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Books > Travel > Travel writing
In Bed with the Atlantic is a travel memoir of a young woman, Kit
Pascoe, as she goes from never having stepped on a yacht, to
sailing over 18,000 miles - across the Atlantic, around the
Caribbean and then back - in three years with her partner. At
first, she was dogged by doubt, a belief that she wasn't a
`sailor', never would be and that she was in no way capable of such
an undertaking. She believed that the ocean was out to get her,
that weather needed to be battled and that she would forever be
ruled by the anxiety that plagued her. Woven into the narrative of
the journey's progression are stories from Kit's childhood and life
before the voyage, explaining her battles with anxiety and the
feelings of being lost as a graduate in post-recession Britain. The
book also relays her struggle with reconciling a life of travel
with the expectations and experiences of those back home, at an age
when most of her contemporaries were starting corporate careers and
families. In her courage to leave everything she knows behind, she
learns the history of the islands and their people, swims with
turtles, explores strange cave systems, and learns to forage for
food straight from the sea. But she also encounters hardships like
running out of food and water, battling against storms, trying not
to be struck by lightning, and discovering the crippling loneliness
of sailing an ocean for months on end. Sailing back to the UK after
three years Kit realises the colossal difference that sailing has
made to her life and understanding of the world. She ponders how
easy it is not to do something, to protect ourselves from risks and
ridicule and everything that makes us uncomfortable. But now
appreciates that it is only when we take the risk, that we get the
reward and that we connect not just with the world at large, but
also with ourselves.
A Visit to Wazan, the Sacred City of Morocco Originally published
in 1880, this book offers a fascinating insight into a Morocco
that, at that time, was untouched by western influence. Contetns
Include: Introduction, Langifr, The Great Cherif and the Cherifa,
Preparation, On the Road, Druidical Remains at Majorah-Arjila, By
the Way, Al Kasar, The Way to Wazan, Wazan, Asigen, Rest, Across
Country, Toward Tetuan, Tetuan, Return to Tangier, Tangier Again.
Also includes appendix and maps and illustrations. Many of the
earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and
before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive.
Obscure Press are republishing these classic works in affordable,
high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
The saga of the Barefoot Sisters continues with this sequel to
"Barefoot Sisters Southbound". Lucy and Susan Letcher begin their
journey home, hiking barefoot on the Appalachian Trail from Georgia
to Maine. Along the way, they must face the pleasures and perils of
a northbound hike, from bluegrass festivals and trail angel feasts
to encounters with bears and venomous snakes. Readers will share in
the story of the Letcher sisters as they bond with fellow hikers,
brave the unpredictable wilderness, and test the boundaries of
their friendship during their 2,175-mile-trip home.
In 2013, three friends set off on a journey that they had been told
was impossible: the north-south crossing of the Congo River Basin,
from Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Juba, in
South Sudan.Traversing two and a half thousand miles of the
toughest terrain on the planet in a twenty-five year old Land
Rover, they faced repeated challenges, from kleptocracy and fire
ants to non-existent roads and intense suspicion from local people.
Through imagination and teamwork - including building rafts and
bridges to cross rivers, conducting makeshift surgery in the jungle
and playing tribal politics - they got through. But the Congo is
raw, and the journey took an unexpected psychological toll on them
all.Crossing the Congo is a story of friendship, what it takes to
complete a great journey against tremendous odds, and an intimate
look into one of the world's least-developed and most fragile
states.
The explorations of 18th-century travellers to the "European
frontiers" were often geared to define the cultural, political and
historical boundaries of "European civilization". In an age when
political revolutions shocked nations into reassessing what
separated the civilized from the barbaric, how did literary
travellers contemplate the characteristics of their continental
neighbours? Focusing on the writings of British travellers, we see
how a new view of Europe was created, one that juxtaposed the
customs and living conditions of populations in an attempt to
define "modern" Europe against a "yet unenlightened" Europe.
This book (hardcover) is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It
contains classical literature works from over two thousand years.
Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore
shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the
cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical
literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the
mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from
oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of
international literature classics available in printed format again
- worldwide.
