Children's Books Archives - Molly and the Magic Suitcase

Salzburg and the Ländler

Chris Oler — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 20:06:51 +0000

We went to see a play this summer called The Sound of Music and it was amazing! What was even better is someone made it into a movie many years ago and it’s really good, too. It’s one of my new favorites.

The story takes place in Salzburg, Austria. Dad has been there and says it’s the most beautiful city in the world. Hmm, maybe we’ll use the magic suitcase for a trip!

One of the scenes from the movie and the play shows an old Austrian folk dance called the Ländler. Those two dots above the ‘a’ mean you say it sort of like “layned-ler.” The dots are called an umlaut.

Anyway, the dance is pretty short so I wanted to see more of it and find out more about it. Videos of the dance are easy to find. What I learned was the Ländler is a dance that no one is sure how old it is, but a lot of famous composers wrote Ländler music, including Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach. Dancing became very popular in Austria in the 1800’s and the Ländler was part of it. There are some other related dances: the Steyrischer and the Schuhplattler. Check it out with your parents!

The City of Salzburg, again viewed from the Hohensalzburg Fortress.

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Diablicos Sucios!

admin — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 15:02:31 +0000

Wow, check out that devil mask! These masks are known in Panama as “Diablicos Sucios,” or “Dirty Devils.” They are part of Panama’s cultural tradition and folklore. The masks are made from papier-maché, and then painted and decorated with accessories. There are so many different mask designs and colors. Watch out for those devils!

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The Anton Valley

Chris Oler — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 21:21:33 +0000

Many of you know we went to Panama this year. One of our favorite places was the Anton Valley, or Valle de Anton. That’s pronounced “Vie-yay day Anton.” It is a small town in the center of an ancient, extinct volcano.

These mountains were once part of an ancient volcano!

The old sides of the volcano come up on every side of the town and look like mountains!

We had an amazing time in Valle de Anton and started out at a butterfly sanctuary. There were some of the biggest and most colorful butterflies I’ve ever seen! Later, we had some yummy pizza at a local restaurant. I think the owner was Italian, his accent was different from everyone else’s.

After that, we rode horses and then explored the Nispero Zoo. We saw ostriches, spider monkeys, an ocelot, and even an American Crocodile!

Valle de Anton was a highlight of our trip. You’ll be able to read more about it soon!

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Cincinnati Zoo!

admin — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 16:05:26 +0000

Michael and I took a trip with our parents to Cincinnati this summer. One of our favorite places to visit was the Cincinnati Zoo. It opened in 1875 and is the second-oldest zoo in the United States! My favorite animals were the White Tigers, and Michael loved the Colobus monkeys. I got my face painted, and we all enjoyed a 4D movie. No matter how near or far you go, there are always exciting things to explore!

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Another New Friend and New Game!

admin — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 20:22:53 +0000

This is our new friend, Nigel. We met him on a recent trip to London, England. Nigel showed us so many fun things in London. Michael’s favorite thing we did was to play rugby. Rugby is a sport sort of like American football, but the ball is a little different and the players don’t wear pads. It can be a rough game. Look out, Michael!

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Meet Our Friends!

admin — Thu, 08 Jun 2017 16:31:41 +0000

One of our favorite parts of traveling is making new friends. Over the next month, Michael and I are going to feature some of our friends from around the world.

This is our friend Francesca who we met in Barcelona. Francesca is an artist, and she loves to paint, draw, and sculpt. Lucky she lives in such a wonderfully artistic city! She even made the shirt she has on here. Everywhere she goes in Barcelona, Francesca can see art – from street vendors, built into the sidewalks, and even in the beautifully designed buildings.

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Animals in Australia

admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2016 13:27:50 +0000

Michael and I saw such cute and unique animals when we went to Australia. There was lots of sea life, and of course kangaroos and koalas, but also some animals I’d never seen before. We saw cute little echidnas (pronounced eh-KID-na), which are also called spiny anteaters. They are prehistoric animals and one of only 2 mammals that lay eggs. We also saw quokkas, which look like really small kangaroos – but they can climb trees! They’re about the size of a house cat, and they are very friendly with humans.

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Capybaras in Rio

admin — Wed, 07 Sep 2016 19:16:47 +0000

Check out these unusual animals! They’re called Capybaras and Michael and I saw them when we went to Rio de Janeiro. They’re so cute and playful, but they’re actually the largest rodents in the world! They live in forests and near water, and some people actually keep them as pets.

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Amazing Painting Elephants!

admin — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 14:56:53 +0000

Welcome to my second theme week – animal week! This week we’ll be sharing some of Michael’s and my favorite animals from around the world.

Something we saw in Thailand that was SO cool was painting elephants! The elephants hold the brushes in their trunks and paint pictures. The money they raise by selling the pictures goes to help save the elephants. Check it out on YouTube!

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Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 17:23:46 +0000

My last, but definitely not least, post for Garden Week is Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai. Talk about beautiful! Yuyuan was started way back in 1559 and has huge rocks and even caves. My favorite part is the “Inner Garden,” which has ponds and Chinese-style pavilions. Different sections of the park are separated by walls that look like dragons!

I hope you enjoyed all these gorgeous places during my first theme week. Next week look for another fun surprise theme!

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