Category UNESCO World Heritage Sites
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 […]
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 […]
Waylaid by a flock of sheep on the road to Jvari Monastery in Mtskheta
Church builders in Georgia must have all had the same thought process: “Hmmm, I think I’ll build a church. Better put it in an impressive location. How about here? No, not dramatic enough. Over there? Well, nice, but still, does it scream ‘magestic’? No, try again…….Ah, there it is, the perfect hill! Everyone will bug their eyes […]
Folk music in Svaneti, Georgia
Imagine this: you’re stuffed with fresh home-cooking, toasting Saint George with potent local chacha (vodka). There are charming children, a fire in a wood-burning stove and outside your temporary home it looks like this: You’re warm and comfortable but your hair is standing up. It’s the music. The music of Svaneti, a mountainous region of […]
Giving torch-wielding putti the side eye in the Chapel of the Blessed Giovanni Orsini, Trogir
Okay, so I didn’t pay much attention during mass at the Cathedral of St. Lawrence in Trogir, Croatia. I mean, I sat quietly still and was passably respectful, but my face surely resembled that of a flounder: The reason for my flounder face? I was straining with all my power to get a look at the Chapel of […]
Lamplight and cobblestones in Mostar
Here’s my advice for visiting Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Don’t miss it. Spend the night. Climb a minaret. Pet the cats and avoid feral dogs. Wear practical footwear. It was early evening when Alisa, our B&B host, picked us up from the bus station in Mostar. She brought along a friend for the ride, and within minutes […]
Weights and measurements in Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is pretty….pretty touristy. And there’s a legit reason for that: Hordes of people come to Dubrovnik because it looks like this. Visiting in late November, we avoided the belched-out-by-cruise-ships crowds while relishing the sunny, windy weather that perfectly showcased Dubrovnik’s sparking water and austere architecture. Still, there’s a sort of dead feeling to the old […]
I may or may not have broken the house rules in Trogir
This morning we took an early bus down the coast of Croatia, with this stunning view of the Zagreb archipelago out our window. Our destination? Trogir, the UNESCO World Heritage zone and, you might say, kind of a pretty town. Trogir is essentially an island jammed with medieval and Renaissance architecture. 13th century cathedral. Mr. wine-pressing man, […]
The unanticipated side effects of a picnic at Pont Valentré, Cahors
Want to visit a unique city nestled inside a bend in a river, an authentic and non-touristy town with highly-cultivated gastronomy? Yes? Then Cahors is for you. But wait until you get a look at this bridge—now you’re sold, aren’t you? The Southwestern region of France is teeming with medievalist catnip, and Cahors’ Pont Valentré is […]
Palazzo Schifanoia: boredom sucks, why not take a ride on a swan boat?
One day at work I made friends with an intern. His cube was across from mine and when I was walking by his desk I noticed this artwork as the background image on his computer: “Oh hey” I belted out “that’s from Palazzo Schifanoia!” You should have seen this intern’s face. “You know about Palazzo Schifanoia?!?!?!” As it […]
Picnic at the Cathedral 