Is that Fresco Russian or Georgian Orthodox?

On Sunday, October 13, most of our cohort joined a day trip excursion to the Kahketi region with our lovely tour guide Mary (pictured at the front of our bus).

It was a jam-packed day. We visited three different sites throughout the region, and learned about the tragic love story of Pirosmani the painter. We also saw the memorials of World War II and the anti-Soviet demonstration of April 9, 1989, and learned the difference between Russian and Georgian Orthodox fresco paintings. For the curious, Georgian fresco paintings are usually filled with bold reds and blues with taller/narrower figures, while Russian fresco paintings commonly have pastel tones with gold stars against dark blue backgrounds.

As we soaked in some of the history and cultural context of Georgia, we also supported each other to adjust to the 8-hour time difference. (Strategically-timed power naps on the bus are great.) The day ended with preparing local dishes including churchkhela – a string of walnuts or hazelnuts covered in thickened grape juice and flour, Georgian bread, and khinkalis – delicious Georgian meat-pockets or dumplings, and a wine-tasting tour.

It is truly difficult to pick a favorite highlight of the day, but hopefully these photos illustrate the beautiful scenes and events of the day. We’ve been thinking about Georgia since January of this year, so it is surreal but incredible to finally be here.

-- OhnSoon K., MAGP Cohort 4