Los geht's! Alphabet Garten World Tour 2012 begins...

We’ll be on our way soon. Travelling to German-speaking places is a great way to get practice in the language, and it helps the kids appreciate the value of speaking it. It’s a whole different experience for them to spend an entire day with other kids who only speak German, and to be someplace where German is the Alltagssprache.

That’s why we go to Mallorca.

Oh, we go to Germany as well, and the kids love that, too, but it’s hard to compete with two solid weeks of romping in the sun and splashing in the pool with dozens of other kids, chattering furiously in German the whole time. And for parents, it’s hard to compete with relaxing in the sun or at the pool bar, while capable and enthusiastic native-speaking Animaturen work hard to ensure that your kids are having a blast. (Living in the Pacific Northwest, we need that Vitamin D.)

That’s what we call a win-win, situation.

Now Germany itself has charms of its own, both for us and for the kids. After Mallorca, it’s off to Germany – first stop, the Playmobil FunPark located near Nürnberg. Every attraction is 100% kid-powered, and the life-sized replicas of Playmobil figures and accessories are adorable, so what’s not to love? 

Finally,we’ll visit our favorite German city of Regensburg. Erik will be brushing up on his German at  Horizonte, while Thea and the kids have unfettered access to some absolutely fabulous bookstores. We’ll also be exploring the local parks, go to the Kino, eat Eis at every opportunity, and maybe even take a short cruise on the Donau.

We’ll be searching furiously for great new stuff to carry at Alphabet Garten, and that’s where you, our friends and customers, come in:

If there are things (or categories of things) that you’d like to see us carry, please let us know while we’re in a position to do some great in-depth research! Watch Facebook, the blog and Twitter while we’re in Regensburg – we’ll take your suggestions and feedback and share what we find (and maybe we’ll share a coupon code as well).

Don’t forget about our Summer Reading Program! The store will be open while we are travelling, of course, under the supervision of our fabulous Customer Service rep, Sharon.  She’ll gladly help you find the perfect book.