The first steps of Georgia.

Georgia, but first Armenia.

As there is no flight from Rostov straight to Tblisi and there’s no point going through Moscow or Riga, we fly to Yerevan. They say that there’s a minibus to take to the Georgian capital in 4 hours. I hope I can find this minibus somewhere. I have been to Yerevan. The year was 1979. I was the same age as Silvia is now. However I don’t remember much other than the main square. I remember Yerevan’s surrounding areas, the mountaint, Sevan lake, good food. Well, we will find that bus station somehow. But we don’t have to because our good colleagues help us. Herein it would be appropriate for me to thank the sponsors, who helped me organize my trip to Georgia. GEOSAVA is a young organiztion and they have a only a few members still. Their first continuing education event was 28-30.09.14. The funding is limited, that we know. My travel expenses were partially covered by a well-known company in Estonian veterinary circles – “Dimela”. Dimela intermediates the products of Kruuse, Zoetis, Dechra, Orion Pharma and many other companies to us. The trip from Yerevan to Tblisi was taken care of by the territory manager at Norbrook Laboratories Ltd. Markel Mängel, who sent a car to pick us up from the airport. The driver was a real professional. I remembered the Armenian mountain roads from my last trip and I felt a bit eerie thinking about driving on those same roads for 4 hours. Mountainmen speed as we all know. 

Lake Sevan

The ride is very smooth inspite of herds of sheep and cows blocking our way. 

The driver tells us stories about Armenia and introduces us to our surroundings and places to come. I quickly translate from Russian to Estonian for Silvia, until one moment she tells me that there is no need, she can understand on her own. Look what it means to be surrounded by a language.

From left to right: F. Mkrchjan, T. Toomet, J.Leonov ja V. Kikibidze.

I have to take a picture at Dilijan. There is this great movie from the Soviet times called “Mimino” 
and one of the characters (an Armenian) lived in Dilijan, the other (a Georgian) in Telavi. Now they have put up statues in Dilijan of the main characters from “Mimino”. In addition to Frunzik Mkrchjan (the Armenian) and Vahtang Kikibidze (the Georgian), Jevgeni Leonov (a Russian) also acted in the movie. He is the one, whose son I thought I saw in the Rostov theatre troupe. 

Silvia gets her mandatory bracelet from Dilijan. She collects them – one from every country. We reach the Armenian-Georgian border in the dark. Crossing the border goes quickly. 

In the meantime our driver has bought some sweet bread and water and we improvise a quick pic-nic on the roof of the car. 

Tblisi is not far away. 

Elena waits for us in a restaurant with her colleague David and guests from Ukraine (Natalja Ignatenko with her daughter Nastja). We eat a wonderful hachapuri (ah! I’ve dreamed of this) and shashlik. There’s a Georgian male quartet singing behind us. Can it get any better?

The giant balcony of our hotel room.

The morning after is horrible, as it turns out my external hard drive (my second brain) has stopped working and I have to redo my lecture from memory. Colleagues search pictures from the clinic computer for me and throw them into Dropbox. I translate to Russian with the help of Google Translate (because my great assistant and translator Vika  is at a dog show and can’t help me) and I’m quite nervous. Fortunately my lecture is in the afternoon and everything turns out great. The audience is very eager and friendly. They help me with my Russian and they ask questions. I’ve finished working and now the real vacation begins. Hurray!

 Last 2: dr. Natalya Ignatenko's lecture abour endocrinology

My lecture about hereditary skin diseases.

The vacation starts with a great party, which GEOSAVA (or Elena Chichinadze) has organized. We had a really international group of people and many languages are heard in the conversations. For example, we had a veterinarian from Azerbaidjan, then Silvia and I, then a Georgian, 2 Finns and 2 Armenians. There are also Russians and Ukrainians behind another table. Mostly we hear Russian and they also toast in Russian (the Georgians are very good at this. Every toast is a poem and they always drink to dear guests, women, world peace and veterinary work). However we can also use other languages. When our companion Taina (veterinarian Taina Kivistö from Helsinki University veterinary clinic) fails to speak to the neighbourhing Armenian in English, she tries French and it works! They are conversing. To be fair, Taina is a prime example of internationalism and won’t stop talking to someone just because of a language barrier.

Dr. Vaan Hatchatrjan, dr. Taina Kivistö and Ilkka Kivistö

Herein I have to tell you about Taina, who I know since 1990. The start of our freindship is quite humorous. I had been to Finland 3 times already and I badly wanted to go to their Eläinlääkäripäivi (autumnal Finnish Veterinary Association congress). My colleague Helene (Jami) Juola organized  a free pass to the congress for a poor Eastern-European girl, but the problem was with finding a place to live. Jami had no one in Helsinki, who she could force to take me in. Somehow she found Taina, who was immediately in, but she couldn’t pick me up from the port (she was in a Spanish class! Of course! It’s Taina!) and she sent someone else, who didn’t know what to do with me and took me to the reception of the university clinic. Of course it was very interesting for me there. Then Taina came, introduced herself and brought me back to her place. I’ve asked her later on in life, how so – it is almost the same as picking some random stranger off the street and taking them home. But Taina sees no problems in this. It’s just the way she is.

