Stepantsminda Whirlwind Adventure

**This is a catch-up post, as it is about a trip I took during training, but honestly it was so incredible I couldn't not share the photos!**

During PST, trainees are given the weekend to organize a cultural trip to any location in Georgia! The idea is to get you to practice traveling, navigating transport, and arranging lodging.  My group decided to go to Stepantsminda, a high mountain town in Kazbegi. We actually had to get special permission to travel there, as it is very close to the Russian border, and the route to travel there goes within the restricted 5km buffer zone around the border of South Ossetia (the Russian-controlled breakaway reagion). However, we got permission and set off!

The ride up into the mountains was absolutely breathtaking! There were also cool monuments and constructions that we got to see:

some sort of monument in the middle of nowhere

a cool tunnel built into the side of the mountains!

When we arrived, we were starving so we went to a nearby restaurant, in which we encountered the strangest menu I have seen yet in Georgia...

errors in translation

Stepantsminda was named after a Georgian Orthodox monk named Stepan.

It also lies along the Georgian Military Highway, which is a major route through the Caucuses that connects Georgia and Armenia to Russia. Along the road outside of the town, there were hundreds of semi-trucks lined up, waiting to be allowed to go to the border crossing.

A main attraction of the town is Gergeti Trinity Church, a church located at 2,170 meters! The church was built in the 14th century. During the Soviet times when religious services were banned, the church remained a tourist destination. After the fall of the Soviet Union, it has now resumed as an active religious establishment. When we visited, many Georgians were trekking up to the church for a religious holiday.

The townis overlooked by Mount Kazbek, just south of the Russian border. The mountain lies at an elevation of 5,047 meters or 16,558 feet! Mount Kazbek is associated in Georgian folklore with Amirani, the Georgian version of Prometheus, who was chained on the mountain as punishment for stealing fire from the gods and giving it to humans. For more on this myth, read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amirani

 The cave where he was imprisoned later became an Orthodox hermitage called 'Betlemi' (Bethlehem) located at about 4,000 meters. According to legends, this cave is believed by the Orthodox to have housed many sacred relics, including Abraham's tent and the manger of Jesus.

We hiked up to the Gergeti Trinity Church the next morning, and although the trail was EXTREMELY steep, the views at the top make it totally worth it!

medieval defense tower

the group minus Susan who was exploring the church

the whole group!

Down the hill from the church itself is a small shrine. We explored the shrine, and then had a picnic in the field, just taking in the great views of the church and surrounding mountains. We also made a dog friend.

the shrine and the church in the background

dog friend!

Unfortunately we had to be back to our sites by 7pm that evening, so we did not get to spend any more time in Stepantsminda, but I am definitely planning on returning to explore more!