Author Archives: The Wife of Bath
Immersed in the traditional culture of Maramureș
Traditional culture is thriving in Maramureș, to the point where it felt at times as if we had slipped back a few centuries. The culture is alive, though, not some kind of faux-bucolic Marie Antoinette village. Villagers driving horses on wooden carts and working the land entirely without machines use cell phones. Grampa may not […]
Overjoyed and overstimulated at the Hoteni Festival in Maramureș
We’re in Maramureș, Northern Romania, close to the border of Ukraine. I need to go to sleep, but I’m overstimulated by the memories of the dancing and singing from today’s Hoteni Festival. The festival is a sort of agrarian fertility rite, a celebration of the first man to plough his field. The man is brought in […]
Eating stuffed cabbage in a forest in Transylvania and a washing machine adventure in Sibiu
Before I visited Romania I had the vague impression that the country was run amok with wild drivers, packs of rabid dogs and Dracula kitsch. Here’s what I’ve found so far: a proud folk heritage, ravishing countryside, friendly and astute people, lots of smoking and yummy (if meat-laden) food. For a taste of Transylvania’s enchanting […]
Airport eats: snacks to pack for the airport and your flight
If my mind was a pie chart there would be a large slice labeled Intense Thoughts about Snacks. A subcategory of that slice would be Travel Snacks with a sub-subcategory for Airport Snacks. And since we’re about to leave for a trip my Intense Thoughts about Snacks mind wedge is in full planning mode. Most airport food is disgusting, innutritious and […]
The surprising circus inside San Miguel de Lillo
The rewards for those intrepid travelers who hustle up Mount Naranco in a heavy rainstorm are manifold. Exhibit A: San Miguel de Lillo. This petite beauty has been rewarding water-logged church lovers since 848. Dear readers, I’m afraid I need to insist that you GO TO OVIEDO. Northern Spain is stunning and Oviedo is an architecture lover’s dream. Just […]
A struggle story concerning your travel blogger and her search for waterproof walking shoes
The only time I wish I were a man is in public bathrooms and shoe stores. While I recognize that I don’t have the anatomy to use a urinal, I am beyond frustrated with shoe stores and their lack of practical options for women. Let’s say you’re a dude, and you need some decent walking […]
A skeptic’s guide to travel guide books
I use guide books when I travel, but always selectively and with skepticism. Why am I a skeptic? Because many guide books are inaccurate and poorly updated. Here’s a perfect example: for the past 18 years I’ve worked at the same museum, and throughout those 18 years customers have steadily approached our staff looking confused […]
Cimabue’s crucifix in Arezzo
We arrived in Arezzo at dusk and by the time we walked to the highest elevation of this medieval hill town night had fallen. The interior of San Domenico, a Gothic church, was dimly lit so we slipped a euro in a pay light-box. Crucifix, Cimabue c 1268-71. San Domenico, Arezzo. Cimabue’s startling crucifix lit up above us. Here was Jesus is […]
Sant’ Apollinare in Classe: giddy with Byzantine mosaics and too much bread
A few years ago I was browsing for cheap airfares (okay, so I do that everyday) when I found a remarkably cheap flight into Northern Italy. People, these tickets were under $400, in late May!!! Obviously I snapped up the tickets in a hot second. Almost as quickly, I drafted an itinerary since I already knew where I […]
A day at Cathédrale Ste-Marie in Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges followed by a night of flocked velvet wallpaper
Cathédrale Ste-Marie is a pilgrim magnet. Once you catch sight of this Romanesque-Gothic beauty at the foot of the Pyrenees in the village of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges you are inevitably pulled in by it’s compelling attraction. Don’t you want to come closer? Unlike the scenery, the weather during our visit to Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges was less than idyllic. Not to put […]
Picnic at the Cathedral 