Tour the Saffron Kingdom: Burg Rheinfels

Burg Rheinfels is the next stop in our Tour of the Seven Kingdoms! The Saffron Kingdom!

The Seven Kingdoms fairy tale world is inspired by real castles in the Rhine and Mosel River valleys in Germany.

Stone castle walls with skinny steep wooden staircase (half-covered with wooden roof)
Burg Rheinfels (Fortress Rhine Boulder) is the inspiration for the Saffron Kingdom. ©Laurel Decher, 2020.

Clip the map below to find all the tours:

Cartoon drawing of the Seven Kingdoms with locations on Rhine and Mosel Rivers marked by colored towers
Click the map to tour the Seven Kingdoms: Cochem, Marigold, Magenta, Indigo, Saffron, Rose, and Blackfly.

Feel like playing hide and seek? Take a mini-tour of Rheinfels castle in Germany. Extensive tunnels, ruins, and a gorgeous view. It’s the inspiration for the Saffron Kingdom in the #SevenKingdomsFairyTales.

  • A barge on the Rhine River (but not carrying coal–whew!)
  • Part of the castle is a hotel.
  • This castle and its ruins go on and on in all directions.
  • This way to the castle.
  • If you don’t want to walk up the hill, take the shuttle.
  • How fast could you go up and down this staircase? How about if a dragon was chasing you?
  • Waiting to go into the tunnels under the castle
  • Someone is always watching!
  • Which window would you like?
  • Lots of room for archery or tag
A terrible video by me. You can watch a more professional one below. (Mine is better than it was–I cut out a passing family’s long argument about ice cream cones. :)) It shows the Rhine River from the top of the Saffron Kingdom. Burg Rheinfels means “Castle Rhine Boulder”. ©Laurel Decher, 2020
If you want the feeling of flying over the Saffron Kingdom on a dragon–like Princess Saffy or Prince Magellan–here’s a professionally made video with twinkly music :). The first 3 minutes and the ending show close-ups of the castle and the part in the middle shows all the houses in the valley.
spine image of first three books in Seven Kingdoms Fairy Tale series

If you’re a fan of Rheinfels castle, you might enjoy the next book in the Seven Kingdoms Fairy Tales!

Book 3 [title still secret!!] stars the Saffron twins: Princess Saffy and Prince Magellan.

If you’ve read LOST WITH LEEKS or TROUBLE WITH PARSNIPS, you may remember the twins and their dragon.

If you want to know when Book 3 is ready, sign up for my Reader’s List.

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If you’d like to stay in touch, sign up for my Reader’s List. Once a month, I share a new book recommendation for readers ages 9 to 12, story-related freebies, and/or related blog posts. If it’s not your thing, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Click here for more about the Seven Kingdoms Fairy Tales (for ages 9 to 12).

Tour Magenta Kingdom: Festung Ehrenbreitstein in Koblenz

Koblenz is the next stop in our Tour of the Seven Kingdoms! This fairy tale world is inspired by real castles in the Rhine and Mosel River valleys in Germany.

When you take the train, you can look up and see the fortress as the train pulls into the station. The big, hulking rock towers way up above the city of Koblenz.

We took a “crooked elevator” [Schrägaufzug] up to the youth hostel in the fortress. *Entertaining but bring exact change*

In normal times, you can also go by aerial tram. This site is in German but it’s worth checking out for the overview photos. *Gorgeous!*

Gate in giant stone wall of Festung Ehrenbreitstein
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress guards the Rhine and Mosel Rivers from above. ©Laurel Decher, 2020.

Clip the map below to find all the tours:

Cartoon drawing of the Seven Kingdoms with locations on Rhine and Mosel Rivers marked by colored towers
Click the map to tour the Seven Kingdoms: Cochem, Marigold, Magenta, Indigo, Saffron, Rose, and Blackfly.

From the water, the Rhine valley feels like a river surrounded by high hills. But from the top, you can see that it was a meadow carved by a river. ©Laurel Decher, 2020.

Feeling cooped up? Take a mini-tour of Ehrenbreitstein Fortress in Germany. People have been defending this rock for 5,000 years. It’s the inspiration for Magenta Kingdom in the #SevenKingdomsFairyTales.

The flat top of the fortress means there’s plenty of room for marching bands. From the air, the paths in the huge green field draw a lovely star-shape.

The real fortress is big enough for five museums and lots of gardens.

