Part of this thrust behind this blog is the desire (perhaps the need?) to travel not just far and wide but also deep. To attempt to understand, even if to a modest extent, the the context where travel takes place.
Now of course, travel in the sense explored in this blog is largely about oneself: the inner journey, the spirituality. However, even an amateur writer should strive to, as Paul Theroux put it once, offer an opportunity for amplifying and resonating with the visited cultures. I believe I read that in Riding the Iron Rooster, my first encounter with his writing.
In my case, making sense of context naturally goes hand in hand with understanding a region’s history, politics and – I’ll say this with all humilty- getting to grasp some sort of sense of the place’s identity. In more practical terms, reading up on, listening up on, also provides a foretaste of what is to come, in a sense advancing the start day of the trip to a time when life appears to be ordering you to get down to work, keep up that stress. An escapade of sorts.
So here’s a selection of reading, listening, and (only some) watching connected to my travels.
1.- Modern Greece: A History Since 1821 by John S. Koliopoulos & Thanos Veremis
I read a short history of Moden Greece before my first trip to Macedonia in 2021. Although not much stuck, I remember how the book helped me understand the huge legacy of the Ottoman empire, as well as the political function of Orthodox Christianity, so alien to me.
Years later, in our family trip to the Peloponnese, we stumbled upon the small church in Napflio that witnessed the assassination of Ioannis Kaspodistrias, the first leader of the Greek state. Now that was a moment.
2.- The Balkans: Nationalism, War, and the Great Powers, 1804–1999 by Misha Glenny
Moving inward toward the center of the continent, the reading of Misha Glenny’s monumental account of Balkan history paved the way for my 2023 Balkans extravaganza, as well as the said Peloponnese trip and, of course, my two trips to Istanbul in 2024.
Glenny’s is truly great book, and that’s not just because of the wealth of detail it provides in each individual country, but perhaps most for an attempt to describe and explain the “Balkan curse” – that’s so much negativity and prejudice about SouthEastern Europe and its troubles.
Another source that stunned me in relation to Balkan history was BBC’s 7 episode series on the Death of Yugoslavia. That was useful both to understand the chronology of events, but also the deep racial and political divide across so many towns and regions.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdw7wnKe0wiUSNdugFGpnSfm6wt-9gvUt
3.- Histories of conflict: Belfast and Dresden
Researching the Troubles before my work trip to Belfast in 2022 (link), I encountered the wonderful podcast, Conflicted, that would become a steady companion for the years to come. Conflicted also provided some input for my trip to Berlin and Dresden.
4.- Pamuk’s Istanbul
Reading some of Orhan Pamuks’s writings added a very significant layer to my Istanbul trip of 2024. The disappearing wooden houses, the ever-present water and, above all, huzun.
I have written about it here.
5.- Tales of colonial exploration
Now this stream began in 2020, with my research-oriented trip to Mexico, following the footsteps of Hernán Cortés and the conquistadors. I remember reading a bunch of sources such as Hugh Thomas’ The Conquest of Mexico, as well as a more contemporary read that had basically done what my companions and I had set to do, only longer and better. This is John Harrison’s excellent 1519: A Journey to the end of time, in which he intertwines an account of his own journey with the main highlights of the Conquest.
My experience in Mexico led me to look into the conquest of Perú (similar yet oh so different), thanks to the wonderful The last Days of the Incas by Kim MacQuarrie. Now that was a crazy story in itself, but with the perk of of all the tales of archaeological exploration, mainly through the work of Hiram Bingham in the early 19th century.
It’s funny that, as much as I enjoyed that reading, it didn’t make me want to visit Machu Picchu or Perú in general. Which I ended up doing 2 years later, in 2025 when it suddenly clicked that Cordillera Blanca would be an even better hiking destination than Pakistan.
In preparation of that trip, I encountered a couple more reads and listens worth a mention:
- Explorers’ podcast, with excellent series on Hiram Bingham and Francisco Pizarro.
- Two great books: Mark Adam’s Turn Right at Mahcu Picchu ( and, again!), a book by John Harrison in which he follows the Inca highway starting in Ecuador.
Now, I wonder what my future journeys will be, but there’s little doubt that researching the destination’s history and culture will not be a small part of the experience.
B-Side Travels 