Neither Here Nor There
Bill Bryson travels across Europe with a backpack, a journal, and a tight hold on his wallet. The journey (and the book) begins from Hammerfest, located in the far north of the continent, and ends in Istanbul, which is located on the cusp of Asia. The book combines scenic details of Rome, Copenhagen, Naples, Paris, Florence, Austria, among many others, with brief History as he knows it. This makes the Historical accounts a fun read as the author relates the historical facts with the present day’s boring-to-the-verge-of-being-funny events.
The book totally lacks glamor. Bryson stays in the cheapest hotels, travels by the most inexpensive mode, eats at local places, and hence, experiences the places in their true essence. He has no plans, no calendar exists for him. He buys a railway ticket to a city, gets himself a hotel room, roams the streets until he gets bored. Then, he moves on. If he catches a sight of something exciting like Northern Lights, he is tempted to stay longer, but mostly not. The author has a way of expressing the routine activities, such as buying a railway ticket, ordering food at a local restaurant, paying bills, and browsing sex shops (okay, this one is not really a routine activity for most of us!), in a very engrossing fashion. He has a passion for traveling and an acrid eye for details and this comes across beautifully in the book.
Bryson gives an unbiased but personal opinion on the culture of different places. He is not afraid of dissecting the popular myths about countries like Switzerland and Rome.
Neither Here Nor There is an extremely mirthful travelog that is mystical in some parts and extremely pragmatic in others. Bryson’s knack for blending picturesque descriptions of places with humorous anecdotes of mundane life of a small town is the lifeline of the book.
Don’t think of this book as a guide to Europe. If you are looking to learn about the culture or history of Europe, look someplace else. Here, you get entertainment. Three hundred pages of pure entertainment!
-Anupma Bakshi
No Comments »
No comments yet.
RSS feed for comments on this post.
