Never heard of your man Patrick, bvl. I'll look out for him.

I do like reading when I travel; my Kindle has been liberating.

Patrick Leigh Fermor is wonderful. My next read is going to be a biography of him. I've also read everything (I think) Eric Newby ever wrote, I loved, loved, loved On the Shores of the Mediterranean.

And I hate, hate, hate reading on the beach. Glare, heat, sand, it all makes me horribly uncomfortable. Give me a good balcony with a view or a nice haven in the mountains anytime.

Lol bvlenci. I think walking across Europe in the 30s required a lot of rich or even aristocratic connections. He writes about it well though. At one point the backpack and the whole lot got nicked, in Munich I think...

Annhig you really must read all Patrick Leigh Fermor's travel books... unfortunately it isn't possible to turn the clock back to the untouristed world he walked through. But it is unputdownable. They sent me running for maps, novels, dynastic family trees, poetry, and on and on.

The Broken Road was published a few years after his death, finished by Colin Thubron I think. His travel books are brilliant too.

For those of us grounded for the moment, travel books and Fodors are indispensable!