Geheimnis Posted Nov 7, 2006, 4:15 pm |
Today, Frida decided to travel around the world.
I promised to help her with this, so I registerd her as a toyvoyager. She is very excited and can't wait to start her journey. |
Geheimnis Posted Nov 14, 2006, 7:57 pm |
Hello!
Last weekend I traveled to Wilhelmshaven to visit some friends and to see the sea. On friday we had a little party with good food (lasagne) and Feuerzangenbowle. I don't drink alkohol but it looked very nice. On Saturday we went to Dangast, a small town on the North Sea coast. Dangast claims to be at the center of Europe. I don't know if that is really true or just a joke for the tourists . Anyway, it makes a nice startingpoint for my journey: On Sunday I visited the Genius beach in Wilhelmshaven: At this place a large container harbour (the Jade-Weser-Port) is going to be built. The construction works are planned to start in the near future. Geheimnis gave me a tiny lucky cup which I can wear on my neclace together with my travel tag. Written on it are the words "Alles wird gut" which means "everything is going to be fine". I hope it brings me luck on my travels! Greetings, Frida |
Geheimnis Posted Nov 18, 2006, 2:34 pm |
Hi!
I am sooo excited! Today I'm going to start my journey round the world! The first destination is Malaysia I hope the trip doesn't take too long |
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Nov 26, 2006, 8:42 am |
Yaaayy! I arrived in Malaysia It's not as hot as I thought, because it's been raining alot in here. My host imajica has just come back from her holiday and is now too tired to bring me out, well I'd love to take a rest too. Tomorrow I'm going to see the town Kota Bharu *can't wait!*
pictures later! |
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Nov 26, 2006, 1:21 pm |
I was introduced to imajica's friends, Pucca and Garu. They're from Korea. Though they're only about half of my size, we get along well. imajica has also got a huge fish pillow whom she's been sleeping with ever since she's 5 years old! But the fish has lost her eyes now and looks so old that she becomes shy to be photographed with us. And let me tell you another secret - imajica's room is totally a disaster! If you can understand why she doesn't show much of it :P
Imajica has been busy today with the computer and cooking and tidying her room she doesn't let me out yet. So I spent time playing with my new friends as well as keeping myself busy inside a drawer full postcards that imajica has received from Postcrossing. I just cannot count how many - she's totally crazy! Okay, imajica showed me a map of Malaysia so that I'd get some idea of my own whereabouts. The state of Kelantan is one in yellow color, and if you can see that tiny red dot on the top corner, it's where Kota Bharu town is located. I am here right now, yay! See - we are even very close to the sea and imajica has promised to bring me to the beach one of these days. |
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Nov 27, 2006, 2:11 pm |
Selamat Datang ke Kelantan - Welcome to Kelantan
It was late already when Imajica brought me out so I didn't get the chance to see the town yet. By the way in the picture is the arch that will welcome you if you come to Kelantan by air it's located near the entrance to the Airport. |
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Nov 29, 2006, 1:36 pm |
Before I continue my story, let me tell you a bit about the state of Kelantan. It is located in the North East of Peninsular Malaysia and bordering Thailand. With the population of about 1.6 million, Kelantan is mainly a Malay state, though 7% of the population is from Thai, Chinese and Indian ancestry. The welcome signboard is written in 5 languages: Malay (Jawi script), Malay (Rumi script), English, Chinse, Tamil and Thai.
|
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Nov 29, 2006, 1:42 pm |
Imajica brought me to see the town Kota Bharu, which takes about 10 minutes from her house. I am in the central square and at the back is the Sultan Ismail Arch, one of the main landmarks of the town.
This is called Bank Pitis, believed to be the earliest bank ever exists here, now is preserved as a display in the square. Pitis is the Kelantanese term for money. The wooden fence at the back belongs to Istana Balai Besar (Balai Besar Palace). And this is the main gate, though we are not allowed to enter and to take pictures inside. Istana Balai Besar was built by Sultan Muhammad II in 1840, and the palace was formerly the residence of past Sultans (Kings). Now it’s used as a venue for official state functions. In front of the gate is Istana Jahar (Jahar Palace) and you cans see the flags of Malaysia and Kelantan here. This was formerly a palace build in 1887 by the same Sultan and now has been transformed into a museum featuring Kelantan’s cultural heritage named Muzium Adat Istiadat Kelantan (Museum of Custom and Tradition). I don’t know what this covered stage is about but it looks quite beautiful. A rest place for the princess, I guess? |
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Nov 29, 2006, 1:51 pm |
Then we went to the Padang Merdeka (Merdeka Square) nearby and it’s a fenced field where the Merdeka Day (Independence Day) held every year for the state level.
Just in front of the Merdeka Square, there are the State Mosque, Islam Heritage Museum and World War II Memorial Museum sitting side by side. The State Mosque was constructed during the reign of Sultan Muhammad IV and completed after almost a decade of work. Among people here, it's known as Masjid Muhammadi (Muhammadi Mosque). And this is the Islamic Heritage Museum whose building was built in early of 1900’s. At the back is the minaret of the State Mosque. The World War II Memorial Museum as you can see it. Inside they have pictures and remainings from the World War period i.e. when the state was under British colonization and Japanese troops. ..and several ancient transportations are displayed outside the museum. I don’t know what this one is called but sitting in there was just comfortable! |
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Nov 29, 2006, 1:58 pm |
We visited another museum. Okay, just how many museums does this town have? Altogether there are six, and good news – they’re located very near to each other (it did save imajica’s time to show me around!) However, museums here do not allow people to take pictures inside them. This blue colored building is called Istana Batu (Rock Palace), an old palace which now serves as the Royal Museum. Royal belongings and costumes from the reign of Sultan Muhammad IV (1899-1920) are displayed here.
In front of Istana Batu is Kampung Kraftangan (Handicraft Village), place to several wooden-made buildings including this Balai Getam Guri a.k.a. Handicraft Museum. Kelantanese people make various handicrafts like Songket (handwoven fabric using gold threads), Batik painting, silverware, woodcarvings, among others. There are also Art Gallery, souvenir shops, artist booths as well as restaurants here. |
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Nov 29, 2006, 2:09 pm |
Kota Bharu is a small town with many 2-storey shophouses built in early of 1900s like this being preserved. They have very interesting design of windows which sometimes are very decorative.
The billboard showing the Sultan and the Queen of Kelantan. From imajica I've learnt that 9 of 13 states in Malaysia were formerly separate Malay kingdoms so each still has its own King and Royal family until today. The sixth museum we visited is the Kelantan State Museum which is the general museum for the state. Oh, and good news for Postcrossers - each of the museums in Kelantan has a postcard and if you'd like any just ask imajica Next to the museum is this striking colored building which is the Tourist Information Center of the state. You can get maps and tourist pamphlets and postcards in here! But because I already have imajica has my special tourist guide, I think I don’t need all those for the moment. Okay, I don’t know how to read maps in the first place |
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Nov 29, 2006, 2:23 pm |
This clock tower located in a roundabout in the center of the town. Imajica said it’s been there ever since she could remember though she’s not sure when it was actually built.
We went to the main wet market called Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah. It’s one of places you must visit if you come to Kota Bharu! There’s a nice postcard of this market which available everywhere, so ask any Malaysian Postcrosser for one! |
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Nov 29, 2006, 2:30 pm |
Hello, and I am sitting on a replica of Rebana Ubi – traditional giant drum which is popular in here. We are in Gelanggang Seni, a cultural center where they have performances of Dikir Barat (folk group singing), Silat (Malay martial art), Gasing (top spinning game), traditional musicals like Kertok and Rebana Ubi, Wayang Kulit (shadow puppetry), and many others the Kelantanese are well-known with, but but but.. those are held regularly only from February to September every year Too bad! Imajica said it’s maybe because after October to January the weather is not suitable for these activities as we're having monsoon season. Well, I hope I can come back again next year!!
|
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Nov 30, 2006, 11:07 am |
Today imajica woke up early than usual after she's done with the computer, she took me out. We are heading the nearest beach which according to her, would take about 20 minutes. When we reached Penambang village I looked at an arch decorated with golden dragons, and it belongs to an old Chinese community village in here. We entered there to see the temple and it was interesting!