For more than a hundred years after Europeans had begun populating
the Atlantic shores of North America, the Pacific coast of that
continent remained a blank on their maps and in their minds. When
Russians from Siberia first sighted the mountains of Alaska in
1741, they called it the Great Land. In fact they were glimpsing
part of a 4,000-mile stretch of virgin coastline, reaching from
Western Alaska to Oregon to Southern California. As far as Spanish
Mexico, all was uncharted and unknown. Its water, its salmon, its
sea otters, its sunshine, its trees and its harbours remained the
preserve of Native Americans, and were entirely free of
international commerce.But time was not standing still. In the
second half of the eighteenth century, Europeans were aggressively
taking their way of life to every corner of the globe. Northwest
America could not remain exempt from this process. Who would be the
first to settle the coast that was destined to become the cultural
and economic powerhouse of the world? The answer to this question
was not obvious. This book is the story of how Western America very
nearly came to be a possession of the Empire of Russia." A
fascinating and near-forgotten history brought vividly to
life."Colin Thubron"What a terrific book - it's incredibly well
researched and written and tells a story about which I, for one,
knew nothing! I was amazed by the cast of characters that Jeremy
uncovered - battling away in those terrible conditions. It makes
our lives seem very tame. What a triumph!"Rosie Boycott"The central
premise of this wonderful book is, at first sight, scarcely
believable: that the world's largest country was on the brink of
extending its empire along the entire length of America's Pacific
shore, thereby making San Francisco as Russian as St Petersburg and
annexing Hawaii as an outpost of Siberia. Yet through meticulous
research combined with a natural flair for story-telling, Jeremy
Atiyah bestows this astonishing sequence of events with
credibility. He weaves a compelling tale of heroism, intrigue and
betrayal that begins with Catherine the Great and ends in the
twilight of the Russian Empire and the ascendancy of America."Simon
Calder"The story of Russia's colony in America is known to very few
people in Britain. Not only, however, is it one of history's odder
side-paths, packed with strange people and events: it is also a
fascinating "might-have-been". Jeremy Atiyah tells this story in an
accurate and informative narrative which is also great fun to
read".Professor Dominic Lieven, London School of Economics, author
of The Russian Empire and its Rivals."What if the Russian Empire
had succeeded in colonising North America's Pacific coast? And why
did they not succeed? Just how close did they come to doing so - at
a time when the Atlantic colonies were struggling to create the
United States? Jeremy Atiyah offers intriguing answers to questions
that I never knew enough even to ask."Lord Howe of Aberavon"Not
many people know that Alaska and the whole north-west coast down to
San Francisco almost became Russian. Jeremy Atiyah tells an
astonishing story of Russian adventurers, half a world away from St
Petersburg, struggling for empire, financed by furs and sea-otter
skins. As if a brutal climate and hostile natives were not enough,
the Russians had to contend with the growing ambitions of the
Spanish, American and British governments. With Europe immersed in
the Napoleonic Wars, the area became a giant chess-board of trade,
diplomacy, exploration and adventure, played out across the whole
North Pacific triangle, with Hawaii a paradise against the cold,
damp hell of the northwest coast - at its apex. The Russians came
out top. Russia owned Alaska until 'the cold dead hand of St
Petersburg' threw away their most distant outpost by selling the
whole region to the US in 1867, for a mere $7.2 million. This is
surely one of the most astonishing real-estate deals in history. It
is a tribute to Atiyah's skill as a historian and story-teller that
he balances sources from all nationalities, while bringing these
wilderness regions and their cast of extremely odd personalities to
vivid life."John Man, writer, author of The Guttenberg Revolution,
Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection and
Kublai Khan."Jeremy Atiyah's The Great Land is a welcome addition
to the literature on Russian presence on the Pacific Rim. Based on
his judicious use of sources, the result is a highly readable and
instructive analysis of Russian attempts to establish colonial
footholds in Alaska, California and Hawaii at the end of the 18th
and early 19th centuries. This book belongs in every library and in
the collection of every history buff." Basil Dmytryshyn, Professor
Emeritus of History, Portland State University.
