Journey reading list: 3 (Anna Karenina)

I am a firm believer that Russian literature should be read at regular intervals. In my opinion no writers are able to put into words that torment and inner demon which inhabits everyone's soul.

Anna Karenina is often referred to as the greatest novel of all times, Count Tolstoy arguably the most important writer of the so called Russian 'Golden Generation' and Anna Arkadyevna Karenina the most famous and controversial female character to have been created.

These superlatives may seem excessive and perhaps they are, yet when you are reading Tolstoy I find it hard to imagine that anything can even exist beyond the realms of those words and pages. Faulkner and Nabokov are amongst those who have described this book as the greatest work of realist fiction ever and it is easy to see why.

The detailed descriptions of society and everything that entails: people's mentality, habits, the do's and don'ts, way of dressing, cultural interests and so much more are brought to life by Tolstoy like nobody else can. Although the novel can at times feel like sophisticated soap opera, it is an indispensable guide to what life was like in Russia in the mid 19th century. Themes including love, morality, fidelity, honesty, etc are all explored effortlessly. As with his other stalwart novel, War and Peace, it is the autobiographical character that really caputres the reader's imagination and portrays what arguably lies at the heart of Tolstoy's philosophy: the troubled relationship between nobility and the peasants, the admiration and value he placed on the latter and his desire to effectively integrate them into a reformed agricultural society that had just managed to shed the long shadow cast by serfdom. In Anna Karenina that character is Levin and the last chapters are almost entirely dedicated to his struggle with mortality, the purpose of life and the beauty that is to be found in love (and God).

Anna Karenina is very rarely dull although it is nearly 1,000 pages long. It is often moving, funny and inspirational. It is the kind of book that makes you wish you could go back in time as you lose yourself in the world of Tolstoy's Russia. I don't think anybody's library, both physical and mental, would be complete without it.

Treveague

Town: Treveague
Region: Gorran
Date: 6 - 9 July 2010
Journey Time from Bristol: 4 hours
Campsite: Treaveague Farm
Postcode:
Weather: Mixture of sun and rain; windy and cool in evenings.

Lo-down: Gorran and Gorran Haven are both within walking distance of the campsite. Both are cute villages with the latter particularly nice as it is has a little beach and several cliff walks. Although both villages are only a short walk away, Treveague Farm feels isolated and quiet without being remote.

Getting Around: Travelling from the campsite is very easy. You can walk to a beautiful and peaceful beach in less than 15 minutes. There are also various cliff walks allowing you to walk as far as you like - we chose to walk to Gorran Haven and it took about 1.5 hours (there is a shortcut directly back to the campsite which takes little over 15 minutes). You can also jump into the car and drive to the historical harbour town of Mevagissey, St Alban and the Eden Project in about 20 minutes.

Best pub: There are many great pubs in Mevagissey serving nice ales and good seafood. Unfortunately the pub in Gorran Haven was closed or under refurbishment and the isolation of the campsite really told for the only time. The campsite shop sells nice local ales though.

Eating Out: As always the best option was the Barbie. There is a cafe on site which serves breakfast and some food during the day but we didn't try it. There is a lovely cafe serving cream teas in Gorran Haven, right at the end of the cliff walk. Mevagissey has loads of lovely looking restaurants, pubs and cafes and although we only managed to eat in one pub, the food was very tasty.

Amenities: Unlike our previous farm experience (see below), this never really felt like a farm other than the fact that all the pitches are very spacious, the view of the bay is splendid and that the site is surrounded by rolling fields with cows and sheep. The bathrooms were spotless and are cleaned every day. The kitchen where you can wash up has a microwave, a fridge freezer so you can refreeze your ice packs for free and even a drying room for your laundry or anything else. There is also a shop selling local ales, wine and other goods at very reasonable prices. The impression of the campsite was also as being very family friendly with a playground and a little football pitch.

Pitch: The pitches were clearly marked so as to avoid people encroaching on each other. Some of the pitches give you a great view of the bay and you are never too far from the toilets, kitchen or cliff walks.

Perks: The view is great, the campsite is friendly and clean, and the beaches which are only a short walk away are stunning. Although the site is isolated, it is easy to get to other lovely villages and towns without having to drive too long.

Beach: Sandy beaches, clean water and very quiet this almost seems too good to be true.

M's rating: 9/10
B's rating: 8/10

Journey reading list: 2 (The Pillars of the Earth)

The Pillars of the Earth is an ambitious novel. Tolstoyesque in its scope and its presentation - it is divided into decent size chapters with nice short and accessible sub-sections. Unfortunately any of the other comparisons with Tolstoy, which surely must have been a model for this book, don't reflect well on Follett. It is obvious that the detailed descriptions of churches and cathedrals were derived at from vigorous study and there is no doubt as to his ability to write a thriller (his suspenseful writing is indeed what drives the novel and the reader on), but his Tolstoyan tendency to allow characters to see into each others souls by merely studying the facial expressions of others often feels hollow.

The story itself is moving but too many of the characters and much of the plot seems to depend on convenience. The final third of the novel felt rushed and unbelievable and inevitably disappointing. Not to be too downcast, though, I would still recommend the book for the realism it manages to ascribe to the middle ages, often bringing to life a time so long gone, and undoubtedly for its beautiful depiction of the churches and cathedrals which have, in many respects, indeed become the pillars of our earth.

