July 2024 - Wanderwiles

Skopje, capital of North Macedonia

First impressions of central Skopje were great. And a little surprising. After a mixed bag of buildings on the outskirts of town and a spate of Soviet-era apartments which Alek pointed out as where he lived, the city center seemed grand. Massive white buildings evoking the height of ancient Greece*, wide plazas, huge statues. (*My apologies for using the word “Greece.” I realize this would not please Macedonians who have a troubled relationship with Greece and would prefer “ancient Macedonia,” but “ancient Greek” conveys a familiar image to outsiders.) These structures are the product of “Skopje 2014”, a massive government undertaking that yielded mixed results and much controversy.

Macedonia Square with its huge statue of Alexander the Great

Eighty percent of the buildings in Skopje were destroyed in a massive 1968 earthquake. After decades, the Macedonian government came up with Skopje 2014, an effort to make the capital into a symbol of national pride. At first blush, the project was a great success. But as we explored the city, we soon noticed many signs of premature deterioration. I found Skopje a fascinating city of contrasts.

Our quirky Hotel Senigallia was part of Skopje 2014, designed to look like an old-fashioned galleon moored in the River Vardar. Hotel Senigallia sits planted on the riverbed next to the iconic Stone Bridge and the Bridge of Civilizations in Macedonia which leads to the impressive archeological museum on the opposite bank. I chose the hotel for its great location and terrific reviews, but I was second-guessing myself up until we walked up the gangplank. My worries were unfounded. We loved the Senigallia. The hotel entrance and common areas are downright elegant with gleaming carved wood and brass, chandeliers and leather furniture; the hallway to our room/cabin gave the impression of a swank period luxury liner; our room was suprisingly spacious and comfortable with a marble bathroom and two “portholes” looking out on the swift-flowing River Vardar and the white-columned archeological museum. The upper deck restaurant provided an ample breakfast and surprisingly good food at dinnertime with one of the best servers we found in the Balkans. Outdoor seating was popular with locals although we opted for the air-conditioned interior.

Given the summer heat, my plan was to do outdoor rambles in the mornings and evenings and spend the heat of the day visiting museums, eating lunch… and maybe working in a little siesta. This turned out to be pretty ideal. The Museum of the Macedonian Struggle for Independence topped my list of museums to visit and we made it our first indoor destination. In fact, we were the first two people into the museum that day so had the place to ourselves for most of our visit. This let us move along slowly to take in the many wax figure displays of scenes of North Macedonian history. The displays and descriptions were often grim, one-sided and heavy on propaganda, but that only added to the interest. I like to see points of view that are new to me or different from the versions my own country tells. (The Vietnam War Museum in Ho Chi Minh City and the Military Museum in the Belgrade Fortress are prime examples.) As an American, I didn’t have much of a dog in the fights that make up the subject of the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, but the displays did have me looking up events I was totally unaware of.

Seeing the Archeological Museum of the Republic of North Macedonia from our bedroom window and during meals moved it onto our list of museums to visit. Fittingly, the archeological museum looks like a giant ancient temple. Its collection, including a copy of Alexander Sarcophagus is well-presented but contains no major treasures. The building itself was the main draw for us. Approaching the archeological museum across the Bridge of Civilizations in Macedonia makes a great impression. Great impressions are what Skopje 2024 was all about. Unfortunately, as we wandered the city center, we couldn’t help but notice crumbling “marble,” rust stains and other signs of premature deterioration. Not wanting to offend, but curious as to local opinion, we asked our friendly waitress at dinner one night what she thought of the buildings. She approved, saying with an ironic smile that at least the government built something with the money rather than stealing it. When I asked her what was there before, she said “Nothing. It was empty.” On the other hand, a woman in the hotel lobby said the new buildings were falling apart because of inferior materials and poor engineering resulting from corruption. She also explained how the Hotel Senigallia’s sister “ships” positioned at some distance on either side of the hotel were vandalized and derelict because of a former city administration’s efforts to destroy them. Apparently, changing governments made for uncoordinated approaches to city planning and a lawsuit had recently awarded compensation to the owners of the businesses in the faux ships.

Top photos of crumbling Skopje 2014 structures;
bottom photo of one of the Hotel Senigallia’s “sister ships”

Skopje offers more than museums. Our morning and evening walks took us to the Mother Theresa house, people-watching in Macedonia Square and exploring the old Ottoman Bazaar, the largest in the Balkans. Evenings were particularly busy with crowds of people of all ages out strolling or enjoying cafés. Street musicians including children on drums performed on the Stone Bridge and around the Fountain of Lions. An ice cream vendor drew a crowd as he charmed small children with a good-natured slight-of-hand routine that had them looking for disappearing cones and thinking he’d dropped their treats.

Around Skopje from top left, then left to right: Bridge of Art, Macedonian National Theater,
walking bridge (that was to have had a Ferris wheel), the bazaar,
Macedonian Holocaust Museum, Mother Theresa House

The bazaar is a maze of shop-lined streets interspersed with cafés, sweet shops and mosques. A man seeing my interest in a huge tree sheltering diners in one small square told me it dated to ancient times. We found most people in Skopje to be friendly and many spoke at least some English. An easy walk from Hotel Senigallia, we visited the bazaar both nights we spent in the city. With plenty to do and adapting to the heat, we opted to skip a walk up to the fortress or a cable car ride to the large mountaintop Millennium Cross for views of the city. All in all, we found Skopje worth the visit and I’m glad we didn’t let summer weather keep us away.

En route to Skopje, North Macedonia: Tetovo and Matka Canyon

I debated adding Skopje to this Balkan trip, wondering if it was crazy to visit the North Macedonian capital in the middle of July. July is prime time in beautiful lakeside Ohrid, but Skopje sounded like it could be scorching. On the other hand, I hated to miss the capital and there were some stops between Ohrid and Skopje that really appealed. As a native Texan, I know all about heat and I actually kind of like it… so long as there’s air conditioning to be had. I decided I was being a wimp and made plans.

Our driver, Alek, arrived promptly at 10am at our Ohrid guesthouse and we were off. First stop, Tetovo. Alek spoke good English and we enjoyed his knowledgeable if somewhat downbeat company. He described frustrations with the lack of opportunity in his country, the interference of outside countries (particularly Greece), and government corruption. He had an undergrad degree he said made him a lawyer in Macedonia, but he found it more profitable to be a driver and guide. It’s a sad story of underutilized skills I’ve heard often during my travels. Alek also tended to downplay our stops along the way while still being game for whatever we wanted to do. I got the impression he’d seen it all a zillion times and was nudging us a little to see if we’d skip the stops we’d paid to make. Understandable, but that wasn’t happening. We just confirmed we wanted to stick to our plans and he was fine about it and gave us plenty of time.

A couple of hours after we left Ohrid, Alek parked across from Šarena Džamija (the “Colorful Mosque” or “Painted Mosque”) in Tetovo, letting us off to explore at our leisure. Famous for painting that covers its exterior and interior, the Colorful Mosque dates to the 14th century. Unusually in the patriarchal culture, two sisters financed construction and they are buried beneath an octagonal shelter in the flower-filled gardens of the mosque. After removing our shoes and covering my hair with a scarf, we entered the small mosque. A man praying turned out to be a visitor from Australia. Hearing us speaking English, he cheerfully volunteered to explain details of Muslim prayer and customs. After crossing the adjacent park to view its former hammam (Ottoman baths) just across the River Pena, Alek picked us up for lunch. Following his suggestion, we opted to skip a modern air-conditioned restaurant for a traditional place he promised would be a treat. He was right!

Restoran Belamia occupies a large three-story building that looks as much like a house as a place of business save for a parking lot and a covered brick walkway leading to the entrance. Alek had called ahead while we were in the mosque. We were expected and Alek was clearly a familiar face here. A charming server greeted us warmly before leading us past a fireplace surrounded by period knickknacks and rows of wine bottles through the empty restaurant to a table near an interior courtyard. Tablecloths, wood floors, brick walls and overhead beams provided a charming atmosphere. Red geraniums hung from the open-air second-floor balcony that gave onto the paved ground floor below surrounded by antique kitchen furniture, pots and photographs. Periodic clouds of heavy mist helped the flowers thrive and kept our dining area comfortably cool with the assistance of a large wall-mounted fan.

At our waiter’s urging, we started with Serbian plum “rakia” which vastly improved upon the rakia we’d had in Albania. Next came triangles of house-made flat bread, perfectly charred and piping hot from the oven and a large shared salad topped with piles of shredded cheese. My skillfully grilled chicken with grilled vegetables, drizzled with a balsamic reduction perfectly suited my tastes. David opted for a more traditional chicken dish preferred by Alek. Smothered in sauce and cheese and topped with a scoop of something that tasted like butter and grated cheese blended together, their meals were a tribute to heavy Balkan dining.

Our next stop was Matka Canyon, a man-made reservoir in the mountains near Skopje. Matka Canyon often tops recommendations for things to do “in” Skopje. Alek confirmed what I’d read about the canyon being super popular with locals and tourists during the summer months and warned us to expect a wait to get in. Happily, we didn’t face a long line of cars, but Alek did have to slowly thread our way through about a mile of cars parked beside the narrow road that runs along the river far below.

Men and boys swam and played in the river. When I remarked on how there were no women, Alek explained it was because they were from the nearby Muslim village. He added that Christians from Skopje wouldn’t swim there. It was a story of self-imposed separation and a competition for territory we heard several times in the Balkans. We were told Muslims built mosques to mark their territory even though no one used them. We did see a surprising number of mosques in most towns and villages we passed. Meanwhile Christians erected large crosses on the hillsides and mountains for the same purpose. I was listening to To the Lake, a book by Kapka Kassabova, a woman with Balkan origins who was exploring her roots in the Ohrid region. To the Lake described the same dynamic. The history of the Balkans is fascinating, complicated and often tragic.

Alek persisted through the sea of cars until we came to the end of the road where yet another of the many people who knew Alek everywhere we went moved aside a barrier to let him park in the lone remaining spot just in front of the entrance to the canyon trail. Not bad!

The dam that forms the reservoir rises impressively high above the riverbed. Beyond that, a paved path passes through an arch cut into the mountainside before giving the first glimpse of the reservoir. Clear water sparkles below nearly vertical mountain walls. Gorgeous! We left Alek to chat with friends at tables near small medieval St. Andrew’s Monastery and a boat rental to walk along the rocky path that snakes along the cliff walls above the water. Several medieval monasteries dot the area in addition to ten caves, but the heat caused us to keep our hike relatively short. Instead of spending our time boating, we opted for icy drinks on the terrace of a lakeside bar operated by the one hotel on the canyon before meeting up with Alek to continue on to Skopje.

Practical info:

I booked Alek via Daytrip.com as I did all three transfers on the Balkan trip. I wrote previously here about my reasons for booking private drivers and my experience with Daytrip.com. Daytrip.com brokers drivers in countries all over the world. They vet the drivers who use them to connect with customers. All three drivers they found for us were prompt, professional, friendly and informative. The cars were clean and in good shape.

There was no entrance fee to either the Colorful Mosque in Tetovo or Matka Canyon.

Ohrid and Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia

Ohrid, North Macedonia, nestled on gorgeous Lake Ohrid was my primary destination for this Balkans trip. After an enjoyable one-night stay in Tirana, I was excited to get on the road to Ohrid.

Our driver, Edvin, picked us up promptly at noon at our Tirana hotel. I’d arranged an English-speaking driver via Daytrip.com for the 2.5 hour drive to Ohrid. David loves driving pretty much anywhere and I like being his navigator, but I opted against a rental car for a few reasons: notorious Albanian drivers and traffic cops, cross-border and potential one-way drop-off rental charges, and possible hassles crossing borders where we didn’t speak the language and where there have been local disputes. Super cheap buses and mini-vans were options, too, but we liked the idea of more comfort and more control over stops… and I read one report of fellow passengers with problems at the border causing delays for everyone else on a shared ride. No thank you.

Anyway, our drive went smoothly, Edvin spoke passable English, was very friendly and suggested a lovely stop at a restaurant beside a mountain river where he insisted we try rakia, the local eau de vie. The rakia made me shudder, but the setting was great.

Toasting with rakia
(For the record, Edvin is only posing with my glass of rakia. He did not drink and drive.)

Picturesque Lake Ohrid straddles the border between Albania and North Macedonia and we got our first glimpse of it as we neared the Albanian-North Macedonian border. We remained in the car to cross the border which we did without incident, and without getting our passports stamped which made me wonder about potential issues when we left North Macedonia for Kosovo, but Edvin seemed unconcerned.

After less than an hour of driving past wooded countryside, small towns and orchards, we arrived at the upper gate which leads into Old Town Ohrid. A guard raised the boom allowing Edvin to enter when informed we were staying in Old Town. With both Edvin and I using Google Maps, he navigated the winding narrow streets down to lakeside Villa Lucija beside the small town beach. As Edvin stopped to unload us and our luggage, a woman appeared, loudly indicating that he couldn’t park there. We tried to make her understand what we were doing, that we were in front of our guesthouse, and that Edvin would move the car in a second if she would just go away. Albanian Edvin spoke only a little Macedonian and, of course we spoke none, but she finally left us in peace. Yeesh. It wasn’t an auspicious beginning, but after that first little misunderstanding, we met nothing but friendly, welcoming people during our time in Ohrid.

