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Mistra: a medieval ghost town in southern Greece

Sean McLachlan — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Europe, Greece, Books

On a steep hill overlooking the Vale of Sparta in southwestern Greece stands the last capital of the Roman Empire.

In 395 AD, beset by enemies, the empire split into western and eastern halves. The Western Roman Empire was soon overwhelmed. The east flourished. Its capital was at Constantinople, modern Istanbul. Known as the Byzantine Empire, it developed a distinctive style of art and architecture and protected the Greek Orthodox Church of its citizens.

Byzantium declined as civilizations always do, and suffered a serious blow during the Fourth Crusade in 1204. The Crusaders, who had originally set off to retake Jerusalem from the Muslims, decided to capture Constantinople instead. With its capital gone, Byzantium shattered into three small states. Byzantine art and the Greek Orthodox Church survived.

The Crusaders built an imposing castle on the summit of a hill overlooking the Vale of Sparta, one of a number of fortresses to protect their new domains. That didn't work. The Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Palaeologos recaptured Constantinople and steadily pushed the Crusaders out of the lands they had conquered. The castle at Mistra was handed over to the Byzantines in 1262 and a fortified city gradually began to take shape around it. Mistra became the regional capital of the Morea, as the Peloponnese was then called.

The Palaeologian dynasty was the last to rule the Roman Empire. It was a time of political and economic decline, with the Turks pushing in from the east, the Venetians dominating trade, and numerous other enemies nibbling away at the borders. Morea was one of the last wealthy regions of Byzantium and despite the empire's troubles witnessed a renaissance in art, learning, and culture.

Mistra is only seven kilometers outside of Sparta. It's an easy walk but I was anxious to start my visit and so I took a taxi and decided I'd walk back through the olive groves. After a week of cloudy, cold weather, the sky had cleared and the air was cool and pleasant. The winding road up the hill is dominated by the massive town wall. Passing through the gate, I found myself walking along steep, narrow lanes between the remnants of homes, palaces, and churches. Several of these Orthodox houses of worship are still open.

These churches are deceptive. On the outside they are prettily made with patterned brick and a series of small domes and half domes around a large central dome. It's inside that they show their true splendor. Frescoes cover the walls, domes, and pillars. Every available space is decorated with Biblical scenes and images of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints, all painted in a rich but somber style.

Gallery: Mistra

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Upcoming travel blogger conferences for 2012

Laurel Miller — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Learning, Business, Festivals and Events, Food and Drink, Blogs, Photos, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America, Antarctica, Italy, Switzerland, United States, Hotels and Accommodations, Books, Transportation, Ecotourism, Budget Travel, Cruises, Middle East, Central America, Caribbean, Women's Travel, Luxury Travel

If the word "conference" immediately conjures images of tipsy, poly-suit clad conventioneers, comic book geeks, or coma-inducing workshops, you obviously haven't attended a travel blogger gathering.

'Tis the season for some of the year's biggest travel industry blowouts. Each has a different focus--some are for accredited travel writers, others hone in on the burgeoning travel blogging industry or events tailored for the public. What they all share is an emphasis on networking with industry professionals, travel trends, and continuing education in the form of field trips, workshops, seminars, panel discussions, and yes, a fair bit of partying.

Below, our picks for the best in travel industry camaraderie and information exchange:

Travel Blog Exchange (TBEX)
The year's most anticipated travel scribe gathering will be held June 15-17 in Keystone, Colorado. Expect a mix of over 350 fledgling and veteran writers, PR and travel industry experts, guest speakers, and workshops. In your downtime, take advantage of Keystone resort and environs by hiking, mountain biking, paddling, fly-fishing, or riding. Psst. Europe TBEX will be held in Lausanne, Switzerland, October 11-13.

