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.

Edinburgh, Even Better the Second Time

I first traveled to Edinburgh in 2006 with my mother and step-father who met up with me after I finished an excavation. We spent several days in and around the city seeing the highlights, such as the gardens, the castle, and a trip to nearby Loch Lomond. With all of the major sights under my belt, I had some freedom to experience Edinburgh in a different way the second time around. Unfortunately, this trip was limited to a single day. I arrived from Paris at 8:30 AM, took the thirty minute bus ride into the city, and could not check into my hotel until 2:00 PM. I had time to kill and had no definitive plans. My train for Durham was leaving the next day at 3:30 PM. I had about 30 hours to spend in Edinburgh – how to make the most of it?

Serendipity was on my side this day and it proved to be one of my most lovely and enjoyable trips in all of my European experiences. Feeling rather defeated about not getting into my hotel and having a shower, I decided to walk around the city. I was staying in Old Town and was already near many of the important sights. I headed along the Royal Mile towards the famous castle on a hill in the center of the city. It was already busy with tourists and I was thankful I was not entering again as I already saw it in 2006. I did walk to the top though to take in the city at dawn/early morning, and as it was a clear day I could see all of the beautiful snow-topped hills surrounding the city.

Being long overdue for a coffee, I found a charming little café near Saint Giles Church, adequately named Saint Giles Café Bar. The staff was nurturing and attentive as they seemed to sense my fatigue. A latte and bacon and maple syrup-topped waffle later, I was feeling a bit more prepared to face the day. I strolled up and down the Royal Mile, and then descended into the more modern areas of the city. I wandered through an old cemetery at the bottom of the central hill before moving on to the Prince’s Gardens, which are, obviously, much more beautiful in the summer when the lush plants are in bloom. It is a good place to have a rest and to people watch for a while as well as taking in the castle from below. 

While walking along the main road, I could see in the distance several structures on the top of a hill that looked like ancient ruins, though no Romans, and certainly no Greeks built cities that far north. Climbing the hill to investigate brought me to a new area of the city I had not explored before. The various signs around the hill and replicas of ancient ruins explained their history and presence in the city. This hill, known as Calton Hill, has a partial, and I think accurately sized, replica of the Pantheon from Athens. This structure, along with its intellectual fame of the 18th century, gave Edinburgh the nickname of “the Athens of the North.”

I was a bit too beat to do anything else after that, though I passed yet another larger, older, and more interesting cemetery on my way back, I did not have the energy to explore further. I crossed the beautifully painted Waverly Bridge, and returned to my hotel for a much needed nap and shower. Feeling refreshed and hungry, I set out for dinner. It was only 5:30, and I decided it was much too early to eat, so I descended the hill yet again, and basically walked all around the castle from below again. I really worked up an appetite at this point!

At the café this morning I inquired if they could recommend a place with great haggis, a traditional Scottish dish made up of sheep parts, onions, and spices cooked inside of a sheep or goat’s stomach. I tried this in 2006, much to my mother’s disgust, and loved it. It is peppery and fully of rich flavor. They recommended a place called The Arcade Haggis and Whiskey House, a charming little hole in the wall I walked past several times that day and failed to see until I actively sought it out. It was quite small and inviting with very wonderful décor. I did not even bother to look at the menu and requested the haggis with the whiskey sauce (as I was instructed this morning). It was phenomenal! It was served stacked in a circular form with mashed potatoes as the base, mashed turnips in the middle, and the haggis on top with the whiskey sauce served all around it. I ate the entire thing. I wandered back to my hotel and flopped in bed to enjoy my incredible food coma.

The next morning I had a meeting planned with a professor in the early part of the day. After our meeting, I still had a few hours to kill before my train. I decided to find a vintage and antique clothing store I read about called W. Armstrong & Son. They had an incredible selection of old clothing from Victorian nightgowns, to 1970s maxi dresses, and a range of furs and various uniforms. There really were some fantastic pieces, though nothing I liked fit me unfortunately even after an hour of browsing their collections.

Just up the hill from Armstrong’s was a sort of screen-printing artist collective called TheRed Door Gallery. They had some really unique pieces and fun subjects that were definitely worth the look. Normally I am not much of a shopper, but after leaving this store I walked past another one that I just could not resist. The store, Ness, has all sorts of cute plaids in various happy color combinations. It was all so cheerful! Shockingly, I splurged and bought myself a bag, though it was probably the only thing in the store that had no plaid on it. Oh well.

So, if you just have a short time in Edinburgh, I highly recommend getting to a few of these major sights I have described (and also The Real Mary King’s Close – a sort of famous ghost tour that takes you to underground parts of the city. I did this in 2006 also and it was one of the most interesting and unusual tours I have ever been on!). I definitely recommend getting to The Arcade for some haggis. If haggis is not your thing, they have many other traditional Scottish dishes that are also worth trying, as well as at least six shelves of different whiskeys! 

