Trash Tree

Continuing from yesterday's adventures in Tblisi...As we approached the church, we were snapping pictures left and right. We were having a jolly old time on the cliff snapping pictures of the picturesque setting sun, illuminating the warm glow from the frosted windows around the city, until... someone came out onto the cliff where we were laughing over some witty joke and yelled at us to be quiet. We were confused. There was nothing around us. Is this a secretly quiet city at sunset? Are there laws against laughter? Quiet confused we made our way back up the stairs to the higher part of the rocky cliff. And, of course, to our right, hidden by a well-concealed door was the entrance to a church that was in the middle of a service. Double oops. Our care-free raucousness interrupted a church service. It was quite embarrassing really.

When we headed back over the huge bridge to the Old City after taking in the rustic beauty of the hidden stone church and our scolding, we took a terrifying taxi ride up the steepest slope I have ever driven up. This road led us to the base of the fortress located on the top of the hill overlooking the city of Tblisi. There, is a huge statue of Mother Georgia, much like in Lebanon (except that in Lebanon the statue is of Mother Mary) and in Brazil. (except that it is the Christ figure) She brought Christianity to Georgia thousands of years ago. We sauntered over to the far edge of the fortress but the majority was closed for renovations. On the far hill lies a monastery which we wanted to go to, but as we trudged through the construction zone, we got yelled at by some old men for entering it, so we quickly reversed back down the hill. It was a bummer. But a fun fact about Georgia; On the road of to almost all religious sites, there is a tree. I call it a trash wish tree. Tied to the tree are numerous pieces of cloth, plastic, ribbon, garbage, string and scrunchies, all wishes tied to the tree made by people going to the religious site. So before every important monastery, church and religious site, you're greeted with a colorful trash (and wish) filled tree!