Searching for the Holy Grail

Book excerpt: In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, young English elites often spent years traveling around Europe to broaden their horizons in an experience known as the Grand Tour. In his book Searching for the Holy Grail, Brian Walters combines romance, humor, history, philosophy, and a sharp eye for the subtleties of culture to take the reader on a breathtaking modern-day Grand Tour of Western Europe. Join the author and his colorful compatriots as they gaze into the mouth of infamous Mt. Vesuvius, search for the Loch Ness Monster, explore lovely Vienna in a horse-drawn carriage, and dodge the jagged cliffs of Capri on the way to the Blue Grotto. Enjoy the trip as they drink sangria and party until dawn in Barcelona, wreck scooters in Nice, brave storms in the Adriatic Sea, drink liter beers in Munich, and narrowly survive the taxis in Rome. From the sun-drenched beaches of Greece to the windy highlands of Scotland, Brian Walters takes the reader on a spellbinding journey.