Literary Journeys — Artistic Places
Life is meant to be experienced in creative and colorful ways. No one knows that better than poets and painters, writers and photographers. We see the beauty of God’s creation through artistic eyes. But our unique gift doesn’t always leave us with extra money to splurge on travel.
The good news is, you don’t need a lot of money to have fantastic literary and artistic travel experiences. Follow along and see how we do it. You’ll receive tips on budget travel, inspirational itineraries, themed travel, and retro costuming to add whimsy and fun to your trips.
Are you ready to travel with me creatively? I’ve got a trunk full of ideas, just for you!
A Happy Traveler
Susan Nadathur
Hello from the beautiful Caribbean. Puerto Rico has been my home for the past twenty-seven years. This is where my husband and I raised our family and built our home. Now that we’ve done all that, we have the freedom to enjoy life in ways we never could before. Creative travel is my vision of how older adults can become the best, most dynamic version of themselves. I invite you to embark on this new journey with me. Together, we can experience life creatively.
Travel Stories
Reykjavik, Iceland
The baristas at the Ida Zimsen bookstore cafe make the best hot chocolate in Reykjavik. Grab a table, order a steaming mug of chocolate topped with freshly-whipped cream, and learn what NOT to do when you meet a famous writer in a local cafe.
Tromso, Norway
Situated at the tip of the Arctic Circle, Tromso is one of best places in the world to chase the Northern Lights. The city also has Siri Lier, local storyteller and proprietor of the Raketten mini pub and hot dog stand. She has classical music playing in the background, and will tell you a story while you eat.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Viking culture has been preserved in one of the world’s oldest literary masterpieces: The Icelandic Sagas. Every February during Reykjavik’s Winter Lights Festival, these heroic prose narratives come alive through the storytelling of modern-day Vikings in The Saga Museum.
“Traveling–it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”
– ibn battuta
Retro Literary Tours
Rum in the Sun
Hunter S. Thompson's Puerto Rico
Put on your Panama hat and polarized Ray-Ban aviator shades. Step back in time and visit the local haunts and hangouts of Hunter S. Thompson, “Gonzo” journalist and author of The Rum Diary.
Poverty and Poetry
Esmeralda Santiago's Puerto Rico
1950s rural Puerto Rico is the setting for Esmeralda Santiago’s best-selling memoir When I Was Puerto Rican. Return to simpler days in the San Juan countryside. Experience the refreshing beauty of life as a jibarito.
My Books
Book Therapy
For Literature Lovers
Fiction
I hope that as I have found solace and peace in other author’s books, you will find the same in mine. Books have been my therapy for as long as I can remember. First as a reader, and then as a writer. I hope to give back a small part of the healing I received by offering my books as a source of comfort to you.
If you are wondering how you will ever feel whole again after the death of a loved one, read Diego’s story in City of Sorrows.
If you are a young person struggling with a difficult relationship, read Dante & Kiriela’s story in Dante’s Kiss.
And if you find yourself under a shadow of darkness you can’t quite define, read Jadiel’s story in Mind Binder, Book 1 of my new YA trilogy The Halls of Abaddon.
City of Sorrows Book Location: Seville, Spain
On a dark road outside the city of Seville, the lives of three men crash together in ways they never would have thought possible. A devastating loss. A dangerous obsession. City of Sorrows is a novel about what controls us, and the choices we must make to be free.
Dante's Kiss Book Location: Puerto Rico
It’s hard to be a sixteen-year-old-three-quarter angel when the one quarter human side kicks in. What Kiriela does not understand when she falls for a human boy named Dante is that when the supernatural collides with the natural world, something as simple as a kiss is more dangerous than it seems.
Mind Binder Book Location: Puerto Rico
High school in Hell is not where Jadiel planned to spend his final year as a warden of the state. He was supposed to graduate from Maion, God’s ultra-strict correctional center for spiritually delinquent angels. But when he rebels against the severe rules and conservative attitudes of his guardians, Jadiel is exiled to Abaddon—the notorious school for the fallen under the city of San Juan. It is the lessons that Jadiel learns in The Halls of Abaddon that will make him either one of the school’s star students … or its greatest enemy.
My Travel BloG
Creative Travel for Artists and Writers
My Surprise Top Place to See the Northern Lights
Experiencing the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, is on many traveler’s bucket list. We have all marveled over the amazing photographs of this spectacular natural light show. If the photographs are amazing, the experience is surreal, with...
A Puerto Rican-New England Thanksgiving
As an American who has lived in Puerto Rico for the past twenty-eight years, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with Puerto Rican Thanksgiving traditions. It took me years to accept that the holiday could still be festive with tembleque for dessert instead of pumpkin...
How to Celebrate Caribbean Style From the Comfort of Home
How are you holding up, six months into this global pandemic? At first, it was relatively easy, right? Kind of like an elementary school snow day when you get to sleep in late and eat your sack lunch at home, around the fireplace. Or if you live in the Caribbean, like...
0 Comments