“Savoring the Camino de Santiago: It’s the Pilgrimage, Not the Hike” by Julie Gianelloni Connor, is the latest of the many books about the Spanish pilgrimage popularized for the American audience by the Martin Sheen movie “The Way.” With a history of 12 centuries of pilgrims making the arduous trek from all over the world to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostella to see the tomb of St. James, the author learned that there is still plenty of history and tradition left to discover.

After retirement and other life changes created a now-or-never window of opportunity, this book is the culmination of the author’s 40 year desire to walk the Camino de Santiago finally realized. Years of planning, last minute cancellations, and a major change of plans later, she plants her feet on the Way, grabs her day pack and maps, and, with her son in tow, takes the reader on the journey of a lifetime.

There are many routes to Santiago de Compostella. From the north, coming in from all over Europe, the routes converge on the tiny village of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, on the French side of the Pyrenees. This is known as the French Route, and is the one the author writes about. It crosses the Pyrenees to Roncesvalles, famous for “The Song of Roland,” then comes down through the Basque region to Hemingway’s Pamplona, across the culinary Mecca of Castilla y Leon, and finally into Galicia, known as Green Spain, with its capital Santiago de Compostella.

Writings about the Camino are legion. In this iteration, the author makes the point that it is a journey, not a hike. Originally pilgrims went by foot, taking six months and more to complete the Way in order to receive indulgences from the Catholic Church and be assured entry into heaven. Modern purists still insist upon walking the entire route, but today there are all manner of transportation choices to complete the trip in a matter of weeks, not months. The author used local buses and taxis to supplement the extensive walking she did, with a luggage service to move heavier bags ahead to each evening’s accommodations. In my own Camino experiences, I walked only a few miles of it, bicycled more, and took a 10 day bus tour the entire length.

While walking (or driving) a marathon is not the same as running it, I have still done the Camino from start to finish, and seen more churches along the way than most people have. The author rightly complained that due to budget constraints, too many of the smaller rural churches were closed when she was there. For my tour, arrangements were made in advance for all the churches to be open when we got there. I endorse her recommendation to visit as many as you find open, and join her in encouraging the others to open more frequently. The artwork, architecture and history of each are well worth the time spent.

The first part of the book is a collection of occasional blog posts about the journey the author made along the way, combined with others she wrote after her return. The second part is her day-to-day journal entries with photos and charming little drawings. Then there is the resource guide and an index. The author has an engaging writing style, and – to her credit – I found not one typo in its 265+ pages. However, an editor’s job is more than just catching typos. I found this one too indulgent of the repetitive nature of many of the blog posts. Perhaps that would not have been so annoyingly apparent if I read them the way they were written instead of all in one sitting. But, don’t let it bother you too much. Some of the information bears repeating.

Furthermore, as an informed reader, it was so nice reliving my memories of the route as she carefully described it. Place names, historical tidbits, and apocryphal tales I’d nearly forgotten came alive again. And because the author was much more involved in the day-to-day hike, she was able to share experiences I never had, such as interactions with interesting people like the Almond Man, who handed out almonds and treats to the pilgrims, and the hospitable locals she met who offered food and drink and company.

You don’t have to be a Camino veteran to enjoy this book as much as I did. In fact, it has many useful bits of knowledge that would help the neophyte. The author lists guide books, histories, and personal recollections to read as you prepare for your Camino. To them I would only add my favorite, Andrew McCarthy’s award-winning travel book: “The Longest Way Home.”

The author, Julie Gianelloni Connor, often refers to American Pilgrims on the Camino, an organization that offers advice and guidance to all would-be pilgrims. She recommends finding a local chapter to join. Then there are practical tips about technology, hygiene, and first-aid that she had to learn the hard way. You can learn them simply by buying and reading the book.

In an age when we can only travel vicariously, “Savoring the Camino de Santiago: It’s the Pilgrimage, Not the Hike” by Julie Gianelloni Connor, is a comfy armchair of a journey. So leave behind the blisters, injuries, aches & pains, and inclement weather, to revel in the author’s descriptions of the people and the places she encounters, and the comfort she finds along the Way. Buen Camino!

