We said goodbye to the family in London, as they had to catch an early flight home, while we spent our last morning there walking around and picking up some hiking gear for Georgia. We flew five hours to Kutaisi, Georgia, landing a bit after midnight on Friday. Despite our late arrival, we woke up early to spend a full day exploring Kutaisi, the capital of the Kingdom of Georgia in the Middle Ages and now the country’s 3rd largest city, with about 150,000 people. The Georgian parliament moved to Kutaisi in 2012. We walked to the main square and had breakfast at Baraqa, where we tried one of Georgia’s most famous dishes: khachapuri. Khachapuri is a fresh baked bread stuffed or covered with sulguni or imeruli, types of fresh, savory cheeses. We had the khachapuri adjaruli, which includes an egg yolk to mix with the sulguni cheese, making a dipping sauce. In an effort to balance our diet, we picked up some fresh fruit at the market before catching the marshrutka (shared van) to Gelati Monastery. Founded in 1106 and beautifully painted in the 16th century, Gelati Monastery was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. Standing remote atop a small mountain, the monastery’s painted ceilings, mosaic iconography, and expansive views make it an incredible place to visit. We continued again via marshrutka to the Motsameta Monastery, built in the 11th century and beautifully set on a cliff’s edge above the Tskhaltsitela River. It, too, had beautiful artwork, impressive for such a seemingly remote location. We rode back to Kutaisi to pick up some snacks ahead of our 4-day trek from Mestia to Ushguli in the Caucasus Mountains, in the Svaneti region near the Russian border. Dinner was at Bar-Restaurant Palaty, where we had some more delicious traditional Georgian dishes: khachapuri imeruli (bread stuffed with fresh cheese), eggplant slices with walnut paste, beans in the pot (deliciously seasoned), chicken shashlik skewers, and pumpkin with honey and walnuts for dessert. We also enjoyed the local red wine. It is believed that wine production was invented in Georgia about 8,000 years ago; the traditional winemaking method in clay jars is deeply entwined with the country’s culture. All dishes were excellent and distinctive, different from anything we’d had before.
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Our six days in London were filled with delicious food, wonderful museums (entrance is free, so we went back to some multiple times), and entertaining theater. My family loves London so much that we go back every few years, so it was a great end to our seven weeks of traveling together. We went to Fortnum & Mason for our favorite chocolate truffles; saw art at the Tate Modern, the National Gallery, and the National Portrait Gallery; returned to see sections of the British museum we hadn’t previously had time for; and walked through the many different neighborhoods of one of my favorite cities in the world. Robert and I got to meet his dad’s aunt and uncle, Vivien and Sidney, who had us over for dinner. It was so nice to connect with another part of the family. We took a tour of Buckingham Palace, where we saw a small fraction of the monumental art collection owned by the royal family, as well as some of the formal ball and meeting rooms. This was new for us because it is only open during the short periods of the year when Queen Elizabeth is away at one of her other palaces in Scotland. Another thing we hadn’t done previously was to visit Parliament while it was in session. We got to observe both the House of Commons and the House of Lords as members gave speeches and debated over issues like Brexit and fostering unity between England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Robert, my dad, and I spent a leisurely day in Oxford exploring the oldest English-speaking university (estimates date its origin at around 1096!). I spent a summer studying there when I was 17, living in the charming on the outside, but slightly shabby on the inside rooms on the quad at Oriel. The trip down memory lane ended with a visit to Christ Church (where they filmed the great hall and some other scenes in Harry Potter) and an afternoon tea and scone. We returned to London via train to meet my mom and Amanda to see Les Miserables. We also saw two Agatha Christie plays, Mousetrap (now in its 66th year) and Witness for the Prosecution, as well as Dreamgirls. All were fabulous. We spent four days last week walking through the Cotwolds, a scenic, pastoral region of central England. The UK has friendly laws towards walkers, so we were able to cross farms and other private property along the Heart of England Way. We walked between 8 and 15 miles per day, staying in a different town each night (our bags were transported between B&Bs by a van). As we walked over the rolling hills, we passed grazing animals, raspberry and blackberry bushes, fragrant fields of lavender, and golden wheat rippling in the breeze. We stopped in towns along the way for lunch at pubs, to sample local beers, and for afternoon teas. It was an extremely pleasant few days and we are looking forward to going back to walk more of the 100-mile walking trail! We started in Moreton-on-Marsh, and stayed in Stow-on-the-Wold, Chipping Campden, and then back to Moreton. We enjoyed the centuries-old history and charm of the towns, usually centered around an 800 to 900-year-old church with an ancient graveyard. Some buildings even still have thatched roofs. We also walked to Broadway, and stopped in other charming Cotswold towns on our way before catching the train to our final stop of the family trip: London. We drove south to