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A View Beyond

by Larry G. Anderson

234 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #04-2255; ISBN 1-4120-4447-2; US$21.99, C$25.29, EUR18.06, £12.64

This travel memoir is about an American couple who spent a year traveling through Western Europe in search of adventure, lore and romance--daring to wander just beyond the horizon.

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About the Book      About the Author      Excerpts and Reviews      Catalogue Information

About the Book

Do you believe in destiny? Let me ask that another way: Have you ever known someone who knew exactly what he wanted out of life - and had the where-with-all to achieve those ambitions? This story is about two dreamers - one dared to fulfill her destiny - the other...well, let's just say this storyteller held on tight.

My wife and I spent an outstanding year in Europe. This is our travelogue. Certainly, there were many risks and challenges associated with such an ambitious plan, but my wife, Precious, has always known that looking over the horizon was her destiny. She is contagiously confident and willing to accept our ultimate fate. Defying my comfort zone, I accepted the challenge - we tossed caution to the wind, bought a laptop, and went in search of our dreams. Travel with us vicariously as we share our adventure-laden journey. Venice, Italy - first up.

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About the Author

Larry is recently retired and had hoped to grow old beneath the proverbial old oak tree to ponder complex issues, but nooooo! I was an aerospace engineer by trade, once a park ranger, and an avid automotive enthusiast. Go figure! Yes, I failed to mention author, but in the beginning it was just rockets, trees, and cars. Travel never occurred to me until I met the woman of my life. From the beginning of our relationship it became apparent we were destined to travel.

For more information about Larry and his travels, go to www.lanva.net.

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Excerpts and Reviews

Allbooks Review by Elaine Fuhr

(highly recommended, 5 stars out of 5)  

"...from the beautiful city of Venice to Croatia, this ingenious couple travel by boat, plane, train, car, and on foot to experience Europe like few have before...Larry adds humor throughout this book and this sense of humor serves him well... Among the pages are colorful descriptions and historical facts making this book not only a great read but a pleasant form of education."  

About.com, Review by James Martin

(4 stars out of 5)

"...this book just might excite you to travel*an inspirational introduction to long-term travel in Europe...Enthusiasm for travel and discovery reigns supreme!...a couple*s unbridled enthusiasm for travel in Europe is infectious...two car crashes! Precious unabashedly admiring David's bum! Charlemagne's fattened, flying pig! Whoooeee!  Let A View Beyond be your travel catalyst.  Pack your bags."

Excerpt From Chapter 4 -- The Feria off Sevilla

As we sipped our wine, music began to play and the excited crowd started shifting to the courtyard square. Precious lunged for her camcorder; I grabbed my wineglass, and we were in close pursuit. Wow - the scene unfolding before us was electric! The evening dusk had settled, and the candles were just perfect. At the center of the square the colorful flamenco dancers were dancing to the early sequences of Bolero. If you remember, each successive pass of the music becomes more and more intense. I was really getting into this! Suddenly, through the arched gate off to our left, a magnificent white Andalusian horse adorned with six-foot white wings entered - he was the winged Pegasus! All eyes were fixed on the mythical steed as he pranced under a spotlight to the music. The crowd was absorbed - this was theater at its finest. As the seductive dancers swirled and arched their bodies, they escorted the mythical horse to center stage. He pranced in circles, in step with the music while the dancers, now surrounding him, matched his every movement. Knowing what was coming, I was just tingling with anticipation. Suddenly cymbals clashed, cannons boomed, and the dancers reaching climax reached for the sky-freezing in position! The dancers appeared exhausted and all conquering - Bolero and the bowed winged Pegasus had once again worked their magic. Precious, I need a smoke!

From Summary

Remember that back in February we were able to go to the Romantica Ball in Venice, Italy? How could you forget me parading around in tights as Romeo, and Precious, my beautiful Giulietta? St. Mark's Square will never be the same! We headed to Spain and joined in on the annual Spring Fair - the Feria. Dressed in traditional costumes, we partied into the night. And let's not forget the sexy Flamenco party at the finca." "... We drank Port wine while cruising down the Douro River in Portugal on our rabello boat. Next came the Formula One Grand Prix race at Monaco. Two weeks later we were in France marveling at the famous spectacle of the 24 Hours of Le Mans car race. In Germany we walked hand-in-hand with the town's night watchman and even shared his wine. Budapest, Hungary was next, and we got up-close and personal to this incredible city. We won't soon forget visiting Statue Park and getting chills while looking at the giant-sized Communist statues. And I will never forget the smile on Vilma's face while dancing at the blue Danube River. The tears running down her cheek simply said it all!

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Catalogue Information

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