Preparing for the train and the weeks adventure
My train
Georgia passing me by.
Old Soviet train station.
The fort at Gonio (just south of Batumi on the Black Sea). It was built in BCE by Romans and was adapted for use for throughout the Byzantine times.
Love that you can walk around the upper edge of the walls. As my travel partner, Luke said, "Only in a post-Soviet country."
The pink castle across the street- the one full of beer!
The Black Sea.
Batumi Botanical Gardens. I don't think we saw half of it.
A picture for my father.
Another picture for James.
Gelati monastery out side of Kutaisi.
Impressive frescos as always. (I studied many of these images throughout my internship)
Apse mosaic.
Small side chapel with a painted wooden iconostasis.
Details of the academy portion of the monastery.
The door to David the Builder's tomb. He is kinda a big deal.
The sun dial on the side of the church. And the Georgian guide who gave Luke a tour in Russian.
Post Gelati, we passed this ruin on a hill above the road and decided to check it out.
Inside the narthex of the the apparent church. Notice the old fresco and the extensive cow poo (impressive as the entrances were totally blocked off).
Another portion of the ruins and the Gelati church in the background.
A shot of me on the ruins with Gelati in the background.
Bagrati Cathedral in Kutaisi. Twenty percent of the building is original....
Copper roofing to mimic the copper colored ceramic roof tiles found at the site. Note the modern addition on the side....
The various layers of reconstruction. You might be able to understand the controversy that surrounds the rebuilding of the cathedral.
Another look at the layers...
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