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Stalin's hometown! We head west across Georgia to Gori. Here stands the only public museum dedicated to Iosif Dzhugshvili. Dzhugshvili changed his name to Man of Steel, which, in Georgian, is Stalin; maybe he read Superman comics. The name Stalin is a little more catchy than Dzhugshvili. Even though he caused the death of millions, his birthplace has charm. Gori is an ancient city with a hilltop fortress that's stood there since before Christ. Persians, Mongols, Turks, they've all come here as conquerers but anyone who is fascinated by Stalin can't miss Gori. | |||
The lovable Stalin as a young
man and his first wife. | |||
Stalin and Mom,
aren't they cute? | Partnership of evil,
Stalin and the founder of the KGB. | ||
The
word's only public statue of Stalin proudly stands in his hometown, Gori. | |||
Near Gori we find Uplistsikhe, a cave city
founded 1000 years before Christ, a place of pagan rituals. | |||
A cave with a view: Georgian kings hid in
Uplistsikhe during the Arab occupation. The Arabs couldn't find this place because
they couldn't properly pronounce "Uplistsikhe" in order to ask for directions. | |||
Hitchers can't be choosers - it's a bumpy
ride but it beats walking. | |||