Spring-time in Brussels For such a small and oft-disputed country, Belgium has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to art and to history. In our week stay in April, I was able to gorge on Bruegel among other wonders of the northern golden age in two collections: Royal Museum of Fine Arts–Old Masters (Brussels) … Continue reading There’s more to see
If you were to construct the idealized setting for a Disneyfied Grimm Brothers tale, you would picture the Council Square (Piața Sfatului) in Brasov, Romania. Surrounded by mountains (where bears still roam), the old town preserves buildings from the 16th century, repurposed as boutiques, restaurants, small museums, and bookstores. A large sign BRASOV (picture the … Continue reading Fairy tales in a modern city
“That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” (Jhumpa Lahiri) So, while this is a blog about books and travel, mostly about fiction in real places, it’s also about being able to travel within a narrative without having to move your feet. And that’s where I found myself recently–unable to … Continue reading Travel without moving your feet
Tenille, 13, who has never left the council area of London where she grew up, makes her way surreptitiously from London to the Lake District in search of safety and the one adult she believes she can trust–Jane Gresham. Jane, a Wordsworth scholar, is at home at the family farm in Fellhead where the family … Continue reading Literary mysteries and Herdwick sheep
Dr. Sue Ellen Holbrook introduced me to the Icelandic sagas and Vikings in 1975 while I was her student at Temple. I was hooked, and I longed to go to Iceland, but even with the well-known bargain airfares on offer then, I couldn’t afford to go–or perhaps I was too timid to take the chance. … Continue reading It’s further than we thought
While we were all losing our minds as each novel in the Outlander series was published, I was also introduced to the historical fiction of Dorothy Dunnett. While others were Finding Frazer, I was looking for Lymond. The six-book series collectively known as The Lymond Chronicles covers the years between the death of Henry VIII … Continue reading Looking for Lymond
I love wandering through art museums, especially in off-times when I can pretend that I am alone with works that draw me in and skip past the ones that don’t reach out to me. But, that, of course, is not always possible. The thing that makes me crazy is the folks who take pictures of … Continue reading Paintings and Time Travel
How do we choose what is kept and what is lost to time, disposed of in the course of living? It’s a conundrum, a puzzle for me as I look at the little hand-written journal with penciled in notations made by 18-year old Jacob Irion in 1890. Jacob would become my great-grandfather in the fullness … Continue reading Steamships and Journals
In Niccolo Rising by Dorothy Dunnett, protagonist apprentice Claes (Niccolo-to-be) creates chaos by inadvertently causing a massive cannon to tumble into the canal, creating an international incident. He is brought before Anselm Adornes to explain himself. Dunnett's novels couple her fictitious creations with historical figures and events. In reality, Anselm Adornes was a leading figure … Continue reading Meeting a character in Bruges
Booked for Travel 