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Sanctuary, Retreat, Belonging. The Importance Of Home In Difficult Times

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As I write this in the middle of March 2020, the world is gripped by the spread of coronavirus COVID19. Countries are shutting their borders, people are asked to stay indoors, shelter in place and self-quarantine inside. Restaurants, bars, gyms, schools, and other public places are closing. Airlines are on the verge of going bust or re-nationalized, the economy is struggling, and citizens are being asked to travel home.

And that’s what I want to talk about today. The concept of home and what it means, especially in difficult times. Because this is the Books and Travel Podcast, but travel may be gone from our lives for a time — and home has become the most important thing.

View from my home over the valley, Bath, Somerset, England

The dictionary definition of home is ‘the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household,’ but in this article, I ponder the aspects of an emotional home, a physical dwelling, and the country we belong to.

The Roman Empire And Alternate History With Alison Morton

Unusual Places

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Travel can be about place, but it can also be about time, and in this interview, I talk to Alison Morton about how the ancient Roman empire continues to inspire her alternate-history Roma Nova thrillers.

Alison Morton is the author of the Roma Nova series, Roman-themed alternate history thrillers with tough heroines.

Show notes

The early genesis of an idea for books about an alternative history based on Ancient Rome
How the past and the present are connected by landscape
Places that have inspired aspects of the Roma Nova books
Bringing Alison’s personal military experience into fiction
Language and how it can impact appreciation of a place and culture
Recommended books about ancient Rome and some alt-history novels

You can find Alison Morton at Alison-Morton.com.

Bhel Puri On The Beach, The Gateway To India, And Bollywood. Mumbai With Vikram Chandra

Unusual Places

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Mumbai is a fascinating city with diversity in religion and architecture, and in this interview, Vikram Chandra talks about the colonial impact of the Portuguese and British, as well as the Zoroastrian, Muslim, Hindu and Christian holy places in the city.

It’s also a feast for the senses, as Vikram evokes the taste of seafood from the harbor and the chaat street food on the beaches, the clang of ships in the dock, as well as the action spectacle of Bollywood films, and the multi-lingual speech of Hindi, Punjabi, English and Bombay slang.

We discuss how Vikram feels at home both in Mumbai where he grew up and in the Bay area, California, where he now lives and teaches, and he gives some book recommendations if you want to read more about the city.

Vikram Chandra is the multi-award-winning author of Red Earth and Pouring Rain, which won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for best first book as well as Love and Longing in Bombay and Sacred Games, adapted into a successful Netflix series set in Mumbai, which has just been listed on ‘The New York Times’ list of the 30 best international TV shows of the decade.

Show notes

On the cultural history of the name Mumbai — and why some still call the city, Bombay.
Impact of colonial history — Portuguese and British — on the architecture of Mumbai
Religious diversity
Bollywood and modern Indian films
Influence of the coastal environment
Food and restaurant recommendations
Tips for getting around the city
The challenge of representing the multilingual nature of India in fiction
Recommended books set in Mumbai

You can find Vikram Chandra at VikramChandra.com.

Walk The Kennet And Avon Canal From Bath Spa To Bradford On Avon

Walking

Bath might be a UNESCO World Heritage city with the draw of the Roman Baths, Georgian architectural splendor, and the medieval Abbey, but just a stone’s throw from the tourist mayhem is a wonderful walk along the Kennet and Avon canal.

It can get busy on sunny weekends, but often it is a quiet and peaceful haven of natural beauty alongside the ever-changing life of the canal. I walk this route regularly, whatever the weather, and it never fails to delight with its infinite variety. In this article, I’ll take you through the main parts of the route as well as where the coffee and rest stops are, plus some recommended reading. Although my pictures are mainly from sunny days in spring and summer, it’s a great walk in every season.

Walking the Kennet and Avon canal. Photo by JFPenn

This walk is from Bath Spa railway station to Bradford-on-Avon. You can do the walk either way. It’s about 17km in total, a flat footpath with plenty of refreshment stops and photo opportunities along the way. You can’t get lost because you just follow the towpath! Allow at least 4 hours, especially if you want to amble or have a pint or a coffee on the way.

Pintxos, Txakoli, Modern Art And The Beach. What To Do In Bilbao And San Sebastian

Weekend Trips

I love Spain. The moment I arrive, I find myself relaxing into the laid back, low-key attitude that makes it so different from the UK.

I also return again and again for creative inspiration — Spanish cities have appeared in a number of my ARKANE thrillers — and of course, the food is some of the best in the world, but they don’t shout about it so you need to do your research to avoid the more touristy places. I almost moved here in the late 1990s but headed for Australia instead. It would have been a different life indeed …

Author JFPenn outside the Guggenheim, Bilbao. Photo credit: Jonathan Bleier

For this trip in early February 2020, I went with my husband (and photographer/business partner). We had four days in San Sebastian and Bilbao — a taste of the Basque country. In this article, I’ll share some of the cultural and culinary highlights in case you’d like to visit.

What is Basque?
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
Maman by Louise Bourgeois, Anselm Kiefer, and more of the art within
Promenade by the bay in San Sebastian and climb Mount Urgull
Enjoy pintxos and txakoli … plus Michelin star dining
Where to stay and how to get there
Recommended books about Basque culture or set in the region

Cycling Around The World With ML Buchman

Travel Memoir

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Sometimes we can only find our true selves by leaving everything we thought we wanted behind. Matt Buchman was a successful business consultant, but when he lost everything, he set off to cycle around the world. It was a way to escape his old life, but also to find a new path. In this interview, he talks about some of the highs and lows of the trip, but it’s also a discussion on what really matters and how to find home again.

M.L. Buchman is the author of over 60 romance, thriller, sci-fi, and fantasy books, as well as nonfiction. And today, we’re talking about his memoir, Mid-Life Crisis on Wheels: a Bicycle Journey Around the World.

Show notes

How losing everything led to a grand adventure
Dealing with fear of the unknown
Letting go of a perfect plan in order to learn more about yourself
How the lows are just as important as the highs when traveling
Looking for a definition of ‘home’
Adjusting to ‘normal’ life after an extended period of travel
Recommended books about cycling adventures

You can find ML Buchman at MLBuchman.com and on Twitter @mlbuchman

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