Edinburgh (pronounced ed-in-bruh or ed-in-buh-ruh), the picturesque capital of Scotland since the 15th century. Alexa and I had an excellent lunch at Mother India, then went for a long walk through town. We visited Victoria Street, inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series, and continued on High Street to Cockburn Street, a cobbled path that winds down the hill. We had cream tea (tea with a scone, clotted cream, and jam) and a slice of cake at the charming Forsyth’s Tea Room, managed by a woman who runs the old-fashioned shop herself. From there, we climbed Calton Hill to enjoy panoramic views of the city, then met Rick to ascend the much steeper Arthur’s Seat, a promontory that overlooks Edinburgh. We reached the top just in time for sunset. The next day, some of us took a walking tour to learn about Edinburgh’s rich history. During the final stop at Greyfriars Kirkyard cemetary, the guide recounted the heartwarming story of Bobby, a Skye Terrier who became famous for spending 14 years loyally guarding his owner’s grave. The guide pointed out that Skye Terriers have a 10-year life expectancy, so the city may have installed a Bobby II to maintain the popular attraction. Alexa and I spent the afternoon at Edinburgh Castle, located high on the Castle Rock. The site has been occupied by humans since at least the 2nd century and it has been a royal residence since the 1100s. We had an afternoon treat at Mary’s Milk Bar, located in the Grassmarket, where people historically could buy groceries, visit taverns, and watch public executions in one convenient location. From Glasgow, we drove north to Oban (pronounced ooh-ban), a port town that has been inhabited since Mesolithic times. Oban grew in the 1800s around the distillery and fishing businesses, aided by the opening of the rail station. It served as an important Atlantic base during World War II, and was the site where the first Transatlantic Telephone Cable came ashore. We enjoyed the town’s beautiful horseshoe harbor and cool, northern feel; the sun set just after 10pm. We took a boat tour to the islands of Mull, Staffa and Iona. The Isle of Mull, sparsely populated, boasts dramatic hills and mountains, lush with greenery and grazing animals. Lachlan Macquarie, the “Father of Australia,” was born near Mull and was part of the family Clan MacQuarrie, which owned some of these islands for over 1000 years. We rode out to Staffa, also once owned by Clan MacQuarrie, where we saw the dramatic basalt columns reminiscent of the famous Giant’s Causeway in Ireland. The island is also a nesting site for puffins, an adorable bird species. We continued to Iona, where we ate lunch and saw the Iona Abbey, which was originally founded in 563 and was attacked by the Vikings in the 800s. The close communities, deep history, and beauty of these islands made for an excellent day trip. We drove north to Inverness, the capital of the Scottish Highlands and northernmost city in the United Kingdom, to take in more scenery and long, sunny days. Alexa and I spent the afternoon walking through the city and its parks along the River Ness. The next day, we visited the famed Loch Ness. Alexa’s dad, Rick, and I tried haggis, the Scottish national dish: “a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs); minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, traditionally encased in the animal's stomach” (Wikipedia). It was delicious and went down smoother than expected with whisky cream sauce drizzled over it. We relished the chance to try sheep’s lung, as it is banned in the United States. We hiked through the stunning Glen Affric nature reserve to recover. The Highlands’ pristine scenery is a relaxing and invigorating break from the cities. We said goodbye to Michael in Dublin, as he had to fly to Dallas to begin intensive tennis training before starting on the GW team in the fall. The rest of us flew to Glasgow to begin our travels through the UK. Though we only spent a couple days in Scotland’s largest city, we found it to be lively and dynamic. We had dinner at a Greek restaurant, and Robert and my parents went for an evening walk to the Glasgow necropolis, a historic cemetery, while Amanda and I went back to the hotel. The next day, Robert and I went on a walking tour of the city where we saw interesting murals, statues, and learned a bit about the history and culture of Glasgow. The population of Glasgow is around 600,000, but up to 2,000,000 live in the city and its suburbs. Glasgow was founded by St. Mungo in the 500s AD, and signs of the patron saint are everywhere. The mural we included is a modern depiction of St. Mungo bringing a bird back to life. We had dinner at Number 16, a creative, modern take on Scottish cooking, then Robert and I met Amanda at the hotel and the three of us went out for drinks and live music. The next morning, we rented a van to drive to the Highlands. After a memorable three weeks in Italy, we took the train from Florence to Pisa to catch our flight to Dublin, Ireland. We checked into our hotel and went for a late afternoon walk around Grafton Street, a lively shopping area with many street performers. My mom and Amanda were tired, so they went back while Robert, Michael, my dad, and I went to The Brazen Head for a beer. The al fresco pub claims to be the oldest in Ireland, dating from 1198. We had a couple beers there and at L. Mulligan Grocer, then ate some late-night fish and chips at Leo Burdock, which has been in business since 1913. Amanda planned many of our activities in Dublin, including the Kilmainham Gaol prison tour and Guinness brewery tour on our first full day. The tour of