The menu even includes this "Belle lunch" with a Belle-shaped omelette:
Can they open up one of these in Chicago please?? Any Japanese readers or international travelers going to go (Amy, are you anywhere near here?)
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Thursday, September 29, 2016
New BATB Themed Restaurant in Japan
Knowing I have an affinity for all things Beauty and the Beast, InkGypsy sent me this link!
In Japan they've opened a new themed restaurant that recreates several scenes from the movie, Gaston's Tavern, the Beast's room, and the Ballroom. It seems very similar in concept to the "Be Our Guest" restaurant in Disney World, but without having to pay the entrance fee into the park (and probably less waiting in line to get in/more reasonable prices!!)
Monday, July 11, 2016
Efteling Fairy Tale Forest
Efteling is a theme park in the Netherlands that includes a walk through Fairy Tale Forest. It's one of the places I would love to be able to visit someday...
The website even encourages visitors to learn more about the fairy tales in the park-there's a page where you can read the stories of all the fairy tales in the forest or read about the most famous fairy tale authors!
Also-I'm out of town for a bit! I've scheduled a couple posts to go out but I won't be able to respond to comments or read your fabulous blogs until I return!
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Punchkin: An Indian Rapunzel Tale
This story from India is found in Surlalune's Rapunzel Tales From Around the World Collection, although it reads like an epic mashup of Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, with some fun twists!
**************************************************************************
Once there was a Raja with seven daughters,but the youngest, Balna, was more clever than the rest. Their mother had died, so the sisters cooked the dinner.
Every evening, a widow and her daughter would come begging for some of their food. Balna warned her sisters not to help the widow, but her sisters insisted on being generous. Only, when no one was looking, the widow would ruin the meal by putting mud in the bowls.
The Raja noticed the food was ruined, but knew his daughters wouldn't spoil it on purpose, so he hid to watch what happened. When he saw the widow, he called her to him, and she claimed that she had only done it to get an audience with him, and her words pleased him, so he married her.
The new Ranee (Queen) hated the Princesses, and wanted to get rid of them. She gave them only a little bread to eat, and none of the nice things they were used to. The sisters used to go to their mother's tomb and weep. As they did that, a pomelo (citrus fruit) tree grew up and gave them food, so they didn't even want any of the bad food their stepmother offered them.
This made her suspicious, so she sent her daughter to see how her stepdaughters could be so healthy, and her daughter discovered the pomelo tree. Balma noticed her, and told her sisters they should send her away, but the sisters saw no harm. So the Ranee's daughter told her about the tree. The Ranee feigned sickness, and told the Raja that only the tree that grew on his wife's grave could cure her, so he had to cut it down.
The sisters wept at this, but by the grave they saw a white cream that hardened into cakes, and they ate this instead. Once again, the Ranee sent her daughter to discover how the seven sisters could be happy and healthy, and despite Balma's warnings, the sisters didn't send her away, and she discovered the truth.
The Ranee pretended to be sick again, and this time demanded that the daughters be killed, because only their blood on her forehead and palms would make her better. But the Raja could not bring himself to kill his daughters, so he brought them out to the jungle and left them there. When they woke up alone, they started crying, but seven Princes found them, who each married a Princess.
They all went to live in the Princes' land, and were very happy. The only one to have a child was Balma, who had a son, and all the royal couples loved the son and raised him together.
They were all happy for a time, but one day, Balma's husband went out hunting, and never came back. Each of the brothers went out looking for him, and also never returned. The Princesses were very grieved.
One night a stranger entered the castle, claiming to be a holy man; he was really an evil sorcerer named Punchkin. He saw Balma and thought her the most beautiful, and offered her to come home with him as his wife. She refused, saying that after raising her son she would go in search of her husband. He was angry at this, and dragged her away, and locked her in a tall tower.
Balma's sisters discovered she was missing, and the committed to raising their nephew. When he turned 14, they told him the truth about his missing parents and uncle, and he was determined to go out and find them. Despite his aunts' protests, he journeyed until he came to a land with a tall tower.
