Travels in Georgia] (29) Gvereti Waterfalls in the Mountains and Daliari Gorge near the Russian Border - Thinking about Tolstoy's Bird's Eye View
When I woke up in the morning and looked outside, the morning sun was shining on Mount Kazbeki. I was impressed by the contrast with the night world below.
The day began with a trip further north on the military road to the Gvereti waterfalls in the mountains.
The road is truly a kafkaesque one. It used to be so dangerous that it was difficult for even a single carriage to pass through. In those days, Tolstoy, Pushkin, Lermontov, and other great writers walked here.
Take the military road further north from Kazbeki in the direction of Russia.
- Takahiro Ueda @Hakodate Kinshokuji Temple (@kinsyokuzi) September 24, 2022
The goal is the Gvereti waterfall.
Driving while viewing the spectacular scenery that is THE military road.# Georgia # Caucasus pic.twitter.com/D2oOfVNC7D
Well, we soon arrived at the mountain near the waterfall. As usual, the mountain road was not paved, so it was very bumpy here as well.
We got out of the car and from here began the climb with our guide.
As soon as I start walking, I get anxious.
I wondered if this was really a safe place to start walking with such ease. Look at the mountain in front of me. Where in the world am I going to go from here?
Looking back, it was already THE mountain. We have come to a terrible place.
Apparently there is a waterfall at the far end of this front. The path itself does not seem dangerous at this point. It feels like a pleasant light hike. I hope it will continue like this.
Oh, it's starting to look like a mountain. And there is a river flowing. It must be flowing from the waterfall.
From this point on, you will start walking on large, uneven rocks because of the location along the river. If you are not careful, you may get hurt.
The current is quite strong. However, according to the guide, there is still little water. The spring thaw is said to be even more impressive.
A short distance from the river, through the trees, a waterfall appeared out of the corner of my eye. A thin stream was cascading down from the top of the cliff. It was beautiful. I would love to see it up close.
However, the road to the waterfall began here. It was now completely rock climbing. This was tough. I was no longer in the mood for easy hiking. I had fallen ill in Armenia, so this was quite a hurdle for me.
Slowly and cautiously, we climbed up little by little. We are almost there.
Looking back over the vacations, the view is unquestionably spectacular. Everywhere you go in the Kafkers, the view is spectacular.
Finally, we arrive. This is the famous Gvereti waterfall.
The hard work of climbing up the mountain made it all the more impressive.
It is as if water suddenly gushed out from the top of the cliff. The flow of water falling at subtly different angles, hitting the rock wall in places, is absolutely beautiful. It was as if threads were intertwined and woven together.
We spent some time in front of this waterfall.
It was pleasant to gaze at this waterfall in a daze while receiving the misty water on my face.
And then follow the water as it falls from top to bottom. This was also the most enjoyable part of the day. My eyes were glued to the movement of the water.
And when I suddenly lifted my gaze to look over the cliff, I felt as if there were mountain people there. Men who seemed to be looking down at us from the top of the cliff. Such an image suddenly came to me.
Walking through the mountains of these Kafkers, I was struck by their grandeur. And respect for the mountain people who once lived here naturally came to mind. I was struck by the majesty of the place and naturally felt respect for the mountain people who once lived here, who lived in such a harsh environment.
Tolstoy had respect for these very mountain people. He thought that the Russians were attacking them for no reason. I think this is an amazing thing. Ordinary Russians would never have thought of such a thing. This is where Tolstoy's greatness lies. This is what I was thinking as I looked at this waterfall.
On the way back down the mountain, we continued to enjoy the spectacular view. The descent down the rocky mountain was quite nerve-wracking, but we were able to return safely.
Go to Gvereti Falls near Kazbeki.
- Takahiro Ueda @Hakodate Kinshokuji Temple (@kinsyokuzi) September 25, 2022
The waterfalls were wonderful, but the sheer mountains towering in front of us were the most impressive.# Georgia pic.twitter.com/vP0cNF0WJn
Next, we headed to a place called Dali Ali Valley. This is the very spot right on the Russian border.
I was in the Kafkaes until September 12, but a few days later, the draft began in Russia, and you may have seen on the news that the Russian-Georgian border was in a tremendous state due to the flood of people fleeing Russia. This is the very border.
The border area is at the end of this mountain. Tensions between the two countries have remained high since the 2008 Russo-Georgian War.
This Daliari Monastery stands in the Daliari Valley near the border. The church was built relatively recently. This aspect shows that the Georgians still place great importance on their faith. It must have been very difficult in many ways to build such a large facility.
There was a river flowing by this monastery, which was also wonderful.
The river flows between large rocks that seem to have been paved over.
The river, the sound of the water, the view of the mountains. It's the best combination.
There was a river flowing by the Dali Ali Monastery near the Russian-Georgian border, which was also wonderful.
- Takahiro Ueda @Hakodate Kinshokuji Temple (@kinsyokuzi) January 9, 2023
The river flows between large rocks that seem to have been paved over.
The river, the sound of the water, the view of the mountains. It's the best combination.# Impressions of summer noted in autumn pic.twitter.com/DebynpwHzB
Then, he discovers a Cerberus-like squirrel in a nearby tree and gets dusty.
I could only look around at these majestic mountains. The craggy rock faces, towering like cliffs, their powerful forms...
Then suddenly two black dots jumped out at me.
I immediately hastened to look closer and saw that they were two eagles.
I hurriedly set up my camera. I managed to take a picture of the eagle. That is the photo above. Can you see the small eagle on the left side of the picture?
When I saw this eagle, I knew what Tolstoy's bird's eye view meant.
It is different from crows flying in the city. The perspective of an eagle flying freely over majestic mountains.
This is it.
But still, it was amazing. Just when you think you've been in this mountain, you're in the other one.
Between the mountains are deep, deep valleys, and if you take a short flight, you will be far up in the sky at once.
A tremendous scale. This is it. This is Tolstoy.
Tolstoy...War and Peace."He has created a story of tremendous scale in Throughout the work, his brush repeatedly appears with a bird's-eye viewpoint that reflects the entire world.
Not only in War and Peace. Tolstoy depicted the world on a much larger scale in his life as a writer.
If Dostoevsky wrote stories in which a group of people gather in a small dark room and repeatedly exchange bizarre words, Tolstoy's images are of the vast world of Russia and the Kafkaes and the grand halls of the glamorous aristocracy.
If Dostoevsky's works seem to dive deep into the abyss of man's inner self, Tolstoy's works feel like an expanse of space that stretches high into the sky and far beyond.
Dostoevsky dives deep and deep, and Tolstoy tries to grasp the world high and wide.
These two eagles reminded me of that.
Tolstoy was the eagle that danced the Kafkaes.
be unbroken
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