German Book Tour

The Land of Fairy Tales

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A month ago I had the wonderful honor of traveling to Germany. My German publisher invited me and two other authors for a book tour in their wonderful country. It was a whirlwind week, with two speaking engagements each day with lots of driving, but what an opportunity! The country was beautiful and green and there were castles!

View from my window in Marburg. If I leaned out the 3rd story window, I could see the castle on the hill overlooking the city.
View from my window in Marburg. If I leaned out the 3rd story window, I could see the castle on the hill overlooking the city.

Now, I have to admit that ever since my Disney childhood days, I’ve been a sucker for a good fairy tale. Shocking that I grew up to be a romance author, huh? Well, not only is Germany the land of castles, but it’s also the home of fairy tales, thanks to the Brothers Grimm.

Well, the town where my German publisher is situated, and the place that served as our home base is a lovely town called Marburg. After flying all night, we arrived on Sunday morning, and since we were all travel weary, we grabbed a nap then met up with one our interpreters who gave us a tour of the city. Little did I know that I was staying in the heart of fairy tale land.

As it turns out, the man who illustrated most of the Grimm Fairy Tales was from Marburg, and he used the castle and surrounding village as inspiration for his artwork. In honor of that distinction, all around the old town of Marburg, you will find tributes to the stories he illustrated. As we walked around the old town, here are some of the fairy tale allusions we spotted:

Cinderella's Shoe. We passed this as we walked down the hill from the castle. You can see part of the castle in the background.
Cinderella’s Shoe. We passed this as we walked down the hill from the castle. You can see part of the castle in the background.
Mirror Mirror on the wall.
Mirror Mirror on the wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Red Riding Hood's Basket
Red Riding Hood’s Basket
The Brave Little Tailor who killed 7 with one blow (no one realized the 7 were flies he swatted). He later had to use hit wits to defeat giants. The flies are on the wall of the building.
The Brave Little Tailor who killed 7 with one blow (no one realized the 7 were flies he swatted). He later had to use his wits to defeat giants. See the flies on the wall of the building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is part of the old town square in Marburg. Don't you love the architecture? We had dinner next to the clock tower and got to watch it come alive when we were finishing our meal. So perfect!
This is part of the old town square in Marburg. Don’t you love the architecture? We had dinner next to the clock tower and got to watch it come alive when we were finishing our meal. So perfect!
A close up view of the castle in Marburg.
A close up view of the castle in Marburg.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So if you had to pick a favorite fairy tale, which would you pick?