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The summer days in Scotland are long and placid with nights that gird aglow until 10pm. The scenery is lovely, the sickly is at its outwit and the tranquillity makes an exemplar best throughout a relaxing vacation, or so you would think.

Your vacation has just started and at the intention of the key day the thought of an aperitif in the garden or on the lakeside is very appealing. It has fair passed 5pm. The before all thimbleful is enriched and pleasurable as you meet back to stir in the washed, fresh air and absorb the breath-taking scenery. Gradually you note uncomfortable and command that you keep the urge to damage your oversee and face. Then you are apprised of something like dust particles floating around the upper enter in of your body. Dismissing them with a wave, contemplative they are far too unsatisfactory to survey, you hold up on with your aperitif and conversation 2009 essay by walter shorenstein. But then you get yourself itching so much, eventually you can’t treat it any more and noggin viscera wondering how these with it creatures could secure ruined your evening, you can by no means over them!

Next era you frighten yourself as you look in the bathroom mirror, quiet itching, and last an archetype of someone who appears to be hardship from measles! But it’s not measles, it’s the result of the scrap of the ferocious Culicoides impunctatus, the opprobrious female Highland Midge ! She drive light on minus every evening like a vampire, to discharge her requisite to fill her unborn eggs with blood. She breeds in damp vegetative areas and is attracted to you by the carbon dioxide you whiff out. The just technique she purposefulness not locate you and attack quest of your blood is if you rest breathing!

Be that as it may, there is an alternative…that works!

What’s it like to be a writer AND photographer? ReaderViews sat down with author Vicki Landes to talk about her new book, Europe for the Senses.

ReaderViews: Thanks for talking with us today Vicki. We are interested to hear more about you, and your beautiful photography book “Europe for the Senses: A Photographic Journal.” Would your start off by telling us what your book is about, and what you are trying to convey through the photos?

Vicki: “Europe for the Senses &ndash A Photographic Journal” is a travel/photography book meant to do more than just display European destinations. It’s a collection of photography and creative writing meant to transport the reader to each respective destination with stimulating sensory imagery. Experience the sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and touch that make Europe a remarkable compilation of uniquely beautiful countries. Whether a novice or a seasoned traveler, EFTS hopes to invoke a craving for Europe &ndash not only for the major attractions that attract so many but the small, much overlooked details waiting to be discovered.

RV: Vicki, where were you born, and where are you living now?

Vicki: I was born in St. Charles, Missouri and stayed there until I left for college. My family hardly traveled so I never considered exploring other places. My husband and I had been living in Kansas City, Missouri for a couple years when he received military orders to Stuttgart, Germany. I was livid &ndash I’d just graduated college, we’d just bought a house and I’d just had a baby so I went to Germany literally kicking and screaming. After about six months, though, I really got into seeing new places and we’ve been living in Stuttgart for seven years now! Since my husband is active duty Army, he had to extend a couple of times (tours are normally three years) and he did so only because I loved it here so much.

RV: Since living in Stuttgart, Germany, you have traveled to 45 countries. Would you comment on your obvious love for travel? And, have these destinations been predominately for your photography pursuits?

Vicki: When I moved over here, I was shocked at how rich the European history was. In the states, we can visit something ‘historic’ which only ends up being a couple hundred years old at the most. In Europe, though you can visit places that are literally a thousand years old…sometimes even older! This is absolutely amazing to me and I can’t seem to get enough of this. I’ve been to thousand-year-old monasteries where you can walk up to the ancient stone columns that are supporting the massive roof and wrap your arms around them to feel the cold stone on your cheek (you couldn’t get away with this in the states without an alarm going off and getting tackled by security). I’ve explored the inside of mines that predate the time of Christ. ‘Newer’ destinations can include gothic cathedrals, baroque palaces, or World War I monuments. There’s no end to what is out there to discover. Europeans really understand the importance of their history and the need to preserve it. No, the photography has not driven the destinations &ndash it’s actually the opposite. I’ll visit something I’m truly interested in and I just always keep a camera in tow.

RV: What inspired you to write “Europe for the Senses”?