By the way there’s this rumour going around the university about Taina, that if a UFO should land in the courtyard of the university and everyone is standing around helplessly not knowing what to do with the green creatures, someone remembers – Taina. They bring her to the scene and everyone else can disperse. Taina knows how and in what language you have to communicate with the green men.

I was that green man back then. We’ve spent many a moment with Taina after this and I also introduced her to Jami, who at that point didn’t even know who picked up her protegée from Helsinki.

Taina is one of those people, who has truly influenced my life. You might say Taina has infected me with a serious illness and there’s no cure. It’s called travel sickness. I used to listen, mouth hanging open, about Taina and her husband Ilkka’s wedding trip to Moscow, Teheran and Kaboul by train in the 70s. No normal person (a normal Finn even less so) would take on such a trip. They’ve driven through the Sahara desert with an old Russian “Lada” and explored South-Africa with strange buses. Most of all I like the story of how Ilkka asked “Why?”. Normally Ilkka doesn’t ask anything when Taina propses a trip to somewhere, but goes and quietly packs his suitcase. Ilkka asked “Miksi?” (why), when Taina announced tht now we must go to Albania (no one in the 80s travelled to Albania. Even now, it’s not frequent), where there’s only one flight a week. Of course they went to Albania. Taina has given me another disease or a modification of the first one – I must visit a veterinary clinic in every country. She says that veterinarians don’t need the help of a consulate when in a foreign country. If you’re in trouble just find the nearest veterinary clinic.  I have never had any need for this, but it works nonetheless. A colleague doesn’t leave you hanging. As I am writing these lines I’m thinking fondly of Katerina Loukaki, who was a great help to us in Greece, but more of that later. So Taina is a travel nut and when I need someone who’s as crazy about travelling as I am, Taina is always there. We started travelling together with a modest car trip through the Baltics (greetings to colleague Rytis Cepulis in Kaunas, who took us through the backdoor of a museum in Chiurlionis. The museum was closed) and in recent years we took on Ukraine (Lvov and Donetsk). We still have to go to Kaliningrad and Belarus and recently Taina has tried to persuade me to go to Middle-Asia (she has succeeded quite successfully). But Georgia? Of course when I mentioned that I was going to Georgia the Taina/Ilkka team was ready to join me.

In the night Silvia's friend Maari arrives by plane and after a very short nap we climb onboard a bus with tired faces to drive to the David Gardej monastery complex.

Views on the road.

A strange village in the middle of nowhere that was built for the victims of earthquakes, but where now only a few people live.

Silvia on her blog: We had a very nice guide called Georgi, who informed us that the Georgian language doesn’t have any capital letters. Mother had to convert Russian into Estonian very fast, so a lot got lost in translation. Finally we arrived at a great mountain, which hides the monastery complex. It’s made up of very old caves where monks used to (and still) live. We climbed a dangerous road up the mountain and saw Azerbaijan at the top, on the other side, guarded by toll officers. Coming back down the mountain we met a philipino bodybuilder, Mr. Philippines. He’s over sixty, but still as agile as ever, very friendly and talkative and has already been travelling for four years.

Then we went to eat. I don’t know how we got there because I slept the whole way there. The food, as all Georgian food so far, was delicious – I had the best shashlik of my life. The sauce to go with it was also delicious. When everyone was done with their sauce and meat, Maari and I couldn’t get enough and were still eating. Couldn’t let anything go to waste.

Colourful mountains

A dog resting

A very important local cat placed itself on Georgi's feet.

The caves of the monastery

The journey isn't easy at all

......but there's a far more beautiful view from higher above.

We have to come back dwon on this path later on.

The flag of"Dimela" is flying high.

Azerbaidjan border guards. They won't let you go any further.

We walk across the mountain top: on the left - Georgia, on the right - Azerbaidjan

I've also been her a few years ago. Then we were climbing that slight path there. Fortunately the Azerbaidjan border guards didn't allow us there this time. 

Another iew of the mountain that separates Georgia and Azerbaidjan.

Mr. Philippines. Find the Estonian flag on his bag.

Bodbe monastery

An indifferent guard dog at the Bodbe monastery.

