Uplistsikhe, Gori and Mtskheta, 10 October

Uplistsikhe is an ancient town in eastern Georgia, some 10 kilometers east of Gori.
Built on a high rocky left bank of the Kura or Mtkvari River, it contains various structures dating from the Early Iron Age to the Late Middle Ages,
Uplistsikhe is identified by archaeologists as one of the oldest urban settlements in Georgia. Strategically located in the heartland of ancient kingdom of Kartli, it emerged as a major political and religious center of the country.
With the Christianization of Kartli early in the 4th century, Uplistsikhe seems to have declined in its importance and lost its position to the new centers of Christian culture – Mtskheta and, later Tbilisi.
Gori has a population of 50,500 and is known as the birthplace of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. It is still proud of its famous son. Joseph Stalin Museum and the Stalin monument in front of the City Hall is in place, one of the few such monuments to survive Khrushchev's de-Stalinization program.
Mtskheta is the former capital of Georgia before Tbilisi took over, and is still the religious centre. Svetitskhoveli Cathedral (11th century) and Jvari Monastery (6th century) in Mtskheta are amongst the most significant monuments of Georgian Christian architecture.
It was peak season for wedding so we had some problems in getting to the church as the narrow streets were filled with the cars of the wedding guests, but in the end we succeeded.