Blog | Books And Travel

8 Unusual Museums To Visit In Paris

The City of Lights tops many a bucket list, with good reason. With its fabulous architecture, bohemian neighborhoods, gorgeous churches, and fantastic shopping, Paris offers something for everyone.

Even those with unusual tastes.

Never mind Pere Lachaise cemetery and the Catacombs. With museums for playing cards, sewers, erotica, and braille, Paris is bursting with weird things to see.

As cool as the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre are, sometimes you want something different. So whether your tastes run to the eccentric or you just like new things, here are 8 strange museums to see in Paris.

Between The Desert And The Sea. Djibouti With Rachel Pieh Jones

Unusual Places

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Djibouti is a meeting place of cultures with French, Somali, and Yemenese influences. It’s shaped by its geographical position between the desert and the sea, on the borders of Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea as well as the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. In this interview, Rachel Jones explains how she came to love the country she now calls home, some tips for traveling to Djibouti, and thoughts on being an expatriate as well as raising Third Culture Kids.

Rachel Pieh Jones is the author of Welcome to Djibouti: Arrive, Survive and Thrive in the Hottest Country on Earth, as well as Stronger Than Death, The Djiboutilicious Cookbook and Finding Home. She’s also a freelance writer, blogger and runner.

How Rachel went from Minnesota to the Horn of Africa
Djibouti’s French colonial history and the influence on food and architecture as well as religion
How Djibouti’s capital city — also Djibouti — lies between the desert and the sea and how that shapes the fascinating landscape and things you can do there, like snorkeling with whale sharks over Christmas
Some of the good things to eat locally
Safety and health factors including the sun in the hottest country on earth
Bringing up a family in Djibouti and Third Culture Kids (TCK), those who live between cultures
The meaning of home and being an expatriate
What travel means when you live somewhere ‘else’
Recommended books for getting a sense of the culture

You can find Rachel at DjiboutiJones.com and her books on Amazon here.

7 Literary Landmarks For Book Lovers In London

Unusual Places

From Great Expectations to Bridget Jones’ Diary, London looms large in world literature. But the city offers book lovers plenty to see beyond location spotting.

Watch plays like a Shakespearean Londoner at the recreated Globe Theatre. Get up close and personal with all things Sherlock at the Sherlock Holmes Museum near Baker Street. Even the Old Bailey has literary associations. Lawyers prosecuted Penguin Books here in 1960 for publishing Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

Would you like to explore a wider range of literary landmarks in London? Here are seven ideas to get you started.

Venice, Art History And Italian Artisans With Laura Morelli

Unusual Places

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Traveling to a new place is about art, architecture, food, and culture, but it can also be about the people you meet and the memories — and even souvenirs — you bring back. In today’s interview, Laura Morelli talks about Venetian artisans, the joys of limoncello, and shares her tips for finding the perfect way to remember your trip.

Dr. Laura Morelli has a Ph.D. in art history from Yale writes award-winning historical fiction based on the true stories of art history and teaches art history online.

Show notes:

How early travels in Europe sparked Laura’s interest in medieval history
Places in Venice where you can see behind the present facade to the history beneath
The quiet places where you can still find artisans and craftspeople who keep old skills alive — and how to avoid being ripped off
Venetian paper and bookbinding
The plague mask and Carnival
Limoncello
How travel helps us appreciate what’s different and what’s the same between our cultures and countries
Recommended books around works of art

You can find Laura at www.LauraMorelli.com and on twitter @lauramorelliphd

8 Unusual Things To See On Mallorca

Unusual Places

Mallorca (also known as Majorca) is the largest of the Balearic Islands off the east coast of Spain in the Mediterranean. It’s better known for its beaches and nightlife with party destination Magaluf and the home of the TV show, Love Island.

But beneath the tourist surface lies another Mallorca. Gothic cathedrals, medieval architecture, quiet coves, fascinating museums and a history that impacts the founding of modern USA.

If you’d like to explore this Mallorca, add these unusual things to your bucket list.

Northumberland: Ancient Lindisfarne, Modern Newcastle With L.J.Ross

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The north-east of England combines the ancient history of Viking raids and English castles, with the stark beauty of Lindisfarne island cut off by the tides, and the vibrant city of Newcastle linked by its seven bridges.

In today’s episode, mystery author, LJ Ross talks about love of home, why she sets her books in the area, and tips for visiting.

LJ Ross is the internationally bestselling author of the DCI Ryan mystery series set in the north east of England including UK number one bestseller, Holy Island.

Why Louise feels that Northumberland will always be home, even as she and her family travel away and back again. The emotional resonance of where we have memory and family.
Are there geographic personalities? On the possible differences between the north and south of England
Lindisfarne, the Holy Island, and tips for visiting so you don’t get stranded by the tide as well as nearby Bamburgh Castle
Cragside and Victorian history
The city of Newcastle, seven bridges and the Victorian tunnels
How Louise is entwining her international travels into the upcoming Dr Alexander Gregory series, whose work as a psychological profiler takes him around the world
Recommended books set in Northumberland

You can find Louise at www.LJRossAuthor.com and on Twitter @ljross_author