T.J. Davis's Blog

Fun fact: In the 1700s you could bring a dog or a cat for your admission ticket to the London Zoo...as long as you used it to the feed the lion.

Best meal: Pho and Vietnamese coffee at Ngon Ngon. 

Best museum: The British Library. Handwritten sonnets by Elizabeth Barrett Browning ("How do I love thee...) , Beowulf, illuminated manuscripts, a copy of The Rape of Lucrece by Shakespeare (his first published poem), Jane Austen's writing desk, and a letter by T.S. Eliot about "The Wastelands" were among the most impressive artifacts at this treasure trove of a museum.

Best graffiti: Where the skateboarders roam on Southbank.

Most impressive sight: The Globe.  

Best bookstore: Foyles for choice, the used and antique bookstores along Charing House Road for the sheer joy.

Best place to people watch: Walking down the stairs of Piccadilly Station and seeing the poor fools that decided to try the 200+ stairs rather than waiting for the lift.

Music to match the city: "Vampire" by Dr. Dog.

Where I stayed: Hammersmith.

Thanks to everyone who has read or at least passed on the message of my newest book. You have my eternal gratitude.

 

To paraphrase Somerset Maugham — I have never begun a post with more misgiving. I was in Paris for three whole days, and I didn't even find the surface, much less scratch it. But if you'll bear with me, maybe on your visit you'll agree with at least one of my choices below.

Fun (Morbid) Fact: In 1926, the reigning Ukrainian leader was killed in Paris. The assassin shot him five times in broad daylight. A policeman who witnessed the murder walked over to the gunman and calmly asked, “Is that enough?”

Meal: Au Père Louis:  Sure, the veal with roasted vegetables was great. Same goes for the red wine concocted by a vintner beyond the sprawl of Paris. But it the best plate of the trip, bone marrow on toast, that nearly made me break my rule of eating at the same place twice on a trip. Crispy buttered toast. Perfectly creamy, salty, savory, glistening orbs of bone marrow.

Museum: The Louvre wins for sheer scope, but I enjoyed the pieces in The Centre Pompidou more, like Edward Hopper's New York Movie, Picasso's L'Aubade, and the room with kinetic art. Also, I managed to make it to the top floor to see one of the best sunsets of my life.

Graffiti: Parisian street artists seem to prefer words rather than images, but I did find one little side street in St. George with some whimsical walls.

Most Impressive Sight: Sainte-Chapelle's stained glass is spectacular. Maybe the most beautiful room I've ever been in, with the exception of when I'm in a room with you, dear reader.

Bookstore: Shakespeare and Company. Every bit as cheerful, packed with history, and overflowing with great selections as I could have hoped for. Left with a Billy Collins book of poetry and a batch of short stories by David Foster Wallace.

Drink: Côtes du Rhône: by the glass, by the bottle, on the Seine, or in the Latin Quarter. Paris done rekindled my love for reds.

Bar: Oddly enough, the Café L'Envol Québécois, a Canadian bar with wooden floors, good music, a jolly bartender, friendly patrons, and the perfect cozy interior for a beer and a book.

Dessert: Macaroons from Pierre Hermé Paris. Had the pistachio, the coffee, and the caramel. The perfect cookie.

Best Place to People Watch: Place de La Contrescarpe. A circle of open area surrounded by cafes where I parked myself during Halloween night. Great mix of people stumbling, arguing over cell phones, and laughing.

Coffee: Strada Cafe: walked past it a dozen times, but didn't step in until my last morning. Chipper music, friendly baristas, and actual filtered coffee.

Where I stayed: This fine AirBnB by Cardinal Lemoine. As tiny as my first apartment back in Korea. One woman I met said you had to cut baguettes in half in order to fit them into Parisian apartment. Now I know why the French are so skinny: necessity.

A note on perfection: that word kept creeping into my entries here, and I'm not altogether sure why. I liked Paris, quite a bit, but it was far from my favorite city. The lines are long, it's expensive, and a few people (but only a handful) were as rude as the Looney Tunes of my youth led me to believe. Paris just happens to do a few things extremely well. Wine, food, museums, and, of course, lighting.

Fun Fact: Estonia is the least religious country in the world.

Best meal: Sesoon Kalamaja Kohvik, maybe the best sandwich I've ever had in my life: tuna tartar, roe, some kind of delicious spread, perfect onions, and freshly baked bread. Did I mention that the Estonians and Latvian's take their bread seriously?

Best museum: Kumu Art Museum, the building itself is impressive, weird architecture built into the side of a hill, but the maze inside is where the real treasures are.

Best graffiti: The alleys by Seaplane Harbor.

Most impressive sight: The panoramas from atop the Old Town's walls.