New York Times Travel Show (NYT)
Held March 2-4 at Manhattan's Jacob C. Javits Convention Center, this is a great event if you're an accredited writer with a specific niche (Industry Professional Sessions include topics like "Focus on Africa," and "Focus on Travel Media"); there's also a "trade-only" day. The public and and newbie writers can explore the Exhibition Hall, check out a variety of cultural events to be held on five stages, and let the kids run amok in the Family Fun Pavilion. Bonus: Accredited travel professionals can attend the Friday Exhibition Hall and travel industry welcome reception, and Saturday and Sunday seminars and Exhibition Hall free of charge.

Travel Bloggers Unite (TBU)
Feel like a tax write-off trip to Umbria, Italy (did I just say that)? From April 20-22, this UK-organized conference unites travel writers and bloggers with travel PR experts, tourism boards, and travel companies. Seminars include photo walks and workshops, and using social media. Best of all, delegates will be able take free post-conference tours of Umbria.

Book Passage Travel Writers and Photographers Conference
Lonely Planet guru/Gadling editor Don George co-founded this renown industry event with Book Passage owner Elaine Petrocelli in 1991. Held annually at Petrocelli's Marin County bookstore (located 15 minutes north of San Franciso; the other Book Passage is a tiny shop in San Francisco's Ferry Building). The event has attracted in the past luminaries such as Tim Cahill, Larry Habegger, and Gadling's David Farley. This year, esteemed writer Susan Orlean will be in attendance, and the schedule includes four days of seminars, workshops, panel discussions, and optional evening field trips. If you're serious about travel writing--and few places provide as much topical diversity as the Bay Area--sign up, stat.

Be sure to check out Don's article on "Top tips for TBEX and other writers' conferences" before you sign up or get on a plane (they say advice doesn't come cheap, but this is free, baby).

[Photo credit: Flickr user Dia[TM]]

Presenting Xtranormal's "I want to be a travel writer"

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Galley Gossip: Improve your travel with Bruce Lee

Heather Poole — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Airlines, Books, Transportation, Travel Health, Galley Gossip

The following quotes are from the book Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee's Wisdom for Daily Living by John Little.

1. Something for nothing - "There is only something for something, never something for nothing."

Think about that next time you feel nickel and dimed by an airline. Ticket prices are less than they were twenty years ago, so in the end you're still paying the same price you were in 1992, maybe even less. Keep in mind the Barbie Glam Vacation Jet costs $119.99 at ToysRus. That's more than most one way tickets.

2. Emptiness is the starting point - "In order to taste my cup of water you must first empty your cup. Drop all your preconceived fixed ideas and be neutral. Do you know why this cup is so useful? Because it is empty!"

Don't let what happened on your last flight affect your next flight. Often passengers will board and immediately want to rehash the details of what went wrong on another trip. Things don't usually go so well from here. How could it? I've just been linked to the worst flight ever!

3. "Is" vs. "Should" - "What IS is more important than WHAT SHOULD BE. Too many people are looking at "what is" from a position of thinking "what should be."

To become a flight attendant one must be flexible. Being able to quickly adapt to change is essential on the job. If there's one thing we can count on in the aviation industry, it's something is bound to go wrong. This is why we always have back up plans A, B, C, and D. So next time something doesn't seem to be going right, do what a flight attendant would do and instead of getting upset about what should be happening, focus on what is happening, and start making alternative plans - QUICKLY! Before all the hotel rooms are booked and the rental agencies run out of cars.

4. Anxiety - Anxiety is the gap between the NOW and the THEN. So if you are in the now, you can't be anxious, because your excitement flows immediately into ongoing spontaneous activity.

I can spot a fearful flier a mile away. If they're not asking about the weather, they're clutching the armrest and sweating profusely. A little unknown fact is more people die falling off donkeys than they do in plane crashes. Remember that next time you start to feel anxious. Focus on the fact that you're sitting in a somewhat uncomfortable seat and drinking the beverage of your choice. There's probably even a very nice person sitting beside you. If that doesn't work, tell a flight attendant what's going on and we'll do what we can to help. We're trained professionals. That's what we're there for.

