Nostalgic Monterey

The last time we were on the California road trip together, back in November, I shared my adventures in San Jose and Salinas, where I visited the Steinbeck Center, Steinbeck boyhood home, and a number of haunts from the author’s childhood and settings for his work.


Join me now as we venture to Monterey — visiting my own boyhood home (or at least the place where it once stood) and haunts from my own childhood.


The nostalgic trip is a part of my continuing California book tour travel story published in serial form by Atticus Books.


Join us at the Atticus Books Blog.

http://atticusbooksonline.com/blog/2015/09/02/8095/

Talking Fiction and Travel at Late Last Night Books

Sonia Linebaugh recently interviewed me for Late Last Night Books, a blogzine about fiction by novelists. In the interview, we talked about Tracks: A Novel in Stories, writing, travel writing, and train travel both in Russia and the United States.

“I love traveling by train, ensconced with strangers boarding and debarking according to some mysterious and personal trajectory,” Sonia wrote. “So right from the start I was intrigued by Eric Goodman’s Tracks, a novel in short stories about travelers on a train headed from Baltimore for Chicago."

Sonia even found an old travel story I wrote about a Paul Simon tour and compared the road trip narrative to train travel. “It was both a homage and an evocation.”

Read Sonia’s interview at Late Last Night Books.

http://latelastnightbooks.com/2015/11/23/112315-eric-d-goodman-interview/

Making Out in San Francisco

Join me as I sip tea with an old friend from Russia in Zen Valley, Explore the wonders of Golden Gate Park, and experience the hills and valleys of San Francisco. Chinatown, Grace Cathedral, and City Light Books are also on the agenda. Not to mention the Make Out Room, where I take to the stage in front of a beer-lit crowd.


It’s all a part of my continuing California book tour travel story being published in serial form by Atticus Books.


Join us at the Atticus Books Blog.


http://atticusbooksonline.com/blog/2015/08/19/booking-it-along-the-california-coast-a-book-tour-road-trip-across-the-pacific-coast-6/

Bad Commutes, Good Sourdough, and High Art

It’s all a part of my continuing California travel story being published in serial form by Atticus Books.


In this fifth installment, I experience the worst commute ever before making it to San Francisco. It gets even worse when I’m not even permitted in prison. But things look up as I sample sea soup and sourdough in Fisherman’s Warf, take in some high and manufactured art, and venture across the Golden Gate Bridge.


Join us at the Atticus Books Blog.


http://atticusbooksonline.com/blog/2015/08/12/booking-it-along-the-california-coast-a-book-tour-road-trip-across-the-pacific-coast-5/

Time Machines, Reunions, Japan, and California

It’s all a part of my continuing California travel story being published in serial form by Atticus Books.

In this fourth installment, I meet up with my first book event and old friends for a reading at the end of Rout 66 followed by a reunion of friends I went to school with in Sasebo, Japan.

Like a word you hear and read often after learning it for the first time, Japan and the 1980s seem to pop up at every turn as we explore Los Angeles and the area. It’s like a tar pit time machine.

Join us at the Atticus Books Blog.

http://atticusbooksonline.com/blog/2015/08/04/booking-it-along-the-california-coast-a-book-tour-road-trip-across-the-pacific-coast-4/

So Long San Diego (Part 3 of My West Coast Story)

Join me for a tour of San Diego in the third installment of my California travel story.

The Atticus Books Blog is serializing the series, which I wrote based on the west leg of my book tour—taking me to old homes and favorite places.

Read the third installment of “Booking it Along the California Coast: A Book Tour / Road Trip Across the Pacific Coast” at the Atticus Books Blog.

http://atticusbooksonline.com/blog/2015/07/14/booking-it-along-the-california-coast-a-book-tour-road-trip-across-the-pacific-coast-3/

Come Back to California with Atticus

Come back to California for a quick read.

My most recently published travel story is a series that covers my travels along the coast of California while combining business with pleasure: visiting old friends and stomping grounds while on the west leg of my book tour for Tracks: A Novel in Stories.

The Atticus Books Blog is serializing the series. They published the first installment while I was still traveling in Budapest! Link to the second installment below.

