Performing and Traveling in the Mountains and Vineyards of Georgia
TOUR AT A GLANCE: Date Hotel City Plan Included Meals
Thur. June 20th Tbilisi Arrivals
Fri. June 21st Tbilisi Options: Guided tour of Tbilisi Museums, Old Town B/(L)/D sightseeing. Live TV spot. Rehearsal. Millennium Challenge Corporation dinner
Sat. June 22nd Tbilisi Flash mob event, possible Church heirarchs event. B/(L)/D Option: Mtskheta Day-Trip Dress Rehearsal. Tbilisi Concert Concert banquet
Sun. June 23rd Tbilisi Option: Day-trip to Kakheti viticulture region, banquet with B/(L/D) singers
Mon. June 24th Kazbegi Travel day: Sightseeing overnight to Kazbegi highland region B/L/D
Tue. June 25th Kutaisi Travel Day: Kazbegi to Kutaisi B/L/(D)
Wed. June 26th Kutaisi Option: City tour, Paliashvili House Museum, spice market, B/(L) National Museum, Bagrati Cathedral Gelati Monastery performance
Thur. June 27th Kutaisi Rehearsal/media availability. B/(L)/D Option: Prometheus Caves, hike, boat ride. Dress Rehearsal. Kutaisi Concert Banquet
Fri. June 28th Kutaisi Option: Day-trip to Martvili monastery, Martvili Canyon B/(L) Performance: Paliashvili’s Abesalom da Eteri
Sat. June 29th Tbilisi Travel Day: Kutaisi to Tbilisi. B/L/D Upli-stsikhe cave city Samtavisi Cathedral singing event Final banquet Airport transfer.
Sun. June 30th -- Departures
(Meals in parentheses are included on optional trips only.)
Itinerary subject to change.
DETAILED ITINERARY
Date Itinerary
Wed. June 19th Departure: Washington D.C.
20:25 Group flight departs Dulles IAD. Qatar Airways #708 (12:35 to Doha) Thur. June Travel Day 20th Lovely here 16:00 Arrive Doha DOH. (4:05 layover.) 20:05 Depart Doha, Qatar Airways #255 (3:15 flight to Tbilisi)
Fri. June 21st Tbilisi Day Meals: B/(L)/D 0:20 Arrive Tbilisi TBS. Transfer via coach to hotel (35 minute drive). Check into Astoria hotel (staying four nights).
8:00 Breakfast at hotel until 11:00.
9:15 Singers put music folders and concert dress on busses before morning activities.
Option #1: Free morning. There will be a list of recommended activities and museums with a map for self-explorers. Meet at Rikhe Park fountain at 12:45 pm for live television event. Taxis can be ordered from the hotel front desk.
Option #2: Guided National Museum Tour and Lunch. 9:30 - 12:45. Walk to the National Museum to meet guides for tour of the exhibits. Taxi to Rikhe Park fountain at 12:45 for TV performance. Cost: $35/adult, $20/child.
Option #2b: City Tour and Lunch. 9:30 - 12:45. Drive to Rikhe park to begin our walking tour through Old Town Tbilisi features: Freedom Square, the Catholic Church th th where Paliashvili played organ, the 14 c. Sioni Cathedral, the 19 c. synagogue, a th th 13 c. Armenian church, the fortress and nearby mosque, and the 17 c. Persian bath-houses. Meet at Rikhe Park fountain at 12:45 for TV performance Cost: $35/adult, $20/child.
1:00 Live television appearance. Fred and John will speak on camera, then Fred will conduct the choir singing some Paliashvili. (15 minutes)
1:20 Drive to Mravalzhamier Restaurant for lunch. (10 minutes). Non-optional tour may join for lunch ($12 cash) or find lunch on their own at meet at Kakhidze Center for rehearsal.
2:45 Transfer to Kakhidze Center. (10 minutes)
3:00 Rehearsal at Kakhidze Center.
5:00 Transfer to Presidential palace Square (15 minutes)
5:30 Continue rehearsal if needed, change to concert dress.
6:45 Millennium Challenge Corporation short performance at the presidential palace. We will sing three songs, listen to the Georgian National Anthem, then sing the American National Anthem. Then we leave the stage before the speeches begin. (concert dress)
7:30 Bus back to hotel (10 minutes drive, 20 minutes walk).
