Richard And Jo Demeester's photos with the keyword: Uplistsikhe

After the picnic, the kids had some time to fill before they had to return to Tbilisi. They pulled out speakers and put on music and sang a few songs, including Georgian hits as well as stuff we knew like Coldplay. The activities got more boisterous, with students swinging each other around, fairly violently, and culminating in recreations of Georgian sword dances. Apparently, throwing each other in the air is part of those dances. I guess we just have to believe them. Jo did not seem to offend them by politely declining persistent invitations to be one of the thrown.

Some of the kids who were on an excursion who invited us to join them for their picnic. The food was made up of various things that they had brought along to share, including some fantastic home made treats. The most surprising thing to see was, amongst the bottles of Coke and lemonade, a few bottles of vodka. Upon arrival at the picnic, we were presented with a plate and a small plastic “shot cup” of vodka, and gestures were made to the immense quantities of food to help ourselves. But apparently we didn't help ourselves enough as food was brought to us and put on our plates.

We nearly missed this cave, as it was a bit awkward to get to, but since it was one of the very few which had a sign, we made a bigger effort. And glad we did. The carved arches and the work around the column made it a highlight.

The view up and down the river from Uplistsikhe is quite extensive and very pretty.

A church on the hilltop above the cave city of Uplistsikhe. Sheep grazing by the approach road looked after by a shepherd with a staff.

The cave city of Uplistsikhe lies largely in ruins, but some remains are quite distinct, including pagan temples (later converted to churches) and dwellings.