This is the entrance to the Tin Hin Kong temple They have a pagoda too! Colorful, isn't it? imajica said that Chinese temples here look like this, red-colored and decorated with dragons and all. While Thai Buddhist temples in Kelantan, which can be seen in some districts near to Thailand border usually have huge Buddha statues and they can get as big as a building! I would like to see those too, but imajica said, the places are quite far away from Kota Bharu and only if we had more time she'd bring me there. |
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Nov 30, 2006, 11:12 am |
Then we continue the trip. The area heading the beach is popular with handicraft making among the villagers. They make Songket fabric and Batik painting, as well as traditional Wau Bulan (moon kite).
Songket is heritage fabric woven with gold threads. They wear Songket as formal and traditional attire, but mostly for wedding costumes, and the Royal costumes. Sometimes you can see handbags and purses and other items made of Songket too. I got the chance to see how Songket is woven. This is one of many different types of Songket In the same place they make Batik too. Batik is a traditional art applied on fabric either by painting or pressing a carved block. Batik is also used to make clothes as well as decorations. This is Batik made by pressing method: And this is Batik made by painting: Along the way to the beach you can see many shops selling Batik dress like this |
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Nov 30, 2006, 11:15 am |
We visited a house of a kite maker, and they sell different designs and sizes of Wau Bulan (moon kite). Kelantanese people play Wau Bulan in ocassion like events and competitions, but they also make smaller kites as souvenir for the tourists.
|
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Nov 30, 2006, 5:12 pm |
Ok, we arrived at the beach, yay The name is Pantai Cahaya Bulan (beach of the moonlight) and ok, we cannot see any moonlight now because it's 11.30am - even so hot at the moment that I couldn't take pictures any nearer to the water. I mean, imajica's cheap camera is not too good in this extreme sunlight condition. So here I am, looking at the empty beach. Why empty, you ask? See the barn with huge rocks they put alongside - it's to prevent the seawaves from keeping coming and resulting erosion. This place was a popular beach resort as well as fishing village but these years most of everything has been damaged by the erosion. Same has happened to several other beaches in Kelantan
We didn't stay long because it was too hot, so we went to another beach nearby called Mek Mas beach. But it's much more a fishing village than a beach actually. Kids of the villagers playing with me in front of their houses. Another small village seen from a bridge And the.. I don't know what it's called but they have their fishing boats here, as well as hutch to keep fish and feed them. |
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Dec 1, 2006, 1:07 pm |
Today is Friday. In states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah we have weekends on Friday and Saturday.
Imajica and her family went to her Grandma's house and we didn't go anywhere. |
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Dec 5, 2006, 8:19 am |
Today is my last day in imajica's house. I got the chance to eat (at least pretending to eat) nasi kerabu - one of Kelantanese favorite rice. It's basically white rice (or sometimes blue or yellow - the get the color from herbs) eaten with munched green veggies or they call it ulam, grated coconut and lemongrass gravy and not forgotten grilled meat slices - YUM
And this is imajica's favorite Lai Chi Kang - some kind of iced refreshment with barley, dried fruits, and features I don't know the name. Have it during hot midday and you'll feel so great!! |
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Dec 5, 2006, 8:27 am |
Hurrah!! We are going to Kuala Lumpur as imajica's starting her new semester in the uni tomorrow. We chose an upper bed seat in the train and it was nice. The trip took about 14 hours (!) plus technical delay because railway in Malaysia goes South first before coming Northwest to Kuala Lumpur.
|
imajica ilyanim@yahoo.com Posted Dec 5, 2006, 8:33 am |
We arrived at imajica's hostel yesterday. Imajica is going to be busy these days. So in the meantime I'll be visiting aliah in Perlis I can't wait. Imajica said she'd love to go there too, as the last time she went to Perlis was 10 years ago! I can't wait to see places aliah is going to bring me - it's gonna be great!
Perlis - here I come!! |
aliah Posted Dec 8, 2006, 11:23 am |
I arrived in Perlis today. Lucky me as aliah got home just before the rain starts or else I will be wet. It's already late and pouring so we just stay home today. aliah said we will be going to Penang tomorrow. yay!!
By the way, here is some quickie on Perlis. It's a tiny state at northern of Peninsular Malaysia & just like Kelantan it also shares borders with Thailand. So, I guess I've traveled coast to coast Perlis is the departure point to the famous island of Langkawi. Among the attractions of the state is Padang Besar, Gua Kelam, Snake Farm & Wang Kelian. aliah said we will visit it after we got back from Penang. daaa~ |
aliah Posted Dec 10, 2006, 2:30 pm |
We went to Penang by ferry and staying at Tanjung Bungah Beach Resort while we were there.
|
aliah Posted Dec 10, 2006, 3:12 pm |
We went to Gurney Plaza at night and I'm so excited to see many christmas tree around. Because Malaysia don't have snow, I almost forgot that Christmas is just around the corner And guess who are in town? I met Dino, Fred, Jerry, Tom, Scooby & Yogi Bear!!! I'm glad I came to Penang |
aliah Posted Dec 10, 2006, 3:40 pm |
Penang - Day 2
We went to Reclining Buddha and it's sooo huge. aliah got me a cheongsam & a lucky charm saying "safe travelling" as the seller said when we ask what is writen on it. So I hope it will keep me safe throughout my journey Then we went to Rumah P.Ramlee (P.Ramlee's house). aliah said P.Ramlee was a legendary musician, actor & director and he was born in Penang. He made many good movies & musics. I'm the 406th visitor of his gallery While we were there, I have a chance to hear P.Ramlee songs and I think it's great. |
aliah Posted Dec 11, 2006, 7:55 am |
We just got back from Padang Besar at the Malaysia-Thai border. The policeman is so nice and he let me take pictures at the border. aliah also found Siti Semut there and she will be travelling soon too. Semut means ant in Malay. I make friend with Siti immediately |
aliah Posted Dec 12, 2006, 12:49 pm |
Today we went to Snake and Reptile Farm (Taman Ular). It home to over 20 species of snakes, crocodiles & monitor lizards. I took a picture with the Cobra. I'm glad it is not active because it kinda creppy being sorround by them. Aliah apologize as she can't take me to only one place today as her mother is using the car. More pictures tomorrow |
aliah Posted Dec 13, 2006, 2:00 pm |
We went to Alor Star today in the state of Kedah. It's about 50 minutes away from Kangar by car.
First, aliah give me ride on a horse, although it's not a real one I'm still enjoying riding on it. Yihaa!! I also take a ride in a carriage with Siti. Next thing I realise I am at the height of 165.5m above the ground! We went to Menara Alor Star, the 19th tallest tower in the world. I feel that I am at the top of the world while up there. We can see a different view of the city of Alor Star. Awesome!! Lastly for today, we visited Masjid Zahir, Balai Nobat and Balai Besar. Balai Besar used to host any official occasion of the state of Kedah royalties. Thats all for today sightseeing. (2143 local time) |
aliah Posted Dec 14, 2006, 2:17 pm |
I watched the sunset at Kuala Perlis today. It is very calm to sit by the beach and hear the sound of the waves while watch the sun to set. Later, aliah treat me with KFC. |
aliah Posted Dec 15, 2006, 7:31 am |
Perlis is characterised by sprawling paddy field which I took picture at one of it. I also have a chance to see a rubber tree on our way to Gua Kelam.
Gua Kelam is a 370m limestone caves which is filled with interesting stalactite and stalagmite formation. It is quite beautiful as we walk along the bridge inside the cave. Then, Aliah bring me to Lake Timah Tasoh and Tasik Melati to enjoy the beautiful view there. The breeze is so good... |
aliah Posted Dec 16, 2006, 6:28 am |
Frida is on her way to Singapore |
Relie Posted Dec 23, 2006, 6:19 am |
I arrived at Singapore today after some 6 days of travelling. Mmm, that's a bit long considering that Malaysia is very near Singapore.
I'll stay with 3 hosts from Singapore, starting with Relie, so I guess I'll stay in Singapore for a quite while. I met some of Relie's friends at her house. They are so nice~ Relie says the 2 big friends, the elephant and the big polar bear has been with her for a loooong time, since she was 8 and 10 years old respectively. (They all have Chinese names, it's hard for me pronounce with my German background so i'm omiting it. hehe) Relie said she was a bit glad that I wasn't here earlier. (I thought it was quite bad for her to say that! ) She quickly explains that Singapore has been raining non-stop for the pass few days. She borrowed a English newspaper from her neighbour (she only have chinese papers at home) and show me this: Wow! In some low-lying areas of Singapore, the water level almost cover an entire car! Scary!! Weatherman says more rain to be expected till Sunday... awww. Relie says not to worry, she promises to bring me to some nice places in Singapore and she made me a raincoat just in case there's rain. |
Relie Posted Dec 23, 2006, 4:17 pm |
Phew, I was hoping to get some rest from all the travelling but Relie says tonight's weather is nice and fine so we better take advantage of it.