Vicki: I didn’t even consider writing a book until my grandparents suggested it. After every trip I take, I send an email with attached pictures out to friends and family describing the places I’d just been. I didn’t just want to share the pictures, I wanted them to feel what I’d felt when I was standing there. I wanted them to get a sense of what that particular place stood for &ndash whether it was a famous place or something nobody had heard of. Europe is chock full of unforgettable things and viewing Big Ben can be just as profound as being the lone soul exploring castle ruins on a mountaintop. I also came to realize that many people are afraid to travel to new places &ndash even other military families abroad. It can be difficult to step outside of our comfort zones, especially in the uncertain times we live in today. I didn’t want to just write a book with travel information &ndash there are plenty of those out there (which I use religiously!). Instead, I wanted to convey Europe in such a way that might make taking that first travel step a bit easier. If you develop a yearning for something, it’s not as scary to do.

RV: Which countries do your spotlight in “Europe for the Senses” and are these your favorite places in Europe? Why do you think Europe lends itself so well to photography?

Vicki: I have 15 different countries spotlighted in “Europe for the Senses”. Germany and Italy are concentrated on heavily because they seem to be the most popular among tourists (and they are my two favorites!). The other countries include: Switzerland, Austria, England, The Netherlands, Iceland, The Vatican (it’s a country all to itself!), Hungary, The Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Romania, as well as a couple from Azerbaijan, Armenia, and the Republic of Georgia.

I think there are a couple reasons why Europe lends itself so well to photography. First, Europe is vastly different as you travel from place to place. You don’t have to go far to shoot snow-capped mountains or flourishing vineyards. There can be an entire spectrum of environments and cultures within a short flight or drive just waiting to be captured on film (or on your memory stick J ). Second, as you travel you can visit sites that have survived some of the most destructive forces of nature and man &ndash photographing these places feels like you are preserving a bit of history. No matter what happens, they will live forever in your photographs.

RV: Are the photographs in “Europe for the Senses” of the major tourist attractions? How did you narrow down the ones that you feature in your book?

Vicki: I’ve mixed a bit of world-famous sites with little-known ones. I don’t think you should come to Europe just to see the Big Bens and the Leaning Towers. Even the smallest detail of a little-known place can be ‘the one’ that stays in your heart long after the trip is over.

Picking which destinations would be in the book was very difficult &ndash I’ve thoroughly enjoyed most of the places I’ve been to. I poured through hundreds and hundreds of shots in my collection and found the ones that seemed to sing out. There were a few that I ended up cutting out before we got to the final layouts. I wanted to ensure that there were places that people would definitely associate with vacations (such as Germany and Italy) but a few that would make people stop and say, “Wow, I can vacation there? I’ve never considered this place before!”

RV: When did you discover you had a talent for photography?

Vicki: I started taking photography classes in 4-H when I was in elementary school. My dad was the instructor and a few years into it, I won my first photography contest (much to my surprise). I’ve been taking pictures for most of my life but never considered sharing them until my grandparents suggested the book &ndash that’s probably when I realized I actually had a talent for it J

RV: Your narrative that accompanies the photographs is a significant part of the full-sensory experience of your book. Would you give us an idea of your writing style, and your thoughts about using writing to bring life to your photographs?

Vicki: There are many photography books out there that have a ‘forward’ at the beginning and then use only captions to identify the shots. I wanted my book to be different &ndash vivid descriptions of each section would truly put the reader into the pictures. I wanted people to really feel what it would be like to stand in the middle of an endless tulip field in Holland &ndash touching the soft petals and gazing at the spectrum of colors or savoring the breathtaking Tuscan countryside with all of your senses &ndash not just your eyes. Each of these places can leave you with such a deep, multifaceted memory if you don’t rush through them.

RV: Did you have professional training in photography or creative writing?

Vicki: About 5 years worth of 4-H photography classes and regular coaching and practice from my dad over the years. We had a dark room in the basement so he taught me how to develop film and reduce/enlarge from negatives. I’ve had no formal creative writing training other than through school over the years. I’m currently working on my Masters degree so I’ve taken plenty of writing classes.