Plus the youth hostel. If you stay overnight, you wake up inside the museum. It’s a good idea to get the map the night before. 🙂 Because the museum might not be open yet!

Just for fun! Marching bands and people dressed up for Prussian Day at the Ehrenbreitstein fortress. I especially like the part with the merry-go-round. (starts at 12:00)
  • Gate in giant stone wall of Festung Ehrenbreitstein
    It’s hard to sneak up on this fortress. Everyone is watching you.
  • You can see the Rhine River through this peephole.
  • The fortress’s flat top has plenty of room for gardens.
  • These basalt columns weren’t made by people. They are a natural formation.
  • Want to stay in a fortress with your family?
  • Extra-high walls feel like a labyrinth!
  • View of the city of Koblenz from the fortress.
  • Secret passageway to youth hostel.
  • This is the “German Corner”. The smaller river is the Mosel and the big brown one in front is the Rhine.
  • Want to get a good view or get away in a hurry? Strike out into the hills above the Rhine.
Book cover for bonus story Trouble at the Christmas Fair shows snow on German Christmas market

If you like Ehrenbreitstein fortress as much as I do, you might enjoy Prince Nero’s adventures at the Christmas Fair.

This short story is an appetizer for the full-length Seven Kingdoms Fairy Tales.

And a way to spend a little more time in the Magenta Kingdom.

Happy reading!

Click here for more about the short story.

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If you’d like to stay in touch, sign up for my Reader’s List. Once a month, I share a new book recommendation for readers ages 9 to 12, story-related freebies, and/or related blog posts. If it’s not your thing, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Click here for more about the Seven Kingdoms Fairy Tales (for ages 9 to 12).

Tour Cochem Kingdom: the real home of TROUBLE WITH PARSNIPS

Steep vineyards up to Reichsburg Cochem, the inspiration for the Cochem Kingdom in the Seven Kingdom Fairy Tales series. © Laurel Decher, 2020.
  • The Reichsburg Cochem inspired Cochem Castle but it’s never had a moat.
  • Rooks fly over the tower. Every fairy tale should have some.
  • Blooming pink cherry tree with castle on a hill in the background
    Cochem castle
  • castle with towers and rooks, blooming pink cherry trees, tower with windows and door that make a funny, surprised face, Mosel river valley
    The high water tower in Cochem. The inspiration for the beloved Palace Agricultural Library.
  • It’s steep!
  • Can you find the tower with the funny face?
  • Tower marks where the stairs start.
  • Downtown Cochem.
  • Don’t you love those half-timbered houses?
  • If you built a fountain, what would it look like?
  • This is the REAL library in Cochem. The sign says: City library, opening times Monday through Thursday 3 PM to 5 PM. Thursdays 10 to 12 PM. ©Laurel Decher, 2020.
Downtown Cochem. 🙂 The tower that inspired the Palace Agricultural Library and the real city library of Cochem “Stadtbücherei” ©Laurel Decher, 2020.
  • Even the fence has a sense of humor!
  • View from the castle!
  • The Mosel River
  • Grapes getting ready!
  • A bend in the river
  • Stairs, stairs, stairs 🙂
  • Almost there!
Going the “back way” behind the castle and vineyards and up the stairs, stairs, stairs. 🙂 Views from the top because you need a reward, right? ©Laurel Decher, 2020.
Want to take a mini-cruise on the Mosel River? I still have to learn how to delete the noisy audio so you get authentic boat cruise sounds and me getting my camera explained to me. ©Laurel Decher, 2020.
The trailer for TROUBLE WITH PARSNIPS, the Seven Kingdoms Fairy Tale that starts all the trouble in Cochem Kingdom! ©Laurel Decher, 2020.

If you enjoyed visiting Cochem castle as much as I do, you might like the story of this inventor princess.

It’s save-the-kingdom time. . .

Can she finally use the one tool that’s never worked. . .her quiet voice?

It’s a way to spend a little more time in the Seven Kingdoms.

Happy reading!

Click here for more about the book.

Cartoon drawing of the Seven Kingdoms with locations on Rhine and Mosel Rivers marked by colored towers
Click the map to tour the Seven Kingdoms: Cochem, Marigold, Magenta, Indigo, Saffron, Rose, and Blackfly.