He was befriended by a kind woman who told him that the country belonged to a great enchanter who turned anyone who displeased him into a tree or a stone, and had trapped a Princess in the tower who refused to marry him. The boy realized this must be his family. He disguised himself as the woman's daughter and the sorcerer had him deliver things to his mother in the tower. The son had a ring that had been given to him by his mother at birth; when he showed this to her, she realized who he was.
Balna's son told his mother to pretend to have accepted the sorcerer's proposal, but first to demand to know the secret of his power. She did this, and learned that in a far away jungle there was a parrot, and if the parrot died, so would the sorcerer; only, the parrot was guarded by thousands of genii who would kill anyone who approached.
So Balna's son left again, for the remote jungle. On his way, he saw a serpent about to attack an eagle's nest. He slew the serpent, and the eagles were so grateful they were willing to fly him above the genii while they slept and steal the parrot.
The boy used the parrot to get the sorcerer to undo all of his spells, before dismembering the parrot and wringing its neck, killing the sorcerer. His parents and uncles were free from their enchantment, and they returned to their families and lived happily
********************************************************
Some of my favorite things about this tale:
-Positive sister relationships. Even though Balma is cleverer than her sisters, there is no ill will between them, even after her sisters' foolish choices made a lot of trouble for them! In turn, her sisters weren't jealous or spiteful that Balma was the only one to have a child, but lovingly raised him together in her disappearance.
-Kindness-but not gullibility. At first I was a little bothered that Balma was rewarded for not being willing to share a little food and fire with a widow and her daughter, as if it's clever to never risk anything to give to those who have little. Yet, it's true that there are times to be cautious and not overly nice-we teach children about stranger danger, and people need to be aware of cyber crime scams that prey on people's good intentions to get their money. This is where knowing folklore as a whole can be beneficial-overall, kindness is rewarded, but that doesn't mean every situation is the same! (Plus, we do see Balma's son being kind and going out of his way to save the eaglets, and he is clearly rewarded for that, so even in the same tale we see a balance)
-Balma is saved not by her Prince, but by her son. I don't have anything against lovers rescuing each other, per se, other than the fact that it's become a bit of a cliche in fairy tales. Having the son do the rescuing is a refreshing change, especially since this tale shows:
-A clever and resourceful heroine. True, she is temporarily rendered helpless when trapped in a tower by a sorcerer, but she was the only one to spot the danger from her stepmother and stepsister earlier, and was able to lead the sorcerer into thinking she would marry him, and give up his secret. Again, I love the balance in this tale-I don't like the argument that showing females as victims for part of the story is unfeminist, because there are times where we might all be rendered helpless, and we should never blame the victim. I like tales where the characters work together.
Also, the Tower images in this post (taken by Rebecca Stice, found here) are from Helen's Tower. If anyone is able to vacation in Northern Ireland, you can live out a Rapunzel fantasy by renting this tower out on airbnb!
**************************************************************************
Once there was a Raja with seven daughters,but the youngest, Balna, was more clever than the rest. Their mother had died, so the sisters cooked the dinner.Every evening, a widow and her daughter would come begging for some of their food. Balna warned her sisters not to help the widow, but her sisters insisted on being generous. Only, when no one was looking, the widow would ruin the meal by putting mud in the bowls.
The Raja noticed the food was ruined, but knew his daughters wouldn't spoil it on purpose, so he hid to watch what happened. When he saw the widow, he called her to him, and she claimed that she had only done it to get an audience with him, and her words pleased him, so he married her.
The new Ranee (Queen) hated the Princesses, and wanted to get rid of them. She gave them only a little bread to eat, and none of the nice things they were used to. The sisters used to go to their mother's tomb and weep. As they did that, a pomelo (citrus fruit) tree grew up and gave them food, so they didn't even want any of the bad food their stepmother offered them.This made her suspicious, so she sent her daughter to see how her stepdaughters could be so healthy, and her daughter discovered the pomelo tree. Balma noticed her, and told her sisters they should send her away, but the sisters saw no harm. So the Ranee's daughter told her about the tree. The Ranee feigned sickness, and told the Raja that only the tree that grew on his wife's grave could cure her, so he had to cut it down.
