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| Holy Trinity Cathedral, Tbilisi, Georgia |
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| Jvari Monastery, Georgia |
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| Ananuri Fortress, Georgia |
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| Russian-Georgian Friendship Monument Georgia |
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| Jvari Pass, Georgia |
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| Mt Kazbek, Georgia |
Day 8 Thursday Oct 23 2025 (Tbilisi & Stepantsminda, Georgia) - collected our rental car this morning but had to settle a minor accident issue while reversing the car in a narrow lane nearby our guest house, began our drive from Tbilisi to Georgian Military Highway to visit Avari Monastery & Ananuri Fortress & stayed for 2 nights in the highland resort of Stepantsminda close to Russia (11km).
1) My solo early morning walk nearby my guest house towards The Holy Trinity Church direction.
2) St Marina Church, Tbilisi, Georgia
3) My solo early morning walk to The Holy Trinity Cathedral, Tbilisi, Georgia, constructed between 1995 & 2004, it is the 3rd tallest Eastern Orthodox cathedral in the world & one of the largest religious buildings in the world by total area, Sameba is a synthesis of traditional styles dominating the Georgian church architecture at various stages of history & has some Byzantine undertones.
4) Metro ride to Liberty Square, Tbilisi, Georgia
5) Liberty Square, Tbilisi, Georgia
6) Accompanying my travel buddies, KF Wong & Kuan Chen & paid a visit to our car rental company in old Tbilisi town to collect the car key & necessary documents ie valid insurance covering both countries & international driving permit, vehicle registration etc covering our group's use of a sedan car (Toyota Camry) for the next 16 days in Georgia & Armenia (involving 2 border crossings).
7) After collecting the rental car, we drove to our guest house in downtown Tbilisi & picked up our luggage & headed towards the Georgian Military Highway to visit Jvari Monastery, our group's first visit of the day. Unfortunately, our car had a minor accident (while reversing) with a car parked nearby our guest house & had to return to Tbilisi after the Jvari Monastery visit to settle the issue with the car owner ! Not a great start today !
8) Jvari Monastery, Miskheta, Eastern Georgia - the name of this monastery is translated as the "Monastery of the Cross", Javari is a rare case of an Early Medieval Georgian church that has survived to the present day almost unchanged, located about 27km from Tbilisi.
9) After the Jvari Monastery visit, we drove back to Tbilisi to sort out the accident matter with the car owner. The matter was settled & our group had to compensate the car owner a sum demanded by the car owner ! Guilty party had no choice but to pay up & we left the place & continued our drive to visit Ananuri Fortress, our next destination.
10) Monument of 300 Aragvians, Zhinvali, Georgia - a glimpse from the moving car !
11) Zhinvali Reservoir - a picturesque artificial lake in Georgia (70km from Tbilisi), formed by a dam on the Aragvi River, a popular destination for its scenic mountain views, historical sites like the Ananuri Fortress, it serves as a critical water supply for the capital city, Tbilisi & is known for a unique landmark, a 12th century church that is partially submerged for about half the year, took a few pictures of the reservoir from our moving car !
12) Ananuri Fortress - a 17th century fortified fortress ensemble with a circuit wall, churches, towers & a reservoir including the Church of the Assumption with relief, located 66km from Tbilisi
13) Gudauri Town, Georgia - a 10 minutes drive to Russian-Georgian Friendship Monument.
14) Soviet-era mountain tunnel along the Georgian Military Highway route ?
15) Georgian Military Highway (Tibilisi > Stepantsminda direction) - the historic name for a major route through the Caucasus from Georgia to Russia, alternate routes across the mountains include the Ossetian Military Road & the Transcaucasian Highway, the highway runs for 212km between Tbilisi, Georgia & Vladikavkaz, Russia & follow the traditional route used by invaders & traders throughout the ages; from Viadikavkaz, the road stretches southwards up the valley of the Terek before passing through the Darial Goerge (which marks the border between Russia & Georgia, it then passes Mount Kazbek & Gergeti Trinity Church before heading south-west through the Gerogoan region of Khevi to the Javari Pass, where it reaches its maximum altitude of 2,379m, not long after the pass the road passes the Russia-Georgia Friendship Monument, a large concrete monument built in 1983 to commemorate relations between the 2 countries & the bicentennial of the Treaty of Georgievsk.
16) Russian-Georgian Friendship Monument (Gudauri Panorama) - just 10 minutes drive from Gudauri, an iconic landmark on the Georgian Military Highway, a semi-circular mosaic perched on an outcrop overlooking one of the most scenic parts of the mountain range, built in 1983 to commemorate the 200 year anniversary of the Treaty of Georglevsk & celebrate diplomatic relations between Georgia & its neighbour to the north.
17) Jvari Pass (2,395m), Georgia - high mountain ( pass featuring impressive panoramic views of the surrounding peaks (Mt Kazbek) & valleys.
18) Hotel Accommodation (2 nights): Guest House Tamta, Stepantsminda, Georgia, room tariff Rm102 (US$24), twin sharing + kitchen facilities & dining area.