Kilmainham Gaol was excellent – we learned about the significant revolutionary leaders of Ireland who were imprisoned and, in many cases, executed there by the British. Though no prisoners have been held there for about 100 years, it is an integral part of Irish history. We had lunch at Nancy Hands, a cozy pub, then spent the afternoon learning about and tasting Ireland’s most famous beer. Though it was a pleasant enough way to spend a couple hours, Guinness was far from the best beer we drank in Ireland. The next day, we had breakfast at Kilkenny Café, a friendly cafeteria-style breakfast and lunch restaurant in a department store near our hotel. Their scones with raspberry preserves and clotted cream were particularly delicious. My dad and I walked around the zoo and visited Dublin Castle while Amanda relaxed and Robert and my mom visited the Trinity College Library and ChristChurch Cathedral. At the college, they saw the 1200-year-old Book of Kells and unusual library where the books are organized by weight and height. We all met later in the day for a beautiful walk around St Stephen’s Green. On our final full day in the city, we took an entertaining free walking tour with Sandeman’s, and went to a delicious afternoon tea that Amanda planned at the Shelbourne Hotel. Some of us went to the Irish Whiskey Museum (the Irish spell it with an "e" in contrast to Scotland's spelling, whisky) to learn about the history and process of distilling whiskey in Ireland. Production is increasing again in Ireland after a stall in the last century, and the country has much to offer beyond Jameson. Compared with Scotch whiskey which is usually distilled twice and made from peat-smoked barley, Irish whiskey forgoes the peat and is distilled three times, so though it tends to lack the smokier flavor of Scotch, Irish whiskey is typically smoother. We of course tried several varieties to taste for ourselves. We visited Howth, a charming fishing village a few miles outside Dublin for a late dinner. We spent the last day of our short stay in Ireland visiting Glendalough and Kilkenny. We got a late start due to a delay at the rental car company, so we didn’t get to spend as much time sightseeing as we would have liked. In Glendalough, we visited the ruins of an early medieval monastic settlement founded by a monk named Kevin in the 600s AD. We saw a stone tower, the ruins of a church, and graveyard set amongst the stunning green valley. In Kilkenny, we walked around the outside of the castle, which had unfortunately closed by the time we arrived. We explored the charming town and visited the Black Abbey, the location of a siege when Oliver Cromwell tried to force Catholicism out of the British Isles in the 1640s. The abbey has beautiful stained-glass windows. The next day, we took a Ryanair flight to Glasgow to begin our travels through Scotland. We hope to return to Ireland soon to spend more time exploring the countryside and to visit the famously beautiful Cliffs of Moher. We managed to see, do, and eat a lot during our 2.5 days in Florence. Shortly after arriving, Alexa and I returned to Osteria il Buongustai, which we went to three years ago, for a delicious lunch of tomato risotto, truffle spaghetti, walnut salad with local cheese, and the best tiramisu in the world. The reasonable prices and great hospitality make it one of our favorite lunch spots on all of our travels. We walked over the Ponte Vecchio bridge, famous for its jewelry shops, and spent the afternoon at the Uffizi Gallery. That evening, we met with the family for a walk up to Basilica San Miniato al Monte, high up on a hill with a panoramic view of the sunset. After enjoying the incredible views, we went with Rick and Michael to Trattoria Dall'Oste, near the train station, for delicious Florentine steak. The steak, always cooked rare, went well with the light, fruity house wine served in a carafe. We went for a long walk to Vivoli for gelato, then back home through Piazza del Duomo, home to Florence’s stunning 1200s marble cathedral. We started the next morning with a visit to Florence’s Mercato Centrale, a large market and food hall with a great selection of Tuscan specialties. Much of the food in Italy is local, and regulations govern the quality required for a particular food to be marketed and sold as such. We walked across town for fresh pies at Gusta Pizza, then back to Perche No for more gelato. Suffice to say, we felt tired and full as we browsed the Galileo Museum, which has a fascinating collection of scientific instruments, medical equipment, and technological innovations dating back hundreds of years. For our last day, Alexa, Michael, and I took a day trip to San Miniato, where we spent the morning truffle hunting with Massimo, his father (an expert truffle hunter), and his dog Pepe. We learned that most truffle products, such as truffle oil, are poor quality and often flavored with chemicals. Truffles are best when shaved over something hot, which helps extract the flavor. We found 3 black truffles and one white, the first of the season, then returned to Massimo’s house, where his sister cooked a delicious lunch. From Siena, we rode to Vernazza, one of the centers of Cinque Terre, a series of five colorful towns perched on the cliffs of the coast between Genoa and Pisa. We spent a relaxing two days hiking the trails between the villages and enjoying some local seafood. While there is not much in the way of sightseeing, the natural beauty of Cinque Terre makes it a picturesque place for a quick visit. We rode the train to Florence to spend our last few days in Italy. |
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