Adventures in Georgia – Borjomi and Gori

georgia

4th July 2019

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Adventures in Georgia – Borjomi and Gori

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I was on a small group tour of Armenia and Georgia with Explore. It was excellent with the best tour guide I have had and who became a very good friend

Todays route was through the very pretty Borjomi gorge. Borjomi is very famous for its mineral water which locals believe has restorative properties and is extremely good for the digestive system. People with health problems come to Borjomi to try the water. There is also an industry bottling the water and Borjomi bottled water is the number one export of Georgia. A short, scenic walk along the river brings you to the mineral water park.

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In the park there is a spring from where you can try the local water direct from the ground. It has a smell of sulphur and tastes like Epsom salts.

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By the entrance to the park is a cable car station. They are old Soviet cable cars that are still functioning – just don’t lean on the door halfway up! There are lovely views from the top and beer!

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We then drove to Gori, the birthplace of Stalin. On the way we passed a refugee village. South Ossetia is very close. During the 5 day war Gori was occupied by Russian troops. This effectively divided the country into 2 and stopped the movement of people. Even now the border keeps changing as more land is being claimed. Villagers night go to bed being part of Georgia and wake up being part of South Ossetia. Military service in Georgia is compulsory for men and voluntary for women. It lasts for 1 year and can be carried out up to the age of 28. Before we reached Gori we made a stop at Ananuri Fortress which was very very impressive. Georgia has been invaded many times over the centuries by it’s many neighbours and particularly the Ottoman Turks, hence so many fortresses.

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So we went to the Stalin museum and it was an experience although not one I enjoyed. I couldn’t understand it, Georgians don’t go there, it’s for tourists. I felt very uncomfortable and disrespectful. We had a guide who in Russian style reeled off lots of facts unemotionally and will no opportunity to ask questions. It was a whistle stop your, of Stalin’s life with lots of artefacts. The fact that 800,000 people were ‘sent away’ was said very matter of factly as were the famous Georgians who were shot. I did however like the old railway car just for the beauty of its interior. The rest made me feel shabby and left a bad taste in my mouth. What about the millions that were murdered? No mention. I was in Bosnia in the war on an aid convoy. I think if I were ever to visit a museum to Slobodon Milosevic I’d want to take it apart piece by piece.

Stalin’s death mask.

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I was glad to get out and go for lunch. I needed wine after that.
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See my other posts on:

Georgia

Armenia

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