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Get Lonely Planet's 2012 travel guide free this week at Starbucks

McLean Robbins — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Food and Drink, Books, Gadling's Daily Deal

Planning a trip for 2012? We'd suggest you do it over a Starbucks coffee this week. The chain's weekly iTunes' "Pick of the Week" cards are featuring a redemption code to download Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2012 from the iBookstore for free.

Featuring Lonely Planet's top places to visit and experiences for 2012, this full-color eBook can only help guide your travel planning for the upcoming year.

Get Lonely Planet's 2012 travel guide free this week at Starbucks originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Food Landscapes: Carl Warner replicates landscapes with food

Elizabeth Seward — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Food and Drink, Europe, United Kingdom, Books

If you've ever gazed upon a landscape so rich you'd like to just eat it, you might be interested in Carl Warner's Food Landscapes. Warner is a British photographic artist with, you could say, a taste for travel. He's an architect of edible landscapes. With minimal Photoshop assistance, Warner creates fantastical images of believable landscapes... but there's a twist: the trees in the image are broccoli. The water in the image is salmon, the rocks are potatoes. He builds his landscapes on tabletops with real food, but he builds these 3D scenes in such a way so that a brilliant landscape can be reflected in a photograph of the tabletop construction. So attention travelers and fans of travel! If you appreciate both scenery and food, this book might be a safe bet for your next coffee table book shopping spree.

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New Book celebrates 10 years of the Tour d'Afrique

Kraig Becker — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Biking, Arts and Culture, Festivals and Events, Africa, Botswana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Books, Ecotourism

The Tour d'Afrique is a legendary cycling event that runs from Cairo to Cape Town on an annual basis. Covering more than 7500 miles, and requiring four months to complete, the Tour is a popular "bucket list" item for adventure travelers and cyclists the world over. This year, the Tour d'Afrique commemorates its tenth anniversary, and to celebrate, the company behind the epic event has released a fantastic coffee table book entitled 10: Celebrating Ten Years of the Tour d'Afrique Bicycle Race and Expedition.

The book begins with a forward written by Tour founder Henry Gold. A decade ago, when he first pitched the idea of a bike ride across Africa, Gold was met with skepticism to say the least. Many thought that it simply wasn't possible for an event like this one to exist and he was regularly told he was crazy for even considering it. Ten year later, Gold has turned his idea into a yearly event, and his adventure travel company produces similar cycling tours in a host of other locations across the globe.

10 is filled with stories from the road, as riders share tales, quotes, and anecdotes of their own experiences from the Tour. For some, it was a life altering experience for others an adventure of a lifetime, but no one who has taken part in the journey has come away unchanged. Their words are likely to inspire readers to want to join Tour as well, and even if you haven't been on a bike in years, you may find yourself dreaming of pedaling under African skies. The book doesn't try to hide the challenges of the ride, which range from oppressive heat to unexpected downpours, not to mention ever changing road conditions, but the amazing beauty of Africa and the camaraderie that is formed amongst the riders, will have a universal appeal all the same.

If the words of the riders don't inspire you than perhaps the amazing photographs contained in this book will. 10 is a visual love letter to cycling, adventure travel, and most importantly, Africa itself. The 252 page volume is packed with breathtaking images that have been compiled over the past decade and capture the spirit of the Tour very well. Not only do those photos show the day-to-day experiences of the ride, but they also manage to convey a sense of wonder at the countries and environments that the riders pass through, as well as the people that live there.

If you have a cyclist or adventure traveler on your holiday shopping list, than this book is sure to be a hit. Just be warned, after reading it, they may feel compelled to join the ride themselves. Africa is most definitely calling.

New Book celebrates 10 years of the Tour d'Afrique originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mexican food in Mexico: surprisingly different

Chris Owen — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Food and Drink, Mexico, Books, Cruises, Central America

Before sampling Mexican food on a recent trip to Mazatlan, Mexico, we shared some of the misconceptions commonly held by others who have not been there. Don't drink the water. Mexican food is not healthy. All Mexican food is spicy and all about tacos, burritos and enchiladas. What we found blew away pretty much all of that.

