A Little Understood Problem With Regards The Ancient Books We Read

Above are just 3 different versions of Herodotus's The Histories. I am reading the middle one but know that the Robin Waterfield version is the best, while the Tom Holland one I have already thrown in the bin for being illegible.

Mark Twain once wrote; “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” I always took this to mean that we should all only read certified classics, little realising that even among those certified classics, some are so badly translated that the value of their teaching becomes lost. 

This has only fully hit home now after going through two different versions of Herodotus's The Histories and finding them unsatisfactory. Below I will show you how I got to know that they were not good enough. Fortuitously, I have been quoting Herodotus for the past 5 years or so from Wikiquote. So, as I was reading through the first (discarded) and second (already halfway with notes made so I am stuck with it) versions, I would constantly find what approximates to a quote I had used before but it just didn't sound right. 

For example, I have always liked Herodotus's: "If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it." In the picture below, here is where I found that quote misrepresented (but as I said above, I am halfway through this book, with notes made, so I must press on).

"If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it."

But because all these different authors truly believe their translations to be the best in circulation, you will never find a copy which forewarns you that it may not be the best.

Trip Ideas For The Discerning Men: Factory Visits

Under construction: the Airbus A380 - 800 at Airbus's Toulouse Factory. Picture Credit: Adaptable Travel.

I am a bit of an anachronism, for all my immersion and engagement in the so-called "modern/western values," what was inculcated in me as a youth in my own culture still abides: namely, a demarcation of the different roles, responsibilities and interests that should occupy women and men. Society is so much better if there is no confusion over this (we can debate this on a different day - the point is; I have chosen the title for this post very deliberately). For example, in my own youth, men sat around the fire at night - the much vaunted Dare or Council - and discussed the most pressing issues of the day. The trips in this post are really an extension of the Dare. Make no mistake, one of my female friends is a Senior First Officer on the Airbus A320 and would be a more knowledgeable companion than the men who are going with me to the Toulouse Airbus Factory Tour. Still, it is the principle that matters: the Dare or Council is for men only.

Toulouse Airbus Factory, France. 

This trip idea was copied wholly from the United States Military's 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - General Martin Dempsey. He visited the Boeing Factory in Seattle 2 years ago and took some truly imposing pictures while there. As you very well know, Boeing makes most of the United States Air Force's advanced air assets. I have no plans to visit the United States for now, so Boeing's European peer competitor makes a very good substitute. My friends and I have a background (and continued interest) in Civil and Military Aviation, so this trip is most logical.

Stuttgart Daimler-Benz Factory, Germany.

The Stuttgart factory tour will be a hard sell even for me - its proposer - because I am NOT a car person! The only thing that could make such a trip appealing is if it is included with much context and other things of interest. Let me suggest a few. Obviously, under the overall theme of "Factory Visits," Mercedes-Benz, one of Germany and the world's top companies, must appear in the Top 10. But there are car factories everywhere in the world. So, a trip to Stuttgart can only be made more appealing by first flying to Munich to watch Bayern Munich in their forbidding Allianz Arena. After that, the discerning men can then take the early morning ICE Train - Germany's answer to Japan's MAGLEV Train - to Stuttgart for the whole day. The day in Stuttgart can then include the Mercedes Benz Factory and Museum tours among other things.

The Daimler-Benz Factory, Stuttgart. Picture Credit: InsideEvs.

The Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. Picture Credit: AutoWeb.

Travel Ideas For The Discerning World Traveller

The Bernina Express on the Brusio Spiral. Picture Credit: Wikimedia

 The Bernina Express

The Bernina Express is Europe's most scenic rail trip and runs from Chur in Switzerland to Tirano in Italy. Its selling point is its panoramic windows which gives passengers the best views of the Swiss Alps, Glaciers, and Lakes. This is a 4 hour, 90 mile journey and the most famous sights on this route are the Brusio Spiral (pictured above) and the Landwasser Viaduct (see picture below). Either side of the trip you can visit Milan (Italy) and Zurich (Switzerland) which are the closest metropolises.

This trip is best taken with your girlfriend or wife sans kids. In later instalments, I will tell you about the trips for the guys, trips for the girls and trips for the family.

The Bernina Express in Winter. Picture Credit: RHB.

The world famous Landwasser Viaduct. Picture Credit: RHB. 

Your train awaits!