Kakheti pt2

Saturday we woke up and had a typical eastern European breakfast; meats & cheeses, bread & coffee. 
The day was beautiful with the Caucasus mountains in the background, here's me with Maj Birney, my deputy. 

Then back in the vans to the local castle in Telavi.  Begun in the mid 1600s Batonis-tsihe was a fortress built for the local tsar back in the day.  Unfortunately it was closed for renovations so we could only walk around the outside.

Next stop was the Gremi church, begun in 1517.  Built on a small hill it's still in operation.  I walked by the 'front door' and could see a service going on and smell the incense.  It's obviously been renovated, several times, but still interesting to see some of the original works including an incredibly steep, and dark, winding stone staircase leading up to the bell tower. 

Last stop was back to the winery.  It's one of the few winerys built into caves, a network of about 150 km (seems like a lot but that's what the lady said) Originally they made wine the traditional way in the big jugs buried in the ground but now they use regular wood barrels or huge steel tanks. 

We had a late lunch with great food, and wine of course, then back in the vans for the drive back to base.