Since it's night already, she says she'll bring me to see some nice Singapore city night view and the best view is at The Esplanade, Singapore's biggest art theatre. We took the MRT (Singapore's subway) to City Hall and went through the underpass to Esplanade. We walked pass an underground shopping mall call Citylink. Relie says Singaporean are so obsessed with shopping, they had to build a shopping mall underground. (I can't tell if she's saying that jokingly or not. lol) Along the way, we saw some nice art works. This illustration is by Apotik Komik (Comic Pharmacy) from Indonesia. In this maze of underground walkway, there's a open space and teenagers took advantage of the aircon and shelter to gather and play. I can see some people are roller blading, some juggling, some training karate, break-dancing, hip hop. This is totally cool! There's an interesting mix of activities going on. Durian is best serve chilled? Relie says Durian is a tropical fruit with thorns, it's fresh is yellow and creamy. If you chilled it, it taste like ice cream! Wah, I wanna try too! but Relie says it's not in season now. It's only available in June - August and she don't recommend it to foreigners cos they cannot stand the strong pungent smell. The locals often refer to The Esplanade as durian cos of the 'thorny' exterior. Hey look look, some Singapore artist wanna turn all animals into lion! I better run away fast before he catches me and add a mane to me! keke There's more art installations along way. I saw this big huge sign that says Singapura. Relie says it's Singapore in Malay language. Translated, Singa means Lion and Pura means City, so that makes Lion City. ahhh, that explains all the lion mane. haha. I had to take a pic here!! More art works! This installation is 'As it is...' by Victor Tan Wee Tar from Singapore. Hey, I found out that there'll be a New Year countdown event at Marina Bay. They are gathering people to write their hopes and dreams for the new year on white beach balls, which will be thrown into Singapore river and there'll be some nice lightups! Relie wrote down her wishes and I signed that I was here! hehe. Close up of what we wrote. Finally we went outside and I was attracted by this band performing at the outdoor theatre. They are so good that Relie and I stayed there throughout the performance! That vocalist really knows how to work the crowd and got people dancing right there! *shakes butt* Ok ok, after all the 'distractions' from the artworks and performance, here's finally what we came here for. The nightview photos!! First of all, The Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay. This is Swissotel the Stamford, The tallest hotel in South East Asia. Relie said she has been on top of the helicopter pad on a school excursion. General public is not allowed up there. Oh wow, doesn't this look like a postcard? You see Singapore's Central Business District here, with Fullerton Hotel in the foreground and if you look carefully, you can see the Merlion!! Relie says she'll bring me here again in the day time to see the Merlion! And some of the wishing balls are already in the waters!! I can't wait to see them lighted up! Yeah!! Gorgeous don't you think? |
Relie Posted Dec 24, 2006, 1:06 pm |
Today, Relie says she's bringing me to the East part of Singapore! She has been invited by her cousin to attend a church play at Singapore Expo. Off we go!
We took the MRT again to Tanah Merah Station. This is how the MRT looks like in Singapore. We arrived at the Singapore Expo! Singapore Expo is one of the largest exhibition and convention centre in South East Asia. There are 10 exhibition & convention halls here with an indoor space of about 100,000sqm! Arhhhhhhhh, RUN! I see a UFO! I didn't run too far before Relie caught me and got me to look carefully. Ohhh... it's actually the ceiling of the MRT station! This church rents one of the exhibtion hall for christmas service. This is how it looks like inside. If I didn't tell you this is a church service, would you think that i'm in a pop concert? keke. After the service, Relie brought me to Tampines, one of the bigger neighbourhoods in the east. This is Century square, a shopping centre. After Tampines, we went to Pasir Ris, the last MRT Station in the East. This is White Sands, a shopping centre. Relie said that Pasir Ris has a nice beach, chalets, Escape theme park and Wild Wild Wet, a water theme park. |
Relie Posted Dec 26, 2006, 7:55 am |
It's a somewhat cloudy day today. I hope it doesn't rain! Today Relie says she'll bring me to a historial tour of Singapore. Relie says she loves old buildings. Ohhh, I'm getting excited!
This is Raffles Place MRT station. We are in the middle of the Central Business District. There are lots of tall buildings here! Look at this cheerful looking motorbike! The owner is very nice to let me pose with it but he is camera shy. We walked straight towards Lau Pa Sat. In Singapore, brown signs indicate places of interest. Lau Pa Sat (in Chinese, meaning old market) is more than 150 years old, it is the largest remaining Victorian filigree cast-iron structure in Southeast Asia. It is formerly a wet market and now it has been restored and is a favourite food centre of the locals, offering a wide variety of local food. |
Relie Posted Dec 26, 2006, 8:38 am |
We walk down to Telok Ayer Street towards Thian Hock Keng (Temple of Heavenly Happiness). This is the oldest temple in Singapore. The temple is dedicated to Ma Zu Po, the Taoist goddess of the sea and protector of all seamen. The temple was originally built on the waterfront, but in the 1880s, the area was reclaimed.
It started to drizzle so we stayed inside and took lots of pictures. This is the alter for Confucius. This is the main alter for Ma Zu Po. On the door are Door Gods. I'm standing on a wooden bar that sits at the foot of the temple entrance. This serves a couple of purposes: First, it keeps out wandering ghosts, who cannot cross over the barrier. Second, it forces anyone entering the temple to look down as they cross, bowing their head in humility. Can you spot me in the picture? Hey I found the postbox of Thian Hock Keng! Maybe I can send a postcard to Ma Zu Po to ask for good weather? hehe Beside Thian Hock Keng is Al-Abrar Mosque. It is now close for restoration. This street is lined with old shophouses where Immigrant trade. |
Relie Posted Dec 27, 2006, 9:35 am |
Here we are at Club Street. This street is named after the old community clubs that have historically lined the street. In the recent 1-2 years, Club Street is fast transforming into one of the trendy spots to wine and dine. There are also some art galleries and niche boutiques along the street.
Just across the road is Far East Square. Far East Square comprises a cosy enclave of 61 beautifully preserved shophouses. It's a great place for wine and dine too. In keeping with its cultural heritage, it is built on the traditional chinese concept of Ying and Yang - in which the universe of life is kept in balance by the 5 elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Frie and Earth. Here we are at the Fire gate. Sometimes, you'll see people gathering here for line dancing! On alternate weekends, people gathered here to sell their wares ala flea market style. This is a sculpture of a old hawker. This is how they sell food long time ago. |
Relie Posted Dec 29, 2006, 2:58 pm |
We finally reached Singapore River! Singapore River used to be a busy harbour where all the traders from neighbouring countries gathered to trade their wares.
This is colorful building belongs to MICA (Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts). It's previously the Hill Street Police Station, built in 1934. In the background is the central business district. The river is lined with shophouses. These shophouses are now converted into pubs, restaurants and cafes. The area is known as Boat Quay. This is Singapore's new Parliament building. You can see Singapore's crest here. View from the other side. WOOOAHHH! Another flying saucer! Nah, haha, it's just the new Supreme Court. lol. |
Relie Posted Dec 29, 2006, 3:30 pm |
We have arrived at the Civic District! The Civic District was the historic birthplace of Singapore where early settlers worked and lived. Singapore's most valuable and historic structures, parks and monuments are within this 105 hectares!
