Kakheti Region

After having a bit of time to explore Tbilisi, my travel companion Diana and I are excited to be heading out of town for the day to explore the Kakheti Region.  Far from being done with Tbilisi, we both realise that, given the richness of culture and history in the capital, there must be so much more to be explored in the rest of the country.

Sergo, our fabulous guide for the day, arrives ahead of the appointed time and is happy to wait while we finish our coffees and collect our belongings for the day ahead.

We set off, heading for our first destination of the Bodbe Monastery on the way to Sighnaghi (approx. 2 hours).  The Monestary of St. Nino at Bodbe dates back to the 9th Century when the original church was built although the history of St. Nino and the monastery itself is decidedly more complex than the little church and bell tower that stand here.  Although we can’t enter the working monastery, we take some time to pause inside the church and enjoy the views over the gorge and the valley below.

There is also a new church being built here.  Six years into construction it sits majestically atop the hill (the inside is still being finished).  The gardens, however, have been carefully landscaped and appear lovingly cared for.  This is also a pleasant place to pause.

After a suitable amount of time to take in the church and views, we continue on to Sighnaghi, Gerorgia’s city of love, Sergo informs us.  Surely enough, there is a 24 hour wedding registry located on the centre square for just such purpose.  We walk up Kostava Street, stopping in the square outside the town hall where I purchase some beautiful handmade slippers and then on up Chavchavadze Street to the tiny St. Stephen Church within the Sighnaghi Fortress.  We exchange a few coins for candles at the entrance to the church and inside it’s tiny, dark and plain.  There are two holy pictures on the side walls and a stand for candles in front of each one.  With barely room for us to stand back to back and light our candles, I shed a few tears as I light mine, remembering loved ones since departed.

Back outside , we are reminded of the defensive nature of the fortress that houses the church as we ascent steep stone steps to what remains of this particular tower.  Sergo waits patiently as we photograph the views and take it in turns to walk around the raised path on the inside of the tower, with a sheer drop down to the level of the church below.

After this we return to the car via the park on Tsotne Dadiani Street.  I watch the quad bikes available to hire in order to ascend the steep hill we have just returned from and know that if the boys were here I wouldn’t have gotten away with the pleasant walk up to the tower.

After Sighnaghi we have another drive (90 mins) to Ilia Lake where we watch people (primarily Russian tourists) swimming against a backdrop of hills including contradictory sights of a big I ❤ Kakheti sign on one side and a castle (now the Royal Batoni hotel), on the other.  Given how hot the day has turned out to be, Diana and I both wish we had brought our togs with us.  But given the lack of suitable swimwear and the steep gradient of the reservoir wall down to the water we decide against a paddle and continue on our way.

The next destination is only a few more minutes down the road as we arrive at the foot of the hill where the Nekrisi Monastery sits.  There is a car park here, along with a ticket booth informing us of the very reasonably priced tickets for the mini bus ride to the top.  We decide to walk, it is, after all, only 1500m.

We start off enthusiastically up the steep driveway.  Realisation dawns slowly as the path gets steeper and by about halfway up we’re all puffed and dripping, wishing that we’d been patient enough to wait for the next mini bus to depart and finally understanding the quizzical looks the first couple of passing mini bus drivers gave us.  We should have heeded the warning in their eyes!

Luckily, Sergo has paused below us to catch his breath and convinces a driver to pick him up and then stop for us, the driver looking bemused.  I’m guessing he’s seen this before.  I utter a slightly embarrassed but very grateful  “matloba” thank you to the driver.

unlike the working Bodbe Monestary, Nekrisi is no longer operating and we spend an enthusiastic half hour exploring all the buildings that made up the complex.  What it does have in common with Bodbe is a picturesque scene set in picturesque scenery.

There is a main building which was clearly used for wine making.  It has a large stone tub which was used for crushing grapes and a wooden ‘boat’, a canoe looking thing, also used for making wine, where the juice could flow out, being channeled directly into the floor which is full of holes – the opening of large, underfloor built in barrels.  There’s a similar set up outside behind the church where fountains and tubs would have been used to wash and crush grapes before storing the juice in the sunken holes make for such a purpose.  The church (there are two, but only one is open), and we take a look for good measure before a few more photos (who can resist!) and back on the bus for the ride down, grateful to not by walking any more, even downhill, in the heat of the day.  I have a passing moment of regret not sticking out the walk to the top and having a few minutes at the site without the crowds.

