10.02.07
Posted in Store News, In-Store Events at 10:32 pm by Administrator
October 2nd Tuesday 7 PM
The Palace of the Snow Queen: Winter Travels in Lapland with author Barbara Sjoholm
A frequent traveler to Northern Europe, author Barbara Sjoholm decided one winter to explore a region that had long intrigued her. The result of this journey is The Palace of the Snow Queen: Winter Travels in Lapland, an eloquently written narrative of her travels through Sweden, Finland, and beyond. Along the way she experiences the increasing darkness and cold of the area, as well as traditional activities; reindeer racing and dog sledding. Beyond her own adventures she unearths the region’s rich history, including the culture of the indigenous Sami, she considers the power of ice and snow to shape our imaginations and create a vision that increasingly draws visitors to Lapland.
October 9th Tuesday 7 PM
Australian Nature with Jake Haupert, Explorers 3
Founder of Explorers 3 Adventures in Seattle, Jake Haupert takes us tonight to the land down-under, Australia. With his visuals and words we will witness amazing wildlife on the mainland and Tasmania, encounter the biodiversity of the rainforest in the Northern Territory, experience Aboriginal culture, and dive the Great Barrier Reef. His extensive Australian travels and his training as an Aussie Specialist Program run by Tourism Australia, his advice on multi-sport, natural and cultural adventures, is offered with enthusiasm and expertise.
October 16th Tuesday 7 PM
New Zealand Bound with Shilo Urban of Adventure Travel Company
Life is short! Seize the day in the Land of the Long White Cloud: New Zealand. Travel junkie Shilo Urban will explore the amazing diversity of one of the world’s top scenic destinations and THE ideal romping ground for independent travelers. Learn where you can climb a volcano in the middle of a big city, taste up-and-coming regional wines, dig a natural hot tub on the beach, commune with seal pups in the wild, and of course, hurtle yourself through the air over mind-blowing mountains. New Zealand may be on the bottom of the world but it is at the top the list for hikers, bird-watchers and wildlife seekers, adventure sports enthusiasts, wine lovers, and anyone who enjoys discovering a unique culture and incredible natural beauty. Bring your questions and leave with a head full of amazing images, heaps of practical travel information and a new resolve to experience New Zealand.
October 20th Saturday 9 AM
Solo Travelers
Join us for an informal gathering of travelers as they meet and learn from each other’s travel experiences and share wisdom learned on the road. Whether you’re preparing for your first solo journey or your hundredth, you’ll enjoy sharing your adventures with your fellow sojourners. Bring your coffee and your questions!
October 23rd Tuesday 7 PM
Volunteer Travel Around the World with Joyce Major
Are you ready to learn about a culture as you volunteer on a project? You can feed bottles to lion cubs, walk pumas or work with dolphins, elephants or chimps. Learn about archeology in Italy, conservation in New Zealand or teach English in China. Want to be a reporter in Ireland? There are assorted different projects all over the world that accept volunteers for two weeks to a year allowing you to learn about the culture while contributing as a volunteer. Learn what to expect when you get there from Joyce Major, who completed a solo year-long trip around the world volunteering in 10 countries and is the author of the soon-to-be published book Smiling at the World.
October 27th Saturday Anniversary Celebration!
One day, all day, 25% OFF ALL IN-STOCK ITEMS plus cake!
Serving Seattle area travelers for 31 years, our thanks to you our customers, is this great sale and carrot cake. The fine print: limited to stock on hand, NOT to be combined with buyer’s bonus plan or other offers, in-store sales only.
October 30th Tuesday 7 PM
Richard Bangs’ Adventures with a Purpose with author Richard Bang
Follow the respected adventurer from Bosnia to Libya, Panama to Rwanda, Thailand to the American West, all in a quest to make sense of disappearing cultures and rivers, and to save them by bringing them to life. “Over the decades, I have witnessed many special places preserved and lost, and the critical vector in their survival or demise was more often than not the number of visitors who trekked the landscape or floated the river and were touched deeply by their unique beauty and spirit. When such a space became threatened, there was a constituency for whom the place was personal, a collective force ready to lend energy, monies, and time to preservation.” Richard’s message and visual presentation, part of a PBS tie-in, is sure to give you food for thought.
