georgia: kutaisi and gelati monastery

If you are in the states and say the name Georgia, people assume you are referring to the state. But I live in Europe, so this post is all about my visit to the country of Georgia.

My flight took me from Kyiv to Kutaisi, Georgia. If I recall correctly, my flight landed just after midnight, and the airport wasn't particularly busy. The passport control officer asked me if it was my first visit to Georgia, and I said yes. Then he handed me a mini bottle of wine!! (Too bad I couldn't drink it.) Georgia is known for its wine, so it's a nifty marketing tool.

During this trip I was sooooo tempted to try different wines, and just deal with whateva happened, but I didn't.

Since I'd arrived in what was basically the middle of the night, I elected to stay in the airport overnight, to avoid paying a night of accommodation that I wouldn't get to until who knows when, and how. I didn't really sleep in the airport, but I did doze off for an hour or so at a time. I wasn't entirely sure if sleeping in the airport was allowed, it definitely emptied out in the middle of early early morning, but I didn't see security guys walking around rousting any sleepers.

The next morning I walked out to the street in front of the airport and caught the next marshrutka heading into Kutaisi. It was a bit confusing, since I don't speak or read Georgian, and I had no idea how much anything should cost. It's always a bit of a gamble to hand money to someone when you don't speak the language and there is no posted price. That being said, I watched how much others paid during the rest of the ride to make sure I paid the right price. 

It was already raining, which didn't look like it was going to change anytime soon. Argh. It was still raining when the marshrutka got to its final destination in the city. 

I asked the driver (in English, of course, hoping for good luck,) if he knew how I could get to my hotel. Normally I would walk, just because I can, but with the rain, I was in a taxi or local transport sort of mood. The driver suggested something totally inappropriate, and repeated his suggestion when I said no. Argh. I mentioned my boyfriend, he said he had a girlfriend and they need never know. I was outraged, to say the least. I got out of the marshrutka and found a taxi on my own. I'm sure I overpaid, but at that point I was more interested in getting away from the creepy marshrutka driver. Yuck.

The taxi dropped me off, and I found the entrance to my hotel on the side of the building, (after circling around the whole thing.) There was no one there for a few minutes, but eventually the manager came back in, and I was allowed to check in early. Since it was still raining and cold, I warmed up with tea and charged my phone. 

Then I figured if I waited for good weather I would be stuck inside all day, so I started walking. Kutaisi is not a picturesque city, to say the least. 

My initial impression of the city wasn't as good as it could've been, mostly due to the weather. I could see ottoman influences in the architecture (Georgia has been part of a few empires,) as well as plain boring buildings. 

I could see lights had been strung, presumably to celebrate the upcoming holidays. This definitely helped with the appearance of the town. Georgia is mostly Orthodox, so I didn't have to worry about everything shutting down over 24/25 December. Orthodox Christmas is 7 January. 

Kutaisi has a river running through the city, with a number of bridges going across the river. I really liked the views from these bridges. The houses and buildings on the banks of the river were NOT what most people would think of as picturesque, but they caught my eye anywho. A lot of them were wood, and multiple levels. 

One of the bridges has a statue of a young boy on one railing, he looks as if he wants to jump into the river to swim. 

As I walked the streets I saw a couple schools, each with a statue in front of them. Maybe the schools were named for the people those statues represented? 

At one point I walked next to the opera house. The roof was awesome, with sculptures. Very eye catching. The building wasn't tall, I wish I'd been able to see the interior. I wonder if it was as stunning as some opera houses I've seen. I should've looked at the schedule too. Maybe I could've attended a show that night?

I found the so-called teachers house, at least that was what the sign said. The building itself was missing a roof, and everything was literally falling down. I found an opening in the barrier, and walked in. I like taking photos of abandoned buildings. I wish I'd been able to figure out the history of the building, and any potential future.

I loved the building that houses the central market. A brick building, there were great sculptures on one of the exterior walls. Awesome. The market itself was just like markets I've seen around the world: sections with produce, dairy, meat, dry goods, and of course the completely random items.

I found the seasonal section, which had plenty of people selling Georgian Christmas trees. I bought one, how could I say no to something so cheap, and so cute? 

On one side of the opera building was a small park, and on the other side of the park was a traffic circle. In the middle of the traffic circle was a big fountain, with quite the sculpture. It was still going full blast, despite the rain. Totally worth a heap of photos :)

From the fountain I walked to a synagogue. Unfortunately, the exterior gates were closed, so I didn't get to see the interior. 

On the way to the synagogue I'd noticed the tops of a fancy church roof, so I headed that way next. I got to the church, which wasn't anything fancy, though I liked the wooden bell tower. I also really really liked the derelict looking wooden building on the corner across the street. I must've stood there for at least 30 minutes taking photos with different filters, from different angles. There was also an overturned car, missing the cloth part of the interior, but I couldn't fit that into my photos. Why do people leave burned out shells on the street?

In that area of the city most of the houses are behind gates, some of which were quite nifty. I could see some of the houses, they didn't seem worth 'protecting,' but maybe the gates are tradition more than protection. 

