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Armchair Travel December 2020
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The World's Most Amazing Castles : Timeless Treasures Around the Globe by Erika HuenekeFrom Guinevere to Game of Thrones, from Dracula to Disney fairy tales, castles have captured the imagination of humankind for centuries. This exceptional bucket list travel guide takes the reader to the 100 most amazing castles across the globe, revealing their intriguing histories and must-see treasures. Explore the British Isles' most storied palaces, the graceful chateaux of France, Germany's mountaintop manors, the exotic castillos of Spain and Portugal, Asia's ornate imperial forts and more. In addition, readers will find out where to play king for a day at castle hotels, learn which strongholds were featured in favorite films, and discover American beauties close to home. Featuring stunning photography, fascinating details and helpful travel tips, this volume is sure to inspire the next storybook adventure.
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Alone Time: Four Seasons, Four Cities, and the Pleasures of Solitude
by Stephanie Rosenbloom
What it is: New York Times travel writer Stephanie Rosenbloom's evocative travelogue describing solo trips to four cities in four seasons.
The pairings: spring in Paris, summer in Istanbul, fall in Florence, winter in New York.
Why you might like it: In addition to travel tips, including ones addressing safety, the book examines the pleasures of solo travel and new adventures, underpinning points with scientific studies.
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Always Italy by Frances MayesThis lush guide, featuring more than 350 glorious photographs from National Geographic, showcases the best Italy has to offer from the perspective of two women who have spent their lives reveling in its unique joys. In these illuminating pages, Frances Mayes, the author of Under the Tuscan Sun and many other bestsellers, and New York Times travel writer Ondine Cohane reveal an Italy that only the locals know, filled with top destinations and unforgettable travel experiences in every region. From the colorful coastline of Cinque Terre and the quiet ports of the Aeolian Islands to the Renaissance architecture of Florence and the best pizza in Rome, every section features insider secrets and off-the-beaten-path recommendations (for example, a little restaurant in Piedmont known for its tajarin, a pasta that is the perfect bed for the region's celebrated truffles). Here are the best places to stay, eat, and tour, paired with the rich history of each city, hillside town, and unique terrain. Along the way, you'll make stops at the country's hidden gems--art galleries, local restaurants, little-known hiking trails, spas, and premier spots for R&R. Inspiring and utterly unique, this vivid treasury is a must-have for anyone who wants to experience the best of Italy.
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Sustainable escapes
by James Bainbridge
"Lonely Planet presents a curated collection of the world's best low-impact resorts and experiences. From eco lodges and off-grid camps to responsible wildlife watching, we showcase the best eco-conscious trips to help travelers lower their carbon footprint the impact made on the communities they visit. Highlights trend toward sustainable travel as more travelers than ever choose eco-tours over traditional vacations"
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To the Lake : A Balkan Journey of War and Peace by Kapka KassabovaMacedonia occupies a curious position on the map, and a curious blank in our collective consciousness. A land-locked nation in the Southern Balkan peninsula, Macedonia is wedged between countries that have been gripped by communism, dictatorship or conflict, without ever itself having been forced into the international spotlight by political ideology or war. As such, it remains Europe's oldest surviving melting pot of faiths and civilisations, with one foot in the west and one foot in the Middle East. Macedonia is also the birthplace of Kapka Kassabova's grandmother, and so her journey to this ancient region is also a home-coming of sorts, a chance to understand the legacy of the past. Tracing a route around Lake Ohrid and the ancient Roman road, the via Egnatia, Kassabova meets monks and nuns, archaeologists and fishermen, new Islamists and old pagans, icon painters and pearl artisans, as she searches for her Macedonian family, the living and the dead.
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America's National Historic Trails : In the Footsteps of History by Karen BergerFrom the battlefields of the American Revolution to trails blazed by indigenous peoples and pioneers, lands explored by Lewis and Clark, and roads traveled by civil rights marchers, this lavishly illustrated book--published in association with the Partnership for the National Trails System--documents the history, beauty, and significance of America's 19 national trails
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| Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey through Every National Park by Conor KnightonThe impetus: his fiancée unexpectedly called things off (and then got engaged to her co-worker), leaving him at a crossroads.
What it is: a thematically arranged (Animals, God, Ice, Love, People, etc.), personal look at 59 U.S. national parks over the course of a year.
Did you know? As part of a video series on the National Park Service's 100th anniversary in 2016, the author, a CBS Sunday Morning correspondent, also did TV segments at several of the locations he visited. |
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Hitching for hope : a journey into the heart and soul of Ireland
by Ruairí McKiernan
"What does the future have in store if politicians aren't beholden to the people, if the pace of development is compromising mental health, and if so-called progress is triggering ecological collapse? How do we maintain hope in such troubled times? In the wake of one of Ireland's worst economic recessions and a period of personal burnout from years of relentless social campaigning and organising, Ruairí McKiernan set out to answer these questions after he was invited to speak about citizens' views of Ireland. How, he wondered, might he use this platform to capture people's stories in an honest and authentic way-to give voice to the multitudes that so often go unheard? During his teenage years, McKiernan developed a fondness for hitchhiking. This fading form of travel taught him to connect with strangers, to trust in the unknown and to embrace the unexpected: precisely the kind of experience he was looking for. By turns exciting, provocative and sincere, Hitching for Hope: A Journey into the Heart and Soul of Ireland is the tale of a pilgrimage both deeply personal and explicitly political. McKiernan embarks without an itinerary, not knowing with whom he may speak, what he may hear or where he may sleep each night. As he reflects on his past, faces his fears, and listens to the struggles, hopes and dreams of Ireland's people, he excavates a human resilience often obscured by the media. Our modern world is rife with twists and turns as numerous and daunting as the roads that wind across the Irish countryside. However, when we will ourselves to take a leap, to stick out our thumbs when the going gets tough and to lend a hand (or a ride) to others in need, we harness a collective power that cannot be shaken"
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Great Railway Journeys in New Zealand & Australia by David BowdenThey include the renowned long-distance journeys, such as The Indian Pacific in Australia that takes travellers on a three-day trip from Perth to Sydney, or the The Northern Explorer in New Zealand's North Island that stretches from Wellington to Auckland, as well as those that traverse stunning scenery, such as New Zealand's TranzAlpine train or the Spirit of the Outback in Australia. There are also routes on which restored steam locomotives operate and other lines included for the wonder of their engineering. Trains are a great way to travel in these countries, taking you at ground level past superb scenery that often cannot be seen by any other means of transport. David Bowden's entertaining text describes the route, the major features of interest along the way, and any special technical details about the locomotive or the track.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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