I've heard that a benefit of traveling to Europe is the close proximity of myriad countries, and that one can visit several in a short span of time. I took a different approach in determining where I went: I decided that instead of seeing many countries briefly, I would visit one country in-depth. Quality over quantity.
The next question was which country. I chose Germany. Many people have asked me what led me to land on Germany, so here is my reasoning:
- I have German ancestry.
- My mother's maiden name is Baugher (pronounced Bahk-er). I've done some research and found that Baugher is an English spelling of the German surname Bacher. You may be familiar with the famous German composer by the name of Bach. His name means stream or brook. I surmise that Bacher may have similar meaning.
- As for my lineage, I don't really know much. I don't know when the family immigrated to the US or who in my family tree may still reside in Germany.
- I have friends in and near Germany to visit. Two I met during my Study Abroad in Australia; the other I met more recently through work.
- I've read a lot of WWI & WWII historical fiction.
- I used to not have any desire to read stories in wartime settings. Turns out that, while I still don't really care for reading about the fighting itself, I actually quite appreciate the stories about the people affected by war, what it was like, the spy networks, sacrifice for others, and the power hope.
- The following are some of my favorite WWI & WWII historical fiction novels. I've listed them in by audience and then by favorite.
- Adult
- The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah - a story of two sisters living in Nazi-occupied France; Kristen Hannah is amazing at painting 3-dimensional characters, particularly women (sisters and best friends)
- The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult - a story of a woman who faces a moral struggle when asked to help a former SS Officer commit suicide; a story woven around justice and forgiveness; true to form, Picoult enables the reader to see both sides of the request with clarity while acknowledging that they are opposites, making for a very intense reaction
- China Dolls by Lisa See - the story of 3 Asian women from different backgrounds who become close friends after traveling to San Francisco, California in search of stardom; their world is rocked when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor and one of them goes missing at the betrayal of one of the others; See is skilled at giving life to female protagonist characters and their relationships, particularly with other women (best friends)
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - a story of a little French girl who has lost her vision and is struggling to survive WWII and crosses paths with a German boy solider who is also struggling to survive the war
- At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen - a story about a woman who doesn't give herself enough credit and learns a character-defining secret about her husband; set in Scotland in 1942; same author as Water for Elephants
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - a story of an orphan girl in Germany whose accordian-playing foster father teaches her how to read; she quickly discovers that she is a bibliophile during WWII and resorts to theft to feed her hunger for books and the words they contain; she reads to others in bomb shelters to calm them, and she reads to a Jewish man her foster parents are hiding in their basement
- Children (I reread Number the Stars and fully recollect the story and how it affected me, so I've listed it first. Of course, Diary of a Young Girl is a world-wide classic.)
- Number the Stars by Lois Lowry - a story of a little Danish girl who discovers the courage to help her family rescue Jews, her best friend among them; a children's book that I'll never forget reading in elementary school by a renowned children's book author
- Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank - the diary of Dutch girl surviving the war by hiding with her family and another in the secret annex of an office building
Once I decided on Germany I began researching what to do and when to go. I stumbled across the Berlin Marathon and found that the registration window was currently open. I figured what the hell, registered for the lottery. A month or so later I had a random charge against my checking account and discovered it was my registration payment: I got in, and I was going to Germany in September 2017!
