Rucksacks at the ready! Time for a Eurotour of criminal goodness

Posted on September 2, 2017 by mrspeabody68

It’s September and there’s European adventure in the air…

Swansea-Hamburg-Copenhagen-Malmö-Stockholm-Turku-Helsinki-Tallinn-Riga-Vilnius-Gdansk-Olsztyn-Poznan-Berlin-Swansea

Mr. P and I will shortly be donning our ancient rucksacks and heading over the Channel.

Destination: northern and eastern Europe.
Duration: one month.
Transport: train, ferry, bus, car, llama (well you never know).

Our Eurotour – aka the ‘Bollux to Brexit’ tour – will take us to a number of wonderful European cities (see image caption above).

When we reach certain cities, I’ll be posting a short extract from a crime novel or thriller focused on the place in question, giving an insight into the city’s geography, architecture, history, politics, food…

The featured cities are as follows:

Hamburg, Germany
Copenhagen, Denmark
Stockholm, Sweden
Helsinki, Finland
Tallinn, Estonia
Riga, Latvia
Olsztyn, Poland
Berlin, Germany

Each extract will be accompanied by a few photos I’ve taken while out and about (I suspect there will be a bit of an emphasis on food…and beer…).

I won’t give away which crime novels I’ve picked out, but here’s a little teaser for you…

Our first extract, for the Hanseatic city of Hamburg, contains the following sentence:

The time in Hamburg was a few moments after eleven in the morning, and the footpath leading to the jetty was speckled with sunlight and dead leaves.

Just for fun: Who is the author? And in which novel does this elegant sentence appear?

And if you’d like some reading ideas for European crime fiction, then head here:

35 European crime novels

48 thoughts on “Rucksacks at the ready! Time for a Eurotour of criminal goodness”

Mrs P. on September 2, 2017 at 09:17 said:

Vivien over on Facebook thinks “that the answer to your question involves some dead academics”.

Reply ↓
Michael Hinstridge on September 2, 2017 at 10:54 said:

Mrs P have you considered a tour involving a Camel !

Reply ↓
- Mrs P. on September 2, 2017 at 11:45 said:
  
  Back in my youth, I made the acquaintance of a very lovely camel. We hung out together in the desert for two days in Rajasthan 🙂
  
  Reply ↓
  - Kathy P. on September 3, 2017 at 11:41 said:
    
    I had a ride on a camel called Ahmed (as was his owner’s name) on the road running along the top of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Now I know why they’re called ‘ ships of the desert’. I did feel slightly bilious afterwards. I look at the photo every so often and think ah bless him. As camels go, he was quite friendly…..
Ewa S on September 2, 2017 at 11:37 said:

Your elegant and powerful tour title says it all! Have an amazing time and share your stories xxx

Reply ↓
- Mrs P. on September 2, 2017 at 11:45 said:
  
  Thanks, Ewa, and will do 🙂
  
  Reply ↓
thequietgeordie on September 2, 2017 at 12:23 said:

So looking forward to reading about your adventures! Have a fab time!

Reply ↓
- Mrs P. on September 2, 2017 at 12:33 said:
  
  Thanks! We’ll do our utmost 🙂
  
  Reply ↓
Mrs P. on September 2, 2017 at 12:54 said:

@LakesClaire (via Twitter) thinks the sentence is from John le Carre’s SMILEY’S PEOPLE.

Reply ↓
Margot Kinberg on September 2, 2017 at 13:29 said:

Oh, this sounds like such fun, Mrs. P.! And I love the name you’ve given to your tour! I hope you’ll have a lovely time and let us all know how it’s going.

Reply ↓
- Mrs P. on September 2, 2017 at 19:55 said:
  
  Thanks, Margot. It’s going to be LOTS of fun! First dispatch from Hamburg next week 🙂
  
  Reply ↓
Quimper Hitty on September 2, 2017 at 13:48 said:

Oh fun…Thanks for bringing us along!

Reply ↓
- Mrs P. on September 2, 2017 at 19:55 said:
  
  You’re welcome 🙂
  
  Reply ↓
Ros Dick on September 2, 2017 at 15:02 said:

Yes to Bollux -couldn’t agree more

Reply ↓
- Mrs P. on September 2, 2017 at 19:59 said:
  
  It’s a frustrating time, and I think it’s going to feel rather bitter-sweet to be in Europe at certain points. But I fully plan to absorb as much European goodness as possible during the month. Food, drink, culture, landscapes…bring it on!
  
  Reply ↓
Christine Poulson on September 2, 2017 at 18:05 said:

Have a lovely time, Mrs P! I envy you. Stockholm vies with Paris as my favourite foreign city.

Reply ↓
- Mrs P. on September 2, 2017 at 19:17 said:
  
  Thanks, Christine! I suspect we’re going to find it quite *cough* expensive, but I’m looking forward to visiting for the first time. The ABBA museum is top of my list.
  
  If you have any favourite cafes you can recommend, do let me know!
  
  Reply ↓
- Christine Poulson on September 5, 2017 at 12:34 said:
  
  Sadly it is a while since I was there, so can’t reliably recommend anywhere to eat. I set part of my novel, Invisible, there a few years ago, because I love Sweden and Stockholm in particular so much. Writing this makes me long to go back.
  Do see the Vasa Museum – it’s stunning.
  
  Reply ↓
  - Mrs P. on September 7, 2017 at 17:12 said:
    
    Thanks, Christine. Vasa Museum added to the list 🙂 Must have been fun researching for your novel.
MarinaSofia on September 2, 2017 at 20:13 said:

Have a wonderful holiday – I love Hamburg, Helsinki and Berlin, but have yet to see the Baltic states.

Reply ↓
- Mrs P. on September 2, 2017 at 20:26 said:
  
  Thank you! I’ve not been to Latvia, Lithuania or Poland as yet, so there some exciting firsts coming up.
  
  Reply ↓
Kathy P. on September 3, 2017 at 09:02 said:

Have a super fabulous time Mrs P. It sounds like a wonderful adventure. Scandinavia is a place I’ve always wanted to visit especially Stockholm. The ABBA museum was featured on a cruise docco recently, and there’s a chance for a sing-a-long. I remember all the words to their songs 😊.
Looking forward to hearing all about it.

Reply ↓
- Mrs P. on September 3, 2017 at 09:29 said:
  
  Thank you! The ABBA museum sounds like so much fun. I hear you can audition to become the fifth member of the band and (somehow) dress up as well. I know the lyrics off by heart too – we’ll have to do karaoke some time 🙂
  
  Reply ↓
  - Kathy P. on September 3, 2017 at 10:13 said:
    
    Splendid idea.
  - Mrs P. on September 3, 2017 at 10:42 said:
    
    😀
Jose Ignacio on September 3, 2017 at 10:19 said:

I’m sorry to find out you did not include any southern European country 🙂

Reply ↓
- Mrs P. on September 3, 2017 at 10:44 said:
  
  Ha! Well, the logic behind this particular trip is to head north while the weather is still reasonably mild. Spain is definitely part of our future plans…watch this space! 🙂
  
  Reply ↓
  - Jose Ignacio on September 3, 2017 at 11:11 said:
    
    🙂 🙂 🙂
  - Jose Ignacio on September 3, 2017 at 11:13 said:
    
    Don’t take me seriously, please Katherina! .-)
ravencrimereads on September 3, 2017 at 12:47 said:

Your little extract brought a smile to my face! Have a lovely trip, eat, drink and be merry for soon Brexit beckons. Looking forward to your updates- safe journey xx

Reply ↓
- Mrs P. on September 7, 2017 at 17:07 said:
  
  Thanks for your good wishes, Raven! Just arrived in Copenhagen and am having a ball xxx
  
  Reply ↓
bernadetteinoz on September 4, 2017 at 01:19 said:

I am kind of stuck here down under at the moment so I will thoroughly enjoy my vicarious travels through your eyes. Bring on the beer 🙂

Reply ↓
- Mrs P. on September 7, 2017 at 17:08 said:
  
  🙂 Hamburg was pretty good for beer and numerous other delicacies. Am making my way through everything with admirable thoroughness.
  
  Reply ↓
Angela Savage on September 4, 2017 at 05:07 said:

Bollux to Brexit – I love it! And I’ll be super-envious if you get to be the fifth member of ABBA. Enjoy every moment, Mrs P.

Reply ↓
- Mrs P. on September 7, 2017 at 17:10 said:
  
  Thanks, Angela! Am in Copenhagen at the moment and warming up the vocal cords ahead of Stockholm…
  
  Reply ↓
Judith on September 4, 2017 at 23:21 said:

What a comprehensive map! Delightful. This all sounds fantastic. I will check my schedule. I’m a bit tied down this month with Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park, but I do feel a summoning elsewhere…
I love your posts–what I love about them is that they are so upbeat! We need that these days.
Your devoted reader,
Judith

Reply ↓
- Mrs P. on September 7, 2017 at 17:14 said:
  
  Hello, Judith. Thanks for your *lovely* comment. I should probably confess that I’m not always upbeat, lest you think I have an unflaggingly sunny disposition! 🙂
  
  Reply ↓
Pingback: Eurotour Stop 1. Hamburg, Germany: “Nowhere does the summer fade more splendidly” | Mrs. Peabody Investigates
Kathy D. on September 9, 2017 at 06:55 said:

So glad to read about your trip and look forward to your updates, photos and book news.
Am green with envy since the furthest east I’ve ever gone is Maine, swam in the Atlantic Ocean, but never crossed it.
Have a great time, and do tell us about the food, too.

Reply ↓
- Mrs P. on September 9, 2017 at 07:09 said:
  
  Thanks, Kathy, and will do! Europe would love to have you visit 🙂
  
  Reply ↓
Pingback: Eurotour Stop 2. Copenhagen, Denmark: “I take the train to Enghave station” | Mrs. Peabody Investigates
Kathy D. on September 10, 2017 at 23:48 said:

Thanks, but I’m very limited these days about traveling. Getting to the Upper East Side of my city is my goal or walking through the West Village or Lower East Side. But I love to virtually travel via books, Internet sites and maps and people’s travelogues and photos.

Reply ↓
Pingback: Eurotour Stop 3. Stockholm, Sweden: “So he took a quick detour to the best hotdog kiosk in Sweden” | Mrs. Peabody Investigates
Pingback: Eurotour Stop 4. Helsinki, Finland: “The tram made Siiri’s beloved curve at Kamppi” | Mrs. Peabody Investigates
Pingback: Eurotour Stop 5. Tallinn, Estonia: “She kept walking, looking for new evidence of peace” | Mrs. Peabody Investigates
Pingback: Eurotour Stop 6. Riga, Latvia: “He left the hotel and went in search of the bookshop” | Mrs. Peabody Investigates
Pingback: Eurotour Stop 7. Olsztyn, Poland: “He took a gentle curve onto Kościuszko Street” | Mrs. Peabody Investigates
Pingback: Eurotour Stop 8. Berlin, Germany: “Mauerpark. Judith wrote it on her list.” | Mrs. Peabody Investigates