Florence and her regaining of joy!

So the day begins with rain. How could I do my stuff in the rain? I did ask myself this.
So the snow flakes begin
I WhatsApp my guide with questions as to how we might do this?
CCC he says no worries!
Picks me up, snow flakes are fatter..... and faster..... and thicker!
I’m a casual soul and just thought he knows what he is doing!
Part way up the mountain the slipping and sliding got a bit much.... indeed I thought I was going to have to get out and push!!!!
Anyway
Back down and new 4 wheel drive and we are made for the day.
But I can tell you
The ghostly vision of a snow covered Greek temple
Almost whited out
Built in first century
And I was there
It stood on a 600m cliff face
So we traveled
To a monastery built in the 6th century
Into a rock face
Surrounded by the caves of the ancients who lived around the monastery
And I felt as close to a creative life force as is possible
And the snow sat deeply
And kept falling.
More antiquity
An ancient church sitting high above the lake
Steep climbing on icy steps
So cold
Windy
And the snow was heavy
Why do they find their god in such hard places?
So much easier going down
My guide is awesome
I am replete
Tonight I sit in beautiful Armenian comfort
Good food
Tomorrow I head out again
To Mount Ararat... a touchy place as it is claimed by Turkia
And I won’t be doing the 6000m climb
What a day!
What a country!

Florence and the Recognition of Genocide

How many know anything about Armenia?
I watched a movie
A few years ago
Genocide in a place called Armenia
Committed by the Young Turks of the Ottoman Empire , a crumbling and decadent government.
I took it to heart and knew I needed to know more.
This only happened in the 1914-1920’s.
The First World War was a great cover for the first genocide of the 20thcentury
So I visited the museum
My first glimpse was of how wonderfully ancient this place is
And I know Cos I read the history books
But I didn’t know the sophistication of the Neolithic people in Armenia.
Their pagan history comes from the Earth Mother
Christians made sure that was decimated but absorbed so many of the original Armenian world and Catholicism made it their own. I get tired of the same story I see repeated in every country I visit.is
Islam is no better as they were deeply complicit in the Armenian genocide.
It’s been a big day
So many emotions
And the day began at 3 this morning.
Tomorrow I travel with my guide
Out into the countryside
But I will sleep tonight.

Frozen Florence awakens

It’s cold
But when the sun shines there is a warmth that permeates
Grey stone
Old broken shutters
Crooked doors
Smashed windows
Earthquake torture and
The smear of forgotten days.
The streets urge wandering and pensive moments
And I wonder how Tbilisi shone in glory days.
Bright new stars are here though and
Summer is around the corner.
I climbed into a 300 yr old church built to honour another saint
And I saw the torments etched after at least 35 different invasions of neighbouring countries
Trying to convert the Georgian people to Islam
They are tough people
Resilient
And they proudly nurture an ancient culture.
Classical guitarist played his music of sadness and joy
And just for my ears
He spoke of Georgia.
Unforgettable
Magic moment
Goodnight Georgia
Sleep well