2 comments about A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino Fisterra: Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre Including the Muxia Extension.

1. Same format as the Camino Frances guide - laid out in three stages. One stage per day, one map per stage total of 95 pages. In addition to covering the route, it has a section of practical information on when to go, covers Galician history and culture. A beautiful full color guide.



2. I used this book and the similar Camino Portugues book for my pilgrimage in April 2006. They are both superb. I followed Brierley's suggestions pretty much to the letter. The book contains excruciating details as well as a longer and spiritual view.
   
   I think of the book as a personal gift to each of us pilgrims. Brierley obviously loves his work and the Camino. He kept me on track, put me to bed early and awake early when it was important, encouraged me to appreciate the wonderful people and sights along the camino. He offers history lessons, lists of practicalities, maps and directions. This book is all you need!

1 comments about Cycling the Rhine Route: Bicycle Touring Along the Historic Rhine River.

1. Of course I think this is a great book - I spent a number of years researching and writing "Cycling the Rhine Route". I had so much information that I had to edit out two-thirds of the original manuscript to fit in with the publisher's requirements and I still had to persuade him to make the book longer than originally planned. So I had to make informed choices about what to leave in and take out, and after having cycled the route quite a few times, in all seasons and weathers, I feel that I have done my best within the constraints placed upon me.
   The bibliography contains book titles that are either unobtainable nowadays, or out of print, and it seems that whoever built the Amazon web page has replaced those titles with others which are available. I don't think this is honest, and I have told Amazon this, but with no result. This shouldn't prevent you from owning a book which will give you the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful journey along one of the oldest routes in Europe. Best wishes and happy cycling.

No comments about Time Out Florence and the Best of Tuscany (Time Out Guides).

4 comments about Coast to Coast Walk: A Pictorial Guide (Wainwright Pictorial Guides).

1. A great book for planning and walking across England. It has all the details necessary and is written in a humorous vein. The personal drawings and asides add to the light-hearted approach. Really necessary for the details of the walk.



2. The content in this book is terrific. Unfortunately, the text is ridiculously small. I cannot conceive of why. If the text were a reasonable size, I would have given the book a 5-star rating.



3. This beautiful guide to England's Coast to Coast walk is a rare thing... a very practical and reasonably up to date guide by the man who originated the route together with the original drawings and maps Wainright did to accompany the original edition. It is a beautiful book. The photoreproductions of Wainright's original handprinting give the book the feel of an historical artifact; a work of art from a different era.



4. this is a great reprint of the wonderful original coast to coast guide.
   its a must for anyone wanting to do all or part of the walk across Britain. can't wait to use it myself on the trail later this year.

1 comments about Wallpaper City Guide: Madrid (Wallpaper City Guide Madrid).

1. Excellent resource for the design inclined traveller. A perfect compliment for the more cumbersome "Lonely Planet" style travel guides. The Wallpaper team has a great eye.

No comments about The People of Pleure: Portrait of a French Village.

2 comments about Pictures from Italy (Penguin Classics).

1. I don't think I'd like to have Charles Dickens as my travelling companion. He's always on the go, seemingly preferring an enclosed carriage careening down the road to mixing it with the natives (he makes one exception for Genoa, where he spends twelve months). And he makes virtually no mention of his wife, to whom refers at one point as accompanying him, but who therupon disappears as surely as if she had fallen down a well. Finally, as a Roman Catholic, I would spend my trip grimacing at his observations of my faith.

   The people appearing in PICTURES are almost entirely people encountered enroute, including postilions, innkeepers, guides, soldiers, and the like. He does not appear to have entertained any intention of interviewing writers, political leaders, prelates, or others. It is as if I took a trip through the U.S. and wrote only about bus drivers, service station attendants, traffic cops, and ticket takers.

   And yet, and yet, it is obviously the great Charles Dickens writing this book. The writing is superb even if the subject matter is strangely limited. I was entertained, dismayed, and befuddled all at the same time. Comparing it to something like Mark Twain's INNOCENTS ABROAD or ROUGHING IT, however, I feel it is Twain who comes out ahead. Dickens, it seems, forgot to create any memorable characters.




2. He left the London fog for the canals of Venice, the museums and statues of Florence, the churches and ruins of Rome and the glory of the Italian Mediterranean sun! He was Charles Dickens the greatest British novelist of the Victorian era. In 1846 Dickens and his family decided to spend several months in Italy where the great author could write and explore the wonders of the Italian boot.
   Dickens was not the first or the last British author to love Italy. Just think of such literary luminaries as Frances Trollope, D.H. Lawrence
   and EM Forster to name a few. Dickens gives us pictures in words of all the major cities and sights. After reading this short (just over 200 pages long) travel book the reviewer learns from Dickens that:
   1. The cities and towns were usually run-down and the people encountered were poor. Dickens says little about Italian cuisine.
   2. Rebellion against the monarchy was already in evidence in 1846. Several years later Garibaldi would lead a major Italian revolution.
   Dickens was a committed democrat who favored constitutional monarchy such as was the practice in his native England.
   3. Dickens disliked many aspects of the Roman Catholic Church as he witnessed it in Italy.
   4. He includes many anecdotes regarding the mule and cart travel in upland Italy. Travel was often dangerous and slow.
   5. Dickens was an early riser and walker enjoying touring on foot the major attractions.
   This work is shorter and not as interesting as his "American Notes for General Circulation" but it is a window into the mind of a creative genius who relished new sights, sounds and smells. Viva Italia! Viva Dickens!