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09.03.07
Posted in Store News, In-Store Events at 10:39 pm by Misch
September 4th Tuesday 7 PM
Northwest Heritage Resources Washington Road Tours with Jill Linzee
Northwest Heritage Resources’ tour guides highlight the unique scenic character and rich cultural expressions of Washington’s Heritage Corridors. These guides are books with maps, CDs, photographs and points of interest; they bring to light aspects of the “invisible landscape” through the traditional music, songs, stories and reminiscences of the people of Washington. Hear cowboy poets, Native American storytellers, Mexican-American mariachi bands, gospel choirs and much more as you learn about the cultures and history of our region. You’ll come away from tonight’s audio/visual presentation, and your trip, with an increased understanding and appreciation of the rich and diverse cultural heritage of Washington.
September 11th Tuesday 7 PM
Disturbance-Loving Species with author Peter Chilson
Peter Chilson will read from his new book, Disturbance-Loving Species: A Novella and Stories, and discuss the task of doing field research in Africa for a work of fiction. The stories in Peter’s book explore the experiences of Americans efforts to cope with life in Africa, and of Africans acclimating to life in the United States. The characters struggle with war and grief, as well as the unexpected pleasures and challenges that arise when cultures meet. The reading and lecture will be accompanied by a slide show of photographs the author took while in the field.
September 15th Saturday 9AM
Gutsy Women
Join us as we host an informal gathering for women to meet and learn from each other’s travel experiences and share wisdom learned from the road. Bring your coffee and your questions!
September 18th Tuesday 7 PM
Barranca del Cobre - Copper Canyon with Sandy Braun, Adventure Associates
The Sierra Madre’s Barranca del Cobre is the most spectacular, extensive and remote canyon system in North America. Known to many of us as the Copper Canyon, it is deeper and broader than the Grand Canyon, home to the Tarahumaran indigenous people and rich in colorful Spanish frontier history. Tonight, traveling on the world famous Chihuahua al “Chepe” train, we’ll descend the canyon and its history with Adventure Associates founder Sandy Braun for a spectacular journey into the Barrancas.
September 25th Tuesday 7 PM
Biking Puget Sound: 50 Rides from Olympia to the San Juans with author Bill Thorness
Learn the best road biking routes in the Puget Sound with Bill Thorness, author of Biking Puget Sound: 50 Rides from Olympia to the San Juans, recently published by Mountaineers Books. The book covers road cycling in Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia and more than 50 other Puget Sound communities with ride selections that include urban neighborhoods to wide-open farmland. Using slides and maps, Bill’s presentation will reveal some of the great off-street paved trails and safest road routes in the region, provide tips on biking in the San Juan Islands, and offer ideas for rides with out-of-town guests. Freelance writer and editor Bill Thorness also writes about travel, health care, gardening and photography. An avid cyclist, he resides in Seattle and is a member of the Cascade Bicycle Club.
September 26th Wednesday 7PM
Chile Moon Handbook author Wayne Bernhardson
Chile expert and travel writer extraordinaire Wayne Berhardson stops by on a Wednesday to let us know the latest travel information and to share his vast knowledge of a country he has been visiting since 1979. Along with breath-taking slides, Wayne’s enthusiasm for Chile is sure to make you dream of travels to this geological extravaganza and culturally diverse country.
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06.06.07
Posted in Event Recaps at 1:24 am by Misch
Here are the answers to last week’s quiz–prepare to be surprised at some of the answers!
1. Mexico is home to more US expats.
2. The Netherlands invented the Big Brother TV show.
3. St. Basil’s is in Moscow.
4. The film set in Italy was Don’t Look Now.
5. Brazil has the largest expat Japanese community.
6. Iraq’s currency is the dinar.
7. The Hagia Sophia is in Istanbul. Extra points if you added that it was commissioned by Emperor Justinian I in 537 AD!
8. You’ll find the Big Prawn, Banana, and Pineapple in Australia (put ‘em all on the barbie, please…)
9. Buenos Aires, Argentina, has the most psychoanalysts per capita.
10. The words bungalow, jungle, and cummerbund come from India. (Hindi, specifically–bonus if you knew that.)
11. Japan is the world’s biggest zipper manufacturer.
12. The most famous zocalo is in Mexico City (bonus: formally known as the Plaza de la Constitucion).
Winners at our Season Final event got five questions right. How about you?