The Art of “Bon Appétit”!

I need to talk about “bon appétit” for a minute because I like it so much. One of the most regular questions I get while in France is “What do you say in English before a meal?” Unfortunately we do not really have a good expression other than “Enjoy your meal,” or in some cases “bon appétit” is used. This is always received with a sad face. Why is bon appétit so important? I think one reason is because food is so important in France. Enjoying fresh, rich, flavorful food is embedded in the culture. Meals are meant to be savored and enjoyed at a slow, relaxed pace with good company.

There are several common courses that I have experienced and I am sure there are others: apéritifs, entrees, main courses, cheese, dessert, and digestifs. Apéritifs are usually some sort of drink before the meal and can be a mild alcohol, wine, beer, etc. Entrees are a small plate, such as a salad of some sort which is then followed by the main course. Cheese acts as a follow up to the main course and can be eaten with bread. Dessert is self-explanatory but may be fresh fruit instead of another form of sweet. Finally, digestifs are normally a strong alcohol or liquor that is at least 40%. Eating is a ritual and is taken quite seriously.

I bring this up because in the past week I have had three strangers wish me “bon appétit” randomly and each time it has made me smile. The first occasion was when The Hobbit and I went for pizza in Châtillon. An old couple entered while we were eating and as they walked by, they wished us “bon appétit” in the sweetest fashion. For the second occasion I was at the train station in Dijon waiting for my ride to Nice. I decided to grab a sandwich and was eating while resting against a wall when a young, awkward looking guy walked by and wished me “bon appétit” quietly. The third case was last night in Nice when we were returning to the apartment with some food in our hands and my friends’ neighbor wished us “bon appétit” as we were ascending the stairs.

I thought about how bizarre this is to have strangers say this to other strangers, but then my mind transitioned to thinking this is rather nice. It is unusual to get a “hello/bonjour” from strangers in France, but “bon appétit,” this is something sacred. 

The Soup Krater

I ordered off the menu tonight (in France a menu is a choice of usually 3 things for a set price: appetizer, main dish, dessert). I decided to get some soup and what I figured was some sort of meat...

After ordering, I wondered why the garcon brought me an empty bowl with my bread -- and we are talking a large bowl here, practically the size of a serving dish! Well, instead of just getting a bowl or a cup of soup like in the States, they bring you something I can equate only with the Vix Krater!And just to give you an idea of the size...

It was a whole large vessel of soup with a ladle to serve yourself. I didn't know what kind of soup I was getting, and I only really abject to mushroom, so I wasn't worried. As the soup feast was set before me, I peered over to get a view of what awaited inside. Orange.

I pondered what else it could be, carrots being the obvious guess. I dipped the cafeteria sized ladle in and filled my bowl after two scoops. I should note, spoons for anything other than coffee in France/Europe are the equivalent of our serving spoons. I picked up my spoon and filled it to the brim and sipped...

I was wrong. Tomato, not carrot, but unlike any other tomato soup I've tasted. Rich in flavor, various vegetables were present with each sip. I asked the garcon what it was and he confirmed it was tomato and no more. It was rich, filling, comforting. Cream and perhaps butter. I was conscious of my French neighbors at the table next to me, otherwise, I probably would have tossed the bowl aside and jumped head first into my own Vix Krater. I easily finished a bowl and discretely filled another for myself.

A little over halfway through the bowl I remembered I had a mystery meat arriving soon. Begrudgingly, I set the soup bowl and the krater aside, but only after 90% of the spoon basin was visible in the bowl. Sigh...it was over.

*****
And I feel obligated to provide a bit of an update about my trip. So far I have visited 7 archaeological sites/museums, and skipped 2 from my original list. My visits are taking me about a fraction of the time that I thought they would -- I could probably have done this in a slightly rushed 2 weeks instead of 4.

Today was especially wonderful. I went to visit the actual site of Vix where they found the famous krater and the other objects associated with this 'princess' burial (see photo above), because it was a site of religious importance in the Iron Age. The site is situated on Mt-Lassois, which required me to manage getting the manual up the curvy roads and avoid descending cars on a single lane road...oy! I finally parked and walked to the site only to learn it was visitor's day, meaning the higher-ups of the site were free to talk to the visitors and they had some material from the site to look at. Bonne chance!

Eventually, someone from the site talked to me -- turned out to be the director! I was surprised at the friendliness of those in charge of the site because I've been told archaeology in Europe is "the old boy's club" -- and maybe I will see more of this when I get involved at a site. Anyway, I told him my interests and he offered to show me the important places I should see as well as provided me with some important bibliography.

