K'ala and Ushba Vertical Panorama, late July 2010

(From now until January 16, I'm in Canada, but still posting Georgian images for now.)
Mt Ushba again, top centre, with part of the village of K'ala below, and the Enguri River.  Also taken on Kvirikoba day, also a panorama assembled from several photos.  Clouds coming would soon obscure the mountain as usual, but until then all they did was add more interest to the sky.

As for this day being Christmas Eve... no apologies for refusing to wish you a mere "Happy Holidays".  No, this season is called Christmas, like it or not.  Have a Merry Christmas.  Or don't take it off at all, if you're serious about protesting a Christian holiday.  Grinch, grumble, &c.

Mulakhi & Ushba Panorama, late July 2010

July 29 is Kvirikoba, possibly Svaneti's most important Orthodox festival of the year, held in and outside a little church high above the village of K'ala with a fabulous chased gold icon of Christ, one of the Orthodox world's most important.
This panorama I took on the way to that festival, near the pass between the villages of Mulakhi and Ipari.  Here we are looking back towards the former at centre, with Mt Ushba peering over the top in the distance just left of centre.

Panorama: Above Mulakhi, December 2008

This one's got Ushba's twin peaks at left of centre, in the distance, and more to the right of that (near centre), the long village of Mulakhi.

Mestia Panorama, September 2010

From the newly renovated concrete road to the ski resort, scheduled to reopen in December by Presidential Decree.  One of the best places from which to see the town, IF Mt. Ushba is cooperating and poking its twin peaks above.  Lali & Giorgi, the son of our host family, visible at far right.

Home sweet home (Mestia), Oct. 7, 2010

Only one shot today, because it's such a good one, IMHO.
I looked out of my bedroom window at 0745 in the morning on the 7th - clear skies at last!  Mt. Ushba's not visible from there, but I took the chance that I'd see its twin peaks from the height of the new ski resort road, and it paid off.  Left home without breakfast, took a few shots, then off to school for my 0900 teaching start.  Clouds, sky, lighting and all other details had combined perfectly for me.  Happy happy.

Interesting Facts about Mestia, No. 8

Mestia is presided over by Mt. Ushba.  If you walk up the side of the mountain where the old ski resort is being renovated, and then look back down onto the town, before long you'll see what I mean.  From here, as more and more of those twin peaks come into view, they seem to glower above the town clustered in its valley below.

      And Ushba seems

       HUGE.

And you, the viewer, seem so


                 small.