The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness and Magic on the Mediterranean - Softcover

Stratte-McClure, Joel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0988696118 ISBN 13: 9780988696112

Publisher: Slingshot, 2013

Synopsis

When inquisitive American journalist Joel Stratte-McClure decides to walk around the Mediterranean Sea, we're in for an exhilarating footloose adventure.As a 30 year expatriate in France, the author explores the coast, countryside and regional cultures while musing about life, meditation, literature, art, the environment, Greek gods and goddesses, history, and, of course, the art of walking. The second installment in his "Idiot and the Odyssey" series chronicles his 4,401-kilometer footloose journey from Rome through the Greek islands to Turkey. During the MedTrek, he completes twelve tasks assigned to him by the goddess Circe, travels to the depths of the Underworld and the top of Mount Olympus, and even sleeps with Helen of Troy.

About this title

About the Author:

Joel Stratte-McClure, an American journalist/adventurer who lived in France for over three decades, has been writing about his global trekking and hiking adventures since the 1970s. His work has taken him to over 110 countries and his articles on a variety of subjects have appeared in The International Herald Tribune, Time Magazine, The Times of London, People Magazine and numerous other publications. He is currently based in Northern California but regularly travels to the Mediterranean to gather anecdotes and add kilometers for his third book in this series: "The Idiot and the Odyssey III: Alexander the Great Walks the Mediterranean."

Review:

The Idiot & the Odyssey 2-- the second and latest volume of Joel Stratte-McClure's trilogy about hiking the Mediterranean-- is a delightful, offbeat, state-of-the-art, multimedia ebook guide to classical and coastal Greece, Italy, and Turkey. His MedTrek adventures were initially inspired by the break-up of his marriage and a spiritual crisis, but have now taken on a life of their own. The author is as wily, tenacious, and gifted at finding the gold and surviving misadventure in his picaresque journeying and encounters as the original Odysseus himself. Plus, he's a wonderful storyteller who's a genius at giving readers the sense that they, too, are trekking with him on the paths of the gods with the blessings of the goddesses. The 200+ photos vividly bring to life the author's journey, as do the song recordings, video clips, and "you-are-there" maps. Whether you re an armchair traveller or someone who loved the time you spent in Italy, Greece, and Turkey-- you ll find this wise, entertaining, and must-have book a joy to own and read over many times! --Eve Siegel, Certified Life Coach on February 19, 2013

If you want to weave myth, magic, sharp-eyed travel writing and hilarious personal anecdote, you can't do better than The Idiot and the Odyssey, Volume Two, by Joel Stratte-McClure. This is an uncanny tale of walking around, yes, that's walking around the Mediterranean, while sharing secrets with the locals, seeing the sights, visiting the great monuments, quoting Plato, exploring the cave of the Cyclops, and watching the gods and goddesses of Homer's epic bubbling up from the ancient landscape and emerging from the blazing blue sea. Stratte-McClure tromps with lovely, amazing aplomb along the coastlines of Italy, Greece and Turkey, and makes you feel, hear, see and touch it all. Time presents no barriers, he skips from amazing incident to amazing incident as easily as a butterfly changing flowers, and the only thing that matters is enchanting story and sizzling detail. You'll zip back and forth from Agamemnon launching the ships to Troy to shopping for the best gelato in Ravello to spending a strange interlude in the Orthodox monkdom of Athos in northern Greece, where no women are allowed - and no female animals either (except cats). You'll get to know more about the versifying of Homer, the wild grottoes of Crete, the beauty of the Amalfi Coast, and how to convert a midlife crisis into a crazy adventure of hiking, pleasure and romance, than you ever thought was possible. Where else can you meet an author who sleeps with Helen of Troy, finds the best trotteria in every town, and lives by the walking meditation philosophy of Deng Ming-Dao? And all of it presented, of course, in the zippiest, most modern, most cutting edge, most iPad-friendly travel book yet designed. You'll be so busy sliding back and forth from expanding maps to eye-popping photos to Stratte-McClure's tasty, witty, riveting account of walking the Med, that you'll forget you aren't there. Or rather, you will be there, in this mind-bending amalgamation of quality writing, spot-on, sensual journalism, and stunning images of the many Mediterranean delights. If you don't read (er, view, er, get interactive with) this amazing book you are denying yourself fun, wisdom, and insight. Get it now. --Lex Hames on February 17, 2013

The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness and Magic on the Mediterranean sets the bar for travel adventure readers. Every chapter brings Joel Stratte-McClures MedTrekking adventure to life with interactive links. Follow the "Idiot" and explore places such as the Cemetery of the Capuchins, sing along with sirens, reach the summit of Mount Olympus and meet Walter Lassally where he filmed Zorba the Greek. Joel is a masterful storyteller and captures his readers as he leads us to Troy. --yLeslie Williams Schwerdt on February 15, 2013

About this edition

• Publisher: Slingshot
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0988696118
• ISBN 13: 9780988696112
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 460