Best drink: Dark beer, any of them, all the time.

Best bar: Levist Väljas wins for funniest clientele, but Porgu had the food and ambience that wins for the place I would go back to first.

Best place to people watch: Kadriorg Palace, nestled inside an enormous park complex east of Old Town. It's a great place for a walk, learning about the history of the area, or stopping by the aforementioned Kumu.

Best coffee:  Must Puudel, a cafe/bar/restaurant/great place to take a load off.

Music to match the city: Sweet Spirit

Where I stayed: Tabinoya Guesthouse, easily one of the top three hostels I've ever stayed. Definitely the best in Europe. Great guests, workers, common room, and rooms.

Want to buy me a birthday present but you're hundreds or even thousands of miles away? IT would warm my cold, black heart if you picked up one my books.

 

Fun Fact: Native Latvian Jakobs Jufess invented jeans.

Best meal: Gastrobars T73, a restaurant inside a casino. The best eggs benedict I've ever had outside of the US. Salmon, asparagus, perfectly poached eggs, and tangy hollandaise sauce. 

Best museum: Latvian National Museum of Art, even with a large chunk being closed for reservations, this was a great place to see Latvian's greatest pieces of art.

Best graffiti: The mural outside of Roberts Books, a used bookstore with a bar.  

Most impressive sight: House of Blackheads in the main square of Old Town.

Best bookstore: Janiz Roze, picked up a Terry Prachett paperback.

Best bar: Folkkubs ALA, first taste of Latvian dark beer, which is fantastic. Less carbonated than other beers, but spiced with wonderful little surprises.

Best place to people watch: The four parks surrounding the national Freedom Monument. Street artists, tourists, and locals all enjoying the open space of Riga.

Best coffee: Cadets de Gascogne, a chain with great macaroons, snug seating, and great coffee.

Best place for a quiet stroll: Lielie kapi (literally 'large cemetery'), a plague cemetery northeast of Old Town. A bizarre, peaceful maze of bright greens and rain-slick memorials.

Music to match the city: Deerhoof.

Where I stayed: AirBnB across the river, SE of Old Town. Five minute walk to the sights while walking across the dark blue of the Daugava River.

The new book is almost ready, but until then you can peruse the older stories.

 

 

The fine people at Eat This Poem were kind enough to publish a literary city guide for Sofia that I wrote. This is one of my favorite travel websites, so check it out if you're going a trip!

Literary City Guide for Sofia

Fun Fact: The people of Prague drink more per capita than in any other city  in the world. 150 liters per year, or about 1/2 a liter of beer per day.

Best meal: Kampa Park along the Vltava River. This was the best meal of the year. Veal tenderloin with ragout of green asparagus and fava beans, potato rosti, rhubarb, and morel jus.

Best graffiti: Lennon Wall

Most impressive sight: St. Vitus Cathedral, located behind the walls of the largest castle in the world.

Best bookstore: Shakespeare a synove. Prague is also home to the Strahov Library, which has the drawback of not allowing you to go inside in the rooms. Pretty impressive view nonetheless.

Best bar: Prague Beer Museum is a smoky, loud, packed bar with more good beer than anyone (living) could drink in one night.

Best place to people watch: Charles Bridge is brimming with musicians, knick-knacks, sketch artists, and people taking selfies. Old Town Square usually has a few interesting characters as well.

Best coffee: Cafe Parisienne serves great coffee and wonderful breakfasts.

Music to match the city: Low Cut Connie

“A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us.”

— Franz Kafka, from a letter to Oskar Pollak

Biggest regret: Not going to see Franz Kafka's grave.

Where I stayed: AirBnB in Old Town that is unfortunately not available anymore because the owner moved out of Prague. Old Town (GoT spoiler) is still the place to stay if you're going to be taking a trip here.

Help support my travels to more new places so that I may avoid the responsibilities of being a responsible adult by reading one of my books.

 

Fun Fact: The Cyrillic alphabet was invented in Bulgaria, not Russia. Cyrillic was a bit easier to learn than the Korean alphabet and light years easier than Burmese. Over here, my name is Тайлър Дейвис. Pleased to meet you.

Best meals: Lavanda for the foodies. Edo Sushi for shockingly good Japanese. Annette for Moroccan. Bistro Pesto for a cozy Italian space. Boom! for burgers and milkshakes. Taj Mahal for Indian. And of course Hancheto Pub for my favorite Bulgarian food in town.

Best graffiti: Shishman Street for sheer quantity, but this one just north of the Cerdika metro makes me smile every time I walk past it.

Best bookstore: Elephant

Most impressive sight: Alexandar Nevski Cathedral. But if you try to take pictures inside a monk will yell at you...

