{"id":13891,"date":"2016-09-07T00:01:41","date_gmt":"2016-09-07T04:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/?p=13891"},"modified":"2016-09-06T07:20:47","modified_gmt":"2016-09-06T11:20:47","slug":"13891","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2016\/09\/13891\/","title":{"rendered":"A Tourist\u2019s Observation on the Reading Culture in Germany"},"content":{"rendered":"

I grew up with tales from the Brothers Grimm; stories that often depicted the forests of Germany. Having moved from our small farm, over a river and through the woods (really!)\u2014I would pretend I was in the depths of the Black Forest, running from wolves or something even worse. In truth, I was actually running in a small woods surrounding our house\u2026in rural Michigan. We went to Germany last Christmas to visit family, and when we visited Germany a second time\u2014in June\u2014I knew exactly where I wanted to go.<\/p>\n

My pre-trip research took me to Professor D. L. Ashliman’s<\/a> \u00a0information on the Brothers Grimm, indicating that the brothers spent time working as librarians. The Grimms also collected folk tales from various locations in Germany, compiled into their well-known collections. While Freiburg<\/a> is<\/em> not<\/em> one of the locations explored by the brothers, this charming city is well known for its access to the Black Forest<\/a>. But first\u2026a little more about Freiburg.<\/p>\n

\"Black
Black Forest Trail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Freiburg could be<\/em> a perfect setting for all things Brothers Grimm\u2014it is full of lush greenery, and enchanting rose-covered buildings, fences and trellises. With stunning architecture, whimsical decorations, winding streets, and markets with fresh food and beautiful flowers, the community offers many outdoor eating spaces. Rather bold birds\u2014used to being fed\u2014swoop in on tables, looking for their next nibble\u2014oh\u2026tales of Hansel and Gretel! A water channel system runs throughout the city, with children running along them, racing small, colorful sailboats. Around the edges of Freiburg, the Black Forest awaits, and the view from the cable car going into the Forest is stunning. Huge trees stand tall, and evergreens with drooping branches bespeak every Fairy Tale image I have ever had. Lichen-covered rocks peek from amongst the trees, and trails disappear into the Forest, making for an unforgettable first impression of this magnificent place.<\/p>\n

Stepping out of the cable car, the Forest is silent–that kind of silent that can be harmless or foreboding, depending upon the day\u2026or story. The trees are simply beautiful\u2014stretching to the sky. Sunlight and shadows play, and trails go as far as the eye can see. Moss-covered stumps, and nooks and crannies in the tree trunks\u2014could possibly house\u2026a magical something<\/em>. Mist moves slowly here\u2014in wisps\u2014floating through the trees. Some of those trees lean in over the trails\u2014ever so slightly\u2014as if to listen, very carefully, as to why you are there.<\/p>\n

\"BlackSituated neatly at the top of the cable car stop, a small restaurant\u2019s expansive glass windows overlook the Forest. A collection of books\u2014for all ages\u2014greets you at the entrance. I observed children reading at tables; reading alone with watchful adults, or reading with <\/em>adults\u2014sharing and discussing their books. The back of the restaurant houses a second bookrack\u2014to be enjoyed, read and shared, in the depths of the Black Forest. This, in itself, is a Fairy Tale come true.<\/p>\n

(photos courtesy of Guest Blogger)<\/p>\n

*********************************************************************************************<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy
Courtesy photo from Guest Blogger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our guest blogger today is Brenda Hahn. Brenda\u2019s permanent home is in Florida, where she and her family live. As a Teacher\/Librarian, her experiences include, U.S. public schools, public libraries and both U.S. and International IB schools. Brenda\u2019s vivid imagination keeps her library full of fun and applicable 21st Century life-long learning skills. She can be reached at<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>theartfullibrarian@gmail.com<\/a>, or follow Brenda on Twitter, at: @bmhwriter. <\/em><\/p>\n

Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at\u00a0alscblog@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I grew up with tales from the Brothers Grimm; stories that often depicted the forests of Germany. Having moved from our small farm, over a river and through the woods (really!)\u2014I would pretend I was in the depths of the Black Forest, running from wolves or something even worse. In truth, I was actually running in a small woods surrounding our house\u2026in rural Michigan. We went to Germany last Christmas to visit family, and when we visited Germany a second time\u2014in June\u2014I knew exactly where I wanted to go.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[134],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guest-blogger"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13891"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13891\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}