Travel checklist, secrets of Betty Crocker, fictional librarians & More: Endnotes 20 December

Every Friday, we celebrate the weekend — and all the reading and relaxing and daydreaming time ahead — with Melissa's favorite book- and travel-related links of the week. Why work when you can read fun stuff?!

This post is part of our Endnotes series.

That majestic white-and-gold landscape above is Grindelwald, an area in the Bernese Alps of Switzerland. It’s the home base for skiing in winter, hiking in summer, and mountain-climbing excursions up the north face of Eiger Mountain. The namesake village is a gingerbread-cookie delight, and you can ride on the Jungfraujoch mountain railway to the ‘Top of Europe’ train station at 11,332 feet (3454 meters). (obligatory photo of adorable Bernese Mountain Dog)

• It’s so much fun to bounce of out of the hotel on vacation and enjoy a local breakfast. Here’s what breakfast looks like in 24 countries.

• Exciting literary adaptation news! Baz Luhrmann is adapting the Russian masterpiece The Master and Margarita for the big screen, and Michael Fassbender (our second-favorite Edward Rochester) will adapt this year’s hit novel Night Boat to Tangier.

• CrimeReads makes a brilliant argument for why How the Grinch Stole Christmas is ‘one of the most complex, socially important heist stories ever.’

• A very short video of a magical, snowy train ride through the Alps.

• Sure, you know the story of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, but have you heard it read by Neil Gaiman?!

• We shared the recipe for (very pretty and irresistibly delicious) Russian Teacakes from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book this week. Did you know that the iconic Betty Crocker character was invented by an all-male advertising team in 1921?… ‘By the end of WWII, Betty Crocker was receiving nearly 4,000 letters a day from housewives seeking advice and inspiration.’

• Just so charming: 20 of the oldest color photographs in the world.

• A few weeks ago, I wrote about the first around-the-world cruise on the RMS Laconia. Conde Nast Traveler shares tips from people who’ve cruised ‘round the world.

• The new film version of Little Women opens on Christmas Day. Get ready with this walk through the house where Louisa May Alcott wrote the classic novel.

• The site Airplane Reading shares nonfiction stories about travelers’ experiences on airplanes; the results are as amusing and horrifying as you’d expect. If you have an airplane story to share, you can submit it here.

• Librarians are the best. Enjoy this list of 50 fictional librarians.

• News you can use: How to Pop Your Ears on a Plane—And Why They Pop, Anyway.

• Bookish podcast of the week: Deanna Raybourn is the author of the delightful Veronica Speedwell series. In this episode of the Blue Ridge PBS show Write Around the Corner, she visits the Williamsburg Botanical Garden and talks about her intrepid heroine, based on a real-life lepidopterist.

• Travel podcast of the week: If you’re traveling for the holidays this year, you need this podcast! The hosts of The Indie Travel Podcast share The Day-Before-You-Travel Checklist.

Merry weekend! I don’t know if there’ll be snow, but have a cup of cheer.

Top image courtesy of Raquel García.