We left Kutaisi early in the morning because we had a long drive ahead of us. We fueled up the car before joining the main highway heading east. The drive was pleasant as we passed through the Georgian countryside. As we approached Mtskheta, the highway exits were tricky; after some back-and-forth, we finally joined the Georgian Military Road.
We stopped at a small roadside eatery for a quick breakfast. We had been driving for a couple of hours and everyone was hungry. We tried three types of khachapuri and some coffee (which was from a machine and not great).
Our first stop was the Monument of 300 Aragvians, which was located just off the main road and had ample parking.
We then drove along the Zhinvali Reservoir. There were multiple spots with small souvenir shops along the way where we could stop to take in the views of the hills and the water.
Our next stop was the Ananuri Fortress Complex. There was a parking lot here which cost 3โ5 GEL. We headed inside to explore the complex. There were many places where we could walk along the walls or up the stairs in the towers, providing great photo opportunities. We could also see the backwaters of the Zhinvali Reservoir.
We drove further and stopped at the confluence of the Black and White Aragvi rivers. The distinct colors of the water from the two rivers were evident and fascinating to see.
We stopped for lunch at Qavtaradze Khinkali. As we were leaving, a small scuffle broke out on the opposite side of the road between two men, presumably over some improper overtaking earlier.
Driving further north, we saw the Statue of Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani and stopped to see the Spring Water Nadibani. Another driver before us had taken his vehicle down there and drank the water from the spring before waving and driving past us. Seeing him, we took a sip of the water as well. Based on the taste, it was definitely rich in mineralsโpossibly iron and sulfur. However, the most interesting part was that it was mildly carbonated. This was something none of us had experienced before.
Our next stop was the Georgia-Russia Friendship Monument. It is a large semi-circular structure with murals on the inward-facing walls, overlooking the valley and mountains. The boys saw snow for the first time there, and we walked to a nearby patch so they could see it up close. It wasn’t pristine, but it was snow nonetheless. There was also an option for paragliding, but we didn’t have enough time to try it.
As we drove towards Stepantsminda, we saw a long line of trucks waiting on the opposite side heading towards Tbilisi. They were likely coming from the Russian border, which was not far away, waiting for paperwork, clearance, or traffic restrictions.
We reached Stepantsminda in the late evening, checked into our hotel, and parked the van. The walk into the town center was all downhill. We quickly realized that it would be entirely uphill on the way back after dinner. To avoid the climb later, I walked back and fetched the van while the rest of the group waited in the town center and shortlisted a place for dinner.
We went to Restaurant Cozy Corner, which had a nice outdoor garden with a small stream and tables on the grass. However, it was getting cold, so we chose to sit indoors. Interestingly, they had currency notes from all over the world stapled to the walls. One odd thing was that we were not allowed to consume the water bottles we had purchased at the town center earlier. This seemed quite strange to me. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and called it a day, ready for the final day of our trip tomorrow.
๐ Royal Car Rent
๐ฝ๏ธ แแแขแแฎแขแ แแก แจ แ แฃ แ แ แ
๐ฝ๏ธ Restaurant Qavtaradze Khinkali
๐ฝ๏ธ Cozy Corner Restaurant
๐๏ธ Kushashvili Seven Sisters