Don Curry and the Hot Hut

Don Curry left Gori without breakfast. It was not included in the overnight price this time, and since he had a lot to do today, he could even save some time.

He had already visited the Sioni Monastery from Borjomi, back in the late afternoon, so that some of the beautiful facades were in the shade. Since the monastery is very close to Gori, Don Curry took this short detour to have all the facades photographed in sunlight. There was a church service going on in the church, so Don Curry did not stay there any longer.

Also in the vicinity of Gori is the cave city of Uplistsikhe, which is located in a dry sandstone area above a river. People lived in these self-made caves from the Iron Age to the late Middle Ages, some of which have several rooms per housing unit and sometimes have decorative ceilings. In addition to pagan temples, there were at least two Christian churches here, one of which has been completely restored, but does not represent a cave church. After the cool rainy days of the last time, the sun showed once again how much power it has, so that the many visitors to the cave city concentrated mostly in the few shady places.

After his tour through the extremely uneven terrain, Don Curry felt a clear sense of hunger. His stomach had long been accustomed to the rich breakfast. In a small restaurant in the parking lot of the cave city, Don Curry ordered a Georgian pear lemonade and Lobiani, a khachapuri with bean filling. Actually, he had hoped that a Lobiani always has a smaller diameter than the usual flatbreads, but his Lobiani exceeded the size of the large serving plate on all sides. Unfortunately, the filling of crushed red beans had little flavor, so the dish was somewhat bland. It was enough to satisfy his hunger; Don Curry could only eat half of it.

Afterwards, Don Curry drove on the highway towards Tbilisi, but absolutely had to visit Samtavisi Monastery in between. Similar to Nikortsminda, a real gem of Georgian church architecture bears witness to the once much greater importance of the respective localities, which today resemble rather sleepy villages. At least the cathedral of Samtavisi is now considered a bishop's church again. The diverse facade decoration and the remains of fresco painting inside were once again a magnificent culmination of Don Curry's extensive journey to churches and monasteries in Armenia and Georgia. There was no longer a religious building on his program, but he was mistaken.

After Don Curry had been moving in an easterly direction so far, he now drove consistently north on the so-called Georgian Military Road. This connection has long been one of the most important routes through the High Caucasus and is still considered the most important transport route to Russia today. Accordingly, the overall traffic volume was high and the proportion of trucks in particular. Due to the bright blue sky, Don Curry decided to spontaneously include Ananuri Fortress in his day's program. It is absolutely photogenic, located directly on the military road, and was intended to protect this trade route in the Middle Ages. However, the centerpiece of the sturdy fortress walls is a church!

A group of young people were singing a solemn Georgian church hymn inside, filling the room with so much spiritual atmosphere that no one dared to move inside. Everyone stood and listened, deeply moved. Don Curry added this surprise church to the category of 'church jewels' without hesitation, so today there was a double grand finale.

Shortly before the Kreuzpass at a height of 2,379 meters, the highest point of the military road, the impressive monument of Georgian-Russian friendship rises in an impressive mountain landscape. Although it may be quite controversial in its content in the current political situation, it expresses more joy of life and intercultural connection with its colorful tiles and folkloric depiction than the usual pathos of socialist brotherhood ideologies. Don Curry noticed a striking number of Arab tourists at this place. For them, this mixture of lush green mountain meadows and snow-covered peaks must represent a maximum of exoticism. Don Curry found it somewhat amusing to observe a fully veiled tourist with a straw hat and sunglasses, constantly taking selfies of herself in front of this mountainous landscape. The question is, who would be able to recognize her in those photos?

When Don Curry turned towards his next destination, the Truso Valley, he quickly realized that progress on this extremely bad dirt road would be very time-consuming. Since the sun was already setting and due to the high mountains, it would disappear from sight much earlier than in flat areas, he decided to turn back. Perhaps he would manage to reach Zakagori Fortress on one of the coming days.

Shortly after 6:00 pm, he arrived in Stepantsminda, the last city in Georgia before the Russian border. But instead of going to the hotel, he went straight up many serpentine roads to the Trinity Church, which is located on a mountain at an altitude of 2,170 meters. It was already built in the 14th century and is considered one of the most important churches in Georgia mainly because of its location. Its silhouette against the mighty Kazbegi peak is THE typical Georgia photo. That's why Don Curry did not consider his visit as an actual visit to a church, but as reaching a particularly photogenic location.

