Mausania at Lake Ohrid - Michaela Sybertz on tour

A wonderful side effect of traveling by caravan or motorhome is known to be the quick contact between campers, which is a crucial reason for us to carry out our project tour "Comprehension and Cultural Trip along Roman Roads" by caravan.

So, there was another great, unexpected encounter at the Rino campsite in Kalishta, which will hopefully result in a long-lasting acquaintance.

That's right, who's going to break the door?

We noticed Amina, daughter of Michaela and Bruno, who was initially walking around the campsite area, somewhat lost in thought. After a few initial words, we fed the fish fry of Lake Ohrid together with leftover dry bread, then a first conversation with Michaela, in which we introduced each other a little, without Michaela, however, talking about her work as an author. That's right, who's going to break the door? So, the first contacts were deepened, Amina picked up some of our leftover dried bread every day and after a short conversation about the use of our canoe, this quickly turned into a daily boat rental for a boat trip in the evening, in short, the relationship expanded.

In the meantime, Amina had also made her first new acquaintances, so her stay in Kalishta, which was initially only planned for a few days, was extended. So, we were really happy when Amina, Michaela and Bruno invited us to dinner. It should also be mentioned at this point that both Michaela and Bruno love to travel, and Bruno always shows great interest in the local dishes, which he then likes to cook in a relatively recipe-free form. So, Bruno decided on a Moroccan vegetable soup for the evening, which was really delicious. When we have the opportunity, we will ask about the composition and then add it to this article.

The dinner together was of course used for in-depth conversations that went beyond the normal level; of course, traveling was one of the main topics that we kept coming back to. Michaela in particular was so passionate about traveling after graduating from high school that she subsequently travelled as an individual traveller in Europe, Asia and South America for more than 25 years. She travelled to Turkey many times, where she eventually taught at a school for years. For the past ten years, she has been accompanied on her travels by Finch, a stuffed mouse. Michaela photographs Finch in front of tourist attractions and in everyday, typical situations. At some point the idea for a children's book arose that would make traveling a theme.

Book "In Search of Mausania"

Michaela Sybertz, is a primary school teacher in Hückelhoven near Aachen and shares at least two interests with her husband, the aforementioned traveling and the other area of interest is stuffed animals, although one can certainly speak of a weakness here. So, it's not surprising that a stuffed animal also became the main character in her book "In Search of Mausania". The main character in the children's book, a mouse, is called Dennis Ellison Finch-Hatten, Finch for short, and it is solely thanks to her thirst for adventure that she was able to find her way into the wide world of children's literature through the topic of travel.

Finch and his owners liked it best in Turkey so far and consequently most of Finch's adventures take place there. Finch is looking for a legendary place of mouse history: somewhere between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, between Istanbul and Anatolia, or so it is said in the world of mice, lies Mausania. The streets are paved with bacon, the cheese grows on the trees, you can say that Mausania is the mouse version of what people describe with the image of paradise, in short: a land flowing with milk and honey.

That's the author's imagination. But while she lets Finch dream about the legendary place, readers young and old learn a lot about the country, the peculiarities and cultures of Turkey, which are almost unimaginably complex. Michaela Sybertz knows the country better than most Germans and probably also better than many Turks; she has been around the country too often.

Little by little, individual experiences and anecdotes grew together to form a complex story, which ultimately led to the children's book:

"Looking for Mausania"

The truly adventurous journey of the little mouse Dennis Ellison Finch-Hatten through Turkey

Mouse Finch, who loves to travel, dreams of Mausania, the mouse paradise where the streets are paved with bacon, cheese grows on the trees and the air is filled with the wonderful smell of freshly baked cookies. But Finch doesn't just stop at his longing and is determined to find Mausania.

A tip from his friend leads him to Istanbul. There, Finch explores many interesting tourist attractions. However, he doesn't find Mausania in Istanbul. As he thinks about his next course of action on the tower battlements of the old city wall, he meets the pretty mouse Sevim.

She remembers her grandfather's stories and suspects Mausania on the green shores of the Black Sea. This is how an exciting and exciting journey through Turkey begins for Finch.

Michaela Sybertz: “In Search of Mausanias”, Papiertreibchens MTM-Verlag, hardcover, 144 pages, illustrated in colour, 15.30 euros, ISBN: 978-3-86196-341-7

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