Red Corner: The Napa Valley of Georgia

by Neil Woodburn on

We’ve posted a couple of times before about the wondrous wines which hail from the former Soviet republic of Georgia. And now, the New York Times has discovered them as well.

C. J. Chivers, writing in last Sunday’s paper, takes us to the fertile valleys of Georgia for a bit of the old world wine tasting.

Georgians claim that the drink itself was actually first invented in their country thousands of years ago. There is certainly some speculation over this claim, but be it true or not, the reality is that Georgian wine tastes as though they’ve been perfecting the product longer than anyone else.

Sure, some of it is hit or miss, but that’s the case with any country’s vino.

Chivers spends much of his time in Kakheti, a region I visited two summers ago which is crammed with vineyards and wineries. In fact, every house in the area is a winery. Grape vines grow over practically every bit of real estate and the locals are constantly producing their own vintage. If you visit, however, don’t be alarmed by the copious amounts of wine stored in plastic, one-liter Pepsi bottles. Georgians recycle the containers and regularly use them to bottle their home made wines.

Red Corner: North Korea Loophole

by Neil Woodburn on

Considering that it is almost impossible to obtain a tourist visa into North Korea, I was rather excited to hear about a small little loophole which allows visitors to cross the border for a brief tour of a very special mountain.

Mt. Kumgang has a legendary reputation throughout the Korean peninsula for its rugged beauty. Its location in the North, however, has made it nearly impossible to visit until just recently when Hyundai Asan arranged with the North Korean government to bring tourists to the mountain.

Helen E. Sung, writing for the LA Times, recently made the journey north. Sure, the mountain was lovely, she writes, but the real appeal of the journey is the glimpse into a particularly horrible totalitarian system of government. Cell phones, telephoto lens, and even South Korean newspapers and magazines were not allowed across the border. Minders accompanied the group at all times and guests stayed in a special tourist compound/resort cut off from the rest of the country.

Sure, it’s not the real North Korea, but I, for one, would still like to check it out.

Red Corner: Albania’s Bad Rap

by Neil Woodburn on

Albania doesn’t exactly have the same reputation for travelers as a place like Italy or France. Those who tend to visit, however, come back with glowing reviews. Well, most of them do anyway. We posted a few months ago about a piece by A. A. Gill who basically ripped the country apart.

For those of us who have visited this wonderful country, his article not only disappointed, but angered as well.

The most recent rebuttal to the “disservice” Gill has heaped upon Albania comes to us from Alex Wade writing for The Independent. Wade, who has visited the country four times, passionately defends Albania and fondly reminisces about…

sitting on a veranda in Gjirokaster, sipping a glass of raki, watching the sun set on the Lunxheria mountains. I think of swimming in the glistening Ionian sea, drinking coffee in Tirana, wandering among the exquisite ruins of Butrint.

Wade accomplishes what all good travel writing does: it inspires the reader to pack his bags and visit some far off land. Gill’s piece unfortunately did the opposite. Sure, Albania is challenging and not the ideal vacation locale for everyone, but those willing to rough it a bit will be extraordinarily rewarded.

Red Corner: Trekking in Georgia

by Neil Woodburn on

One of the more phenomenal locations I’ve trekked in the last few years is the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

Georgia’s Caucasus Mountains are rugged and beautiful and populated with small villages and very hospital locals. And the food is wonderfully fresh and delicious.

I only had a small taste of this trekking nirvana two summers ago when I visited the village of Kazbegi near the Chechen border. The above photo is the famous Tsminda Sameba Church located in the hills above the village. One day I plan to return to this area and plot out a course deep into the mountain range that will take me from village to village. I’ll be sure to carry a trusty compass, however, so as not to wander into Chechnya.

In the meantime, I have to be content reading about other people trekking through the region–most of whom visit on organized tours and occasionally on horseback. Sure, that takes some of the fun out of the equation, but it also helps steer you clear of the dangers which can still haunt the region.

Oh, and if you plan on going any time soon, be sure to stay up on the news–Russia might be invading at any moment.

Red Corner: Giving the Former Iron Curtain a Chance

by Neil Woodburn on

Here at Red Corner, we’ve been linking quite a bit recently to articles by Susan Spano of the Los Angeles Times. This is because Spano did some extensive touring through Eastern Europe last Spring and has been publishing a number of articles about her adventures in the LA Times.

In what appears to be her final summation of the region, Spano nicely wraps things up with the appropriately titled, Giving Eastern Europe a Chance.

We whole-heartedly agree.

Spano reminisces about her time spent on the opposite side of the former Iron Curtain; how few Americans get to this part of the world, the pleasant discoveries she made while there, the affordable exchange rates, and her quickly dashed, pre-conceived notions.

Eastern Europe, she points out, is “less-trammeled” than the rest of the continent and, as a result, very much worth visiting. Like her headline suggests, give the place a chance; you’ll be happy you did.