Our class spent six days traveling through the Western part of Georgia. We visited remote mountain towns, explored caves, hiked to a glacier, visited a massive dam and enjoyed the region's food. Then we continued to the beach city of Batumi where we got to enjoy the Black Sea, tour the city, visit an ancient Roman trading post and see an old wooden mosque in the hills. It was so cool to see how different life is for people in the different areas of Georgia--from the materials houses are built from to the design of the homes to the specific dishes the locals are known for making. I found the stone towers attached to many houses in Mestia to be the most fascinating. These were made hundreds of years ago from stone and served two primary purposes: first, the stone towers were a safety measure against mountain avalanches, allowing people to escape above the snow, which might bury their homes; second, they were watch towers and better enabled the people to defend their towns from threats to the city.
It was a hectic yet fun week!
Now, we have our final week with essays and presentations. Then, I will go on vacation to Spain, France, and Italy.