I wandered through the streets and found another church, this one much more interesting. Church of the immaculate conception I think, at least that is what is carved into the entrance. 

From there I found a way to another bridge, and crossed the river. Old schoolbuses caught my eye, I don't know why. 

I followed a path up the hill, to another church. I can't remember the name of this church, but it wasn't big. The interior was mostly blue. Quiet, peaceful. There was a graveyard there too, and the whole thing overlooked the city. 

Then I backtracked a little, and made my way to a unesco site.

Bagrati Cathedral. It was big, on a good plot of land, with a stone wall all the way around. As it was also on the hill, it provided another nice view of the city. (Not that Kutaisi is particularly eye catching.)
The cathedral looks as if it is being rebuilt, so there is a mix of old and new stone/rock. As it was still raining/threatening to rain, there was a fair amount of mud all over the grounds, and there was no building happening at the time I visited. There was no entrance fee, yippee!! The interior of the cathedral wasn't very decorated, it was almost bland. There was howeva, a small display of bones in the middle, and the altar could still be used. There were a few icons up on the walls, but not many.
I followed the fence on the grounds just to see if there was a place with a better view of the city, but with the awful weather, that didn't happen. Oh well.

After making my way back down the hill, I found my way back to the market. On one side of the market I found a lady selling popcorn, yum! Since I've been fooled before, I made sure to ask if it was salty or sweet. Salty popcorn is a great snack.
My next sight was Parliament. It took a bit of walking to get there, but at least it wasn't actually raining anymore. The walk was easy and flat. I'm not sure why, but the president of Georgia decided to build Parliament in a city three (or more) hours from the capital city but he did. The building is very modern, with flat ground all around.

To build Parliament, a soviet war memorial was knocked down, which upset quite a few people, and caused some controversy.
I didn't go in, as it was getting late, and I couldn't find the place to buy tickets for tours, if there were tours to be taken.
After walking back into town, I found a small cafe with yummy looking slices and sweets. I got a cream horn, which ended up being not nearly as good as it looked. At least the cafe had nice decor. I was tempted to try something else, in case it was just bad luck with the cream horn, but I just wasn't hungry. Argh.

After the cafe it was dark, and I made my way back to some of the streets lit up with holiday lights.  The fountain was lit up in color, and it looked even better since it wasn't raining. I wish I had a better camera. Or a foldable ladder so I could've taken the photo from slightly above.
The next morning I was up early to catch a marshrutka. At least, it felt early, though I suppose 0700 isn't that early. It felt early because sunrise comes so late in Georgia at this time of year. The marshrutka came at 0800, and was easy to spot even though I don't read Georgian. I laughed when I saw it, because there were neon lights around the interior and underneath.

The marshrutka took me to Gelati Monastery, about 10km outside Kutaisi. It's another unesco sight, but is another sight I wouldn't have expected to have this designation. 

Gelati Monastery was founded in 1106 by King David. (He is also buried here.) when I read the history on Wikipedia it sounds like Gelati was a big place, but it definitely didn't seem that way during my visit. 

The photos online are also much better and mine, mostly because I had terrible weather. Also, the roof of one of the churches was being redone, so there were ladders in a few places and big, organized stacks of shingles.

I was the only tourist on the marshrutka, and as far as I could tell, there was no entrance fee to be paid.
As I walked through the entrance gate, I realized it was Christmas morning. For me at least. 25 December. It was completely quiet. Definitely a moment to pause and think about life. 

I arrived before the churches were even open. I walked the grounds, which didn't take long. I walked up stairs on the outside of a small tower, wondering what I might see. The entrance door to a small altar was closed, but not locked. I put on my headscarf, and opened the door. It was a very small room, but very warm. I stayed inside a minute, then closed the door and went back down the stairs. 

At the point it was 'opening time' if there was an official opening time. A priest came out of a building on the edge of the grounds (I'm guessing priests' quarters.) and unlocked the door to one of the churches. 

The interior was definitely old, but I loved all the colour. There were fresco paintings all over, and the iconostasis was still in decent shape. The paint wasn't perfect anymore, but you could still see what the paintings were supposed to depict. 

I had only been in there a few moments when two cleaning ladies came in and swept the entire floor. It was dusty, but not dirty. There were windows, and I imagine the interior would be even more lovely if there had been sun. 

That was all I was able to see of the monastery, which didn't take long. The next marshrutka back to Kutaisi wasn't going to come along for another 2.5 hrs, yuck.

Instead of waiting, I decided to start walking. It was an easy walk, heading mostly downhill. There were a couple lovely views, and some views that made me break out the camera though I doubt anyone would say they were 'pretty.'

I got to the bottom of the hill, and after waiting for just a little while, I hopped on another marshrutka, which brought me back to Kutaisi in just a few minutes. 

I picked up my backpack from my hotel, and stopped in a bakery for snacks. All of the signs were written in Georgian, so I had no idea what I was choosing, but I suppose that's half the fun. 

I hopped on the next local bus to the bus station, and when I got there it was easy to find the next departure to Tblisi. 

I wouldn't mind going back to Kutaisi, assuming the weather is better, and I had more time to explore the whole area.