クタイシ島、モツァメタ島、バグラティ島、ゼラティ島終日ツアー

Georgia is one big UNESCO site of mountains, vistas, rivers, ancient towers, churches, frescoes, villages. As if all that awe wasn’t enough, our tour guide Ana, delighted us with a trove of cultural treasures that we visitors would have missed on our own. We stopped at a 1,000 year old tree, which looked to say hug me and hear my stories. Back on the bus Ana told stories of George-the- Builder, saints, poets, warriors, and heros. Georgia is proud of its history which Ana knows well and was happy to answer questions. She brought us to a field of abandoned ancient cevevri (clay wine barrels) and to a monastery with lush gardens of herbs and flowers where we purchased fresh ground Svaneti (herbed salt). There were many stops for food, always a Supra (a feast), and stops for fresh baked bread (a bakery on every corner). On a 12 hour drive from Tblisi to Svaneti, the winding mountain roads were often frightening, yet Ana held us together with gentle spirit, stories, and fresh bread. Walking long gravel driveways and climbing old stone stairs was normal daily activity. Here too, Ana made the touring very doable with her quiet attentiveness to individual needs. She became family. In fact, back in Tblisi she helped us find great vendors and assisted with rug purchases. Yes Georgia is beautiful and so are its people. Wish we had more than two weeks!