Join me as I search for Oz, Point Loma, and shade in San Diego. Read Part Two of “Booking it Along the California Coast: A Book Tour / Road Trip Across the Pacific Coast” at the Atticus Books Blog.

http://atticusbooksonline.com/blog/2015/07/07/booking-it-along-the-california-coast-a-book-tour-road-trip-across-the-pacific-coast-2/

Booking It with Atticus

You can bet a series of travel stories about our recent experiences in Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, and Slovakia are coming in the near future.

But my most recent travel story published is a series that covers my travels along the coast of California while combining business with pleasure: visiting old friends and stomping grounds while on the west leg of my book tour for Tracks: A Novel inStories.

The Atticus Books Blog is serializing the series. They published the first installment while I was still traveling in Budapest!

Read the opening of “Booking it Along the California Coast: A Book Tour / Road Trip Across the Pacific Coast” at the Atticus Books Blog.

http://atticusbooksonline.com/blog/2015/06/30/booking-it-along-the-california-coast-a-book-tour-road-trip-across-the-pacific-coast/

PAYcations are better than Vacations

As you may have heard, I’m getting ready to go on an epic vacation for the rest of the month. (I’m not worried about the reveal since someone is living in our house at all times!)

So it seems a fitting time to share my recent feature story published in Writers Weekly—the highest-circulation freelance writing ezine in the world.

The article is all about the joys of travel writing. One thing I enjoy almost as much as writing fiction is writing creative nonfiction about my travels.

“Explore the world, then explore it again in your writing. Find the personal stories in your travel experiences. Your readers will thank you—and read you—for it.”

You can bet I’ll be gathering some experiences to write about as I spend most of the month in Budapest, Hungary (just a few minutes’ walk from the iconic Hungarian Parliament Building) with side trips to Eger, Tokaj, Pecs, and Sopron in Hungary, Zagreb and Rijeka in Croatia, Lake Bled and Ljubljana in Slovenia, Vienna in Austria, and Bratislava in Slovakia.

Read my story about travel writing, and how to turn it from work into fun, at the following link.

http://writersweekly.com/this_weeks_article/009114_04152015.html

Getting Hungary for International Travel

My hunger for an international trip is ravenous. With our travel to China and Scotland a year behind us, we're ready to hop on a plane for somewhere new.

In a few weeks, we’re headed for Budapest.

We’ll be staying in central Budapest, and we look forward to really getting to explore the city. The iconic Hungarian Parliament Building, formal Royal Palace, State Opera House, twin-towered, Chain Bridge, Basilica of St. Stephen, Great Synagogue, Buda Castle, Fisherman’s bastion, and thermal baths—not to mention the foods and spirits.

Having an apartment centrally located—and a rental car—allows us the freedom to travel abroad while we’re abroad. Within Hungary, we plan to visit Eger, Tokaj, Balatonlelle, and Pecs. Beyond the Hungarian boarders, we plan to visit Bratislava, Slovakia; Vienna, Austria; Rejeka and Zagreb, Croatia;  and Ljubljana, Slovenia.

But even with all of those nearby destinations, the heart of the trip will be getting to know Budapest.

If you were in Budapest for a few weeks, what would be at the top of your list?

Scotland Revisited

This time last year, I was hunting for the Loch Ness, eating the world’s best fish & chips in Glasgow, strolling along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, and partaking in scotch flights in Sterling. Enjoy some of our highlights in our slideshow—set to Scottish music!

Our trip started with a nice day revisiting some of our favorite places in London: Westminster, the Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben, National Gallery, Portrait Gallery, and a taste of Fish and Chips.

We flew into Scotland early in the morning and didn’t waste any time, stowing our bags at the train station and exploring Edinburgh’s Royal Mile—filled with medieval stone buildings that decent for a mile from Edinburgh Castle (on an extinct volcano) and Holyrood Palace (the Queen’s Scottish residence). The Royal Mile ended up being our go-to place during our time in Edinburgh, where we visited a number of museums, galleries, and pubs. Meat and ale pies and fish and chips were favorites.