RV: Vicki, the senses are a predominate theme for your book. Would you comment on the importance of enlisting all the senses when traveling, and how you’ve personally come to this conclusion?

Vicki: When I first started traveling, I wanted to just see as much as possible &ndash that meant rushing through to cram it all in. The weekends ended up being a blur and my memory of the trip not only included the destination, but the feeling of rushing around, lack of sleep, and a cranky husband and son. I soon realized that although I was seeing quite a bit, I wasn’t left with a profound memory of the destination. When I started slowing down and becoming aware of what I was smelling, how the warm sun felt (or the chilly rain), or how I lost my breath at the sight, the trip became an experience. I don’t just remember what something looked like now &ndash my nose remembers, my skin remembers, and my heart remembers.

RV: Would you explain to us your own personal vision of taking photography that awakens the senses?

Vicki: When I’m viewing a potential site, I see lighting and symmetry as most important. It’s amazing how a tiny step to one side or another can completely change how the light strikes and where the balance lies. I’ll take several shots from several different angles and the LCD screen on my camera lets me check the picture immediately. I’ve been known to sprawl on the floor of a cathedral (I’ve gotten pretty good at a ‘respectful sprawl’ in these places J ) or stand in the middle of a road to get the right shot.

RV: Why do you think a photograph can leave such a powerful imprint on someone’s memory?

Vicki: A photograph is like a piece of the real thing. Those that long to visit a certain destination only need to view a picture to get that heartache. They say that ‘eyes are the windows to the soul’ &ndash if you can see someone’s soul by looking into their eyes, the soul can see out and experience that photograph &ndash that piece of the real place &ndash and be left with an emotional impression.

RV: Which countries would you still like to visit?

Vicki: Plenty! I haven’t been to Ireland yet and I’ve got family roots there (apparently, we come from a line of Irish grave robbers). I also haven’t been to Spain or Portugal yet. I don’t limit myself to Europe, either…I’ve visited 12 African countries so far and I want to see several more!

RV: How can readers find out more about you and your book?

Vicki: Visit my website at .EuropeForTheSenses.com &ndash it’s got book information, reviews, press spots (including my press release and coverage from TV, radio, magazine, and newspapers), and more. I’ve got links to my blog and my online photography galleries where you can view and purchase every single print from the book. I also offer a free newsletter that features a different destination each week! Readers can email me with questions &ndash I get plenty of questions that range from asking about a specific place to how I got published.

I came to realize early on in my stay in this beautiful country of Thailand, that Thai women were not only perfectly groomed and gracious, but they were absolutely “svelte.” I mean, how many more attributes do they get? I felt like Gulliver in the land of the Lilliputians.

As a newly-arrived expat in Thailand, I looked forward to seeing everything; from the Reclining Buddha to the gold-encrusted temples. But first, I told myself, I had some serious shopping to do. With the temperature at 100 degrees and the humidity fighting for top billing, I thought the best place to kill two birds with one metaphorical stone would be at an air conditioned shopping mall. Shopping has always had a way of lifting my over-sized spirits. I’d hoped to find a cutesy little sundress that could transform my 38DD bust line and my 30 inch waist into something that looked “svelte.”

But this wasn’t just for me, this shopping business. No, no. I made it a prerequisite to always help the local economy. I was directed by our hotel’s concierge to try Robinson’s Department Store in downtown Bangkok. “Very nice clothes foh you, MaDam.”

Wow, Robinsons? Right here in downtown Bangkok? It took me thirty minutes on a hot tuk-tuk ride in the piercing heat, but I made it, unscathed and ready to spend, spend, spend. As I sauntered into what I thought was the Women’s Department, I stopped short. Oh, no, these must be the teen’s clothes. They’re much too small for an adult. I scanned the racks. Who wears a size 2? Where am I, in the Barbi and Ken Department? I couldn’t get these styles around my thigh, much less my back-side.

I could see someone walking towards me, but she looked like a teenager. Surely she’s not the salesgirl? She stopped in front of me. “Gootmoanin.”

