The Encouragement Files
(7-25) Celebrating Others, Weekly
This is the 7th Edition of ‘The Encouragement Files’, a weekly curation inspired by our non-Substack newsletter Field Notes for Curious Minds. It is a celebration of inspiring words, publications and people that have caught our eye. Hopefully, it will encourage you to shout up for the creativity that lifts your spirits and inspires you.
Between us, we’ve been places. It’s been a real mix; we’ve travelled for work - both of us have been to Jordan, the United States and Afghanistan for work reasons - we overlapped in Afghanistan on the day we were originally due to get married, but maybe that’s a tale for another day.
There have been a good few others, too many to mention. Back in those ‘world of work’ days, holiday travel was just that; short bursts, trying to cram in too much, desperately wanting to make sure we went back to the office with a story to tell and a ‘sight’ to tick off the list. We were probably who Paul Theroux was thinking of when he said:
Tourists don't know where they've been, travelers don't know where they're going
We have some plans for this year … we’ll tell you a little more down there 👇
Our intention is to be a lot MORE traveller, and a lot LESS tourist.
To that end, we have been seeking out all the inspiration we can find. There are so many
to lose ourselves in so we can find our way later in the year. Why not join us, no maps or compasses, as we explore TravelSome writers have a way of drawing you in with words and images, like a well-informed local showing you hidden corners of the places you aspire to know better. For many years, JoJo’s sister lived in Barcelona and we visited often. But Barcelona is a city that rewards walkers with no particular place to go, it hands out gifts to the curious, it takes those who look hard and draws them deeper. So it is with
leading you through narrow streets to places of wonder:
The Eixample district, with its grid of wide boulevards and chamfered corners, has become synonymous with modernisme, and Casa Comalat is an essential part of this architectural narrative. Its design challenges conventional ideas of what a building should look like, offering a fresh, innovative take on the principles of modernism. The building’s incorporation of natural elements, as well as its mastery of ceramics, ironwork, and glass, reflects the deep cultural pride that characterized the modernisme movement and continues to inspire architects and designers today.
Travel Essayist ‘A Hidden Gem of Modernisme’
Travelling further afield, we are obsessed with ‘Letters from Japan’, a compelling travelogue, rich in stunning photography and spells woven in worlds about a part of the world that enthralls and beguiles us.
offers the very best kind of travel writing … you feel drawn to explore for yourself but you know you would barely scratch the surface of such knowledge, gathered through personal experience, presented as an insider’s privileged view but in beautiful accessible tones. The photography transports you quicker than a bullet train ride to the very heart of this most mysterious of parts of the world.
When we travel later in the year, we aspire to capture a sense of travelling like that offered by
whose musings about her European trip included (important) moments of ‘not knowing’ because surely travel should introduce uncertainty and doubt into our over-organised, over-planned lives?We are at Munich Hauptbahnhof, lost in a heaving crowd of people who seem to know exactly which path they are on. We don’t know where the long-distance trains are. We don’t know if we can jump on the next train without reserving new seats. We don’t know … cold air funnels down the platform, tears sting my eyelids as vulnerability and exhaustion takes hold. We have been travelling for thirty hours and it’s not over yet.
There is a lost art … letters sent from abroad, postcards to loved ones that squeeze a sense of a place into a tiny space, suntan lotion-smudged words conveying but a fraction of the thrill of our journey. We hope to write a few later this year, inspired by
It is impossible to pick a favourite from the collection of ‘A letter From …’ but you’ll forgive us Paris, perhaps.
"When spring comes to Paris the humblest mortal alive must feel that he dwells in paradise."
Henry Miller
Fiction
If a letter from Paris would make your heart beat a little faster, perhaps you might spare a thought for Dear John as he opens one from a girl in a Paris café
Are We There Yet?
We are VERY excited about our own travel plans, not least because they celebrate a (quite large) milestone birthday for a certain old fella at Feasts & Fables HQ. There are solo treats before we roam together.
is heading to Portugal in June for a week long stay at Wild View Retreat where her sister Patricia will be the retreat leader (followed by a few days spent ‘decompressing’ in Olhão). At the same time, the previously-mentioned ‘old man’ will be pedalling from Forres (the small town in the north of Scotland where he was born) back to our farm in France. The trip includes a ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao and a coast-to-coast traverse of France in the shadow of the mighty Pyrenees, over 2300 kilometres and perhaps 30,000 metres of climbing. Training is well underway. Winter Miles = Summer Smiles
The Last Word in Travel
Over the past couple of years, we have travelled vicariously with our friend
as he explores life’s ’fourth quarter’. Hosts became treasured friends at Margot’s Retreat in a tiny corner of the Ardèche region of France … and now Lottie has brought magic to Substack. We love how is becoming Italian one dish at a time. If Judy is putting down roots, are leading a more nomadic existence with food at its heart … and what is travel without the flavours of the places that find their way into our hearts? You’ll currently find in the Galápagos Islands. Also, where do you find the inspiration to go unless it is through the beautiful images taken by other folk … take Berlin, captured byFeasts & Fables ‘on tour’ … pictures paint a thousand miles
We are seven weeks into this weekly curation, a celebration of the things we’ve seen, read or thought about. But we have been doing something similar over there 👈 👇 in Non-Substack Land for nearly 8 years. If you like this, you might relish that.
Maybe tell us in the comments about a few of your favourite travel publications. Who are you recommending and where are they taking you?
Back next week, same time, same place.
Barrie and JoJo
Thanks so much for the shoutout, guys!
What great plans, and intentions for them - I'm excited for you