Rivendell Publishing Northwest
Other Books by Robert M Goldstein
Riding with Reindeer
A Bicycle Odyssey through Finland, Lapland, and Arctic Norway
In the summer of 2007, Robert Goldstein departs from Helsinki on a self-supported bicycle epic across Finland with the goal of pedaling to the Barents Sea. Aboard a folding bicycle and towing a wagon, he endures furious storms, survives a near disastrous accident, and obsesses about about whether he will be eaten by a bear as he makes his way through the remote forests of eastern Finland. In sparsely populated Lapland, his solitude is relieved by reindeer who become his constant companions as he slowly makes his way through the Arctic. More than a travelogue, Riding with Reindeer intersperses an often humorous narrative about the author's adventures (such as getting trapped in a woman's shower in one remote village) with rich cultural and historical anecdotes as he passes through the endless forests littered with rotted fortifications, rusted tanks, and mass graves -- the detritus of Finland's desperate defense against a massive Soviet invasion in the winter of 1939.
"Goldstein's affable good humor makes him an ideal armchair traveling companion -- I laughed out loud and read passages to my husband. Stay with him to the 'Finnish'." Debra Dean, author of The Madonnas of Leningrad and Confessions of a Falling Woman.
"Goldstein gives readers a riveting and fun tale that shouldn't been missed..." -- Midwest Book Review
The Gentleman from FInland
Adventures on the Trans-Siberia Express
Two days aboard what he believes is the Trans-Siberian Express, the author discovers he's on the wrong train. It is 1987, and he is traveling in the Soviet Union, holding a train voucher that mistakenly identifies him as a Finn. In fact, he is a short, swarthy Mexican-American-Russian Jew, who speaks only enough Russian to proclaim that he is Bob, the tourist from America.
As the trip unfolds, what begins as the fulfillment of a childhood dream becomes a journey with a cast of characters worthy of a Russian novel. A grim old woman takes his only pair of shoes. Smugglers stash contraband booze under his bunk, then ply him with alcohol and delicacies. A beautiful Russian woman rescues the author from disaster in one city, only to mysteriously reappear in another, fueling his growing paranoia that she is a KGB agent. The Gentleman from Finland is a sometimes poignant story of the misadventures of a traveler who discovers that a journey on the world's longest rail line is much more than just a big train ride.
"I loved meeting the gentleman from Finland, Mother Russia, and all the other curious and compelling characters Bob encountered on this surely epic journey. A perfect read for fans of Paul Theroux and Bill Byrson's travel memoirs." -- Nancy Pearl, author of Books Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason
"The Gentleman from Finland is big fun -- an entertaining portrait of a singular journey." -- The Seattle Times
"Goldstein's witty, artfully observed memoir of an amazing journey illuminates not only the stark beauty and 'invisible menace' of Siberia but the often conflicted heart and mind of the author himself, who is as much a character as the thuggish black-marketeers, hyperactive bureaucrats, and eccentric follow travelers he describes so well. The Gentleman from Finland left me feeling grateful for Mr. Goldstein's adventurous spirit both as a traveler and a writer." -- Lorian Hemingway, author of Walking on Water and A World Turned Over.