Restless Paradise on the Black Sea
View from the Novo-Afonsky monastery. Picture by Ella Bikmurzina.
There is an Abkhazian legend in which the Creator warns future settlers that calamities may befall those who possess such a gorgeous land.
According to the legend, God, while endowing different nations with their land, decided to leave the most beautiful nook for himself. The ancestor of the Abkhazian people was the only one to arrive late for his appointment. God, though angered, inquired about the cause of his being late, and the offender confessed that he couldn't leave the house because he was receiving a guest. As a reword for such hospitality God generously endowed the Abkhazian people with their land, but warned them that there would be many who would want to take the blessed land away, and hard times would be the destiny of their people.
Soviet Riviera
Abkhazia, a subtropical paradise, was once so popular among the Soviet establishment that it was dubbed The Soviet Riviera. Fifteen kilometers from a city called Gagra, in a pine forest in the Gagra Ridge slope, stands one of Josef Stalin's five Abkhazian residencies: a dacha on the Cold River. Hidden among tall pines and fir-trees and painted green, it is almost invisible from the air, from the earth, and from the sea. Such conspiracy is a tribute to the Stalin's paranoia. There is only one way to get here, and that is by a mountain road that winds through the thick forest. It is interesting that Stalin would never say exactly which of the five Abkhazian dachas he was going to stay; so all five of them would be prepared for his stay.
Stalin's dacha on the Cold River. For a while this place was a hotel, and everybody could stay here in a suite for two or three persons. Picture by Ella Bikmurzina.
Everything here, at the Cold River dacha, looks the way it looked when Stalin lived here. Apart from the rich wood of the interior finishes, there is not a hint of luxury inside the house, its decoration and furnishings are moderate. The authentic bathrooms where Stalin took seawater baths stay preserved; the seawater to those bathrooms was delivered from the Black Sea through special pipes. The billiard-table with shortened legs (Stalin was a really short guy, around 5'2''), and a personal home theater where the destiny of many Soviet movies was decided, are still here. The multiple beds adjusted to his height are preserved too: every night he would change the bedroom to mislead the potential conspirators. Even toilets that were brought as trophies from Germany are still in their places!
Abkhazia has its own claims to Josef Stalin. It was due to Stalin's decision that on February 19, 1931 a resolution was signed in which the Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) of Abkhazia became part of the Georgian SSR. This decision resulted in a national gathering of the Abkhazian people that lasted for several days, from February 18 to February 26, 1931, and led to a backlash against the Soviet Government.
Maybe partially due to that fact, several years ago Abkhazian leaders decided to auction off Stalin's dacha hoping to improve the country's budget. The starting sum was $10 million. There were announcements in the media that the famous Russian aluminium magnate Oleg Derepaska expressed an interest in buying this dacha. Yet even today everybody can visit the place.
While driving through the countryside, tourists may notice monuments situated right in people's yards. If you look more closely, you might notice that those monuments are gravestones: Abkhazians bury their dead in their yards, and this tradition has existed for hundreds of years. During the Turkish invasions, solders, knowing about the great reverence Abkhazian people have for their dead, started to attack graveyards. As a result, Abkhazians started to bury their relatives on their farm's territory within a gunshot of the house.
Ritsa Lake
Abkhazia is famous for its mountain lakes, and there are more than a hundred and eighty of them in the country. One of the lakes, Ritsa, is the most legendary: this mountain lake of glacial tectonic origin sits at a height of 950 meters above sea level.
The current road that leads to the lake was built only in 1936. Before that time, only seasoned travelers, scientists, and local hunters could reach this gem of the Abkhazian countryside. Corn, tobacco and citrus plantations stretch along the road to the lake. Beekeeping is one of the oldest industries in Abkhazia, and here along the road one can see multiple bee farms.
As you climb higher in the mountains, the road passes by many natural wonders. It runs through the picturesque Yupsharskoe Gorge along the turbulent Bzib River and along the glowing sapphire-like Blue Lake, its waters never darken even in bad weather. The Yupsharsky Canyon is the most beautiful part of the journey: a long time ago a gigantic crack moved rocks apart, and the Yupshara River did the rest of the work. The crack between the two rocks is no more then a hundred meters, it is almost a thousand meters deep. The rocks covered with red and green moss are literally hanging above the traveler's head, and below his feet there is a mighty river carrying its waters. No wonder this canyon was dubbed a "rock sack" --at its narrowest it is no more than forty meters. At times, it is hard to fight a feeling of being trapped here.
The Ritsa Lake is situated in the Lashipse River Valley to the East of the Gagra Ridge, on the territory of the Ritsa Reserve, at the height of 950 meters. The average depth of the lake is 63 meters, and the deepest part 116 meters. Picture from Wikipedia.
Ritsa Lake is surrounded by three high mountains: Agepsta (3256 meters), Atsetuk (2542 meters), and Pshegishha (2222 meters). Two of those mountains, Agepsta and Atsetuk, are covered with forest, while Pshegishha is barren. The scientists who studied the lake's origins noticed this disparity. It is believed that there were powerful tectonic movements in this area that led to the formation of the Pshegishha Mountain, and the Lashipse River valley; the river now empties into the Ritsa Lake. Those tectonic movements also caused grandiose rock falls along the north-eastern slope of the mountain range.
The beauty of this place is overwhelming, and has inspired a legend that the guides will share with you. They said there was a girl, whose family lived on the river that once ran here. Her parents were wealthy people, and they objected to her marriage to the poor man she fell in love with. She married him against their will, and then her three brothers killed her lover. In despair, the girl threw herself into the river, which turned into the lake, and the three brothers were petrified and turned into three rocks around the lake to guard her peace.
Soviet leaders were receptive to the beauty of the place too. Here on the Ritsa Lake's woody shore there is another one of Stalin's five Abkhazian dachas. Similar to the Cold River dacha, the Ritsa Lake one is carefully camouflaged: like all of Stalin's country houses, it is painted green so as not to stand out from its surroundings, and it is almost impossible to see it from the opposite shore of the lake.
View of the Ritsa Lake. Picture from Wikipedia.
Intrepid tourists can continue their trip from Ritsa Lake up into the mountains. One possible destination is another mountain lake called Mzi Lake. The Mzi Lake is situated 2,150 meters above sea level, and is surrounded by glaciers, so even in the summer time you can have snowball fights here. Right above the lake is the Russian border.
Another route you could take follows the Gega River -- the largest feeder into the Bzib River. If you turn right from the main road and keep walking along the steep serpentine road you will eventually encounter another natural Abkhazian miracle -- a stately Gegsky Waterfall, 530 meters above sea level. If you still feel adventurous enough you can continue walking along the river and finally will reach a famous Cherkessian Glade with its wet grass as tall as people. Part of the road along the gorge of the Gega River is covered with a fairytale-like forest: moviemakers call this place a "ready decoration".
Upon arrival back at the Ritsa Lake, you can enjoy a local barbeque called "shashlik" at a lakeshore restaurant. Don't forget to get a glass of the local Isabella wine -- it will reenergize you and will help you to feel the taste of this hospitable country.
Novoafonsky Monastery
The view of the Novoafonsky monastery from the observation platform of the Novoafonskaya Cave. The Novoafon monks, afraid of the conflict with the Greek clergy and the war with Turkey, were looking for asylum under Russian protection. They chose a picturesque and fruitful place 13 miles away from Sukhum city, on the ruins of the ancient Anakopia town. Here, on the site of the old Orthodox sanctuary -- a dilapidated church named after St. Semion Kananit the Apostle - the Nofoafonsky Kananitsky monastery was founded. Picture by Ella Bikmurzina.
Noviy Afon (New Afon) is one of the most picturesque resorts on the Black Sea coast. On the hillside of the Afon Mountain is the Orthodox Novoafonsky Monastery, which was erected in 1875 by the monks that came here from the Russian Orthodox Panteleymonov Monastery situated on the Afon Mountain in Greece. They cleared the tangled vegetation of this wild and desolate area, and built, over a period of twelve years, a grand church surrounded by residential buildings and support structures.
There are five churches on the territory of the monastery. Above the holy gate -- the main entrance to the monastery, the church of the Ascension of Our Lord was erected, and at the each corner of the monastery grounds they built a church, the biggest among which was dedicated to St. Andrew, the Apostle.
At the center of the monastery's complex is a cathedral named after St. Panteleymon, the martyr and healer. The cathedral was built in 1888-1900 by the architect Nikolay Nikonov, and Tsar Alexander III himself laid the first stone in its foundation. The emperor arrived here with his wife, Maria Feodorovna, and their son Nicholas, future Nicholas the II. Even though the emperor and his family stayed here for one day, the monks prepared substantially for their visit, and planted cypress trees along the road on which the Tsar had walked to the monastery. The road is still there, and everybody can walk along the emperor's path to the cathedral.
For a long time this monastery has served as a center of spiritual life in the Caucasus Region, and was one of the biggest Orthodox centers in all of pre-revolutionary Russia. In 1924, the monastery, like many other churches, was closed as "the center of antirevolutionary propaganda". In Soviet times the monastery's buildings served as a tourist resort, as a museum of regional studies, and as a children's camp. During the Georgian-Abkhazian war it housed a hospital for Abkhazian soldiers. In 1994, the Novoafonsky Monastery was reopened as a church.
The monastery recently underwent a major restoration, after a long period of neglect and damage from a small fire during the war. Its structures had started to disintegrate, the rare Italian style frescoes painted by Russian artists had begun peeling off the wet walls and ceilings. But recently the Abkhazian and Russian governments have united in their preservation efforts.
Frescoes inside the Panteleymonovsky Cathedral of the Novoafonsky Monastery. Photo by Yasenika75.
Due to the complexity of the project some new and advanced technologies were employed during the restoration. For example, the new cupolas for the monastery were made of an alloy that previously was only used in the space industry. That allowed for new golden cupolas that were much cheaper and lighter than the ones covered with real gold leaf. Upon completion of the outside restoration and prevention of all water leaks, restorers will begin to work on the preservation of the Italian frescoes that cover all the internal walls of the cathedral.
It is hard work to walk up here along the stone-lined path between the two lines of the cypress trees, but once you've reached your destination, the stunning view of the Black Sea from the courtyard of the monastery and the tranquility of the place will make you forget all the day's hardships and plunge into the eternal splendor of the surrounding scenery.
The bottomless hall of the Apsar Mountain
For many decades the people of Noviy Afon tried to avoid the big bottomless rift in the depths of the Apsar Mountain. The huge endless well, whose walls disappeared in the darkness, were dubbed The Bottomless Hall. However, in 1961 a young man named Givi Smir fought his fear, and descended into the hall. It was impossible to do without special equipment, and an expedition was organized for the purposes of the rift's study. Four brave men directed by Givi reached the bottom of the Bottomless Hall, and a unique huge natural cave was discovered. In 1975, the cave was opened as a tourist attraction.
Novoafonskaya Cave. Picture by Ella Bikmurzina.
Next to the Novoafonskaya Cave, or Anakopian Abyss, as it is sometimes called, there is a small market where locals sell homemade pastries, sweets, wine, and souvenirs. You can sample Abkhazian honey here too. To the question, "where is the entrance to the cave?" you may get an answer something like "It is right on the second floor of that administrative building. You have to hurry, or you may be late for the train." The confusion quickly disappears when you realize that tourists are delivered to the cave by a little train, practically a cave-train. Locals proudly call it "Our metro." The full trip lasts for an hour and a half, during which time you will ride through the six underground halls, each one with an individual name.
The halls are only partially lit, for the light can be damaging to underground life. In the warm light, mosses and lichens start to grow on the surface of the dripstones, gradually ruining their fragile structure. But even in the spare light of the cave one marvels at the whimsical fantasy of nature: stone blubbers and icicles hanging down from the ceiling, hardened waves of limestone, chaotically lined along the walls' thickset stalagmites -- every possible and impossible creature of the above world can be found here recreated in stone.
Novoafonskaya Cave by its size is comparable to the most eminent caves in the world, including the American Lechuguilla Cave and Slovenian Skocjan Cave. Altogether there are nine halls in the cave, six of them are open for tourists every day, two of them are open once a week, and one is reserved for scientists.
All cave halls have wonderful acoustics, but in the hall called Iveria the quality of the sound is very special. The multiple fanciful bulges and niches randomly positioned on the walls and the ceiling serve as natural resonators, so the sound waves reflected from them gain incredible depth in the center of the hall. Sometimes here in the Iberia Hall the Abkhazian State Choirs Chapel gives concerts.
Probably the most amazing treasure of the cave is a giant waterfall, which is frozen forever in the hall called Anakopia. From the height of thirty meters its heavy streams rush down to the ground, and break into hundreds of frozen droplets. On its smooth and slightly wavy surface real water still finds its way through the ground. It is a vision of indescribable beauty.
Everybody in Abkhazia is confident that this country will someday regain its reputation as the Black Sea's best resort, and tourists will be attracted to this paradise-like place, confirming the old Abkhazian legend.
Sources:
http://www.vokrugsveta.ru/telegraph/globe/377/
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/
http://abhaziy.narod.ru/Doroga.html
http://www.abkhazia.ru/excursions/
http://www.abkhazia.ru/excursions/afon.shtml
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/
http://www.zlatosfera.ru/object/novoafonskii-monastyr-svyatogo-apostola-simona-kananita
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