Mazatlan sits on the west coast of Mexico and boasts an abundance of seafood. Running the largest fleet of shrimp boats in the world, shrimp is on nearly every menu, prepared a number of ways. We ranked local eatery Al Agua as tops for shrimp and especially for it's Coconut Shrimp. There's really something to be said for sitting at the shoreside restaurant and watching as shrimpers off the coast catch what you are about to eat. It does not get any fresher than that.

Shrimp is a big export here too but not the only game in town. Marlin, Grouper, Octopus and clams are also used extensively on restaurant menus and "fresh" is what its all about. Combined with locally-sourced ingredients, we quickly forgot the "Mexican food is not healthy" misnomer and focused on unique combinations of vegetables, rice, beans and spices.

"The staples of Mexican cuisine do include corn and beans - which are full of fiber - but also vitamin-rich peppers, tomatoes and fruit" says Chef David Suarez, busting myths about Mexico for CNN. "Authentic Mexican food incorporates seasonal produce, fresh cheeses, seafood, herbs and meats, as well as complex carbohydrates."

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Want to have your travel stories published in a book?

Jessica Festa — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Activism, Arts and Culture, Learning, Festivals and Events, Blogs, Stories, Books, Consumer Activism, Women's Travel

Have you ever wanted to have your travel stories published in a book? Well, now here's your chance. The bloggers behind wegetthere operate under the strong belief that "travel means freedom", and they strive to create a community of travelers, explorers, and adventurers. Taking their mission one step further, the bloggers have decided to put together a book, relevantly titled "Travel Means Freedom", written by the travel community.

Anyone is eligible to share their travel stories. All that you must do is click here to be guided through the 3 steps:

Download the Microsoft Word template for your story.
Write a travel story that is about 1,000 words long.
Submit the contact information form.

That's it! Submissions are being accepted through November 22, 2011. The book will be available in print and digital format, and selected contributors will receive 80% of the profits made from digital book sales. To learn more and submit your story, click here.

Want to have your travel stories published in a book? originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Henry Rollins, Punk Rocker and Travel Philosopher

Pam Mandel — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Blogs, Photos, Books

World Hum's Jim Benning spent some time talking with musician Henry Rollins about his new book and the results are freaking excellent. Henry Rollins says one awesome thing after another about travel, photography, climate change, globalization, and lots more.

I had a hard time choosing, but here's one short excerpt:

I hit the streets every day with no real plan besides walking and seeing what happens or taking a taxi across town and finding my way back. Or I look out the top of the hotel and see an area and say, okay, I'm going there today-that slum, that village. I go through souks and bazaars and stores. People come up and ask, "My friend, what are you doing here?" My icebreaker is, "I'm here to meet you." Which is true, and also sometimes cracks them up. They say, "Me?" I say, "Oh yeah, man, I'm Henry, what's happening?"

Go read the whole thing on World Hum.

Henry Rollins, Punk Rocker and Travel Philosopher originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A profile of travel writing school Matador U

Jessica Festa — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Activism, Arts and Culture, Learning, Business, Festivals and Events, Food and Drink, Gear, Blogs, Photos, Stories, Hotels and Accommodations, Books, Transportation, Ecotourism, Budget Travel, Internet Tools, Nightlife, News, Consumer Activism, Cruises, Women's Travel, Luxury Travel, Theme Parks

As someone who has been traveling around the globe since before I can remember, I have always dreamed of being a travel writer. While I would often blog about my trips to my friends and family, write about my trips for school papers, and create websites and content for (unpaid) internships, I never realized that travel writing was something that normal people could actually make a living out of.

