Author Archives: The Wife of Bath
These present-absent: how I memorized all of Shakespeare’s sonnets and deleted most of my blog photos
Last week my boss announced it was time to clean out our offices. She was serious enough to go into my meeting calendar and mark all the open time slots as busy, so I had no excuse to put it off. (While everyone in my department received the same directive, as the office slob I know […]
Argyle Street Chicago: get on the train for authenticity and ass cake
I recently asked for some advice from fellow blogger Sophia Hsiao, whose gorgeous nature photography has me longing to visit Taiwan. In response to my inquiry about Taiwanese cities to visit, Sophia recommended a few and added “Each city has its streets”. Sophia then listed the best streets in her recommended cities. As a smart traveler, Sophia knows you can’t just show up […]
Visiting the country of Georgia: advice for independent travelers and an attempt to answer the perennial question, is it safe?
Should you visit the Republic of Georgia? Absolutely. Can you travel independently in Georgia? Yes, but only if you do your homework. Focus your travel planning on transportation, finding great guest houses, and be prepared to respectfully appreciate Georgia’s religious culture. Transportation: Before I traveled in Georgia I was confused and intimidated by the transportation infrastructure. From the outside […]
This night’s for you, Gram
People always tell me “You’re so adventurous!” Of course I take this as a compliment but, well, I feel a bit like fraud, what with my fear of flying and generally risk-adverse personality. An authentically adventurous woman? I once knew one: her name was Emily and she was my grandmother. My Gram, Emily Evans Shaffer Harrington, was […]
Stećci, the mysterious medieval tomb sculptures of the Balkans (and a Bosnian coffee break)
Any of you nerds out there wait breathlessly for UNESCO to announce the newest additions to their list of World Heritage Sites? [Raises hand]. Well, a few days ago I was delighted to read that stećci, tombstones from medieval graveyards in the Balkans, had been added to the list. Most Stećci—about 60,000 of them—are found in graveyards in Bosnia […]
Transfiguration in Tbilisi
I can never resist a thrift store. Walking through a thrift store door is an act of optimism, a confidence that a few minutes of digging through racks will unearth just what I didn’t know I was looking for but what I most desire. It’s more than finding a treasure; it’s an act of recognition, […]
The Gelati Monastery in Kutaisi and an incident in our hostel involving a certain husband imbibing too much wine
I almost missed seeing Gelati Monastery because of HOB’s hangover. We’d arrived hungry in Kutaisi, Georgia, the night before and couldn’t find a well stocked grocery store. This was not a problem as the restaurants were quite cheap. We stopped in a decent looking place, and since I couldn’t read the Georgian menu, I ordered several […]
How to rock a layover in Munich, with or without marital aids
On the way to Georgia this May we had a 8 hour layover in Munich. Hot diggety dog—a layover in Munich! A chance to see Munich seemed like a special treat, since, even though we’d transferred at Munich Airport a dozen or more times, we’d never actually visited the city itself. In anticipation of our layover visit, we broke […]
Ushguli: you will be astonished, you will be covered in mud
My hands tingled in Ushguli. Technically, this was due to the altitude: Ushguli is said to be the highest permanently inhabited location in Europe. Though these tingly fingers and my shortness of breath seemed more like symptoms of astonishment than of altitude sickness. Austere. Astonishing! Ushguli is made up of four villages strung together in the mountains of the […]
Living an art history lover’s fantasy in Svaneti, Georgia
Over dinner at our guest house in Kashveti I asked our host Vaktang about the village church. “We have an 11th century church with original frescos” he informed me, “but it’s closed to the public.” Naturally, I was disappointed, but of course there were so many other wonderful sites in this UNESCO protected region of Georgia, […]
Picnic at the Cathedral 