Field Trip to Europe!

I'm going on a field trip to all the places in my story! I've been writing about these places for the last several years, and now I can finally visit. Google can only get you so far when you want to add local flavor to your story, and I can't wait to see it all live and in person. I am going to smell the croissants in Paris, walk the city streets in the area where my fictional town is based, stand in front of the Brandenburg Gate where Hitler rode in his motorcade to open the 1936 Berlin Olympics, clink a beer stein in Munich, dip along the Swiss border and stay in a castle near Frankfurt.

My friend Jibs is coming with me, and we are looking forward to an epic adventure!

Oh, the places we'll go!

First stop, Paris.

In book two of my story, The Forget-Me-Nots of the Angels, Lili and her husband Karl travel to Paris during the German occupation. They spend the day exploring the city, and I will visit many of the sights they would have seen. A gala at the Louvre turns mysterious, and I'm going to see the famous museum and imagine them there. Their trip is dangerous, but I am hoping to relax and explore flea markets, take a boat on the Seine, and sample French pastries.

Road Trip through Belgium to Solingen

After Paris, we will hit the road for the rest of the way. We are renting a car and driving our way through the trip. I considered taking trains, which are a very efficient way to travel in Europe, but you can't slam on the brakes to take a picture of something that reminds you of a place in your story, so we've got some driving days built into our trip. We will weave our way through Belgium and Cologne (stop and see the Cathedral, perhaps?), then land in North Rhein Westphalia, the setting of my story.

The town is fictional, but based on the area where my grandfather's family lived. Since letters from my great aunt inspired the story (see Invitation to the Story for more info), it felt right to place the story in the industrial heart of Germany. Lili's father owns a factory, which works nonstop during the war. I look forward to meeting people and exploring places in the area I have been writing so much about.

The other exciting thing about this part of the trip is we will stay with a cousin I've never met. It's a long story about how we got in touch, which I plan to tell you more about soon, and I am thrilled to meet him. He has been gracious in inviting us to stay with him and show us around the area. I hope to visit places from his grandmother's letters and my genealogy research. I speak "Duolingo" German, so I can ask him where the bathroom is: Wo ist die Toilette? Fortunately, he speaks English, but I am guessing communication could be interesting. It's all part of the adventure!

Next stop, Berlin

Google Maps shows a six-hour trip from Solingen to Berlin, but it's the Autobahn, baby! Let's see if it lives up to the hype.

We are staying in the same hotel overlooking the Brandenburg Gate where Lili and Karl stay during their trips to Berlin in the 1930s. The Berlin Wall didn't exist yet in the story, but we will see where it divided Germany for so many years after the war. We also plan to visit the German Resistance Memorial Center, set on the site where men who attempted to assassinate Hitler died by firing squad. My story delves deep into the resistance inside Germany, which was fraught with danger and plagued by differing viewpoints, so I am looking forward to this stop.

Munich or bust!

Our next stop is Munich, where my first book, Speak Through a Flower, begins during Hitler's failed putsch in 1923. Lili's husband Karl, an anthropologist, is on assignment at the Residenz, a beautiful palace museum. On the way to Munich, we plan to stop at Dachau, which is one of the first concentration camps opened after Hitler came to power in 1933.

There are many sights to see in Munich, and of course, we will have a beer at the Hofbrauhaus, stroll the Marienplatz, and watch and listen to the Glockenspiel—an enormous, elaborate cuckoo clock.

Schaffhausen, Switzerland

After leaving Munich, we will drive the scenic route along Lake Konstanz at the foot of the Alps and dip into Switzerland for the night. The Swiss border represented freedom for many escaping the Nazi regime, but it was difficult to get to safety. In my second book, The Forget-Me-Nots of the Angels, Lili makes a perilous journey to the border near Schaffhausen, with tragic consequences. We will sleep in an attic room similar to one where she sleeps with her sister on their harrowing trip.

Last Stop: Frankfurt

We will drive from Switzerland up through Heidelberg, stopping to see this beautiful medieval city, then on to the Schlosshotel outside Frankfurt. A Schloss in Germany is a small castle, not as big as a Burg or big castle, but still a stately palace or manor house. Lili's husband Karl's family home is a Schloss outside of Frankfurt, making out last stop a place to explore a similar home and area where they spend a considerable amount of time in the story. We will see Alte Oper, the opera house where Karl and Lili see the inaugural performance of Carmina Burana in June 1937. (Listen to the ominous opening song here.)

Illumination. Imagination. Contemplation.

The theme of this blog, and my books, is to illuminate places and times, imagine ourselves there, and contemplate life and choices. It is also the purpose of this trip, where we explore the places Lili travels in my story, and I cannot wait to share the journey with you. You will find links below to follow me on social media for snippets along the way and subscribe to my blog for more updates.

Comment below if you have ideas for places and things we should see along the way!