Turn around and we see someone famous in Singapore: Sir Stamford Thomas Raffles! Where the statue stands, marked his landing ground. Sir Raffles helped turn Singapore from a poor fishing village to a busy port, like what it is today. This is a scene of people trading in the olden time. Can you see that the chinese men wore plaited hair? This style is from the Qing Dynasty. On the floor is Chinese wooden clogs. This is the Asian Civilisations Museum aka Empress Place Building (it's so named at beginning of the 20th century, in honor of Queen Victoria). The building is an example of the neo-Palladian architectural style and it used to be a government office. Oh, this big guy is a Ming Dynasty Warrior! This is previously our Parliament House, since 2003, it's been coverted to a Arts House. Trishaw uncle! This is the Fullerton Building, built in 1928 is an example of neo-classical architecture, distinguished by tall Doric columns. Previously it was the General Post Office, The Singapore Club and the Chamber of Commerce. Since 2001, it transformed into Fullerton Hotel. The full view of the hotel from the other side. Opposite the Fullerton Hotel is the MERLION~! Behold the giant durians! lol. The Esplanade during daytime! This is a common view in Singapore. The NO xxx Sign. Fine $xxxx Sign. Singapore is a Fine city, yes! Flowers during December! WOW! At the background you can see Swissotel the Stamford. This is the Lim Bo Seng Memorial. Major-General Lim Bo Seng was one of Singapore's heroes and a martyr of World War II. The pagoda is made of marble with a solid bronze roof and is guarded by four bronze lions. This is the City Hall. It is built in 1929 and is the site of the Japanese surrender to Lord Mountbatten in 1945 during World War II. City Hall has housed various government departments including the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the former Ministry of Culture and the Industrial Arbitration Court. City Hall will be converted into a world class national art gallery by 2012. The field in front of the City hall is the Padang, this was the venue for the swearing-in of Singapore's first president, Mr Yusof Ishak, on 3 December 1959. The Padang is also where we will host our National Day Parade, since the National stadium is closed to make way for a bigger one. Right beside the City Hall is the Old Supreme Court. Built in 1939. The imposing Corinthian and Ionic columns, as well as the tympanum sculpture fronting the Supreme Court Building, were the work of Cavalieri Rudolfo Nolli, a Milanese sculptor. Behind the Supreme Court is the Singapore Cricket Club. Here is the Victoria Concert Hall. Opened in 1905, Victoria Concert Hall was formerly known as Victoria Memorial Hall and has been the residence of the renowned Singapore Symphony Orchestra since 1980. Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall is made up of 2 buildings namely Victoria Memorial Hall and Victoria Theatre, connected by a 54 metre clocktower. Here you see another Sir Stamford Raffles Sculpture. |
Relie Posted Jan 1, 2007, 8:48 am |
Wow, Big huge christmas tree at Raffles City Shopping Centre, it is link to the Swissotel the Stamford Hotel.
Christmas lightings at Raffles City. |
Relie Posted Jan 1, 2007, 8:51 am |
This is CHIJMES (pronounced “chimes”) is previously a convent school: Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ), established in 1854. It is now converted into a popular dining, shopping and entertainment site.
|
Relie Posted Jan 1, 2007, 9:54 am |
It's Christmas Eve today and Relie says we should go for a church service and countdown to Christmas like what Christians do.
This is St Andrew's Cathedral. It's one of the oldest church in Singapore. Interior of the Cathedral. There were only seats left at the corner... so we can't take anymore nice pics. |
Relie Posted Jan 1, 2007, 10:06 am |
It's Christmas Day!! Thank God for the good weather today!
We went to Orchard road, the shopping street of Singapore. A MUST go if you are a shoppaholic. hehe! The whole road is lined with shopping centres! During Christmas season, Orchard road is beautifully lighted up and today, the authorities as closed up the whole road for a christmas concert held on the road! It's one of those rare time you see Orchard road with no cars! Orchard Road is flood with people!! Gosh! The only 'cars' on Orchard road today are these decorative floats! Christmas tree outside Paragon Shopping Centre, a high-end one where you can find all the designer brands like Gucci, LV... etc. Another Christmas tree~ This one looks very expensive! Swarovski Crystal Christmas tree! WOW! Along the road, there's this Nativity village. The Nativity scene (The birth of Jesus Christ) There's a Christmas concert on the road. This is Chen Song Ling, a famous Hong Kong Actress/Singer. This is a light show projected to the ground at the Orchard road junction. A newspaper cutting about the lightshow. |
Relie Posted Jan 2, 2007, 7:21 am |
It's been raining very heavily for the past 2 days, so we stayed indoors.
Today's weather seems to be quite good and Relie brought me out real early! We are going to the west part of Singapore! First stop is the Science Centre! This centre showcases a range of interesting and interactive exhibition. However, by the time we got there, some dark clouds are already looming over us... Let's keep our fingers crossed! This is a map of the Science Centre. There's a pretty garden just at the gate of the Science Centre! ahh, I just have to take a pic here! Eh! Something caught my ears! The funny sounds are coming from here! This is 'sculpture' is call Audio-Kinetica. There's a number of balls travelling inside and along the way they produce very unusual and interesting effects. Relie and I were pretty mesmerised by it. WOW, this look fun! It's a Water Works playground for kids! Ohhh, A fountain power up by solar energy! |
Relie Posted Jan 2, 2007, 8:01 am |
It started to drizzle and we quickly set off for some shopping at this mega shopping centre - IMM.
Christmas decoration of the shopping centre. |
Relie Posted Jan 2, 2007, 8:14 am |
After some hours of shopping, the rain is getting a bit smaller, so we made our way to the Chinese Garden. There's a Japanese Garden right beside but it's under renovation.
Mmm, did I hear a roar coming out from this marble lion? Woo, Chinese gates ahead! Close up of the gates! Pagodas on the waters! A sculpture of Confucius. A boat? nah, it's a house. A beautiful courtyard Koi pond! It's starting to rain rather heavily... so we quickly make our way back to the car. Look, the rain is so heavy we can hardly see the motorist in front! |
Relie Posted Jan 2, 2007, 8:45 am |
We have good weather today! YEAH!!!
Relie is bringing me to the East Coast beach for some roller blading! We walked pass some housing estates. This is a HDB flat and about 70% of Singaporeans live in these kind of houses. The beach! The Beach! arrr, it's nice to be at the beach after so many days of rain. There's a roller blading training ground for kids! How nice! Along the beach, there's a walking path for pedestrians and another path for bicycles / roller blading / skate boarding. Roller blading, off we go~! We travelled to the end of the beach for some training. You can't see the beach anymore but forest! |
Relie Posted Jan 2, 2007, 9:15 am |
It's New Year Eve today and it's also Hari Raya Haji (a Muslim festival)! The Malays in Singapore celebrate Hari Raya Haji by visiting friends and relatives. It's a much toned down festival compared to Hari Raya Puasa (Celebration after the fasting month).
Relie and I went shopping along Orchard road when she suddenly scream out loud, ISTANA OPEN HOUSE! Fwah, I was pretty shaken by her scream lol. Apparently, The Istana (The Palace) is only open to public only 5 times a year at major public holidays. (The open house was originally scheduled to celebrate Deepavali and Hari Raya Puasa on October 24, but was postponed due to hazy conditions at that time.) Yeah, how lucky is Frida!!! The Istana is the official residence of the President of Singapore, Mr S R Nathan. President Nathan is the sixth President of the Republic of Singapore. Gold plated Singapore Crest at the Istana Gates. The Guard of Honour at the gates! He can't move at all! We asked him nicely and took a pic! keke. There's a huge garden inside the Istana. We are at the swan pond! Beautiful orchids blooming in December! wah! Behold the Istana! A canon inside the Istana. We didn't stayed very long as there were too many people and we are carrying too many shopping bags! lol. Mmm.... Erm, too bad we didn't get to meet President S R Nathan... But I felt very happy to have been into the Istana! |
Relie Posted Jan 2, 2007, 9:43 am |
We went back home to unload all the shopping bags and off we go to Marina Bay to reserve a good place at Marina Bay to catch the fireworks tonight. There's gonna be lots of people there!
By the time we meet Relie's friend in the evening, it's getting a bit cloudy... oh no... please no rain! I wanna see the fireworks! Look, the wishing balls are lighted up! (Remember I wrote my wishes on a white ball?) But they are so far away, I don't think I can spot mine. We had a picnic dinner and there were some small showers of rain... but we persisted and I dunno how we pass the time, it's 10pm and there's a small sneak preview of the fireworks on a building. There were 2 other sneaks at 11pm and 11.30pm. It's 12 midnight and the first burst of fireworks goes up! YEAH! HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! The Finale! |
Relie Posted Jan 2, 2007, 9:59 am |
First day of the New Year! YEAH!
