Dozens of foreign editions of Anne Frank’s diary line a wall of the gift shop at Amsterdam’s Anne Frank House. Here, from the center to the right, are the Hungarian, Greek and Bulgarian translations.
Who doesn’t like to go? To see faraway places, all bright and new and full of wander.
And travel books, full of photos, full of lists, pocket-size or coffee table-huge — all to entice armchair travelers to exchange dollars and ... POOF! ... change into an on-site and insightful tourist.
But these handy volumes aren’t my favorite or even my first choice as a guide to a city or a country. Some of my brightest memories come from time spent in places about which I’ve read years before.
As a teen, Anne Frank’s diary spoke to me of a young girl caught in a war, hiding in an attic not of her choosing.
As an adult, I walked through the annex at the rear of 263 Prinsengracht, saw the chestnut tree about which she wrote, wondered at the movie star photos she pasted on the walls. These rooms were her world.
With her words, I had traveled with Anne through a few years of her life. With my trip, I traveled along Amsterdam’s streets and canals, coloring between Anne’s lines with red tulips and brown bricks and Rembrandt’s palette.
So, did a favorite read lead to a journey for you? Are you reading a book that’s making you curious about its setting? Which book is ready to guide you to “faraway places with strange soundin’ names”?
For your information: Various editions of "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" are available, in print and audio formats.
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