Best bar: One More Bar. Best bar and the best name for a bar.

Best dessert: Co-Co Sweet and More for tasty cakes, sweet pies, and crispy pastries. Or you could also stop at Confetti for Sofia's best gelato.

Best place to people watch: City Garden. Besides a great view of the beautiful national theater you can also perch up inside the two story glass reading room on the north side of the park.

Best coffee: Bar Me. It looks like an old Victorian era building. For some reasons the walls are covered pictures and drawings of birds.

Music to match the city: Pile

or this guy:

My second favorite accordion player in Bulgaria. Isn't that right KC?

Biggest regret: Not getting down to the Rila Monastery yet.

Best people: The kind-hearted, hard-working, and wondrously sharp teachers at the American College of Sofia.

Click here to own some movies made of words.

 

Fun Facts: Amsterdam is a city of superlatives: highest number of nationalities in one city, most bike friendly city in the world, home to the tallest people in the world, and it was the first city to legalize gay marriage.

Best meal: Goat cheese, honey, and walnut sandwich at Screaming Beans.

Best museum: Rijksmuseum barely beats out the Van Gogh Museum for me. But you're a fool not to go to both.

Library in the Rijsmuseum

Best dessert: Sara's Pancake House

Best place to people watch: Dam Square in front of the Royal Palace.

Best coffee: Letting

Best Activity Illegal in Nearly Every Other Country: Jaywalking

Music to match the city: Ty Segall

“We’re all alive, but we don’t know why or what for; we’re all searching for happiness; we’re all leading lives that are different and yet the same.”

— Anne Frank, from The Diary of a Young Girl

Biggest regret: Not getting into the Anne Frank House. Tickets are sold out weeks or even months in advance. Though walking around the neighborhood, it was surreal to see the spire of the Westerkerk that was mentioned so many times in her beautiful diary.

Anne Frank's house on the far left, Westerkerk on the far right.

Where I stayed: Hotel De Westertoren. Great place to spend the nights, but my god the stairs.

Help support American capitalism for Independence Day by checking out one of my books, or help support a free goods based society by taking a free one of these. 

 

Fun Fact: While it's tempting to point out any number of the architectural or geographical wonders of Venice, my favorite bit of trivia has to do with women in education. In 1678, Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia, born in Venice, became the first woman to ever graduate from a university. 

Best meal: TEAMO Wine Bar. For no other reason that it was my first plate of pasta in Italy. Simple, fresh, and perfectly cooked. The reputation for Italian pasta is well-earned.

Best museum: Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Most impressive sight: The colored houses on the island of Burano. Just a short ferry ride away from Venice.

Best drink: Italian wine, all the time. Couldn't find a bad glass if you tried.

Best bookstore: Libreria Acqua Alta for its utter strangeness.

Best bar: Bacaro Jazz. Dozens of bras hanging on the ceiling from past wild nights. Great music. Friendliest bartenders in town.

Best place to people watch: St. Mark's Square, flooded, pigeons, performers, artists

Best coffee: Cafe Rosso. A comfy little cafe along the edge of Campo Santa Margherita.

Music to match the city: Bob Dylan

Advice: Have an offline map. You'll get lost even if you have it, but it helps. I use maps.me after a suggestion from my pal Tom Houston.

Where I stayed: Hotel San Giorgi

Happy July everybody! The time of melting ice cream cones, patio seating, and camping. If you'd like some narrative company, please consider picking up one of my books. 

 

Best meal: Konijn op vlaamse wijze (Flemish rabbit) at Cambrinus. One of those great whim meals that you almost miss. Just look at the size of their beer list!

Best museum: Groeninge Museum. Though the Salvador Dali Museum on the edge of Grote Market was well worth a visit.

Most impressive sight: View from the atop the Belfry. (It's a narrow stairway. I'm not being funny.)

Best drink: Trappists, brewed in Belgian monasteries.

Best bar: t' Poatersgat, a bar in an old cellar with stone walls and fireplace. Hundreds of beers. Candle light. And a rock n' roll soundtrack.

Best place to people watch: Grote Markt Square

Best coffee:  Books and Brunch

The Church of Our Lady Bruges at night

Music to match the city: Sam Cohen

Superlative: Cafe Vlissinghe is one of the oldest bars in Europe, opening in 1515.

Creepiest place: Jeruzalemkerk. Also one of the most peacefully quiet. 

Fun Fact: There is an online guide for finding all the locations from "In Bruges."

Biggest regret: Not hearing anybody call someone an inanimate object.

Where I stayed: Hotel Koffieboontje. A block away from the town's square.

27% of American adults didn't read a book last year. 99% didn't read one of mine. Be part of the 1% (no, not THAT one).