Timeless

There was something inexplicably reassuring and comforting about finding myself in a 700 year old building, not because it was a 'House of God' but rather because of the fragile old lady who had welcomed me into the church as if she had known me her entire life. I felt grateful to this woman as she showed me her favourite poetry collection and even though I wasn't really listening it, lost in my thoughts, it was as though there was nothing to be afraid of anymore - so many people over endless years had stood in the exact same spot as me and countless more people would do so in the future. For a mere fleeting second I felt a part of the universe and life and death were meaningless and I was at peace with everything.

Looe

Town: Looe

Region: Cornwall

Date: 3 - 5 July 2010

Journey Time from Bristol: 3.5 hours

Campsite: Bay View Farm

Postcode: PL13 1NZ

Weather: Mixture of sun and rain; windy and cool in evenings.

Lo-down: Looe is the nearest town to the campsite and Polperro is not much further. The former is a traditional seaside town, lacking in character, filled with run down uninviting pubs and a small, accessible and overcrowded beach. The latter is a much more attractive, quaint, small harbour village that is well worth a visit -instead of run down pubs you can have lovely cream teas in one of the many cafes.

Getting Around: It is very easy to get around as the campsite is located a 10 minute drive from Looe and 15 minutes from Polperro. It is possible to walk to Looe from the campsite but realistically it would take 3 hours for a round trip.

Best pub: We didn't come across a single decent pub, although Polperro would probably be your best bet.

Eating Out: As per usual the best option was the Barbie. There are several nice places to have cream teas in Polperro, one of them apparently award winning and the best in the South West. Looe also has a decent Pasty shop (Sarah's Pasty Shop).

Amenities: It was hard to escape the fact that you were on a farm. The bathrooms weren't cleaned during the entirety of our stay and space was shared with the horse stables, and although you couldn't see them, you could certainly hear and smell them. The campsite had no shop and no reception which sometimes made you feel a little intrusive when you needed to freeze your icepacks by stepping unto the owners' veranda.

Pitch: The pitch was the best part of this campsite. As the name suggests, you get a beautiful of the bay which is only enhanced as it gets dark and the lights of Looe twinkle in the distance. Unfortunately the pitch is quite sloped and you get a lot of dogs snooping around your tent.

Perks: The amazing views from the campsite are what makes it worth a visit. Other little perks include free wireless broadband and an abundance of wildlife nearby such as the monkey and donkey sanctuary.

Beach: One of the beaches which is about 30 minutes walk is nice and sandy but with a lot of algae washed ashore which meant an abundance of flies, making it hard to really enjoy it.

M's rating: 7/10

B's rating: 5/10

Journey reading list: 1 (Black Swan Green)

In much the same way that I described music as having the potential of defining a trip/holiday/journey, books are the same. I will forever remember the Catch-22 induced giggles I got whilst the bus snaked its way through the Andes after we had visited Machu Picchu in Cusco, Peru. I will also remember the debauchery and commercialism of Ianapa, Cyprus when I was revelling in the moralist rhetoric of Tolstoy's War and Peace.

It goes without saying, therefore, that a journey reading list will be explored as time passes and we clock up the miles.

David Mitchell's semi-autobiographical Black Swan Green is the book I always imagined I would write. The narrator (Jason Taylor) tells of his typical teenage life in 1980's Britain - the Falklands War is dominating the news, peer pressure amongst pupils at school and how you deal with it will define how many friends you have and you question on a daily basis how you could possibly be related to your 'family' when you feel like an alien amongst them. Not that I grew up in Great Britain in the 80's but it explores that period in your life that can perhaps best be described as limbo: no longer a child and a long way off from being a grown up (also known as teenage years I'm told).

The real allure of the story, however, cannot be over simplified to such an extent. The beauty of the book lies in Mitchell's masterful work of capturing the language of a stammering teenager and his constant battle to overcome and/or avoid the embarrassment ('hangman') this causes him. Cast your mind back to Cloud Atlas, in my opinion a masterpiece that deserved the predictable Booker Prize, and it comes as no surprise that Mitchell is able to manipulate language as a tool to effortlessly advance his narrative.

Black Swan Green is a meditation on maturity, on growing up and growing old. It is witty and melancholic, ambitious yet gratifyingly simple. It is the kind of book you don't really want to start because you suspect that you won't want it to end. One of those books that you will want to take up in small doses so as to make it last as long as possible. Alternatively, of course, it is the kind of book you might just want to devour on a camping trip, for example.

MM

Journey soundtrack: 1

Everybody knows that the right soundtrack can make a road trip more enjoyable. It can energise you, it can make you reflective as the music seamlessly blends into your surroundings or it can simply distract you when things don't turn out as expected. In short, the right music can define a trip.

Hence a little note on what has been draining the batteries of my iPod lately.

The National (High Violet) has been tearing through my headphones for some time now and although I would generally describe their music as leaning towards dark, morbid and introspective, there is also a certain element of fun in their music (living in a Lemonworld anyone?). The latest album meanders through various melodies reminiscient at times of Interpol's stellar debut, Turn on the Bright Lights ('Terrible Love, 'Sorrow'). To a lesser extent one cannot help but think of Godspeed You! Black Emperor (beautiful violins on 'Little Faith') and Arcade Fire's boundless energy on the standout song 'Bloodbuzz Ohio' which makes me shudder and shiver with admiration, pleasure and inexplicable sadness.

As if lamenting for something lost that cannot be regained this album takes you on a journey of its own. The ease with which the band combine their usual indie rock with subtle string compositions and beautiful brass accompaniements is enough to guarantee that this album will be found safely nestled in our glove-box compartment once it's time to go on a journey of our own.

MM