Discover the Weird, Weird West For more than thirty years,
journalist and author Martin J. Smith traveled the American West,
chasing offbeat stories that were often bizarre, always compelling,
and at times profound. His journey through that oft-idealized and
misunderstood landscape has made him a witness to some of the
West’s most interesting places, people, and events, from his
Valentine’s Day at Nevada’s Mustang Ranch brothel to the
deathbed of a man who spent three decades building two 150-ton
concrete dinosaurs in the desert. This collection of essays, often
told with the wisdom and perspective of a writer looking back,
chronicles in vivid detail the heroes, heels, and cultural spasms
of an endlessly fascinating frontier.
'A book worth reading' Andrew Marr, Sunday Times The Debatable Land
was an independent territory which used to exist between Scotland
and England. At the height of its notoriety, it was the bloodiest
region in Great Britain, fought over by Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and
James V. After the Union of the Crowns, most of its population was
slaughtered or deported and it became the last part of the country
to be brought under the control of the state. Today, its history
has been forgotten or ignored. When Graham Robb moved to a lonely
house on the very edge of England, he discovered that the river
which almost surrounded his new home had once marked the Debatable
Land's southern boundary. Under the powerful spell of curiosity,
Robb began a journey - on foot, by bicycle and into the past - that
would uncover lost towns and roads, reveal the truth about this
maligned patch of land and result in more than one discovery of
major historical significance. Rich in detail and epic in scope,
The Debatable Land takes us from a time when neither England nor
Scotland could be imagined to the present day, when contemporary
nationalism and political turmoil threaten to unsettle the
cross-border community once more. Writing with his customary charm,
wit and literary grace, Graham Robb proves the Debatable Land to be
a crucial, missing piece in the puzzle of British history. Includes
a 16-page colour plate section.
TV presenter, writer and adventurer Alice Morrison gives her own
unique and personal insight into Morocco, the place she's made her
home. When Alice Morrison headed out to Morocco, it was to take on
one of the most daunting challenges: to run in the famous Marathon
des Sables. Little did she expect to end up living there. But once
she settled in a flat in Marrakech, she was won over by the people,
the spectacular scenery and the ancient alleyways of the souks.
Soon she was hiking over the Atlas mountains, joining nomads to
sample their timeless way of life as they crossed the Sahara
desert, and finding peace in a tranquil oasis. Despite more than 10
million tourists coming to Morocco each year, there are remarkably
few books about its people, their customs and the extraordinary
range of places to visit, from bustling markets to vast, empty
deserts. Alice makes sure she samples it all, and as she does she
provides a stunning portrait of a beautiful country. As a lone
woman, she often attracts plenty of curiosity, but her willingness
to participate - whether thigh deep in pigeon droppings in a
tannery or helping out herding goats - ensures that she is welcomed
everywhere by a people who are among the most hospitable on the
planet. Alice came to fame with her BBC2 series Morocco to
Timbuktu, and now she joins the ranks of great travel writers who
can bring a country vividly to life and instantly transport the
reader to a sunnier place. If you're thinking of going to Morocco,
or you want to recall your time there, Adventures in Morocco is the
ideal book.
