European Holiday 2025 - Hong Kong

Sadly (for my wife and I) our European holiday is nearing its conclusion.  After departing Heathrow Airport in the UK yesterday we've now arrived in Hong Kong for a three night layover before returning to our home in Australia.

Our hotel is on the mainland with a view of Victoria Harbour and the amazing island City skyline.

On the double-decker bus from the airport to our hotel we drove past Chung Hwa Bookstore in Yaumatei.  I couldn't grab my phone in time so here's some photos from the internet.  This was the only book store we saw in Hong Kong and I really wish I could have visited.  However with just a two day layover, part of which was spent catching up on sleep to adjust to the time difference, we really didn't have time to book hunt. 

So no new books found in Hong Kong.  That means for our entire holiday, which ends today, the final book tally is one Italian paperback of Ian Fleming's "You Only Live Twice" from Sorrento, and two copies of Kim Sherwood's "A Spy Like Me", one paperback and the other hardback, from London... and one even signed by the author.  I've since scanned the paperback cover of "A Spy Like Me" and added it to the website.

For the last time on this holiday, here's some photos:

Travelling on the Peak Tram funicular 

View from the peak

Inside Kowloon Walled City Park

Buildings near the aforementioned park

Street at night

Terracotta warrior and chariot at the Museum Of History

European Holiday 2025 - Sorrento, Italy

After landing in Naples, Italy, there are several possible ways to travel to Sorrento: ferry, train, taxi/uber, private car, hotel transfer and airport shuttle bus to name a few.  With our holiday budget already stretched we were always going to choose the cheapest solution.

Our airport shuttle bus (coach) was located at platform 9 and 3/4 at Naples airport (at least that's what it felt like by the time we finally found it !).  As we boarded we noted it was already full of many other tourists headed in the same direction.  

Once on the move our coach travelled along busy city roads while the bloke behind the steering wheel answered phone calls as he simultaneously filled in his paperwork.

Fortunately he put the pen and mobile down when we hit the more mountaineous and thinner windy lanes of the Amalfi Coast.

Finally, after negotiating the other buses, coaches, trucks, Vesper scooters and small cars at each hairpin bend, we reached our destination full of amazement and admiration for our driver.  As we extracted our luggage from the under-carriage, he casually pulled out a ciggie by the coach door and watched us walk off toward our destination lodgings.

We had arrived in Sorrento.  

As my wife had already done the research we knew there were few bookstores in town, or more correctly one - Libreria Tasso.

Libreria Tasso was a fantastic book and souvenir store.  The store owner (I assume) greeted my wife and I as we entered, and upon request directed us to the only James Bond titles on the shelves, an Italian language copy of Ian Fleming's "Si Vive Solo Due Volte" (aka "You Only Live Twice").  I liked the cover so much I immediately purchased the book - my first Bond book purchase this holiday.  I'm  yet to determine if there are other titles in this Italian series.

The only other bookshop we visited during our time in Italy was Feltrinelli on our return to Naples airport before leaving for our next country of destination.  No Bond novels available here though.

There may have been a lack of book stores in Sorrento and surrounds, but that doesn't mean there wasn't a lack of fantastic sights:

The view from the terrace restaurant of our hotel.  Sadly we could only eat here once

Mt. Vesuvius across the Bay of Naples

The "beach" of our hotel.  Somehow in booking a hotel at the last minute we ended up at this amazing cliff top location

A day trip to Pompeii ...

... and Herculaneum 

A wedding we encountered during our walks around the Sorrento streets

A photo taken as we descended into our next destination... Norway

Finally Another Book Hunt

It's been a while since I went on a book hunt.  And it was also a double great day yesterday as it was my first day out of isolation after a bout of Covid.

First stop was Abra Card Abra Roycroft Antiquarian Booksellers in Kew.  I've been itching to visit this book store for years.

The store was full of potential customers which was great to see. I checked out the old Pan paperbacks downstairs where I found a copy of "You Only Live Twice".

Then I moved up the old stairs, flicked on the light switch, and perused the alphabetised hardbacks there.

There were a couple of John Gardner - James Bond titles and an Ian Fleming omnibus, but sadly no Bond novels for me today.

Next stop was the Merchant Of Fairness in Balwyn.  Well that was the plan anyway.  I walked back and forth along the small strip of shops next to the Palace Balwyn Cinema before I came to the realisation this bookstore is no more.

Here's a picture from my last visit in 2017.

I've been visiting the Merchant Of Fairness in all its different locations in Balwyn for many, many years so this was definitely a sad occasion.  I hope the smaller Merchant is still operating at the South Melbourne Market.

Last stop was a Vinnies Op-Shop which I've had some luck at in the past.  The books are well organised and there always seems to be a large selection of new titles.

However apart from a copy of Anthony Horowitz's "Trigger Mortis" there were no titles for me today.

There was a strange moment for me though while searching through the books.  For a second I thought I'd found a copy of the Penguin hardback "Quantum Of Solace" from 2008....

But it turns out I was wrong.  Here's a copy of the rear of the aforementioned hardback from my collection:

No luck for me today but it was great to be outside in the real world again and hunting for books.