In Glasgow, we enjoyed touring the campus of University of Glasgow, Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Museum, and Park, the Mackintosh House, Hunterian Museum and Gallery, George Square, St. Mungro Museum, and Glasgow Cathedral. Neeps and Tatties were good in Glasgow, and so was the fish and chips.

Stirling’s medieval old-town was refreshing, not quite as crowded as the larger cities. The castle and medieval church were interesting, as were the pubs and restaurants. We enjoyed a deluxe Scotch flight (about 20 of them) at the Curly Coo—voted best whisky bar in the world two years in a row. In Stirling, we tried haggis, and fish and chips.

Our voyage through the highlands brought us some of the most diverse and dramatic scenery we’ve seen in one day’s time. Mountains and valleys, mist and sun, green moss and desert wastelands. Highlights included Loch Lomond, Glencoe, Rannoch Moor, Ben Nevis, and Loch Ness.

When we took our voyage into Loch Ness, it began raining. The water was choppy and the horizon was misty. We think we spotted Nessie, but it was hard to tell in the rain and mist. We debated our findings over fish and chips.

We searched Rosslyn Chapel outside Edinburgh, but didn’t find anything not already uncovered in Da Vinci Code.

We ended our Scottish adventures where they began, along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, where we had one last pub meal of meat pies, fish and chips, and ale and scotch.

People have already asked: which city had the best fish and chips and which was our favorite scotch?

We may need to return for another taste test. Get your own taste of Scotland by enjoying our slideshow!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu3SkKYcmvc

Still Exploring China

This time last year, we had just returned from our two-week adventure in China. Although a year has passed and we’ve been to other countries since, that visit still looms over us.

 

For one thing, I’m writing a novel set in many of the places we explored while there. For another, I’ve written a series of travel stories. Look for both to be published later this year.

 

Besides the writing, what did we do during our weeks exploring China? Figuring out where to begin can be as complicated as a Chinese puzzle box.

 

We began our time in Beijing. We strolled Tiananmen Square, the largest square in the world. We explored the Forbidden City and visited the Imperial Palace. We danced and sang with the locals at the Summer Palace. A rickshaw ride through the Hutong brought us face to face with world-renowned Cricket Leo and lunch with his family (of people, birds, animals, and insects). And Beijing Zoo gave us a glimpse of the giant pandas.

 

Then we explored the original capitol of unified China, Xi’an, and it’s 5,000 year history. We marveled at the thick, 9-mile city wall, climbed the Drum and Bell towers, rang the prayer bell at Wild Goose Pagoda in Jianfu Temple, and took a crazy motorized rickshaw ride through heavy traffic going the wrong way into bus-filled round-a-bouts.

 

The Terra Cotta Army protecting China’s first emperor was impressive, being one of the greatest archeological finds of the 20^th century. We even met one of the four peasants who discovered the warriors while digging a well.

 

Suzhou, the Venice of the East, saw us cruising along canals villages and admiring stone bridges and trees that touched the surface of the water. We walked ancient streets and took in the beautiful Lingering Garden. We even visited a farmer’s market with all sorts of livestock, from frogs and snakes to fish and goose. And we met a winemaker and sampled the rice wine of his 100-year old winery.

 

In Hangzhou, we cruised the West Lake, admired the Su Causeway and waterlogged pillars, and enjoyed some time at a tea plantation where we picked and tasted our own Longjing tea, watch it roasted in hot woks, and enjoyed a tea ceremony with the dragon-well tea so exclusive that it was once made only for the Emperor.

 

Shanghai surprises rounded out our trip with a skyline so amazing that it looked like something out of a futuristic movie. At the river, you could see the old European buildings at the Bund on one side, and the Pearl tower and futuristic skyscrapers in Pudong on the other. A ceremony was going on when we visited the Jade Buddha Temple. We hovered on the MagLev, climbed the JinMao Tower to stand next to the partially completed “second tallest building in the world,” explored Yu Gardens and Bazaar, explored the twisted side streets of the French Concession, enjoyed the Shanghai Museum, and even watched an ERA performance of Chinese acrobats.