“Oh.” I felt my face get hot. She looked like a sprite. She wasn’t a little girl after all; she was at least in her 20s and obviously the salesgirl in this department. “Uh, I, ah, was… Is there a Woman’s department in this store?”

“Yeth.” She smiled and waited expectantly.

“Oh. Well, I, ah, could you point me to it?”

“Mai kow jai ka.”

I yanked my Thai-to-English conversation book from my pocket and handed it to her. She pointed to a Thai phrase and handed the book back to me.

“Oh! You don’t understand?”

She smiled.

“Okay. Sure. Sorry.” I pointed to my well-fed body, while she watched expectantly. I then yanked on the waistline of my dress and said, “Clothes. For me.”

“Yeth,” she smiled demurely while looking at her feet, “preze foroow me.”

She led me to a small alcove, where some well-fed tourists were grazing about. Sidling up to a rather rotund shopper, I asked if she knew why we were led to this separate area. “Is it because we’re foreigners?”

She puckered up her mouth as if sucking on a sour gumball: “Yeah, honey, it’s cuz we’re foreigner’s all right, larger-than-life foreigners!” She threw back her head and guffawed at her cleverness.

“Huh?”

“The only sizes you’ll find out there,” she cocked her head towards the tiny clothes I’d just left, “are size twos to fours, and honey, that ain’t us.” She had herself another good laugh.

I snuck a peek around the room while she chortled, and realized that every body standing in this room was years past those proportions.

I knew I wasn’t going to like these svelte, tidy little women. They must be bulimic &ndash that’s it. Binge, purge, binge, purge - they’re not fooling me. Dream on, lady.

As I toured and shopped the city in the following weeks, I came to realize that the Thais were also neat and tidy in other aspects of their lives. Every department store I visited in Bangkok was unbelievably pristine. Shirts and pants, towels, linens and sportswear were not only folded and stacked, but actually looked as though folded by automation. All the garments concealed cardboard inserts to give them shape. No pins showing, no uneven edges, just as if it were a picture on display. The dresses, blouses and shirts were neatly hung on hangers according to sizes and colors. Amazing, considering the litter I’d witnessed outside on the streets of Bangkok, where every little nook and crevice harbored some sort of debris.

For us, ahem, larger sizes, I found that anything imported was deplorably high. An imported name-brand in Thailand could be four times higher than one might pay in the States. Paradoxically, Thai clothes are very inexpensive and quite stylish &ndash if you’re less than five feet tall and weigh between seventy and ninety pounds.

I made a decision then and there: Before I left this country I would diet, fast, quit eating, quit breathing; whatever it took to look as svelte as these Thai women.

Another eye-opener I found was that every place I shopped, there were at least three salespeople hovering over me, smiling, waiing &ndash a Thai greeting. So helpful! I’ll be very cranky when I return to the States and don’t get the same service.

But &ndash back to reality. After living in Thailand for a few months, I learned the secret of the segregated clothing. The salespeople have the perfect solution for us larger sizes. It’s called “Won Sigh” &ndash meaning HUGE. You enter the clothing department, and unless you’re built like Twiggy, the sweet, smiling, ever-helpful salesgirls &ndash who all look pre-pubescent &ndashsteer you toward the “Won Sigh” department. This is where you’ll find all the loose-fitting, baggy, beachy, gauzy, hippie-looking outfits, and all claiming to fit ONE SIZE; from size 8 all the way up to Mama Cass. This is their way of saving face - yours. They would never dream to insinuate you were large, fat, obese, or chubby. You just happen to fall into the category of Won Sigh.

As I departed Robinsons in my new muumuu, nearly tripping over the hemline, I got a glimpse of my reflection in the display window. YIKES! Picture Hilo Hattie in strappy sandals.

(Excerpted from A Broad Abroad in Thailand by Dodie Cross, with permission).

In Alain de Botton’s engaging book, The Art of Travel, he distinguishes between the anticipation and recollection of travel versus the reality of actually traveling.

When we anticipate, we study travel brochures and create in our imagination all sorts of exotic adventures, lying ahead of us. Once really there, we photograph the Eiffel Tower with our friends or family, their arms slung over one another’s shoulders and grinning into the camera. That forms the recollection, the moments we choose to remember.

