2010 is the Year of Mark Twain -- Great time to visit Twain Places

The year 2010 marks the 175th anniversary of the birth of Samuel Langhorne Clemens known to us as Mark Twain.  It is also the 125th anniversary of the publication of Twain’s seminal work, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and the 100th anniversary of his death which falls on April 21. Nationwide, places where the author lived or spent significant time or had other major connection to Twain and his works including Berkeley, CA Elmira, NY, Hannibal, MO and Hartford, CT will be celebrating this vibrant author - and perhaps one of the first pre-internet travel bloggers - with special events.

Since the red carpets are being rolled out, it's a great to visit some of the Twain's sites. There are two major museums dedicated to this quintessential American author....not surprisingly one is in the Northeast in Connecticut, the other right on the Mississippi in the Midwest, which is the one more associated with the author -- in Hannibal, Missouri. In addition, other sites dedicated to Twain are a major bookstore and museum in Virginia City, Nevada, his former study and final resting place in Elmira, New York, and the Archive of Twain's Papers and Works at the University of California, Berkeley. There is also the site of his birthplace in Florida, MO, but this is temporarily closed.

Here's some information on the major sites: 
 
The Hartford Connecticut Museum

Courtesy of Mark Twain House website

The Mark Twain House and Museum (Hartford, Connecticut) was the home of Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) from 1874 to 1891. The Victorian-style house is a 19-room gothic mansion. It was the place where Twain wrote most of his major works including The Gilded Age, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper, Life on the Mississippi, Huckleberry Finn, A Tramp Abroad, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. The Twain House, which is open year–round for guided tours, attracts more than 60,000 visitors annually from every state in the U.S. as well as from more than 70 countries around the world.  The Mark Twain House and Museum is located at 351 Farmington Avenue in Hartford, Connecticut.  For more information on visiting call (860) 247-0998 or visit the website at www.marktwainhouse.org.


Hannibal, MO 


Hannibal, MO is a pleasant little town to visit in its own right.  Situated (not surprisingly) on the Mississippi, there are lots of activities within Hannibal dedicated to Mr. Clemens, including their own resident actor who brings Twain alive for visitors.  But the main reason to visit is the properties of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum which include: the frame house known as the Mark Twain Boyhood Home constructed around 1843 or 1844, where the John Marshall Clemens family lived  until leaving town in 1853, the John M. Clemens Justice of the Peace Office, the Becky Thatcher, Pilaster House/Grant's Drug Store, the Huck Finn House, the Museum Gallery and Gardens.  The museum is well worth the time with its interactive exhibits from five of Mark Twain's books and memorabilia from Mark Twain's life,. The gallery includes 15 original Norman Rockwell paintings created in 1935 for special editions of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.


Elmira, New York

In Elmira, New York, which lays claim to being "Mark Twain Country," you can visit the Mark Twain Study and roam the beautiful area where Twain spent his summers.

Mark Twain Study

Twain  and his wife spent summers in Elmira with his wife's family. The family built him a study in their home to give him space to work, which was later moved to the campus of Elmira College and is open to the public. You can see the study during the summer months and admission is free for everyone. The address for the study is 1 Park Pl., Elmira College, Elmira, NY 14901 (607-735-1941).

A fun Twain tweep to follow is twaintoday.
There is also MarkTwain and TwainHouse.

Traveling Solo in London

Recently reading a blog from Isabelle's Travels (@isabellestravel on Twitter) on traveling alone in Paris caused me to reflect on some solo travel of my own.  Perhaps the city I have spent more time alone in than any other in the world outside the US is London.  Having had several jobs that took me solo to London and then later accompanying a spouse who had business there..... I have wandered and discovered much of the city on my own on travel there.

True having a companion to share discoveries with is part of what I love about traveling.  But I also love the undistracted and totally self-directed momentum that touring and exploring a destination unescorted gives me.  Decisions on whether to stop at a cafe or take the tube here or there are totally mine.  Time spent in a museum or not totally up to me.  Taking photos with abandon without disrupting a companion's experience is ok.

For that reason while I had objectives for my touring days of London,  i.e. some target destinations, I generally was loose about it leaving room for discovery or lingering where particularly intrigued.   One of my favorite things to do would be to have an early breakfast..... I loved a cafe...which now has many locations throughout London.. Patisserie Valerie.  They serve the most incredible scrambled eggs with toast or croissant and coffee.  There I could linger over my travel books and plan the day.... in the quiet ambiance of the place.  Or, if I were staying at a B&B which I frequently did, I would take the typical English breakfast and perhaps chat with another guest.

I took my notebook and made my plan...carrying it with me during the day to jot down observations.  As a aside,  no matter where I am, I always have a notebook and a camera.  Even if you're not a writer or blogger carrying a notebook especially when alone gives you the opportunity to jot down impressions that you can relate to friends and family later on.  It also acts in a way as a substitute companion.... gives you a sense of being on purpose... and not as self-conscious about being alone.  

My solo journeys through London in addition to all the obvious places took me to spend time observing a session of Parliament, to sip afternoon tea and munch on delicate sandwiches especially at Browns, to wander through the Tate Museum for hours and  gaze at the Turners, to visit the Courtauld, an exquisite gem of a museum with an excellent impressionist collection, through Covent Garden and to Portobello Road for antique shops and much more.

But the solo experience that stands out for me above the rest is that of going to the theatre by myself.  The first play I saw in a theatre on my own was in London.  The theatre was packed... I had a seat way up in the highest section of the balcony and was cramped in amongst other Americans who had gotten terrible, last minute seating.  It didn't matter.  For the first time here was this incredible cast singing their hearts out "Can you hear the people sing..." and the rest of the audience, the humid air of the old building, the uncomfortable seat, even the distance from the stage were shut out.  I could only hear the singing and see the colorful staging and costumes. This magnificent performance was just for me..... and I loved it!