Important cat at the Bodbe monastery

Next stop is the Bodbe monastery, where Saint Nino, who played a major role in converting the country to Christianity, is said to have lived. Guide Georgi tells us that when Nino died, she was to be buried in the capital with a pärade accompanying her, but Nino wanted to be put to rest in Bodbe. So she performed one last miracle – the horses pulling the carriage with Nino’s body on it wouldn’t move, as if it was too heavy. So she was buried in Bodbe after all. The monastery is small, very neat and lovely. 

Sighnaghi

Up next is the town of Sighnaghi, also known as the town of love because everyone is allowed to marry 24/7. The town is beautiful and nicely restaurated, but we can’t walk around much, as it starts to rain. Luckily, guide Georgi directs us to a nice winery which is owned by an American artist living in Georgia. We don’t have a lot of time so we get a quick overview of how local wines and chacha are made and taste four wines. They are very good and the winery itself very cosy.

Last 2: Sighnaghi

Last 4 - wine cellar.

We are up early again the next morning, because we are going to Borjom, the town of the famous mineral water. But before that, we are taken to another city of ancient caves Something, which is some years old and housed thousands of munks back in the day. A large number of caves have been preserved well. We can visit the pharmacy, the theater and the prison, which is actually just a hole in the ground.

Cave town

The pharmacy of the cave town.

The streets of the cave town.

Dr. Toomet in the cave town's theatre working as a prompter.

We escape the cave town.

The main attraction of the cave town were puppies.

and puppies with their mum and dad.

and a puppy by itself. "Let's take it back home with us" I heard them beg. Fortunately I had an asnwer ready: "We are not going home for quite a while."

Silvia on her blog: Then we drove through the city of Gori, where Papa Stalin was born. We went to see his birthplace. From far away the house seemed quite fancy but as we got closer we understood that the fancy house had been built around a tiny wooden cottage. Furthermore, I don’t even think the Dchugashvili (Stalin’s original name, which was later changed by the ossetian father Dchugashvili from Dchugayev) family owned the whole house, at least I understood they only owned one room. I really don’t know how that was possible because the whole house seemed to be just one room. The house itself was quaint but the fancy columns and the park around it were pretty much disgusting. Even now, I can imagine the poor carpenters and locksmiths being thrown out of their houses to make room for it all. Because surely the cottage was once surrounded by many similar ones, which were all demolished. Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it to Stalin’s museum, it is said to be some real propaganda.

The palace in which Stalin's home is located.

The house in close-up.

Stalin's father (old Dzugashvili or Dzugajev) had a shoemaker's workshop in this cellar.

Here, J.V. Stalin was born on the 21st of  December 1870 and spent his childhood until 1883. He could've stayed there to carry on the shoemaker's profession. A lot of trouble would not have happened in the world. 

We have arrived in our hotel in Borjomi.

The beautiful architecture of Borjomi.

Up into the mountain with a cablecar.

Last 3: views from the cablecar.

Bells hung up between the trees.

Another independant dog. From the back it looks like a fox.

The dog-fox has something very interesting to see in the valley.

The dog-fox from the front.

The dog-fox has decided to adopt dr. Vlad Ushakov.

Our group: Ilkka Kivistö (Finland), Silvia's friend Maari, Elena Kastorova (Ukraine), Natalya Ignatenko with her daughter Nastjaga (Ukraine), Taina Kivistö, Vlad Ushakov and Natalja Ushakova (Ukraine), Silvia and Tiina Toomet.

Lace-Borjomi

We had lunch and dinner in Borjom. Between meals, we walked around in the park and took a cable car to the top of the mountain. We were gathering strenght and health to take on greater mountains and to climb even more dangerous roads the next day. The first fortress Akaltsikhe was a mix of all kinds of architectual genres, but very well renovated. It was a priority of president
Shakashvili – to renovate as many cultural and historical sights as possible. 

Last 2: the fortress in Akhaltsikhe.

At the opening of the new fortress, Charles Aznavour was invited to perform. Well, hes father was born in Armenia and the local are is mainly inhabitated by Armenians. 

Guide Georgi tells us the area used to be a border zone and required special passes, which led locals to move elsewhere because of constant discomfort. I remember stories of Estonian youths trying to cross the border to Turkey but getting caught by Georgian authorities and having to wait for their parents at the toll. Somewhere here, these stories really took place.

A cat is posing and...

.....the chickens are rithing in the mud. Perfection.

Silvia on her blog: We stopped at the side of the road somewhere to go out and take a group photo in front of some caves. I wanted to climb back in the bus and sleep some more, but it turned out the caves were where we were heading. Again with the caves, how many are there? But surprise-surprise, these were the coolest caves yet. It was the town of Vardzia, with a lot of history. The city is virtually invisible to enemies, being located on the side of the mountain. One of Georgia’s most heroic rulers queen Tamar (Tamara) used to live there. She was a cool lady. Already because she was a female ruler in the years 1184-1213. But foreign rulers wouldn’t accept that, so the queen was named king and her husband became the king’s husband.

