Dispatches from Georgia: Gori - Stalin and fortresses

We have Thursday - Monday off for the Easter holiday, so today we decided to venture into Gori, the nearest city to all of our clusters.

However, the first step was figuring out how to take a marshutka (bus) Marshutkas are the basic form of public transportation in Georgia. Luckily, after waiting only a few minutes at the bus stop, we saw a bus labeled გორი (Gori). We were on our way! And for only 60 tetri (about 27 cents!). Attached is a picture of a typical marshutka to give you an idea of what they look like:

typical marshutka

Upon arrival in Gori, we disembarked into a bazari (market) full of fruit, vegetables, live chickens, and even a few brains in tupperwares! After exploring there for a while, we walked up the hill to the fortress that looms over Gori. According to Wikipedia,

"The fortress first appears in the 13th century records but archaeological evidence shows that the area had already been fortified in the last centuries BC. The fortress controlled major strategic and economic routes and accommodated a large garrison. In the 16th century the Ottomans captured it to overawe Tbilisi, and then it continually changed hands between the Turks, the Georgians, and the Persians. The citadel acquired the present-day form under the Georgian kings Rostom of Kartli in the 1630s and Erekle II in 1774. After the Russian annexation of Georgia in 1801, the fortress was garrisoned by a Russian grenadier battalion, but its importance gradually declined and the fortifications went defunct."

It was definitely worth the hike it took to get up there! The fortress has incredible views of Gori and the surrounding mountains. On a clear day, you could see to Russian territory (but today it was unfortunately cloudy). There was even a deep pit that we speculated was either a well or a pit to put prisoners in (or maybe Peace Corps Volunteers who misbehave!). There was also an ADORABLE dog that lived up there that wanted to play with us the entire time we were up there. Here are some pictures of our visit.

Gori fortress

There were beautiful wildflowers growing all over the hillside below the fortress:

wildflowers

I have noticed this stone pattern (the one around the doorway) all over in Karaleti.

Gori fortress

The view of Gori from the fortress

Gori fortress

at the Gori fortress

Down the hill from the fortress was a really cool circle of statues. From what we could tell, they depicted some sort of Georgian warriors. They were very impressive and imposing.

Georgian warriors

Susan striking a pose

Georgian warrior + church

After this, we made our way to the Stalin museum. Stalin (real name Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili) was born in Gori, Georgia on December 18, 1878. His house that he lived in for the first 4 years of his life is preserved in a museum in Gori (His parents rented a single room in the house).

The hammer and sickle above Stalin's house

Stalin's house

The man himself

Accompanying the house is a museum of relics from Stalin's life. They ranged from gifts to Stalin from Mao, to paintings of Stalin from "the people" of Soviet Union, to Stalin's favorite cigarettes, to the stones from the site of one of Stalin's sons deaths, to Stalin's personal railway carriage (complete with a bathtub and toilet!), to Stalin's death mask (CREEPY). It was definitely a site to see. Apparently, the museum has become somewhat a site of controversy especially following the 2008 invasion of Georgia by Russia, but it remains...