Day 9 - Last day outing to Mtskheta and Telavi

Last day and we decided to see some countryside. 

We headed first to the nearby (barely pronounceable) town of Mtskheta, which sits very prettily at the confluence of the Aragvi and Kura rivers.

Mtskheta is the cradle of Christianity in Georgia, since St Nino (a Turkish maiden, some say a Roman general's daughter, some say the niece of a Jerusalem Patriarch) travelled to Iveria in eastern Georgia in the 320s AD and converted the queen by praying nearby as she recovered from a serious illness.  When the King, Mirian, was temporarily blinded in a hunting accident and recovered after praying to Nino's new Christian god, there was mass baptism in Mtskheta and adoption of Christianity.

The Mtskheta cathedral, "Svetotshoveli", means "living column", apparently after the pillar that miraculously shifted to show Nino the whereabouts of the lost buried mantle of Jesus.  The present building succeeds that from Nino's time, dating from C11th.

Sadly no photos are allowed inside. On the plus side, you're saved the spectacle of me swathed and scarfed (God forbid women should display that they have legs, even fully trousered ones); on the down side, you'll have to take our word that it's stunning inside : light, airy, spacious, with magnificent frescoes and, studded into the stone floor, striking grey granite plaque-gravestones marking the burials of Georgian kings since Vakhtang Gorsali in the 5th century.

Above the city and visible for miles around is the beautiful 6th century church of Jvari, to many Georgians the holiest of holies as it is supposed to stand where Mirian erected a cross upon his conversion by Nino.

and has sweeping views down over Mtskheta town. 

  

To the east of Tbilisi is the old medieval trading town of Telavi and, around it, a collection of venerable old churches, monasteries, nunneries (some going back to the 5th century), the vast 11th century Alaverdi cathedral (and the wine region of Kakheti, so what's not to like?)

The Summer house of the family of Prince Alexander Chavchavadze  (godson to Catherine the Great) at the village of Tsinandalis is part-museum, part-winery

and a tour, promenade around the park and glass of white set us up for a proper tasting at a family farmhouse winery.

Local family producers such as these also distill the last of the lees after the juice is drawn off for wine, making the local grappa-esque firewater called chacha - 65% alcohol (after the first sip, I thought a thimbleful only would be required but actually it became pretty smooth after the first one!!) Not wasting anything, they also set aside some grape and add thickener to make a toffee consistency, into which they dip (like making a candle) strung local whole walnuts  - interesting!

(See the walnuts-in-grape-caramel thingy-s hanging behind me)

Tomorrow it's an early start with a 6.30am pick-up for another Turkish Airlines via Istanbul.  Let's just hope we take the sun back with us. Meanwhile, a last wander by the river