I’ve visited the Dry Bridge flea market a few times since arriving in Tbilisi, but this past Sunday Sean and I went with a mission: art shopping. I’m dying to get my hands on a local painting, and although we haven’t really been looking in earnest quite yet, it’s been almost nine months and I’m […]
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I love wineries. In part, obviously, because I love drinking wine, but also because I find it fascinating to hear about the different vintages directly from the winemakers themselves. I’m no sommelier, but over the years I’ve managed to pick up a teeny bit of wine vocabulary and knowledge. I know I like a dry, […]
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In the early 1900s, the ironclad Russian Empire was beginning to crack. Tsar Nicholas II was in power and was an unpopular and ineffective ruler, who was eventually overthrown during the Russian Revolution in 1917. Meanwhile, the Industrial Revolution began to show significant influence in Russia, but the country remained rural and poor, and those […]
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Before I dive into all my issues with The Vatican, let me preface this with the following: I am a confirmed Catholic, but not at all religious. I don’t have a problem with religion, except when people start wars, are prejudiced/bigoted because of it, or simply tell me how to live my own life according […]
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We’ve reached the time of year where the weather and I really don’t get along. One day it will be freezing cold and dreary, the next it will be balmy, sunny, and a teaser for spring. I’m at the point where I’ve had it with winter and I’m eager for spring to show up and […]
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I’ve said it before a few times on this blog, I’m not a very strong skier. I learned late, I’m uncoordinated, and I simply don’t get enough time on the slopes to ever get comfortable. My last skiing experience was Shymbulak in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and I absolutely hated every minute of it. I spent more […]
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The longer I’ve lived in Tbilisi, the more I’ve come to realize this is a city full of surprises. For instance, did you know an area of downtown is actually geothermal? I do now. There are actually several sulfur bathhouses clustered together in the Abanotubani neighborhood in Old Tbilisi that make for an excellent way […]
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Ah Rome. I love it so. After spending a few weeks in Western Europe and then a few days in Eastern Europe, we flew to Rome and got our first taste of Southern Europe. After the tidy streets of Paris and London, and the ancient feeling in Prague and Krakow, the chaos of Rome was […]
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It’s hard making friends as an adult. It’s something you don’t realize until you have to. As a kid, you’re constantly thrown into environments where everyone is in the same boat and needs to forge bonds of friendship. School, extracurricular activities, even the playground. Back in those days you automatically had things in common with […]
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Switzerland is one of those countries that’s always been just outside my peripheral vision when it comes to dream travel destinations. Places like New Zealand, Japan, Costa Rica, Iceland, and Argentina are always front and center when I think about where I want to vacation. Slightly off center are most European countries. However, for some […]
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