Grapes, ice and working philosophy

Last weekend I went grape picking - for the first time ever. And I can say now really honestly - I like this work! Because - it is like 10x easier than all the works in my Lithuanian village (digging potatoes, bringing in hay... ufff, I can still feel my back!); because you can eat as many grapes as you can handle - and they surely taste much better straight from the tree; and because of relaxed working philosophy that Georgians seem to have. It was a not very big vineyard, so for 5-6 workers it would take ~1hour, max 2 to pick them all. If all had ladders, and buckets, and were in the mood of some hard labor.
Naturally, it wasn't the case. But we had a guitar. And we prepared barbecue. And ate grapes. And watched how the men are making vine. And then drank the one from last year.

About vine making - somehow everyone imagines it the way it's shown in the movies or some old paintings, or super-traditional festivals: people taking of shoes, or putting on rubber-ones, jumping into a wooden barrel and squeezing grapes with their feet, while music plays in the background... Weeelll, it is just not true. Now humankind has machines for everything - grape squeezing as well. It is faster, cleaner and much easier this way - and all you have to do is watch. Then they leave the juice for some time in the barrel; poor it into another barrel; and just wait for it to become alcoholic. You should just know when to stop waiting, or otherwise you will get chacha instead of vine.

And on top of this instructive afternoon - I learned what you do if you get into hail on the way home!... You panic - but just a little bit. Then you pull over, try to find some shelter - trees, or even higher bushes will do if there is nothing better.... And if the car is still out, you undress and put your clothes on it! That is how you love your car - and we hope some day it will pay us back for it...

Back to USSR or happy Sarkozoba!

I like the Beatles, and I do like their songs - but this one sometimes makes me depressed. Especially when I see it become a reality - in the most amazingly obvious way.

Today the whole Georgia - or at least its capital Tbilisi (but anyway almost half of the country lives here) - celebrates a semi-official festival "Sarkozoba". The title came from a Georgian fashion to add a suffix '-oba' to the names of their celebrations. And it has little to do with Sarkozy himself - his only contribution is that he came here to Tbilisi today. He is indeed a well known politician of a powerful country, who deserves some respect. No argument here. But Saakashvili's office has an interesting attitude to paying respects to someone important.
First, the annual celebration Tbilisoba was moved from the end of October to match the weekend of Sarkozy's visit. Now some say it is because of the bad weather in the end of October. But Tbilisoba usually marked the end of grape harvest in all the regions, so that many people could bring their grape or fresh wine to Tbilisi for this day. Thus even though the sun will be shining this weekend, the whole occasion kind of looses its original sense. Well, unless Sarkozy will stay until tomorrow and will be able to see the fun of Georgian people.
Also, today was an official day-off in all schools and public institutions. And yet not for free - all public officials had to attend obligatory gathering on the main -Rustaveli- street, which was organized to greet Sarkozy. Can you imagine, whole long street full of people - what a warm greeting it had to be! I wonder if Mr.Sarkozy actually knew how these people appeared there. But I know, because I have seen with my own eyes how over 40 special buses passed towards Rustaveli, full of people, just half an hour before the official meeting. Some said that it probably brought people from the regions, though others thought that they just gathered officials from the ministries.

Does not it remind the sad soviet experience, when everyone was forced to participate in the official parades on national holidays? I was told, my grandfather would come out to the street and start sweeping it while the parade was passing - it was his protest, of which I am so proud. It seemed that the soviet era finished. But the soviet style of celebrating somehow still finds its way...

Oh, show me round your snow peaked
mountain way down south
Take me to you daddy's farm
Let me hear you balalaika's ringing out
Come and keep your comrade warm
I'm back in the USSR
Hey, You don't know how lucky you are, boy
Back in the USSR...

P.S. Next morning addition - it appeared that those public officials were searched by security before entering the square; some items, like mirrors or umbrellas were taken away. Then they had to stay there for 3 hours, while whole meeting with Sarkozy lasted only half an hour. And to think that a low ranking official earns ~400 GEL (that is, ~180 EUR)...