Savoring the Camino de Santiago: It’s the Pilgrimage, Not the Hike
Bayou City Press ISBN 978-1-951331-01-6 Paperback 276 pages $17.99

So, now you’ve read the book and want to trek the Camino. Next year, 2021, is Xacobeo, a rare Holy Year when the Feast of St James, July 25th, falls on a Sunday. During Holy Year the east door of the Cathedral of St James is open and a record number of pilgrims are expected to travel the Camino and pass through it. Which means that now is a good time plan to be a part of history and a possible spiritual awakening. If nothing else, you’ll enjoy the beautiful Spanish countryside, meet warm and friendly people, and discover the culinary excellence of Spanish cuisine.

Get some general travel information about Spain

Then talk to my friend Alex Chang about a Camino Tour

And contact American Pilgrims on the Camino

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Photographs by Dennis Cox, text by Clark Norton

At a time when travel has come to a complete standstill, award-winning photographer Dennis Cox releases the perfect antidote for cruise-starved readers – a luscious, photography-laden look at all aspects of the worldwide cruise phenomena that defined the last decades. This retrospective of river, canal, sea, and ocean cruising – from small boat to large ship – presents the colorful history of our fascination with vacationing on the water. Whether you see this as a eulogy to the cruise industry or as a temporary diversion until you can again walk the decks of your favorite ships, “Cruising the World – From Gondolas to Megaships” is just what the (travel) doctor ordered.

For years I wrote the port excursion tours for one of the largest resellers of cruises, so I know the tourist attractions in and around most port cities. I also know how many people can descend those gangplanks in each port. Often it was many times the number of people the infrastructure was designed to service. That leads to a conflict between residents and tourists that major destinations like Venice and Barcelona have been waging for years.

Combine that with the norovirus contagions of previous years and the current COVID-19 shipboard spread that had passengers and crew quarantined on board for weeks and months at a time, and you have a genuine fear of cruising building in the tourism sector. What’s a cruise industry to do?

Cruising is a $45 billion industry that helps support local economies. When COVID-19 locked down the cruise industry, popular destinations that depended heavily on visitor spending, sales taxes, and port fees, struggled to survive. The same destinations that once decried the thousands of day-trippers ruining their quality of life realized that it was the tourists bringing the money that helped to keep their local economy alive.

Citing stepped-up cleaning and sterilizing procedures in place, with self-service buffets and snacks closed, cruise lines have to hope tourists will return. But if one miss-step leaves tourists trapped onboard, dying in their floating petri dish, the cruise industry as we know it will likely sink.

With a few cruise lines now planning to restart itineraries in July, 2020, and others no later than 2021, local governments, businesses catering to tourism, even street vendors, have to wonder if the newly clean, uncongested, and quiet streets (and in the case of Venice – canals) they enjoyed when the tourists stayed home are worth giving up for the revenues generated. Perhaps a new balance – one that juggles a trashed destination’s engorged coffers with a citizen’s right to peacefully exist in their neighborhoods – could be realized.

This book “Cruising the World – From Gondolas to Megaships” doesn’t address that dilemma directly, but it does, just by its very existence, offer a pleasant alternative to cruising. That in itself can be a partial solution. It can also be the fix needed by committed cruisers that can’t wait until next year for the full menu of cruise options beautifully illustrated on these 208 glossy pages. So this book is perfect for those who wish to travel vicariously, those who wish to explore all the cruise options available to them, and those just jonesing for their next cruise.

From Dennis Cox’s preface: “A cruise can last for minutes or months. It can be shared with thousands of other people or with just a few. It can be luxurious or bare bones. It can carry you to sunny beaches or to great cities, tiny villages, and exotic landscapes. The choice is yours.”

Whatever your choice, as soon as you see “Cruising the World – From Gondolas to Megaships” you’ll want to pick it up and lose yourself in the splashy, colorful, and exotic cruise options and destinations.

This book has it all! Full and half-page color photos of everything from mega-ships with all the amenities for thousands of people, to duck boats and gondolas – along with descriptions of the places they’ll take you – fill these pages, wrapped by coherent and entertainingly descriptive text from award-winning cruise writer Clark Norton.

