Endnotes 07 March: Flyers' Rights, Fun Letterhead, Moby-Dick Musical, Brontë fashion & More
Plus, a new episode of The Library of Lost Time
Hello, friends!
We just got back from a trip to Lisbon to eat pastel de nata, eyeball beautiful tile, and — the best part — spend time with some of our best friends. It rained more than we would have liked (Hello, hailstorm at the Moorish Castle!), but the glimpses of sun and sips of Ginjinha kept us warm.
Yesterday, however, was a cursed travel day. Our US pals sat on the tarmac in Lisbon for four hours before their 8-hour flight back to the States — and our flight from Lisbon was delayed, which meant we missed our afternoon connection in Zurich. We were rebooked on a later flight, and it was midnight until we finally unlocked our front door in Prague.
So, yeah, unpleasant flying experiences are on my mind today.
You probably know by now that here at Strong Sense of Place HQ, we love a long train ride or an overnight ferry because those modes of transport do make getting there part of the fun.
But air travel is sometimes a required component of getting from Point A to Point B. And it’s not always a smooth ride.
Did you know airlines must follow guidelines when your flight is delayed or canceled? For example, when a plane is delayed on the tarmac, you’re guaranteed food and water after three hours, and in the US, if the plane sits idly for more than three hours, they’ve got to return you to the airport. Here are your flyers’ bill of rights for the United States, the UK, and the EU.
CNN has tips for what to do when your flight is canceled, and Luxury Traveler shares ideas to optimize time and stay comfortable. To improve your odds of trouble all-together, here are the best times to fly, the most punctual airlines, and the worst airports in the world for delays and cancellations. (Sorry, La Guardia and Frankfurt!)
Finally, here are 12 ways to ensure your bags don’t get lost when you fly.
Endnotes: 07 March
No matter how much I read about it, I cannot get enough intel about the time Agatha Christie disappeared in 1926. This essay by historian Lucy Worsley is an excellent take.
This made me laugh and made me curious about bad reviews of my own favorites: One Star Reviews of My Favorite Books.
Letterheady is a charming Substack that shares the letterhead of famous people and institutions; definitely subscribe — and enjoy this peek at Charles Schulz’s letterhead.
I love these whimsical cardboard monuments so much!
This headline probably doesn’t need a hard sell: 13 Beautiful Flower Blooms Around the World Worth Traveling For. Tulips! Orchids! Lavender! Cherry blossoms!
I suspect our Strong Sense of Place audience might not need this, but it’s a fun read anyway: The Guardian shares opinions on where to start with Jane Austen.
Hmmm, how do you write a musical based on Moby-Dick? ‘There’s so much about Moby-Dick that is operatic—the language, the themes, and the power of the story. Throughout the book, there are these dramatic, incredibly poetic passages that I could imagine being sung, especially if they were distilled down.’
Sort of related: There’s a musical version of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay!
For the record, I would very much like to time-travel back to the golden age of train travel.
Tangentially related: Eight Places to Experience a Movie Like It’s 1925.
This story about library ladders is fascinating. ‘The book ladder is the pinnacle of achievement for any aspiring book lover. Gliding along a railing system parallel to the bookcase, it is the finishing touch that completes any library, whether public or personal. Its presence makes tangible an embrace of learning, represented by a wall of needlessly high books anchored by the most specialized of ladders. It signals to guests that you’ve ostensibly read so many books and acquired so much alleged knowledge that you need extra assistance to get to it.’
My favorite link of the week is this essay about a young man who had a mail correspondence with Edward Gorey. ‘Over time, we discussed a range of topics: the Moors murders, the benefits provided by a ha-ha, Gustave Doré’s views about the London slums, Lillian Gish in The Wind, Japanese ghost behavior in the Edo era, spirit photography, London’s cheap bookstores, Rudolf Nureyev’s feet, illicit dissections and why green wallpaper had killed Victorians.’
The mysterious Voynich Manuscript can now be viewed in its entirety online. You can hear Dave talk about it in our Strong Sense of Placeepisode The Library: Endless Books, Reading Nooks, and Lots of Possibility.
Whoa. This is pretty fun. Max Mara’s Fall/Winter 2025 fashion collection was inspired by the Brontë sisters. ‘A weekend in Yorkshire led him to the Brontë heroines Catherine Earnshaw and Jane Eyre, and a collection of rustling greatcoats, hardy layers with bellow pockets, chunky boots, stiff tweeds and grand velvets.’
See photos and read more at The Guardian and L’Officiel. Feel free to buy me any or all of this:
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.
In this episode, we get excited about fun new books: The Café with No Name by Robert Seethaler & Katy Derbyshire (translation) and The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami. Then Mel recommends starting the day with the new word game ’Order Up.
listen + show notes | transcript
I haven’t read any Jane Austen so it is on my list of goals for the year.
Having a library ladder is on my list of goals for life.
I'm so sorry to hear about your flight delays -- yuck. I loved the link for the Moorish castle -- so amazing! I can't imagine the atmosphere with stormy hail...but I'm hoping it's had a sense of spookiness!