Have I been to Azerbaijan? David Gareja.

Traveling around Georgia is always surprising - and this weekend proved to be one more occasion. I have heard a lot about David Gareja, a 'monastery in a desert', and seen photos of it. But it's nothing like the real experience.
We organized this trip with several friends, rented out a minibus (a very comfortable and extremely cheap means of travel! It can cost ~150 GEL, which is nothing if you are 8-12 people) and after 1,5 hours drive reached the hills of David Gareja. The areas around drew emptier with each kilometer, and towards the end of journey one was surrounded by a vast space, almost uninhabited, with wind brushing freely through the low bushes and wide fields of golden grass. It was not the desert that I imagined (you know, sand, no plants, no life) - but certainly could be used for movies about the Wild West, when colonizers were only settling in America. Probably they had the same sense of freedom in those spaces, where there is no living creature around, as far as you can see.

The monastery itself appeared to be a very special place too. Founded in the 6th century, it developed over hundreds of years into a huge complex, stretched over 11 km (or more?), part of which is in the territory of Azerbaijan now. It was not an accident that these monasteries appeared in such a desolated place - harsh environment pleased the monks, who wanted to isolate themselves from worldly distractions. I mostly liked the legend about the spring of water called "David's tears" - I was told that the spring appeared miraculously, after st.David Garejeli was praying for several days from all his heart. It is now the only spring of drinkable water there. Monks were (are?) also collecting rain water - there are beds cut in stone for it to run in deep holes downhill.
When you look around inside, it is hard to imagine how monks could live there, in cells of stone. And yet, next to more modern parts of buildings, there are numerous caves, some of which seem inhabited. They are not very big, carved alongside the hills, and sometimes separated by low walls from the curious tourists. It doesn't always stop them :) I saw one monk trying to get several teenagers-explorers go down, they were climbing up the stone slopes straight to monk cells! :)

They say, visiting David Gareja three times equals going once to Jerusalem

I was surprised to discover that monks have solar batteries

 

Some parts of the monastery are more modern

But that was where adventure just started - to see the whole beauty, you must go hiking over the hill to Azerbaijan border! It is good to train or exercise a little before this trip, but even my lazy muscles handled it. We asked a month the way and started climbing, up and up the winding path. There are usually some more people on this path, so no chances to get lost. But - there are chances to fall and break your leg. Even worse - to fall to Azerbaijan and become illegal injured person!
It is interesting how the two countries divided this place. It seems Georgians were offering some other territories to Azerbaijan, in exchange to surroundings of David Gareja, but Azeris refused. For one, they don't want to loose the hills around, which they think are strategic for defense (in case Georgians would think of smth nasty). But another reason is even more interesting - it appeared this territory was home to ancient Albanians (I am not sure if they have anything to do with nowadays Albania....), whom Azeris claim to be their ancestors. When you think about it, it is natural, that Azerbaijan would not give up their 'ancient lands' so easily. The ethnic mix up of the Caucasus......

When you climb up the hill and reach the peak of it, you have to go a little down on the other side to reach another part of the monastery (or - another monastery, as several of them were founded just next to each other). The path goes around, encircling both parts, so you don't have to return the same way. Which is a good thing - even though the views are impressive, it is so steep and dangerous to walk there! There are no safety measures, no fence, no rope, only metal sticks, which probably were connected by some rope some time ago. Now they mainly mark the path, so you would be sure where to go. There were some scary moments up there, especially when there was slippery sand on the path, or strong wind pushed us harder.

But it was SO worth it! The caves on the other side continue through the whole hill-side, and some of them have frescoes from 11-13 century! It is amazing touch of history, which you can feel so personally, so intimately, without museum glass. Even though with a little thrill of danger.

The path along Georgia-Azerbaijan border

Frescoes outside the ancient church

One of the main parts of David Gareja monastery complex, facing Azerbaijan. Georgia is just on the other side of it!