Relie brought me to watch a Chinese period movie "Curse of the Golden Flower"! It features Chow Yun Fat, Gong Li and Jay Chou!! |
Relie Posted Jan 3, 2007, 6:05 am |
I'm going to meet my 2nd host in Singapore! I hope she'll bring me to more nice places! Yay! I can't wait! |
smackmytoothbrush Posted Jan 6, 2007, 10:05 am |
Hello all, I arrived at Smackmytoothbrush's house in today, 5th January She was pleased that I had arrived (because she was really eager to get me!) and even more so because she has not gotten mail in like, forever Also she wants me to let you all know that she would prefer to be called Eudora in this travellog (her real name) because it's shorter & more unique than smackmytoothbrush (she says it's so unique it's not even found in the baby name books! )
On with the pics and how I spent my day -- I arrived today at Eudora's house This is me, lying on her bed I think her bedsheets are nice (she likes them too)! Then I went into the kitchen, and I saw her parrot She tells me that he's an African Grey, and has been with her since 2002. Also she tells me that he's very greedy with food and waits patiently at the side of his cage if he sees you cutting fruit and decides he wants some too Oh and he can also talk (in fact he talks alot), he can say good night (even though I didn't hear him say it, Eudora tells me he doesn't greet people good night so often anymore) and imitate the phone ringing (accompanied by "hello?" after that) and call Eudora (well... just "Dora"), amongst other things. Hm, that's so coool! But haha, I bet I'm better off than him because I get to travel and he doesn't - when the family goes away, hte neighbours take care of him I saw this pot cooking on the stove... looks yummy! Eudora tells me it is a pineapple dessert drink which is yummy & she likes it very much, especially if made into an ice lolly & eaten when the weather gets hot (but now isn't exactly the hot season, but she still likes it anyway!) I tried some and liked it too, even though there's no cinnamon (and Eudora tells me we have the same tastes, she prefers the cinnamon too!) And then awww I saw this really cute pic on Eudora's bedside table, and on closer look I realised it was her when she was young (it doesn't look like her now, but there's still a slight resemblance) She tells me this is her kindergarten graduation picture (oh cool!) This is her bedside flower, it's pink (but sort of dirty already). Her bed looks really empty! I didn't see many toys, as compared to when I was at relie's. Haha, Eudora tells me that all her toys were put into her cupboard under the window because she didn't want to re-arrange them (too lazy, haha) when she sleeps (she doesn't sleep with toys) But this flower is an exception because it's long enough to be stuck through the frames of the bed, so she left it there It's a Christmas present from a few years back, she says. She tells me that she will bring me to school for her CCA fair tomorrow, but warns that there may be a possibility that there will be not many pictures, if any at all - because she doubts that she will be allowed to turn on her handphone But oh well, we'll see! By the way, she also wants me to tell you on her behalf that she might not be able to take me out every day (which I don't mind, if her house is interesting enough ) and hopes you all don't mind too! Anyway I'm excited to see where I get to go next or what I am going to do next, woohoo! I wonder if I pick up Singlish as a result of staying with 3 S'porean hosts, hmmm |
Eloriel Posted Feb 11, 2007, 10:57 am |
And finally, I have arrived at Eloriel's house!
Eloriel took me to meet more friends such as Marjol's Forever Friends bear, Christa's world cup lions and the Singapore Bear! (: I was so happy to have met them! And i liked Eloriel's hello kitty bedsheet too. Eloriel also lives in an apartment block built by the HDB [housing development block] (: This is the view form the window on the 6th floor! Thank goodness she didn't drop me! And here I am with Eloriel's Marimekko napkin and postcard collection! <3 She says she stores her postcards in special albums. I think her postcards are beautiful! ^_^ On the tour of her house, she brought me to her mother's fridge magnet collection! It was amazing! I could count many different countries that the magnets were from! :P Then i got to see Eloriel's fish! She told me that she has been breeding guppies for 3 generations now. They are so cute! I miss being in the water. Now Eloriel says she will bring me to school tomorrow! I might get to sit in with practices with her band, and perhaps to some meetings! [She's in the student council!] tata for now! |
Eloriel Posted Mar 3, 2007, 3:29 pm |
Sorry my travels haven't been documented for so long! Eloriel has been really busy with her Student Council Investiture in her school [she's the IC!] so we can only post some pictures now ^_______^
This is Eloriel's school! The shoe rack in her class! [we don't wear shoes in class! our class pioneered this, normally singaporean students do ] The courtyard where we have morning assembly. Its huge! The desks in her classroom. I'm sitting on hers! You can see her pencilbox (: The view of the basketball court, and the school beside us - a college. Better view of the college! On the first day of chinese new year! off to visiting! But we have to go to the temple first to pray to our ancestors. This is the stone lion outside the temple. They come in pairs! This is the female one because she's holding a cub in her paw. Can you spot it? Me eating a golden coin! Common candies during the new year (: Backtracking to new year's eve...we had our reunion dinner! Look! Abalone! Eloriel's favourite ^______^ The assortment of reunion dinner stuff to put in the steamboat! Fishballs, fish, chicken, liver, and prawns (: And the traditional activity...gambling! Eloriel loves to play mahjong! [The game which is played with the tiles you see here.] Eloriel's house is all decorated for the new year! More visiting! The owners of the house lay out goodies for everyone to eat. You can see lots of traditional stuff here! I ate the pineapple - it was actually individual packages of pudding! Outside Eloriel's relative's house (: And we are on our way to our next destination for more visiting! Our third stop! Our fourth and final stop for the day! What else? More gambling! WHEW! It has been a tired day! But first... Count ang paos! Not a bad haul this year (: |
Eloriel Posted Mar 3, 2007, 3:39 pm |
Another day with Eloriel!
We went jamming with her band near clarke quay! But Eloriel is absentminded and forgot to take pictures of us jamming But she did remember to take some on the train back! This is Singapore's new north east line [in existence for 3 years+]. Its really nice and clean! [Singapore is very clean too - you hardly see litter around!] This is me on the handhold - i must really stop climbing to high places that i can't get down from! ^______^ We went to eat lunch with her bandmates after that. This is at a shopping mall called plaza singapura! Singapura is the malay name for singapore. We had a great lunch at burger king! Eloriel will be going to orchard road tomorrow, she says she'll try to bring me! |
icitaiwan Posted Apr 11, 2007, 2:38 pm |
Frida arrived today in Taiwan. She had a nice, but long journey and she's enjoying some fresh air now. I'll post some pictures of her stay here, soon .
|
icitaiwan Posted Apr 15, 2007, 7:14 am |
The weather wasn't really great last week, so we didn't have a change to go outside yet.
Andrea (icitaiwan) told me yesterday that I could call my mommy, and I gladly acepted her offer. Here you can see me making the phonecall. Then I met two other animals in the house. I was very scared when I met them for the first time, and I tried to hide myself, but that didn't out work well . This is Timer: And this is Obi-Wan Ken (Obi): Don't worry mommy, we are good friends now, and they didn't eat me. They prefer real catsfood . |
icitaiwan Posted Apr 28, 2007, 2:09 am |
Hi everybody. It was quiet for some time, because I've been very busy sight-seeing .
I'm very excited, because I'm gonna see the "Taipei 101" in real today...yeah!!! My host Andrea will update my blog soon, but here is already a picture to show you all that I'm fine, and eating well . |
icitaiwan Posted Apr 29, 2007, 7:37 am |
I was so excited today, because I've been to Taipei. My host lives in a city close to Taipei, so I didn't have a change before to go see the "big city".