“Since 1970, the cruise industry has swelled from more than half a million passengers a year to more than 30 million annually – triple the growth rate of world tourism as a whole.” according to Clark Norton in the induction. “And to meet the demand, ships have gotten progressively bigger. Eleven cruise lines feature ships that can carry at least 2,200 passengers . . . and the five largest ocean-going vessels can now accommodate nearly 7000 passengers, resembling virtual floating resorts on the sea.” He goes on to compare them to the many luxurious small ships that can dock at lesser-known ports, even plying the scenic rivers and lakes of the world.

After his captivating introduction and a few dozen pages of historic overview, the book is arranged by region. It can be read cover-to-cover, or dipped into at random, always promising an engaging look at the industry and destinations you enjoy. If your interest is in a specific region, or type of cruise, the table of contents pinpoints it for your immediate pleasure. You don’t have to slog through Southeast Asia cruises if your interest is European River cruises – and vice versa. Just let your fingers do the walking to exactly what you are looking for. But don’t be surprised when the next eye-popping picture pulls you into a whole new section of the book – one you may find yourself enjoying even more!

Cruising the World – From Gondolas to Megaships: ISBN 978-0-578-45960-8 – 208 page, 9.5” x 12” full-color hardcover coffee table book features 535 photos depicting 37 varieties of cruise vessels representing 77 countries on all seven continents. $40 – can be ordered here: Photo Explorer Productions

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So, how are YOU doing as you read this article, probably “imprisoned” in your home because of the Covid 19 medical disaster? Turns out that more and more people are reading books, for gosh sakes, to pass away the seemingly no-end-in-sight Covid 19 saga. Reading a good book is so much more rewarding than watching an aspect of social media, or video game adventure.

I’m a confirmed Bibliophile — who reads about 57 or more books every year. Always have, always will. Let me give you two intriguing books to consider. One this month and, in May, a truly remarkable tome about Field Marshall Rommel, and why you should consider buying both the Churchill and Rommel books.

First up, a book about Winston Churchill and WW2 called THE SPLENDID and the VILE by Erik Larson. Coming in at nearly 600 pages it’s a MUST READ. You might wonder, as I did, how anyone, anywhere, could still come up with newsy, interesting, and compelling facts in the early 1940s, about this sixtyish, robust, cigar chomping thoroughly British icon that saved Britain in WW2. Literally hundreds of books have been penned, typed, and computerized about him, so why buy any new one?

Simply because THE SPLENDID and the VILE by Erik Larson illustrates, in an exceptional and distinctive way, the exhilarating saga of British courage against all odds; and Churchill’s magnetic personality that endeared him to the crowds wherever he went — so much so (and I recall this personally as a boy growing up in London) people saying “Good old Winnie will fix it.” As such, this book was almost impossible to put down. It is written as if you are there with him, right by his side (with your still not invented) tape recorder, as you become mesmerized by his ideas that poured out in a sort of “Why didn’t  I think of that?” feeling. Winston Churchill, as he comes across in this stimulating and captivating book, is truly the epitome of the word UNIQUE.

One of his closest confidants was the colorful, deeply loyal individual John Colville. He was Churchill’s private secretary during the most critical, scary and in a time of “near-to-an-actual-invasion-by-the-Germans” Britain ever came. Colville wanted, desperately, to sign up and join the RAF, but Winston kept refusing.  Another man who constantly resigned — or attempted to — but was equally constantly refused by Churchill, as this book so cleverly details, was the Canadian businessman Max Aitken, more commonly known as Lord Beaverbrook, who was placed in total charge of mandating that more Hurricane and Spitfire fighters for the RAF would be, indeed MUST be, built faster than anyone thought possible.

Churchill consistently refused Beaverbrook’s increasingly impassioned requests to depart the government and, in the end, he did resign — but he missed, dreadfully — his previous regular back and forth with Churchill. The book also shows — more so than any book I’ve read on this subject — how Churchill taught the British public to be totally fearless.

The book is additionally spellbinding, as author Larson was able to secure access to German/Nazi information about WW2 secret Nazi facts — never before available — from German libraries, secret archives, and government resources regarding WW2 from the German/Nazi point of view. There is also an underlying theme to the entire book that I found mesmerizing: It was Churchill’s overriding mission, his main objective, his passion, to somehow find a way to get America — and its vast resources — actively into the war — for Churchill knew that Britain could not do it by itself. Here is a book you need read.

