Bastille Day and Beautiful Bèze

As usual, things have been pretty busy with the excavation and all, and I have yet to say anything about France!

The flights were good, and the rendezvous point with my student even worked out (I brought another American student to the excavation with me this year – it’s nice having another one of us around)! We took the train down to Montbard where one of my excavation friends picked us up; it’s always nice to see a friendly face upon arrival!

The past few years I have been in Dijon for Bastille Day (it is like the American Fourth of July), and this was my first time experiencing the holiday in Châtillon. I could not have asked for a better introduction to France for my student. There were crowds of people of all ages that evening, many holding brightly-colored paper lanterns. There was a procession of people around the city holding open torches (very Frankenstein-esque) accompanied by music, and they stopped at the football/soccer field where the mayor gave some speeches. Upon completion, new music began as did the fireworks. We had a front row view of it all and the show lasted for about twenty minutes or so. The fireworks were really impressive for a place I consider to be a small town, and I laughed at how French they were – really coordinated and artistic explosions, the music, setting a proper mood… I commented to one of my other friends that in America, we do not care if it is artistic; we just like to see shiny things blowing up.

We had our first week of work, then the weekend. I suggested to some friends we could visit Mireabeau-sur-Beze, because it had a really interesting late La Tene – early Roman period sanctuary that I had read about and it was listed in one of the local travel journals. Well, the site now sits under a collection of houses (it was a rescue excavation), and there was no museum, just a display of objects housed in the tourism office. Bust.

No photos of the cave, but the water exits.

Luckily, we had another plan, and that was to visit 

Bèze,a village we passed on our way to Mireabeau. This was a really beautiful medieval town with some really charming old architecture. It also boasted Grottes de Bèze, a fantastic cave you could tour, which we did. I always like cave tours, but this one was particularly unique because within the cave is a source or spring where water bubbles up as it travels out to the river nearby. For this reason, part of the tour is walking on foot, but the other part is in a non-motorized boat to limit pollution. The guides pull the boat along by grabbing ropes which are anchored into the cave ceiling. The water inside was beautiful and crystal clear. I was really surprised that no prehistoric activity took place here because it was rather magical (there is a lot of cave art from the Paleolithic period found in many of the caves in France).

After the tour, we walked around for a while just enjoying the beautiful architecture and had some ice cream and a coffee next to city hall. We found another beautiful spot with a family of swans floating around in the little pond. Sometimes certain parts of France just seem too perfect and charming to be real. 

Baby swan stretching his wings.

The excavations are going well. Last week there was an article about our excavations in the Dijon paper. The best part is there was a photo of my student hard at work, and I was mentioned by name for my dissertation research. And the best of the best part was I went to buy a copy for me and my student, and the guy at the shop realized I was one of the excavators (we are really dirty most of the time). He asked if I was one of the Germans, and after he learned I was American, he got so excited because he knew I was mentioned in the article; he even told some of the other people on the excavations later how exciting it was to have an American there! Local celebrity? Not quite, but I felt pretty awesome regardless. Time to rest up for week number three! 

Of Cities and Mountains (Part 3): Dmanisi, Georgia

Reed has been participating in research at Dmanisi going on four years now. I wanted to see the place I have heard so much about. 

View of the region from the site of Dmanisi with plateaus and river valleys.

Unfortunately, Reed’s friend who usually drives was not available, so we had only one option: the bus. I have been on such buses in Turkey; this was a new experience for Reed though. Considering the last of the open seats were in the back row and that our heads were almost touching the ceiling, it was not too bad.

The road leading up to the dig house snakes through the town and Reed gave me a tour as we walked along. At the dig house, I was finally about to put faces to so many of the names I have heard about and enjoyed meeting everyone. The remainder of the evening was spent drinking around a hookah (I forgot the Georgian word for water pipe).

The remains of the Medieval fortress from the inside.

The next morning, I rode in the back of the truck with the excavators to complete my rite of passage. Luckily, since we were just visiting for the day, we did not have to get dirty and excavate; instead, I had the full tour compliments of my experienced tour guide of a boyfriend. The site rests on top of a large plateau which used to be next to a lake. The view from the edge is spectacular! I saw all of the different areas of the excavations that I had previously only known by name. It is incredible to see Medieval ruins and excavations just above early Paleolithic finds (apparently nearly everything in between has been washed away over the past million years or so).

Part of the old church. 

I did not snap any photos of the excavation (and to the untrained eye, you would not see much other than dirt – some things were even tricky for me to spot and the camera does not help matters). The Medieval fortress, however, had some nice ruins and a charming church nearby which had elaborate carvings in wood and stone dating between the 12^th and 14^th century. Medieval Dmanisi is particularly interesting because it was part of a major crossroads along the Silk Road, and there exists evidence for Christians, Muslims, and others who all lived in this area at one time or another.

