You Know, There's a Betsy-Tacy Book for Almost Every Situation...

   People keep asking me, "So, Renata.  What are you going to pack?"  And, yeah, there are the usual answers like clothes, toothpaste, outlet converters, and a good selection of bangle bracelets.  But one of the most important items coming with me on this trip is my copy of Betsy and the Great World by Maud Hart Lovelace.

   Unfortunately, my copy of the book looks nothing like this, being a paperback reprint from the mid-'90s.  Just looking at this cover makes me wish I was traveling in 1914, all glamorous on a ship, my red scarf blowing in the wind. But then we all know that the wind would make my cheeks red, my ears sore, and the whole romantic setting would be lost.  And then there's that whole pre-World War I deal that might complicate things as well... 

         (Side note -- if you are not familiar with the Betsy-Tacy books, please click here immediately: http://www.betsy-tacysociety.org/.)

     I know it isn't quite like the other books in the series, but Betsy and the Great World always struck a chord with me.  Maybe it's because I always dreamed of exploring the "Great World" myself.  Granted, it took me a while to get around to it, but I am glad to have my chance at last.  Betsy (i.e. Maud) did not go to Berlin and spent the majority of her German experiences in Munich.  I hope to somehow finagle a three-day weekend during one of my first few weeks of teaching so I can spend some time there.  It seems so wonderfully, stereotypically German and the Betsy-Tacy connection makes the place even more appealing to me.

By the way, the first chapter of the book is entitled, "Traveling Alone."