Journeys and Adventures

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is one of Germany’s most famous citizens—as a writer, he covered various genres including poetry, drama, and literature.  His most famous work, Faust (which follows a scholar who, through his thirst for knowledge, makes a deal with the devil), is considered “one of the greatest works of German literature.”  Goethe’s works have influenced philosophy, literature, and science.
   Goethe’s journey to Italy from 1786-1788 which began when he was 37 is said to have played a large role in the development of his philosophies.  He spent time in Venice, Rome, Padua, Vicenza, and, his favorite, Sicily: “To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is to not have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything.”
   The famous German writer chronicled his trip to Italy in Italian Journey: 1786-1788.  According to Amazon, the book is “a journal full of fascinating observations on art and history, and the plants, landscape and the character of the local people he encountered, this is also a moving account of the psychological crisis from which Goethe emerged newly inspired to write the great works of his mature years.”
   Reading Goethe’s Italian Journey is an ideal adventure for anyone interested in Italy.  The book is considered more “readable” than many of Goethe’s other works and leaves readers in awe of his brilliance and offers unique insight to Italy’s beauty.
   Goethe’s first introduction to Italy and the Italian way of life took place when he visited Lake Garda and spent time in Malcesine and Torbole.  In fact, in Italian Journey, Goethe shares an interesting story in which he was almost arrested for attempting to paint the castle in Malcesine.
   Some of those paintings of Malcesine’s castle are still on display in the Scaliger Castle and several hotels and resorts are named after the German writer.
   If you’re planning a trip to Lake Garda or anywhere else in Italy, Goethe’s travel book, Italian Journey, is a book to read.  There are plenty of other travel books about Italy in the Travel Books Collection.

This post is part of Friday’s Featured Travel Book series, where a travel book is featured every Friday. There are plenty of other choices when it comes to travel books, so check out the Travel Books collection for more ideas. And come back next Friday for a new book to add to your reading list!

 From the Books about Northern Europe collection:

   Griff Rhys Jones is a well-known comedian, producer, and actor in the United Kingdom—working with Mel Smith, Jones has produced several popular British comedies including Da Ali G Show, Smack the Pony, and Big Train.

   Jones shares his sense of humor in a travel book filled with high sea adventure called To the Baltic With Bob: An Epic Misadventure.  In it, Jones and three of his friends use an old wooden boat to travel from port to port along the Baltic Sea—meeting the people, enjoying the sea, and discovering the Nordic countries and the former Soviet Union.

   In a review of To The Baltic with Bob by Martin P. Wilson, the book is described as “a great read being neither trivial nor heavy….It then combines the comedic with a serious travelogue in the Nordic and nearby countries.”

   If you enjoy humorous, but poignant travel books and sailing adventures, add To the Baltic with Bob to your reading list.

This post is part of Friday’s Featured Travel Book series, where a travel book is featured every Friday. There are plenty of other choices when it comes to travel books, so check out the Travel Books collection for more ideas. And come back next Friday for a new book to add to your reading list!

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia calmly entered the travel book/memoir/spiritual/self-help world in 2006 and soon caught fire—as of March 2009, the book had been on the New York Times Bestseller List for 110 weeks.

   In it, Elizabeth Gilbert, an American writer, shares intimate details of her journey from married woman living a predictable life in New York to single woman searching for pleasure in Italy, spirituality in India, and a balance between the two in Indonesia.

   The book was an instant success as women around the world identified with Gilbert’s struggle to discover herself, her beliefs, and the world around her: one reviewer on Amazon.com said “This is an excellent meditation on reclaiming the joy of living.”  (It helps that Oprah was enamored with the book, too, and has had at least two whole shows devoted to it.)

   Not everyone liked it, though–many found it too self-centered and too focused on Eastern religions.  New York Post’s book reviewer, Maureen Callahan, called it “narcissistic New Age reading.”

   No matter how you feel about the author, her ability to describe the luscious food and attractive people in Italy, her struggles with the devout spirituality of the people at the ashram in India, and her enchantment by the exotic flowers and intriguing people of Indonesia, means that anyone contemplating a trip to any of these destinations (or anyone who just loves adventure) could find something worth reading.

   And, it’s going to be made into a movie starring Julia Roberts soon!

   Want more information on Eat, Pray, Love?  Check out The Mindful Tourist’s Book Review of Eat, Pray, Love for an honest opinion from someone who appreciates socially conscious travel.  My Nguyen, a writer, enjoyed the book and shares a review of Eat, Pray, Love on Suite101.

This post is part of Friday’s Featured Travel Book series, where a travel book is featured every Friday.  There are plenty of other choices when it comes to travel books, so check out the Travel Books collection for more ideas.  And come back next Friday for a new book to add to your reading list!