First, to clear up a question – why are Georgian crosses droopy? Saint Nino (a woman) made the cross by binding two vine branches together with her own hair – hence the drooping arms of the Georgian cross and the various portrayals of hair and grapes. So now you know.
Next – today’s varied pleasures. We began in the spa town of Borjomi (most of the bottled water we drink is Borjomi) which was developed by Russian aristocracy (Grand Duke Mikhael Nikolayevich Romanoff – the brother of the Czar) in the nineteenth century. Although extremely popular throughout the USSR, the water was banned from Russia in 2006 for political reasons.
A very kind lady filled everyone’s bottles up from the spring housed in an appropriately elaborate structure:
Sue was persuaded to try the water – but she didn’t like it much (note the matching sweatshirt though):
Our next stop was definitely obscure. We had read about a place which made hammocks and, nearby, another place with a local speciality – nazuki – a kind of sweet bread with raisins and brushed with a sugar glaze. On a stupendously busy road, we stopped to buy nazuki and to admire a hammock (and other garden furniture) seller:
Our next stop – Zestafoni Bazari – was wonderfully quiet and orderly, despite the chaotic streets outside:
We had hoped to follow the Zestafoni mosaic trail but failed to find any of the putative mosaics except for this rather small wall outside the very large and rusty-looking ferroalloy factory:
And finally, for those who disapproved of the nuns moving the megalithic stones, I thought I should include this charming picture of Teona, one of the nuns responsible for the church and garden, and me in Saro.
The nun seemed quite young – why did she go for it, I wonder (nunning, that is…). Spa waters often taste a bit funny, I think, metallic or sulphuric or… The weather doesn’t seem particularly nice – but the deck chairs look just the ticket!!
Continue to enjoy!
Our grasp of Georgian wasn’t quite enough to discuss the nun’s vocation with her . She made us v nice coffee though and was v cheerful. The mineral water was vile – warm and sulphurous – but drunk with great enthusiasm by other visitors. Weather mixed so haven’t yet bought the deck chair..
Saint Nino. “They, Them?”
Sadly I fear the ecclesiastical records probably don’t include full pronoun details,,
Interesting imagery on the mosaic. If it’s representing phases of the factory work, these have been elevated to a sort of Soviet realist dance ritual. Nazuki looks just the thing for our backpacks right now!
Soviet realist dance ritual? Yes, you’d need that if you worked in the v grim factory I think.
I feel I ought to say something in defence of the nuns! I find it hard to believe they could have moved those monoliths (thighs of iron as mentioned by someone’s post above) or not. Perhaps they didn’t move the monolithic stones at all but simply planted between stones that had already fallen. .
I like this explanation very much – the rocks were scattered all over the place and look much prettier with added flowers.
Scenes of ordinary life in faraway places are always so fascinating, aren’t they. You seemed to have got a nazuki which hasn’t been blessed with any raisins or sugar glaze (hope it wasn’t too dull too eat!) but I expect the sumptuousness of the fruit stand made up for it.
It’s true that the loaf wasn’t full of fruit but it was hot out of the oven and the car smelled lovely. I don’t think we were short changed ( oh look, tourists, let’s give them the one without fruit and sugar glaze) as people were queuing to buy the loaves..