Spring is again upon us: that brief period, at least in the Georgian lowlands, when everything comes back to life and the fruit trees blossom. Apple, plum, cherry and more blaze with whites or pinks; the shades of early-leaf green, which the eye has missed all winter (especially in the monochromatically snowy highlands), dazzle and delight in their variety. Farming too picks up its pace.
You could literally throw a die, or spin a bottle on a drawn compass-face, to get a direction to head out from Tbilisi. Wherever you go, you’ll find fortresses or churches, hilltops, forests, and beckoning mountains too. Take your own car, hire one with a driver, use public transport. Georgia has not only thousands of discovered sights to offer, but undiscovered ones too, waiting only for archeological funding to unearth them.
My wife and I were recently invited out by friends to Kareli. Never having been (to her recollection, to my certainty), we drove out on the main Tbilisi-Gori highway. Not far past Gori and the 7 large windmills is the off-ramp to this town. We took a picnic lunch and gave ourselves a couple of hours to spare before the time we were expected to wander and explore. The weather forecast gave mixed cloud and sun: much more interesting for landscape photos than either cloudless or all overcast. Rain chance was minimal.
Coming out somewhat aimlessly but not hopelessly through the other side of Kareli, we indeed saw signs for a fortress and other sights. These turned out to be the 16th century nunnery and fortress, and 12th century church, near Samtsevrisi village.
A venerable nun (one of 4 remaining) emerged from the residences of the former on its hillside perch, and asked if we wanted to see its church, which she then proceeded to unlock for us. As has happened so many times to me, this unheralded edifice was filled completely with wonders. Its every surface save the floor is painted magnificently with frescoes showing heaven, hell, and scenes from Biblical and Georgian history. The nun let me photograph everything, and we left a small donation in gratitude as well. Then I continued in the grounds of the fortress, inside and out, impressed with the thickness of its stone walls and towers. Color photos for the richly hued interior, black and white for the exterior.
From here we could also see the older church, so we drove to that next. It is only a single building, but it has a plaque in Georgian and Russian detailing its age and various reconstructions after damage from earthquakes. The last of these works was in the early 1950s: Stalin was still alive, just. It, too, offers sweeping views of the winding river Mtkvari and Kareli town below.
Then it was off to visit our friends, who were cooking both pork shish kebabs and trout over coals, as well as offering chakapuli soup with mushrooms instead of meat; bread, cheese, salad, coffee and cake; and several other Georgian dishes to round it out. Now we regretted having picnicked earlier, but the lunch invitation had only been implied. Perhaps we should have known better, Georgians being Georgians; but at least we were able to sample this second lunch and appreciate the spread.
What we didn’t see was more fortresses and churches in the surrounding area, such as two monasteries in Qintsvisi, another in Dzadzvisi and one more in Khtsisi, or another church in Tsromi. There just wasn’t enough time in a day starting at noon, and one can overdo it. It was plenty enough to leave us feeling satisfied with new finds.
Wherever your directional lottery takes you from Tbilisi, though, you are likely to find commercial eateries to go along with the exploring if there’s a town of many size at all nearby. This is the nature of Georgia, welcoming tourists and doing its best to take care of them. Whether you are going along and straying off the main highway west towards Batumi, or heading north, south or east out of the city, new sights abound and will reward your casual wandering. Take a different direction each time for variety, or stick to one until it’s plumbed, then choose another. Research online in advance, or don’t bother and do it afterwards. Something will turn up.
Hiking trails are similarly common, in which case you would take a picnic lunch and water in a small backpack, plus something to ward off rain if there is any chance of it. Know how to hike safely if you’re alone. Take a phone.
Before long, the heat of the lowland summer will dry up those greens and blossoms, yellowing or browning the land. Go higher for cool and an extended spring. Georgia’s density of points of interest will amaze you, no matter how long you have lived here (23 years for me). It’s so worth trying out. Just go.
BLOG by Tony Hanmer
Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer and photographer for GT since early 2011. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with nearly 2000 members, at www.facebook.com/groups/SvanetiRenaissance/
He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri: www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti
