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Georgia..continuing..part 2Sep 26, 2006
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Jvari Cath..Tbilisi Georgia
river view Tbilisi
Sveti Tskhoveil Cath..Tbilisi
Georgia land of some of the oldest standing christian churches. Legends of holy relics such as: The robe of Christ, St Thomas's skull. nails from the cross,oldest icons of "holy virgin", and oldest biblical translations and manuscripts and church frescoes, tombs of poppes, missions of 4 apostles ( Andrew, Simon of Cana, St Thomas, and St Mathias) all supposedly here in this land of 1001 churches.
The tour in Georgia went deep into the Caucasian Mts where we visited several small villages, old cathedrals and medieval fortresses. We practiced speaking Georgian with the local people who are very hospitable nd interested in foreign cultures. Most have never been out of their villages and traveling is out of the question for them for at least another generation. They earn on the average $75 to $100 per month. Their clothes are simple black skirts, aprons, socks or pants for the men. Black is the in color here. Some of the teens are breaking out of this and dressing a little more stylish but nothing like I saw in Armenia. Homes are bare basics often with no hot water,hole in the ground toilets,and wood heating. The food is very tasty and unique to this part of the world especially their breads filled with goat cheese and dumplings filled with minced meat. They eat a lot of cheese, eggs, and yogurt but little meat. Chicken, pork is available but expensive. Very little beef is available even though you see large herds of cattle and sheep. But they are used to provide milk, cheese, yogurt etc. Lots of vegetables and fruit is available but not that tasty. Bread comes in a variety of forms and can be sweet, sour, filled, flat, round, long, thin, and rolls. They use a lot of butter and jams and honey. Bee hives are everywhere..they even have mobile bee hives and pull the hives to where the flowers are. laundry is by hand and hung out of windows, alot of which are broken. Trash is often thrown out back, or taken to the forests and tossed out. Hundred % of the homes are simple drap grey concrete, no paint or color is used..but that is changing. Most are cracking and in bad condition as they were put up quickly by the soviets. Many soviet built factories now stand empty, abandoned in 1991 and deteriorating rapidly. They have no raw products to keep them running and or to produce the products once made here and transported to Russia. Everyone worked back then and after the soviets pulled out there was drastic unemployment and that still continues. You see lots of older and young men sitting around doing nothing in the towns and villiges. There are many apartment shells, 7-8 stories high neve completed jsut sitting there empty. It's a bleak picture but only for now. Ten years from now it will all be gone and new colorful buildings will start appearing as they already are.
