Gori, Part 1

In the hierarchy of Georgian sights, the town of Gori gets no love.  I have been trying to visit Gori since early February, and for a variety of reasons had just never made it there.  I had a list of things I wanted to see and do both in and outside of the town, and figured I would stay one night in order to get everything.  Everyone I talked to told me pretty much that this was silly.  I could see all there is to see in Gori in five hours.  There was no reason to stay the night.  Gori was dingy, it was boring.  The ubiquitous Georgian protest -- "There's nothing there!"

Well, I don't know which Gori all those people went to, because our weekend was packed with awesomeness and adventures of the best kind.

On Chris's last weekend in Georgia, we finally, finally escaped the tar pit of Tbilisi and got our butts onto a marshutka.  (That morning was pretty chaotic too.  Tbilisi was trying its damnedest to keep us here, but I was determined!)  Let me just say -- the marshutka station at Didube is NUTS.  I have no idea how anyone finds anything, but apparently they do, because we sought help first from our cab driver and then two other random fellows, and finally zeroed in on the right bus by echo-location.  It's a cool four lari to Gori, which is about an hour away from Tbilisi.

Once we got into town, I spotted the Tourist Center from the bus, but wanted to ride a bit longer on the off-chance we'd spot the Intourist Hotel, which is where we planned to stay.  But as the town center began to fall away, we decided to get off and walk back to the Tourist Center.  What a pleasant surprise!  The office was air-conditioned and staffed by lovely young ladies who spoke English.  They furnished us with a lovely color booklet that included a very helpful map of Gori.  I was shocked!  To my knowledge, Tbilisi doesn't even offer such perks to tourists, and the map they give out could use some work.

So we set out to find the Intourist, which wasn't where I thought it should be, based on the address I had.  But just up the street we ran into Hotel Georgia.  And what an excellent find.  If you want to stay there, and I recommend them, go into the unmarked doors immediately to your left after entering the building's lobby.  The hotel shares an outside door with two restaurants that may or may not be connected to the hotel itself, but there are no signs anywhere inside!

It's 70 lari for a double room, which might sound like a lot until you break that down for two people, and realize you're paying 35 lari each for a clean private room with AC and a TV (we didn't need either but it's there), and most importantly -- a clean private bathroom with shower and hot water.  In my book, that makes it a great deal.  We took a look at the room -- very nice for the price! -- and went back down to pay.

Humorous anecdote here that I absolutely cannot resist sharing... we needed to present our passports in order to register for the room.  (Georgians LOVE getting a look at your passport, even when there is no real reason for them to request it.)  So we hand ours over.  I'm kind of daydreaming and looking out the window, when suddenly I look back at the reception desk and there is a wrapped condom sitting there.  For  one second I am SO confused... even if this lady is the most liberated Georgian in the country and thinks we are a couple, surely we wouldn't need a condom???  Then Chris and I realize where it came from in the exact same instant and she snatches it up -- somehow a condom had ended up inside her passport!

Best hotel check-in ever.

But back to business.  After we unpacked, we went downstairs and had lunch in the pretty courtyard in the back of the building, and ordered what ended up being one of the best Georgian pizzas I've had here.  (Expat oases Ronny's and The Hangar notwithstanding, of course!)

Chillin' in the beautiful day, waitin' for pizza...

After lunch, we walked across the street the the Stalin Museum.  Gori is the birthplace of one Joseph Stalin (born Iosif Dzhugashvili), and I had been warned by multiple sources that, despite -- you know, reality -- the people of Gori just love and revere Joseph Stalin.  Wikitravel calls it The Stalin Cult, and this is an accurate description of what we found.  Gori's Stalin Museum is just... creepy.

Doesn't this seem just a touch too pretty?

To peace!!

