  One was of Georgian Folk songs, recommended by Alex.  However I liked the pic on my second "My Dear Country.  The first track on the latter was 'Khanshi shesulo methkvare' which is the song we sing in the 'Company of Voices' choir, a song from North Eastern Georgia, a Tushetian folk piece.