Many of us are very fond of visiting beautiful libraries during our travels, present company included.
Fodors just released a slide show of 20 its favorites which I think is worth a look. You can find it at this link.
Rethymno is a rare combination of history and modern-day luxury, with its multicultural old town, tropical beaches and exquisite Cretan cuisine.
recommended by TravelGumbo
From two viewpoints above the picturesque town, Paul Heymont enjoys the scene
DrFumblefinger shares some early morning photos taken of an olive vendor in Marrakech’s Souk.
This ceremony re-enacts the custom of the royal court during the Joseon dynasty to ensure the security of the king and his court.
George G shares fond memories of visits to Europe’s many Christmas markets
Rapid City is best known for its proximity to Mt. Rushmore and the four presidents carved into it. But the City of Presidents also features a walk where you can encounter more than 40 Presidents who have been the United States’ Commander-in-Chief. The art is interesting and the walk is a lot of fun.
DrFumblefinger shares some early morning photos taken of an olive vendor in Marrakech’s Souk.
The beautiful Gothic Cathedral in Seville, Spain was built on the site of a mosque. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and well worth a visit when in Andalusia.
And I thought you weren’t a fan of “best of” lists, DrF. There are as many of these lists as there are opinions, I think. Here’s another:http://www.miragebookmark.ch/m…esting-libraries.htm I think the Bodleian in Oxford may be my favorite, not because of the Radcliffe Camera, shown, but the interior of the old library proper, which can be seen on tours. It isn’t as ostentatious as some on the list, but it’s ancient and intimate, which appeals to me infinitely more than huge open spaces built to impress. Even more than institutional book repositories, I admire beautiful bookshops, most often the vision of 1 person and consequently a more pure vision. I find the same true of gardens, those designed by a talented individual, far more satisfying than large ones conceived and executed by “committee”, that seek to impress but so often end up looking like uninspired city parks. Two of my personal favorite bookshops are Atlantis Books in Oia, Santorini… …and Daunt Books (Marylebone High Street location, London), beautiful and probably not coincidentally, a travel bookstore.
Technically speaking, it’s not a “best of…” but a “world’s most stunning” list. I understand I may be splitting hairs with that argument. In any event, one needs to make an exception for really valuable lists, like libraries or books. There’s something special about a great book and a great bookshop. The smells, the textures, the visual stimulation — always work wonders for me.
Thanks for these additions.
I love going to libraries too. Manchester England has two of my favorites
Chetham’s Library, in the School of Music and John Rylands Library.
Chetham’s Library, in the School of Music
http://www.chethams.org.uk/
John Rylands Library.
http://www.library.manchester….venir-Guide-TEXT.pdf
I’m a fan of the Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington in Seattle. It was designed to be a cathedral to Science, and in addition to the states of the muses shown below there are others of great thinkers such as Issac Newton, Johannes Gutenberg and Charles Darwin.
Exterior At Night:
Some of the statues on the outside:
Interior:
Stairway:
A followup to attractive libraries are great bookstores.
Fodors just released 16 of their favorites in the USA, which you can find here. I’ve visited a number of these and enjoyed them. I would like to add two other stores that I know of.
1) Univ. of Washington bookstore. While mostly a student store aimed at textbooks and supplies and such, it has an excellent collection of fiction and non-fiction as well as frequent author readings and book signings.
2) Auntie’s books in Spokane, Washington. Excellent quality bookstore no one outside of eastern Washington state has ever heard of.
Anyone know of others?
At first these were shot by film. These are definitely great shots! I have plans in buying an action camera to start with my photography hobby. These are great subject to start with.
There’s always more to know about libraries, so 2 interesting items noted in this morning’s Bookmarks from The Guardian:1. A book, The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders, by Stuart Kells . . .2. and his item in The Guardian, From Bag End to Babel: top 10 libraries in fiction.I hope to get a copy of the book when the price of used copies comes down (if ever)! If you look at The Library, scroll down the page for more things library and also click on “Source notes” for a long list of fun stuff.