Our hostess, Lucija, turned out to be a cheerful delight. She lives on the ground floor of four-story Villa Lucija with a friendly white golden retriever. Our Room #7 was two flights of stairs up, on the same level as a communal kitchen. We had a large comfy bed, a sofa/bed, a seating area, a fridge, a modest but adequate shower room, and a balcony which faced the lake and the curve of Ohrid along its small port. We ate breakfast every morning on the spacious porch, lowering a wide awning to block the sun whenever we left. It’s hot in Ohrid in July, but that’s when the lake is most appealing. The powerful air conditioning in our room kept things nicely chilled, though, and a joy to return to after rambles away from the water.

View from our Villa Lucija balcony

We enjoyed lounging by the lake in the private area behind Lucija’s personal back terrace, but there’s also a lot to see in Ohrid. Ohrid boasts “365 churches, one for each day of the year.” I can’t verify that number, but we came across many tiny churches along the winding cobbled streets of Old Town Ohrid. In addition to those small churches, Ohrid is home to several larger churches and monasteries. Iconic St. Sophia Church sits a mere one minute walk from guesthouse Villa Lucija. St. Sophia is depicted on the 1000 Macedonian denar banknote and on the modern coat of arms of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. One of our evenings had us hiking up to the Church of St. John the Theologian (also “St. John at Kaneo”), perched on a point above the town overlooking the lake. A photo of this spot was one of those that got me planning this trip in the first place. [See lead photo above for my own similar photo.]

On the Ohrid Boardwalk

Getting to St. John the Theologian was half the fun: We walked along the Ohrid Boardwalk set above the water and running along the edge of a cliff to an area of restaurants, guesthouses and swimming areas to Restaurant Kaneo. We dined at a lakeside table at Kaneo Restaurant as the sun sank below the hills, enjoying pasta and fish and Macedonian wine and sharing tidbits with very polite cats. With plenty of light left in the summer sky, we continued our walk along the cliff base, past a pretty little waterside church before taking the rock paths and steps up the hill to the Church of St. John the Theologian. Sunset painted the western sky in shades of orange beyond the church and the still lake, a picture of serenity and beauty.

Another day, we walked up Old Town hills to an ancient Roman theater, then explored 9th century St. Clement’s Monastery of St. Paneleimon and adjacent Plaošnik archeological site. The rebuilt church was built by St. Clement, a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius, on the foundation of an earlier Christian basilica, and dedicated to St. Paneleimon. The archeological site is still being excavated and rebuilt. A woman at the gate to the area offered to guide us and showed us a book she’d written on the site. The small book seemed impressively researched and was in English, but not wanting to get trapped into a longer-than-wanted tour, we opted to look around on our own. Since no one was manning the ticket booth, the guide told us to go on in. The church is pretty and similar to many we saw on this trip and the archeological site offered little in information, but we were good with that. Satisfied with our time, we continued on uphill to Ohrid Fortress whose ramparts rewarded us with great views of the lake, Ohrid, and the surrounding countryside.

Ohrid Fortress

We spent our evenings exploring old Ohrid: its small cobbled roads; wide, stone-paved pedestrian street Sveti Kliment Ohridski with its shops, restaurants and bustling crowds; the waterfront booths, restaurants and jetties. All over town, shops offer delicate Ohrid filigree silver jewelry. The style is lovely, but we couldn’t help but wonder how any of the many shops distinguish themselves or earn a living with so much competition. On Sveti Kliment Ohridski, quite a few shops offer designer labels and prices at a fraction of what they’d cost in Western Europe. We had to assume they were counterfeit and refrained from buying, but I have to say they looked surprisingly legit with heavy tags, correct logos and the like that are a far cry from some of the counterfeit I’ve come across in Asia. On two evenings, we stopped to watch costumed dancers on an open stage participating in an International Folk Festival.

We spent a wonderful day on a boat tour the length of Lake Ohrid to St. Naum’s Monastery and the St. Naum’s Springs (also known as Black Drim Springs). We stopped en route at Bay of Bones for a short visit at a reconstructed Iron Age overwater town and adjacent museum of Iron and Bronze Age artifacts found in Lake Ohrid. There are several larger boats as well as small private boats offering tours of the lake. We were super happy with our choice of Armada, a larger boat with its long cushioned bench-style seating along the edge of an open, shaded upper deck facing tables and reclined chairs. There was also a lower, enclosed deck which remained empty as everyone wanted to be outside. Still, there was plenty of room and extra seats. Cocktails were showy, delicious and well-priced. We looked with sympathy at passengers on other large boats we saw, crowded into rows of open deck chairs who couldn’t move about or lounge around as we could nor enjoy cocktails and snacks on their very own tables. I highly recommend this tour and will post details below in the Practical Info section.

Armada boat trip from Ohrid to St. Naum’s (Bottom left photo is the Bay of Bones museum and replica Iron Age overwater town.)

We had three and a half hours at our final destination and David and I went straight for a private twenty-minute rowboat trip around the springs, an absolute highlight. The springs actually come from underground rivers connecting Lake Prespa to Lake Ohrid. The water that bubbles up beneath the surface and that runs down the green banks is so purely filtered that it is drinkable. We gazed through crystal clear water at green water plants surrounding white sand patches where springs made small “volcanoes.” Small diving ducks darted to hide in plants along the bank as our oarsman rowed us slowly through the nature preserve. We spotted a “wild chicken” on a small log. I trailed my fingers in the cold water, breathing in the clean water-and-greenery scented air, loving every minute.

Rowing on St. Naum’s Springs

We lunched at a large open-air spring-side restaurant where a cheerful young waitress explained local dishes and shared her preferences. A turtle roaming among the tables gobbled lettuce leaves I offered much to the delight of a little boy. Hunger abated, we walked up to clifftop Saint Naum’s Monastery. The ticket taker at the small church at the center of the monastery courtyard waved me away when I tried to pay. I’m not sure why, but there was no charge. Faded and damaged old frescoes covered the walls of first room of the church, but perfectly restored floor-to-ceiling paintings of the saints with gilded borders adorned the domed innermost chamber. Outside, the courtyard offered spectacular views of Lake Ohrid. We lingered there, watching cormorants diving far below, the glass-like water making for perfect viewing both above and below the surface.

Interior of the St. Naum’s Monastery church

Cormorant diving in Lake Ohrid

The cool waters of the lake enticed us away from the monastery. A rented lakeside “bed” provided the perfect spot to lounge about and people watch between times in the crisp lake waters. Too soon, it was time to head back to Armada for the return journey to Ohrid. Oh well, we traded one good time for another with icy piña coladas on the boat and Ohrid waiting in the distance.

St. Naum’s Springs flowing into Lake Ohrid. Boats from Ohrid dock nearby.

