ALKHALTSIKHE AND THE RABATI FORTRESS

We were not at all sorry to say farewell to the staff at Hotel Lomsia in Akhaltsikhe - such a pity as it really is a very nice establishment. Perhaps the staff were under some sort of duress but they certainly had not improved the next morning. I guess on a positive note, the breakfast debacle (refer previous entry) did in fact provide an opportunity to meet some of the lovely American people who were part of the only tour group. They were equally as disappointed with the lack of service but at least as they said, they were provided with a meal the evening before.

Keti was looking a lot brighter that morning and Alan was fully recovered from his sickness the day before. Perhaps his fasting did the trick. We didn't explore the township of Akhaltsikhe. Well after all, we think we explored most of it the previous evening....

It seemed that everything about Akhaltsikhe was just a bit difficult. Even the name was almost impossible to pronounce (let alone spell), especially as it is said with the wonderful European guttural "kkkhhh" a seemingly choking pronunciation which is almost impossible for us Australians to enunciate. And similarly, Akhaltskihe is the capital of the almost unpronounceable and unspellable (yes, I looked it up and there is such a word) south-western Samtskhe-Javakheti Province. The Georgian language is certainly one of many consecutive tongue twisting consonants!

The township of Akhaltsikhe (Georgian for "New Fortress") is located just 18 kilometers from the Turkish border and just over 100 kilometers from the Armenian border, and is the most direct land route and stopover from Armenia to Turkey (Armenian-Turkish land borders are closed due to ongoing conflict with no likely chance of opening in the near future). Akhaltsikhe is also a convenient base for the scenic historic sites of Vardzia, Kertvisi Fortress and the famous but less visited Sapara Monastery

The small city has been in existence for at least 800 years. The local governance in Akhaltsikhe during the 13th to 17th centuries was the powerful Jakeli family but later the city became a major regional administrative centre for the Ottomans up to the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. Until the 20th century Akhaltsikhe had a majority Armenian population with a significant Jewish presense. Today its population of around 50,000 is mostly Georgian although it is still home to a sizeable Armenian community.

Our visit that morning was to the well known 12th century Rabati Fortress, just two kilometers from down town Alkhaltsikhe. At first sight the massive fortress was stunning, towering up above the township and looking amazingly pristine for its age. Well, it in fact it was not all that surprising that it was looking so immaculate because it had been totally re-built by the Georgian government in 2012. The reconstructed Rabati Fortress, which was completed in just one year at a modest cost of less than US$16 million, has come under some stinging criticism for not being built with authentic materials and catering mainly to a "tacky tourist industry".

But we had to admit that authentic or not, it was very impressive with attractive buildings and immaculately manicured grounds and gardens. The complex is also pleasantly secular reflecting its multi-ethnic history, housing a mosque (the only original structure), madrassah, a synagogue and a Christian church. It also houses a dimly lit museum which was disappointing in its presentation - and quite frankly downright boring.

We seemed to spend a lot of time in the museum and were pleased to be able to stroll around the pleasant complex grounds, and gaze at the views of Akhaltsikhe city and its mountainous surrounds which were really stunning. There were very few tourists and the visit was pleasant. But the whole complex we must admit, lacked any real ambiance and did have rather a superficial facade feel to it. Keti, the Georgian history purist, was not overly impressed either.

TO BORJOMI - PLAYGROUND OF THE TSARS (AND THE SOVIET COMMUNIST PARTY ELITE....)

Our 50 kilometer journey through the north-east of Samtskhe-Javakheti Province to Borjomi took us through pretty park-like country, flanking the fast flowing, snow fed Mtkvari River lined with softly weeping willows against a background of the misty Meshketi Mountain Ranges. Steeply pitched farm houses adorned with numerous satellite dishes, testament to the region's snowy winter conditions, dotted the rural landscape. Newly emerged crops of potatoes and maize blazed brilliant green in the morning sunlight. There were no orchards that we could see, just horticultural plots and distant herds of grazing cattle.

Closer to Borjomi, the more mountainous countryside hosted dense verdant thickets of conifers and luxuriant evergreen forests, including to our delight species of the fragrant, yellow flowering Laburnum family. Pretty farm cottages, draped with lattice grape trellises housed ramshackle wild flowering gardens and smallish plots of peach, plum and apple orchards. Keti told us the region was particularly famous for its apples and also a popular place for white water rafting.

Georgia, a country of great contrasts, hosts a wide variety of natural landscapes and micro-climates, ranging from the tropical seaside areas surrounding the Black Sea, to the soft fertile farming lands of central Georgia, to the soaring mountains of the Greater Caucasus to the eastern semi-arid deserts bordering Azerbaijan. It is of course, this variety of climates and soil types that provide Georgia with a diverse array of agricultural production including tropical produce, stone and pome fruits, horticultural crops and a very substantial viticultural industry.

We did not know a lot about Georgia or indeed the Caucasus as a whole before our visit. The region certainly does not feature much on Australian media, and with the exception of the area being mentioned during world wars, we were taught very little about the area during our school studies. One thing we did know however, was that it was a particularly beautiful country and very popular for recreation with the former Russian aristocracy, Soviet politicians and party officials.

