Brett's Southern Crossing

One of the world’s great bookstores is in downtown Buenos Aires.  There are half a dozen El Ateneo locations in the city, but the most well-known is the one at the intersection of Avenida Sante Fe and Avenida Cabildo.  The owners bought a historic theater called the Grand Splendid, restored it, and turned it into the largest bookstore in the city.

You can read books in cushy chair in the opera boxes and visit the cafe located behind the curtain on the stage.  The ceiling is somewhat domed and painted by an Italian artist.  To be perfectly honest, although it’s probably the largest bookstore in the city they could do better…the first two floors are books, the third floor is CDs and DVDs and the fourth floor is empty and closed.  Lets fill this place to the top with books, ok?

If you like the look of this place, I found an article about some other amazing bookstores.  I only wish I had time this summer to see the one in Maastricht!

Last year I read about a BBC mini series called Long Way Round.  It’s a travel reality series starring actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman.  They decided to ride motorcycles from London east to New York City.  The trip was almost entirely on the ground (20,000 miles!) with only one small segment by train and a flight from Magadan, Russia to Anchorage, Alaska.  You can’t imagine what an ordeal it was for them to ride through Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and the Road of Bones in eastern Russia.

Last year at Christmas my brother gave me the book version of Long Way Round as well as the DVD and book for Long Way Down — Ewan and Charley’s next trip from northern Scotland to Cape Town, South Africa.  I only just got around to reading the book this week and it’s great.  Both books have the typical humorous style that travelogues seem to have.

I was thinking about the other travelogues I’ve read/watched and I came up with:

• Bill Bryson’s In a Sunburned Country
• Bill Bryson’s I’m a Stranger Here Myself
• Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air
• An independent film called A Map for Saturday

I can hardly believe the list is so short!  I definitely need to read the rest of the books by Bryson and Krakauer.  But I need your help with recommendations.  If you’ve read a great travelogue leave a comment so I can add it to my list!