5 comments about The Naked Truth About Cap d'Agde.

1. I'm making my first trip to Cap d'Agde this August so I wanted to be up on things. This book describes every in and out of nudist town--from the sexy parts to the family parts. It's written clearly with interesting details. The authour's humor is so British--no slipping on the banana peel laughs for him--but it works for an American audience too. The many color and black and white photos show both people who go there and various parts of the town. The detailed maps also give me confidence that I'll be able to find what I need. Even though my French skills are lacking, given the author's tips, I'm confident I'll be able to find plenty of places and people that welcome Enlish speakers



2. Even though we feel that a single man has a very distinct disadvantage in trying to convey a perspective on nude recreation, nevertheless, this remains a book that probably should be read by people with an interest in nude recreation, and particularly by any prospective first time guests at Cap D'Agde.
   To us, anyway, the author seems to be a bit heavy on the "libertine" scene, while not writing enough about the traditional family aspects at the resort.
   There are chapters on the Gendarmes, shopping, activities for kids, day trips to local nearby attractions, orientation and acclimatization, restaurants and accommodation, as well as detailed guidelines for swingers.
   One should probably keep in mind that the Cap is constantly evolving, from year to year and even month to month -- one can find the ambience very different, for example, during July and August as opposed to June or September.
   Still and all, everyone should visit the resort once in their lives, even if only for a day visit, and this book would provide a very good basis for knowing what to expect.
   We would definitely recommend it for anyone as part of their travel "homework" for a future trip to the Cap, or for anyone who's been there in the past and wants to reminisce about one of the truly unique travel destinations in the world today.



3. "This book gives the reader all the information necessary to make an educated decision on choosing the Cap as a destination and how to conduct oneself in various situations. It's amazing just how much information is packed into a small book! Ross chose his words well."

   "The book is all encompassing. It is not simply about the Cap - information and suggestions on integrating a visit to the Cap with going to Paris as well other destinations of interest within and outside the Cap give the vacationer valuable choices."
   
   "There really isn't any other travel book needed other than this for traveling to the Cap. I doubt a travel agent would even begin to scratch the surface of what this book offers. Ross gave so much valuable information, from maps, to restaurant types and club styles and locations,what to bring, internet contacts prior to the trip, tour operators, choices on accommodations and even where to buy sexy-wear! Of course the unique French phrases offered would never be found in a conventional foreign language translation book."




4. The naturists who hang out at Cap d'Agde, though they are in the majority, don't want anyone to know what a haven for swingers (or libertines, as the author Velton puts it) that The Naked City is. Cap d'Agde has something for everyone and this travel guide certainly gives everyone the exact info they need to find their pleasures, whether those pleasures are lurid or benign family fun. The section advising single men made me laugh out loud. I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it highly even if you are only an armchair traveler.



5. Does Ross Velton tell the "Naked Truth About Cap d'Agde"? That depends upon your point of view. After I made my plans for a week at Cap d'Agde, I purchased the book and read it before, during and after my visit comparing it to what I saw and experienced.
   First of all, the Quartier Naturiste is just that, a section of the town of Cap d'Agde where it is possible to be be naked in public at all times. Personally, I was nude 24/7 and found the experience wonderfully refreshing. In an uptight, clothe compulsive world, it is physically, mentally and spiritually liberating to be able to do all your regular daily activities like shopping, banking, eating out, going to the post office, getting your hair done, filling up your car and even going to a laundromat without the restrictive encumberances of clothes. And consider there are thousands of others of all sizes, shapes, colors and ages doing the same, it makes you realize what a very special place Cap d'Agde is.
   Being the "Naked City" that it is, however, the Quartier Naturiste also attracts people of all persuasions. Not only will you see families from babies to grandparents but you'll see couples (gay and straight) and singles (mostly male) some of whom come to Cap d'Agde for its "wilder side". Half of Ross Velton's book is written for those whom he calls "libertines" (who are a minority from what I could see) and how they can go about persuing their sexual pleasure at Cap d'Agde. Not only does he list bars, clubs, and rendevous points of very stripe but he offers tips, advice and etiquette for successful swinging.
   That being said, let me say that in no other source, did I find so much basic information about Cap d'Agde (the other half of the book). Not only is there a map, but there are listings and contacts for places to stay, directions on how to get there, what it will cost, when to go, restaurant reviews, bar and club reviews, etc. For this reason alone, I highly recommend it for the first time visitor whether they are just plain nudists or swinging libertines.
   Fortuntately, Cap d'Agde is large enough for all. Just like you may not patronize the local bar down the street, so too, you do not have to go to a sex club. And just like the French are more accepting and open minded about public nudity in order for a place like Cap d'Agde to exist, so too is their attitude towards sex. Not having taken the libertine path myself in Cap d'Agde, I found nothing there to be any more sexually overt and flagrant than I found in any other European city.
   So, buy the book, get on a plane, take off your clothes and stay for awhile so you can experience something totally unique to the world.

No comments about The Marvels of Rome: Mirabilia Urbis Romae.

No comments about Insight Compact Guide Italian Riviera (Insight Compact Guides Italian Riveria).