pickI picked this title up after it was referenced in a couple other travelogues. He goes on foot, has some of the languages and adopts numerous others, and ends up staying on in Central Europe, living there many years after, until the war.
He alternates among easygoing narrative, charming descriptions of the people he encounters, & florid architectural descriptions.
Skim the architecture, but don‘t miss the footnotes! So many unexpected anecdotes.
Looking forward to reading this… although with some trepidation— after having just read the authors account of the ocean gate disaster
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/08/titan-submersible-implosion-warnings/amp
Although the disaster (warned of for years by basically everyone else in that industry) was a tough read, the history and current state of exploration in the ocean are fascinating.
Serendipitous read — picked up this title for my mother to read, (I supply her with library books along with groceries and other errands now that she has given up driving). I didn‘t bring any book with me when I came to help her; she‘s recuperating and sleeping, I picked up this title to read while I‘m staying with her. I‘ve read another John Gimlette title, “Elephant Complex” about Sri Lanka, it was excellent. Looking forward to this read.
Solid way to open a discussion on mercenaries and the Hundred Years War. I especially liked the bit about the blind king of Bohemia insisting on riding into battle entangled with some loyal but benighted cavalrymen. This is what made me snort tho:
“Lying facedown in the mud encased in seventy pounds of armor was a disadvantageous position to be in.”
Well, you don‘t say!