Still, back down the hill with much less fuss than on the way up and we fill our water bottles and head off again.  Before long I look up and gasp at the sight in front of me.  We have stumbled across Gremi Citadel and Palace.  Another completely delightful scene of church and fortress (now a small museum) installed atop a hill.  Here we are able to park much closer and the walk is nowhere as demanding as Nekrisi.  The church is once again imposing from the outside and ornate on the inside, complete with some wonderful frescoes.

We also check out the small museum, for our fee we receive a commentary on the history of the palace and surrounds and then climb the steep stone stairs from the main room to two small chambers up top, plus a spacious King’s toilet!  A must if you’re surrounded by enemies for a prolonged period, I suppose.

By now it’s around 4pm and we have been going all day.  We’re in Telavi and Sergo stops to ask some locals about a suitable restaurant that might be open.  A few streets later, we pull up at a delightful restaurant and order what turns out to be a feast.  They are even distilling their own chacha, a type of brandy made from grapes, often referred to as Georgian or vine vodka.  As we begin our meal, there are a few drops of rain and by the time we have eaten our fill, including Diana and I making good headway into a 1L carafe of wine, the sky has darkened and it really does look like a storm is headed our way.

Are we still interested in more?  Yes we are!  Sergo grins, I think he’s impressed with our enthusiasm, as we are with his.  He is clearly very proud of his country and keen to show us the history, beauty and culture that resides here.

We seek out Tsinandali, just outside of Telavi, is a small village centred around Tsinandali Palace, the estate of the Chavchavadze family.  We ignore the dark clouds that continue to blow in.  Alexander Chavchavadze was a 19th Century aristocratic poet who inherited the estate from his father, Prince Garevan, the Georgian ambassador to Imperial Russia.  The palace is known for both the house and estate.  The house is displayed in the 19th Century style as it would have appeared in it’s heyday when it was the backdrop for entertaining a steady stream of artists, politicians and noblemen alike.  Well equipped to entertain with its own winery (Georgia’s oldest and largest) and I counted no less than five pianos scattered around the house.  There is a family tree downstairs at the entrance to the cellar, and the youngest descendants are still considered (although not formally recognised) as Georgia’s royal family.

The rain begins in earnest as we’re leaving, starting a  shower with fat drops falling and quickly turning into a proper down pour with thunder and lightening surrounding us.  We’re still keen enough to pop into Ikalto, 20 mins away and only a few minutes out of the way before the drive back to Tbilisi.

As it turns out, by the time we get there (it’s now after 7pm) Ikalto is closed although we can see over the stone fence in the rain.  It’s beautiful, perhaps more so because of the rain with the dark sky swirling behind it.  I’m disappointed but realise how much Sergo has managed to cram into the day for us and so mentally note that this is a must see for next time.

We settle in for the drive back as the deluge really begins.  About 20 mins or so up the road we reach a small traffic jam and the police direct us to turn around.  There is already flooding and the mountain pass back to Tbilisi is closed – we’ll have to take the long route, an so, 3 hours later (versus a 60 minute drive otherwise), Sergo delivers us safely back to the hotel.  He has driven for a good part of the day, the rest of the time we dragged him up mountains and towers and around historic sites.  We’re thoroughly exhausted and he must be also.

We thank him again with a “madloba” and bid him goodnight.  Back in our room we shower and hit our beds.  It’s been another amazing day in Georgia.

Good To Know

Sergo will tailor your day trip to suit you.  Our itinerary for the day was built around my request to see Bodbe, Nekrisi and Ikalto monasteries and maybe a vineyard or two.  Without a fuss, this was turned into a full day of sightseeing and exploring, the likes of which I couldn’t have imagined as we set out in the morning.

Of course, we needn’t have tried to do quite so much either and a more relaxing itinerary is also possible.  Contact Sergo Tabatadze via link or directly on Facebook for more details (please mention that you have been referred by Dukes Global Adventures).