The Menhir

We were now in the South of Georgia, at a 2000 meter high volcanic plateau with lakes and rivers surrounded by treeless steppe and subalpine grassland. We wanted to visit one of the sights in this area, the Tejisi Menhir, a huge megalith. In the Middle Ages a cross was carved into the stone and a church built around it.

The route through a couple of villages over a dirt track was already an adventure. We saw many abandoned houses, probably the result of very harsh conditions in this area with cold winters and not much to make a living.

In Tejisi we met this farmer, who went with us to show us the Menhir. We walked through his farm and crossed the river, walked past the cemetery and up the hill through a forest to the little church.

The church was surrounded by a stone wall and had another little roofless building next to it, all made of giant rocks which was already very impressive.

Menhir of Tejisi – 3,8 metres high
Tejisi

On the way back he also showed us the little church of the village which has a a megalithic fence.

St. George’s Church with a megalithic fence
Farm dog on a very short chain
Stable for their cows
Potato harvest of this year – we received a big bag

We tried to pay him back for his kindness, because it was really special to have him showing us around. After driving back all the way to the main road, we were looking for a beautiful canyon. What we got was a stark contrast to the poor villages we just passed. More on the next post!

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