Gori

September 14, 2023

We headed out of town on the old road which was surprisingly busy but it got quieter when we crossed over the new E60 after about ten kilometers. The old road hugged the E60 for the next twenty kilometers before it disappeared completely and we had to join the E60 for fifteen kilometers.

Most of the little grocery store in Georgia are poorly stocked, apart from alcoholic drinks, so it was no surprise to see this sign. The Alco Market was surrounded by heavy goods vehicles which suggests the truck drivers might not be avoiding alcohol.

A few kilometers further we came upon the Giant Vodka Bottle.

The route was pretty flat until about ten kilometers to go when we had a climb of about a hundred and thirty meters. At this point we turned off the E60 and headed down a rough track into Gori.

Looking back over the valley through which we had ridden for most of the day. The countryside here is so much drier than it was just a day ago.

Gori Castle suddenly appeared as we reached the Old Town. Our digs lay in the Old Town below the castle.

After checking in at a small guesthouse in the Old Town and having showered and done our laundry, we headed off to the Josef Stalin Museum. It consists of three parts. The first is the house in which he was born and spent the first four years of his life, protected under an elaborate cover.

The second part is essentially a shrine to the ruthless dictator built by the Soviets just before his death. In needs to be seen in that context and not as a monument respected by the majority since then. There is one small exhibit that highlights the devastion he wrought but it is mostly a collection of photographs, documents and memorabilia that show him in a good light.

A grand staircase leads to the exhibitions in six halls on the first floor.

The only exhibit which I thought worthy of photographing was this deathmask, one of twelve that were made. The hall relating to his death has me constantly thinking back to the brilliant black comedy "The Death of Stalin", see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Stalin.

The third part of the museum is Stalin's rail carriage.

We are planning to head to the cave city at Uplistsikhe tomorrow. It is the lesser of the three main cave cities in Georgia but it is relatively accessible so we don't want to give it a miss.

Today's ride: 51 km (32 miles)
Total: 1,313 km (815 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	5
Comment on this entry	Comment	0