Overnight stops (in date order): Alaverdi (x4); Gori; Vardzia
Our first stop in Georgia was at a truck wash to give the vehicle its first bath in six months.
We camped a night next to a vineyard
Before checking in for a second stay at a new hotel right next to the Alaverdi Monastery.
The manager organised a tour of the Monastery’s own winery
that ferments its grapes in the traditional Georgian manner in large clay vessels (Qvevris)
buried in the ground. Excavations at the Monastery uncovered Qvevris dating back to the foundation of the Monastery in the 10th Century
and wine has been produced in the cellar that contains the current qvevris
for at least a thousand years (this photo is of the same room after it was excavated).