A Muslim burial from the Medieval Period. 

After our exploration around the site, we had a quick lunch, and then went to a special swimming spot down in the valley. The water was cool at first, but was not too bad after moving around a bit and it felt great on such a hot day. There were abundant wildflowers and wild herbs filling the air with a sweet fragrance. One fatality occurred while I was fording the river on my way back to the site: goodbye, dear red flip flops…you were cheap, but you served me well. It was a really perfect and beautiful day.

Hand-carved wooden doors of the church.

 The next morning we hopped a bus back to Tbilisi. Unfortunately, it was not the same type of bus we took out to the site and it ended up adding another hour or so to our drive because it stopped at nearly every corner of all of the surrounding villages. We were quite relieved and grateful though because there was a sign inside that we were trying to read which made it seem as though we’d be on the bus for five hours; we were thankful for the mere three hours instead.

Thus concludes my adventures in Georgia. It was nine days well spent and it was wonderful getting to know a new country and a new people that are so warm to Reed’s heart.

Reed has just started up his blog again and you can read about his experiences at Adventures inGeorgia: The Search for the Persian Leopard. 

Carving of a ram from the Medieval Period.

Of Cities and Mountains (Part 2): Shatili, Georgia

On our trip to Shatili (and around Tbilisi) I learned a lot about driving in Georgia. For example:

·         Two lanes equal enough space for three cars;

·         A leapfrogging method is used for passing cars that are backed up, but this does not appear to be very effective because the car you passed will inevitably pass you after two minutes;

·         Honking should also be used as much as possible and at seemingly random moments;

·         Honking means more than “watch out”, such as “get out of my way”, “you are too slow”, “I am going to pass you so do not turn”, “Hey, Friend!”, and so on;

·         Seatbelts are optional, unless you are in the front seat;

·         And cars do not break for pedestrians, but will break for cows.

I found it better to just not watch. This was actually beneficial because I could focus on the beautiful landscape during our journey. Our destination was the village of Shatili on the recommendation of Reed’s friend/driver and his wife. They said “It is a very special and beautiful place, trust us!” And since we trust them, we agreed to go.

The village is located in Upper Khevsureti, one of the mountainous regions of Georgia. While it was only about 75km/50miles away, the drive took about four hours partly because of the slow climb and curving roads of a mountain, but also because of the road itself which was mostly unpaved, narrow, and rather treacherous at times (this made the Road to Hana in Hawaii look easy).

 The first major feature we passed was a giant reservoir for one of the rivers (sorry, no photos -- I was trying to ignore the fact that we were driving right on the edge of a cliff). It reminded me a bit of Scotland because it looks like the hills just rise up out of the water. The area was flooded in the not-too-distant-past covering a small town. Apparently when the water levels are a bit low, the top of the local church begins to appear. Not today though, there was plenty of water and it was beautiful!

"I gotta go, we got cows!"

Most of the journey was a typical mountainous ascent: switch backs, narrow curves, pulling over for other cars to use the road, changes in vegetation. Reed and I observed that unlike the Rocky Mountains, these hills have vegetation growing all the way to the top. There are plants that thrive on every level, which make the mountains really beautiful. There are also a huge variety of beautiful, colorful wildflowers which grow all the way up, as well as wild herbs, and a plant that looks like giant rhubarb.

Shatili

After about four hours of passing through the hills, seeing an occasional house (some of which appeared to be abandoned), and breaking for many cows, we arrived at our destination. Unlike the lower habitations and many of the other regions of Georgia which have traditionally used wood for constructing their homes, Shatili used dry-stone construction with just a bit of mortar in some places. This may not seem very impressive at first glance, but then when you learn this collection of houses date to the 12^th century and have been nearly continuously occupied since…it is incredible. Along the journey we saw many other stand-alone houses built like this. There were also many towers that sort of appeared across the landscape too, which were erected for signaling in case of invading armies (think Lord of the Rings when they light the fires in the towers which are seen by another tower who lights a fire in theirs quickly, and so on).

Stone signaling tower from the nearby area. 

Reed exploring Shatili. 

A cow enjoying the shade inside.

We had some lunch next to the river flowing nearby, walked around for a while, and then made the four hour trip home again. The scenery was lovely, the village incredible. It was a worthwhile trip, just leave the driving up to the Georgians. 

Of Cities and Mountains (Part 1): Tbilisi, Georgia

Some of Tbilisi's modern architecture mixed with the old.

The Republic of Georgia has been keeping me busy. After the change in my flights, I ended up arriving, picking up my bags, and getting back to the apartment with Reed around 3:30AM. After three nights of a combined 12 hours of sleep, my body made me sleep...for about 10 hours. 