VENICE ON FOOT IONTE DEI PUCJW, AND THE CAMPANILE OK S. MARIA DEL
CARMINE FROM IONTE S. IJAKNAUA CONTENTS CHAPTER PAflE I. NOTE TO
THE READER i II. DIVISION OF THE CITY 8 III. PIAMA DI S. MARCO 12
IV. THE WALKS 22 V. WALK i 24 VI. WALK 2 51 VII. WALK 3 83 VIII.
WALK SA 102 IX. WALK 4 122 X. WALK 5 144 XL WALK 6 169 XII. WALK 7
193 XIII, WALK 8 319 XIV. WALK 9 241 XV. WALK 10 .257 XVI. THE
GRAND CANAL 272 XVII. DIRECT ROUTES .334 XVIII. NOBLE FAMILIES 343
. XIX. GENERAL NOTES 366 INDEX OF LOCALITIES 387 INDEX OF NAMES 415
vifi VENICE ON FOOT FACING PAGE CHURCH OF S. ZACCARIA 122 CAMPIELLO
S. GAETANO 122 CHURCH OF S. Moisft 122 PALAZZO WIDMAN FROM PONTE
DEL PIOVAN . . 132 SCUOLA DI S. FANTINO ATENEO VENETO . . .132
PALAZZO BENEDETTI, FROM PONTE PRIULI . . . 153 PALAZZO BEMBO 153
DOOR OF PALAZZO VAN AXEL 153 A BRIDGE WITHOUT A PARAPET 153 PALAZZO
PESARO-PAPAFAVA 160 WELL IN THE GARDEN OF PALAZZO CONTARINI . . 160
CAMPO S. MARIA FORMOSA, PALAZZO RUZZINI-PRIULI TO PALAZZI DON 160
CHURCH OF S. MARIA DELLA SALUTE .... 169 PALAZZO MARCELLO .173 CASA
MORO PONTE LUNGO 173 PALAZZO ARIANI 177 PALAZZO RIZZI 177 No. 2931
CAMPO S. MARGARITA Cl CORNER . . 185 PALAZZO FOSCARINI S. MARIA DEL
CARMINE . . 185 CASA DELL ANGELO FROM PONTE DELL ANGELO . 194
PALAZZO SAGREDO 194 A QUIET CORNER FONDAMENTA DEL RIMEDIO . . 194
CASINO DEGLI SPIRITI 202 FRUIT STALL SALIZZADA S. FRANCESCO . .
.202 PALAZZO PESARO ORFEI 232 PALAZZO PRIULI S. FELICE 232
FONDAMENTA CANNAREGIO OPPOSITE PALAZZO MAN FRIN 238 PALAZZO DUODO
S. ANGELO 238 CAMPO S. MAURIZIO, PALAZZO MOLIN .... 249 CAMPO S.
POLO, PALAZZO SORANZO, PALAZZO TIEPOLO 249 FROM PONTE DELLA VERONA,
PALAZZO MORA, PALAZZO CONTARINI DEL BOVOLO 254 CAMPIELLO BARBARO,
WITHBACK OF PALAZZO DARIO . 258 CAMPO S. Vio, PALAZZO LOREDAN,
PALAZZO BARBARO 260 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ix FACING PAGE SQUERO,
AND CHURCH OP S. TROVASO FROM PONTE LUNGO 262 CLOISTERS OF S.
STEFANO, WITH REMAINS OF FRES COES BY PORDENONE 262 PALAZZI CAVALLI
AND BARBARO 278 PALAZZO LOREDAN DELL AMBASCIATORE . . .278 PALAZZO
BARBARO, A CORNER OF THE GRAND SALON . 279 PALAZZI REZZONICO,
GIUSTINIAN, AND FOSCARI . . 281 PALAZZI MICHIEL DALLE COLONNE AND
MICHIEL DA BRUSA 293 PALAZZI MIANI-COLETTI AND CA DORO . . . 293
CANNAREOIO CHURCH OF S. GEREMIA, PALAZZO LABL 300 PALAZZI
COCCINA-TIEPOLO AND BUSINELLO . . . 300 FROM THE STEAMER STATION S.
ANGELO PALAZZO FOSCARI TO PALAZZO TIEPOLO .... 300 CHURCH OF S.
MARCUOLA 300 END OF GRAND CANAL STEAMER STATION S. CHIARA 304
PALAZZI BARZIZZA AND AVOGADRO . . . .316 PALAZZI REZZONICO,
BERNARDO, GIUSTINIAN AND FO SCARI 316 PALAZZI CAPELLO AND GRIMANI
318 PALAZZI TIEPOLO, PISANI-MORETTA AND BARBARIGO DELLA TERRAZZA
319 MAP OF WALK i 50, , 2 82 WALKS 3 AND 3A 120, , WALK 4 142 . 5
68 6 192 7 218 8 240 9 256 10 270 THE GRAND CANAL 332 VENICE ON
FOOT CHAPTER I NOTE TO THE READER THE number of those who walk in
Venice is in creasing every year and in the case of my own friends
who have tried it, I have always found them so enthusiastic, and so
anxious to see more of the less visited parts of the city, and the
street life of the people, that feeling that this might also apply
to others, I have thought it worth while to arrange a few walks,
which, while including several points of interest not generally
seen from a gondola, might, moreover, be of assistance in finding
such places as the reader may wish to visit. The book is not in any
way a guide to interiors ofbuildings, nor is it intended to compete
with the excellent guide-books now extant its object being to
assist those who wish to walk, and to answer such questions, as
would probably be asked, when doing so for the first time...
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