_______________

If you’d like to stay in touch, sign up for my Reader’s List. Once a month, I share a new book recommendation for readers ages 9 to 12, story-related freebies, and/or related blog posts. If it’s not your thing, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Tour a Fairy Kingdom???

fairylike brook in the forest
What does fairyland look like to you? Clear, rushing water and green leaves under the trees.
Near Kell, Rhineland Pfalz. Germany. ©Laurel Decher, 2020.

Yesterday, we walked for five or six hours and I got buckets of new ideas about the Fairy Kingdom.

I love the “Traumpfad” hiking trails that we’ve already been on. This one is special for its caves and variety! Here’s a virtual dream hike for you:

  • A hidden castle. Schweppenburg.
  • A fairy brook
  • More fairy brook
  • Springtime carpet
  • The cupids have been here! A kissing booth with mistletoe.
  • The road to the Fairy Kingdom?
  • Easter atmosphere.
  • Magical fairy caves.
  • A safe place for a Fairy Kingdom would be too high for people to climb up.
  • A Fairy Kingdom mountain with moat.
  • The magical fairy tree.
  • A magical frog tree root.
  • fairylike brook in the forest
    A brook for healing.
  • A coat of arms for a cupid.
  • A path should have a footbridge if it can.
  • A waterfall just like Niagara.
  • Hand-drawn geology diagram, with hikers.
  • Wind In The Willows atmosphere.
  • Can you see the bird on the road? A kleiber?
  • Roman spring with bench.
  • Roman carbonated spring.
  • The border to Fairy Kingdom.
  • Grenzpunkt. Border point.
A carpet of flowers. ©Laurel Decher, 2020.
Cartoon drawing of the Seven Kingdoms with locations on Rhine and Mosel Rivers marked by colored towers
Click the map to tour the Seven Kingdoms: Cochem, Marigold, Magenta, Indigo, Saffron, Rose, and Blackfly.

_______________

If you’d like to stay in touch, sign up for my Reader’s List. Once a month, I share a new book recommendation for readers ages 9 to 12, story-related freebies, and/or related blog posts. If it’s not your thing, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Tour the Blackfly Kingdom: Pfalzgrafenstein Castle

How about a tour the Blackfly Kingdom? My favorite castle on the Rhine: “Pfalzgrafenstein” is kind of a mouthful, so people call it by the name of the nearest village, Kaub. ©Laurel Decher, 2020.

When we travel these days, we often drive or fly.

In earlier times, the rivers were the highways. Big and long rivers, like the Rhine River in Germany were important for delivering people and things.

[Is that why Amazon is named after a river in Brazil? I don’t know, do you?]

If you visit, you can stay at the nearby youth hostel or the YMCA hotel in another castle, high up in the village of Kaub. Down at the Rhine riverbank, you take a small ferry across to the island.

This castle is the perfect place for collecting tolls from ships bringing cargo up and down the Rhine River. If you’ve ever seen a modern tollbooth, you’ll agree that this is about the fanciest tollbooth ever!

Modern tollbooth for cars.
Source: Shutterstock Royalty-free stock vector ID: 683431282

The first tolls were collected almost 800 years ago in 1257. The castle changed hands several times and new parts were added and reinforced. The Prussians finally stopped charging ships tolls here in 1866. Since 1946, the castle belongs to the state of Rhineland Pfalz in Germany.

  • Reinforced castle wall
  • A dangerous road for barges
  • A castle like a ship
  • Nose to nose with the Blackfly Kingdom
  • A possible reindeer landing strip?
The Rhine River has strong currents and can be high and stormy. The Pfalzgrafenstein castle is built to stand up to the storms. It’s the inspiration for the Blackfly Kingdom in the Seven Kingdoms Fairy Tales. © Laurel Decher, 2020.
  • Keep dry when the water’s high
  • Queen Ash’s visitors aren’t voluntary
  • A courtyard for reindeer
  • Inner balconies of castle
  • Watch your step!
  • Long hallways
  • View from Queen Ash’s office
Inside the Blackfly castle.
The tall steps keep the castle dry when the Rhine River gets high from too much rain.
The castle has lots of staircases, open walkways for croquet or chase scenes.
Queen Ash’s office (the Kommandant used it first 🙂 gives her a good view of possible “customers”. She doesn’t want to miss a chance to collect a toll from a passing ship.

