Hidden Places

There are many places that one will not be able to travel in a lifetime, whether due to not having enough time to travel or because the places are unheard of to the average traveler. Claudia Martin writes and shows pictures of many of those places in her book Hidden Places. In this book, Martin shares many beautiful pictures of architecture whether natural or manmade, nature's landscapes, flowers and sunsets, and waterfalls and sunrises in each region of the world. The hidden places of the world have many flora and fauna that pictures bring to the average person who will not be able to travel. Hidden Places is a classic coffee table book to show off to family, to use as a book to daydream about traveling, and to build a travel bucket list. Hidden Places should inspire one to find the next place to travel and find something very few people get to see. The pictures in Hidden Places can also inspire one's travel photography goals. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Picking up a book by Claudia Martin, you are guaranteed pages of beautiful photographs. Hidden Places is filled with photos of hidden (though some well-known) places. One of them is a library filled with rare books in Canada (insert to ohhh ahhhs here) and stunning landscapes worldwide.

Thank you, NetGalley and Amber Books, for an advanced copy.

Hidden Places by Claudia Martin is a varied collection of fantastic destinations to visit. Some are well known, many are uncommon. Chapters are broken down into The Americas, Europe, Africa and Middle East, Asia and Pacific and the options are inexhaustible. Just imagine how many thousands upon thousands of hidden places there are! Glorious photographs are accompanied by brief text descriptions. Most places are natural wonders, though some are constructed by humans.

Beautiful in its own way, Glass Beach in California is a blend of nature and environmental harm. Gape at the frozen waterfalls in Wisconsin and stepped limestone pools in Guatemala. Explore ancient civilization ruins in Peru, lovely Estonian windmills, medieval clifftop fishing villages in France, lava tubes in Spain, Park of Monsters in Italy, Postojna Cave in Slovenia and lovely Cochem in Germany. Leptis Magna in Libya has always beguiled me. The protected islands in Mozambique, mausoleum in Uzbekistan, Secret Falls in Australia and the most secluded of all, the country island of Tuvalu, beckon invitingly.

I'm grateful to have been to countless hidden places all over, including ten of those described here. Though not all are off the beaten path, they are life enriching to explore. Who doesn't love the challenge and mystery of searching for treasures and satisfaction of discovery?

Whether you enjoy armchair travel or becoming immersed in a destination (not to mention the journey), you will adore this book. Even the most experienced traveler will find inspiration here.

My sincere thank you to Amber and Ltd. and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this phenomenal book which I eagerly and thoroughly absorbed like a sponge.