No comments about Michelin Map No. 733 Portugal, Scale 1:400,000 (Michelin Guides and Maps).

5 comments about Last Old Place: Search Through Portugal.

1. I can't believe this book is out of print! Proper combines three aspects of Portugal to create his richly evocative book: his relationship to the land through trout fishing, his relationships to old and new Portuguese friends, and his sensitive portrayal of the way the past informs modern life in Portugal. You'll smell the fresh bread, frolic with Camoes's nymphs, and feel the sun in the Algarve. A terrific book.



2. I initially read this book because of the author's great bird hunting book, Pheasants of the Mind. I have read 100's of books and it is one of the best explorations of a place and its culture I have seen. I wish I could find others like it.



3. This is the most affectionate writing on Portugal I've encountered in English. Pure pleasure from beginning to end. Note the incisive comparison between Spaniards and the Portuguese. I can tell you it's right on the money. There are things in this book that would escape the notice of a native, so it's a particular treat for Portuguese-Americans.



4. First things first. I am a big fan of Portugal. I've been there three times. I have a reasonable, if sometimes rusty, command of the language. I do like fado music and innumerable Portuguese dishes. And, like the author of this very pleasant book, I admire the Portuguese people for their lack of pretension, their down-to-earth lifestyle, and their belief in hard work, family, and a bit of cynicism for the many phonies of this world. When he tries, Datus Proper can bring alive any episode from history, for example, the crucial battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. Cultural comparisons between Portugal and the USA are his forte; I really liked the way he handled them. Then too, Lisboa is one of my favorite cities in the whole world. So, with all this, how could I not like THE LAST OLD PLACE and its wry humor and insightful comments on Portugal, Portuguese history, and Portuguese people ? In fact I liked it a lot, was even sorry to reach the end and I suspect, if you give it a try, you will feel the same.
   
   However. I don't feel like excusing Portuguese deeds overseas by saying that, well, that was long ago, and we all had different standards then. Of course, that is true, but still, Portuguese colonialism in Asia and Africa was ugly, even if it was less ugly than that of some other, nameless countries. A minor quibble, I mean, the book isn't about colonial deeds or misdeeds. The main point for most readers is the following....how interested in trout fishing are you ? Alas, I am not the slightest interested in it, so I was kind of "floundering" there, if you'll pardon me. The author travels around Portugal with a local friend-a kind of human equivalent of Steinbeck's Charley---a man we don't really get to know much about, but one who perhaps represents some old, now-vanishing Portuguese qualities, but more importantly, shares Proper's addiction to fly fishing in remote streams. So, to reach my conclusion rapidly, I would have liked a lot more of the author's clever, humorous, apt observations on Portugal and a lot less clambering around the rocks looking for the perfect trout hole.



5. This is not a travel guide with notes on best restaurants, cheapest hotels, and favorite tourist sites. Proper wrote about a Portugal he knew and loved well, providing nice mental images of friends, customs, food, and fishing. A really nice read.

No comments about A Hedonist's Guide to Madrid (A Hedonist's Guide to...).

1 comments about Hotels and Country Inns of Character and Charm in Spain.

1. "This series has long been respected as one of the best of its kind. Each book contains detailed color maps and a listing of accommodations by area. They include color photographs, the address and phone number, a star rating, amenities, price, and a brief paragraph describing the property. Newly revised and updated, these excellent guides to accommodations in Europe are highly recommended for all libraries." Library Journal

3 comments about Journey to the Alcarria: Travels Through the Spanish Countryside (Traveler).

1. Here We found a good book, but there are a lot of books by C. Jose Cela better than this one. This one brings the reader to a different Spain, and offers the opportunity of getting deeper in arural world. Anyway, surely his best book it's called La Colmena, not yet published in English, in which He describes the dark moments of the 50's in Spain, from a cultural and a post civil war point of view. I would recommend Journey to the Alcarria, but there are better ones.



2. I needed a short, easy book to read while on my vacation with my sister. She happened to have this book along and lent it to me. I found myself travelling through the countryside of Spain with Camilo Cela and loving it. He included just enough information to let us share his experience without drowning us in too much detail. I'll never have his exact memories but I felt like I could recognize the places and feelings if I ever get to go there. I recommend this as an enjoyable, easy read.



3. Light and airy in style, filled with memorable scenes and characters, an engaging narrator, and plenty of information about daily life in backroads Spain 50 years ago. I see why this author deserved a Nobel prize. However, skip the introduction, a heavy handed piece of academic existentialist skulduggery that almost persuaded me not to read the book.

No comments about Michelin Lisbon Street Map No. 39 (Michelin Maps & Atlases).

No comments about Lisbon in the Renaissance: A New Translation of the Urbis Olisiponis Descriptio.

No comments about A Day in the Life of Spain (Day in the Life).

No comments about Spain & Portugal Map.

No comments about Northern Spain: The Basque Lands, Navarra, LA Rioja, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia (Cadogan Guides).