I believe that a library is a sacred space, and a visit to a library is a form of pilgrimage. I try to visit historic or interesting libraries in different countries whenever the opportunity arises, in the same way that a Christian will visit important churches or cathedrals. I do it to pay my respects to the collective wisdom of our human past, and simply to soak up that wonderful smell of book...
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a new blog. But I haven’t forgotten about you… Rest assured that I’ve been hard at work on a new book and new articles. And I’m busy wading through stacks of reading and marking up maps as I plan several cool new trips for 2016. I’ll have lots to share with you in the coming months. In the meantime, I’m just back from a quick weekend trip to London, and I’ve...
I knew this place was over the top when Tomoko made the Japanese sound for astonishment: a long, drawn out, “Ehhhhhhhh?” We’d just pulled up to the gate of the villa I had rented, and we were looking down the palm-lined path that led to the house. “Yeah, this is the place,” I said, pointing to the name painted in glazed tile, mounted on a pillar. “The owner left the gate open for us, and the keys...
It’s that time again. I typically read about 100 books a year. Everything from travel literature to poetry, history, psychology, fiction and memoir. I love reading lists and recommendations, and I bet a few of you do, too. So at year’s end, I like to take a moment to share my top reads of the past twelve months. Here are the books that got my Road Wisdom Stamp of Approval, from one book lover to...
I guess this is the day when you’re supposed to bid good riddance to the old year and shake off the hangover going into the new. But I have no complaints, because 2015 was a really good one for me… A year of much travel. I think 13 countries in all, several more than once: Chad expedition, Germany (2x – Cologne and Berlin), Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, the Åland islands...
I apologize for writing about a movie on a site normally devoted to travel and books. But I’ll bring it full circle if you read to the end. It really does matter, because… …the magic is back. This feels like a movie made by a Star Wars fan for other fans. And if the original shaped your childhood like it did mine, then you’re in for a treat. The Force Awakens erases the stain of the prequels and...
Our greatest living travel writer does it again. I think this may be Paul Theroux’s best travel book in years. It’s more considered and introspective than some of his previous (all thoroughly excellent) books. Perhaps because it’s based on repeated journeys through the same places over the course of four seasons, rather than a journey through a place wth an end goal in mind. He...
It’s governed by Finland but its people speak Swedish. It has its own flag, stamps, and parliament, and special trading arrangements with the E.U. And it’s halfway between Finland and Sweden, smack in the middle of where the Baltic meets the Gulf of Bothnia. But it isn’t really a part of either country. Some 90% of residents live on its large main island, which is the site of the capitol town of...
Yesterday was Remembrance Day — November 11th, the day we pause to think about all those who lost their lives in the two World Wars, and in Korea and all the conflicts that have happened since. It’s also the day we assemble to thank the remaining veterans for their sacrifice, and shake the hand of those who are serving today. When I was a child, we went to the cenotaph in my hometown to join the...
Okay, I wasn’t really hanging out at Hamlet’s house. And I didn’t find myself talking to skulls in any graveyards, either. Shakespeare just anglicized this place as Elsinore, and used it as the setting for his famous tragedy. The indecisive prince wasn’t even a historical person, but such is the power of literature that people have referred to this place as Hamlet’s Castle ever since. You’ll find...