travel – Writing Under Fire

I just received a Pinterest post about a travel agency’s favorite Fairytale towns in Germany. My list is a little different but I’d like to share with you. My first trip to Germany in June was breathtaking. Our time was short, so we only made a few stops.

Following our roots took us first to the town of Bacharach. We passed under an entryway into the city dated 1322 and brochures in our hotel said the first part of the city dates back to the 1000’s.

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Bacharach is a charming little town along the Rhein River, the people friendly, the streets paved in stone.

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We chose to take the ferry-boat ride down the Rhein in the most scenic section of the river, between Bacharach and Boppard.

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Along the river, scenic little towns edge the water with sweeping grape arbors above and ancient castles keeping vigilance over the cities.

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If those weren’t enough to inspire fairy tales, we headed to Elk Castle in the Moselle Valley

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Our roots took us to Birkenfeld, a town dating back to Roman times and the origin of our family.

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Watch out for little devils luring the innocent sheep.

think Birkenfeld

From there, we visited what is claimed to be the oldest city in Germany, Worms where Martin Luther initiated the Protestant Reformation against the Catholic Church.

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I don’t think I can pick a favorite because each was unique in its own right. But buried deep in those hills and cobblestone streets, are new stories just waiting to come out. I’m thinking perhaps some historical fiction about my ancestors and their complicated lives in the 18th century before embarking for the New World.

If you had to pick one place to write about, what would it be and why? I’d love to hear from you. Anyone that leaves comments will have their name put in a hat for a free book of their choice of mine, print or ebook if in the US, ebook only if out of the country.

If you are not familiar with my stories, check them out at http://www.joannetailele.com

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I promised all of you a blog post about my fantastic trip that I took with my brother, Richard Simon. We are only fifteen months apart in age, but over the years, we have ended up on opposite sides of the US. What a thrill to spend ten days with him.

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We covered four countries: Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and Austria.

Everyone has asked me what my favorite part was. That is really impossible to say since there were so many wonderful things; spending time with my brother must rank as number one. Discovering family roots is high on the list, especially one very special find on our mother’s side in Sweden that dates back to the 1700’s. Sweden and Germany were our main focus since we were following our ancestral roots. But we managed two days in Copenhagen and one in Salzburg, Austria as well. As a Sound of Music fan, I gleefully embarrassed my brother singing Do Re Me on the steps and dancing around the Pegasus fountain. And I almost got him to dance with me at the gazebo like Liesel and Rolf. Maybe that will be my next post.

Since keeping blog posts shorts is a must, I am going to stray from our roots for a moment. I discovered that I loved searching for old churches. I love the architecture, and reverent feeling I get when I am near them. It is a shame that I heard that much of Europe do not actually use these churches very much. We were blessed to be inside two that were obviously active. In a church in Bastad, Sweden, we heard the organist practicing and singing How Great Though Art. And in Berkenfeld, Germany, we were privileged to hear two young teenage girls practicing singing, I have loved you for a thousand years. Both in English.

Let these pictures speak a thousand words. Don’t be surprised if some of these end up in my novels.