Bumper to bumper to Jvari

From miles around Mtskheta one can see the 6th century Jvari Church perched up high on a hill. On the way to Mtskheta, everyone on the local mini-bus crossed themselves several times when it came into view. Having bargained with a local driver for a lift up there, the importance to Georgians of this church became obvious. Not only is it written up in guidebooks as one the greatest examples of early Georgian design, but the 4th century figure, St Nino, is believed to have set up her cross there and gone about converting the population living below... ie the rest of Georgia. The drive up was probably the most white-knuckled one I've done so far in Georgia. We came within a fraction of a head-on collision as my driver tried to overtake cars around a bend. The reason for so much traffic is because on Saturday afternoons, newly wedded couples and their families go up there as a kind of pilgrimage (I also saw a few unwilling lambs being dragged up their too - presumably to be blessed before slaughter and shish-kebabing!). Such was the traffic chaos that my driver decided to go up onto the shoulder of the road and bash it along some sort of cliff top cattle track. Much to the amusement of others we jumped the queue and he deposited me, somewhat pale, at the head of the traffic jam. From the church one can see where the Aragavi and Mtkarvi Rivers meet - a spectacular view.