Another of this beautifully designed series of excerpts from classic travel writing. This time its Mark Twain's 1859 tour of the Med, extracts from his Innocents Abroad.
He describes the sights, lampoons his fellow travellers and is snippy about the locals

In the post to ronsar - here's another Mediterranean traveller! Happy Christmas!

Sent as a Christmas gift to me by foxed. Thanks foxed. And a Merry Christmas to you too.

I read this book that foxed sent me; I liked it a lot as it often happens to me with travel books. What impressed me more was how Mark Twain described Athens, the city where I was born and spent almost my entire life so far. It was a beautiful city back then, he recounts, and the fairy-tale author Hans Christian Andersen who had travelled to Athens during around the same time confirms it in another travelogue. Athens today isn't as beautiful I'm afraid.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Η Ωκυρρόη ανέλαβε να παραδώσει αυτό το βιβλιαράκι στην Evablue. Ελπίζω να της αρέσει. Εγώ βρήκα ενδιαφέρουσες τις περιγραφές του Μαρκ Τουέϊν, ίσως γιατί πάντα μου αρέσει να διαβάζω ταξιδιωτικά ημερολόγια, παλιότερα και σύγχρονα.

Μου το έφερε στη σημερινή συνάντηση η okyrhoe. Ευχαριστώ πολύ ronsar, κι εμένα μου αρέσουν πολύ τα ταξίδια και οι σχετικές αφηγήσεις. Εντυπώσεις μόλις το διαβάσω.

ETA: I just started reading this little book and I plan to take it with me to Crete on my vacation. I'll finish it and release it somewhere in Rethymnon. I'll update the JE with my thoughts as soon as I get back.

So this was what travelling before the "information age" was like... Of course I can remember when the internet was not so accessible and we had to buy tourist guides to find out about a country's attractions; nevertheless we knew what to expect. Travelling around the world had already become fast, not too expensive and relatively safe - therefore not a sport restricted to the rich. In mid-ninteenth century though travelling was more of an adventure. Long trips, exotic looking destinations, strange currency of a mysterious exchange rate, quarantined ports! Twain's writing made it all sound like a wonderful game. Of course he's ready to complain about everything - just like contemporary travellers - from french barbers to street commissioners in ancient Pompei.

Some of the highlights that may seem hard to picture to the contemporary reader:
Paris, the city of light, turns dark at night. Our travellers have to read by candle light!
Twain marvels at the height of buildings in Naples - claims that he hasn't seen anything taller in his life!
The atmosphere in Athens is so clear that they can see all the way to the Acropolis from Piraeus. (Bribery and corruption still remain unchanged though ;-)).

Thanks again ronsar, this was a lot of fun!

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Somewhere in the city. Happy travelling little book!

To whoever finds this book:

Welcome to Bookcrossing.

Thank you for catching this book! I hope that you enjoy it and will consider exploring this site and possibly joining. It is free and loads of fun, as you can track your released books in their travels, possibly all over the world!

Please feel free to keep this book for as long as you wish, and whenever you're ready, pass it on. Then watch its journey - you'll be alerted by email each time someone makes a new journal entry. It's all confidential, free and fun!

You may remain anonymous or choose to join the site..

Congratulations on finding a Bookcrossing book and Happy Reading!!!


~~~~~~~ΓΙΑ ΤΟΝ ΕΠΟΜΕΝΟ ΑΝΑΓΝΩΣΤΗ~~~~~~~~~~

Καλωσήρθες στο BookCrossing!

Γράψε αν θες ένα μικρό σχόλιο για το πού και πώς βρήκες το βιβλίο. Δεν χρειάζεται να γραφτείς στο site για να γράψεις αυτό το σχόλιο - μπορείς να παραμείνεις ανώνυμος!

Διάβασε το βιβλίο, αν θέλεις, και μετά βοήθησέ το να συνεχίσει το ταξίδι του αφήνοντάς το κάπου (σε ένα παγκάκι, σε έναν τηλεφωνικό θάλαμο, στο τραπεζάκι μιας καφετέριας κλπ) για να το βρει κάποιος όπως το βρήκες κι εσύ.

Μπορείς να συναντήσεις άλλους Έλληνες BookCrossers στο Ελληνικό Φόρουμ του site για να σου εξηγήσουν ό,τι χρειάζεσαι να ξέρεις. Επίσης μπορείς να να βρεις αναλυτικές οδηγίες στον Ταξιδιωτικό Οδηγό BookCrossing του a1pha που θα σου λύσουν πιθανές απορίες για τη λειτουργία του site


ETA: I left it on the first sight of Rethymnon that caught my eye - on the gate next to the Church of St. Francis leading to Neratzes mosque. The gate was so beautiful, I couldn't stop taking pictures of the details.

Initially, I'm sorry for my bad english. I'm just 13 years old and I found this book accidentally in a square in Rethymnon and I drive at let this Bookcrossing book contenue its jurney, because I like this belief that is like a message in a bottle.

CAUGHT IN RETHYMNON CRETE GREECE