That is, back from our really lovely vacation in Portugal, followed by a few very busy days in London. We really loved Portugal. Friendly people (most English-speaking, at least in popular areas), great weather (having dinner outside almost every night really made an impression on me—if you haven't been to San Francisco, you might think we can do that all the time, but alas no, at least not without a very warm jacket), and some spectacular sights. Want a little sampling?
Our first day, we were off on a strenuous, wet, and foggy tour to Sintra's eccentric castles and the so-called "Initiation Well" which has become an Instagram favorite in recent years (not ever a functional well, but rather a talking point for guests of a wealthy estate owner with, as D. E. Stevenson might have put it, "more dollars than sense").
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| Sintra |
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| The "initiation well" |
Our second day, we did a completely disastrous, very badly managed tour (don't get me started), but it did enable us to glimpse the magnificent Batalha Monastery, so I can't complain too much (oh, I could, but I won't).
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| Batalha Monastery |
And we ended the day in the really wonderful medieval hill town of Obidos.
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| Obidos |
Another tour led us inland to Evora, with its Roman temple and, along the way, a neolithic stone formation, Almendres Cromlech
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| Almendres Cromlech |
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| Roman Temple of Diana in Evora |
But easily the best of our tours (we did four day tours, and saved the best for last) was a Knights Templar tour. I don't have a lot of time to obsess over the current location of the Holy Grail, but this tour led us to the most impressive and interesting spots on our trip, starting with the Templars' Almourol Castle.
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| Almourol Castle |
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| Almourol Castle |
Then on to the breathtaking Convent of Christ in Tomar, built by the Templars, a sprawling complex of gorgeous buildings and spaces and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I could have got lost there for days.
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| Convent of Christ |
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| Convent of Christ |
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| Convent of Christ |
We kind of reversed the normal logic a bit in scheduling our tours for the first few days we were in Lisbon, so only on our last three days did we get to really explore the city itself, including some of its best-known postcard shots, like Lisbon Cathedral, Belem Tower, and the waterfront Monument to the Discoveries.
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| Lisbon Cathedral |
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| Belem Tower |
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| Monument to the Discoveries |
I was completely blown away by the Church of Santa Maria at the Jeronimos Monastery (happily we had been told by a tour guide that the church was spectacular but the monastery itself was pretty ordinary compared with the Convent of Chris, so we skipped the ENORMOUS line for the monastery itself).
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| Church of Santa Maria in Jeronimos Monastery |
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| Tomb of Vasco da Gama |
I think it may be a legal requirement now for every tourist to take Tram 28 through some of the most historic areas of Lisbon, and we are law-abiding folks...
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| Tram 28 |
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Looking a wee bit frazzled after waiting to
board the very popular tram |
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| A final outdoor dinner and glass of sangria |
After our delightful 10 days in Lisbon, we had a busy flying visit to London, and a triumphant return to the British Library...
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| There's no place like home... |
The British Library isn't open at night, so we had to find alternative entertainment a couple of nights...
Both shows were a blast, and we were in agreement that London would be a lovely place to live for a while, should we win a major lottery any time soon. I'll keep you posted.
So, back from vacation and back in the U.S. But am I also getting back to blogging? Well, from the stack of books I requested at the British Library, you might well think so:
I might have got a bit carried away? But oh what fun! And I may just have to report on some of these soon.
I know that for some of you my ongoing focus on titles that no one has heard of and that are impossible to track down (outside of the BL) will lose much of its interest now that I won't have any power to bring even my best finds back into print (aside from perhaps drawing other publishers' attention to them?), but I hope some of you will still take an interest. When I started the blog back in 2013 (!!!), I said to myself that if there were 10 or 20 readers out there interested in the research I was doing, then it would be worthwhile to share it. I hope there's still that many of you, and for you, I'm planning to be back with more soon!
How does borrowing from the British Library work? Do you have to read the books in the library, or do you borrow them and find time to read between sightseeing?
ReplyDeleteCount me in as interested!!
ReplyDeleteAlways a delight t ofind a post from you and the book recommendations bring much joy
ReplyDeletePeople love Furrowed Middlebrow! Would you still consider bringing back your best finds with Dean Street Press in the future?
ReplyDeleteAlways interested in your finds! Sometimes I can track them down on ILL. Maybe there will be another small press who will grab hold one day too!
ReplyDeleteNever say never! One of the major things I have learned in 81 years. Put the request for what you need out to the universe and you might be pleasantly surprised what turns up. The trick, I firmly believe, is always being ready to hear the knock on the door and respond without hesitation.
ReplyDeleteAnd now, having thrown lots of metaphors together, welcome back to the US and the blog. Portugal is one of the countries I regret not visiting in my life so I much enjoyed your report. Sad I was not in the UK when you were - I head there for 5 weeks shortly but no chance of your coming to browse the books in Hertford this time round I fear. At some point in the not too distant future, they have to go. Who knows where.....
Love to both, Gilx
Glad to hear you are well, and had a good time. You are both looking well, so long may that continue!
ReplyDelete...and of course I'm always interested!
DeletePlease keep it up. There is more interest than you know, even from Aptos.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely interested in reading about your latest discoveries. I hope another publisher will take note of your best finds. --Grier
ReplyDeleteThose stacks of books look so enticing! Can't wait to read about some of them!
ReplyDeleteWhile the sad loss at DSP means we will likely never get to read most of the books you might discover, I enjoy what you share about them. The samplings of the various titles and authors are like hors d'oeuvres -- at least we get a taste, and these books are at least given one more moment in the daylight. Goodness knows, I will never get to read all the books I want to, so sometimes a little appetizer is good!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had an enjoyable trip. Always some parts work out better than others. Glad you are back home safely and found some gems at the British Library.
ReplyDeleteI would very much like to know what all the books are, even if they are always going to be beyond my grasp.
ReplyDeletePlanning a trip to Portugal now!
ReplyDeleteAlways interested in what you find and read!! I was gutted not to be able to meet up in London - hopefully next time! Thank you for sharing your trip with us all!
ReplyDeleteAlways interested!!
ReplyDeleteScott, how did you manage to order that many books at a sitting? Whenever I've ordered from the BL, there's been a limit of 10 books per day, and though one can cheat a bit and order over three days (since they'll keep the books for longer than that), you have 35 books in those piles, if I've counted correctly.
ReplyDeleteHave you thought of working with Sourcebooks? They recently purchased Poisoned Pen press and are publishing out of print titles from the British Library.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog and thoroughly enjoy the titles you share! Please keep up the good work :)
ReplyDeleteI just started following your blog. Please, don't stop!
ReplyDelete