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Reviews for Good Night and God Bless Ever slept in a bishop’s bedchamber, napped in a nun’s cell or sipped holy wine in an abbey’s dining room? Suitable for the traveller, the pious and the curious alike, the travel book provides accommodation details, local tourist information, places of pilgrimage, travel tidbits and anecdotes against a fascinating backdrop of history and religion. It even details concerts and plays, plus lessons in art, cookery and music that can be enjoyed in a convent or monastery. This is the first in what promises to be a series of unique guides to alternative tourist accommodation in convents, monasteries, abbeys and Christian hotels and focuses on Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic. Vacations & Travel Magazine I spoke next with Trish Clark, whose beautifully presented book offers something quite different. She writes in detail about over 200 monasteries and convents offering accommodation throughout Italy, Czech Republic and Austria. Some of these are spiritual retreats but the majority are open to any travellers. Trish writes charmingly about the attractions of the area, restaurants, historical facts and, in fact, all the traveller needs to know before making a choice. The reviews have been provided by a number of contributors, as well as Trish herself, and, in fact, Trish offers thanks to everyone from God to the Hon.Tim Fisher, Australia’s Ambassador to The Vatican! Even if you have no immediate plans to travel, this is a beautiful book just to own and to fondle ... and maybe to encourage you to dream a bit! Ann Creber - The Good Life -Radio 3MDR Melbourne Amen to this Bible for Modern Travellers. If you thought that you’d seen every travel book on the shelf, here’s one that will take you on a new and very different journey. Good Night and God Bless is a fact-packed 242-page guide to convent and monastery accommodation in Europe. The first volume by Australian author Trish Clark covers Austria, the Czech Republic and Italy, with plans well advanced for next year’s launch of the second chapter covering holy places in France, Ireland and the UK. Suitable for the tourist, the pious and the curious alike, this user-friendly travel guide provides accommodation details, local tourist information, places of pilgrimage, travel titbits and anecdotes against a fascinating backdrop of history and religion. Leafing through the guide will enable readers to check out some well-kept secrets, including: • where to sleep in a bishop’s bedchamber Trish’s travels around Europe as a backpacker 20 years ago gave her impetus for the guide, which is meticulously researched, beautifully produced with a ribbon marker, and featuring useful maps and exquisite illustrations. Mansfield and Ashfield Observer UK Looking for a new and novel way to travel Italy, the Czech Republic or Austria? Tired of package tours and ultra luxurious, impersonal hotels? Here, in this delightfully produced book, is a plethora of interesting places to visit and an exciting new way to find inexpensive and interesting accommodation. This volume is the first in a series of three which introduces the traveller/reader to the concept of staying in monasteries and convents while visiting Central Europe. The author has identified and located nunneries and monasteries which provide, clean, comfortable, welcoming and centrally located accommodation. Visitors of all religions or none are welcomed to each hostel; the only requirement is that respect be shown for the religious practices and peace within. Each page lists the address, type of accommodation, minimum tariff, directions, times of religious services and which gender can be accommodated. Frequently, other cultural activities hosted by the monastery/convent are described with their dates, and major cultural events in the wider community are also listed. This is a delightful and comprehensive book to read and use in planning an unusual and interesting trip, or for the armchair traveller to enjoy. SA LIFE (South Australian Life) Want to kip in a cardinal’s bedroom or cosy up in a Christian cloister? Then Trish Clark’s comprehensive guide to the convents, abbeys, monasteries and Christian hotels in Austria, the Czech Republic and Italy is the guidebook for you. This beautifully-presented and well-organised volume opens the door on religious hideaways throughout Europe that offer good-value accommodation and heartfelt hospitality to tourists and pilgrims alike. The second volume, to be published in 2009, covers France, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The books are a labour of love for Clark. On her weblog at www.goodnightandgodbless.com she says gathering the information about the convents and monasteries accepting overnight guests turned into an obsession. The results of Clark’s obsessiveness will help others more easily find places of welcome and retreat, plus trails used by pilgrims — paths trodden for centuries. (The 140-kilometre Via Sacra, for example, is an ancient pilgrim route leading from Vienna through Austria to Styria, which passes a 12th-century Madonna and other shrines). Other less sanctified delights, including good places to eat, drink and visit are set out clearly in the book. The website contains information about Australian retreats, photos of some of the convents and monasteries, reviews of the book and excerpts. Good Night & God Bless is a fitting companion for the European traveller — particularly one looking for places of rest and sustenance offered by Christian hearts and hands. Marjorie Lewis-Jones Ever slept in a bishop’s bedchamber, napped in a nun’s cell or sipped holy wine in an abbey’s dining room? Trish Clark, author of an unusual new travel guide Good Night and God Bless: The Modern Traveller’s Bible offers a fabulous way to holiday. Suitable for the traveller, the pious and the curious alike, the travel book provides accommodation details, local tourist information, places of pilgrimage, travel tidbits and anecdotes against a fascinating backdrop of history and religion. Meticulously researched, Good Night and God Bless is the first in a series of unique guides to alternative accommodation in convents, monasteries, abbeys and Christian hotels in Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic. The accommodation is located in medieval palaces, fronting on to grand piazzas, in the centre of towns and cities, in countryside near vineyards and olive groves. All warmly welcome budget conscious overnight guests. Visit www.goodnightandgodbless.com for details of the book, interesting excerpts and Australian retreats and accommodation of this ilk. Get Up And Go If you want the ultimate tranquil weekend, few places are more insulated than a monastery, particularly in Tuscany. Founded in 1406, the