We left home by car and parked the car under the house of andrea's parents-in-law in "Chung-Hsiao East Road". This is one of the mainroads in Taipei City, and it's usually very crowded there. The little girl is Amber, Andrea's daughter. She didn't want to give me back to her mother, so she took care of me all day long. I even took a nap with her . We walked a while and took the MRT from "Chung-Hsiao Fuxing" to the "Taipei City Hall". Can you find these stops on the MRT map? We left the MRT station and I saw a very large tower. Andrea told me that it's the "Taipei 101". It's the highest skyscraper in the world with its 509 meter. Here is some more information about the "Taipei 101": -Taipei 101 has 101 stories above ground (hence the name) and five underground. -The building holds the records for: *Ground to structural top: 509 m (1,671 ft), a record formerly held by the Petronas Twin Towers at 452 m (1,483 ft) *Ground to roof: 449 m (1,474 ft). Formerly held by the Sears Tower 442 m (1,451 ft) *Ground to highest occupied floor: 439 m (1,441 ft). Formerly held by the Sears Tower *Fastest Ascending Elevator speed: 16.83 m/s (37.5 miles/hour or 60.4 km/h) *Largest Count-Down Clock on New Year's Eve. *It does not hold the record for the longest distance from ground to pinnacle, which is still held by the Sears Tower 527 m (1,729 ft). -Taipei 101's roof was completed on July 1, 2003. -Taipei 101 is the first and currently only building in the world to break the half-kilometer mark in height.[2] The Burj Dubai tower in Dubai is expected to take over as the the world's tallest building sometime in 2009. This is the lower part of the "Taipei 101". There is a nice shoppingmall at the first 5 floors. The entrance door They've made a circle on the floor, and a lot of city names are mention on the tiles Yes...it's me in Taipei. This picture shows the 4th floor You can take the elevator to go to the observatory deck on the 89th floor. The weather wasn't very good today, so my host decided to save the money for the admission fee for a frappuchino at the Starbucks . Theses pictures show the area around the Taipei 101. They aren't very clear, sorry for that. We walked around in the area, also called the "new city heart" with all the shopping malls, government buildings, and of course the "101". The Taipei World Trade Center The weather got worse, and the "101" disappeared in the clouds. We were just on time to make the pictures. The Taipei City Hall I The Taipei City Hall II Taipei City Council office We walked from here to the "Sun Yat-Sen" Memorial Hall. This is a memorial to the Taiwanese father of the nation, Sun Yat-Sen. It was built in 1972. We kept on walking and passed a mailbox. Most of the Taiwanese mail disappears in these kind of mailboxes. We also passed this shopping mall. Sogo is very famous in Taiwan After that we went back home. It was a great, but tiring day . |
icitaiwan Posted Apr 29, 2007, 4:47 pm |
I've been to Taipei again . We left this afternoon to visit the "CKS Memorial Hall", another landmark in Taipei.
First we passed the presidential house The CKS square is flanked on both sides by the National Concert Hall and the National Theater. We were lucky today, because there was a performance on the square, showing some aborigional dances This is my with Andrea and Amber The CKS Memorial Hall was built in 1980 to honour the first president of Taiwan, Chiang Kai-sek. The building is 70 meters high and the white and blue colors of the building, and the red color of the surrounding flowers represent the colors of the Taiwanese flag. At the top of the stairs is a large vault containing a bronze statue of Chiang Kai-sek. The vault is under guard during daytime. This picture shows the view from the top of the CKS Memorial Hall over the square, showings the entrance, and the two theaters. This picture shows the (now) second largest building in Taipei. We drank "bubble tea" on our way back, This is a local drink that becomes popular in more and more countries. It's milk tea with little sticky, black, gummy tapioca balls....yummy!!! I'll show you a bit of Nankan tomorrow . |
icitaiwan Posted May 2, 2007, 3:33 pm |
I had to get up early today, because I joined Andrea to her work. She works at a kindergarten on the countryside.
Do you see the rice fields? This is the school, Andrea is working for |
icitaiwan Posted May 2, 2007, 3:45 pm |
Andrea showed me around in the community where she is living. It's a new community, built last year, and I love it!
The swimmingpool......yihaa!!! Some nice decoration Amber and me. You can see Andrea's house on the second floor I wanted to enjoy the SPA, but I had bad luck. It's only open from May 15th to October 31st This is the view from the roof of the apartment building. This road is Nankan Road, the mainroad. Can you find me between all these flowers? Andrea's mailbox |
icitaiwan Posted May 2, 2007, 3:55 pm |
We went for a walk in the afternoon.
Andrea had to buy some food, so we visited the local supermarket first. After that we passed "Ikari", a coffeeshop where you can buy delicious cheesecake and sandwiches Another street in Nankan I saw so many scooters. Andrea told me that there are millions of scooters in Taiwan. They ride scooters here, like they are riding bicycles in the Netherlands. Taiwanese people are lazy, and don't like to walk I guess . |
icitaiwan Posted May 2, 2007, 4:02 pm |
Another fenomenon in Taiwan are the mini markets. They are little convenience stores, open 24H a day. You can find them on (at least) every corner of the street. There are 5 mini markets from Andrea's house within a 2 min. walk
|
icitaiwan Posted May 2, 2007, 4:10 pm |
I'm gonna travel again . Andrea's husband is a flight attendant, and he'll fly to Los Angeles today. He promised me to show me around in the aircraft and in the area around the hotel in Los Angeles. I'll be back in Taiwan on Sunday morning. C U!!!!
|
icitaiwan Posted May 7, 2007, 3:34 pm |
Hi there. I'm back from my trip to Los Angeles. My flight was pretty comfortable. I had a great seat, a real bed, inflight entertainment, delicious food, champagne, and ice cream .
Life isn't bad at all when you're a Toy Voyager . Travelling first class: I was spoiled on my way to Los Angeles, so the business class on my way back looked a bit simple . My host was pretty tired after the nightflight and didn't leave the hotel, but........I've been in America !!!!! |
icitaiwan Posted May 7, 2007, 3:39 pm |
I've had a great time in Taiwan, but it's time to say good-bye to my new friends. I'll miss you all.
I'm also gonna miss my buddy Mukhsin. He's also a Toy Voyager and he was so sad when Andrea prepared me for my next journey. I'm on my way to Austria......ChristinaB, be prepared ! |
ChristinaB Posted May 15, 2007, 8:04 am |
Oh, what an exhausting trip I had - but I finally arrived in Vienna today! I had a very warm welcome from my host and her baby who unpacked me from my envelope and from 2 other toyvoyagers who were already waiting for me here: Elisabeth and Gina the Giraffe.
I'm really excited now and curious about what I will see here in Austria. I already was told that we are going to go on a little trip to the countryside for a couple of days tomorrow and Elisabeth told me about all the sightseeing she did in Vienna during her stay here. Well, I'll let you know more later... Hugs, Frida |
ChristinaB Posted May 24, 2007, 10:18 pm |
Hello!
Meanwhile I've already spent a couple of days in Austria and I'm having a great time so far. Everybody is very friendly to me and my hosts are really doing their best to make me feel very comfortable here. We've already done some sightseeing in Vienna and I had my photos taken in front of many famous buildings like the Old Imperial Theatre, the City Hall, St. Stephen's Cathedral, and Michaelaer Church. It is very hot at the moment here in Vienna (around 30 °C) so being a frog and usually living around the water I'm sweating alot here. So I am very happy that my hosts also try to show my some cooler places and parks like the Rosarium you can see here. The smell there was just wonderful and I really had a great time there!! |
ChristinaB Posted May 24, 2007, 10:30 pm |
One of my very favourite buildings here in Vienna is the Hofburg, which was the residence of the Habsburg family as long as they ruled Austria. Isn't it beautiful?? Nowadays it hosts several museums, the National library and the president's office.
Apropos president: For a while I thought I was a very special guest here in Vienna. But yesterday I got a really strong competitor: President Putin from Russia came to visit Vienna! I wanted to go to the city to meet him (you know how much I enjoy to meet famous people...) but my host told me that all the places were closed yesterday so we couldn't go there... However, I still feel special - and that's what I enjoy My host also showed me the opera house and we had a loooooong walk in the city to do some window shopping. I also saw Vienna's airport because my host's husband flew to Portugal and we took him to the airport - Austria's biggest construction area at the moment. They are enlarging the airport alot and make it very modern! On the picture you can see me in front of the very new tower! |
ChristinaB Posted May 29, 2007, 8:34 am |
We spent a wonderful and funny day at an amusement park today. It is about fairy tales and there are many funny and exciting rides to do, sculptures of different fairy tales to see and delicious things to eat... |
ChristinaB Posted Jun 3, 2007, 8:35 am |
Finally here are some photos of me again!!