Practical info:

This was my first time using Daytrip.com and I was really happy with them. Their prices were competitive with Viator, etc. They were quick to respond to questions and resolve any concerns or problems. For example, they quickly supplied me with a form for a custom trip when they didn’t offer a stop that I wanted. They were also prompt to send me a payment link when I was unable to pay by credit card for one of our three transfers. All three drivers we had on the Balkan trip were prompt, professional and knowledgeable. The cars were clean and comfortable. Daytrip.com brokers drivers all over the world. From the conversation I had with one of our drivers, the drivers are happy with their service, too.

I booked Villa Lucija (also “House Lucija”) on Booking.com via Topcashback. It’s not elegant, but it’s very nice and the location is as good as it gets. (Both Edwin and the driver who picked us up were impressed.) We loved it.

I booked the boat ride on Armada on Booking.com via Topcashback. You can buy tickets on site from vendors who were pretty much always at the dock or on the Armada website, but it was just so easy, quick and secure to book on Booking.com and the 1200 lek (appx. €20) pp price was the same. (And I could do it in the air conditioned comfort of our room.) Our cruise to St. Naum’s left Ohrid at 10:15am and lasted about 8 hours. Armada offers other cruises as well, including sunset and mid-lake swimming cruises.

We enjoyed dinner at Kaneo Restaurant, but were really disappointed on another night with inedible shrimp and overcooked Ohrid trout at Restaurant Kajche. Kaijche is beautiful, so maybe other dishes or just drinks would be better.

Credit cards were accepted almost everywhere in Ohrid.

Ohrid is proud of its water quality. We brushed our teeth and drank tap water at Villa Lucija and had no problems.

Beginning and Ending a Balkan Getaway in Tirana, Albania

Skanderbeg Square (set up for Euro 2024) viewed from
our Tirana International Hotel & Conference Center room

Putting together this Balkan trip: Photos of picturesque Ohrid, North Macedonia, nestled on a gorgeous mountain lake caught my eye and inspired this trip. (This tends to happen to me. I see a photo or read something online or a place mentioned in a book, do a little research, and the next thing I know I’m going there.) July and August are peak season in certain parts of the Balkans, but temperatures can be really hot. So, I wasn’t sure my plan to check out Ohrid in July was my most genius move. Lake Ohrid’s waters are cool and lots of people head to the lake in the summer months, but of course, I wanted to explore the region a little, too. What cities might we fly into or visit before or after our time in Ohrid? Options for direct flights from our home in Paris were limited (“Paris Beauvais” doesn’t count as it’s not really in Paris and a real hassle to get to from the city). Transavia offers direct flights from Paris Orly to Tirana, Albania, a 2.5 hour drive from Ohrid. I looked at some open-jaw itineraries with us flying out of Ohrid or Skopje, North Macedonia, but those required lay-overs that didn’t interest me, so a round-trip to Tirana made the most sense. David and I had been in Shkoder, Albania, a few years back on a short side trip from Montenegro. While we’d enjoyed good food and the picturesque ruins of Rosafa Castle, we were interested in seeing more of Albania. Its capital, Tirana, seemed the perfect place to start.

Searching the weather forecast showed temperatures rising into the 90’s in Tirana in July during the period we were free (and avoiding the upcoming anticipated Olympics travel snarl in Paris when we plan to stay put). Oh well, that sounded like my native Texas. Not ideal, but we could work with that. I quickly put together an 8-night trip with multi-night stops in Tirana, Ohrid and Skopje. I opted for private drivers between cities so we could visit intriguing places along the way including Tetovo and Matka Canyon in North Macedonia and Prizren, Kosovo, and the surrounding mountains. Adding Kosovo provided a fun bonus of putting me over 100 countries visited. A meaningless personal milestone, but I got a kick out of it anyway. (And, while the US and many other countries recognize Kosovo as an independent country, Serbia would no doubt disagree. So maybe it’s “100*” with an asterisk for Serbia and its ilk.)

Our time in Tirana: We stayed only one night upon our arrival, at the Tirana International Hotel and Conference Center on the city’s vast Skanderbeg Square. Our 2.5 hour Transavia flight from Orly arrived early in the morning, though, and we had a full day to explore the sights before heading to Ohrid the next morning. We also had two nights at the end of our trip a mile further south at the MAK Albania Hotel just off Mother Theresa Square in the upscale Blloku area of the city which borders a large wooded city park. This turned out to be a great way to experience two areas of Tirana and to let us enjoy MAK Hotel’s gorgeous pool facilities when the temperature in Tirana would be hottest. There aren’t a huge number of must-sees in Tirana and we easily saw all I hoped to during our time in the city.

Skanderbeg Square is the heart of the city and we headed out to explore it as soon as we dropped of luggage at the hotel. Tall buildings surround the square and offer an intriguing array of modern architecture. Tirana appears to be undergoing a building boom and cranes dot the skyline.

At the time of our visit, Skanderbeg Square was filled with bleacher stands surrounding a large swath of “Astroturf” on which white beanbag chairs were scattered, all of which faced a huge screen set up to broadcast the ongoing Euro 2024 soccer games. [See lead photo above.] Booths set up around all this and near a big ferris wheel offered snacks and local beer. People sipping cold drinks in the shade in open-air cafes along the opera side of the square enticed us to join them. Iced coffees and an excellent late breakfast of avocado toast on fresh seedy bread at Momento started the day off well. We liked Momento so much that we returned a couple of times and, when we came back on one of the last days of our Balkans trip, the manager gifted David with a special beer glass with the bird logo of local Sabaja craft beer.

A first stop was the BunkArt 2 Museum. BunkArt 2 is located in one of 173,000 nuclear bunkers created during the decades-long dictatorship of Albania’s Enver Hoxha. BunkArt 2’s grid of underground tunnels and rooms extends much further than we expected from its modest entrance. We spent a good bit of time exploring rooms ranging from cells to command centers to photography and art installations reflecting the dark years of Albanian dictatorship. Citizens were tightly controlled and forbidden to leave Albania; foreigners were not welcome and the outside world kept at a distance. Chilling photographs and exhibits of razor-wired mountain border fences and attack dogs and their trainers paid testament to the many Albanians who died trying to escape.

We enjoyed the beautiful little Et’hem Bej Mosque just off Skanderbeg Square with its colorful painted walls and ceilings. I brought my own headscarf, but skirt wraps and scarves are available to borrow. Entrance is free, but a donation is expected. Religion was prohibited during the dictatorship and most churches and mosques were destroyed. The Et’hem Bej Mosque was declared a historic monument during the dictatorship. But in January 1991, thousands of people entered the mosque carrying flags and heralding the beginning of the end of Communism in Albania.

For a little religious diversity, we visited the Resurrection of Christ Orthodox Cathedral, a massive modern structure a short distance from the side of Skanderbeg Square opposite the Et’hem Bej Mosque. Albania is majority Muslim, but has a sizeable Christian minority and a secular government.

Tirana Castle, while preserving some of the old fortress walls, is a modern area of shops and restaurants. There’s nothing particularly historic about the place now, but it’s fun and it really comes alive on summer nights with live music at cafés, their outdoor tables full.