Convento di San Domenico is a still functioning religious institution in the village of Fiesole, that has 13 rooms available to tourists. Granted, the sleeping quarters are a little Spartan, but the price, from £20 a night, more than compensates. Alitalia flies to Florence from Heathrow (via Rome) from £168 return. Daily Mail, London Trish Clark, arriving in Rome in 1970 as a young backpacker from Australia, found the youth hostel full and reluctantly took directions to a nearby convent that admitted paying guests. It was more comfortable, more welcoming and more fun than she expected. She has since stayed at many more convents, monasteries and abbeys, and, in Good Night, God Bless (Paratus Press, £16.99), the first guide of a planned series, offers a choice of the best examples in Austria, the Czech Republic and Italy. She divides them helpfully into open houses and spiritual retreats, the latter being quiet, sober and often imposing a strict rule of silence, and offers recommendations on local sights and restaurants. The Telegraph, London Thinking about the Abbotsford Convent -- an excellent venue for literary festivals -- reminded me of another new book, Good Night and God Bless: A Guide to Convent and Monastery Accommodation in Europe, by Trish Clark. Have you ever slept in a bishop’s chamber or a nun’s cell (where’s Dick Emery when you need him?) or sipped wine in an abbey’s dining room? Travel writer Trish Clark reports on an unusual way to holiday in a paperback book which is described as a modern traveller’s bible. Good Night & God Bless is a guide to convent and monastery accommodation in Austria, Czech Republic and Italy. The book came to Clark about 20 years ago when, as a young traveller, she couldn’t find a bed in a youth hostel in Rome and was directed to a convent ‘up the road’. Suitable for the tourist, the pious and the curious, the user-friendly travel guide has accommodation details, local tourist information, places of pilgrimage, travel titbits and anecdotes against a fascinating backdrop of history and religion. The Sunday Telegraph, Escape – Travel Log The flood of travel books continues and one of the best recent arrivals is Queensland writer Trish Clark's guide to tourism accommodation in convents, monasteries and abbeys in Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic. Mike Bingham, Sunday Tasmanian When she was a 20 something backpacker, Trish Clark had what you could call an epiphany. Turned away from a backpackers' hostel in Rome, she was told to try the convent for accommodation. Staying there was a happy experience and a revelation that led her to discover a whole new world for travellers of all ages. Suitable for the tourist, the pious and the curious alike, her user-friendly guide gives details on accommodation, tourist information, places of pilgrimage and history. Staying at a convent may not to be everyone's idea of a good time, but many Australians head overseas to famous pilgrimage trails such as El Camino de Santiago in Spain. If that appeals, so might the idea of staying in a medieval monastery - with the monks. The settings are fascinating, the accommodation ranges from basic to luxurious, and the proprietors are always friendly and welcoming. The author says this form of accommodation has been a well kept secret. This first volume features Austria, Czech Republic and Italy and volume two, due out in 2009, will cover France, Ireland and the UK. Phil Brown, Brisbane News Sydney writer Trish Clark has completed the perfect book for those with a passion for travel and matters ecclesiastic. Her guide to monasteries and convents in Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic makes fascinating reading, with cassocks full of interesting snippets as the cloisters and their secrets open as accommodation. Clark lists open houses of religious orders (some with fine food); spiritual retreats (quieter establishments) and pilgrimages, as well as details of places of interest nearby. In lieu of 5-star amenities, think curfews - but the hospitality is A1. The Australian Financial Review In this well-researched guide to convent and monastery accommodation in Europe, the author quotes Austrian priest Father Maximillian Krausgruber: ‘In an era where the church is in such dire straits, opening up the cloisters also opens up a potential bridge to people and the possibility that they will once again seek dialogue with us.’ His is a noble view, but the reality is an increasing number of religious orders are being forced to open their doors to earn enough money to survive. Trish Clark first experienced a night in a convent while backpacking through Europe in 1970. She offers details for those who are merely looking for somewhere to sleep from €30 a night; she also caters to travellers seeking a spiritual retreat. The Sun-Herald - Rosemarie MilsomBilled as volume one, and covering Italy, the Czech Republic and Austria, this is a well-ordered handbook to convent and monastery accommodation by Australian traveller Trish Clark. She has a second volume planned (France, Ireland and England), which proves there must be little shortage of blessed beds. The author describes her chosen places as "unique, safe, comfortable and friendly", and they seem budget-friendly too. Don't be put off by the thought of serious seminary-style lodgings: many of the inclusions sound divine (in a much more secular sense), such as Villa Helios on the isle of Capri with views of the Bay of Naples, lush gardens, an orchard and a historic chapel. Alexandra James, Weekend Australian Being turned away from a youth hostel in Rome 30 years ago has had a profound effect on traveller Trish Clark. In her 20s and in need of somewhere to sleep, she was told to try the convent down the road. Her early religious experience has led to the publication of Good Night and God Bless, the Modern Traveller's Bible. Described as suitable for tourists, the pious and curious alike, this first in a series of planned travel guides provides accommodation details, tourist information, places of pilgrimage, travel titbits and anecdotes against a backdrop of history and religion. The Sunday Times, Perth Ever slept in a bishop's bedchamber? Convents, monasteries and abbeys have always been places which generously welcomed weary travellers. That tradition continues today. Goodnight and God Bless takes you on a tour of religious hideaways offering tourist and pilgrimage accommodation throughout Europe. Volume 1 covers Austria, the Czech Republic and Italy. Goodnight and God Bless is available from the Catholic Bookshop Braddon; cost $29.95. Author Trish Clark was born in Brisbane and is the owner of a successful travel marketing business. Watch out for the second volume which covers France, Ireland and England. 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