Tired of the view from your window? Take a mini-tour of an 800-year-old tollbooth. #SevenKingdomsFairyTales

  • Winch for chain to hold back ships until they pay
  • Where to go when you have to go
  • Don’t want to pay? It’s the Water Dungeon for you!
  • Water Dungeon Part 2: How long can you balance on this disc hanging from a rope?
Special Features of the Kaub castle.
A huge baking oven (sorry, my photo is too dark!),
A chain to block the river so ships had to pay their toll,
A privy, and
A water dungeon where you had to balance on round board hanging from a rope.
© Laurel Decher, 2020.
tablet phone ebook hardcover images of LOST WITH LEEKS

If you like the Blackfly Castle as much as I do, you might enjoy Prince Nero’s adventures in LOST WITH LEEKS

Click here for more about the book.

Cartoon drawing of the Seven Kingdoms with locations on Rhine and Mosel Rivers marked by colored towers
Click the map to tour the Seven Kingdoms: Cochem, Marigold, Magenta, Indigo, Saffron, Rose, and Blackfly.

_______________

If you’d like to stay in touch, sign up for my Reader’s List. Once a month, I share a new book recommendation for readers ages 9 to 12, story-related freebies, and/or related blog posts. If it’s not your thing, you can unsubscribe at any time.

More school resources from wonderful children’s authors: Justine Laismith

mounted archer from Chinese painting
STAG HUNT attributed to Huang Zongdao (Northern Song or Jin Dynasty 96-1234) from Metropolitan Museum of Art online collection. More great materials after your students have “used up” Justine Laismith’s!

Author Justine Laismith has a great page of school resources introducing Chinese culture for ages 9 to 13 years. The videos, activities, and photos are related to her book SECRETS OF THE GREAT FIRE TREE.

These wonderful activities cover lots of interesting topics:

  • Chinese culture and diversity: (make a dragon boat out of paper!!)
  • Literacy (story setting, media, book trailer)
  • STEM (science of some fascinating trees)
  • Art/Craft (sketches, Chinese dress, vehicle design)
  • Drama (celebrity interview, Chinese Opera)
  • Humanities (History, Geography, Religious and Moral Education)
  • Wellbeing (Absent parents, treasures, needs and wants, bullying)
See cool stuff from China

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If you’d like to stay in touch, sign up for my Reader’s List. Once a month, I share a new book recommendation for readers ages 9 to 12, story-related freebies, and/or related blog posts. If it’s not your thing, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Are you a parent, teacher or librarian? Enjoy these free online materials from children’s authors and illustrators!!!

Illustrator and author Debbie Ohi posted a great Tweet the other day. I haven’t had a chance yet to meet her personally, but I love seeing her doodles and illustrations on social media. Check out her website and you’ll see what I mean.

Vermont author Kate Messner has a marvelous collection of author videos!!!!

(I watched Grace Lin’s “How to Draw A Chinese Dragon” right away. 🙂 The site has such great stuff for kids that I have to spread the word.

Debbie Ohi has promised some more videos for educators to use on her Youtube channel.

If you use Flipgrid, Debbie Ohi also made this offer:

Offer for schools closed or about to close because of COVID-19 concerns (until April 2nd, 2020 – I may extend this date):

If you are an K-8 educator affected by COVID-19-related school closures who uses Flipgrid and are interested in having me do a free Flipgrid Q&A with your young readers, please fill out my form. New to Flipgrid? Check out their Getting Started Guide.

Please note that in order to accommodate as many schools as I can, I am limiting this offer to 1 video per class and total video question time per class to 1-2 minutes. I will try to respond with a video within one day, but it depends on the number of requests I receive, and my own work/travel schedule.

Suggested format which has worked well in the past:

Educator takes ONE video of the class (does not have to be fancy, an iPhone works just fine) and picks a few students to ask their prepared questions about any of my books. I will respond with one video. 

If your school has ALREADY been closed, then students could send you questions and you could read those questions aloud OR send me the questions, and I’ll post a private video reply just for your class.

The process:

Once you fill out the form, I will email you my Flipgrid educator email address so you can invite me to your Grid.

If you are interested in one of my regular paid virtual visits that involve an art demonstration (including my found object art), talking in more depth about writing and illustrating picture books, a writing or drawing workshop, or addressing other topics/books, please use my regular visit inquiry form: https://inkygirl.typeform.com/to/SjevbK. 

For all other inquiries (including career advice etc.), please use my regular contact form at http://debbieohi.com/contact – thanks!

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If you’d like to stay in touch, sign up for my Reader’s List. Once a month, I share a new book recommendation for readers ages 9 to 12, story-related freebies, and/or related blog posts. If it’s not your thing, you can unsubscribe at any time.