Downtown Tirana bustles on summer nights. People who’d taken refuge indoors during the summer heat seem to pour out onto the cooling streets. Couples, families and clusters of friends strolled the squares and parks, took photos around the Tirana Pyramid, bought treats from street vendors, and watched soccer on outdoor screens. In Blloku, cafés around the modern stadium filled as the night progressed.

Nighttime Tirana from top left, clockwise: Around Tirana Castle, Tirana Pyramid, Blloku, Mother Theresa Square, live music in front of The Cloud art installation

We found the fresh seafood at Fiore Restaurant in Blloku to be excellent, enjoying it so much we ate there two nights in a row, ordering the same mixed platter for David and grilled baby squid for me. Piping hot seasoned pizza bread, a shared enormous Fiore Salad, good wine and a complimentary platter piled high with watermelon wedges rounded out the meal. Friendly service, good air conditioning and a steady supply of ice to satisfy our American tastes made for a lovely time.

Practical info:

Although I link directly to hotels when I blog, that’s just for informational purposes. I usually book through a cashback portal, my favorite being Topcashback. That’s what I did on all of our Balkan hotels, using Booking.com via Topcashback. (I don’t always use Booking.com; Topcashback links to many travel sites and I compare cashback offers and prices before I choose. This time, Booking.com had the best deals.) Over the years, I’ve gotten over $2500 from Topcashback for travel and items that I would have bought anyway. The link here to Topcashback is to my referral link, so many thanks to anyone who uses it.

Tirana Intercontinental Hotel & Conference Center boasts a great location on Skanderbeg Square and lovely common areas, but the rooms are dated and the air conditioning struggled although it was good enough by bedtime and we slept well. It was cheap and an excellent value at €66.18/night. I chose it for our one-night stay for the location, the price, and because I thought any taxi driver would know where to find it. I wasn’t sure about language issues with a cab and didn’t want some tucked-away Airbnb or small guest house as our first, early morning stop.

MAK Albania Hotel is elegant and substantially more expensive that the Tirana Intercontinental Hotel & Conference Center, but did include an excellent breakfast. It is undergoing massive rennovation and additions which have almost the whole hotel swathed in scaffolding. I knew this in advance and did call to verify we’d have a quiet room and that the pool would be open. I’d read reviews saying that the hotel has been known to close the pool to guests for private functions, so if–like me–you want a swimming pool, it might be good to verify they have nothing booked. Perhaps because I’d called or maybe just because they weren’t full and they’re aware that the construction might be off-putting, we were upgraded on check-in to an enormous suite on a club floor with no scaffolding in front of our window and which faced the wooded park and a bit of the pool and grounds. As it was a weekend, there was no construction going on when we were there. Very nice!

July 2024

Yerevan, Armenia

Our last three nights in the Caucasus would be in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. After charming boutique hotels in Baku, Azerbaijan, and Tblisi, Georgia, I planned a little big-hotel luxury for the end of our trip. I used Marriott points to book affiliate The Alexander, reputedly the most luxurious hotel in Armenia, with its spa, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Our driver from Tblisi, Garnik, dropped us off at The Alexander in the early evening. We were greeted warmly and quickly checked into an elegant and spacious room decorated in neutral tones. A welcome note awaited us beside a plate of dried fruit and churchkhela, that popular Georgian sweet made of walnuts and grape paste, a promising start to our time in Yerevan.

The Alexander is just a block away from vast Republic Square, a popular plaza with fountains bracketed by impressive government buildings, wide avenues and the History Museum of Armenia. We headed there our first night and every evening after during our stay to listen to music and people watch.

I didn’t have a lot of must-sees in Yerevan, but The Cascades topped my short list. [See lead photo above.] The Cascades is a huge structure consisting of an interior building and a series of white stone terraces with fountains, modern statuary and gardens that rise 302 meters and 572 steps up a hillside. The building itself houses the Cafesjian Center for the Arts. Even when the Center is closed, there are a series of interior escalators open to the public that provide transport between each of the terraces. Exhibits by the escalators create a free, modern art museum of their own. The Cascades connect the center of Yerevan with Victory Park, which commemorates the Soviet Army’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. On a good day, terraces of The Cascades offer spectacular views of Mount Ararat beyond the city. The day we went, we were lucky to see Ararat rising above clouds that shrouded lower mountains.

Many cafés surround the modern-art filled square at the base of The Cascades and we circled the square twice before we could make a choice. An abundance of café life is a hallmark of Yerevan. We found a dizzying array of selections for food and drink wherever we walked in the city. We went to a popular bar for a tasting of Armenian wines, had dinner at an upscale open-kitchen Armenian restaurant, and enjoyed local craft beer in a garden pub near our hotel. Unfortunately, prices in Yerevan are more in line with Paris than other places in the Caucasus and we’d gotten a little spoiled. Oh well, c’est la vie!

Three nights was a good length of time for us in Yerevan. As I said, not many must-sees. We enjoyed The Alexander, we enjoyed just wandering the city on foot, admiring architecture, exploring parks and neighborhoods, and people-watching. Yerevan is not as oil-money posh or as historic as Baku or as crumbling-yet-fascinating as Tblisi. In a lot of ways, Yerevan felt like a middling European city, a worthwhile stop, but not as intriguing as our earlier days in the Caucasus.

Practical info:

We used YandexGo to hail a 1800 dram (appx. $4.66) ride to the airport. YandexGo is the most popular ride-hailing app in Yerevan and was much cheaper than the taxi the hotel offered to call for us.

We flew Transavia from Yerevan to Paris, approximately 5h15m, non-stop. The Yerevan airport is not big and it didn’t take long to get through security. The plane was new and the flight pleasant.

Abovyan 12’s open-air café, in a garden somewhat hidden behind shops lining Abovyan Street across from The Alexander, is terrific. (You actually walk through the shops to get to the pretty garden restaurant.) We liked it so much we went twice for lunch. [Note: There is an inside restaurant as well which we did not try.]

Sherep is that upscale, open-kitchen restaurant I mentioned above. Reservations are highly recommended, probably necessary. They’ve got lots of traditional Armenian dishes as well as Georgian items. The staff is professional and very friendly. When a recommended “salad” turned out to be nothing like a salad to us (more an extra-creamy coleslaw), they happily took it back and removed the charge.

Wine tasting at In Vino was fun and interesting. Book ahead.

Beer Academy has a modest selection of their own tasty beers with both indoor and outdoor garden seating.

