Chiatura Monastery, Georgia

Sadly, we arrived too early to get in, and had to return to Jvari Etseri a few hours later by public transport. A beautifully placed monastery in this canyon city.

Jvari Etseri, nr Chiatura, Georgia

Lali's uncle in his grain mill

Sunday drive

She & I under a grapevine ceiling

Chiatura & Jvari Etseri, Georgia

Lenin & Stalin from pebbles, Chiatura

Local children in an old car, Jvari Etseri

Lali picking tea (she knows so much about village life!), Jvari Etseri

Jvari Etseri, nr Chiatura, Georgia

I'm a little out of order again. These photos are from before our trip to Abastumani. Oh well.

Here our friend is excavating his marani, or wine store - a collection of huge clay vessels sunk into the ground and stoppered with earth. There's a layer on the top of the wine which must be removed using handy fig leaves. Then the wine is ready to decant - delicious!

Abastumani, Georgia

More of the contrasts which define this crumbling old village in the 21st century.

Abastumani, Georgia

Newest visitor countries: F.Y.R.O.M. (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) and Guyana! Welcome!

Some views of the Tsar's "cottage" (location of the last post's sculpture group), dating from the 19th century, when Georgia itself was in the Russian empire, having asked for help against yet another infidel invasion and sacking. (The cost for Georgia was absorption into Russia, dissolution of its monarchy, and eventually forced inclusion in the USSR. Nonetheless, lesser of two evils?)

The wooden structure is in sad need of rebuilding to save it, and I hope this is forthcoming. But as I wrote last post, I also hope the sculptures are left as they are! They are much more unusual in their dilapidated form.

Abastumani, Georgia

I TOLD you Abastumani was disintegrating.

These scupltures of nude children are in the garden of the former Tsar's "cottage". Resore the building if you must, I say, but please keep this trio as they are! They're much more interesting in this form, and symbolic of he general decay

Abastumani, Georgia

Back after a LONNNGGG break! We've been in Svaneti for 9 days now - internet here in Etseri is present but slow.

These pics are from Abastumani, another of our June honeymoon breaks, where we stayed with a friend for a couple of days, enjoying the evergreen forests and cool. Vardzia, nearby, couldn't be more different - dry ancient hills and HEAT. Abastumani was a Russian-Empire resort town, and its glory is fading and disintegrating to a fascinating chaos. More to follow.

Racha, Georgia

Lali and the Khvanchkara bottle, Ambrolauri

Mravaldzali, view & cracked mud

Mravaldzali, Racha, Georgia

More from the 11th century chrch currently undergoing its 2nd rebuilding - earthquake damage, then Soviet neglect, were the main culprits in its destructions

Mravaldzali, Racha, Georgia

Lali and her relative at the village's 11th century church, being rebuilt for the 2nd time, with some of its magnificent carved stones in their original positions and a graveyard full of her ancestors

Detail from the church bell, dated 1901

On the way to the church

Mravaldzali, Racha, Georgia

KO, I won't bore you with any more cracked paint photos - at the moment.

These are from Mravaldzali, claiming to be Europe's 2nd highest village at over 1600 m above sea level - but surely K'ala, near Ushguli, is higher than this? I don't know. Anyway, it's the place from which Lali's family originates, and sure enough, the very first people we met there were relatives of hers. Here she is washing dishes against the village's spectacular Caucasus backdrop, with a couple of other nearby scenes thrown in, the bottom one being of a scarecrow and clay kvevri (wine container).

Nr Mravaldzali, Racha, Georgia

"... Here he goes again with the cracked paint, must be cracked himself..."

It happened on the 10-km walk UP (no downhills at all, just UP) from the Oni road to Mravaldzali: Halfway up, in a nearly abandoned village, I came across this fence made of large metal panels. All painted some years ago, and all with perfect cracks covering them. I told Lali that if I had the money and space I'd buy the lot and put them on permanent display somewhere as a monument, the best examples of cracked paint I've seen in my life. I took quite a few shots, and even played with symmetries on all of the results. Here are a few, if you'll indulge me, with the symmetrical version in both cases preceeding the original.

Oni & nearby, Racha, Georgia

Daisies on the walk up from Oni towards Mravaldzali

Paint...

Warning in Russian at an electrical site - "Don't go over [the fence], it'll kill you"

Museum, Oni, Racha, Georgia

More of the museum's 11th century stone fragment collection. Middle is St George; bottom is sinners at the Last Judgement

Museum, Oni, Racha, Georgia

We were given a guided tour of this extensive place for only 3 lari each - great deal. I hadn't taken my camera, being sure that photography would not be allowed, but ran back home to get it when I understood this was not the case. Quick, before they change their minds...

These are examples of carving - the top one wood, the other 2 stone - all fragments of 11th century churches, in the wonderfully naive and weird Racha style.