Contact John:

jd******@gm***.com

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But Not Forever

By Jan Von Schleh

“… a stunning coming-of-age journey that keeps the pages turning.”
— Seattle Book Review

Book Release Date: June 12, 2018

Could she be everything you aren’t, but somehow — still be you? It’s the year 2015 and Sonnet McKay is the daughter of a globe-trotting diplomat, home for the summer from her exotic life. Everything would be perfect if not for her stunning sister, whose bright star has left her in the shadows. In 1895, Emma Sweetwine is trapped in a Victorian mansion, dreaming of wings to fly her far from her mother, who gives her love to her sons, leaving nothing for her daughter. Fate puts them in the same house at the same moment, 120 years apart, and the identical fifteen-year-olds are switched in time. In their new worlds, Sonnet falls in love with a boy, Emma falls in love with a life, and astonishing family secrets are revealed. Torn, both girls want to still go home — but can either one give up what they now have?

Pre-order Here

Meet Jan Von Schleh

Jan Von Schleh is the award-nominated author of But Not Forever, a sweet YA novel set in an abandoned ghost town in the Cascade Mountains. Jan was born in Seattle and has spent the last twenty years moving around the world to exotic locations for her day job. Being a writer, traveler, and owner of a little Sheltie dog named Lexi, she doesn’t have a lot of extra time on her hands. But when she finds a few hours she likes to explore creepy, ancient buildings and wonder about the stories they would tell if only they could talk. She is sure, whatever those stories are, they most probably have to do with love.

Jan Von Schleh’s website

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This book is the result of the luxury of a salary, an editor’s carte blanche directive to “cover the state”, and a company automobile with a credit card! Sam McManis put that good fortune to good use, and the result is a thoroughly readable collection of craziness.

To paraphrase Frank Lloyd Wright: If you tip the world on its side all the loose things will end up in California. Sam McManis seeks out the “loose things” in the deserts and hills and streets of California, and explores them with a facile intelligence and general good humor. I liked this book!

OK, some things annoyed me: References to Frank Norris, shiny ink, the conceit of writing the LA noir piece in a noir voice, and a few points of even lesser consequence. Who cares? This is not a book to be read in one sitting, as I did. It was written to be read weekly – each 1200-1500 word epistle savored like the memory of your first kiss, or lingered over like your first glass of wine in the evening. They are that good.

Some entries will give you a Jack Webb “Just the facts, ma’am” take on a subject, while others will draw on a richly filigreed history to tell the tale. Some are couched in whimsy while others are more ironic. And through them all runs a thread of nostalgia, sometimes so thick as to be a rope, connecting the lurid, tawdry, brilliant, sublime, and fading memories of the past.

From Ronald Reagan and the show “Twenty Mule Team Borax”, to the tacky “Hollywood Stars” celebrity tour; and from an unrepentant fact-checking of Scientology, to a man’s 40 year obsession with building an underground garden.  It’s all here – every “shit-house crazy” idea, brilliant composition, and lofty dream are chronicled in the wry voice of a skilled observer who drops pop culture references like beads of sweat in a hot California summer.

From the irreverence of his comments about a visit to “PSYCHIATRY An Industry of Death Museum”, McManis first said that the title was “poorly punctuated”, then went on to add: “A museum dedicated to maligning, possibly slandering, an entire healing profession? Count me in.”

He also knows how to turn a phrase. Referencing the Mechanic’s Institute Library, one of the most venerable of San Francisco’s cultural centers, he says “(its) a solid and stolid presence in a city that purports to cherish its history but too often dismisses it as blithely as a techie’s finger swipe on a smartphone.”

I especially liked the selections on food. One piece was a paean to Pan Am Airlines’ Golden Age. In March of 2015 Sam McManis had the incredible good fortune to partake of a typical meal in First Class in a refurbished and perfectly recreated 1970s era 747 airplane, replete with all the Mad-men-esque accoutrements and politically incorrect language. Champagne, shrimp, chateaubriand, and brandy; period uniforms, including hairdos, even the music and the in-flight magazines stuck to the theme of the last elegant era of flight. It read like an incredibly nostalgic and delicious experience.

