Feb

Into Armchair Travel? Try the Wheredunit of Mystery Books

by Joyce McGreevy on February 23, 2021

Coastal Sicily, the home of fictional detective Montalbano, is a popular destination for armchair travelers who read mystery novels. (Image by Giuseppe Costanza/ Pxhere)

1. Which Sicilian detective begins his day with espresso and a sunrise swim?
(Answers below the post)
Giuseppe Costanza/ Pxhere

Follow the Clues Around the World!

Pandemically speaking, today’s most favored mode of transport is armchair travel. But must safety rule out excitement? Not when you travel via mystery books. These page-turners whisk you away to virtually any corner of the world.

Stereotypes persist about mystery books. Like the idea that they’re merely puzzles. That the author presents a lineup of suspects, then interposes an obstacle course between the reader and the Big Reveal. You know, cryptic messages, red herrings, butlers arching an eyebrow, bodies falling out of closets, that sort of thing.

As comedian Michael Ian Black says of mystery books, “They make me too anxious. . . . Just tell me who did it.”

But for many fans, the whodunit is secondary to the wheredunit. Mysteries spring from particular places, and the best mysteries evoke those places with a vibrancy that turns reading into an immersive experience.

Botswana, the home of fictional detective Precious Romatswe, is a popular destination for armchair travelers who read mystery novels. (IPublic domain image)

2. Who sells a herd of cattle to launch her detective agency in Botswana?

You’d Never Suspect . . .

As mystery fans, we appear to our unsuspecting families to be reading. We sit there sedately as Whistler’s Mother.

Actually, we’re at a casino in Rio De Janeiro with Inspector Espinosa, sailing the coast of Ghana with Detective Darko Dawson, on a stakeout in San Francisco with P.I. Izzy Spellman, or backstage at the opera in Venice with Commissario Brunetti.

And oh my, the eating and drinking we get up to: Bouef Bourguignon in the Perigord with Police Chief Bruno, pasta ‘ncasciata in Sicily with Montalbano, every Québecois dessert on the menu with Armande Gamache.

We’re the first ones to crack open a bottle of Black Label with V.I. Warshawski in Chicago, the last ones to close the bar in Mario Conde’s Havana. And we’d never say no to another Bell’s whisky in Edinburgh with Inspector Rebus.

Havana, Cuba, the home of fictional detective Lieutenant Mario Conde, is a popular destination for armchair travelers who read mystery novels. (Image by nextvoyage/ Pixabay)

3. Which fictional lieutenant knows every bar and bookshop in Havana?
nextvoyage/ Pixabay

Destination: Everywhere

A great mystery is not only a passport to everywhere from Australia to the Arctic, it’s an all-access pass. It lets you inside the velvet rope, under the yellow caution tape, and through doors marked Do Not Enter. It’s a sun-warmed beach in Biarritz on a rainy day in Seattle; a nimble cliff walk in Devon despite one’s fear of heights; a closed community in India sharing its secrets over cups of chai.

Oh, I see: Great mysteries engage our senses, take us behind the scenes, give us insight into cultures, and reveal human geography.

As the genre most often read in-flight or on a commuter train, the mystery novel taps into modes of travel. From Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express to Ruth Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10, mysteries don’t just take us places. They punch our ticket along the way. Whether these journeys are glamorous, harrowing, or both, we’re totally on board.

Perigord, France, the home of fictional police chief Bruno Courreges, is a popular destination for armchair travelers who read mystery novels. (Image by DomyD/ Pixabay)

4. Which fictional police chief hunts truffles and crooks in France’s Perigord?
DomyD/ Pixabay

The Curious Case of the Dive-Bombing Book

My favorite mystery series took armchair travel to a whole different level. One winter in Chicago, I was parked in a comfy chair at a bookstore, minding my own business (for once), when a paperback leapt (leapt, I tell you) from the top of a tall bookshelf. The book executed a perfect swan-dive into the open tote bag at my side.

On the cusp of mortification (one of my favorite places, apparently), I grabbed said book, and rising to my feet, held it aloft as if I were the Statue of Liberty bearing the Torch of Enlightenment.

“Why yes,” I announced in a booming voice. “This is exactly the book I want to PURCHASE.”

Not until I had taken my sneak-attack book into custody did I look at the title: The Shortest Way to Hades.

Indeed, I thought, and put off reading it, instead enjoying the reaction of guests who noticed it among my how-to books.

The next winter, sick of snow and stuck at home with flu, I finally read Sarah Caudwell’s mystery. Then another, and another. Thus began some of my favorite adventures in armchair travel. Not to Hades, thank goodness, but to London, Venice, Greece, Guernsey, and the isle of Sark.

Besides evoking a sense of place, her novels restored my sense of humor. Caudwell’s wit is drier and more stylish than the lining of a Burberry raincoat.

San Francisco the home of a fictional family of private investigators, the Spellmans, is a popular destination for armchair travelers who read mystery novels. (Image by der wiki/ Pixabay)

5. Which family of San Francisco detectives keeps case files on each other?
derwiki/ Pixabay

Another Mystery Tour Begins!

As a genre, the mystery book resembles the ideal carry-on bag: it’s compact yet holds a world of travel essentials. And like carry-ons, good mysteries come in all designs: suspenseful, comical, realistic, historical, cozy, hard-boiled, satirical, and more.

So, whatever type of armchair traveler you are, whatever style of transport you prefer, there’s a mystery-novel itinerary that’s perfect for you. To miss it would be a crime.

Ready for takeoff? Don’t forget to pack this free and extensive resource from OIC Moments—a dozen pages of recommendations and interactive experiences:

Name that detective! ANSWERS:
1. Salvo Montalbano 2. Precious Ramotswe 3. Mario Conde 4. Bruno Courrèges 5. The Spellmans.

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy Comments

Art of Travel/Literary World/Worldwide Sites

Feb

A Walk on the Winter Side

by Joyce McGreevy on February 4, 2020

An intrepid traveler on a beach in East Sussex, England is proof of the power of wanderlust over the forces of winter’s chill. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Winter at an English beach is definitely “chill.”
© Joyce McGreevy

Winter Wanderlust in East Sussex

Rows of wooden beach huts are locked up tight, their colors vibrant as summer memories. Gray waves lunge at the Seven Sisters, chalk cliffs along England’s South Coast. January winds drive sand in fitful circles around deserted picnic tables.

Traditional English beach huts on a deserts beach in East Sussex reminds a traveler with winter wanderlust that summer will return. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Before beach huts were introduced in the 1900s, changing for a swim was done in a
bathing machine that, for modesty’s sake, was towed out to sea.
© Joyce McGreevy

But here we come in our oilskin jackets, woolen scarves flapping gamely in the wind. We are the winter travelers, hardy wanderers who love to travel out of season. This year, winter wanderlust leads some of us to East Sussex.

The Seven Sisters chalk clods on England’s South Coast inspire wanderlust, attracting tourists even in winter. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Do the Seven Sisters cliffs look familiar? They stood in for the White Cliffs of Dover
in the movie “Atonement.”
© Joyce McGreevy

Call us daft if you want, but we don’t mind. After all, we can’t hear you through our sensible “tea-cozy” hats.

Overwintering, underpaying

There are distinct advantages to traveling in winter. Affordability for one. Some of my favorite sojourns have coincided with cold, rainy seasons. Despite the Einstein Effect on my hair, it never dampens my spirits. With steep discounts on accommodation, I happily pack an umbrella.

Rainy English weather and a lush green garden in East Sussex remind a traveler that winter travel has its rewards. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

England’s rainy days yield green winter dividends.
© Joyce McGreevy

My holiday base is a red brick bungalow with a sweeping view of the English Channel. To the east is Seaford, whose quiet, polite atmosphere belies a tumultuous history. Centuries ago, when it wasn’t being attacked by French pirates, the town had a reputation for looting—and causing—shipwrecks. It also tended to burn down with alarming frequency.

A churchyard in Seaford, East Sussex evokes the contrast between the tranquility of the setting and the turbulence of the local history. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Things eventually quieted down in once rowdy Seaford.
© Joyce McGreevy

Fortunately for crown and country, not to mention life and limb, the River Ouse silted up. This rendered Seaford worthless as a port but great at producing remarkable people.

The doctor who first diagnosed dyslexia lived in Seaford. So did three of England’s prime ministers, a NASA astronaut, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, the logo designer for Johnny Walker Black, and a Who’s Who of famous actors.

Exploring East Sussex

You don’t need a car to meander along England’s South Coast. Even small towns boast frequent daily rail services.

A train in East Sussex, one of many, makes it easy to follow your winter wanderlust and travel between the historic towns of England’s South Coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The train to Newhaven will drop off passengers for the ferry to Dieppe, France.
© Joyce McGreevy

Train stations here have been hard at work since 1840, when the railway connected England’s capital to the south coast. Soon, a steady supply of Londoners streamed—or rather, steamed into seaside resorts.

Follow your winter wanderlust to the train station in Rye, East Sussex, which dates back to the mid-1800s when the British railway connected London to England’s South Coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

When railways arrived in Sussex, they provided an alternative to waterways.
© Joyce McGreevy

Brighton is the most famous, a bohemian boomtown that attracted Regency high society and working-class day-trippers. It’s also set the scene for a long list of movies.

Brighton Palace Pier in winter has an eerie magic that inspires wanderlust to travel to East Sussex, England in the off season. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

At historic Brighton Palace Pier, a winter storm comes out to play.
© Joyce McGreevy

Farther east, Hastings may look familiar to fans of the British television series “Foyle’s War,” a detective drama set during World War II.

Here in 1066, William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings, radically altering Britain’s history by wresting it from Scandinavian influence. As William’s Norman courtiers smuggled new French words into the Anglo-Saxon language, the resulting mix became modern English.

Hastings, East Sussex, a key location for the British television series “Foyle’s War” and England’s steepest funicular railway are inspire travelers with wanderlust, even in winter.

For a scenic shortcut in 1066 Country, make haste to Hasting’s funicular railway.
Photos by Pixabay and Pxhere

A Pocketful of Rye

Don’t overlook the smaller towns. One of the most captivating is Rye. For centuries, it prospered as a royal port—and a popular haunt of smugglers. Over time, the sea receded by two miles, and Rye became less lively, much to its benefit.

The lyrics of Rudyard Kipling’s “A Smuggler’s Song” on a wall in East Sussex reflect the turbulent history of England’s South Coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Poet Rudyard Kipling, a man of Sussex, collected local lore.
© Joyce McGreevy

Today, Rye deals chiefly in visitors, who come for the sheer pleasure of wandering its beautifully preserved streets.

Mermaid Street in winter means fewer tourists in the picturesque town of Rye, which inspires a traveler whose wanderlust has led her to visit the historic towns of East Sussex, England. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Some buildings in Rye are so old that they were renovated in the 1400s.
© Joyce McGreevy

To experience Rye in January is to discover the best reason for winter travel: no crowds. You can explore the twitterns, scenic alleyways that link the labyrinthine streets, without walking a gauntlet of kidney-crushing elbows. You can linger in idyllic settings without crashing anyone’s photo opp.

In Rye, a twittern, or scenic alleyway offers tranquility to a traveler with wanderlust for a winter holiday in East Sussex, England. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The twitterns of Rye set an Anglophile traveler’s heart a-twitter.
© Joyce McGreevy

Rye is so small you can’t get lost, except in reverie. Stroll the cobbles of Mermaid Street and you may feel as if you’ve stepped into a literary novel.

You have.

In the 1920s, author and former mayor E.F. Benson used a barely disguised version of Rye as the setting of Mapp and Lucia, his popular series of humorous novels. In brief, it’s an epic battle of brilliant wits and wealthy twits. Two public television adaptations were also filmed in Rye.