The sisters wept at this, but by the grave they saw a white cream that hardened into cakes, and they ate this instead. Once again, the Ranee sent her daughter to discover how the seven sisters could be happy and healthy, and despite Balma's warnings, the sisters didn't send her away, and she discovered the truth.
The Ranee pretended to be sick again, and this time demanded that the daughters be killed, because only their blood on her forehead and palms would make her better. But the Raja could not bring himself to kill his daughters, so he brought them out to the jungle and left them there. When they woke up alone, they started crying, but seven Princes found them, who each married a Princess.
They all went to live in the Princes' land, and were very happy. The only one to have a child was Balma, who had a son, and all the royal couples loved the son and raised him together.
They were all happy for a time, but one day, Balma's husband went out hunting, and never came back. Each of the brothers went out looking for him, and also never returned. The Princesses were very grieved.
One night a stranger entered the castle, claiming to be a holy man; he was really an evil sorcerer named Punchkin. He saw Balma and thought her the most beautiful, and offered her to come home with him as his wife. She refused, saying that after raising her son she would go in search of her husband. He was angry at this, and dragged her away, and locked her in a tall tower.
Balma's sisters discovered she was missing, and the committed to raising their nephew. When he turned 14, they told him the truth about his missing parents and uncle, and he was determined to go out and find them. Despite his aunts' protests, he journeyed until he came to a land with a tall tower.
He was befriended by a kind woman who told him that the country belonged to a great enchanter who turned anyone who displeased him into a tree or a stone, and had trapped a Princess in the tower who refused to marry him. The boy realized this must be his family. He disguised himself as the woman's daughter and the sorcerer had him deliver things to his mother in the tower. The son had a ring that had been given to him by his mother at birth; when he showed this to her, she realized who he was.
Balna's son told his mother to pretend to have accepted the sorcerer's proposal, but first to demand to know the secret of his power. She did this, and learned that in a far away jungle there was a parrot, and if the parrot died, so would the sorcerer; only, the parrot was guarded by thousands of genii who would kill anyone who approached.
So Balna's son left again, for the remote jungle. On his way, he saw a serpent about to attack an eagle's nest. He slew the serpent, and the eagles were so grateful they were willing to fly him above the genii while they slept and steal the parrot.
The boy used the parrot to get the sorcerer to undo all of his spells, before dismembering the parrot and wringing its neck, killing the sorcerer. His parents and uncles were free from their enchantment, and they returned to their families and lived happily
********************************************************
Some of my favorite things about this tale:
-Positive sister relationships. Even though Balma is cleverer than her sisters, there is no ill will between them, even after her sisters' foolish choices made a lot of trouble for them! In turn, her sisters weren't jealous or spiteful that Balma was the only one to have a child, but lovingly raised him together in her disappearance.
-Kindness-but not gullibility. At first I was a little bothered that Balma was rewarded for not being willing to share a little food and fire with a widow and her daughter, as if it's clever to never risk anything to give to those who have little. Yet, it's true that there are times to be cautious and not overly nice-we teach children about stranger danger, and people need to be aware of cyber crime scams that prey on people's good intentions to get their money. This is where knowing folklore as a whole can be beneficial-overall, kindness is rewarded, but that doesn't mean every situation is the same! (Plus, we do see Balma's son being kind and going out of his way to save the eaglets, and he is clearly rewarded for that, so even in the same tale we see a balance)
-Balma is saved not by her Prince, but by her son. I don't have anything against lovers rescuing each other, per se, other than the fact that it's become a bit of a cliche in fairy tales. Having the son do the rescuing is a refreshing change, especially since this tale shows:
-A clever and resourceful heroine. True, she is temporarily rendered helpless when trapped in a tower by a sorcerer, but she was the only one to spot the danger from her stepmother and stepsister earlier, and was able to lead the sorcerer into thinking she would marry him, and give up his secret. Again, I love the balance in this tale-I don't like the argument that showing females as victims for part of the story is unfeminist, because there are times where we might all be rendered helpless, and we should never blame the victim. I like tales where the characters work together.