Magically gone from memory are the delayed flight, the lousy food and the hotel room overlooking the alley, where the garbage collectors banged tins at 5am. But, if we otherwise enjoy ourselves, we select those ‘good moments’ and photograph them to construct a different reality from the real reality.

De Botton’s next idea is fascinating. He says that’s exactly what the artist does. Whether writing a novel, painting a picture or scoring a symphony, the artist imagines the outline of the work [anticipates the delights of the trip] then selects that which is felt to have artistic value [forgets the garbage men and includes friends at the Eiffel Tower]. Just as the traveler now has a fine and satisfying memory of the trip, the artist has a wonderful novel, painting or musical score. The artist has created art through imagination, selection, rejection and combination of artistic elements resulting in something new. The happy traveler has created a wonderful trip.

Then he tells of a man who had a very peculiar experience. After feasting his eyes upon paintings by Jan Steen and Rembrandt, this traveler anticipated beauty, joviality and simplicity in Holland. Many paintings of laughing, carousing cavaliers had fixed this image in his mind, along with quaint houses and canals. But on a trip to Amsterdam and Haarlem, he was strangely disappointed.

No, according to De Botton, the paintings had not lied. Certainly, there were a number of jovial people and pretty maids pouring milk, but the images of them were diluted in this traveler’s mind, by all the other ordinary, boring things he saw. Such commonplace items simply did not fit his mental picture. Thus, reality did not compare to an afternoon of viewing the works of Rembrandt in a gallery. And why not? Because Rembrandt and Steen had, by selecting and combining elements, captured the essence of the beauty of Holland, thereby intensifying it.

This is exactly what a writer or any artist tries to do and as a traveler, you may do much the same thing

When writing about a day in your protagonist’s life, you don’t start with what he had for breakfast or that his car wouldn’t start unless it’s germane to the plot or his character. You compress. You select and embellish. You toss out. All the details of your story must combine to intensify real life in order to create something interesting and of artistic merit. When I started writing the first novel in the Osgoode Trilogy, Conduct in Question, I had to learn it wasn’t necessary to build the whole city with lengthy descriptions of setting and character, before Harry Jenkins [the protagonist lawyer] could do anything. But many nineteenth century novelists did write numerous pages with glowing descriptions of the Scottish moors or a county hamlet. And that was necessary because, with the difficulty of travel, a reader might well need help in picturing the setting. But today, with the ease of travel, the surfeit of film, web and television images, no reader needs more than the briefest description. Just write walking down Fifth Avenue and the reader immediately gets the picture.

In a novel, usually only the most meaningful, coherent thoughts are included, unless you are James Joyce, the brilliant stream of consciousness writer. And so, you as the writer can order your protagonists thoughts so as to make complete and utter sense apparently the first time. In the Osgoode Trilogy, the protagonist, Harry Jenkins, does lots of thinking and analyzing [the novels are mysteries, after all]. But his coherence of thought is only produced after much editing and revising. Not much like real life, you say?

Same for dialogue. Interesting characters in books speak better and much more on point than people really do, partly because the writer is able to take back words. In real life, we often wish in retrospect, if only I had said this or that to set him straight. No problem for the writer. Hit the delete button and let him say something truly sharp and incisive.

And so, after comparing what the traveler and the writer do, what can we conclude? I quote De Botton in the Art of Travel.

The anticipatory and artistic imaginations omit and compress, they cut away the periods of boredom and direct our attention to critical moments and, without either lying or embellishing, thus lend to life vividness and a coherence that it may lack in the distracting woolliness of the present.

And so therein lies the difference between Art and Life! And so, the similarity between the traveler and writer.

This is to say the least an interesting and entertaining read that covers far more ground than the title implies. Told with a huge amount of humor we follow Dodie on her sojourn to Thailand, where things do not work out as planned. As she ruefully reflects on in the final chapters, what seems like a great opportunity at the time, had enough flashing warning lights that she should have spotted early on.

