Category Archives: Europe

Vintage Italy

Posted on August 18, 2019 by Brian D. Butler
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Dog Days of Summer

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

July 12th to August 20th are the official “Dog Days of Summer,” the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius, which in astrology is connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck.Here … Continue reading →

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Peepshow

Posted on August 10, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Icelanders have learned to cope with the scourge of overtourism with humor and aplomb. In the far northwestern town of Ísafjörður resident and museum curator Björg Elínar Sveinbjörnsdóttir recently capitalized on the nosiness of tourists who constantly peeked into the … Continue reading →

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Bookstore Tourism: The Wandering Bookshop

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Jean-Jacques Megel-Nuber wanted to open a bookshop, but he also wanted to be free to travel around France. Fortunately he discovered a way to accomplish both goals. Now he visits rural towns and villages in his itinerant bookshop that also … Continue reading →

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Surrealist Sunday

Posted on July 28, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

From French Surrealist writer and artist Gisèsle Prassinos’s early collection La Sauterelle arthritique (The Arthritic Grasshopper).  

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Arrivederci e grazie per le buone letture

Posted on July 26, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Sicilian author Andrea Camilleri, who died last week at age 93, is probably best known as the author of 27 novels and multiple short story collections starring police officer Inspector Salvo Montalbano, many of which take place in the fictional … Continue reading →

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Rules for Writing

Posted on July 25, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Thirteen simple rules for writing from the tragic genius Walter Benjamin. I. Anyone intending to embark on a major work should be lenient with themselves and, having completed a stint, deny themselves nothing that will not prejudice the next. II. Talk about … Continue reading →

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I Want A Flybrary Too

Posted on July 18, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Dubbed  “flybraries” ,small libraries filled with books for children, is a new project from EasyJet on its European flights. Over 60,000 books in 7 different languages ​​are available free on board their aircraft. EasyJet has partnered with publisher HarperCollins for the initiative which … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Travel, Books, Europe, Libraries, Tourism | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Shape of Our World

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

The fascinating infographic below explores how the view of our planet has evolved over the last 1,800 years. When most of us picture a world map, we likely still envision some variation of the 16th century Mercator projection even though … Continue reading →

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Reading Cities

Posted on July 14, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

When I am planning my travels, I always spend time reading about the destinations. Those of you who follow TBTP know that I am devoted to old school travel guidebooks, but I also do my due diligence by reading both … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books, Europe, Maps, Museums, Tourism, Travel Writing, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment