Tips & Reviews
Book & Film
-
On Italian Politics, Landscapes and Two Movies about the Po Valley
On Italian Politics, Landscapes and Two Movies about the Po Valley The Tree of Wooden Clogs (L’Albero degli Zoccoli) by Ermanno Olmi, 1978 1900 (Novecento) by Bernardo Bertolucci, 1976 I’ve been observing Italy since 1966 when I first visited this… Read full article
-
The Tour de France Companion by Bob Roll
The Tour de France Companion by Bob Roll Bob Roll’s Nuts, Bolts and Spokes on the famous Tour This is a great book, just out, for those of us who haven’t had time to follow the Tour de France every year… Read full article
-
To the Ends of the Earth by Paul Theroux
To the Ends of the Earth by Paul Theroux One of my favorite things about airports is visiting their bookstores. I like to wander among the cramped aisles in search of something to read during the long hours passed crossing… Read full article
-
Giving Good Weight: Unmasking Food Writer John McPhee
Giving Good Weight: Unmasking Food Writer John McPhee My all time favorite food essayist is John McPhee. This may come as a surprise, mainly because McPhee writes about so many things (his interests are even more eclectic than mine, it… Read full article
-
Graham Greene’s “The Third Man” Movie – Reviewed by Rick Price
Movie Review The Third Man (1949) Produced by Carol Reed, Screenplay by Graham Greene Starring Orson Welles, Trevor Howard, Joseph Cotton, and Alida Valli There is no better reminder and introduction to the history of Austria in mid-20th century than… Read full article
-
A Guide’s Guide to the Best Travel Guide Books (and websites)
A Guide’s Guide to the Best Travel Guide Books and Websites With the massive amount of information available for travel planning these days, it’s hard to know where to begin. That’s why we suggest first considering what your specific… Read full article
-
Timeline by Michael Crichton
Timeline by Michael Crichton I first visited Costa Rica in March of 1993 and I did so by bicycle. I can still picture my ride at the end of Arenal Lake after a long, beautiful day with the lake’s namesake… Read full article
-
2005 Race Companion by Bob Roll and Dan Koeppel
2005 Race Companion by Bob Roll and Dan Koeppel A year ago, we reviewed the first edition of this fine introduction to The Race. Rick offered this opinion: Avid fans… will find most of this old hat. But those… Read full article
-
The Venetian Empire – by Jan Morris
The Venetian Empire by Jan Morris Reviewed by Rick Price, Ph.D. Reading for your Greece, Bike, Walk, and Cruise Trip I enjoy popular history books by good travel writers and Jan Morris qualifies. His short paperback volume on the Venetian… Read full article
-
As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee
As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee (Atheneum, 1969) Moment of War: A Memoir of the Spanish Civil War by Laurie Lee (New Press, Reprint Edition, 1994)… Read full article
-
Off the Road: A Modern Day Walk Down the Pilgrim’s Route into Spain by Jack Hitt
Off the Road: A Modern Day Walk Down the Pilgrim’s Route into Spain by Jack Hitt Off the Road is often called "irreverent" as Hitt makes fun of himself and others as pilgrims. Yet most of the pilgrims he meets… Read full article
-
Pride of Carthage, A Novel of Hannibal by David Anthony Durham
Pride of Carthage, A Novel of Hannibal by David Anthony Durham Public policy generally changes slowly and reluctantly. Major changes, however, often occur in response to sudden catastrophic or cataclysmic events that act as catalysts for change. You needn’t search… Read full article
-
Schwinn Bicycles, by Jay Pridmore and Jim Hurd
John Wayne, Harley Davidson, Peanuts, McDonald’s, Route 66, James Dean, Babe Ruth, Ford, and many, many more, including, last but not least, “Schwinn Built” bicycles make up a list of indisputable cultural icons that help to define this country. But… Read full article
-
Pelle the Conqueror/ Smilla’s Sense of Snow/ Babette’s Feast
Pelle the Conqueror/ Smilla’s Sense of Snow/Babette’s Feast Pelle the Conqueror by Martin Anderson Nexö (Fjord Press, first printed 1906) Smilla’s Sense of Snowby Peter Hoeg (Delta; Reprint edition) Babette’s Feast by Baronness Karen Blixen (aka Isak Dinesen… Read full article
-
Tour Leader Cristina Taioli publishes her travel essay: “Una Romagnola sul Kilimangiaro”
Tour Leader Cristina Taioli publishes her travel essay: "Una Romagnola sul Kilimangiaro" Most ExperiencePlus! tour leaders work only part time for us. When they are not leading tours they are traveling the world to expand their own horizons. In 2004… Read full article
-
Around the World on Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry’s Extraordinary Ride
Around the World on Two Wheels: Annie Londonderry’s Extraordinary Ride, by Peter Zheutlin Peter Zheutlin, Annie Londonderry’s great-great nephew, has written a masterful homage to his great-great aunt, while recounting the extraordinary “ride” of a remarkable woman. Annie Cohen was… Read full article
-
Race Book Reviews
Race Book Reviews We hope you’ll be able to join us in France next summer for the 101st anniversary of The Race. If you are able to come, then the selection of readings in my review this month will help… Read full article
-
Imagining History: Imagining Argentina & Chile
Imagining History: Imagining Argentina & Chile This list of three movies and one just-published novel that are about as good a starter set as you could find for Chile and Argentina. The Mission (1986) by Roland Joffe; Evita (1996)… Read full article