The previous weekend I spent in a part of Austria called "Styria". It is very beautiful there - a nice scenery with hills, lakes, forrests and alot of agriculture. I stayed at a little farm with my host family for a couple of days. There were many different farm animals and the kids and I had a lot of fun to watch, pet and feed them. They all were very patient and "frog-friendly", especially the horses... One day we went to a lake called "Stubenbergsee". The water was already warm enough and since it was such a hot day we all had a swim there. Oh, what a pleasure for a little frog! I missed swimming sooooo much! We also went to visit a kind of waterpark. There were many miniature buildings, figures and machines and everything was run by water. It was sooo colourful and everything was moving there so it was really nice to watch. On our way back to Vienna we wanted to visit a Western Park called "No-name-City". Unfortunately it started to rain right after we arrived so we only took a few photos and then left again. What a pitty - I would have loved to have a wild ride on a horse there!!! |
ChristinaB Posted Jun 3, 2007, 8:40 am |
It was also nice to come back home, I started to feel very comfortable at my host's flat. The only thing I don't like here is this poster at the door. It's a bit scary for a frog... |
ChristinaB Posted Jun 3, 2007, 8:51 am |
On Tuesday last week we visited Schönbrunn Palace - a very royal place I must say. We even went inside the castle - it was the first time the family did - and visited a part of it with special exhibitions for kids. There we learnt how the Habsburg family lived, what they ate, wore, what their kids had for playing etc. It was really interesting. Afterwards we went to the garden and saw the "Gloriette" which was Maria Theresia's point of view and we visited the maze and the labyrinth. Oh my god, I almost got lost!! But fortunately all the family was with me and they took me home safely! |
ChristinaB Posted Jun 3, 2007, 9:01 am |
At the moment it seem like Austria is full of roses. So we visited another Rosarium yesterday in Baden, about half an hour drive south of Vienna. I was told that it is the largest rosarium in the country. Oh, what a wonderful smell!!! |
ChristinaB Posted Jun 19, 2007, 10:22 am |
I've been soo busy here in Austria that I didn't find any time to update this travellog before... But now I gonna show you some more pictures of me doing sightseeing in Vienna.
So you can see me in front of St.Charle's church, at a subway station built in "Jugendstil", watching Danube tower and the Big Wheel and visiting the museum of nature history and the Belvedere castle. |
ChristinaB Posted Jun 19, 2007, 10:28 am |
It was really funny in Austria because I was in such a good company. Pooh from Taiwain (he's an inofficial toyvoyager, but a really nice one) was there almost the same time than I. Then Taro from Japan, CK, the cheerful koala from Australia and Alfie Langer, the sportive one among us joined us. We really had a great time!
Here you can see us picking he cherries in our host's garden. Hmmm, they were yummy, we ate ALOT of them!!! |
ChristinaB Posted Jun 19, 2007, 10:32 am |
My hosts also showed me lake Attersee where their grandparents own a house. Wow, that was wonderful there!!! The scenery was really beautiful with the lake and all the mountains. One evening we even grilled some sausages at a bonfire (unfortunately the photos didn't come out...). The water was still a bit freezy so I decided not to have a swim. But I loved to watch all the fish and ducks inside! |
ChristinaB Posted Jun 19, 2007, 10:39 am |
One day the 5 of us decided to go to lake Neusiedlersee. It wasn't difficult to convience our hosts to take us there since they like Neusiedlersee alot.
This lake was pretty different to Attersee. Since it only gets water through rain and doesn't have any rivers bringing water inside it isn't as clear as Attersee - but it was very, very warm! Since I couldn't see the ground (it's only 1,5 m at the deepest point but there is alot of sludge in the lake) I was a bit scared. But I'm a real frog, am not I?? We all had a great time there!! Well, I did sooo many things here in Austria and I saw alot but it is time now to say goodbye and continue my trip to the UK! Tschüß Austria!! Auf Wiedersehen! |
schnatterblum Posted Jul 11, 2007, 5:26 pm |
After a long, long and very tiring journey trough Europe, I finally arrived in England. I will take a rest for a few days, relax, enjoy the weather (ah, well, not really, it's cloudy, cold and not very friendly) and then explore the place. My host promised me some English food tonight....yummy!
|
schnatterblum Posted Jul 22, 2007, 10:18 pm |
....uhhh, what a day! I mean, everybody knows that England is rainy and wet...but in July??? For the last week, it was impossible to leave the house, even if you are a frog. Therefore, I stayed at home, rested and studied a map of Cambridge to be prepared should a day of sunshine come...perhaps...
|
schnatterblum Posted Jul 22, 2007, 10:21 pm |
Then, this morning, as the sun was shining through some beautiful white clouds, I had a huge breakfast, including Marmite, an English specialty that you either love or hate. My host loves it and as you can see on the picture, I love it tooo! Unfortunately, all the jars are sooo big, I won't be able to fit one in my modest travel luggage... |
schnatterblum Posted Jul 22, 2007, 10:29 pm |
...and off we went....on an exciting day trip around Cambridge...
At this time of the year there are tourists all over the place, but fortunately, my tour guide knew some hidden places and small lanes that we took on our way into town... ...as you might know, Cambridge is famous for its University and all its Colleges. Now, the colleges are not the University, but they are closely related. Basically, the University provides the students with most of the teaching they need for their degrees and it hosts all the labs where the research is done. The colleges are more responsible for the social side of life - the students live in college, eat in college, meet people there...there are more than 30 different colleges in Cambridge, and obviously, we only managed to see a few... The first one we went to was Selwyn College. It's beautiful!!! But have a look yourself... ...the first picture shows me in front of Selwyn, then in the main court, and on the last picture I adore the most beautiful gardens....(there's something good about rain!!!) |
schnatterblum Posted Jul 22, 2007, 10:31 pm |
I was really excited to see that there are not only old buildings in Cambridge, but also a few really nice modern ones (we ignored the ugly modern ones). Here I am in front of the library of the Law Faculty. Beautiful, isn't it? And look at the blue sky! |
schnatterblum Posted Jul 22, 2007, 10:35 pm |
And of course, there are many libraries in Cambridge...all these students and researchers need their books....the biggest library in Cambridge is the University library. It's huge! We only saw it from far, but it's a very tall building, and deeply impressive! My host told me that most of the books in there are in shelves where you have to pick them up yourself. It's the largest "pick it up yourself" library in Europe (usually, the librarians would do it for you). In Cambridge, you get a code for a book at the computer which says something like: South Wing, 5th floor, and then a long number. If you don't know that the books are sorted by size (!) you can search for a very long time!!! |
schnatterblum Posted Jul 22, 2007, 10:38 pm |
On the way, I had to take a rest, and I had a short meditation on my travel and all the post boxes I have been in since I left and where I will go next...and I wondered whether I will ever enter such a beautiful red post box...(my host suggested to take me to Germany by plane)....ohhh, this makes me sad and happy at the same time.... |
schnatterblum Posted Jul 22, 2007, 10:43 pm |
But, there was not time to be sad and think to much, because within minutes, our trip was really exciting. I saw the most famous Cambridge building - Kings' Chapel. This is the chapel of Kings' College, and it's definitely more a cathedral than a chapel!!! Between me and the chapel are the backs, a strip of green land and the River Cam (we saw it later!). In former times (possibly still nowadays) students who did really well in their exams were allowed to have their cow live on this strip of land...I guess this was quite useful in former times...you got lots to eat in the winter then...I wondered whether I would be allowed have my flies on the green if I got a good result... |
schnatterblum Posted Jul 22, 2007, 10:47 pm |
We then went to the most spectacular gardens in Cambridge, the Clare College gardens. Most convenienently, they put up some art in the garden, where I could take a rest (puhh, all this jumping around is quite exhausting!). These flower beds you see in the back were unbelievable! And the garden is huge! Funny enough, I also found out that this piece of art makes a perfect slide for a frog |
schnatterblum Posted Jul 22, 2007, 10:51 pm |
And finally, we came to the river...I saw many people punting, which seems to be great fun. You move the boat with a long pole, and many tourists look quite ridiculous trying it! I haven't seen anybody falling in, but I was told it happens from time to time. Anyway, it was lots of fun watching people.
At the same time, I was watched as well. For some reason, people didn't really seem to be used to frogs on sightseeing tours here in Cambridge...odd! |
schnatterblum Posted Jul 22, 2007, 11:02 pm |
I had another rest on a bridge. It was a very comfortable bridge indeed (my host started complaining that I had to sit down so often, but then, my legs are really short, I mean, I don't even have any legs, no wonder all this jumping is really energy-consuming...).