Matador has always been one of my favorite travel websites, so when I saw that they were offering a MatadorU travel writing course, I became interested. I did a bit of research, read reviews and feedback from other students, contacted the instructors, and, after deciding it sounded worthwhile, signed up. Plus, I liked the fact that they allow you to try the course for a week for $10 to see if you like it, risk free.

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10 budgeting mistakes even smart travelers make

Jessica Festa — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Activism, Biking, Climbing, Arts and Culture, Hiking, History, Learning, Paddling, Scuba Diving, Skiing, Surfing, Festivals and Events, Food and Drink, Hotels and Accommodations, Airlines, Camping, Books, Transportation, Ecotourism, Airports, Budget Travel, Internet Tools, Nightlife, Cruises, Luxury Travel

When traveling, it's easy to go overboard and spend more money than you expected. What's important is that you spend your extra cash having fun experiences instead of on mistakes that could have been prevented with some planning. Read these 10 common money mistakes often made by travelers to help save money on your next trip.

Mistake #1: Overpacking

This is a mistake that can rack up travel costs for many reasons. First of all, depending on what airline you are flying with, you may be charged a fee for each bag you bring. Not only that, but travelers must pay not only based on how many bags they bring, but also on how much they weigh. Once you are off the plane and at your accommodation, if you have brought more luggage than you can carry yourself you will have to consider porter and bellhop costs. Just do yourself a favor and only bring items you can see yourself using and wearing multiple times.

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10 landmarks for lovers of Western literature

Jessica Festa — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Hiking, History, Learning, Food and Drink, Stories, Europe, North America, France, Ireland, United Kingdom, Hotels and Accommodations, Books, Budget Travel, Nightlife

Are you an enthusiast of everything Voltaire? Can you not get enough of Shakespeare and James Joyce? If you are a lover of Western literature, add these 10 landmarks to your upcoming travel itineraries.

The Shakespeare and Company Bookstore
Paris, France

It is only right that the first landmark on the list be in Paris, France, as this is where many French writers, such as Voltaire, Proust, Balzac, and Baudelaire spent most of their time. The Shakespeare and Company Bookstore has had some of the most well-known writers of the 20th century as clientele, including James Joyce, who published his famous Ulysses under the stamp of this bookshop. In fact, the founder of Shakespeare and Co., Sylvia Beach, was close friends with many of these writers, including Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, to name a few. What's also special about this shop is not only do they host literary walking tours around Paris, but you can also sleep there as long as you help out with the chores.

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Medieval painted churches in England and Wales

Sean McLachlan — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Europe, United Kingdom, Books, Budget Travel

England and Wales are full of beautiful medieval churches. From the famous like Christ Church cathedral to the lesser-known like Dorchester Abbey, they offer breathtaking architecture and decoration, and since many are free, they make good budget travel destinations.

Some even preserve fragile paintings from the Middle Ages, like this one photographed by Roger Rosewell, author of Medieval Wall Paintings in English and Welsh Churches. This is a thorough and richly illustrated guide to an art form many travelers know little about. He takes us through the history of these paintings and their sometimes obscure meanings, and delves into how they were seen by their contemporaries.

The above illustration shows the "Harrowing of Hell" and was painted in the late 15th century at the church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Pickering, Yorkshire. It's a scene from The Gospel of Nicodemus, when between Christ's burial and the third day, God undid Christ's death and Christ released Adam, Eve, and other righteous souls from Hell. If you haven't heard of this gospel, it's because it's one of the many books that didn't make it into the final standard version of the Bible we know today. Scenes from this book and many other so-called Apocryphal texts were well-known to medieval Christians, though.

Other subjects include the Virgin Mary, the lives of saints, the Doom or final judgement, and the Warning to Blasphemers--a grisly scene in which those who have taken the Lord's name in vain are shown tearing apart his body.

Rosewell also looks at the patrons who commissioned the work and the painters themselves, telling us a lot about medieval society. Interestingly, it appears some of the painters were women, yet little is known about any church painters, male or female. There's also a handy gazetteer and subject guide to help you locate any church paintings along your trip itinerary.