He also introduced me to other leading members of the site, such as the architect, the geo-archaeologist, the artist, etc. He saw an older man and woman approaching and said, "Now there is someone you need to meet. Very important for Iron Age religion..." It turned out to be F.-R. Hermann, the man who discovered the famous Glauberg Statue (also called Mickey Mouse by the French for obvious reasons).

I was invited to join the team for lunch, which I graciously accepted even though I was not terribly hungry -- I figured the more face time I get, the more connections I can make in the area. We didn't have time after lunch to look at the important places, so the director said he would meet me tomorrow morning to show me the rest of the site. At one point during my visit, I asked if it is possible to join excavations in the area and the director said I could excavate at Vix. When I asked how much it usually costs to stay in the area, he said it was free of course -- they cover room and board and even better -- they pay 100 euros a week! I've never been paid a day in my life to excavate! Haha! I just have to get myself there! Pretty awesome!

After my unanticipated fortune, I left to try my luck at another site, Vertillum, a Gallo-Roman site which I read had a temple. It looked promising enough after I climbed yet another steep hill in the car and there was a little covered area with posted info about the site and a parking lot. Sadly, I think that was just about all it had going for it. It is a self-tour site, which requires one to walk a good ways on the hill to see anything. There are some open fields nearer to the parking lot, but then it turns into a bit of a forest with a small path. There are also holes everywhere, either from looters or just exposed structures. Then the path stopped showing signs and I ended up lost in the woods for a bit and there is absolutely no one else at the site (probably because it sucks). Anyway, I somehow stumbled out of the woods and went back to my car happy to be out safe and sound.

Alright, that should give you enough to chew on for a few days along with this tidbit... If you order meat in France, medium = rare with just the outside browned... Luckily this doesn't bother me or I would have had a downer of a dinner tonight :)

So The Thing About Escargot...

Anyone who knows me and knows what I will eat when abroad had to know this was coming...

I just tried escargots for the first time this evening. They were served piping hot, likely steamed, in a ceramic dish which has six holes, one for each shell.



It is accompanied by two instruments that look as though they could be used by a medical professional or by a professional torturer in the Middle Ages -- I'm sure some of you may think these professions to be one in the same.

One instrument is a very narrow, fork-like tool with only two prongs. The other needs to be squeezed to open and moves two half circle pieces which clamp onto the shell. (Think the scene from Total Recall where Arnold pulls that thing out of his brain through his nose...at least that's what I thought of...)











Anyway, once you figure out how to get the shell to stay still in these clamps, you then use the prongs to dig that sucker out. I recommend not looking at them too hard. Mine had some sort of green pesto on the opening of the shells, though I couldn't place the herb, which also helps to disguise the appearance (sort of like the photo above).

Upon entering the mouth, one first notices the herb mixture and butter. As one begins chewing, the slightly rubbery texture, maybe 'springy' is a better word, becomes apparent along with an all too familiar taste...mushrooms! For those of you who adore mushrooms, this dish is for you. For those of us who have disliked this strong, unpleasant flavor since childhood, I recommend avoiding escargots.

I gave the next five a try, just to be sure, with the same results. The flavor wasn't bad enough to make me gag or anything, but that distinctive mushroom flavor seemed to permeate with every bite. I plan on trying them again, just to make sure it wasn't a bad batch or cooked incorrectly -- I always thought escargot got a bad reputation just because of what it is, not based on the flavor. But...if this is the world famous dish known as escargots, I think I will have to pass in the future and maybe just enjoy their empty shells that I find all too often while excavating...

The Baklava Battle

Overall things are going well at the site. I am making decent progress in my trench and have been told by my supervisors that I'm doing a good job. The area isn't too complicated yet. I have a wall, which we removed this week to get to a lower level, and now I have another wall which I started work on today. Both of my walls are made of mudbrick with stone foundations, at least the one. The rest of my trench is fairly blah because I am working through layers of fill (dirt) before I get to levels where actual activities took place.

I have been getting along well with my workers and am improving my Turkish daily. Things were going well until yesterday where there was an incident concerning baklava. I basically said all of my workers couldn't stop working at once to eat baklava (it was to celebrate the birth of one of their nephews), but that they could take turns eating it. They had a break an hour earlier and I didn't want them to stop working. There is a little more to it, but that's the situation in a nutshell. It set off a storm of anger and my workers stopped talking to me for the rest of the day. I apologized at the end of the day for the misunderstanding and they said it was fine, but only one worker talked to me the entire day today.

Things have been stressful in the trench for other reasons too. I was given a new assistant who is Turkish. Things were pretty good the first day. His translations were helpful and we got a lot of work done. That was the highlight of his work career though. He has overslept twice in four days and shows up an hour+ late to the site. He also talks a lot, which slows work down and he doesn't do anything unless I ask him to. Between him and my young workers (4 are 21 or younger), I am essentially babysitting the entire day. Alas. Luckily there is only one day left this week and then I am free. Hopefully this weekend will give them some time to relax.

