Thrilling Cities Bond-Style

Thrilling Cities (Part 2) is a compilation of a series of travel articles Ian Fleming wrote for The Sunday Times in 1960. The creator of James Bond drove a six-thousand-mile route through Europe in a Thunderbird (interesting choice of car) - from Hamburg to Vienna, Geneva, Naples and, finally, Monte Carlo.

Tweedy's Thought: It would be nice to replicate this route sometime. Perhaps in a Rolls Royce Serenity.

Strikingly illustrated

Intended as 'mood pieces', Fleming wrote to give an impression of the psychological as well as the physical landscape of the cities. He chose his backgrounds well. The book starts at a female mud wrestling exhibition at two in the morning in a nightclub in the St Pauli district of Hamburg. In Vienna, he enjoys the 'splendidly frivolous attitude to life'. It may be over fifty years old, but it's my kind of travel book.

More travel from Fleming

Thrilling Cities Part 1 is Fleming's travelogue of a round-the-world trip in 1959. The articles from both trips were originally was published as a single book. The round-the-world-trip takes in Hong Kong, Macau, Tokyo, Honolulu, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Chicago, New York.

Tweedy's Second Thought: And this one.

Bond at the Barbican

Remember when we spoke of the amusing short-story written by Alan Coren on an aging James Bond - "Dr No Will See You Now"? Of course, Bond will never age in our eyes. The novels, the suits, the music, the bashing people with table legs - timeless, in a shifting with the times kind of way. Unbelievable to think then that the Bond film franchise is over fifty.

The Barbican in London, in association with Bond producers EON, are celebrating this milestone with an exhibition entitled Designing 007 - Fifty Years of Bond Style from the 6th of July to the 5th of September. Given access to EON's Bond archives - props, artwork, costumes, including Bond suits from tailor Anthony Sinclair (I think), are all on display.

And a Martini Bar is also at hand to shake a martini for you. And if Bond liked them shaken, I'm not going to argue. I don't want to risk a whack from a table leg thank you very much.

Can't wait to get my trotters on a ticket.