When he arrived in the parking lot, the Kazbegi was already in backlight. The sun had just started to set next to it. But the outlines of the church and the bell tower stood out wonderfully against the sunlit mountain peaks on the opposite side. Don Curry gladly took advantage of this opportunity. After taking numerous photos in this magnificent area, he had Xerra descend the mountain again to find his accommodation, Kazbegi View. It was supposed to be a cottage at the upper edge of Stepantsminda. Don Curry consciously booked a cottage with a mountain view. When the manager showed him his home for two nights, it took Don Curry's breath away for two reasons. The inside of the cottage was unbearably hot. Its front facing the mountains consists entirely of glass and thin metal supports. The sun could therefore heat up the room behind the glass all afternoon. But what a view! From his room, Don Curry had the magnificent Kazbegi massif directly in front of his eyes, and also the Trinity Church in front of the Kazbegi. On this trip, his accommodations had rarely been stingy with grand views, but this view was the absolute culmination.

With the door open, the heat in the cottage gradually subsided. It gets cold at night anyway, said the manager. Last night it was 7°C. That's why she recommended to Don Curry to turn on the heating, which he couldn't imagine in the current temperatures in the room. She also recommended the restaurant 'Tiba', which had just opened next to the cottages.

Shortly after 8:00 pm, Don Curry entered the recommended restaurant. It had actually cooled down significantly by then, so eating outside was out of the question. An unexpectedly short menu made Don Curry suspect and hope that this restaurant did not simply want to cook the numerous classics of Georgian cuisine like most places, but rather refine these classics with some creativity. A very diligent waiter took his order: a Kakhetian tomato salad with cheese mousse and walnut adjika, and a trout grilled over charcoal with tarragon. He chose a dry white wine to drink, and the waiter recommended a Mtsvane wine. He was slightly puzzled when Don Curry ordered a whole bottle; he explained that he wanted to take the rest back to his cottage. After a reasonable amount of time, the wine was served; it had already been opened, explained the waiter. He asked if Don Curry wanted a glass as well. Yes, Don Curry would like a glass, he just wanted to take the remainder of the wine with him, not the whole bottle. The glass came, but Don Curry could not manage to open the cork, which had been pulled but then stuck back into the bottle about halfway; he didn't want to break it. Finally, he asked the waiter for help. The bottle was already open, said the waiter, and moved the cork back and forth so vigorously that it actually broke off. No problem, said the waiter, disappeared, and came back with the bottle completely without a cork. That wasn't how it was supposed to be, Don Curry resigned. The wine had the deep orange color of a genuine Qvevri wine and also had an earthy undertone that is not usually found in white wines. An ideal companion for the meal.

Apart from the inexperience of the service staff, this restaurant excelled with exquisite cuisine. He had not eaten as well in Georgia since Cafe Littera in Tbilisi. The salad delighted with a pleasant spiciness, the tomatoes almost melting away, and the rich and creamy cheese mousse as a crowning touch made it a dish of its own, not just a side salad. The trout was rather small, but already freed from all bones and covered with masses of tarragon leaves and red onion strips. Two lemon quarters gave the guest the opportunity to season the fish as desired. When Don Curry asked for a chacha after his meal, the waiter said they had two: a classic one and one with peach. Don Curry ordered the latter and got a very mild and extremely fruity brandy, which he had never drunk before in Georgia. When Don Curry asked about the brand, the waiter asked the bartender to show the bottle: it was a 5-liter plastic canister without any label, so it was filled somewhere, like Don Curry's chacha in Ushguli.

Back in his cottage, Don Curry pushed aside all the curtains. He wanted to enjoy the panoramic view, even though there was not much to see at night besides the lights of Stepantsminda. The cottage was now pleasantly tempered, Don Curry did not turn on the heating. From his bed, he looked out into the darkness of the mountains in front of him. But suddenly he saw two golden lights roughly in the middle of the mountains: the Trinity Church and the church tower were illuminated....