Storytelling in Dublin, American Sandwiches, Trans-Siberian Railway & More: Endnotes 10 July

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 whimsical town above is Popeye Village on the island of Malta (just below the toe of Italy’s boot in the Mediterranean). It was built as the set for the live-action film version of Popeye and remains as a theme park where you can hang out with Olive Oyl, Bluto, and the spinach-eating, tattooed sailor man himself. The movie got mixed reviews in 1980, but this piece in Vanity Fair makes a strong case for watching it. Like the madcap film, the park has a lot of over-the-top fun going on: There’s a Popeye Comics Museum, mini-golf, a boat tour around Anchor Bay, a pool with water trampolines — and you can join the cast in a real-time re-make of the movie. {more}

• Gary Larson, creator of The Far Side, has started sharing new one-panel comics! It’s his first new work in 25 years.

• These faux Airbnb reviews of haunted houses are a delight. Like this one of Bly House from The Turn of the Screw — ‘Spent some time as a governess here. Lovely house. Lovely grounds. Try to avoid the lake. Not peaceful at all. Owner’s niece and nephew were charming at first, but then things took a turn.’

• This is fun and informative: The New York Times chose photos of each of the 50 US states from their archives. Can you guess which state is shown in each vintage photo?

• What song won Eurovision the year you were born?

• Relax and gaze on these 25 beautiful small towns in Europe.

• Just in case you need more reading lists: 6 Beach Reads from 100 Years Ago. A Book for Each US State. 6 Crime Books for Those in Need of a Fresh Start. 20 Travel Memoirs to Take You Around the World.

• I’m kind of obsessed with sandwiches right now, especially the ones that are specific to a geographic region. The Conversation talked to five food historians about the importance of regional sandwiches. Should you feel inspired to get cookin’, here’s a field guide to the American sandwich.

• This is a compelling interview from PEN America with Silvia Moreno-Garcia, author of Mexican Gothic. It’s a smart peek inside how she works and what she reads.

• National Geographic claims that ‘storytelling is in Dublin’s DNA,’ and answers the question: What’s the secret behind Dublin’s storytelling magic?

• I only got 9 of 13 right in this library trivia quiz.

• 100-percent yes to this: Dame Judy Dench as objects in the collections of the York Museum Trust. It takes cheek to compare national treasure Judy Dench to an arsenic dress! Click through the image below to see the whole thread.

Judi Dench as objects in our collection — a thread pic.twitter.com/0Yob8Kwx9f

— York Museums Trust (@YorkMuseumTrust) July 9, 2020

• With real-life travel on hold for so many people, Airbnb has started offering ‘Online Experiences,’ unique, interactive activities you can do from home. A writer for Slate tried 80 (!) of them in one week. Here’s what he had to say about it: ‘If you judge a great trip on its provision of unforgettable moments, then this week surely qualified. I’ve never felt more privileged by any encounter than the half-hour I got to spend speaking to China’s first sailing Olympic gold medalist Xu Lijia, a human so stirringly inspirational that I began to worry whether you can give a laptop water damage through tears.’

• The Newark Book Festival is this weekend (10-11 July). It offers online sessions with distinguished authors speaking on topics including ‘Agatha, Poirot, and Me,’ ‘Gothic Fiction,’ and ‘Brontë 200.’ Sessions are about $3USD each. Neat!

• The 1455 Summer Literary Festival is 16-18 July and is FREE online. It will focus on the power of storytelling in creative and academic fields, as well as business and politics. This year’s topics include ‘Cultivating a Daily Writing Practice,’ ‘Off the Shelf: Bookshops as Community Leaders,’ ‘The 10 Commandments for Becoming a Better Writer,’ and dozens more.

• Bookish podcast of the week: In each episode of the podcast A Phone Call From Paul, the host Paul Holdengräber calls an author or other artist and asks them about their latest projects. In this episode, he talks to filmmaker and author John Waters about his memoir and what it was like to work in the bookstore owned by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver.

• Travel podcast of the week: The Thoughtful Travel podcast invites travel lovers to listen in on stories from other travel enthusiasts, and it’s a delight. In this episode, the host Amanda chats with two guests about their experiences taking the Trans-Siberian Railway across Russia. By the end, you’ll be ready to book tickets of your own.

May your imagination take you to just the place you want to go.

Top image courtesy of Magdalena Smolnicka/Unsplash.