By car from Tblisi, Georgia, to Yerevan, Armenia

Sevanavank (Sevan Monastery and churches) on Lake Sevan

I planned our Caucasus trip with a one-way Azerbaijan Airways flight from Paris (our current home) to Baku, Azerbaijan, with 6 nights in Georgia before a return flight from Yeravan, Armenia, to Paris. We hopped a short Azerbaijan Airways flight from Baku to Tblisi, Georgia. When doing my usual pre-trip research, I quickly decided that combining a transfer by car from Tblisi to Yerevan with a little touring along the way would be a great alternative to the hassle and expense of another flight or a no-frills minibus or private direct transfer. Once again, Viator made finding what I was looking for in the way of Caucasus tours and transfers easy. I connected with Sergey at Private Tours in Armenia and we settled on a Sunday transfer with stops in a couple of monasteries including one at Lake Sevan, the largest body of water in the Caucasus and one of the largest freshwater high-altitude lakes in Eurasia.

As with our first day trip in Georgia, a different driver showed up on the day of our transfer. Garnik arrived in front of our hotel promptly a few minutes before 8am and WhatsApped me a greeting and a photo of his car. This change in names was a little disconcerting, but Sergey replied promptly when I checked in with him that Garnik was his cousin and covering this transfer. Good enough.

It turned out that Garnik lived in Yeravan and had gotten up in the wee hours to drive to Tblisi to pick us up. These tour guides and drivers are some hard-working folks! Despite a treaty last fall between Armenia and Azerbaijan, there were still people not happy with the terms resulting in on-going disputes and Garnik wasn’t sure his first choice of places to cross the border would be open. We were also a little concerned that we might have trouble crossing since we had Azerbaijan stamps in our passports, but Garnik didn’t think it would be a problem. At the Georgia-Armenia border, Garnik pointed out where we needed to walk through passport control. We had no problems at all, although there was some hold up with an Asian tour group and we did hear the words “Baku” and “Azerbaijan.” Mostly, though, there seemed to be a big language problem with English as a common language in which no one seemed fluent. Sergey appeared at this point to introduce himself and say that he was driving other clients on a similar route to ours. He’d tried an up-sell online a few days before, but we’d declined extra stops that included more monasteries and a MiG airplane museum. I gathered he was hoping to caravan with Garnik, but we declined once more and we didn’t see Sergey again until hours later in the parking area below Sevanavank although he and Garnik stayed in touch by phone. I felt Sergey wanted to coordinate and make sure all went well for us. Once we had our passports stamped, we walked through security and browsed a duty-free shop while Garnik took the car through vehicle border security. The whole process went quickly and we met him on the Armenia side of the border to resume our ride.

Garnik said Sergey had suggested a route a little different that what we’d originally planned as he wanted to add a free stop to our agenda. Unfortunately, this route had us running up against a roadblock due to border disputes and protests. Faced by police and locals, Garnik had to turn the car around and retrace our path some distance back.

Road blocked due to border protests; time to turn back

Despite this (interesting) setback, we arrived at Monastery of Sanahin – Church of the Redeemer (966AD), a UNESCO World Heritage Site as planned. Garnik parked the car near a series of vendors booths and sent us ahead to explore the monastery on our own. The abandoned monastery provides a hauntingly beautiful site with its gray stone arches and jumble of ancient tombstones serving as a floor.

An open skylight through a domed ceiling lit the scene. Recorded music played in a small chapel which offered the only sign of current use aside from the scattering of tourists and a group of students that arrived near the end of our visit.

After Sanahin, we enjoyed a fun stop at a huge roadside restaurant/deli/bakery/fuel stop. This place was fascinating. The bakery featured big open brick ovens for bread like we’d see in Kakheti, a huge fireplace in the restaurant area, and spiffy bathrooms reminiscent of a “Buc-ee’s” in Texas. We bought Armenian pastries suggested by Garnik and enjoyed them with coffee before resuming our journey.

Since we were running behind schedule due to the border dispute that blocked the road, Garnik asked if I wanted to skip Lake Sevan. No way! (Besides when I looked at Google Maps, it didn’t seem to make any difference if we drove to Yeravan via Lake Sevan or by another route. Of course, the whole idea was to stop at Lake Sevan and see the monastery there, so that would take some time.) Garnik was game for whatever we wanted to do, so we headed to Lake Sevan.

A major benefit of traveling by car instead of airplane is the ability to see a country beyond its major cities. We passed through several towns and villages during our drive, struck by how often we saw large factories standing abandoned and derelict. Remnants of Soviet rule, they stand as testament to the economic upheaval in the region brought on by the collapse of the Soviet Union.

At 1,900 m (6234 ft) and with clouds rolling in and a breeze off the water, it was chilly when we arrived at Lake Sevan. Garnik waited below as David and I hiked up a lot of stairs to the top of a steep hill to where Sevanavank (Sevan Monastery and its two churches) overlooks Lake Sevan. [See lead photo above.] Founded in 874AD, the monastery sits on a peninsula that was once an island before the lake lowered by draining during the Stalin era. Only one of the two small churches was open to the public, ornate and filled with flowers.

Starting on a path towards the tip of the peninsula, David turned back to wait in the warmth of the church while I hiked to the tip. I enjoyed the rugged, barren view, but he may have been the smarter of the two of us.

Descending into Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, the skies cleared and the temperature warmed. As we entered the city, Garnik told us how much he loved his city, clearly glad to be home. We arrived late afternoon at The Alexander, billed as the most luxurious hotel in Armenia and a fun splurge for the last three nights of our Caucasus travels.

Practical info:

I booked The Alexander, a Luxury Collection Hotel, with a Marriott free night and points. It’s a fabulous hotel and a great point value, in my opinion. We enjoyed our stay and made use of the indoor pool, sauna and steam room. The view of Mt. Ararat from the spa seating area and balcony is spectacular. The Alexander is a short walk to Republic Square. There is also an elegant-looking Marriott just off Republic Square, but it is substantially cheaper and I found The Alexander a better use of my certificate and points.

I booked our transfer/tour with Private Tours in Armenia (+37441023333) via Viator. I paid $190 for the transfer and stops, a luxury price in the region, but it made for a comfortable, hassle-free day entirely suited to our interests. There was no charge for entry to the monasteries, so our only additional costs were for refreshments and a tip.

May 2024

On Georgia’s Khaketi Wine Route

Khaketi vineyards with the Caucasus Mountains in the distance

Our second day trip out of Tblisi took us through the 1800 meters-above-sea-level Gombori Pass to the Khaketi wine region. Our driver, Mamuka (a/k/a Mamu) turned out to be tons of fun and we had a great day. The sweeping views of the pass gave way to bright green forest as we descended. We stopped to drink from a roadside spring where rows of decorated bottles and snacks were apparently for sale on the honor system. With its abundant springs, water throughout Georgia is of excellent quality.

When a picturesque monastery perched on a roadside hilltop caught our eye, Mamu pulled in to let us hike up. The 16th century Gremi Monastery surprised us with its little Church of Archangels boasting a wealth of frescoes in varying states of preservation.