Even before Benson’s tenancy, Lamb House was home to another famous novelist, Henry James. In 1898, the author was on a quest for a “charming, cheap old” refuge when he spotted a painting of the place and fell in love with it. During 19 years there he wrote many of his greatest novels.

A view of the rooftops of Rye, a picturesque English town in East Sussex, England, is ample reward for a traveler with wanderlust for a winter vacation in England. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

“Old, square, red-roofed, well assured of the place it took up in the world, “
wrote Henry James of his home in Rye.
© Joyce McGreevy

Winter Pleasures

Summer in East Sussex buzzes with entertainment, like the world-famous famous Glyndebourne opera festival and Eastbourne’s Magnificent Motor Rally.

A replica of the 1902 halter skelter on a winter’s day evokes wanderlust for summer excursions to the Brighton Palace Pier on England’s South Coast. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Since 1902, revelers have raced to the top of the helter skelter
—in summer, that is.
© Joyce McGreevy

But the quieter pleasures of winter have a richness all their own. Brisk walks make a virtue of visiting pubs with open fires and friendly locals. Old bookshops, eccentric museums, and ancient churches become places to linger, for true fascination cannot be rushed.

Oh, I see: The slower pace of winter can deepen one’s sense of place.

A tiny bookshop in Rye, a picturesque town in East Sussex, inspires wanderlust for winter travel to England. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Ideal for one or two customers at a time, Rye’s Tiny Book Store accommodates countless fictional characters.
© Joyce McGreevy

And so, I settle in one rainy evening with a cup of tea and a copy of Mapp and Lucia. On the page, it’s summer in Rye, a terribly hot June morning, and the eglantine is in full flower.

Thanks to winter wanderlust, I can picture it all so clearly.

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 4 Comments

Adventure Travel/Art of Travel/England/Literary World

Aug

Wanderlust Leads to . . . Libraries?

by Joyce McGreevy on August 20, 2019

Allèe des bouquinistes, an open-air bookshop at the Grande Bibliothèque, Montréal, Canada inspires wanderlust to travel to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A Catalog of Reasons for Travelers to Check Out the Local Library

When you travel, how often has wanderlust led you to a library?

Once—for free WiFi or a public restroom.
Never. My Kindle is all the “library” I need.
The library? Seriously? I’m on vacation!

Actually, library tourism is trending. There are stacks of reasons to add public libraries to your travel itinerary:

Cultural Experiences

Castles and cathedrals aren’t the only places for cultural discovery. One of the world’s newest libraries, Tūranga Library in Christchurch, New Zealand, is not to be missed. Even its entrance expresses whakamanuhiri, the Maori principle of hosting travelers and other visitors.

A statue of the Maori hero Tāwhaki at the Tauranga Library in Christchurch, New Zealand, inspires wanderlust to travel to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The design of Tūranga Library is based on the Maori concept of mātauranga mana whenua,
the body of knowledge that originates from the people of this place.
© Joyce McGreevy

Staircases at the Tauranga Library in Christchurch, New Zealand, inspire wanderlust to travel to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The spectacular staircases allude to Tāwhaki, a mythical being who climbs
to the heavens in a quest for knowledge.
© Joyce McGreevy

Culinary Experiences

Some of the best international dining experiences are available at libraries. The vast majority offer bargain prices and many feature organic local ingredients.

Brunch at Tūranga features chocolate rye porridge, coriander-chili infused dhal, and oat banana pancakes with candied walnuts and mango coconut foam. At libraries around the world, I’ve savored sustainably harvested seafood, vegan and gluten-free entrées, and traditional desserts—four-star feasts at one-star prices.

A collage of library cafes, coffee, café sandwiches, and a woman reading, shows why wanderlust leads travelers to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The Beer!