 

What more did we do? A lot. We walked the Great Wall, one of the seven manmade wonders of the world. We visited a freshwater pearl factory, jade museum, silk factory, silk embroidery institute, Imperial Pharmacy of traditional Chinese medicine, and enjoyed lectures from experts on all of these.

 

My China-based travel stories are written, but I’m waiting to submit them after I finish my novel set in these and other exotic locations.

 

Dead and Buried is being published by Blue Heron Book Works later in 2015.

 

Learn more at www.blueheronbookworks.com/eric-d.-goodman.html.

 

Wee Dram of Scotland

We returned from our week in Scotland just in time to attend the most recent Lit & Art event. The week gave us just a wee taste of Scotland, and a few drams of scotch as well.

Our trip started with a nice day revisiting some of our favorite places in London: Westminster, the Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben, National Gallery, Portrait Gallery, and a taste of Fish and Chips.

We flew into Scotland early in the morning and didn’t waste any time, stowing our bags at the train station and exploring Edinburgh’s Royal Mile—filled with medieval stone buildings that decent for a mile from Edinburgh Castle (on an extinct volcano) and Holyrood Palace (the Queen’s Scottish residence). The Royal Mile ended up being our go-to place during our time in Edinburgh, where we visited a number of museums, galleries, and pubs. Meat and ale pies and fish and chips were favorites.

In Glasgow, we enjoyed touring the campus of University of Glasgow, Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Museum, and Park, the Mackintosh House, Hunterian Museum and Gallery, George Square, St. Mungro Museum, and Glasgow Cathedral. Neeps and Tatties were good in Glasgow, and so was the fish and chips.

Stirling’s medieval old-town was refreshing, not quite as crowded as the larger cities. The castle and medieval church were interesting, as were the pubs and restaurants. We enjoyed a deluxe Scotch flight (about 20 of them) at the Curly Coo—voted best whisky bar in the world two years in a row. In Stirling, we tried haggis, and fish and chips.

Our voyage through the highlands brought us some of the most diverse and dramatic scenery we’ve seen in one day’s time. Mountains and valleys, mist and sun, green moss and desert wastelands. Highlights included Loch Lomond, Glencoe, Rannoch Moor, Ben Nevis, and Loch Ness.

When we took our voyage into Loch Ness, it began raining. The water was choppy and the horizon was misty. We think we spotted Nessie, but it was hard to tell in the rain and mist. We debated our findings over fish and chips.

We searched Rosslyn Chapel outside Edinburgh, but didn’t find anything not already uncovered in Da Vinci Code.

We ended our Scottish adventures where they began, along the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, where we had one last pub meal of meat pies, fish and chips, and ale and scotch.

People have already asked: which city had the best fish and chips and which was our favorite scotch?

We may need to return for another taste test.

http://www.visitscotland.com/en-us

Soak in Hot Beer with Me

Like beer? Then you’ll enjoy reading about the Chodovar Beer Spa in Czech Republic.

 

GoNOMAD, one of the most popular online travel magazines for readers bitten by the travel bug, recently published my feature article, “Steeped in Beer in Chodova Plana,” along with some of my travel photos.

 

“Chodova Plana is a quaint little village out in the forest in a region surrounded by hot springs. It takes us about 15 minutes to make it through the country roads, spotting what look like summer homes along the way, to our destination: Chodovar—a historic brewery dating back to the 14th century.”

 

While there, we soaked in hot tubs full of beer, drank beer, were wrapped in beer-drenched linens, and even topped our visit off with a stop by Plzen—the birthplace of beer.

 

At a reading earlier this week I shared my story from Tracks called “A Good Beer Needs a Good Stein.” As I learned during this day trip during a visit to Prague, sometimes a good beer needs a whole bathtub.

 

Join me in a beer at GoNOMAD.

http://www.gonomad.com/component/content/article/21-features/5288-czech-republic-a-beer-soaking-spa#MB5BowA7fwAVtLQ2.99

Real Travel Adventures Goes to Madrid

Does the rain and snow (depending on where you are) have you wishing for sunnier weather? Pour yourself a snifter of Spanish brandy, prepare a bit of tapas, and come with me to Madrid!