BORJOMI

During the 19th century Borjomi was a favourite holiday destination and summer resort for the Russian nobility and senior military officials. The town dates from the late 1820's when apparently soldiers discovered what they thought were "health giving properties" of the local mineral spring water. Borjomi's warm summer climate, "healthy" mineral springs and attractive forests soon made the town a great favourite with the Russian aristocracy, providing it with the name of the "Pearl of the Caucasus". Duke Mikhail Romanov, brother of Tsar Alexander II, was particularly enamored with the town, building the sumptuous summer residence Likani Palace which today is used as a Georgian presidential palace.


Following the invasion of Georgia by the Red Army in 1921, the Soviet regime confiscated all aristocratic mansions in Borjomi, turning them into sanatoria frequented by the Communist Party elite. After decades of decay the Georgian Government and private businesses during the 2,000s, have invested substantial amounts in restoring the township and revitalising the tourist industry. Today, it is still a favourite destination for people with health issues and also regarded as an eco-tourist resort centre.

It was not at all difficult to see why Borjomi was, and still is, a very popular resort town. Built in the prettiest location, nestled in dense forest on each side of the Mkvari River in the boundaries of the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park, the township houses some fine looking resorts, lovely old houses displaying truly gorgeous Georgian architecture and beautiful park lands.

I love cable cars. Alan hates them. It was however a great way to view the township and the pretty valley housing Borjomi village. Alighting from the cable car, we wandered around the parkland surrounds of the natural forest which Keti told us was very popular for family picnics. Noble Chestnut trees were in full flower, as were some of the evergreen trees we were having some difficulty in identifying. We were later to find they were wild species of Hazelnut, native to the mountainous areas of the Georgian highlands.

Keti was in her element. She simply adored flowers and in her girlish way, leaped from one clump of wild flowers to another, laughing with delight and taking multiple photographs. "I have literally thousands of flower photos but have no idea how I will catalogue them" she admitted, with her instantaneous smile and eyes wide with pleasure. Often out of the blue, she would demand Vano to stop the car, then take off into a forest to spend ages photographing some obscure flowering plant. I am not at all sure that Vano appreciated Keti's passion for flowers but he never complained and would patiently stop the car while we waited for her to take her beloved photographs. We are keen botanists too and enjoyed sharing Keti's enthusiasm and knowledge of some of the wild European plants and trees that were completely foreign to us. Later in our travels, she made the awful mistake of galloping fearlessly into a sea of waist high wild stinging nettles - but that is another blog entry story.

The downside of cable cars is the unknown wait until you can return back to the base. That day there were few tourists and similarly few return car rides. Apart from the pretty forest, there was nothing much else to explore at the top station - and although very pleasant, the town is very much a resort centre. After a few hours, we were becoming keen to move on to our next destination of the well known seaside town of Batumi on the coast of the Black Sea.

A short walk around the town with its amusingly named Mineral Water Park, together with a welcome cup of coffee at an out door cafe made for a pleasant morning in picturesque Borjomi.

TO BATUMI

Our 266 kilometer journey from Borjomi to Batumi took us south-west through mountainous countryside with zig zag bends, and travelling through the Riko Tunnel, bypassing the famous Riko Pass. Roadside stalls sold sweet bread and curiously lots of pottery goods. Keti bought some of the bread which she said was famous in this region. It was amazingly sweet and not quite to our taste, but it certainly was not unpleasant. Fortunately for our baggage we didn't explore the pottery markets - although being a lover of large ceramic pots, Alan may well have bought something!

As we neared Samtredia, a township in lowlands of the Imereti region, the temperature began to soar. A key hub for road and rail transport within Georgia, the small town experiences a humid subtropical climate and is regarded as the hottest place in Georgia.

Vano's car (which was a company vehicle) was air conditioned, but like so many of the cars we have travelled in during our land trips, it was totally ineffectual - probably because of poor servicing, it had run out of coolant. In the end it was more comfortable to open the windows and let the scorching hot humid air blow in.

As we neared the Black Sea coast, the weather became overcast and stormy, with blasting winds. The countryside was now totally sub-tropical with dense luxuriant rainforest covered with vigorous lianes.


Keti, beside herself with excitement at being near the sea, told us of her fond childhood memories of summer holidays with her family in Batumi. Unfortunately, by then the weather was so poor that we really couldn't appreciate the sea shores of the famous Black Sea, nor the apparently beautiful Batumi Botanical Gardens.

I must say that it didn't feel like the sea to us; it was more like a huge inland lake - which of course it is. Living by the seaside at our home village of Crowdy Head, on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales in Australia, we are totally spoilt as we are really right on the sea - that is the Pacific Ocean. But we could well understand Keti's passion for the Black Sea and her childhood memories which most of us have of our special seaside holidays.

We arrived in Batumi in the early evening. It felt like it had been a very long drive and we were both weary. The weather was terrible; howling windy and scuddy showers that was not at all conducive to a town walk.

Our Divan Suites Hotel was particularly lovely and the staff were amazingly friendly and helpful - quite the antithesis of our evening before in Akhaltsikhe. We even managed to get some overnight laundry done - a great luxury on a trip where most of of stops were for just one night only.

We dined at the hotel, opting for the a la carte menu. Our meal was exceptionally good and we could not speak highly enough of the service and accommodation. It was a Trip Advisor review we were more than happy to document.