More than satirical: deeply insightful. Twain had the gift of Beginner's Mind, seeing people and places without the prejudice of preconceptions. His takes on Europe, Renaissance art, religio-pilgrims, the Middle East, and human character are still relevant and powerful 150 years later.

Kind of spotty, but even so a beautiful work; doubly so when considering its context. This was groundbreaking work in its day, and is still a yardstick by which to measure any travelogue. And the "spotty" may be my fault: I don't know much about Jericho, Nazareth, Judea(), or any of those Jesusy places. A more educated reader might find great mirth in his treatment of the Holy Sepulchre, whatever that is; I just find heartbreak in how people do so much harm and destruction in the name of their myths.

One surprise was learning that the Middle East was a festering shithole of ignorance and misery even back then. I can't figure out how I feel about that, what it says about our species and our future.

Four-star Twain, but that's still five real-world stars.

() Aside from the great rift between the Judean People's Front and the People's Front of Judea.