In Copenhagen, you could squeeze into pricey places where views of the canals are obscured by selfie-takers. Or, you could stroll to a café in the Black Diamond, the sparkling glass and granite extension of the Royal Danish Library. Take your cold local beer outside, relax in a beach chair, and watch the world go by as sunshine warms the waterfront.

The interior of the Black Diamond, part of Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Library, shows why wanderlust leads travelers to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The Danish Royal Library offers ancient and contemporary architecture,
a concert hall, restaurants, and art exhibits.
© Joyce McGreevy

Social Experiences—or Solitude

Library architect Carsten Auer notes, “The modern library is . . . a place where you can meet people or be ‘alone together,’ enjoying sharing a social and recreational space with others, even if you are not engaging directly with them.”

Public libraries spark conversations with locals by building in a variety of communal seating areas and by offering free concerts, workshops, craft-making stations, participatory theater, and other opportunities for interaction.

Library patrons playing with board games and puzzles at at the Tauranga Library in Christchurch, New Zealand, reflect the entertaining side of public libraries around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Libraries also make it easy to find peace and quiet by providing private and small-group spaces. One of the busiest libraries in North America, Montréal’s national library, or Grande Bibliothèque, offers 10,000 visitors a day an oasis of calm. When Montréal’s weather extremes drive you indoors, skip the malls and come here instead.

Public libraries’ rich spectrum of options covers everything from blissful inspiration to sheer entertainment. In Montréal, film buffs and language learners will instantly lose themselves in the multimedia treasures on offer. But if you’d rather shop, you’re in luck. The library’s gift store is superb, a mini-museum curating the best of Québecoise design.

Meanwhile, sports fans can see an exhibition on hockey, adolescents can access “teens-only” high-technology workshops, and little ones can explore play areas and storytelling alcoves. There’s something for everyone.

Library patrons at the Grande Bibliothèque, Montréal, Canada, include tourists with wanderlust to travel to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Bonus Travel Discoveries

Many libraries are surrounded by marvelous (and free) attractions that visitors might otherwise miss. Making the quick trip by Metro to the Grande Bibliothèque also led me to the Jardins Gamelin, one of the most unusual parks in the city, and the Galerie de l’UQAM, where the contemporary art changes almost daily.

Even the library’s alley hides wonderful surprises. Glass wall panels open up to transform it into the Allée des bouquinistes, with secondhand books for sale. The alley also marks the start of the Latin Quarter’s 30-mural art trail.

A detail from a rebus mural at the Grande Bibliothèque, Montréal, Canada, shows why wanderlust leads travelers to public libraries around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Can you decode this clue from a rebus mural behind a Montréal library?
(“A library” is une bibliothèque in French, and “water,” or eau in French, supplies the “o.”)
© Joyce McGreevy

Rare Art Treasures—Minus the Long Lines

Italy’s museums at peak season can make you feel like a salmon swimming upstream. But Italian libraries present frescoes, sculpture, paintings, and other feasts for the eye. In Ferrara, minutes from Bologna, the Biblioteca Ariostea is an art lover’s paradise set within a 14th-century palace. Walk right in—there’s no waiting, no need to buy tickets, no jostling crowds.

Frescoes on the walls of the Biblioteca Ariostea in Ferrara, Italy show why wanderlust leads travelers to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Other reasons to “bookmark” the world’s libraries include:

gorgeous travel books, images, maps, and 3-D models
state-of-the-art genealogical resources (one so user-friendly it took me 2 minutes to discover a likely ancestor)
sweeping views and beautiful gardens (many featuring native plants)

A rooftop garden at the Tauranga Library in Christchurch, New Zealand, inspires wanderlust to travel to public libraries, or library tourism, around the world. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Albert Einstein said, “The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.” Oh, I see: When wanderlust leads to libraries, travel genius can result. So can fun, friendship, and cultural insights.

No wonder library tourism is trending. Your library experiences might just transform the world into an open book. Now that’s a travel tale worth checking out.

Comment on the post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 6 Comments

Literary World/Worldwide Sites

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