Ups & Downs: The (Mis)Adventures of a Crusty Old Fart ... (ISBN 1439214832)

Meet the Frieds:
I have never before laughed so hard while reading a travelogue. The authors don't take themselves or anybody else too seriously, even when (or maybe *particularly* when) the macho competitive streak shows up. We are, after all, dealing with father and son together on a two-month trek. The combination of cooperation, competition, exasperation, affection, and appreciation of nature (human and otherwise) is irresistible. In fact, we learn as much about the Frieds themselves as we do about the places they visit. The drawings by Simon Matthews are hysterical: incidents from the book are gleefully exaggerated out of all proportion, which is probably how the authors felt about what was going on at the time. Oh yeah, there's also a lot of useful information for anyone contemplating a similar adventure.

Hiking + Snark = Fun Travel:
As the editorial blurb says, this is a true story. For anyone who's ever been in a part of the world (or even one's own country) that is not part of the expected itinerary for a tourist or traveler, much of this book should strike a chord. The same can be said for anyone who has ever been on a hiking or camping trip that lasts more than a few hours. Don and David Kassin Fried's self-published book contains some interesting tidbits about Switzerland, France, and Italy, the three countries through which they traveled during their 9-week odyssey in the summer of 2007. There are moments in the book that provide chuckles and outright laughter, but the reader also gets a sense of how much we who live in the "developed" world are dependent on things that we take for granted--a dry bed (it rains a lot in the book), water for bathing, a cell phone and GPS, the availability of food, and the means to pay for it all. Even in a place like Switzerland, which certainly for many Americans is viewed as a place of tidy orderliness, it is possible to be miserable; and even though the Frieds (and the David's fiancee, Angela, who accompanied them for the first three weeks of the trip) have a rough time of it in spots, they are never really very far from civilization. Not that this is a bad thing, of course; it was not the authors' intention to engage in a real-life "Survivor" or "Into the Wild". Rather, this book is a way to memorialize a personally significant journey for both men and to provide edification and amusement for anyone who is interested in travel in general and in roughing it (as much as is possible in South-Central Europe, anyway). The snarky comments that both authors make throughout the book are the kind that one often makes when remembering an experience that seemed unpleasant when it was happening but are more amusing in hindsight. The reader does, however, occasionally get a glimpse of the frustration, exhaustion, and even hostility that lie jsut below the veneer of humorous detachment the authors try to present in the book. This is a good thing in that it conveys more than just the simple descriptive narration so common to most travelogues. It is reminiscent, in fact, of the work of Bill Bryson. The illustrations, which are placed at strategic points in the narrative, add much to the book, as do the photographs that accompany the text.