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| World's "Most Interesting Building" |
We woke up and met Nikola, our adorable old-grandpa like Georgian taxi driver outside the hostel. We hired him to show us around the countryside to
Mtskheta to see some beautiful monasteries and stunning landscape. We hopped in the cab, cramming the four girls and John into our little yellow cab, and we were on our way to see "the world's most interesting building-" a bank built like something you'd build with legos! When we finally got out of the city, the change from city-life to village life was immediately evident. There was no in-between. We arrived in Mtskheta and walked through the eerily quiet streets to the gigantic Monastery we had wanted to see in the first place: the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. The streets were lined with baby chalet-looking houses and little shacks selling knick-knacks. I bought the world's best hat- a giant white sheep wool fur hat. It is priceless. I was mercilessly teased for buying it, but I loved it. The monastery is my favorite church I have ever been to. As you walked in through the protective ached stone walls; stunning and surrounded by a courtyard with benches, breathtaking news of the surrounding snow-capped mountains and a pool for purification. When we walked inside the church, my ears were greeted by the most beautiful choice I'd ever heard. Monks raised their voices in song, blending together seamlessly. The women alternated with the men, creating the most melodious sounds. We walked into the middle of a service and were lucky enough to see how the religious customs are different than ours. At points of pause, when the priest was leading the service, the people bent down tot he floor and touched their heads or lips in reverence, to the tile, quite similar to how Muslims bend down to pray. I marveled at the blend of styles and the tiny little children daring around their elders, engaging in a game of hide and seek. Out of all the churches I've seen in my life, Europe included, this church is the most astounding. Ornate, yet tasteful, their were pictures of angels with Christ, adorned with in gold, decorating the walls. It was the only church we entered that had a mural of Christ as the central painting. Our tour guide told us that this is because when Bartholomew (the disciple) brought Christianity to Georgia, he carried with him a portrait of the Virgin and Child. The service was so moving, we all stayed and listened until the end. I felt pulled to that spot, anchored. But when the service ended, we moved slowly back through the cobbled streets to the monastery of Jvari nestled high up in the mountain, overlooking the river that snakes through the valley surrounded by mountains. (Jvari, to be continued...)
We woke up and met Nikola, our adorable old-grandpa like Georgian taxi driver outside the hostel. We hired him to show us around the countryside to Mtskheta to see some beautiful monasteries and stunning landscape. We hopped in the cab, cramming the four girls and John into our little yellow cab, and we were on our way to see "the world's most interesting building-" a bank built like something you'd build with legos! When we finally got out of the city, the change from city-life to village life was immediately evident. There was no in-between. We arrived in Mtskheta and walked through the eerily quiet streets to the gigantic Monastery we had wanted to see in the first place: the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. The streets were lined with baby chalet-looking houses and little shacks selling knick-knacks. I bought the world's best hat- a giant white sheep wool fur hat. It is priceless. I was mercilessly teased for buying it, but I loved it. The monastery is my favorite church I have ever been to. As you walked in through the protective ached stone walls; stunning and surrounded by a courtyard with benches, breathtaking news of the surrounding snow-capped mountains and a pool for purification. When we walked inside the church, my ears were greeted by the most beautiful choice I'd ever heard. Monks raised their voices in song, blending together seamlessly. The women alternated with the men, creating the most melodious sounds. We walked into the middle of a service and were lucky enough to see how the religious customs are different than ours. At points of pause, when the priest was leading the service, the people bent down tot he floor and touched their heads or lips in reverence, to the tile, quite similar to how Muslims bend down to pray. I marveled at the blend of styles and the tiny little children daring around their elders, engaging in a game of hide and seek. Out of all the churches I've seen in my life, Europe included, this church is the most astounding. Ornate, yet tasteful, their were pictures of angels with Christ, adorned with in gold, decorating the walls. It was the only church we entered that had a mural of Christ as the central painting. Our tour guide told us that this is because when Bartholomew (the disciple) brought Christianity to Georgia, he carried with him a portrait of the Virgin and Child. The service was so moving, we all stayed and listened until the end. I felt pulled to that spot, anchored. But when the service ended, we moved slowly back through the cobbled streets to the monastery of Jvari nestled high up in the mountain, overlooking the river that snakes through the valley surrounded by mountains. (Jvari, to be continued...) 
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