I woke up early this morning; it was bright, and I felt fresh and rejuvenated. We are back in Tbilisi, and Nino arrived with her BMW today. It was a spanking white BMW with red cushions. “Today I will take you around in my BMW. My brother’s BMW needs a lot of servicing since we have been using it for the last three weeks,” Nino explained as I sat in the snug seats of her newer model white BMW.
Sameba is hard to miss; it is the largest church in Georgia and one of the biggest Western Orthodox churches in the world.
The church is perched on Elia Hill, with a cascading staircase leading to the main door. From the top of the stairs, you get a sweeping view of not only the churchyard but also the city. Inside, the bold vertical lines continue with soaring colors leading to the central dome. The walls are plastered with dozens of intricate icons and other artifacts.
Sameba was constructed over a decade-long period starting from 1995. Thus, the church symbolizes the revival of Georgia during a very tough period in its history after the demise of the USSR.
The Holy Trinity Church of Tbilisi – Sameba
Sameba is also the best place to celebrate and attend the Litoniba liturgy for Orthodox Easter. There are beautiful gardens with roses and daisies around the church. I started sneezing a lot as I ventured into the garden to take some pictures. “It’s the pollen; the pollen from the flowers is going into my nose, that’s why I am sneezing,” I explained.
Nino was in full flow today, wearing a beautiful skirt. She took some pictures of me, and I was loving the attention.
“Your books have just arrived,” Nino told me.
“I need a picture of you with your cat. I will use them for my book in Georgia,” I told Nino.
Our next stop was an art gallery in the center of Georgia. Here, I enjoyed gazing at the esoteric art on display. I spent the entire evening admiring sculptures and great paintings. It was all fun and very enriching. One thing I must say, I have really become knowledgeable about Georgia and more aware of its great history.
“See, that’s my black cat. I will get her back from the cat shelter today. I am really missing my black cat,” Nino said proudly.
“You need to send me a picture of you with your cat. Both of you together will be fabulous,” I told Nino as we both stepped out of her white BMW. It has been a lot of fun in Georgia, and tomorrow is going to be our last day in this country.