8:00 Dinner at hotel
Sat. June 22nd Tbilisi Performance Day Meals: B/D 8:00 Breakfast at the hotel until 11:00. 9:30 Morning warm-up in the hotel conference room (20 minutes)
9:30 Depart for Old Town Tbilisi (Gabriadze Square)
9:55 Watch the angel ring a bell on the classic bell tower in the square.
10:01 Flash mob event. Getting into the swing-of-Georgian-things by making some music in the public square. Promotion for our concert event later.
10:15 Walk to Patriarchate (5 minutes), short concert for Church heirarchs (pending final confirmation)
Option #1: Free Day. Lunch on your own. There will be a list of recommended activities and museums with a map for self-explorers.
Option #2: Day trip to Mtskheta, the ancient capital city of the kingdom of Iberia (East Georgia).
Program: 11:00-4:30. Depart hotel (or Patriarch event), drive 45 minutes to the 6th c. Church of the Cross (Jvari), which overlooks the town. From this vantage point, we see seven churches, the confluence of two major rivers, several fortresses, and the town of Mtskheta, site of important events across centuries of Georgian history. The Romans even built a bridge into this town in 65 AD, parts of which still remain!
After a tour of Jvari, drive down to Mtskheta for lunch. Following lunch, tour the 11th c. Svetitskhoveli (Life-Giving Pillar) Cathedral. This site is the spiritual heart of the Georgian Orthodox Church, the place of royal coronations, royal burials, and containing important relics such as the tunic of Christ. The West end nave has th th been replaced, but most of the building remains from the original 11 - 12 century construction. The wall paintings date from various periods, the most famous of th which is a 16 c. circular fresco depicting the zodiac surrounding the four evangelists and Christ, found in the South apse. Also of interest: Note a reconstruction of the hagiopolite Church of the Sepulcher in the southwest corner of the nave. Return to the hotel by 5pm. Cost: $55/adult, $40/child.
5:30 Depart for Jansugh Kakhidze Center (20 minute drive). 6:00 Dress rehearsal 7:00 Green Room: Light snacks provided 7:30 Curtain, performance with Georgian choir. 9:30 Post-concert reception at Jansugh Kakhidze Center with host choir. 11:00 Group transfer to hotel Sun. June 23rd Kakheti Day-Trip Meals: B/(L/D) 8:00 Breakfast at the hotel until 11:00.
Option #1: Free Day. Lunch on your own. There will be a list of recommended activities and museums with a map for self-explorers including attending the Orthodox Christian liturgy at Sioni Cathedral.
Option #2: Guided bus tour day trip to Kakheti – East Georgia viticulture region.
Program: 9:00 – 10:30 pm. Drive two hours to Sighnaghi. Walking tour of the fortress town of Sighnaghi, views to the north across the lush Alazani Valley to the th Great Caucasus Range. Tour of the 9 c. Bodbe Convent (10 minutes), final th resting place of the 4 century saint, St. Nino Enlightener of Georgians. The t h th complex features a 9 century basilica with 19 century frescoes and a th refurbished, multi-storied wooded Russian iconostasis; a 19 century Russian bell-tower, a gift-shop, and a brand new cross-and-dome church to accommodate the crowds that come on pilgrimage to the Bodbe convent for the feast of St. Nino on January 27th (still under construction). We may have a meeting with the nuns. th Lunch and bread-baking demonstration. Depart for the 19 c. Tsinandali summer palace (1 hour), summer palace of the poet and diplomat Alexander Chavchavadze and family (30 minutes). We'll take a tour of the summer palace, and hear about a daring raid on the site in 1854, when forces allied with the Muslim freedom fighter Shamil managed to capture the Chavchavadze princess and her retainers. Tour of th the 11 c. Alaverdi Cathedral. Dinner in Telavi with traditional Kakhetian singing and toasting. Tbilisi return by 10:30pm. Cost: $95/adult, $70/child. Mon. June 24th Mtskheta, Kazbegi Highlands Day Meals: B/L/D 8:00 Breakfast at the hotel (8:30 Check-out) 9:00 Depart for 16th Ananuri fortress (1.5 hours)
th 10:30 Tour of the 16 c. Ananuri Fortress, refuge of the Eristavi noble family, death place of King Erekle II (1798), the last famous king of Georgia. In the Soviet era, a lake created by a massive new hydro-electric dam threatened to engulf the historical landmark, but was overruled. Today, the fortress with its series of churches overlooks the lake from a picturesque promontory. Guest favorite site! (Bathroom available here, although of poor quality).
12:30 Lunch in Pasanauri (Pasanauri Restaurant). Better bathrooms available here.
2:00 Continue up the Russian Military Highway into the Great Caucasus mountains (2 hours), stopping for photos at special viewpoints. Cross the Jvari Pass (7,850 feet) and descend into the Kazbegi highland region
4:00 Bathroom stop in Stepantsminda. 4:30 Transfer to Gergeti Sameba Monastery via minibus (option to walk 1 hour to the top, one hour down.
5:30 Check in at Rooms Hotel Kazbegi (staying one night). Indoor pool, spa center, casino, lounge and deck available.
7:30 Bus transfer for dinner banquet at Porta Hotel (5 minutes).
9:30 Walk or drive back to Rooms Hotel for drinks and conversation or an early night.
Tue. June 25th Kazbegi to Kutaisi Day Meals: B/L/D 8:00 Breakfast (8:30 check-out) 9:00 Depart for the lowlands (3 hours) 10:00 Stop at Russia-Georgia Friendship Monument for panoramic views. 11:30 Bathroom stop in Pasanauri.
1:30 Lunch in Gori (Nacharmagevi Restaurant)
3:00 Depart for West Georgia. Continue west over the Surami Pass into West Georgia (2 hours). The city of Kutaisi, our destination, was once the ancient capital of the kingdom of Colchis. According to Greek Mythology, the land of Colchis was the destination of the Greek heroes, Jason and the Argonauts. Kutaisi is one site where scholars believe King Aeetes held court.
6:00 Check in at hotel (staying four nights). Free time. 7:30 Buffet dinner at King David Hotel (top floor terrace) Wed. June 26th Kutaisi area Monasteries and Museums Day Meals: B 8:00 Breakfast at hotel until 11:00.
Option #1: Free Day. Lunch on your own. There will be a list of recommended activities and museums with a map for self-explorers. Be at King David hotel by 3:15 pm.
Option #2: City Tour + Lunch.
Program: 9:00 - 3:00. Walk to Paliashvili House Museum (15 minute walk), tour of the building, chance to sing for the staff. Briefly stop into the next door Catholic Church where the Paliashvili children learned music (possibly sing one or two Paliashvili chants here as well). Explore the spice-vegetable market, taste-testing some of the local honey, dried fruits, and spices. Cross the Kutaisi central park to the National Museum for a private tour. Lunch together, then take a short bus ride to the Bagrati Cathedral, completed in 1003 AD and commanding an impressive view over Old Town Kutaisi. Next door, we tour the ruins of the medieval fortress-residence of the Bagratid kings that ruled West Georgia from this location for 800 years. Return to the hotel by 3:30pm. Cost: $35/adult; $20/child.
4:00 Full group. Depart for Gelati (30 minutes). Tour the Gelati Monastery complex, th founded by King David the Builder in the 12 century. Remarkable mosaics and th th wall paintings date from the 12 - 17 centuries. The complex includes the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos, the church of St. George, the university refectory building, a bell tower with medieval water source, two historic gatehouses, and various other buildings and monastic cells. Learn about St. Ekvtime Kereselidze (1865-1944), who slavishly copied the Georgian chant manuscripts while living in the Gelati monastery from 1912-1923. The manuscripts were later kept in tin boxes buried in the monastery yard of Zedazeni from 1924-1936, when they were given to two museum directors for safe keeping. Many th kings and saints are buried here including the founder of the monastery, the 12 c. King David the Builder (Bagrationi).
5:00 Concert (no concert dress) of sacred music in the cathedral, secular music in the academy building.
7:30 Dinner on your own (Review list of recommended restaurants in walking distance of the hotel). Thur. June Prometheus Caves; Concert Day, Kutaisi 27th Meals: B/(L)/D 8:00 Breakfast at the hotel 9:00 Walk to Kutaisi Opera House (two blocks from our hotels). Tour the venue. Interviews for television.
9:30 Rehearsal at Kutaisi Opera House.
Option #1: Free afternoon, lunch on your own.
Option #2: Prometheus Natural Wonder and Lunch.
Program: 11:00-4:30. Depart for Prometheus Caves natural wonder (40 minute drive). Tour of the limestone formation that created incredible chambers of stalactites, stalagmites, and other natural wonders (50 minute walk underground). This is a remarkable site. Option to take an underground boat ride, or just walk out. Lunch together afterwards. Return to Kutaisi by 4:30pm. Cost: $65/adult; $50/child.
