As part of my research this summer, I'm taking a bunch of guided tours and taking copious notes. And pictures! The highlight of yesterday's trip west was the ancient cave town of Uplistsikhe, which dates from the first millenium BC. Although the temperature hovered around 95 degrees, the wind was blowing at the top of the hill, making it nearly bearable.
Mercifully, our guide was also willing to scuttle plans to visit the third church of the day in favor of a hike at the Armaziskheri archaeological site, from 3000-2000 BC (hard to fathom) and known as the cradle of paganism in Georgia. Fun times!
More sobering was our stop at the Stalin museum, made more disturbing by the reverent, almost religious attitude of our guide. Reluctantly, she showed us the rooms under the staircase devoted to the estimated 4 million victims of his brutal political repression. She "spoke" English (more like, kind of memorized the guide script) but not enough to answer questions and not nearly enough to be suitably impressed when I told her that I hail from the same place of one of the dignitaries whose photograph is on display. Why hello, Harry Truman! Fancy meeting you in Gori.
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