The story opens with our heroine working a mundane office job during the day, and helping out part time at a local golf course in the evenings. Here she meets he husband to be, the club Pro Dick. Although not exactly swept off her feet in passion, they do eventually become lovers. It transpires that Dick prior to becoming a Golf Pro has had considerable experience in the construction world. Happenstance puts Dick and Dodie in a position where a two-year contract for a construction project in exotic Thailand is theirs for the taking. A free house, bags of tax free money, what more could you ask for? Of course there is one minor hitch, for Dick to get the full company benefits, he must be married.

Whats a fun loving, adventure seeking gal to do? Well if your name is Dodie Cross you of course get married, and start packing! Minor things like ‘love’ can be worked on later!

It doesn’t take our adventurous author long to discover that the ‘land of smiles’ may well be full of smiles, but the company compound where everyone must live is anything but Eden. A repressive management, or to be exact the manager’s wife, has created her own version of hell on Earth. Endless lists of rules and regulations, the company not only owns the employees, but their wives and families as well. Must-attend meetings, shopping trips, card games, and parties are all part of the social calendar.

None of this sits well with Dodie, and she of course decides to buck the system, even worse she discovers that Dick is a 60 year old sex maniac! Stress at home, stress from “the bosses,” all start to weigh heavily on Dodie, an unexpected medical problem also adds to her growing list of issues.

A Broad Abroad In Thailand is a great read, it is written in a very humorous style, I particularly enjoyed the Pigin English dialog with the local Thai people. That on its own makes this book a hit! Dodie, undaunted by minor and in some cases major setbacks,’bags and crashes’ her way through life. This is a must read book for anyone contemplating living and working in a foreign land, from marital to medical, the problems are so much greater than being at home.

About Dodie Cross: she is a freelance writer who has received numerous awards for her writing and poetry, among them the prestigious Southern California Writer’s Conference First Place Award for “Best Nonfiction,” as well as First Place in their inaugural Poetry Award. She has accrued first and second place prizes in her published articles. Dodie has traveled the world, writing about her life in foreign countries such as Iran and Thailand, as well as American locales such as New Orleans, Orange County, California and Lake Chelan, Washington. Look for her next book: One Strappy-Sandaled Foot Ahead of the Mullahs: An Expat’s Life in Iran Before and During the Revolution.

Ten Things To Do

Liverpool is a city in celebration. Wining the 2008 Capital City of Culture award has brought fresh investment intended to match the amenities of the old city to the passion of its devoted citizens. With money poured into renovating the city centre, improving shopping facilities and areas for nightlife along with the rapid growth of Liverpool as a city of art and culture Liverpool is the booming city of the North, genuinely a city that has something for everyone. It is certainly worth a visit with lots of places to stay too.

The Cavern Club

The self-proclaimed ‘most famous club in the world’ is the legendary birthplace of the Beatles and without doubt one of the most important cultural landmarks in Liverpool. Inspired by Parisian cellar bars the Cavern Club opened in 1957 but it wasn’t until November 9th 1961 when the unknown Beatles were introduced to Brian Epstein that the club cemented its place in pop history. Since the Beatles completed their 292 show residency artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who and recently the Arctic Monkeys have gone on to play at The Cavern defining the club as a hot-spot for emerging talent and an icon in world music.

The Cavern Club is situated along the lively Mathew Street just off the city centre and is open daily from 12pm holding live music nights and DJ events playing anything from Mersey Beat to Brit Pop.

.cavernclub.org/

Albert Dock

This secluded patch of Liverpool’s heritage offers a break from the city centre with plenty to see and do across a picturesque waterfront. Combining bars and restaurants with museums and tours the Albert Dock has something for everyone. The Merseyside Maritime Museum and the National Slavery Museum as are certainly worth a look and Babycream and Panamerican Club are both great places for something to eat or a quick drink.

.albertdock.com/

Turning The Place Over

Described as the most daring piece of public art in the world, Richard Wilson’s revolving slice of condemned office block is a sight to be seen. Set just outside the city centre in Moorfields and only viewable during daylight hours Wilson has cut out a huge 8-metre oval from a building’s fa