Also, the Tower images in this post (taken by Rebecca Stice, found here) are from Helen's Tower. If anyone is able to vacation in Northern Ireland, you can live out a Rapunzel fantasy by renting this tower out on airbnb!
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Sleeping Beauty Castle
Last weekend the Chicago Tribune had an article on fairy tale castles that Tony pointed out to me. This is hardly a unique thing-the internet/magazines and travel articles are full of lists of beautiful castles, but it got me wondering: why are they always called "fairy tale castles?" Very few of them ever have associations with fairy tales (with the exception of maybe the Neuschwanstein and the one featured here), yet the mere fact that they are castles means that we throw the term "fairy tale" in front of them. Sure, castles are featured in fairy tales, but so are tiny peasants' huts, and you don't see lists of "fairy tale pauper homes."
The article's introduction reads, "True love and happily-ever-afters are the stuff of which fairy tales are made, so why not give your romantic getaway a storybook feel with a stay at a castle?"
I wonder, is this just an American thing? Castles are such a fascination to us because we have so few around here, and relatively little history. In Europe castles are just part of the landscape, and part of the history; it's where rulers and rich people used to live. It would be sort of like if, in the future, people were making lists of enchanted state capitals to visit. (There are tours of mansions, but you don't usually see people advertising them as being "magical" or associating them with fairy tales).
Yet one castle that does have fairy tale associations is the Sababurg, or Sleeping Beauty Castle. The Castle itself is not far from where the brothers Grimm lived. Terri Colby states in the article that "It had been in disrepair for many years and was hidden by shrubbery in the early 1900s when locals began calling it the Sleeping Beauty Castle of Brothers Grimm fame...These days the fairy tale is celebrated, with actors dressed as Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming telling the story of their love. It's not too kitschy, largely because this is a genuine castle with real history."
So I guess that's all we can hope for in a fairy tale reenactment in a historical castle-"not too kitschy."
Still, if a trip to Germany and a stay here were anywhere within our travel budget, I'd go there in a heartbeat. Anyone been here/have more info?
Neuschwanstein Castle in winter
The article's introduction reads, "True love and happily-ever-afters are the stuff of which fairy tales are made, so why not give your romantic getaway a storybook feel with a stay at a castle?"
I wonder, is this just an American thing? Castles are such a fascination to us because we have so few around here, and relatively little history. In Europe castles are just part of the landscape, and part of the history; it's where rulers and rich people used to live. It would be sort of like if, in the future, people were making lists of enchanted state capitals to visit. (There are tours of mansions, but you don't usually see people advertising them as being "magical" or associating them with fairy tales).
Still, if a trip to Germany and a stay here were anywhere within our travel budget, I'd go there in a heartbeat. Anyone been here/have more info?
Friday, September 18, 2015
Hans Christian Andersen around the World (in monuments)
The other day, Tabled Fables had this posted:
I never expected to run into HCA in Chicago either, and I live here!! Well, not in the city proper, but I've lived in the Chicago area my whole life. I need to get to Lincoln Park at some point and see this in person!
I was also curious as to why we have a statue of HCA among a bunch of famous Chicago/Illinois people. Most people might go for the Grimms as the most famous fairy tale collectors (maybe they didn't want to make two statues??). I'm pretty sure Andersen never visited here or had any special Chicago connections...
It didn't answer my question but I did find some more information on the history of the monument:
"Soon after members of Chicago’s Dania Society suggested that the city should erect a monument to Andersen in 1891, a committee formed and began raising money for the eight-foot-tall bronze sculpture. Donations included pennies and nickels from school children. The Hans Christian Andersen Monument Association hired Danish sculptor John Gelert (1852–1923), who had arrived in Chicago in 1887, and received his first commission for the Haymarket Riot monument (which was later considered controversial). Gelert later explained that “he had the advantage of studying several good photographs of Andersen taken at various times in his life.” Gelert portrayed the children’s author sitting with a book in hand and a swan at his feet, alluding to his world-famous story."