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06.01.07
Posted in Store News, In-Store Events at 7:53 pm by Administrator
Normally Wide World Books & Maps takes a summer break from hosting events. Both our customers and the staff are out and about locally, nationally, internationally taking advantage of the Northern Hemisphere’s summer. But this month two, count ‘em two, authors are passing through Seattle and we couldn’t just say no. And, as fate would have it, they are in town on the same weekend. Please join us to meet these interesting travel folks, we’re sure you’ll be pleased with what they have to offer.
Meet The Man! Tony Wheeler, director and co-founder of Lonely Planet is in town to celebrate two new publications; Bad Lands: A Tourist on the Axis of Evil covers his recent travels in Afghanistan, Albania, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia and Unlikely Destinations: The Lonely Planet Story, co-written with his wife Maureen Wheeler, tells of their journey from their first hand collated and staples guide to becoming the largest independent travel publisher in the world. Along with his talk about these books Tony will be available for questions and comments, and we are sure, travel talk in general.
On Sunday, June 17th from 4-5:30pm Wide World invites each of you to this special event. It will be held off-site at the Mosaic Coffee House, 4401 2nd Ave NE – directly behind Dick’s Drive-In on 45th. Entrance is between 2nd & 3rd NE on 44th. Free parking is available in the church parking lot. Mosaic Coffee House will have beverages and treats available for attendees to purchase.
Admission is free, but please RSVP via phone, 206-634-3453, or online at travel@speakeasy.net, so we have an idea of how many of you will there.
Jillian Robinson On June 16th at 1:30pm Wide World Books & Maps welcomes author and award-winning travel documentary filmmaker Jillian Robinson in to sign copies of her recent book Change Your Life Through Travel: Inspiring Tales and Tips for Richer, Fuller, More Adventurous Living. Jillian’s travel documents have appeared in PBS, The Discovery Channel and in more than 45 nations worldwide. She follows in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway, Isak Dinesen and other writers, plus meets contemporary travelers who travel at a very conscious level. Change Your Life Through Travel is packed with ideas for taking charge of the pleasurable, spiritual, and life-enriching aspects of travel. Whether you are vacationing in your hometown, across the States, or are planning your lifelong dreamed about trip, you’ll find her insights and appreciations will add riches to any holiday.
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05.30.07
Posted in Event Recaps at 5:37 am by Misch
Kudos and thanks to those who attended tonight’s event despite the heat! And many thanks to folks who shared their travel slides and stories with us.
Caroline started us with Semana Santa in Guatemala; book buyer Holly took us 1,000 feet below Grand Cayman to look at amazing sea creatures; and Dewey introduced to beautiful architectural features of Iran. Paul took us swimming with whales in Tonga, while our map buyer, Timm, led us from London to Istanbul, with a long stopover in Cambridge. Stanley showed highlights of the Silk Roads from Uzbekistan through Samarkand and Kiva. Finally, Rick took us to Israel by bicycle AND back in time twenty years!
And we saved for you our 2007 Geography Trivia Challenge. This was a tough one!
1. Which country is home to more US expats than any other?
2. Which country gave birth to the “Big Brother” reality TV franchise (not US)?
3. In which city is St. Basil’s Cathedral?
4. Which film set in Venice told the story of a man driven mad by his ability to foresee death?
5. Which country has the largest Japanese community outside of Japan?
6. The currency of Iraq is called what?
7. In which city is the Hagia Sophia?
8. Which country features a Big Prawn, a Big Banana, and a Big Pineapple as roadside public art?
9. Which city is home to the most psychoanalysts per capita? (It’s not NYC)
10. Which country gave birth to the words bungalow, jungle, and cummerbund?
11. Which country is the world’s biggest manufacturer of zippers?
12. Is the world’s most famous zocalo in a) La Paz; b) Bogota; c) Caracas, or d) Mexico City?
And the tie-breaker (which didn’t break the tie):
Which country hosted the first World Toilet Expo?