After finally getting up and out of the apartment, Reed showed me the museum area where he works each summer and where the bones from the excavations are stored, and yes, it is as hot as he says it is. Wow. I had my first authentic Georgian meal just around the corner which consisted of the standard cucumber, tomato, cilantro, and hot pepper salad; Khachapuri (a dough stuffed with cheese); and meat, potatoes, and peppers cooked in a cast iron dish. It was all delicious! Reed took me over to Old Tbilisi for a while to see some of the older and charming areas which are also within view of the highly modern architectural style which is popular in Tbilisi today. Then we headed home to sleep more. 

House from the Museum of Ethnography.

The next few days were full of different activities and sites all across the city. We visited the Museum of Georgia, which has a fantastic display of gold and silver objects dating from the late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age to the Roman Period -- Georgia is the land of the Golden Fleece from Greek mythology! The Museum of Soviet Occupation is housed in the same building and describes 70 years worth of fighting, oppression, and the road to independence in Georgia. 

Another house with a view of Tbilisi.

My favorite museum was the Open Air Museum of Ethnography located on one of the hills surrounding the city. The park extends further up the hill and is full of houses collected and brought to the park from all over Georgia. The houses demonstrate a variety of building traditions (wood, wood and stone, and stone) and their placement on different levels of the hill correlate with where they would be found in their original region (i.e. valleys for some, high mountainous points for others). Many of the houses in the lower areas are open and have many of the original furnishing as well as interpreters who describe (in Georgian, Russian, or English) the history of the house, the use of the objects within it, and the social hierarchy and roles of the family. Some of the houses are in rough shape, but in general, it is interesting to walk around the park to see the diversity of architecture all found within a single country. 

Fortress and a tree of wishes!

One afternoon (trying to avoid some of the heat) we took the gondola up to one of the surrounding hills for a view of the city from Narikala Fortress. Within the fortress is a small Georgian Orthodox Church full of brightly colored murals of various saints highlighted with gold leaf (Reed got kicked out for wearing shorts and I had to cover my hair while in the church -- nothing wrong with a little propriety in a sacred place). A short distance from the fortress was the colossal statue of Kartlis Deda, or Mother Georgia, who holds a cup of wine to greet those coming to Georgia as friends and a sword to keep away enemies. The National Botanical Gardens are located just behind the fortress. While the gardens are not the well organized and well maintained types found in western Europe with abundant signs, they are a nice place to escape the heat and to soak in some nature in the city. Vake Park, located just down the street from Reed's apartment, is another nice place to escape the heat and has several impressive monuments and memorials within it. 

Inside the fortress. I did not climb up those stairs -- yikes!

Eating has also been a bit of a pastime. I have heard from Reed for the past three years how great this-and-this is or how much he likes that yummy thing. Well, as a person who loves to try new foods, this was a priority. Many of the restaurants we visited are actually in basements or cellars making them a cool reprieve from the summer heat. I already mentioned the traditional salad and Khachapuri, which you find everywhere. Meat in general is pretty popular and cooked in a variety of ways. Last night I tried Khinkali, aka Georgian dumplings, which can be filled with a variety of meat with greens, potatoes, or cheese. They look like little money pouches you see in Medieval movies except sealed shut creating a little knob. These must be eaten with your hands and there is definitely some technique involved. The meat ones, and the best kind, create their own broth as they cook. To eat these, you must bite a hole in the site of the dumpling and slurp the juice out, then you may continue to eat the meat and dough, but never the knob (apparently since its just a big wad of dough people don't like it and the knobs can also be used to see how many you have eaten). Well, they are delicious...and filling; I had seven and felt like I could be rolled home. Another well known dish which I get to try tonight is Shashlik, or meat on a stick. 

Reed and I. The tower is not leaning, its my camera.

Lemonade is rather popular and is super refreshing in the heat (have I mentioned its been in the 90s since I arrived??? -- major change from the 70s we were having in Minneapolis when I left...). While it is called "limonade," it isn't really lemonade in the American sense, rather, it is carbonated water with a bit of sugar and specified flavoring added to it (e.g. lemon limonade, peach limonade, or the most disgusting, tarragon limonade). I will miss lemon limonade when I leave...

I am glad I decided to do this in several parts. This is only a fraction of what I have to say, but I think this is enough for today! Stay tuned for my trips to Shatili and Dmanisi!  

When the Airlines Hand You Lemons, Make Limoncello: How to Spend a Twelve Hour Layover in Rome

I am rather confident that someone has put a traveling curse on me. My most recent adventure involving trains helped to strengthen the idea in my mind, but events on Monday confirmed it for me.