I’d been looking forward to visiting Winery Khareba in Kvareli. The winery is located in long tunnels bored into a mountain. With several tour options, we opted for the most extensive tasting and a hands-on cooking experience afterwards. The English-language tour of the tunnels and wine tasting consisted of just us and two German couples. After viewing stored wine and displays of modern and ancient wine-making techniques, our guide led us to long tables where we enjoyed nibbling on cheeses, nuts, bread and olive oil while sipping wines in a variety of styles. Georgia has an impressive wine-making tradition which Georgians claim to be able to trace back 8000 years(!). We tasted golden monastery wine; pale wine made from krakhuna grapes grown in the Imereti region; a creamy 10-year aged white blend of rkatsiteli, mtsvane and krakhuna grapes; a dry red monastery wine made from aladasturi grapes aged in clay vessels called “qveri” using an ancient technique we’d first learned of in Uplistsike; a rich 8-year-old red made from saperavi grapes cultivated in the Khaketi region; and finally, “Eulogy,” a semi-sweet red made from saperavi, aleksandrouli and usakelhouri grapes. Tasty and fascinating, and not a one of the grape varieties had we heard of before.

The Germans had opted for a shorter tasting than ours so left mid-way through our tasting and we were on our own as our guide led us out of the tunnels. Thunder boomed as we neared the entrance to the tunnel and we were stunned to see our partly-cloudy day turned to a downpour of rain and hail. With borrowed umbrellas, we darted to a covered area where our cooking experience awaited. A woman instructor awaited us in front of a large flour-covered wooden work table. A few other tourists who had been watching her bake bread soon left and we were on our own with the baker and our wine-tasting guide. Soon, we were rolling and patting dough, adding cheese fillings, and crimping traditional dumplings. This was fun! We slapped bread onto the side of a big well-shaped oven, boiled the dumplings, and dipped strings of walnuts in thick grape past to make that favorite Georgian confection, churchkhela. Then we got to feast on our creations with side shots of chacha, a local alcohol like French marc made with grape skins and other bits left over from wine making.

Full and happy, we were off for more wine tasting. Thankfully, Mamu was driving! Our next stop was a small home winery, Tsinandlis Edemi where we were greeted by a pack of friendly puppies and other assorted dogs in a pretty garden. (This place also appears as “Tsinandali Edem” online and apparently offers guest rooms.) The owner showed us around the winery that had been in his wife’s family for generations, including a room where wine was originally aged in clay qveri. Once again, we heard the familiar story of how Georgia’s great wine-making tradition was stifled during the Soviet era, when only strictly-controlled, mass-produced wine was allowed for shipment to Russia. Now, enthusiastic Georgian vintners are producing creative and historical wines. Our tour ended up with David, Mamu, the owner and I sitting around a low wooden table set with cake and churchkhela and pitchers of colorful liquids. Our host poured wine to drink from a horn and taste after taste of flavored chacha. As the tastings kept coming, I took smaller and smaller sips. There is a limit! When we praised a bitter orange version of chacha, he gifted us with a small plastic water bottle of the last of the batch.

Now more than sated, we were off again. We stopped for photos of Caucasus Mountains beyond the wide valley and vineyards. [See lead photo above.] We made our final stop in Siğnaği, the “city of love,” a pretty town of cobbled streets, red roofs, old castle walls and great views. After much-needed coffees with Mamu in a cute café, David and I climbed the old walls to admire the sunset views. Heading out of town, a shop’s roadside display of colorful fabrics caught my eye. Mamu pulled over so I could buy a handwoven rug and a floral scarf at prices so low I didn’t bother to bargain. What a great day!

Practical info:

I used Viator to book this tour with Georgian Paradise +995 558 54 40 99. I paid $158 for both of us by credit card online. This included everything but our wine-tasting tours and hands-on cooking, coffees at the café in Siğnaği, and a tip for Mamuka. (And, of course, I paid for my souvenir purchases.)

Day trip from Tblisi: Jvari, Uplistsikhe, Gori, Mtskheta, Chronicle of Georgia

Rugs, scarves and more for sale outside the walls surrounding
Svetitskhoveli Cathedral in Mtskheta

Georgia has so much to offer and I was excited about our first day trip out of Tblisi. I booked a private tour with “Karlo-Georgia” on Viator that offered an interesting mix of sites from differing periods in Georgia’s long history. Our driver turned out to be George (how appropriate!), an independent guide who worked with Karlo. George arrived promptly at 10am across the street from our hotel on Rustaveli Avenue in a spiffy and spacious new SUV. I’d agreed in advance with Karlo on the sites we’d visit, but left it to George to determine the order of our stops as circumstances warranted. It’s impossible to know in advance where we’ll want to linger or move on quickly, how long a lunch break might be, traffic, whether rain will be a factor, etc., so I’m happy to be flexible.

Our first stop was at the UNESCO-listed Monastery of Jvari with its 6th century church, a rare example of a Georgian medieval church remaining very nearly in its original state. The church sits on the site of a 4th century miracle performed by the female Saint Nino. Nino is said to have fashioned a miracle-working cross from grape vines bound with her hair which she planted atop a pagan temple. We saw this distinctive cross of Nino with its downward sloping arms across Georgia. Nino is also a common name for Georgian girls. We admired the carvings and artwork that adorned the church, but at least as impressive is the beauty of the site on which the church and nearby ruins sit and the picturesque impression created by the whole. Perched on Mt. Jvari, the monastery overlooks the confluence of the Mtkvari and Aragvi rivers and the town of Mtskheta, the former capital of the ancient Kingdom of Iberia. (It surprised me to see the name “Iberia” in the Caucasus when I’d always associated it with Spain, Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula, but the Kingdom of Iberia existed in present-day Georgia, circa 302 BC – 580 AD.)

Next up, we arrived in Gori, the birthplace of Joseph Stalin and home to his eponymous museum. An optional stop on our tour, I’d had mixed feelings about visiting the Stalin Museum. When George said a stop at the museum would require a museum guide and take at least an hour, we didn’t hesitate to skip this testament to a bloody dictator. George did stop so we could walk the grounds of the museum, viewing Stalin’s boyhood home and the train he used to travel. The wood and brick house sits on a patch of cobbled street sheltered under a columned stone structure. The Stalin Museum itself is a large, two-story building with wide columns, arches and ornate crenulations that even its own website describes as “pompous.” We were getting hungry at this point and asked George about lunch. He told us we were about an hour away from a favorite lunch stop which would put lunch at about 1pm, later than we preferred, but we’d brought protein bars and had water so we figured we could wait. With that understanding, we were off to our next destination.