And tie-breaker #2 :
What is the currency of South Korea?
…which also didn’t break the tie, so we all laughed and handed out three prizes.
SEE YOU AT TONY WHEELER ON JUNE 17, AND STAY TUNED FOR OUR FALL EVENT CALENDAR, RESUMING IN SEPTEMBER!
Oh, and I’ll try to remember to publish the quiz answers in a few days.
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05.29.07
Posted in Event Recaps at 8:10 pm by Misch
I’m lucky enough to have had a “chez moi” (”my place”), in Paris, and my tiny, frigid, rented paradise fueled a desire to own a flat there some day. Real estate transactions in France are do-able for Americans, but quite different than the U.S., as I learned with some friends who bought a fixer-upper chateau there.
However, Laurence Raybois, a part-time resident of both Seattle and France, prepped us for the process in her presentation. The biggest differences, we learned, are that in France you don’t deal with a title company; the inheritance laws are different; and taxation is different. She touched on a few points that she explores further in her book and her day seminars, including how to plan, what to consider if renting out a house, and how utilities are structured.
Laurence’s book is Chez Moi: The Foreigner’s Guide To Buying A Home In France, and her Web site at www.yourfrenchhome.com includes her seminar schedule and consulting services.
If you’re in the dreaming stages for now, you can buy a house vicariously in a number of good reads:
On Rue Tatin: The Simple Pleasures of Life in a Small French Town, by Susan Hermann Loomis, $14.95
A Pig in Provence: Good Food and Simple Pleasures in the South of France, by Georgeanne Brennan, $24.95
Peter Mayle’s non-fiction: Provence A-Z or A Year in Provence/Toujours Provence (boxed set, $26.00), for starters.
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Posted in Event Recaps at 8:07 pm by Misch
Bulgaria: who knew it was such a stunningly scenic country? I confess I didn’t know much about Bulgaria outside of some vague notions of hardy people and hearty food, but my Pacific Northwesterner’s eyes know some gorgeous mountains when they see them. Not super-steep or technical, just beckoningly beautiful, with streams, fields of wildflowers, maybe snow patches in early season (the ideal season between snow and heat being a short one).
John Osaki’s slide show was slim on information for the independent traveler, but rich on inspiration for those with the urge to climb every mountain, ford every stream. John takes tramping travelers to many destinations in Europe, including the Carpathians, the Pyrenees, and Madeira/the Azores, and will soon be adding Japan. For more information, check out www.WalkingSoftly.com
For independent trampers, we’ve got books to help you along:
Lonely Planet Bulgaria, $23.99
Rough Guide to Bulgaria, $21.99
Plus maps of Bulgaria by ITM and Cartografia, each at $10.95.
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05.11.07
Posted in Event Recaps at 6:55 pm by Misch
Trivia question: How long does it take to put up a ger, the wood-frame and felt home of Mongolian nomads?
Anyone who attended Tuesday’s event will tell you, it’s seventeen minutes.
We enjoyed a hearty turnout for Seattle resident Teri Akin’s photographs and narrative about her trip to Mongolia with the Snow Leopard Trust. The Snow Leopard Trust is dedicated to conserving the tiny, elusive population of snow leopards scattered across Mongolia, Khazakhstan, China, and India by working with local communities to develop alternate sources of income, notably beautiful wool handicrafts. Their adorable wool felt snow leopard, camel, and horse ornaments have been among our most popular holiday items.
Teri, who has studied with Photography Center Northwest for the last 3 years, traveled with the group for 4 weeks last September to document the projects, people, and landscapes. She spent 2 weeks in the Ulaan Bataar region, and 2 weeks near the Gobi Desert. Beautiful! (And bumpy: ladies, take the most supportive bra you can, no kidding.)
In support of the Trust, Teri offers her prints for sale and donates all proceeds. View them on her Web site at www.akinphotography.com.
For more info on the Snow Leopard Trust, please visit www.snowleopard.org. I look forward to bringing in the ornaments for the holidays. Until then, please stop by our next-door neighbor, Bonnie River, which offers many SLT handicrafts and other fair-trade goods.
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05.07.07
Posted in Store News, In-Store Events at 9:50 pm by Administrator
All events are held at our Seattle location, unless otherwise stated.