The book is littered with frequent references and quotes by authors and famous people. It is a reminder of how many literary greats and not so greats wrote screenplays for the film studios at some point in their careers, and how many famous people lived in California. It’s a veritable who’s-who of notable people of the 20^th century: Mark Twain, Nathaniel West, Gertrude Stein, Jack London, William Saroyan, L. Ron Hubbard, Hopalong Cassidy, Charlton Heston, Orson Welles, Charlie Chaplin, Arnold Schwarzenegger . . . whew! It’s an already seemingly endless list, and I’m just getting started!

All of them and more are found between the covers of Sam McManis’ “On the Road” tour of the “Golden State”. You’ll need to read this book to see how these legendary people and so many others fit into the history of wonderful craziness that is our left coast – California.

“Crossing California – A Cultural Topography of a State of Wonder and Weirdness” by Sam McManis.
Published by Craven Street Books, an imprint of Linden Publishing, Inc.
6” x 9”  295 pages with index and b&w photos Paperback $14.95

DISCLAIMER: While Richard Frisbie sometimes receives products and/or services for review, every effort is made to present an unbiased, objective and fair assessment of their capabilities and value.  Please rate this review in the comment section below.

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Author and Canadian Travel writer, Dave Hunter, along with his wife, Kathy, is a snowbird, leaving Canada to winter in sunny Florida each year. These annual trips made the need for such a guidebook obvious. Using their talent and expertise, they compiled this informative bible of Florida roadways. You will not find a more comprehensive guide to the state.

At first the book is daunting. It begins with several pages of “how to use this book” practical information in an attempt to demystify the complex contents. Don’t think you can just open this book and figure out what is going on, do your homework! A few minutes studying the instructions will help to bring the book into focus. Then, slowly at first, as you use it you’ll see how cross-referencing the different sections makes sense.

Visual aids abound throughout the book. The pages in each section are color-coded, with different roads having different colors, as does the city map section and the resources section.  The 100 page “white section” contains “mile-by-mile travelogs of roadside adventures, stories, special reports and sights”, with side-bars of info, small maps, illustrations and plenty of interesting historical and geographical tidbits to keep the conversation flowing on your drive.

Did you know that Kissimmee, which means heaven’s place in the local Indian language, was once called “Cow Town”? Or that Orlando was named after a soldier killed during an Indian attack? Those are tiny asides in the voluminous wealth of information you’ll pick up in the white pages. There are also personal accounts and assessments of the services and attractions at each exit, with refreshing observations about the people you’ll meet there. In addition, the top of each page tells you the highway it covers and the page number(s) of the corresponding map.

Then, when you flip to the map there is a discussion of highway congestion and alternate routes around it. This information should eliminate the frustration and aggravation that long-distance driving on unfamiliar roads can engender. I loved the maps! They illustrate the main waterways, rest areas, attractions, and list the gas, food, and lodging options at each exit. There are even warnings about where radar traps are usually set up.

In addition, this book serves as an evacuation guide in case of natural catastrophe, such as a hurricane. It even tells you which side of the road services are located on, and offers parallel routes in case of congestion. It contains all the information you hope to never need!

My only critique, besides the fact that my eyes crossed when I first looked at this imposing and complex compendium, was the interchangeable use of spellings, such as “travelog” and “travelogue”, or “toll route”, “tollroute”, and “toll-route”, which only a pedant would obsess over. As soon as I learned the logic of the, at first, formidable layout, I overlooked the spellings and became comfortable with the process of diving into the depths of this marvelous reference book. I can’t wait to go to Florida and use it!

Along Florida’s Expressways 4^th edition by Dave Hunter – $24.95 US, $29.95 Canada. 202 pages, spiral bound, color, 6”x9” with a laminated, fold-over cover opening up to a full color Florida Road map showing the highways included. Go to www.FLonline.info for more information.

DISCLAIMER: While Richard Frisbie sometimes receives products and/or services for review, every effort is made to present an unbiased, objective and fair assessment of their capabilities and value. Please rate this review in the comment section below.

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