At least that’s how it feels. We depart from seaside Kvariati for inland Vadzia, a distance of 240 kilomtrers.
Because of the state of the roads, this ends up taking ten hours of driving.
(Have we used this title before? I think so. Anyway, it’s from Tolkien.)
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It’s very scenic, but the road is so bad, we often travel at speeds of single digits.
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About midway, we come to the village of Khulo and take a break.
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We reach the top of the Goderdzi Pass. There is a ski resort up here, with what looks like hundreds of rooms being added. God knows how people get here in the winter.
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We finally reach asphalt roads again. This part of southern Georgia looks almost like Wyoming or South Dakota. (Or at least like Wyoming or South Dakota look like in my imagination.)
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Another fortress. According to Wikipedia, there are over 100 fortresses in Georgia.
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Sight or Insight of the Day
Finally, after ten hours of driving, we reach our goal for the day: Vardzia.
Vardzia is a complex of caves/monastery that dates from the twelfth century.
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It sits above the Mtkvari River, the same river that flows through Tbilisi.
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It’s too late in the day to visit, so we have dinner in a roadside restaurant.
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