The Innocents Abroad

by Mark Twain

I found the book boring at times, but if I "muddled" through those parts, I came across passages that were so delightful it was worth the boring part. As he traveled through Europe, I found myself wishing he had traveled with a camera, but I soon realized that his description of the lands and the people were almost as good as having a camera. He He was only 20-21 at the time he made the trip, so I enjoyed his antics off-shore, sneaking into places and stealing grapes. I enjoyed his cynicism at being a tourist in Europe and the Holy Land. He often mentioned how he knew things were true about the objects he saw because he'd seen the same elsewhere - each guide stating it was the "one" true object.

As the described the peoples I found myself relieved as he left the filthy areas to go to the nicer areas of the towns and villages. I had no idea that in so many towns the houses were so close together that the sun barely reached the streets. I had no idea that the building that houses the Vatican was so huge.

I took Art Appreciation in college and loved it, so I could understand a little of how he felt when he described early Christian paintings; I agreed that the Renaissance era was much more beautiful. I mean it has to be - enlightenment is always so much better than being stuck in the Dark Ages. It made me wonder - is something beautiful just because it's old and ancient? They both tell their story. Freedom always wins.

When he got to the Holy Land, I cringed almost all the way through that trek. His description of the ruined horses he rode that had never been allowed to rest, never given enough to eat, and never ever having their saddles removed made me sad. I wondered why there were so many malformed people who were always surrounding them, calling "bakeesh"! Constantly asking for money. Why did such an area have so many poor and sick people? Incest? Small gene pool? His description of children with fly-encrusted eyes made me sick at times, as it did him.

I loved the descriptions of "camping" through the Holy Land. He'd been camping before and knew it would not be like being in a hotel, but he had to eat those words as he told of the wonder of finding tents with wash basins filled with clean water and beds made up with soft white sheets. A breakfast seemingly fit for a king. Their guides apologizing that it wasn't better. I sensed as they traveled further, the guides weren't quite so accommodating as it wasn't mentioned again. I felt fear as they tried to make sure they were hidden from the "Boudain" (Arabs who might or might not have been chasing them).

I loved that he told it like he saw it, the beauty and ugliness alike.

I enjoyed the biblical references (he seemed to know the stories plus he was traveling with several ministers and teachers).

So he was able to go from boring parts that I really don't remember, to wonderfully descriptive segments that made me feel that I was there with him and could almost smell the dirt and sweat and tears of those with him.

I wanted to read this because I had just finished Jonathan Cahn's The Oracle where the book is mentioned several times. I really need to reread both again. Jonathan's book was difficult to get through also mainly because it was so repetitive. I thought that he mentioned early on that Mark Twain was in a Jewish service where he heard certain passages read from the Old Testament about the Holy Land, but I don't remember that in Innocents Abroad. If I re-read Innocents, I want to be sure and do so with Google Earth readily available to see how the countryside has either remained the same or changed.