Category Archives: Tourism

A Bolder Boulder Travel Guide

Posted on December 14, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

The popular American outdoor clothing company Patagonia commissioned the local design studio Cast Iron to create a city guide to its home town of Boulder, Colorado. The neat little travel guide covers the highlights of America’s “happiest city” from local … Continue reading →

Posted in Public Transport, Restaurants, Tourism, Travel Writing, USA | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Charles Dickens and the Marketing of Christmas

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Charles Dickens and his iconic story A Christmas Carol have become synonymous with Christmas celebrations, however a special holiday exhibition at  the Charles Dickens Museum in London demonstrates that his connection to the holiday season is not all candy canes … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, Libraries, Museums, Tourism, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Mark Twain Travel Writer

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

When we think about the great 19th century American writer Mark Twain, his lauded Mississippi River novels usually come to mind. However, it was the 1869 travel book The Innocents Abroad, or The New Pilgrim’s Progress  which first brought him prominence. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Middle East, Tourism, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Not just the Gateway to the Fjords

Posted on December 8, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Bergen has to be one of my favorite small European cities. The beautifully situated and stunningly scenic city has long been promoted as “the gateway to the Fjords” with much success. But now the tourism professionals at Visit Bergen have … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Film, Tourism, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Australia or New Zealand

Posted on November 24, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

I recently had the opportunity to spend three weeks roadtripping around New Zealand. While I was there, I discovered that there were quite a few Australians living and working in the neighboring nation. However, I frequently could not tell the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Tourism | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Little Bookshop, Big Mountains

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

On my recent road trip around New Zealand, I stumbled upon what has to be the smallest bookstore that I have ever visited. The owners of the Twizel Bookshop describe their homey establishment as “a little shop, in a little town, close … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Bookstore Tourism, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Bookstore Tourism : New Zealand

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Some followers of TBTP are aware that I recently returned from a three week roadtrip around New Zealand. Since I was hellbent on seeing as much as I could of Aotearoa as possible, I vowed to limit my time in … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Bookstore Tourism, Tourism | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

New Zealand : Littlest Free Library

Posted on November 20, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

If you are familiar with the BBC television series Top of the Lake, you may also know that much of the outdoor shoots were in and around the tiny New Zealand village of Glenorchy. The mountain community quite literally sits at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Bookstore Tourism, Film, movies, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Bookstore Tourism: Boston

Posted on November 12, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Boston is one of those rare cities in the United States that still has an abundance of excellent independent bookstores. One of my all time favorites in Boston is the wonderful family owned Brattle Book Shop. Not only is it … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Bookstore Tourism, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Postcard from a volcano

Posted on November 11, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

“A Postcard from the Volcano” by Wallace Stevens Children picking up our bones Will never know that these were once As quick as foxes on the hill; And that in autumn, when the grapes Made sharp air sharper by their … Continue reading →

Posted in Tourism, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment