Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson *** (of 4)

Bryson can write about wandering aimlessly around Europe - a feat that is not especially unusual - because, simply put, he is such a fine writer. For four months he wanders about Scandinavia, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia. Yes, Yugoslavia. The book was penned in 1991 and there is something warmly nostalgic about a period before the complete break-up of the Soviet empire, before huge displacements of Middle Easterners and North Africans reminded us of the costs of totalitarianism and residual imperialism, in a time when Yugoslavia was one country, not a hodgepodge of states about to embark on genocidal madness. Bryson arrives in one famous city after another and finds hotels without aid of cellphone or Yelp. Then he has us look and really observe. He notices architecture down to the brass knockers on ordinary residences. He tells us how well the waiters treat him, how difficult it is to cash a travelers check (remember those?), and what it is like to cross the street. In some European cities cars aim for you, in others, they ignore you, and in Switzerland, they follow the law to the letter. The net result is a picture of national character that feels insightful and accurate to this day.