Stalin’s boyhood home preserved within a shelter
the Stalin Museum itself appears in the background

I’d really looked forward to our next stop, the ancient cave town of Uplistsikhe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Traces of human settlement have been found at Uplistsikhe dating to the end of the 2nd millennium BC(!) and there are structures remaining built circa early in the 1st millennium. To make this stop more fun, possible entry tickets include a wine tasting option which we went for without question. Our first dip into Georgian wine tasting! Good walking shoes are the order of the day in Uplistsikhe. We hiked up the solid rock face of a long slope to a stone cottage cut into the mountainside where local wines are on offer after a brief tour of the millennias-old history of wine-making in Georgia. Holes chiseled in the solid stone ground once held clay pots used in antiquity to age wine. We enjoyed tasting four wines, but opted not to buy. We had more hiking to do and didn’t want to carry wine bottles. Besides, we had a full day of wine tasting on the Kakheti wine route planned for the not-too-distant future. We spent the rest of our time wandering the cave dwellings and “halls” of and admiring the views of the river and more ruins below. By the time we got back to the SUV, we were really ready for lunch. There was an appealing outdoor spot right by the parking area, but George said the other place was better, David wanted to try whatever George liked, we both figured it must be close since George had told us it was an hour away as we were leaving Gori nearly an hour earlier, and I was willing to defer to David since he’s the one who’s usually hungry. So, we were off again. This turned out to be a mistake.

As we drove back through Gori to get on the highway to Mtskheta, David and I spotted the ruins of Gori Castle. Seeing we were interested, George wove his way through the town streets until he could park at the base of a path leading up the hill to the castle. We decided a short hike up the hill would be fun so we left George with the car and headed up the path. At the beginning of our little hike, we came upon a circle of over-sized statues representing knights with various body parts missing, sort of a Knights-of-the-Round-Table-meet-Monty-Python scene at the base of the hill. After snapping a photo of David with his head looking tiny above the neck of a headless statue, we continued on up the hill. At the top, we found a small meadow enclosed in the castle walls on the top of the hill. A lone guard watched over the ruins while we admired the views, then headed back to the car, now really, really hungry.

At this point, it was almost 3pm and we were more than eager for our promised lunch, surely just minutes away. But, no, George informed us that the place he had in mind was an hour away. What?! It had been “an hour away” two hours ago. According to George, he meant the restaurant was an hour from Gori, near Mtskheta. I confess we were a little on the hangry side at this point. I mean, who cared if the restaurant was an hour from Gori if we were driving off in a different direction first? For a couple of hours! George was genuinely apologetic, claimed Georgians might not eat lunch until evening(!), and promised to drive “fast” to the restaurant so “maybe it would only be forty minutes.” Hmm. We told him to just keep driving safely, and kicked ourselves for not just telling George to find somewhere close to eat hours ago.

At 4pm, we finally got lunch. Hallelujah! The restaurant was a large, quirky place outside of Mtskheta with multiple dining rooms and outdoor patios. The sunny weather had turned drizzly, so we opted to eat indoors. Strangely (to us anyway), we had to pick one dining area to order meat dishes including the local khinkali dumplings, but another to order salads, sides, sandwiches, etc. We wanted food fast, so the non-meat dining area it was. We had beer, a tomato salad, and chicken salad with a Georgian corn “bagel” on benches at a big wooden picnic table. And finally got a bathroom break, too. The food was good, all was right with the world again.

After parking the car near the walls surrounding Mtskheta’s Svetitskhoveli Cathedral we approached the entrance past shops offering all kinds of souvenirs, clothing and foods. As most places we went, George knew the locals so we tasted colorful churchkhela made from walnuts dipped in concentrated grape juice at a stall operated by a woman who greeted us warmly. We browsed caps, ceramics and fruit stands and admired pressed wool vests, patterned rugs and fluffy fur hats hanging from an iron fence across from the shops. Stepping around sleeping street dogs on a paved plaza near the entrance to the cathedral enclosure, several beggar women hailed George by name, chastising him for not giving them money. He explained he’d given them money on the many tours he brought here, but that had only encouraged them. Still, he good-naturedly offered up a few coins.

An arched gateway on the plaza opened to the cathedral grounds. Bearded, black-robed Orthodox priests talked with parishioners or carried wood to where work was being done on grassy areas within the courtyard. The 11th century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is not large, but is considered one of the great cathedrals of the Georgian Orthodox world. It sits on the site of a 4th century church and is the historical site of a religious event giving rise to its name which means “living pillar.” The story behind it appears in many artworks around Georgia: According to Georgian religious lore, a 1st century Jew from Mtskheta was in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified and brought Jesus’ robe back to Georgia. When he returned to Mtskheta, his sister Sidonia touched the robe and died in ecstasy. Unable to remove the robe from her dead hands, she was buried with it. A spot in the cathedral is said to be the place where Sidonia is buried with the robe. A giant cedar tree grew from the spot from which St. Nino had seven columns made for the foundation of the church. The seventh column was said to have supernatural powers including flight and producing a sacred liquid that provided miraculous cures. [See the center image in the collage above of Jvari Monastery for a painting of this story.]

Entering the cathedral, we were surprised to find an open coffin containing the shroud-covered body of a priest in the middle of the main aisle. Small clusters and individual priests and parishioners came to pay their respects and chat before moving on. At one point, a priest lifted the cloth from the deceased’s face to kiss him. We learned the dead priest had been in his 90’s and much-loved. This viewing was apparently a come-and-go affair lasting some time. Feeling uncomfortable about intruding, we turned our eyes to the artwork and medieval frescoes of the church. The soaring ceiling, amazing frescoes, icons and carvings are beautiful despite the effects of time and invasions. Nevertheless, we kept our visit short.

I’d originally been told this day tour would take 7-8 hours, but when George picked us up at 10am, he said we’d probably be back by 4pm. We were way past that already, still at least 25 minutes from our Tblisi hotel. And we had one more stop, the Chronicles of Georgia monument in suburban Tblisi. We had plenty of sunlight and didn’t mind the long day, but poor George. Rush hour was in full swing by the time we made it back to Tblisi, but he never lost his cheer as we crept through traffic to the monument.

The Chronicles of Georgia turned out to be worth the extra rush hour time (at least for us). The massive monument sits on a hill overlooking Tblisi and near the “Tblisi Sea,” a large man-made reservoir. A large stone scroll at the base of wide stairs pays tribute to “the 3000th anniversary of Georgian statehood” and “the 2000th anniversary of Christian dissemination.” Sixteen soaring pillars at the top of the stairs depict kings and queens of Georgia. It’s an impressive spot with great views and was a fitting end to our first day trip in Georgia.

Tblisi and the “Tblisi Sea” viewed from the Chronicle of Georgia

Practical info:

I booked this day trip with “Karlo-Georgia” via Viator. The cost for the entire day was a very reasonable $130, not including lunch, entrance fees and wine tasting at Uplistsikhe, and a tip. Karlo farmed our tour out to George who also works independently and can be contacted on WhatsApp at +995 599 22 05 20. George was a good guide despite the mix-up about the timing of lunch. The SUV was spacious and spotless. We were picked up and dropped off just across the street from our hotel. We had a hassle-free, fun and interesting day.

May 2024