I only have two minor criticisms of this work. Firstly, while Rosewell explains Christian iconography very well, sometimes he leaves architectural terms undefined. Despite having written two books on medieval history, I had to look up "soffit" and "voussoir"! Also, while many of the photos are lovely, some have less than ideal lighting and look like simple snapshots. Granted, many medieval wall paintings are so faded it's virtually impossible to get good photos of them, yet I feel a bit more effort would have enhanced these photos considerably.

All in all, I highly recommend Medieval Wall Paintings in English and Welsh Churches to anyone interested in the Middle Ages, art, or travel in England in Wales. It's the perfect mixture of art, history, and guidebook, something I wish the travel industry would give us more of.

Gallery: Medieval painted churches

Medieval painted churches in England and Wales originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hikes near Madrid: a new guidebook shows you the way (in English!)

Sean McLachlan — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hiking, Learning, Europe, Spain, Camping, Books, Ecotourism, Budget Travel

Every year, thousands of English speakers visit Madrid on holiday or to teach English. Most never explore the many hikes near Madrid, and that's a shame. The Sierra de Guadarrama offers some challenging and varied routes, and the lowland areas of the Comunidad de Madrid offer pleasant rambles. One of the best spots is La Pedriza, which can be a tough slog and easy to get lost in.

One of the reasons these hikes go unexplored by visiting Anglos is that there wasn't an English-language book dedicated to them. That's changed with the publication of Take a Hike: The Best 50 Routes in the Community of Madrid. The book is the result of two years of research and walking by expat hikers Beau Macksoud and Cynthia Blair Kane, who also founded Madrid's only English-language hiking group, Hiking in the Community of Madrid.

I've been on several hikes with this book and I can say that it's accurate and clearly written. Unlike the book I used to hike near Faringdon, Oxfordshire, the maps in Take A Hike are professionally done and easy to follow. They look like they were adapted from Spanish government topo maps. I've never understood why some hiking guides think they can get away with sketch maps. In Oxfordshire it's annoying; in Sierra de Guadarrama it would be downright dangerous.

Take a Hike offers a variety of hiking experiences for all skill levels. It also touches on the history and culture of the area you're walking through, mentions any local festivals, and even gives you a quick Spanish lesson with a list of hiking and sightseeing-related vocabulary in the margins.

So if you're headed to Madrid, pick up a copy of this, put the tapas and vino to one side for a day, and go Take a Hike!

[Photo courtesy Ediciones La Librería]

Hikes near Madrid: a new guidebook shows you the way (in English!) originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Egyptian Book of the Dead on display at Brooklyn Museum

Sean McLachlan — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Africa, North America, Egypt, United States, Books, Middle East

After three years of careful study and restoration, an important version of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead has gone on display in the Brooklyn Museum.

The Book of the Dead was a collection of prayers, spells, and rituals to help the dead in the afterlife. The book has its roots in prehistoric times. As the civilization in Egypt developed, the prayers and spells became more elaborate. Eventually they were gathered together in chapters to create what we call the Book of the Dead. Individual chapters or sets of chapters were written on tombs, mummy cases, and rolls of papyrus. Many burials have portions of the book, one of the largest being the Papyrus of Ani, which you can view online.

The Brooklyn Museum example was for the tomb of Sobekmose, a gold worker. It's an early and long version, probably dating to the reign of Thutmose III or Amunhotep II (c. 1479-1400 BC). It's 25 feet long, written on both sides, and contains nearly half of the known Book of the Dead chapters.

Portions of this book have long been on display at the museum. This is the first time the entire book is on display.

[Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons]

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Random Acts of Debauchery on San Francisco's Barbary Coast

David Farley — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: History, Food and Drink, North America, United States, Books, Nightlife

In the 1850s, the San Francisco Herald published a story that began like this:

"There are certain spots in our city, infested by the most abandoned men and women, that have acquired a reputation little better than the Five Points of New York or St. Giles of London. [It] is crowded by thieves, gamblers, low women, drunken sailors, and similar characters, who resort to the groggeries that line the street, and there spend the night in the most hideous orgies."

In Herbert Asbury's "The Barbary Coast: An Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld," he writes about random acts of debauchery on San Francisco's Barbary Coast. Some favorites include a saloon called the the Fierce Grizzly, literally named because there was a live bear chained by the door. The bar served a milk cocktail, usually mixed with gin or whisky. When a preacher showed up one day at the Fierce Grizzly hoping to get some material for a future sermon on the den of iniquity that was the Barbary Coast, he was offered a glass of such "milk."

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Random Acts of Debauchery on San Francisco's Barbary Coast originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The secret formula for writing a successful travel narrative

Don George — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Learning, Blogs, Books

For years people have been asking me for the secret formula for writing a successful travel story. I did my best to conjure this formula into my book Travel Writing, but as you know, there really isn't any secret formula. Or is there? This year, in preparing for a spate of appearances where I was talking about travel writing - notably TBEX, a talk with Julia Cosgrove of Afar magazine, and a one-day in-the-field writing workshop that was part of the Book Passage travel writing and photography conference -- I realized that I could distill what I've learned in three decades on both sides of the writer-editor relationship into a few pithy points.

So here's my version of the secret formula.

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The secret formula for writing a successful travel narrative originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Creation of the Barbary Coast Trail in San Francisco

David Farley — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: History, North America, United States, Books

Ask anyone with a budding interest in the Barbary Coast why there's suddenly more attention being paid to the legendary neighborhood in recent years and they'll point to one person. Meet Daniel Bacon. He's a writer and historian who's responsible for the creation of the Barbary Coast Trail San Francisco, a 3.8-mile zigzagging trail that takes trekkers through the heart and the periphery of the Barbary Coast. He also wrote the informative and entertaining "Walking San Francisco and the Barbary Coast Trail" as well as a pocket map and guide to the trail. I chatted with him recently about the neighborhood and the trail he created.

David Farley: How did you get interested in the Barbary Coast?

Daniel Bacon: I had an interest in San Francisco history in general. Especially from the Gold Rush to the 1906 earthquake and fire, and you can't study that period and avoid the Barbary Coast waterfront. I found it all very intriguing. The reason I named the walking route the Barbary Coast Trail is that most of the trail relates to that period-a time when the heart of San Francisco's port was referred to the Barbary Coast. It got that name because the original Barbary Coast was the coast of North Africa where there was an ethnic tribe called the Berbers. Like Somalia today, some of them were pirates and they would kidnap people and hold them for ransom. So during and after the Gold Rush sailors would abandon their ships in San Francisco to go searching for gold in the hills. Which meant ships needed crews badly. So captains would go to bordering houses to recruit. And the bordering houses boss, who would get a stake in recruiting crews, would often do it against people's wills by knocking them out and giving them to the captain. By the time this unsuspecting person would come to, he'd find himself on a boat out in the sea and was shanghaied. So that's why it became known as the Barbary Coast.

Continue reading The Creation of the Barbary Coast Trail in San Francisco

The Creation of the Barbary Coast Trail in San Francisco originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will Christopher Robin's bookshop be saved?

Sean McLachlan — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Europe, United Kingdom, Books

A couple of days ago we reported that a bookshop once owned by the real Christopher Robin was closing.

The Harbour Bookshop in Dartmouth, England, was opened in 1951 by Christopher Robin Milne, son of Winnie-the-Pooh author A.A. Milne. The author used his son as a character in his books. Christopher Robin died in 1996, and rising rents and a slump in sales are forcing the current owners to close in September.

