French Twist: A Refreshingly Frank Travel Memoir by a Modern American Puritan
There’s the fantasy of a visit to France, and then there’s the reality. See what happens when in-the-cloud dreams collide with hard truths on the ground.
When two middle-aged women leave their families behind in rural Iowa for two weeks of exploring France, they are sure to find trouble. Join Libby and Micki as they bumble their way through failing métro passes, irate policemen, continual language challenges, and endlessly baffling maps and road signs. They visit the magical sights, glimpse the brutal history, and are shocked by the sexual openness of France, all the while struggling to get things right in a country that seems to do everything backwards from what they are used to. Click here to order or learn more.
German Shepherd: A Guided Tour Through Germany and Austria with a Faithful Companion (travel memoir)
Libby and Micki are back in Europe, this time touring Germany and Austria. Following the call of beer, pretzels, and The Sound of Music, they start off in Berlin, fly to Munich, and then brave the Autobahn through Bavaria and Austria. They stay with Libby’s beloved German “mother,” hearing her vivid first-hand accounts of life as a child refugee after WWII and then as an adult in the police state of East Germany. Their stay–and their story–weave back and forth between East and West, between past and present, in a fascinating historical overview. In Bavaria they delve into the life of King Ludwig II (the “crazy” king who might have been murdered) and battle the hordes at his fairy tale castle. In Austria they explore the glorious landscape celebrated in one of the most famous movies of all time. And through it all, despite wilting heat, incessant rain, their typical travel confusion, and recurring sleep deprivation, they get a rich taste of local life and a heaping helping of Gemütlichkeit. Click here to order or learn more.