(emphasis mine)
Hans Christian Andersen, also with book and duck, can also be found in Manhattan:
HCA can also be found in Slovakia
And Solvang, California
Out of curiosity, I tried to find other statues of the brothers Grimm to compare. It seems that they are most honored in monument form in Germany but not outside. (Let me know in the comments if I'm wrong!) Isn't that interesting, though? The Grimms are arguably more popular, is it just the cost issue of having to do both brothers verses one HCA?
From passport couture: "I never expected Hans Christian Andersen to be in Chicago, but I'm excited to run into him."
I never expected to run into HCA in Chicago either, and I live here!! Well, not in the city proper, but I've lived in the Chicago area my whole life. I need to get to Lincoln Park at some point and see this in person!
I was also curious as to why we have a statue of HCA among a bunch of famous Chicago/Illinois people. Most people might go for the Grimms as the most famous fairy tale collectors (maybe they didn't want to make two statues??). I'm pretty sure Andersen never visited here or had any special Chicago connections...
View of Lincoln Park in Chicago
It didn't answer my question but I did find some more information on the history of the monument:
"Soon after members of Chicago’s Dania Society suggested that the city should erect a monument to Andersen in 1891, a committee formed and began raising money for the eight-foot-tall bronze sculpture. Donations included pennies and nickels from school children. The Hans Christian Andersen Monument Association hired Danish sculptor John Gelert (1852–1923), who had arrived in Chicago in 1887, and received his first commission for the Haymarket Riot monument (which was later considered controversial). Gelert later explained that “he had the advantage of studying several good photographs of Andersen taken at various times in his life.” Gelert portrayed the children’s author sitting with a book in hand and a swan at his feet, alluding to his world-famous story."
(emphasis mine)
Hans Christian Andersen, also with book and duck, can also be found in Manhattan:
And, as you might expect, in Copenhagen (where the famous Little Mermaid statue also is):
And a museum in Odense (HCA's birth town):
Through the Scandinavian Heritage Association in North Dakota:
And apparently, this sculpture in Odense was going to be drowned in a harbor??
This time without a duck and with a snail...and whatever that is on his back? Am I a bad fairy tale blogger if I don't know what the snail is from?
And Solvang, California
Out of curiosity, I tried to find other statues of the brothers Grimm to compare. It seems that they are most honored in monument form in Germany but not outside. (Let me know in the comments if I'm wrong!) Isn't that interesting, though? The Grimms are arguably more popular, is it just the cost issue of having to do both brothers verses one HCA?
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Free Fairy Tales (for Kindles)
Tales of Faerie is run on a budget. Or rather, it's completely a labor of love. The books I read are received as gifts or borrowed from the library, so I'm always on the lookout for a good deal.
For those of you who have a Kindle, you probably already know you can get great deals on ebooks. There's also a series of public domain books that volunteers have made into ereader format and are FREE to those with Kindles! Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a way to search only free books (UPDATE: with help from Emilyn J. Wood, here is a link to books with the keyword "fairy tale" and sorted with lowest price first) but I've collected some of the fairy tale books that might interest readers most.
Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know, edited by Hamilton Wright Mabie
Favorite Fairy Tales, edited by Logan Marshall
English Fairy Tales, collected by Joseph Jacobs
Fairy Tales From All Nations, edited by Anthony R. Montalba, Illustrated by Richard Doyle
This is only a partial list. There are free kindle editions for fiction books I haven't read, and other tales from around the world, such as Irish,Swedish, South African and American. Browse through the Kindle ebook store with the keyword fairy tale to find more, although finding free ones might take some digging. Although I've mentioned before that I'm pretty old fashioned when it comes to books-I prefer the physical, hard copies, which are still easier in my opinion for taking notes and flipping through afterwards, although ebooks have note taking abilities. But, you can't deny the good deals that Kindle provides. Plus, Kindles are ideal for traveling. I've got a couple of trips coming up this summer and I'm the type of person who likes to bring multiple books on vacation, so clearly a Kindle is a nice, lightweight alternative to stuffing several books in my baggage.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)