Our Writers on Writers

When our copy team isn’t writing about the O.A.T. experience for travelers, they’re often on the road themselves. We asked them to share their favorite shrines to the written word—and to the world’s great writers themselves.

Spooky scribes

This summer on my second visit to Edinburgh, I indulged in the more eldritch elements of Dùn Èideann, off-season from the jubilant chaos of August’s lively art-and-theatre Fringe Festival—and The Writer’s Museum was on the top of my list. It does not advertise itself as a must-see for ghoulish curiosities, but I think it’s an underappreciated stop for the macabre minded. Tucked in the courtyard off Lady Stair’s Close, hidden from the bustle of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, is the haunting 17th century Lady Stair’s House, now dedicated to the lives and works of three of Scotland’s most prolific writers—Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson.

Among my favorite artifacts in the collections are the lethal sword cane Robert Burns used in the dangerous profession of exciseman, tracking down tax-evasive smugglers and distillers; a very creepy wooden rocking horse played with by Sir Walter Scott while he had childhood polio; and the wardrobe of Robert Louis Stevenson, built by the infamous William Brodie, whose outrageous double-life as a burglar partially inspired Stevenson to pen the classic gothic horror novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Spooky!

— Allison Burke, Junior Copywriter

A family who reads together…

While I was on our Scotland Revealed: Legends, Lochs & Highland Landscapes adventure, our Trip Experience Leader Dom recommended we check out Leakey's Bookshop during our visit to Inverness. Family-owned and operated since 1979, Leakey's is Scotland's largest secondhand bookshop, and sells used and antique books, maps, and prints. Not only did Leakey's offer what felt like miles of books and periodicals to peruse, it was also so cozy and more than a little magical, with its winding staircases, colorful stained-glass windows, and even a wood-burning fireplace near the entrance. It was easy to get lost in the aisles, uncovering unusual tomes from wooden shelves in hidden corners. 

Another magical book shop I encountered during my travels was Shakespeare and Company during our The Seine: Paris & the Heart of Normandy River Cruise. My daughter Lily and I are both big readers and made a point to check out this famous store. Founded by American bookseller George Whitman in 1951 and built on the banks of the Seine, Shakespeare and Company is an institution for English-speaking readers and expat writers in Paris. What I loved most about it besides its rich history was its no phones rule. Instead of snapping pictures or becoming distracted with the world outside, little rooms and corners offer customers comfy places to sit, read, and immerse yourself in each book. Lily and I could have spent all day there!  

— Megan Mullin, Senior Copywriter

Take the long way to the Trevi 

While having dinner with my mom in Rome during our French & Italian Rivieras: Avignon, Corsica, Elba & Rome Small Ship Adventure, our server overheard us talking about stopping for an affogato near the Trevi Fountain. He suggested we take the longer way there and make a stop at Papers, a huge bookstore with outdoor stalls spilling onto the street. Like any good traveler, we took the local’s advice, and what started as a simple detour turned into one of our favorite discoveries in Rome. The stalls were filled with used books, and while we couldn’t read Italian, we loved imagining the lives that had once held them. We picked one to bring home, and as we started our walk toward the fountain, my mom and I came up with a story about who we imagined its previous owner might have been. We’ll never know if we were right, but that little book now sits on my mom's bookshelf, and we reminisce about our adventures in Rome often. 

— Madilyn Amico, Copywriter

From the Bible to the Beatles

The British Library in London is a must-stop for fans of historical written media. Its Treasures of the British Library collection is home to an original Magna Carta, original pages from Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales, and two copies of the Gutenberg Bible—including one printed on vellum (sheepskin). Word nerds with a penchant for more recent pop culture will enjoy perusing notebooks filled with Monty Python sketches and—the items that drew this Beatlemanic to the library’s hallowed halls—handwritten Beatles lyrics. While I may have come for the Fab Four, I stayed for the photo op on the library’s fabulous bronze book bench! The Treasures exhibit is permanent, free, and a relatively quick detour that can easily be slotted in among other, higher profile London activities. 

I have never been more taken by a bookstore than I was by El Ateneo Grand Splendid in Buenos Aires. It’s relatively unassuming from the street—if you weren’t looking for it, you’d miss the magic inside. The store occupies one of the city’s old opera houses, and the interior is gloriously unchanged, save for the bookshelves that have replaced the seats. As a fan of opulent interiors and beautiful prose, the combination of the two left me speechless. If you’re able to pick your jaw up off the floor, you can enjoy a bite to eat at the café on the stage.  

To me, the store perfectly encapsulates everything that makes Buenos Aires special—its passionate and artistic culture (hola, tango!); its ornate architecture; and its elegant, Parisian sensibility. It’s so nice, I’ve visited twice: once on my own trip through Buenos Aires, and once during my free time on O.A.T.’s The Wilderness Beyond: Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego & the Chilean Fjords adventure.

— Sarah West, Senior Copy Manager

A smooch for Shakespeare

As a lifelong reader, it had always been a dream of mine to visit the Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland. Its construction dates to the 18th century with captivating vaulted ceilings and stands today as a symbol of the country’s longstanding literary tradition and history. Under the expected gray skies of Ireland, I enjoyed my time exploring between the shelves where hundreds of thousands of the library’s oldest books are available for all to see every day of the week. There are also marble busts of multiple famous authors and thinkers, most of whom I only looked at briefly, save for Shakespeare—I had to blow him a kiss! 

— Sydney Smith, Junior Copywriter

Writers and book lovers alike will appreciate the literary legacy of Scotland during Scotland Revealed: Legends, Lochs & Highland Landscapes.