In keeping with Great Gatsby week, here’s a Gatsby-inspired travel moment.
Back in May of 2007, I went to Europe for a month to visit a few friends. Starting in Spain, I spent a week with Kate & André and then, randomly decided to spend 36 hours in Basel, Switzerland before heading to Germany to see Taryn.
Raamatukoi Bookshop | Tallinn, Estonia 2012
Raamatukoi Bookshop | Tallinn, Estonia 2012
The third and final (for now) edition of my used bookstores list includes British, Baltic and Swedish shops — one of which no longer exists, one that I’ve never been to, and two that are non-English language bookstores. So, I guess today’s list is partly a nostalgic wishlist of the not-yet and the never-more. Oh the drama of a good used bookstore. [Read posts #1 and #2.]
Harrington Books | London 2012
Today’s additions are from my home sweet Kansas and my other land — England. Don’t miss last week’s start of the list.
Eighth Day Books - Wichita, KS (2838 E. Douglas Avenue)
I grew up in Wichita, but somehow never knew about this fantastic bookstore until last January. A book-filled delightfully cozy house with shelves lined with old and new books — I loved it from the moment I stepped in the doors. My mom even bought me this gem (which I still need to read!):
unknown bookshop | Munich, Germany 2007
There’s nothing quite like a good bookstore — especially one full of used books. I definitely enjoy finding an unexpected bargain book in a thriftstore or at an estate sale, but to be completely surrounded by lovely old books is even better.
I’ve been travelling abroad since 2001, but only in the past few years did it cross my mind to shop for books on my trips, and to note the sweet bookshops I found. Sadly, there are many shops I failed to find or stop in, though I have a smattering of photos (like the one above) reminding me of places I liked the look of, but didn’t buy from or note their address.
3 Kensington Court Gardens, Kensington, W8 5QE
3 Kensington Court Gardens, Kensington, W8 5QE
My favourite stop on my London literary blue plaque tour was the final home of T.S. Eliot. I wish it hadn’t been our last day, and that it wasn’t cold and a bit rainy, because I could’ve soaked in the neighbourhood a bit more. It wasn’t particularly quaint or anything, but it fascinated me to think Eliot lived here while writing his Four Quartets; and this was his final home.
perhaps Agatha posted her mail here | London 2013
just a cool old building (with lions!) on Sheffield Terrace | London 2013
Last {tuesday travels}, I described how I stumbled upon the home of George Bernard Shaw and Virginia Woolf, whilst traipsing around London in July. Today, we continue our literary journey through London, but this time go a few miles southwest of Fitzroy Square and amble into the mysterious realm of the Holland Park area.
As Ali mentioned on Gimme Some Life, a group of our friends visited England over the holidays to attend a wedding. On Sarah and I’s final day in London, we went on a blue plaque search for a few of our favourite authors and artists, near the Kensington area, where we were staying. (Our hotel was right next to the home of Alfred Hitchock!)
29 Fitzroy Square, Fitzrovia, London W1
29 Fitzroy Square, Fitzrovia, London W1
If you’ve ever walked through London, you may have noticed a round blue plaque on a building, in a seemingly random neighbourhood. First initiated in the 19th century to commemorate the homes and workplaces of famous people (artists, politicians and other historical figures), blue plaques are now found in other countries as well.
I’ve always enjoyed stumbling upon a blue plaque (of someone I recognise) when I’m en route to somewhere else. Like this summer, when I was researching a neighbourhood for a writing project and happened to look up and see that both George Bernard Shaw (from 1887 to 1898) and Virginia Woolf (from 1907 to 1911) had lived in this building that I was casually walking past. Such information halts me.
Hobbiton | Matamata, NZ 2010
Back in the Fall of 2010, I got to visit some good friends living in Auckland, NZ. Tim, a fellow Tolkien-enthusiast, had kindly waited for my arrival before visiting Hobbiton. So, one sunny day in September, Tim, Mimi, Blaise and I drove south through the fantastically verdant hills, towards The Shire.
en route to Matamata | New Zealand 2010
Lake Windermere | Lake District, England 2012
Back in July, I travelled in England for two weeks. The trip was a visit to see my friend, Sara, who had moved to the UK, mixed with London research for a writing project. On the third day, in the midst of one of my research walks, I looked up to see one of my favourite quotes waving in the trees above me.
Travel opens my eyes. When I set foot in another city or a different country, I can’t just move along half-aware of my surroundings. Everything comes into sharper focus — the food, the faces of strangers, the smells. And time expands. Because on a trip, everything matters and I am paying attention.
Travel does a body good. But schedules and bank accounts and other responsibilities can easily diminish the possibility of first-person foreign adventures. Thankfully, during those times there are books full of adventures and tales of other places.
