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: tourism
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
Almost somewhere
The Road to the Big Good, Part One Batumi to Tbilisi, Georgia Saturday 16 May 2026 The day begins at 0500. Pack. Shower. Shave. Clothes still damp but packed nevertheless. Laundry rack back on balcony. Still terrifying to be out there. Too damn high up — 43 floors. Leave Room 4342. Elevator down to the… Continue reading Almost somewhere
Antequera: In transit
Eskişehir, Türkiye Saturday 10 August 2024 “No young person under 40 is ever to be allowed to travel abroad under any circumstances. Nor is anyone to be allowed to go for private reasons, but only on some public business, as a herald or ambassador or as an observer of one sort or another.“ Plato, The… Continue reading Antequera: In transit
Canada Slim and the Evil Road
9 September 2017, Landschlacht, Switzerland I am determined to not write myself into too predictable a rut. There have been a number of themes running through the posts of this blog since I started it back on 18 May 2015. I have written of many things: my travels in Switzerland and abroad, topics currently relevant at the time… Continue reading Canada Slim and the Evil Road
Canada Slim behind bars 2: Punishment preserved
Landschlacht, Switzerland, 2 July 2016 Brexit and the European Championship seem all anyone can talk about these days, whether in the classes where I teach or at the Starbucks stores where I work as a barista. As I don´t have a stake in either event, my thoughts are more preoccupied with my duties at hand, plans… Continue reading Canada Slim behind bars 2: Punishment preserved
Biel-Bienne the undecided
There are places in the world and especially in Switzerland that are amazingly easy to fall in love with. Biel-Bienne is not one of them. It is a place that even its residents seem undecided about loving or hating. Biel is the German name for this city of 52,350, located exactly midpoint between Geneva and… Continue reading Biel-Bienne the undecided
Under the skin
Oh, narrow, dark and humid streets rising like crevices to an unforgiving sky. I long for a Cathedral, a fine old pagan stone fortress, just for its refreshing cold atmosphere. I would even settle for a baroque, homely, altar in a corner hole in the wall, just to squat in the corner and enjoy the… Continue reading Under the skin
The Devil’s Saddle and the Alligator
Often when one considers Sardinia one thinks of it as a playboy’s playground. Former PM Silvio Berlusconi is famous for the lavish entertainments (notorious “bunga bunga” parties) he hosted (guests included Tony and Cherie Blair) in his sumptuous Villa Certosa on the Costa Smerlada far north of the island near Arzachena. This coast’s cachet among… Continue reading The Devil’s Saddle and the Alligator
The timelessness of Su Casteddu
Ah, Cagliari! (In Sardinian dialect, Su Casteddu) A city ascending in a choas of golden-hued mansions, domes and facades up to a rocky citadel. Vespas buzz down tree-fringed boulevards and locals exchange gossip and discuss politics and sports at cafes under graceful arcades. Sunset is the best time when soft evening light reveals pastel facades… Continue reading The timelessness of Su Casteddu