When your travel plans start in the library
When I travel, I like to find places that satisfies my bookish self. I will seek out places from books, famous book stores, or just seek out the local library.
Never underestimate the experiences that occur because of the company you keep, and in my case, that company is books.
Check out these places!
Oscar Wilde’s monument (Dublin) is in Merrion Square. The irreverent smile on Wilde’s lips conveys that he knows he bested his critics in the culture war that they waged against his character. As one of my favorite authors, I had to visit my old friend when I was in Dublin.
A visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral (Dublin) means that you can visit the resting place of Jonathan Swift. While most associate Swift with Gulliver’s Travels, if you are a teacher you know him as the heathen who suggested eating babies in A Modest Proposal.
Some of the most fun places to visit on vacation are the indie bookstores. The Ripped Bodice is a store in Brooklyn, NY that carries all things romance. The store knows the aesthetic of their readers and it is dripping all things romance.
Shakespeare and Company is a bookshop in the heart of Paris specializes in English language books. It was once a place where Hemingway and Joyce would gather to discuss all this literary. They do not allow pictures of the inside, but it is stacked with books and cozy little paths through the literature.
While I know this isn’t famous, I’m a big fan of my local library, Jack Russell Memorial Library (Hartford, WI) The community worked hard to make our library a destination. It is quite breathtaking, and I’m lucky it is my home library.
Anne Hathaway’s Cottage in Stratford upon Avon is a must see for any Shakespeare lover. You can walk the grounds and tour that house where Shakespeare once lived.
Another local indie bookstore, epilogue books in Menomonee Falls, WI is a great place to find your next read. If they don’t have, they will find it for you. They host numerous book events and reading fun.
Nadia Cakes is a speciality cake shop that is owned by Abby Jimenez. She refers to this shop in her books, so we had to trek to a suburb of Minneapolis to check out these cupcakes. They were definitely worth the side trip. Better yet, they had homemade doggie treats for Oberon (my labradoodle).
bound and noted 