Classic Mark Twain, a narration of a steamboat excursion to Europe undertaken in 1869. I really enjoyed reading his account of places I had been to while on my mission in Italy; his highly irreverent take on renaissance art and his abuse of tour guides made me laugh out loud on several occasions. The other characteristic of the book that makes it a worthwhile read is that it is well over a hundred years old and it gives you a window into the world at that time. It's interesting to note how much some things have changed yet others have remained the same. His honest commentary on Palestine gave me some new perspective when reading the Bible of what the area is/was like.

His commentary on the Catholic church and the people of the nations he visited is highly stereotypical and prejudiced, though his comments on the prevalence of relic-worship at that time is interesting. The book is kind of long, but one can easily skip the duller parts.