Mtskheta

September 16, 2023

After a short but sharp climb from our digs we rode a quiet country road that climbed gently to the base of the first and biggest of three climbs for the day. Then it was a gentle downhill through farmlands with very little traffic. It was really enjoyable riding for almost thirty kilometers despite the strong headwind.

At about two thirds of the way, just after the second climb, the traffic started to pick up and we had to keep our wits about us. Amazingly we saw our first local "real" cyclists at about this point. A large peleton of roadies with a support vehicle and a number of individual cyclists as well. Since we left Batumi, excluding the few cycle tourists we have seen, I could count the number of people on bicycles on the fingers of one hand and they were all little old men pottering through their villages.

Our digs in Mtskheta is right next to the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral which was our target for the day. So after settling in at the guesthouse we made our way to the cathedral complex. The wonderful surprise we enjoyed was that it was choc-a-block with bridal parties queuing up to get married. The atmosphere in the cathedral was completely different to what we are accustomed. There are no pews so people just stand or wander around. It was a mixture of tourists, guests of the couple currently being processed (for that is what it seemed to be) by the priests and the next bridal party waiting their turn. Many in the cathedral paid no attention to the priests or the service, chatting away to each other or to someone on the mobile phones while standing only a few meters away from the couple whose marriage they should have been witnessing. It was chaotic but moving at the same time.

Various bridal parties waiting their turn to enter the cathedral.

Towards the end of the ceremony the couple perform a parambulation holding candles and wearing crowns.

The next couple take their place. A new priest in attendance as well.

One couple obviously paid for the deluxe service that included a five man choir that chanted all the responses to the priest. This service lasted a lot longer and ended with some wonderful singing by the choir.

The choristers also chatted amongst each other throughout the service. One fiddled with his mobile phone but this guy kept his fingers clasped behind his back.

The Svetitskhoveli Cathedral was initially built in the fourth century but the current building was largely built at the beginning of the eleventh century. It claims to have the burial cloak of Jesus. The story of how it was supposedly obtained and how it ended up being buried there is almost too bizarre to repeat. Apparently a Georgian Jew named Elias bought it from a Roman soldier at Golgotha after Jesus' crucifixion. On his return to Georgia his sister touched it and immediately died. However she wouldn't let go of the cloak so it was buried with her and the cathedral was built on the spot where she was buried.

The cathedral is surrounded by a fortified wall built in the eighteenth century.

An Indonesian guy of our age staying at our guesthouse wanted to know my impressions of Georgians in general. I admitted to him that I found them surprisingly unfriendly and often blatantly rude, especially service personnel and checkout staff at grocery stores. This matched his experience as well. I wonder if this is not a hangover from the Soviet era. My reaction to their offhand and rude manner is to be especially polite but I'm not sure that it is appreciated. On the other hand, we have also met a number of extremely friendly and engaging Georgians along the road. Likewise while I can honestly say that the Georgian drivers are worst we have ever encountered anywhere in the world, this impression is because of a (large) minority because most are very courteous if not patient.

Tomorrow we head for Tbilisi. It is Leigh's birthday on Monday so we have booked a small apartment for two days. Hopefully I will be able to conjur up a decent meal to celebrate.

Today's ride: 40 km (25 miles)
Total: 1,383 km (859 miles)

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