India, May 30 -- I seem to have inherited two loves from my late mother: the love for the written word and that for travel. A combination of both made me extend my trip to Europe when I was invited to present my PhD work at the University of Bergen in Norway. I just had to visit Paris and Berlin! As a rule, everywhere I go, I have to visit bookstores and then mention their names, locations, and the date of the visit on the title page of each book or diary I purchase. This article grew out of that same impulse to document my favourite places in each of the three literary European cities I happily wandered through.

BergenAlthough the city of Oslo and the mesmerising Northern Lights are what initially come to mind when one thinks of Norway,...