Now the local paper Dartmouth Chronicle reports that people are rallying to save the shop. The Dartmouth and Kingswear Society, a heritage preservation group, is suggesting the bookshop be continued as a nonprofit community enterprise. Considering the shop's historical significance, they might be able to get some government funding, although with the current fiscal situation that will be a tough fight.

TV personality Jonathan Dimbleby has also joined the growing call for the shop to be saved.

I hope they succeed. Independent bookshops are places for readers to mingle and discover titles they didn't know they were looking for. They add character to their neighborhoods and can be a significant tourist draw, as The Harbour Bookshop was. I've seen way too many beloved bookshops close. New York City in the 1980s was filled with funky little independents, now mostly gone due to the Big Apple's soaring rents. Here in Oxford, Waterfield's closed. They still have an online presence but it's not the same as popping in before a day's work at the university. It's been replaced by Ye Olde Sweet Shoppe. I wonder if the tourists who swarm in there realize this "Ye Olde Shoppe" is less than two years old!

It's not just bookshops that are affected. Small businesses on English High Streets are dying and being replaced with chains, homogenizing and depersonalizing the places where people live and shop. Here's hoping the campaigners can preserve some of Dartmouth's character.

[Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons]

Will Christopher Robin's bookshop be saved? originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Books by Gadling bloggers

Sean McLachlan — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Books

Gadling bloggers are a busy bunch. When we're not posting the latest travel news or accounts of our adventures, we're writing for newspapers, magazines, and anthologies. Many of us have written books too.

David Farley takes the prize for weirdest subject matter with An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church's Strangest Relic in Italy's Oddest Town. So what's Catholicism's strangest relic? Nothing less than the foreskin of Jesus!

Some of us have jobs other than writing and this is reflected in our work. Talented photographer Karen Walrond has published the only photo book so far by a Gadlinger, The Beauty of Different: Observations of a Confident Misfit. Flight attendant Heather Poole is coming out with Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet in March 2012. Foodie Laurel Miller is coauthoring Cheese for Dummies, coming in 2012.

Sean McLachlan will become Gadling's first novelist when his historical novel set in Civil War Missouri, A Fine Likeness, comes out in October. When he isn't traveling he's writing history. His military history books for Osprey Publishing include American Civil War Guerrilla Tactics, Ride Around Missouri: Shelby's Great Raid 1863, Armies of the Adowa Campaign 1896: the Italian Disaster in Ethiopia, and Medieval Handgonnes: The First Black Powder Infantry Weapons. He's done three books on Missouri: Outlaw Tales of Missouri, Missouri: An Illustrated History, and It Happened in Missouri. He dipped into medieval history with Byzantium: An Illustrated History.

Given that we're all travel writers, it's no big shocker that we have a slew of travel guides between us. Andrew Evans wrote the Brandt guides to Iceland and Ukraine. Pam Mandel wrote the Thomas Cook guide HotSpots Hawaii. Matthew Firestone is a Lonely Planet regular. His titles include Costa Rica, and Botswana & Namibia. He's contributed to several other titles. McLean Robbins contributed to the Forbes (formerly Mobil) Travel Guide (Mid Atlantic). Melanie Renzulli shares her love of Italy with The Unofficial Guide to Central Italy: Florence, Rome, Tuscany & Umbria and Frommer's The Irreverent Guide to Rome. Libby Zay has coauthored three VIVA Travel Guides: Quito, Ecuador; Macchu Picchu & Cusco; and Guatemala.

Don George takes the cake for travel writing. Not only has he given us all some good tips in Lonely planet's book on Travel Writing, but he's edited a long list of travel anthologies such as Lonely Planet's Lights, Camera, Travel!, A Moveable Feast, The Kindness of Strangers, By the Seat of My Pants, Tales from Nowhere, and A House Somewhere. Besides his LP titles, he's edited Salon.com's Wanderlust and Travelers' Tales Japan.

So if you in the mood to read something offscreen, pick up a title from one of these talented authors!

[Image courtesy Yorck Project]

Books by Gadling bloggers originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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