“You know, meditating is great for health. It is the best thing to do when you want to relax and avoid stress,” I told Nino as we wandered around the Tsinandali Palace in the city of Kakheti in Georgia. The palace was owned by Prince Alexander Chavchavadze, the son of Prince Garsevan. He turned his picturesque estate into the cultural center of Georgia. The estate covers around 16 hectares, which includes 12 hectares of gardens.
There is a huge tree in the middle of the garden where people tie red, white, and blue ribbons and make a wish. It’s like a huge wishing tree where people hope for good things to manifest in their lives.
I sat down under this tree to meditate with Nino, my friend, guide, and English interpreter in Georgia. Nino had a tough life; she dropped out of law school early because her father died of a heart attack when she was young. She spent her younger days chasing butterflies and hanging out with friends, just like any other young girl. She was a good girl who had to work hard to support herself. One thing that struck me about Nino was her love for animals—she even had a pet cat. When we started our tour around Georgia, Nino had to leave her cat at a shelter, showing how much she cared for her pet. She was also a tattoo lover and had lovely tattoos all over her body and hands.
Meditating with Nino Davitadze at the Tsinandali Palace
“You know, I can make fabulous tattoos,” she told me as we sat on the green grass of the garden meditating. I put on some chakra music on my mobile phone, and along with Nino and her brother from another mother, we began meditating. We meditated for over ten minutes, and slowly Nino went into a quiet trance. It was wonderful—the whole palace was so tranquil and peaceful.
I spent the entire sunny afternoon gazing at the balcony and the opulent rooms of the fabulous palace.
Prince Alexander was an aristocrat, a poet, a wine enthusiast, and a bit of a rebel. The Tsinandali estate is famous for its opulent gardens. Its story begins in the early nineteenth century with orchards, promenades, alleys, vineyards, and oak, lime, and maple trees. The park was laid out by European landscape architects, and over time, it expanded with the addition of some exotic plants.
Chavchavadze was the man who introduced European agricultural technologies in the early nineteenth century, including the processes of making brandy and wine. There are over 16,000 bottles of wine in the estate’s vineyard. We were offered a tasting of the exotic wine, and I enjoyed sipping it with relish as I walked around this very beautiful and fabulous estate.
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