Tbilisi, Georgia Sunday, 17 May 2026 — Family Purity and Respect for Parents Day It is said that Georgia’s vibrant capital, Tbilisi, almost manages to encapsulate the entire Caucasus experience within its city limits. Having seen relatively little of the Caucasus beyond Batumi, I’ll have to take that on trust. Walking alone, one encounters an… Continue reading Mellow Yellow Hallelujah
Tag: literature
Rustaveli Road
“An anvil of soft lead breaks even hard stone. Now want I tongue, heart and skill for utterance! Grant me strength! And if I have aid from thee I shall have understanding…. Tenderly indeed should we cherish his memory…. In truth none like him have ever been. Hitherto the tale has told as a tale….“… Continue reading Rustaveli Road
Timeless: What survives?
Saturday 16 May 2026 Room 203, Old City Boutique Hotel, Tbilisi, Georgia Above: Old City Boutique Hotel, Tbilisi It is late in the evening. Despite my fatigue I find myself musing over the past (How did I get here?) and the future (Where am I going?) while perhaps not fully appreciating the present moment. “There… Continue reading Timeless: What survives?
Into the Big Good
The Road to the Big Good – Conclusion Saturday 16 May 2026 Tbilisi (Tiflis), Georgia After an eternity I finally arrive in Tbilisi. Above: Tbilisi, Georgia I walk out of the railway station and enter a city that doesn’t seem entirely certain which century it belongs to. Above: Tbilisi Train Station Persian influences, Byzantine Christianity,… Continue reading Into the Big Good
The soul of a place
The Road to the Big Good – Part Three Saturday 16 May 2026 Zestaponi, Imereti, Georgia The train stopped at Kutaisi Airport station, but I somehow managed to sleep through that. I will save my descriptions of Kutaisi for next week’s planned stay there. Seeing yet another rather uninspiring railway station, reminiscent of Batumi’s own… Continue reading The soul of a place
Deep forest?
The Road to the Big Good – Part Two Saturday 16 May 2026 Ureki, Guria, Georgia The train next stops at Ureki, one of the strangest and most distinctive resort towns on the Black Sea coast. Above: Ureki Station, Guria, Georgia Its principal attraction is its magnetic black sand. The beach contains unusually high concentrations… Continue reading Deep forest?
Playground
Sunday 19 July 2026 Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland Above: St. Leonhard’s Chapel, Landschlacht While the cat’s away, the mouse will play. While the wife’s away, the hubby will play. She Who Must Be Obeyed is spending the next 24 hours in Zürich. Above: Zürich, Switzerland I decide to revisit another Wednesday. Wednesday 13 May 2026… Continue reading Playground
Dignity
Sunday 19 July 2026 Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland Don Lockwood: Dignity, always dignity. This was instilled in me by Mom and Dad from the very beginning. They sent me to the finest schools including dancing school, that’s where I first met Cosmo. And with him I used to perform for Mom and Dad’s society friends.… Continue reading Dignity
Place your bets
Hope springs eternalOn a gaudy neon streetNot that I care at all Such a muddy line betweenThe things you wantAnd the things you have to do Friday 16 July 2026 Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland Above: In Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland On the way to Konstanz, 15 km away, to get my teeth cleaned upon the… Continue reading Place your bets
Synod
Above: Holy Trinity Cathedral, Tbilisi, Georgia Wednesday 15 July 2026 Landschlacht, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland Violent wind. Heavy rain. Hailstones. Nothing about the weather yesterday did I have any control over. Above: Weather Wizard (Mark Mardon) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. We readily speak of acts of God. Earthquakes. Floods. Lightning. Events beyond human control.… Continue reading Synod