Endnotes 01 November: Multnomah Falls, Rare Wharton, Old Prague Pics, Cromwell on Screen & More

Plus an intoxicating new episode of The Library of Lost Time

Hello, friends!

We’ve taken the staff of Strong Sense of Place to London for a series of mandatory meetings. Very serious business is going on, like seeing David Tennant in Macbeth, touring a historical cemetery, eating at Dishoom, and shopping for English-language books. Very Serious Business.

Remember when I talked about Dishoom in this podcast episode? Can’t wait to try the bacon naan roll and famous black dal. A friend who lives in London said we need to eat there twice, so, yeah, that’s what we doing.

We’ll be back with a full report on our UK adventures in future episodes of The Library of Lost Time. Don’t miss today’s episode of the LoLT; it’s a fun one with Prague-based travel writer and author Evan Rail. Notebook and pen nerds, this one is for you!

Endnotes: 01 November

The beautiful cascade of water above is Multnomah Falls — 611 feet (186 meters) of icy, roaring water near Portland, Oregon. If you want a close-up look, a paved hiking trail leads to the Benson Footbridge (built in 1914) that allows you to cross the lower part of the falls. The trail then continues up, through 11 switchbacks, to the upper part of the falls and an observation deck that gives you a panoramic view of the Columbia Gorge. Find the details you need for the hike right here. The trail starts at the Multnomah Falls Lodge, with a restaurant, espresso bar, visitor’s center, and gift shop. (BRB, need to get this Bigfoot sticker and Marionberry Jam.) This short video shows you all you need to know about hiking up the falls. Surprise! The views are spectacular.

Exciting news about the screen adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror & the Light. ‘For three months, Wolf Hall’s cast and crew have shuttled between England’s heritage sites. They’ve shot at Hampton Court and Haddon Hall, Lacock Abbey and Montacute House. Now at last they’re in the final straight.’

We Are Living in a Golden Age of Apples. I can’t think about or bite into an apple without remembering Chuck Wendig’s brilliant horror novel about (literally) bad apples, Black River Orchard. Hear me talk about it on this episode of The Library of Lost Time.

The Substack A Narrative of Their Own highlights the work of 20th century women writers. Treat yourself to this installment about the Algonquin Round Table. Love a friend group that requires you to stay sharp: ‘The group’s standards were incredibly high: intelligent, with an excellent vocabulary and quick witted, they also had to be tough to endure the same wit reflected back at them.’

Fun photos from the Netherlands, Spain, Chicago, Japan, and more: 7 Apartment Buildings That Are Architectural Marvels.

Meet the Roller Coaster King. ‘John Burton was just 27 when he was put in charge of creating Thorpe Park’s biggest-ever project. Once too scared to go on rides himself, how did he become the architect of so many daredevils’ dreams?’ (For more theme park thrills, treat yourself to our podcast episode Amusement Parks: Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!).

Aw. It will be a long time until I’m over the loss of Dame Maggie Smith. LitHub makes a case that Miss Jean Brodie was her greatest film role. ‘Like many people both inside Spark’s fiction and out of it, I have always been a little in love with Jean Brodie—and more than a little aware of how problematic it is to be in love with her. Smith performs Jean Brodie as a creature of opposites, and as magnetic as she is complex.’

Did you know that Edith Wharton wrote the interior decorating The Decoration of Houses in 1897? It was called the ‘the most important’ interior design manual ‘ever written’ and the ‘pioneering guide’ to which ‘all modern design books owe their existence.’ (!) Read it on Project Gutenberg. And here’s more on the book from Architectural Digest.

Laura Davidson is an artist who makes books, prints, paper mosaics, and drawings. Her work is delightful! Check it out on her website and Instagram. Exhibit A: These handmade books are fantastic.

Whoa! Feast your eyes on the oldest photographs of Prague. The Charles Bridge looks almost exactly the same today (except there are so many people walking on it). 

This is a fascinating peek behind-the-scenes of how priceless artwork is transported. ‘This is where manual labor meets the sublime. Art handlers, movers, and preparators are among the few people who actually get to touch some of the world’s most exquisite works of art. In many cases, they spend more time among the works of a museum’s collection than its curators.’ (WaPo gift link)

New Episode of The Library of Lost Time

In each mini-podcast episode, we discuss two books at the top of our TBR, then share a fun book- or travel-related distraction. Get all the episodes and books galore here.

[photo: Timon Studler/Unsplash]

In this episode, we get excited about two books: The Absinthe Forger by Evan Rail and The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper by Roland Allen. Then our guest Evan Rail shares his enthusiasm for fountain pens and special inks.

listen + show notes | transcript

Cheers to your health.