From a beat cafe in San Francisco to Robert Louis Stevenson's burial ground, Been there readers share the muse ? the top two tips win a Sony ReaderUSWINNING TIP 1: Caffe Trieste, San FranciscoHaving paid homage to City Lights Bookshop and the Beat Museum, a stroll in the North Beach area must include a visit to Caffe Trieste. This cafe boasts the vestiges of the Beat generation, giving the traveller the opportunity to sip a wonderful espresso and taste some of the best pies and pastries in San Francisco, surrounded by pictures of Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg among others. Being here is a true literary experience. The picturesque coloured marble tables and the wooden chairs are still those that one can spot in the old pictures of the place, in which poets are shown sitting and chatting amiably. But the most amazing experience is that, not only can one taste real Italian flavours here, but today you can still be surrounded by those very poets in the black and white pictures on the walls. Lawrence Ferlinghetti has been a habitu� for years and Jack Hirschman, the amazing "red poet", can be found sitting, reading the local newspaper and enjoying a double espresso almost every day.? 601 Vallejo St, San Francisco, +1 415 392 6739, caffetrieste.comAlessandraBava FranceWINNING TIP 2: Le Passe Muraille sculpture, ParisThis is a sculpture of a man emerging from a wall. It is a homage to the short story Le Passe Muraille (The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls), written in 1943 by Marcel Aym�. It tells the story of an ordinary man, Dutilleul, who, one day at the age of 42, suddenly discovers he "has the remarkable gift of being able to pass through walls with perfect ease". What begins as a novelty that gives him pleasure ends up pushing Dutilleul toward more sinister pursuits. Aym� was not a native of Paris although many of his novellas are based in and around the Montmartre neighbourhood where this sculpture can be found. His work is playful yet subtly political, fantastical yet rooted in the everyday, and is accessible to a broad range of readers (the English translations, at least; Aym� makes use of much of the local slang in the original French versions). This is a great sculpture just a few streets west of the Sacr�-Coeur and as such is a recommended stop on a walking tour of literary and artistic Montmartre (other highlights include Moulin de la Galette, the "I Love You" wall, Abbesses, etc)? Place Marcel Aym�, 75018, Montmartre. Metro: Lamarck-Caulaincourt or Abbesses.weedeaneSwitzerlandChateau de Chillon, MontreuxChateau de Chillon rests on a small island on the shores of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva). The lake itself is hemmed in on all sides by hills that rapidly rise into snow-tipped mountains. The castle's gothic night-time appearance is said to have inspired some of the passages in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Similarly, the story of Fran�ois de Bonivard, a Genevan monk held captive in the castle's dungeons for four years by the Savoys, was the inspiration behind Byron's poem The Prisoner of Chillon. Byron carved his initials into the pillar where he believed Bonivard to have been chained. Now, the castle is open to be explored, from the depths of its dungeons to the towers where you can look out on the lake and the mountainous peaks around.? Avenue de Chillon 21, 1820 Veytaux, +41 21 966 89 10, chillon.ch/en. NinjadanMoroccoCafe du Livre, MarrakechA small cafe and bookstore upstairs in a side street in Marrakech. I found this place wonderful for an afternoon snack/lunch as the food was great and it has such a tranquil atmosphere - you could just admire the books that surround you on the walls. My girlfriend and I browsed all the old travel, fiction and some obscure academic books. I even managed to pick up an old copy of a book on neo-classicism to remember the place by. We spent hours there just reading and drinking, looking out at the Moroccan skyline. A great place to find a truly unusual book while enjoying some traditional and contemporary cuisine.? 44 rue Tarik Ibn Ziad Gueliz, Marrakech, +212(0)244 32149, cafedulivre.comHrug2012SamoaValima Museum, Mount Vaea, SamoaThe site of Robert Louis Stevenson's grave is a still and tranquil place, well worth a detour or even a pilgrimage. Stevenson, author of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Kidnapped and Treasure Island, lived for five years at nearby Vailima ? now a museum ? until he died at the age of 44. Mourning Samoans carried his body up the steep, rocky path to his final resting place, where his tomb is engraved with the epitaph: "Under the wide and starry sky, Dig the grave and let me lie." Where better to meet your muse than this remote and lonely spot with its sweeping views down to the coast and extraordinary atmosphere of peace.? rlsmuseum.comCornishJayUnited KingdomDunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, ScotlandA great literary place is the place I grew up in ? the area of beautiful countryside round Stonehaven called The Mearns. This area featured in Scotland's favourite book ? Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon . The whole area is awash with history and scenic beauty. But I must admit that my abiding image of this great literary masterpiece is of the scene in the 1970s television series where the two lovers are cavorting at the base of the magnificent ruins of Dunnottar Castle. I have done a fair bit of cavorting there myself in my time!? Stonehaven, Kincardineshire, dunnottarcastle.co.ukdoublet1Barnhill, Isle of JuraThe wild Isle of Jura sits just off the Scottish coast. The landscape is barely tamed, with the three "paps'" rising above the island. To get to Barnhill ? the cottage where George Orwell wrote 1984? you drive north along the only paved road which wends its way along the east coast of the island, going as far as possible. If you park your car where the road ends, a well laid-out trail in front of you heads further on. Several miles down the track Barnhill stands before you, a single white mark in a sea of gorse and heather. Distant, remote; there is simply nothing else around it. It is easy to picture Eric Arthur Blair gazing over to the mainland and imagining the society that could evolve there, where, unlike Barnhill, Big Brother would always be watching you. We visited the only pub on the island ? the Jura Hotel in Craighouse ? on the way home to sample the local Jura whisky, which helped shake us back into normality again!? theisleofjura.co.ukAmsiebTintern Abbey, Monmouthshire, WalesThe "Sylvan Wye" flows through the valley in this jaw-droppingly beautiful spot. It's not hard to see why Wordsworth immortalised the Abbey and the vale that surrounds it. Walking the grounds brings a sense of peace and a slight but not unpleasant unease as one often feels in empty stone ruins. If you lie on the ground beneath the huge beech trees and look up, you'll be transported to vistas of imagination seldom experienced in these days of pervasive technology and noise, and feel at one with nature, as the poet once did.? Tintern Abbey, Chepstow, Monmouthshire, +44(0)1443 336000, castlewales.com/tintern.htmlPeg23The Tarka Trail, ExmoorHenry Williamson, best known as the author of Tarka the Otter (published in 1927), lived in North Devon and is buried in the churchyard at Georgham. Williamson loved Exmoor, and during his time at Skirr Cottage in the 1920s he roamed the moors and cliffs between the Taw and Torridge rivers while researching the local wildlife and gaining a reputation as a gifted, although eccentric, writer. It is possible to follow Tarka's fictional wanderings around North Devon and over Exmoor on The Tarka Trail, a 180-mile long walking and cycling route based around Barnstaple. Look out for glow worms, art installations, interpretation boards ? and otters.? tarka-country.co.uk/tarkatrustCornishJayNo Alibis bookshop, BelfastA bookshop on Botanic Avenue in Belfast that deals in crime fiction and where the staff are knowledgeable and friendly. However, the bookshop (and fictionalised owner) are also central characters in the books Mystery Man, The Day of the Jack Russell and Dr Yes by Colin Bateman.? 83 Botanic Avenue, Belfast, +44 (0)28 9031 9601, noalibis.comQdotIrelandDublin Writers MuseumIn the elegant surroundings of an 18th-century house, you can immerse yourself in the cream of Irish literature. On the ground floor, two rooms of literary history cover everything from Celtic storytellers right up to the rattle and hum of contemporary writers. George Bernard Shaw, Bram Stoker, Edna O'Brien, Roddy Doyle: they're all given pride of place. The museum also features some surprising artefacts. Such as the typewriter that Brendan Behan chucked through the window of McDade's public house. Take the stairs to the first floor and brace yourself before entering the first room. The Gallery of Writers is an eye-popping space with enough plasterwork, gold leaf and crystal to have Kirsty and Phil hyperventilating. Populated with portraits and busts of Irish writers, it also offers impressive views of Parnell Square through its big windows. Next door, a small library contains first editions of evocative titles ? Gulliver's Travels, Dracula, Waiting for Godot. After all that, you'll need a coffee break, and the museum's bright and airy cafe offers the ideal pit stop. The visitors' book has one entry that says: "In poetry, romanticism and spirit, Ireland stands head and shoulders above the rest of us mere mortals." I can only agree. This hugely enjoyable museum is a fitting showcase for Dublin's wordy-wise elite and a splendid way to spend time in their company.? 18 Parnell Square, Dublin 1, +353 1 872 2077, writersmuseum.comDoedelzakCultural tripsSan FranciscoParisMoroccoSamoaScotlandWalesDublinBelfastGuardian readersguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
No comments:
Post a Comment