Novels and Travelling

I found an English book shop in Hanoi, Vietnam, and for reasons I can’t recall, I ended up buying ‘Until I find you’ by John Irving. The book accompanied me on my travels, I finally finished it about five weeks later in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

I fell in love with that book, and may go as far to say it is one of my all time favourites. I was travelling on my own so that book was my companion. It joined me in bed, at dinner, and on long journeys; it really became my best friend.

I think the story is brilliant, and so well written. I left it in the book exchange in Cambodia and now hope someone is reading it and loving it as much as I did.

The book is set in many different countries and cities but one of the main ones was Amsterdam. On my way home from South East Asia, Mitch and I agreed to meet in Amsterdam. I was very excited.

Have you ever been to a city which you’ve read about in a book? Read street names and monuments from a story and had this picture in your head of a city? Then you see said city and you can picture the story coming to life before you?

It’s brilliant.

I adored this novel and then I then got to visit the places where so much happened within the story. The Oude Kerk church was a particular highlight. As I stepped inside, I pictured and heard the organ being played (not too much of a spoiler for the book). As if the city isn’t beautiful enough and seeing Mitch after nearly three months wasn’t good enough. I saw these places I read about. I pictured those fictional characters in these spaces. I loved it.

If you’ve ever read a book with a prominent city as it’s location, go there. See the story unravel around you and picture those characters you hold dear in the very place your feet are. It’s a wonderful feeling as a traveller and book lover.

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