Life in a year full of Saturdays: Ananuri Fortress

Kazbegi (Georgia)
12 September 2016

Today was my the birthday of my future brother-in-law and we collectively decided to spend the day discovering how insane Georgians become when they're put behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

I think there's something to be said for the discovery of the core characteristics of a people when you hit the streets and observe the way they handle themselves on the road. Part of their psyche is bared for all to see. Driving in its raw state, with all of its individualised emotions whilst in a vehicle, I believe, can give you a somewhat accurate portrait of that society when looked at in a whole. Here are some of the insights I've gathered from my time on the road in various parts of the world;

Serbia: There is an incessant use of hazard lights in the hope of ratifying an illegality, i.e., parking like an absolute dumb arse. They double park, triple park, just stop in the middle of a street to take or make a call, ignore lane lines, etc. They're constantly doing stupid things on the road, either because, they are stupid, or, they believe in the standard Serbian philosophy of 'f**k you'. That view is the egotistical stand point where Serbians believe that they, as an individual, are entitled to get away with everything under the sun but in the same breath where they truly believe that nobody else should be afforded the same entitlement because, you know, they are so much better than everyone else and they are the only ones that should be entitled.

Serbian cultural insight: Stupid, idiotic, plain dumb at times with self-inflated ego's born out of inferiority complexes.

Vietnam: These guys operate in some crazed world where traffic lights and street signs have no baring upon directing the actual nature of traffic. This frenzied and chaotic approach to driving somehow flows in an organic and fluid mass of confusion. It works, 'just'.

Vietnamese cultural insight: Amidst the chaos there's a strange sense of harmony

Australia: Oddly polite, structured and well mannered on the road, some might say even cultured. The only use of the car horn is in extreme anger or under polite duress

Australian cultural insight: The nanny state has made it onto our roads with politeness infiltrating our ever fibre, seeping into our mode of transit.

Italy: Frenzied brutality with constant chaos. Moves are made out blatant aggression and machismo. If you can't accept the rules of the wild then 'Vaffanculo'

Italian cultural insight: Full of sass, male bravado and dumb angst.

.....which now brings me all the way to Georgia. Oh dear, Georgian driving....

Georgia: Mad! Mad men, mad women, blatantly crazy. They are insane and take risks that are beyond the border of dangerous, entering the world of suicidal. Lanes are mere guidelines, speed limits are there to be decimated, smoking and drinking whilst driving is accepted as good behaviour.

Georgian cultural insight: Georgia is a mix of everything meaning that their style of driving reflects an environment where all things are allowed and a place where friendliness amongst the populace is released through ludicrous kamikaze style manoueveres on the roads.

Zhinvali water reservoir - Georgia

Ananuri fortress - Georgia

On the road to Kazbegi - Georgia

I say all this for the fact that we had hired a driver to take us to Kazbegi. What I witnessed from him and what I witnessed from Georgian drivers generally, makes we wonder to this day the debt that I have to the universe in still being alive. These guys are MAD, make no mistake about that. This dance with death was my take away from the morning 'driving experience' as we made our way the 150kms north to Kazbegi. It was a drive punctuated by errant games of chicken, speeding beyond the means and capacity of the van and a sleepy eyed drivers whose name may have been Andre or Anatoli for all I can remember.

Our route to Kazbegi was punctuated by a stop approximately 75kms out of Tbilisi, called Ananuri fortress. The fortress/castle build on right bank of the Aragvi river, is located on the main route out of Tbilisi to the Russian frontier and in the past was part of the Great Silk Road. The bell tower, the castle, three churches and the fortress walls are beautifully carved from stone and make for an attractive focal point in what is a scene of serene beauty.

Ananuri fortress - Georgia

On the road to Kazbegi - Georgia

A few hours later we made it to Kazbegi and onto the northern slopes of the Caucasus range, very close to the Russian border. The draw card here, aside from the dramatic scenery, is silhouette of the famous Gergeti Trinity church as it stands, perched high upon an empty, lonely grassed hill, in front of the almighty Mt Kazbek. The imposing ranges look down on this holy place and provide a reverent and regal backdrop to the site.

The start of our walk to Gergeti Trinity Church - Kazbegi - Georgia

Gergeti Trinity Church - Kazbegi - Georgia

Kazbegi - Georgia

Climbing up to the church from the town of Kazbegi takes all of an hour, and its mostly a 'huff and puff' affair. Ever upward and relentless, the walk is enjoyable enough but unscrupulously deceptive in the level of effort needed to hike up. As we discovered, there are roads to be utilised to make it up should you choose to do that. Knowing the company I was in however the reality was that the option was one that would never be taken. Still, when you earn each step up you get to really appreciate the vista for both the effort you put in and also the natural beauty that surrounds you, and without question, the scenery was beautiful. The landscapes of the Caucasus in this part are grand, vast, and completely fill up your field of vision. Coupled with that, we were also lucky enough to have encountered a really nice, comfortable day, that simply enhanced our entire mood.