WOW - what a weekend!!

My travel partner, Kellie, and I had a full weekend of activities scheduled for us while we are here in K'ut'aisi. First of all, the weather did not cooperate with us!!! On Thursday when we traveled to K'ut'aisi it was beautifully clear and cool. On Friday it was overcast and misty. This morning (Saturday) it was cold - about 40 degrees - and rainy. But, we continued on. So, we started off the morning at an English Teachers Association of Georgia meeting held at K'ut'aisi University. There were about 20 in attendance and the two of us presented a little lesson about our schools and the American system of education and we modeled some different types of teaching strategies that the teachers could use in their classrooms. 

It was here that I had my first experience with a Turkish toilet.

Yes, it is essentially a hole in the floor and one stands over or squats over it to do your business. Then, you just flush like usual.
Talk about a new experience!!!! Well, moving on....

After the meeting we walked the three blocks to the school where we were met, in the rain mind you, by 5 or 6 students and joined by 4 of the other English teachers from St. Nino's. They were all taking time on their Saturday to join us on our rainy sight-seeing trip. We boarded the transportation of choice in Georgia, an 12 passenger mini-van called a matrushka and we headed just out of the city, up on the slope of a big hill / small mountain to visit the Bagrati Cathedral. Bagrat III, an ancient king of Georgia, built Bagrati Cathedral in the 10th century. It was a UNESCO world heritage site for quite a long time until a recent Georgian goverment decision to restore it. There were some questions about some of the choices in the restoration so UNESCO withdrew their designation. However, it is still a national treasure and one of the most beautiful buildings I've had the pleasure to visit. 

Bagrati Cathedral

The view from Bagrati over the city of K'ut'aisi

Some of my new Georgian friends!!

The tragey of Bagrati is that the Soviets painted over the 10th - 13th century frescos when they were in control of Georgia. The UNESCO designation was an attempt to save it, but the damage was already done by that time. 

Parts of the original stone work on the floor have been preserved under glass and they give the impression that the original building was more than just impressive - it was regal, as befitting a king of Bagrat's status. 

Original stone work on the floor of the cathedral

We left Bagrati Cathedral and headed to another nearby site - Gelati Monastery. Gelati was already a protected site and thus was spared the attention of the Soviet government. It too was built in the 10th - 11th centuries, started again by King Bagrat and was originally an academy or school. It is currently undergoing the first modern restoration the building has seen so there were parts we could not see. Nonetheless, it was a wonderful place to visit. 

View of the valley from the grounds of Gelati Monastery

St. George's chapel at Gelati Monastery

Inside there are wonderful frescoes, many of the colors still quite brilliant. The whole place is so serene.

There are also a couple of really fantastic mosaics.

These two beautiful girls are both named Nino, after the patron saint of Georgia, St. Nino. She is credited with bringing Christianity to Georgia in the 3rd or early 4th century. St. Nino arrived in Georgia and all she could find to fashion a cross from was grape vines. So, she wove two pieces for a cross from the vines and she used her long braided hair to bind the pieces together. As she traveled the cross piece was not strong enough to stay straight, so the arms of the cross drooped. Consequently, the cross of St. Nino has arms that droop down.

After our afternoon in the cold and rain visiting such beautiful sites and spending time with such beautiful people I headed back to the hotel for a little rest. Little did I know how much I was going to need that rest as I was attending a supra hosted by a prominent K'ut'aisi family Saturday evening. Supra is the Georgian word for feast and let me tell you - they are not kidding. The photo below is what was awaiting us on the table when we arrived at their home. There were at least 10 more courses!!!!! 

Chicken, pork, fish, a variety of salads, cheese, bread, kachapuri, vegetables. More was still to come!!

We ate and ate, little bits of many different dishes, for a few hours. Food just kept coming from the kitchen!! Even though I don't drink, everyone else did and no one was offended when I toasted along with everyone else drinking flavored lemonades. It was an unforgettable experience and I can't believe I was lucky enough to have been a part of it. When we finally got back to the hotel I was too tired to even think about posting this blog. At this point I'm also too tired to continue on and will catch up on the Sunday blog post on Monday afternoon.