“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” ~ Ernest Hemingway Even though my meager allowance prevents me from living in Paris, I recently had the opportunity to visit the dazzling City of Lights.…
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‘All the Cheesy Places’ Road Trip
“In honor of All the Bright Places, the Zion-Benton Public Library (in Zion, IL) took a road trip around Kenosha, Wisconsin, to discover its weird and interesting treasures. I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! Why not wander your own town/state like Violet and Finch? Germ Magazine and I want to see your wanders!” — Jennifer Niven . . Zion-Benton Public Library Zion, Illinois
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Kirkintilloch: A Ghost Town Filled with Life
You probably haven’t heard of Kirkintilloch before, and that’s okay. A small town on the outskirts of Glasgow, its most notable features are charity shops and hairdressers — hardly a top tourist destination. Normally, when I think of Kirkintilloch, two words spring to mind: Ghost Town. With under 20,000 residents, there’s not a lot going on. That is, until the…
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Lily’s California Wanders
This first picture was taken when I went on a bike ride around the area that I live, and I was on a hill and saw this beautiful sunset! I couldn’t resist taking a picture, and so this is one of the many pictures that I took that evening. This second picture was taken at my cabin near Upper Lake. There…
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Wander Raven Cliff Falls
For my birthday, my parents decided to take me out of town — one of the perks of being born over Labor Day weekend. I had heard from several friends about this beautiful chapel in the mountains close to the North Carolina border. It is appropriately nicknamed “Pretty Place.” However, once we got there, it turned out that the chapel…
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Wandering to Kanoa and Plesse
I was wandering with one of my best friends even before I read the book. That’s the reason why we didn’t take something with us or leave something. Maybe that will change now. We’re living in the middle of Germany in a town which is the perfect size for us. Our first wandering was to Kanoa; it’s a place on…
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Wandering the Campsies: It’s About the Journey
They say, “It’s about the journey, not the destination.” But for me, this wasn’t always the case. Everything I did in life was fueled by the future; it’s what kept me going. When I had a rough day, I’d make a list of things I had to look forward to. I’d daydream about the places I’d go, the people I’d…
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Wandering Kansas City, Missouri: Part 1
After finishing the book All the Bright Places, I was inspired to document my own wanderings throughout my small-big hometown of Kansas City. Although there are quite a few tourist attractions in KC, my wanders won’t include places that you can find on a travel website. I hope one day you will take a trip to my wonderful city and…
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Wandering Amsterdam: Discovery Is My Bright Place
Greetings from Amsterdam, where pot is legal and people have chocolate sprinkles for breakfast. On my trip to Europe these past few days, wandering the streets along the canals while avoiding getting run over by the ever present stream of bikes in every which direction has put into perspective life as I, or rather we, know it. I read a…
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M.M.’s Wanders: Japan — Nara Park
It was May 16 when me and my family (excluding my mother, who was working in Japan) flew to Japan for the first time. My family and I had been waiting for 12 years to finally get to see this beautiful country, and when we did — it blew us away. While on our flight, I was looking out at…