Sometimes I take a bus to Chicago because I can get a cheaper, or more preferable flight combination from there; in this case, I had a short, 16 hour flight to the Republic of Georgia going from Chicago to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Tbilisi. On Monday, about an hour before leaving for the bus, I received a phone call from KLM telling me my second flight was cancelled and they were re-routing me to Istanbul before going on to Tbilisi. Nothing like adding to my travel anxiety! I was annoyed, but knew I could manage. I made it to Chicago, had dinner and stayed with a friend from college, which was great! I even slept well!

In the morning, I thought, "Maybe I should call the airline and see if they can do something better or at least compensate me for adding 10 additional hours of travel to my trip..." Good thing I did because when I called  there was no record that my second flight had ever been confirmed; in other words, I had NO flight to Tbilisi scheduled! After 1.5 hours on the phone trying to find a flight for me (everything was booked until next week!), we finally found something that did not involve 4+ connecting flights. I was now scheduled to fly from Chicago to New York, then to Rome where I would have a 12 hour layover, and then on to Tbilisi.

Rome and I have a history. She was the first city I ever visited abroad in addition to being the first place I ever visited alone. I love Rome! And as a person who studies the Romans, it is even more fantastic for the archaeology in the city. While one day is too short for proper visit to Rome, 12 hours is ok for getting out of the airport and enjoying some of what the city has to offer.

My bags were checked through to Tbilisi, and I luckily did not have to worry about bringing them with me. I also had the good fortune of knowing a colleague in Rome who had some free time to visit with me. For 14 euros one way, or 28 euros round-trip, there is a train that goes from Fiumicino Airport to Termini Station, central train station for Roma. The train is much faster than the bus, and cheaper than a taxi, which runs about 50 euros. The train normally takes about 40 minutes, but was delayed while en route adding an additional 30 minutes to my trip into the city.

I finally arrived, met my colleague, and tackled my first priority: delicious coffee! I sometimes forget how mediocre coffee is everywhere else I have been compared to coffee in Italy. Even their not-so-great coffee is better than some of our best coffee. Heaven in a little tiny cup!

Second priority for the day: eat something delicious for lunch. It sounds cliche, but you can really not go wrong with pizza or pasta in Rome. I went with the former as it was slightly lighter. We went to a place that sold it by the gram, so you could chose exactly the best size piece, or pieces, or you! Of the three flavors I tried, the best had zucchini flowers and anchovies on top. Yes, anchovies. It is a love I have had since childhood when my father convinced me to try them, and I will not apologize for it!

Incredibly detailed floral decoration in stone. 

Rome is full of history, arts, and so on. My third priority then: to soak in some culture! I had visited many of the important museums and archaeological sites on my previous visits in 2005 and 2008, but one elusive attraction that I have been wanting to see is the Ara Pacis, the Altar of Peace constructed by the Emperor Augustus after the second Roman civil war in which he came out the victor. It had closed the year before my first visit to Rome and opened a few months after my second visit. I was determined that I should see it this time around! Entry was about 8,50 euros since I forgot my student card, but as it was my only expense for the day, I did not mind the cost so much. It was beautiful and exciting to see something I had studied in school!

The Ara Pacis from the front. Note the person on the left for scale. 

A complex scene loaded with symbols pointing to fertility and well-being. 

At this point in the day it was getting rather warm, leading me to my fourth priority while in Rome: gelato! We went to Giolitti, a famous gelaterie with a lot of character and totally charming inside. Fair warning, if you go, it is really busy with tourists in the summer and you have to just push your way to the front -- do not wait in a line, you will never be served :) And with a delicious and refreshing gelato in hand, we just strolled around Rome passing by the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, and other sites that did not really require a visit. I had another coffee before heading back to Termini for my airport-bound train. Luckily my train was not delayed, and I made it through security and to my gate in less than 40 minutes.

This would be a rather easy trip to do for anyone with a long layover in Rome. Remember to grab a free map from the information desk at the airport, then factor in an hour for getting off the plane and through passport control, an hour for the train, about six to seven hours for your visit, an hour to get back, and two hours for getting through the airport. If you have less time, you can always shorten your visit. I really took my time in the city. You could always factor in more sites too, but when you have a short amount of time, it is best to not put a million things into one day. I highly recommend having a coffee, enjoying some food, and getting some gelato. Take the city in. Walk slowly, wander; you will enjoy it more.

After my pleasant layover, I hopped another plane and arrived in Tbilisi early in the morning where I was greeted by Reed and some of his Georgian friends. My exploration of this new city and country has just begun and I will be sure to update my loyal readers on my adventures. In the meantime, you can read about Reed's experiences in Georgia from the past three years at Adventures in Georgia: The Search for the Persian Leopard.