5:30 Walk to Kutaisi Opera House (two blocks from hotels) 6:00 Dress rehearsal (Kutaisi opera stage) 7:00 Green Room: Light snacks provided 7:30 Curtain, performance with Kutaisi choir. 9:30 Drive 10 minutes to post-concert banquet with host choir and special guests. (Kalakuri restaurant) 11:00 Return to hotel
Fri. June 28th Martvili Monastery, Archeopolis Fortress Day Meals: B/(L) 8:00 Breakfast at the hotel
Option #1: Free Day. Lunch on your own. There will be a list of recommended activities and museums with a map for self-explorers.
Option #2: Day-trip to Martvili area.
th th Program: 9:00 - 6:30pm. Depart for Martvili (45 minutes). Tour of the 7 - 10 c. Martvili Monastery, a model of the Jvari cross-and-dome church in East Georgia. As legend has it, the church was built on the site of ancient barbaric pagan rituals where animal sacrifice (or infants or virgins according to more macabre versions) were sacrificed on the hilltop under a giant oak tree. The ringed floor plan of the church recalls the site where Apostle Andrew is said to have cut the tree to the ground.
11:30 – Visit the Martvili Canyon (15 minute drive), a natural wonder featuring well-designed walkways that lead to exquisite vantage points over a narrow canyon with gushing waterfalls and a unique micro-climate. Lunch in Martvili.
th 3:00 – Depart for the 4 c. Archeopolis Fortress complex. Climb on the walls, th visit a 12 c. church, explore the Roman bath house ruins, and discover the hidden tunnel that allowed besieged inhabitants invisible access to the river. Bring a bathing suit, swimming in the river encouraged! Return to Kutaisi (60 minutes) by 6:30pm. Cost: $80/adult; $55/child.
7:30 Performance: The Kutaisi Opera Company performs special for us: Absalom da Eteri (1919) by Zakaria Paliashvili. We're celebrating the Jubilee of the historic debut of this opera, so it should be a marvelous event.
9:30 Dinner on your own (Review list of recommended restaurants in walking distance of the hotel).
Sat. June 29th Kutaisi to Tbilisi Day Meals: B/L/D 8:00 Breakfast at the hotel (8:30 Check-out) 9:00 Depart for East Georgia. 11:00 Bathroom stop at Gori rest stop
11:15 Depart for Upli-tsikhe
11:45 Tour of the Uplis-tsikhe cave city (dates to 1500 BC). Sturdy shoes required. This site was an important city on the trade route that followed the Mtkvari River from the Caspian Sea across Georgia and into Anatolia or to the Black Sea coast. A large sandstone outcropping into the Mtkvari River valley allowed for a strong defensive position, and the rock's suitability for carving allowed settlers to continually expand their residences into the cliffside. A tunnel from the top of the outcrop down to the river allowed for water access. In the medieval period, a Christian basilica was built on the site... it was permanently abandoned only in the th 14 century after the repeated raids of Tamerlane, the central Asian warlord who ravaged the Caucasus kingdoms in the early 1300s.
12:45 Depart for Samtavisi (1 hour). This town was the home of the Amilakhvari noble family. The priests for this family, surname Karbelashvili, were master chanters and th sang in the Samtavisi Cathedral. In the first decade of the 20 century, Paliashvili met the Karbelashvili brothers, was fascinated with their oral chant tradition, and composed the Liturgia using their chant melodies.
2: 00 Lunch at the home of Giorgi Karbelashvili in Samtavisi, a direct descendant of the Karbelashvili brothers. Our host will offer toasts to the group.
3:30 Walk to 12th c. Samtavisi Cathedral. Walk through of concert.
4:30 Informal mini-concert of Paliashvili and Karbelashvili chants with women’s ensemble Ialoni and men’s ensemble Aghsavali. The program will feature the Karbelashvili traditional chants, and the Paliashvili choral arrangements of these chants, a first-ever event!
6:00 Depart for Tbilisi (1 hour).
7:00 Final banquet with special guests and traditional singers. (Tsiskvili restaurant)
10:30 Transfer to airport
Sun. June 30th Departure: Washington D.C.
3:10 Group flight departs Tbilisi TBS. Qatar #256 (3:05 to Doha.)
5:15 Arrive Doha DOH. (3:30 layover.)
8:45 Flight departs Doha DOH. Qatar flight Qatar #707 (14:00 to Washington, D.C.)
15:35 Flight arrives Dulles IAD.