May 8th Tuesday 7 PM
A Month in Mongolia with the Snow Leopard Trust and Teri Akin
Last fall Teri Akin, a Seattle photographer who focuses her documentary work on traveling in developing countries while collaborating with a nonprofit for the local people’s benefit, journeyed to Mongolia with the International Snow Leopard Trust to photograph their community-based conservation program in remote areas of Mongolia. Staying with nomadic herder families in their gers (yurts), she and the SLT staff traveled in Russian jeeps to find the participant communities in far northwestern Mongolia and in the South Gobi Desert. Come and hear about this adventure and how this unique program helps protect the endangered Snow Leopard, raises a family’s income as much as 40% and empowers women. Teri will tell the stories of these extraordinary women and life in this amazing “new” country while treating us to extraordinary photographs.
May 15th Tuesday 7 PM
Tramping Bulgaria with John Osaki of Walking Softly Adventures
Come to the edge of Europe and discover exotic Bulgaria with John Osaki of Walking Softly Adventures. We’ll venture into the heart of some of the wildest mountain scenery left on the continent on the trails of the Rila and Pirin National Parks, ascend to gem-like lakes cupped in mountain basins, contemplate the frescoes that grace the walls and ceilings of the Rila Monastery, immerse ourselves in the peace of Rozhen Monastery and wander amid the strange sandstone pinnacles of the sun-soaked Melnik badlands. John and his wife Amy, both former National Park rangers, founded Walking Softly Adventures to share their passion for hiking the mountains of Europe. Introduce yourself to Bulgaria; a warm welcome awaits you!
May 19th Saturday 9 AM
Gutsy Women Travelers
Join us as we host an informal gathering for women to meet and learn from each other’s travel experiences and share wisdom learned from the road. Bring your coffee and your questions.
May 22nd Tuesday 7 PM
Chez Moi: Buying Your Dream House in France with Laurence Raybois
Drawing on personal experience and thorough research, Laurence Raybois, who grew up in Provence and spends part of her year there, provides a practical guide to every aspect of buying real estate in France. Laurence will talk about dealing with real estate agents, lawyers, and architects, as well as explain how to choose the right insurance, rent the property for profit, and avoid common cultural mistakes. Laurence’s book, Chez Moi, is now in its third edition and is the perfect way to find out everything you want to know about procedures, precautions and protocols!
May 29th Tuesday 7 PM
Slides & Tell: It’s Your Turn to Shine
Yes, we’re at the end of another season of WWB presentations and its time for our traditional wrap up session, Slides & Tell, where YOU get to be the star of the show. We invite customers to bring in five slides or digital images in a projectable format and a story that goes with them. We’ll have our annual geography quiz with prizes for the most knowledgeable travelers in the audience. Please call ahead so we know how many to plan for and where you’ll be taking us. We can also answer your questions about using our digital projector. 206-634-3453 or email us at travel@speakeasy.net. Come and be part of the fun!
June 17th Sunday (Time TBA)
Tony Wheeler, Co-Founder of Lonely Planet and Traveler Extraordinaire
Tony Wheeler will be here talking about his two new books, Bad Lands and Unlikely Destinations. Check back for details of time and place!
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05.01.07
Posted in Event Recaps at 6:01 am by Misch
Last Tuesday’s poetry and prose reading was a cozy, personal affair of perhaps a dozen people. Susan started with selected poems from “Cures Include Travel,” from her experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger (”two years of everything being mysterious”), work in Bosnia and Gaza, and meditations here at home, of war and loneliness and lovers both known and best left unknown.
Barbara Sjoholm’s excerpts from “Incognito Street: How Travel Made Me A Writer” continued the mood, as we followed her first steps at the age of 20 of tearing herself away from a flat relationship, book of Zen poetry in hand, to chilly London to plunge into writing. With humor and affection, she recalled her early observations of London through strongly rose-tinted glasses and her journey through Europe and into maturity as a writer and a person over the next few years.
In the complicity of wings
I tend toward naming
freeway, river, mountain town–
reaching beyond a horizon
where everything is travel, everything
enlivened along its open path.
(from “Flight Path”)
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