On a high note, I had a great time this past weekend. I went into Antakya with some of the Turkish folks and we walked around for the entire day. We started off by going to the Antakya Museum which has some amazing mosaics! Wow! The color and detail of these were phenomenal! While these were the highlights, there were some other interesting pieces and some cool things from our site on display as well.

While in the city, we walked around the bazaar, some of the old city with amazing architecture, and some various religious structures. We had kofte wraps (seasoned meat) for lunch and kunefe, a very sweet dessert made with cheese, sugar, and a shredded wheat-like subsistence topped with ice cream, for a snack. It was really great to get out of the compound; I was starting to pace like a lion daily. I've loaded some photos of the day on Facebook, so check them out! (Also, I've updated photos from my life at the site -- see previous blog entry for link).

Even though things have been a bit rough this week, I am still really happy to be here. There are a lot of interesting personalities and various ages at the site/dighouse which keeps things fresh daily. I'll try to write again soon. I'm likely going to a few other archaeological sites this weekend, so I'll have more photos soon! :)

Just a Quick Update...

Short, but sweet this week.

My best friend, Ami (I'm sure you all remember her name from our trip to Europe), came out to visit me this weekend all the way from Custer, South Dakota! We haven't seen each other in 5 months! Far too long!

She got into town just in time to go to my FUTBOL game. I play with other Anthropology TAs on a club/inter-mural team called "The Four Fields." We lost miserably, but it was great fun running around and doing something physical for a change. I'm thankful I spent the $9 extra on some shin-guards...it was a pretty physical-contact-intense game!

Friday, once I got home from school/teaching we hung out for a good part of the day, got lunch, then I took Ami to Ikea because she has never been. I ate too many of their cookies while I was there...tummy-ache.

Saturday morning we got up at the crack of dawn and went to the Farmer's Market. It was a great weekend for it! All the fall veggies and such are coming in and were pretty cheap compared to the summer produce. I have a lot of cooking planned for this week. (I may cauliflower gratin tonight, delish!)

That night, we made a trip to a place called Nye's, a Polish polka bar! It was great fun! I actually recognized the place from my trip in 2007 with my mom, we walked past it and I remembered seeing a sign that said "Voted Best Bar by Maxim Magazine." It could very well be! The polka band members are pretty old, I think the youngest guy was in his 60s. The oldest member, Ruth, was well over 90 and rocked an accordion like none I've ever seen! :)

Ami left Sunday morning. Sad now. She's coming back out for my birthday in November, yay!!!

Other than that, I have a really busy week ahead of me with a rough draft due and tons of reading, so I'm done writing for now. Hope all is well with everyone!

News, Newspaper, and Worm Friends!

I have been meaning to update and share some details from the past week, but I keep getting side tracked (i.e. yesterday's post). There was big news today that I'm just itchin' to get to, but I will try to get the other stuff out first.

I went to the farmer's market on Saturday morning, bright and early, to pick up some tea that I ordered from a local maker. I say 'maker' not 'grower' because she doesn't grow it, but instead, blends ingredients to create some of the most amazing, flavorful teas I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. I first came across this magical brew two years ago when I was in Minneapolis for an Anthropology conference and the hotel I stayed at served the tea. I've patiently been waiting two years since to get my hands on it and I couldn't be happier! The blend that got me hooked is called Hi-C Punch, but I've found two other flavors that I can't live without -- African Fruit Bowl and Choco Mint (I drink this chilled with cream and sugar, brings out the chocolate flavor) -- AMAZING!!! Check out the Mrs. Kelly's Teas link on the side of the blog or click here (ships nationwide, just fyi).

Ok, got distracted again. While at the market, I bought a bushel of tomatoes, other veggies, and some strawberries. I spent the rest of the day and part of Sunday stewing tomatoes, making my homemade sauce to freeze, and trying out a new fruit leather flavor, strawberry banana! The tomatoes turned out great (this coming from the girl who loathed tomatoes until last year). The fruit leather also turned out great, but it took much longer than the first batch, almost double, because of the banana I think -- made it thicker and took longer to dry. Uneventful I know, but that was the majority of my weekend.

Ok, so my big news/ excitement for today is that I picked up my worms for my indoor compost! A girl was willing to give me some from her colony, so it includes some little bitty baby worms too. I brought them home, got their bedding together and introduced them to their new place. I have to give them a few days to settle in before I can start feeding them, but I already feel better knowing they are here and will help eat up even more of my waste!

I'm including some photos so you can see what they heck I'm talking about when I say 'indoor compost'...

Pile-o-newspaper pre-shredding, post shredding in bin, and worm friends and babies!

Here are some links about how to start your own indoor compost!

Vermicomposting

"How To" with photos (be sure to read a later entry of this blog before making yours, click here)

Where to Get Worms thought I got mine from someone on Freecycle.