Konrad and Alexandra (PDF) - Rolf Gross

think of Munich or something else pleasant."In this manner Zhurab ferried Claudia to the other shore. Niko took her to a spring and washed her face. She sat by thewayside exhausted and wearily watched the porters carry the loads across and Tamara doing a last solo dance."Waah," sighed Tamara with a broad smile, "what a job to dangle five sheep across a harmless chasm." They all huggedher.From the bridge the path climbed across the ridge through dense coniferous forest. On the other side the woods openedonto a high meadow framed by snow mountains on both sides. It was mid-afternoon, relieved they collapsed by the sideof the path."We have made it!" shouted Tamara.Konrad with the eye of the botanist immediately noticed the flowers in the green meadow, a small crocus (colchicumautumnale), eight-petal dryads and a few alpine arnica were still blooming, a profusion of his beloved arctic gentians,silver-green with fringed petals. He quietly left them and returned with a rare, spectacular bluebell (primula wollastonia)with delicate, silver-white frosting in its chalice. He smiled at Alexandra and presented the flower to Tamara.An hour later, at the edge of the woods below Laila Mountain a fairy-tale castle came into view. Two round towers withconical bonnets framed a rough-hewn, three-story stone building, a long larchwood porch under an overhang, roofsdecked with irregularly hewn, gray slate. A Georgian and a German flag waved on the towers.Tamara beamed. "My father’s house! Welcome to Svaneti!"Briefly Konrad envisioned another Gothic dungeon, but his fears were soon dispelled. The starkly simple rooms werefilled with bare wood furniture, handmade by Svaneti craftsmen. Occasionally such pieces could be found in the bazaarin Tiflis as rustic Svaneti antiques, expensive and much in demand.David Dadeshkeliani and his tall, gaunt wife Asmat welcomed them with the reserved grace and warmth only found inthese mountains.She gave them rooms on the second floor with a bearskin covered bed, a small table, two chairs, a closet, and awashstand. In their room Konrad discovered a slender vase with the primula he had given Tamara, with a note: ForAlexandra with love.Each room had a spectacular view of the peaks surrounding Elbrus. Under a small trapdoor hid the opening of a centralheating system bringing warm air from the first floor. It also served for internal communication, through the opening onecould hear every word spoken in the house.The night was cold. After supper they relaxed before the fireplace, leisurely stretched out on rawhide-covered sling chairstalking of life in St. Petersburg, Munich, and Italy. The curiosity of the Dadeshkeliani was unlimited.They spent a week with the Dadeshkeliani. To get acclimatized to the altitude they explored the neighboring valleys onday-long excursions. One morning Tamara led them on a steep hike up Becho Pass, across from Etzeri. Near its crestthey were forced to stop where the path veered across Ushba glacier.None of them had ever seen a large glacier close up. The ice stream, crossed by treacherous crevasses, glistened in themorning sun. It flowed from distant Mt. Ushba, the Matterhorn of Svaneti. Ushba’s precipitous south face was visiblethrough an ever-changing veil of clouds. The path continued winding precariously down through the maze of crevassesinto the hazy depth of Baksan Valley and the Russian plains. On the opposite side of the valley, very close, standing allby itself, rose the mighty, volcanic snow-hulk of Mt. Elbrus.The following night it rained, a nasty, cold rain. The thunder of avalanches woke them in the morning. It was bitterly cold.Fresh snow covered the high mountains. At noon, from the safety of the balcony, they watched an avalanche thunderdown Ushba leaving a cloud of snow crystals suspended in the air.The long, lazy days and the comfortable evenings turned into restlessness. Konrad longed to explore Free Svaneti, theupper part of the valley never conquered by either Moslems or Russians—and Vladimir saw his chance pass to proposeto Tamara.He approached Alexandra. "What should I do? I am certain that I want to marry Tamara. She is quiet, honest, and direct,she knows exactly what she is doing, and she would make a wonderful companion in all and every situation." Alexandraknitted her brows. "Except that she is Georgian or more precisely Svani. She might never completely adapt to the fast,intellectual life of St. Petersburg. Look what efforts I had to make to appropriate St. Petersburg. Would you considerlearning Georgian and spend part of your life in Tiflis or up here?"He lowered his eyes. "If I continue writing, and my inheritance would allow me to do that, I could live just as well inSvaneti as in St. Petersburg. Of course, I could learn Georgian, what is one more language?"Alexandra smiled contemptuously. "You know yourself that your inheritance might be destroyed overnight by that gloriousrevolution we so eagerly hope for. What then? Are you ready to write revolutionary pamphlets? You are honest butnaïve!"He got a red face and flared up. "I will never prostitute myself to write propaganda or political slogans, certainly not forthe Socialists."She pointed at him. "Well, there you are! I could at least care for the victims of such an upheaval. What would you do?145