Real Travel Adventures is an online travel magazine that draws the eyes of half a million unique visitors each year. The current issue features my travel story, called “Spanish Holiday: Part 2, Madrid.” It's illustrated by my wife, Nataliya A. Goodman.

I’ll admit that the published story has been cut down to size, and much of the detail and experience has been omitted or altered—rendering some reference confusing or unexplained. But the story will give you a glimpse of Madrid's beauty, along with its darker side.

So warm that chill with me in Madrid at Real Travel Adventures International Magazine!

www.realtraveladventures.com/2Feb2013/spanish_holiday_in_madrid.htm


You can also go back to Part 1, Barcelona, at the following link.

www.writeful.blogspot.com/2013/01/real-travel-adventures-goes-to-barcelona.html

Writing from Spain

I don’t know any Spanish, but I know a little about Spain. Four articles about my visit to Spain earlier this year have been accepted by three different publications.

Writers Weekly will publish my success story, “Selling Books Abroad,” about my sold-out book event in Madrid.

Real Travel Adventures Magazine will publish two armchair travel stories about my time in Spain: “Bouncing About Barcelona” and “Meandering About Madrid.”

Finally, inTravel Magazine will publish one longer story about my travels in Spain: “Spanish Holiday.”

Return to Writeful for more details (and links to published content) as it becomes available!

www.Writeful.blogspot.com

Where in the World Was Eric D. Goodman?

In Spain!



I’ve been offline and out of touch for a couple weeks as I spent about nine days on siesta in Barcelona and Madrid. Each city was wonderful in its own way. From what I experienced, Barcelona had a more Medeterranian feel, and Madrid seemed much more European. They balanced one another well.

Other than a quick night in Barajas (a suburb of Madrid), we started in Barcelona. In Montjuic, we climbed from the National Palace (and the art museum inside that featured Europe’s most complete collection of frescos) to the castle (which reminded me a lot of an older—but more recently active—version of Baltimore’s own Fort McHenry), and the Olympic stadium.

In Barcelona’s Old Town, we enjoyed the Gothic Quarter with the Barcelona Cathedral, Town Hall, and Casa de l’Ardiaca. We strolled along Las Rambles and took a trip through the Picasso Museum. And we got a taste of Gaudi’s surreal architecture and art in Palau Guell.

In the neighborhood where our B & B was, Eixample, we marveled at more of Gaudi’s masterworks: Sagrada Familia (the most unusual cathedral I have ever seen—in a good way), Casa Mila, Casa Batllo, and a bit further afield, Park Guell.

Then it was back to Madrid. We stayed about a two minute walk from the soul of Spain: Puerta del Sol. The Royal Palace, the Communications Palace, City Hall, the Metropolis Building, a private viewing of San Miguel Basilica, walks through Plaza de Cibeles, and two of the three flagship museums: Thyssen Bornemisza and Museo del Prado.

One of the personal highlights to the visit was my reading from Tracks at J and J Books and Coffee. It was a great place to get to know the local ex-pat community, consisting of people from all over: America, Ireland, England, Scotland, and even some Spanish natives who spoke English. During my reading, the crowded bar listened so attentively, during dramatic pauses you could hear a beer tap drip. (I read behind the bar.)

In the shadow of all these great sights, some of the best times were taking breakfast of Spanish coffee and sandwiches at a stand-up café, or enjoying tapas and wine in Plaza Mayor, or a snifters of Spanish brandy at a local bar in Puerta del Sol.

In fact, I hadn’t planned on it, but I’m inspired to take up some travel writing again. I decided to write down some thoughts on my trip over the weekend, and I’m already twenty pages into a armchair travel story. If I could sit in a Gaudi-designed office with a cup of Café con Leche or some 1886 brandy, I may be able to finish it.

Take a look at Gaudi’s Wiki page and check out some of the images toward the later years of his career:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaudi


Enjoy a sip of 1886:
http://www.vinissimus.co.uk/en/destilados/tipo/brandy/detalle_destilado.html?id_destilado=lar1866


Or some Café con Leche:
http://spanishfood.about.com/od/discoverspanishfood/qt/qtcafeconlech.htm