The caves were very cool. Firstly, they were better preserved and more detailed than the others. We visited a beautiful little church which is home to the best preserved picture of queen Tamara, now the official portrait. It is in the condition she is because of the arab forces. They came into Vardzia and demanded the monks to leave. When the monks refused, the arab forces locked them into the church and set fire to it. The ashes of the monks covered the whole church – the floor, walls and ceiling, thus protecting Tamara’s portait. Pretty awful actually. Then we went on to climb up and down narrow caveways , which reminded Maari and I of the time we went to the tombs under Kiev. Those tombs were so narrow I immediately had a claustraphobic fit and had to step out. The same thing happened to Maari. Somehow I still went to see the tombs (someone helped me, I remember) but Maari didn’t (M: Nope). The caveways in Vardzia were about the same, but we survived and actually had a great tour.

Last 3: Vardzia

The ceiling of the church of Vardzia.

Into the caves...

....and out.

Into the caves again...

...quite doubtingly..

.... and then through the darkness right back down to earth.

After that we visited a lovely vineyard and had lunch there. We had the chance to talk to the old vineyard owner and then drove back to Thbilisi.

This place is called Valodias's Cottages and you can rent a little house for holiday. 

And here is the last slice of Hachapuri.

They offered local fresh fish for lunch.

On our way back we see colourful mountains again.

When the ladies are visiting the restroom, dr. Ushakov helps the man of the house make some firewood.

Surgery outside? No, they were cleaning fish.

A very original cooling system.

Back in the city, Markel (who you met in St Petersburg) has organized a dinner for all of us. As entertainment, there were local dancers and a men’s choir. We had our best khatchapuri of the trip in that place. It was a very nice evening.

Our completed group: Ilkka and Taina Kivistö from Finland, Tiina Toomet from Estonia, Vlad Ushakov from Ukraine, Markel Mängel from Estonia, Natalya Ignatenko from Ukraine and Artjom Hovanesjan from Armenia. Silvia, Maari and Nastja, Natalja Ushakova, Elena Chichinadze (Georgia), Elena Kastorova (Ukraine) and Artur Aleksejev (Russia) are missing from the picture. Elena and Markel (Norbrook) were able to organize a truly international evening.

Maari on Silvia's blog: On the way from the restaurant to the hotel we were feeling quite merry. It was probably partly the fault of the delicious Georgian wine. As the driver noticed we were in a very good mood and couldn’t sit still, he put on some music. Amused by our sitting disco he reached to the backseat, grabbed a bottle of tchatcha and put it in my hand. The others were convinced it was a kind of marital suggestion but I haven’t heard from him since.. I was probably still so shocked by the sudden gift I nearly forgot my precious iPod and phone in the taxi. Luckily I noticed but if I hadn’t the trip would have been a very short one.

Last day in Georgia. In the evening we have a flight to Istanbul. A colleague has contacted me on Facebook, it’s Gizem Taktak. She doesn’t want to hear anything about a hotel and demands us to stay with her for our stay in Turkey. I hesitate, because there’s now three of us and we really wouldn’t want to make a fuss, but Gizem won’t give up.

We use the last minutes of staying in our Thbilisi hotel to put our blogs up. Oh wow – we’re really behind. Especially me. Well it isn’t easy being a tourist and seeing sights from morning till night. During our last hour in Georgia, we manage to visit Elena Chichinadze’s clinic which is quite small but a lot bigger, more spacious and more comfortable than the last time I visited a few years ago. The progress is noticeable. A quick overview, a few pictures and on to the airport we go. We will surely be back and with a larger group of Estonian veterinarians. The plans are already taking root.

The opera theate in Tblisi looks like a great big bumblebee.

Beautiful balconies.

The weird entrance to Taina and Ilkka's apartment.

And the even more weird staircase.

The view from the window, but the apartment was so new and modern we were looking around gobsmacked and forgot to take pictures.

We only took pictures of a chart of animal names in Georgian that Taian had bought.

Taina waves at us from her balcony. They will be staying on for a few more days before flying back to Helsniki.

I, however will continue my journey. Istanbul lies ahead.

Last views of Tblisi in the night.

And of course a visit to dr. Elena Chichinadze's veterinary clinic "Buneba".

Maari is learning Georgian breed names.

Waiting room

Elena has my book on her shelf "Elust koera ja kassida". That's so lovely!

Continuing education diplomas. Elena was the first Georgian veterinarian, who started going to continuing education events outside of Georgia.

The operation room.

Examination room

Cages

Ultrasound machine.

I hand over some books and brochures brought from Estonia.

Dr. Chichinadze on the doorway of her clinic.

PS! We forgot to add this amazing taxi driver, who appeared in a Georgian talent show (here he is). In this video below, he is driving our colleague Markel home and singing opera: