KAZBEGI, GEORGIA
Kazbegi (officially known as Stepantsminda) is a town in the Caucasus Mountains of far northern Georgia, about 6 miles from the border with Russia. There are very large mountains surrounding Kazbegi, including Mount Kazbek at around 16,500 feet above sea level (about 11,000 feet above the town, but only about 8 miles away to the west (with 13,000 foot mountains, or about 7,500 feet above the town, only about 6 miles to the east). There were surprisingly few trees in these mountains, even at elevations warm enough for tree growth (and the area appears to receive sufficient rainfall).
First a view of the town of Kazbegi viewed from above (note that the part of town closest in this view is actually Gergeti)...
Another view of the town, from the area of scotch pines on the mountain slope...
The Tergi river, which flows through Kazbegi (and into Russia and ultimately into the Caspian Sea)...
Some turkeys and an old car in Gergeti...
A ruin of a building surrounded by regular residences in Gergeti...
An abacus in a small produce market in Kazbegi...they actually use this abacus for some purchases (note they also have a calculator, but no cash register)...
A carving on a wall in Kazbegi...
A thunderstorm approaching Kazbegi...
Now...back to the mountains...here's a view of Mt. Kazbek (16,500 feet) in a break in the clouds...
Here's Gergeti Monastery, visible part way up that mountain in the previous pic...
A public fountain (for drinking water) next to the monastery...
Native birches just below Gergeti Monastery...
More birches (and a view)...
Some mysterious building just a bit further below...
North of Kazbegi is the Gveleti waterfall...
View from the waterfall downstream...
The stream below is rather small...
View up the canyon from below (towards the waterfall)...
Nearby native junipers...
Below the waterfall, along the Tergi River (only 2 miles from the Russian border) was some road work causing much pollution to the river!!!
Between that spot and Kazbegi was the Dariali Gorge (containing the Tergi River)...
A wildflower which looks like a kind of hollyhock in the gorge...
Mountains a bit further south (near Gudauri), along the highway towards Tbilisi...
Nearby roadside spring where people gathered drinking water...
In between mountains, there were some small farms (near Gudauri)...
Not really sure what this structure was along the highway...
And finally, one last view near Kazbegi...
All of the above pictures on this page were taken in September 2013 by Brandt Maxwell.
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