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MY THOUGHTS ON "A TRAMP ABROAD"

My Thoughts on: Mark Twain's "A Tramp Abroad"

Hello Froggies! I am currently reading "A Tramp Abroad" by Mark Twain as publisehd by Penguin Classics. I am actually a good way into it at this point. To be precise at the time of thie 5 May 2024 update, I am to page 223. The finish line is at page 375. This is the story by Mark Twain of an adventure to Europe and supposed to be traveling by foot. Being someone into hiking and nature photography; I figured hey that will be cool to take a long distance walk through Europe. I will just leave it there on that topic.

I have travelled with him and his companion through Germany and am currently in Switzerland. His wit and sarcasm are a lot of fun in the book on these adventures. And I have generated many questions to write to my snail mail pen pals in Germany about from this book; and now with my snail mail pen pals in Switzerland. haha. . . I cannot wait to get their responses to my inquiries inspired by reading this book.

This is a very enjoyable read. I like the adventures to the different cities and towns and most of all his witicisms and sarcasm about things he and his travelling companion Harris encounter and on other tangents he goes on. Reading this one is making me want to read A Yankee goes to King Arthur's Court which someone recommended to me as being very comical. I imagine it is! I have also read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain and enjoyed it; however, the dialect language writing I found I did not enjoy as much. But I digress. I shall continue on my adventure with Mark Twain through Europe.

19May2024 Update: I spent a little time at a caffinating paradise reading a little bit more in A Tramp Abroad. I enjoyed my time in Switzerland. I was surprised to learn that if you want a certificate or whatever commemorating your ascent up to Mount Blanc you actually have to CLIMB it and one cannot simply look at the summit through a new fangled telescope! Isn't it amazing what one can learn by reading classic literature! And, you'll be happy to know this for when glaciers return to Michigan: despite moving they are not really good modes of transporation. Profound! Anyway, I told you it was silly; those are a couple instances. I have made it to page 344 in this Adventure and therefore only have 30 to do and then I have to pick what to read next from my extensive TBR shelves . . . Two that I have pulled out as possibilities are "Mr. Teague" by Frank Norris and "The Virginian" by Owen Wister. However, I am leaning toward Teague. But wait, I will look through my shelf and see if there is another that catches my eye because at this moment The Viginian is not exciting me. Uno Momento!

Discussion / Thought Questions Inspired by my Reading of this Book:

* What do you think if you see an delightfully dressed lady walking a dog?

* When is the last time you went to go see a live play? Have you ever been to the Opera? If you did, did anyone near your sing or hum along with it? What did you think of said person if so?

* Are you a superstitious person? Believe that places can be haunted?

* Have you ever played a practical prank on someone and have it go terribly wrong? or know of someone who had?

* We've all had this situation: running into someone who talks to us who knows us but we don't know them. . . how do you typically handle that situation: try to fake your way through it or come right out and say I don't remember how I know you?

* How do you feel about cuckoo clocks?

* I read a LOT of classic literature and in them are often foreign language passages, some of which the editors will make footnotes translating them, others leave them untranslated. . . how do you feel about it? should they be translated or left as is by the author or editor?