Stepantsminda (Kazbegi)

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6 May

Last night wasn't as bad as the night before but I think everyone was glad to be leaving Turtle Park. We'd be back in Tbilisi in a few days to pick up our passports and stay in a hostel for a couple nights which sounded MUCH more appealing.

Leaving the city and heading back out into the countryside, we climbed high into the mountains en route to Kazbegi. Crossing one of the many bridges, we came across the stunning Ananuri monastery which is the cover photo for Lonely Planet's Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. While I stopped to pat the dogs (whose ears have sadly been clipped and sometimes even tails docked), most made for the stall selling felt and fur hats. I took some photos from the bridge and then we walked down the steep path and through the gate. Entry is free and it was nice to wander. As always, especially with the guys, if there's a way to climb to the top, they'll attempt it. Fortunately, sloping stone stairs got us most of the way and then they could climb from the top of the tower onto the top of the tower. They're all part mountain goats. I settled for sitting in a small alcove with a triangular gap that looked straight down on the wall. Did people sit here and drop hot oil or shoot arrows? Although a monastery, I'm sure they still defended themselves.

Onto Kazbegi in time for lunch, we're staying at Ema's guesthouse with views of monastery, mountains and glacier, weather depending. It's currently clear though rain is forecast for later.

And sure enough, as people start to head down to town for dinner, the rain arrives. I'd stopped in the living room to chat to a Canadian woman who was also staying at Em's but as soon as there seemed a break in the weather, I was off. The others had found a local restaurant run by a man and woman in what seemed to be their living room and were already most of the way through dinner and a second bottle of vodka. It didn't take long for a tomato and cucumber salad to arrive, followed by chicken kebabs that were served on what doubled as a sword and was put to good use as one until the man confiscated them. The guys hung their heads like children being told off and it was all in good fun.

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7th May

Let it be known that the local Georgian vodka, 'cha-cha', gives you terrible hangovers. Some of the guys were more than a little sluggish today!

But after breakfast we piled into two 4wd vans to drive up to the monastery. Although it's only 3km, it took 40 minutes to navigate the tight corners in the small village on the side of the mountain before our driver kicked it into four wheel drive to get us through the deep, muddy potholed road. It was drizzling and cloudy, the village disappearing as we climbed higher. Raindrops hung on the end of newly budding trees but there was no other sign that spring was on the approach.

At the top, Scott, Talbot and Quinn left for the longer walk to the glacier, vanishing from sight almost instantly. At around 2,200m we were definitely in the clouds. We skirted around the muddy road, choosing the uneven grassy area instead; a steep 300m climb but not too difficult. At the top skirts and head coverings were made available for women and the men had to remove any hats. Stepping into the monastery, it was beautiful but much like any other we've stepped into. It is definitely a place to come when the weather is clear.

Neil chose to walk down while the rest of us jumped into the remaining taxi and actually beat us halfway down. The driver dropped us off at the guesthouse and hung around there until lunchtime.
In the evening I helped Ema prepare dinner: khachapuri (kind of like a cheese and potato quesadilla), tomato and cucumber salad, carrot and mushroom salad, a beetroot and egg salad and fried chicken pieces. Unable to eat the khachapuri, I nonetheless helped roll them out, put a ball of potato and cheese mixture in the middle and sealed them as shown, getting a murmur of approval. Once they'd been allowed to sit a few minutes, they were once again dusted with flour and rolled flat to fit perfectly in a dry frypan before being slathered with butter and cut into wedges. I was bummed I couldn't eat them but the salads were fresh and delicious and we had more than enough food before heading to bed early.

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8 May

After a lazy morning blogging and swapping photos, we went for one last lunch at our 'local'. The oxajuri (basically chicken or pork and potatoes fried together) is a safe bet for me and I ordered it again, washing it down with raspberry soft drink (we've drunk all of the lemon one which is a firm favourite amongst us) and picking at the tomato and cucumber salad which I'm yet to get tire of.

We'll be in Tbilisi in two days and stopped at Ananuri monastery again, setting up camp between the monastery and the river for the night. It was a beautiful backdrop, lit up against the night sky with the sound of the rushing water complimenting it perfectly.

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Photos

View from front of Em's Guesthouse, Kazbegi
You can just see the church on the middle hill

View of Em's Guesthouse and behind
It was clear the afternoon we arrived and didn't clear up until the day we were leaving