John Berendt

Kafka’s statement, “A good book should be an axe for the frozen sea within us,” is actually something I read in David Whyte’s book The Heart Aroused whilst traveling.

img-20161222-wa0002 — gratuitous photo of grandson reading!

Many people travel to break open the confines of their perspective and cages of habit that can inhibit creativity. When people ask me to name times of my life when I felt most truly alive, I invariably think of times when I am abroad. So combine reading and travel and you have something powerful indeed.

First, there is reading to prepare for a trip. Before I went to Venice, Italy this year I read John Berendt’s City of Falling Angels. If I had not read this book I might not have prioritized Peggy Guggenheim’s exquisite museum. It also helped me gauge my expectations and I found myself liking Venice more for seeing it less romantically.

Second, there is reading while you are on the trip to better understand the people and culture. I am not talking about guidebooks, although they can be helpful. If you are in New Zealand, than any book by Barry Crump (whose short story inspired the wonderful movie The Hunt for the Wilderpeople) will help you understand any number of bastards* you will meet. To find those books you only need pop into an independent bookstore in the country you are visiting. My favorite in Auckland is the incomparable Unity bookstore. Or if you are going to a predominantly non-English speaking country, check out Nancy Pearl’s Book Lust To Go and take a few books with you.

Then there is reading to imagine that you are traveling when, in fact, you are not or cannot. This is the most important reading of all. In one of my favorite movies about CS Lewis, Shadowlands, Anthony Hopkins as Lewis tells a young student that we read so that know we are not alone. Yes, and we read so we don’t feel stuck. I am not brave enough to travel to the Middle East to visit the Christian holy sites, so I am reading James Martin, SJ’s Jesus, a Pilgrimage.

Finally, and perhaps best of all, we read to laugh. We laugh at cultural misunderstandings, travel mishaps, and more. The master of the travel book that will make you laugh is Bill Bryson. I laughed through The Road to Little Dribbling as I have through his other books.(The movie of A Walk in the Woods was wry and a good excuse to watch Robert Redford. Imagine being an author and having Robert Redford play you in a movie!)

What will you be reading in 2017?

*you will find “bastard” is not a shocking swear word in New Zealand, only mildly so.

Venice (Veneto) is amazing. I should not have been surprised since everything in Italy surpassed my expectations. Nonetheless, I was prepared to find Venice overrated. Hooray. It really is special still. I say still because Venetians seem to be sure it is in decline. There are signs (literally) all over that gripe about how AirBnB is ruining Venice or about the pigeons overrunning the squares, or about the canals smelling very bad, etc. Did not experience any of it. It was overcast and rainy and I still found it uniquely, exotically beautiful.

Once I arrived I was frustrated that a work thing in London meant that I only had 28 hours in Venice. With climate change I don’t take going back to places at sea level for granted, so I had to decide what to do with my precious time. I got lots of advice from people on how to enjoy Venice to the utmost and I did more research on Venice than any other place I planned to visit on this trip. (I was bummed to find out that my visit was 2 weeks shy of the Biennale–another reason to return soon.) I bought the 24 hour pass on the water bus/airport bus. I walked a lot with my hotel umbrella and map. And I didn’t stop to eat much, preferring to eat scenery and art instead.

TripAdvisor is my number one travel planning tool. I love how the number 1 ranked hotel is often in the mid-price range (for the location) and generally wins on service. The Hotel Moresco has slipped to #2 since I stayed there in May but you’d be a fool to miss this one. It is one of the best hotel experiences of my life.

The rooms are beautifully appointed and the location is terrific (they even have excellent instructions on how to walk there from the train station). The service from every member of staff I encountered is what made my stay A++. They have a sumptuous breakfast and generous small plates during cocktail hour (included in room stay). They even went out in search of postage stamps for me. I was so sorry to check out. How often do you say that?

I found mooching around the Jewish Quarter rewarding. It was the only part of Venice that felt like a real (non-touristy neighborhood). I sought out the Opera House and only wished I had tickets and time for a performance.

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is generally on the B list of things to do–after you’ve seen bridges, churches, squares and gondolas. I have always been intrigued with the idea of Peggy Guggenheim’s life and seeing her home gallery was a priority. More so after reading John Berendt’s wonderful travel memoir The City of Falling Angels. (Same author as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil)

The Guggenheim Collection did not disappoint. I loved imagining what it was like to live in this villa and throw fabulous dinner parties and greet your guests arriving by boat on the Grand Canal. It must have been beyond beyond.

metzinger — The poster I bought: Metzinger’s At the Cycle Race Track

The art collection is really quite good, made better by the commentary you can listen to with headphones, or from a docent presentation. The restaurant is expensive, and good quality (not great), but the atmosphere. It allows you to extend your experience in this wonderful environment. I splurged in the gift shop buying a poster even though my walls are not bare and it is a pain to bring home. I just wanted to carry the inspiration with me.

The Collection is open daily 10-6 except Tuesdays and Christmas. It is 15Euro for an adult although check the long list of qualifying discounts. Plan to spend at least several hours to see it all.

Tag: John Berendt

Reading on the Go

Favorite 2 Experiences in Venice