Gori's Stalin Museum is decidedly one-sided, to the extent that an alien from another planet (that did not monitor radio waves) would have absolutely no idea that this kind, progressive, thoughtful and responsible world leader was responsible for the deaths of as many as 60 million people during the course of his regime.  The rooms feature an impresive collection of enlarged photo reproductions of Stalin -- Stalin alone, looking pensive; Stalin with his arm around children or vice-versa; Stalin with world leaders.  There was also plenty of Stalin memorabilia -- his suitcase, his pipe, his desk set, etc.

A photo of Stalin and some dude who apparently liked him a lot.

Best (or worst) of all is what I can only describe as "Stalin Fan Art."

My very favorite thing inside the museum... a lovingly crafted embroidery of Stalin with Chairman Mao

However, the creepiest thing by far was the altar-like room they had devoted to Stalin's death mask.

My face says it all, really.

After the museum, we passed on purchasing Stalin Museum t-shirts (SO tempted, but 30 lari is no small thing for a girl on a Georgian salary!), and met up with our guide to take us into Stalin's train car.  This costs an extra five lari above the 10 it costs to get into the museum, but if you go, you absolutely need to do this.  It is a complete must.  Our guide was great, an incredibly nice guy who let us open cabinets and generally be as nosy as we wanted inside the train car.

Long shot of the car's interior

We got to sit on Stalin's bed!

Stalin pooped here.

On the outside of the train car.

Next, it was time to visit Stalin's actual birthplace... the official story in Gori is that the Dzhugashvili house has been preserved, in its exact spot, to this very day. To help protect it from the elements (and also I assume attacks from space), they have erected an impressive Doric mausoleum around the humble structure.

Room where Stalin came into the world (not the actual bed though)

So okay, I understand that Gori being Stalin's birthplace is like... Gori's only claim to fame, and I get that it's a good source for tourist revenue.  But seriously, a slightly less lovingly enthusiastic (biased) portrayal might be in order.  For serious, Gori.

When we finally finished up with one J.V. Stalin, it was getting on in the afternoon, but I was completely stoked about doing this hike I had read about from Wikitravel, from the outskirts of Gori up to Gori Jvari, a cool-looking church waaayyy up on a very far-away-looking hill.

That tiny bump on the top of the peak is this church.

Chris was less enthusiastic as the thing really did look hella-gone from where we were standing, but Wikitravel promised us it would only be a three-hour round trip.  I'd been looking forward to doing this for months, so I kind of insisted, and Chris was kind enough to let herself be dragged along despite her reservations.  The first 45 minutes were pretty tough as the path wound steadily and sometimes steeply uphill, but eventually leveled out and things became much more pleasant.  And right on time, about 90 minutes in, we made our final approach.

Now, for the past half an hour or so, Chris and I had been watching this huge flock of ravens swooping and diving down into the ravine just off to the right.  We could actually see some of them come up with chunks of whatever they were eating.  When we finally got close, we understood what it was.

Gori Jvari is famous for its tradition of animal sacrifices several times a year.  According to Wikitravel, "on days commemorating St. George (November 23 and April 23), Gori residents flock to the church with sacrificial sheep. The sheep are walked around the church three times, and in accordance with Orthodox tradition, are taken just off the church grounds for slaughter." I figured we had found that place "just off the church grounds"!

We had arrived a good few weeks after April 23, so I guess they make sacrifices at other times too. Because this whole area reeked of death. The wind here was intense, and the creepy hooks, blood splatters, bones scattered in the grass, swooping ravens feasting on their supra in the ravine, and the ancient (reconstructed) church just up the hill, made this whole scene just incredibly... primal. Draconian. It was really strange and not a little discomforting, but not in a bad way at all. With all that crazy wind and awe-inspiring landscape all around, I can see how ancient pagans might think that gods were quite active right there!

Sheep jawbone

Inside the church grounds

Gori down below

The actual church was closed; I guess they only open it for special occasions. Chris and I admired the view, toasted with celebratory candy bars, and began the hike back down.

Well, I was hoping to get all of Gori in one post, but this thing is huge already and there is a lot more to come!  So I will leave the next for a Part Two.  But I hope that this alone might convince any vacillating reader that Gori is indeed worth a visit of more than five hours!  And it only gets better.