There's a funny story about that bridge (there are many, many funny stories about Cambridge) - when it was build, the architect wasn't paid properly. Therefore, he left the bridge unfinished by cutting a quarter from one of the stone balls you see on the bridge. Obviously, he was never really paid the final bill as this piece of the bridge is still missing. Another story goes that some students took a polystyrene ball and painted it like the stone balls. Then, they positioned it on the bridge, and when a punt with tourists came along, they dropped it into the boat. It is said that all the people from the punt jumped into the river . Well, I don't know whether it's true, but it's funny... |
schnatterblum Posted Jul 22, 2007, 11:09 pm |
And from here, I had another beautiful view of Kings' College, and the punts, and lots and lots of tourists....
|
schnatterblum Posted Jul 22, 2007, 11:11 pm |
And this was my visit to Cambridge so far...my host is going to Germany next week and she promised to take me there, so I am going to see Berlin and Magdeburg. And then I will be off to my next host....
|
maklella Posted Sep 13, 2007, 3:40 pm |
Hah! Although it's 13 September I arrived at maklella's place safetly She's a little bit busy but she promised to take some photos and if tomorrow the weather is nice we will go sight-seeing! YaY can't wait to see Old Town of Torun ! |
maklella Posted Sep 15, 2007, 3:54 pm |
Witajcie (hello)!
Yesterday I started Polish lessons with maklella . I already know how in Polish is: hi/bye - czesc thank you - dziekuje how do you do? - jak sie masz? It's old Polish tradition to greet guests with bread and salt, nowadays people practise it only during wedding (bride's parents greet young couple like that). My host told me she was so surprised that I came so fast that she's forgotten about it. Instead we had some yummy vegetables with chicken & rice ^^ After meal I went sight-seeing in maklella's room WOW just look how many dictionaries maklella has! Heh if I stay little longer at her home I'll become polyglot Uff she's some other books too! And in German! After visiting Austria I don't miss my country that much but it' always nice to be able to read sth in your mother language And that's the view from kitchen window. I hope in few days we can go out (maklella's a little bit sick ) That's all for today folks, I hope all of you are well ^^ Frida & her host |
maklella Posted Sep 30, 2007, 9:11 pm |
Hi!
I'm so sorry for not writting here for a while but I was a little bit busy because of some sight-seeing . Here are some photos maklella made in last week: Again not typical Polish dish but I liked it anyway. Maklella promised me to prepare sth special after we reach her home city - Bialystok This is photo that maklella took by herself as she was in Greece. Mhhmmm I wish I could go there one day! (any Greek host, hah? ) As you can see maklella's flat is full of souvenirs from different part of the world. This one comes from China. Maklella's Mum went there for business trip and she bought the painting (hand-painted on some kind of paper)! Chinese are so skilled! Another one, this time from Greece ^^. And finally papyrus from Egypt! I wonder if it's original Hugs Frida |
maklella Posted Sep 30, 2007, 9:48 pm |
Hello again^^,
Today we went to Old City of Torun + I've seen several 'symbols of the city. The most famous product of Toruń is the Toruń gingerbread (toruńskie pierniki). The tradition of the baking of these aromatic cookies is almost as long as the history of the city. I've tried them they're soooo yummy^^ House where Nicolaus Copernicus was born. He was first European astronomer who formulated heliocentric theory ( the Sun is in the middle of the Solar System and not the Earth). Church of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, it's very typical beacause it's the biggest building that you can see from the other side of the river Vistula Biggest Polish river Vistula (Wisła). This is the only car-bridge in Torun. That's all for today folks Frida |
Anneliis Posted Oct 26, 2007, 12:03 pm |
Hello!!
I arrived safely to Anneliis's home today! I will now go and rest on the sofa for a while! I think today we will be at home, but tomorrow Anneliis promised to show me her hometown. |
Anneliis Posted Oct 31, 2007, 2:13 pm |
Today we had a little walk with Anneliis's daughter, Anneliis's friend and her son. We took a trip to Lagedi Post office. Today is such a nice weather! Sun is shining. Not very warm though... About +10 degrees Celsius.
Anneliis made a picture of me in front on the post office. |
Anneliis Posted Nov 18, 2007, 9:14 am |
Hi!
Last time you saw green grass in the picture! But now!! Take a look!! SNOW!! So cool! So beautiful!! A bit foggy unfortunately! Later we will go out walking!! |
Anneliis Posted Nov 22, 2007, 8:36 pm |
On Tuesday one of my wishes came true ! I visited a children's birthday party! It was Anneliis's daughter's friend's birthday! It took place at the playroom. It was great!!
Some pictures too!! As you can see, I swam in the ball-sea! |
Anneliis Posted Jan 8, 2008, 6:04 pm |
Frida spent Christmas and New Year in Estonia. Today she started her way again! |
myloon Posted Feb 19, 2008, 6:32 pm |
Hello! Finally i'm in the Netherlands
I've eaten some speciale bread, MIFFY bread Also i met another toyvoyager; Lillebi I've been sleeping a lot, and i'm friends with "meneer de uil" Soon i'm coing out to see the Netherlands (tulps,mills etc) Kisses from me, Frida |
Szandra Posted Apr 18, 2008, 1:58 pm |
Hello! I'm writing you from Hungary!
I arrived in safety and after spent a few days with relaxing I started to discover the house and it's inhabitants! As you can see we didn't have nice weather... |
Szandra Posted Apr 18, 2008, 2:03 pm |
I went for a short visit to Budapest, you can see me sitting in the train. Unfortunately we didn't have time for sight seeing, but we'll surely make up this leeway!
|
Szandra Posted Apr 18, 2008, 2:09 pm |
I got to know Barni and Ali, they are really friendly dogs! And I also wanted to introduce myself to Karcsi, who is a big red cat!
|
Szandra Posted Apr 26, 2008, 4:47 pm |
I was so excited when I saw that the weather is much better and I can go for a walk in the garden!
It wasn't enought hot to swim in the little lake, but at least I saw some goldfishes! I wanted to visit the rabbits, they were so cute and frindly! All of them came to welcome me! Then I got a sight of a nice big tree with beautiful pink flowers! I guickly climbed up the tree! |
Szandra Posted Apr 26, 2008, 5:05 pm |
We made a big sightseeing with Szandra! She shew me Budapest! Fortunately we had beautiful sunny spring weather! We spent almost a whole day with walking and making photos!I enjoyed it!
First station: Heroes' Square I learnt some informations about it: The monument was built for the 1896 Millennium celebrations, that's why it is called Millennium Monument. Hungary celebrated the 1000th anniversary that its ancestors found a place to settle down in the Carpathian Basin. Well, don't you think, I'm very well posted!? |
Szandra Posted Apr 26, 2008, 5:11 pm |
There are two museums flank both side of Heroes' Square.
One is the Museum of Fine Arts and the other one is the Hall of Art. I wanted to make pictures with both of them! |
Szandra Posted Apr 26, 2008, 5:26 pm |
Next stop was the Castle of Vajdahunyad.
The castle is in the City Park and there is also a nice lake there. It was really magical! I just wanted to make more and more photos! |
Szandra Posted Apr 26, 2008, 5:34 pm |
Finally a quick look at the Széchenyi Thermal Bath which is one of the largest spa complexes in Europe.
For now we were so tired... and we wanted to hurry back home and have a hot bath! Yeah, that was the consolation prize, because we just saw the thermal bath and didn't went in! |
Szandra Posted Apr 26, 2008, 5:48 pm |
We travelled back to Miskolc and I wanted to see more from it! We decided to go for a walk to the nearby park.
It took only 5 minutes to get there. I loved that place, there were a lot of huge old trees, and on the lake there were ducks and 2 swans. And some cute red squirrels also ran around us! From the park I could see the cave thermal bath. Szandra said that you can swim deep into the hills through the tunnels and caves which filled with thermal water. |
glenasena Posted May 31, 2008, 4:01 am |
Frida arrived yesterday from Hungary. It was a very long journey and Frida is resting till tomorrow. I hope the weather stays nice so that we can go sight-seeing. |
glenasena Posted Jun 7, 2008, 2:00 am |
Oh dear, it has rained everyday since I arrived. It is now Saturday and it is dull and grey with tiny bits of sunhine every now and again. Glennis and I hope to go to the Urunga Boardwalk this afternoon so that she can show me the river, ocean and lagoon. Tonight we are going out to a Chinese cafe to celebrate a friends 40th birthday, I will be able to wear my beautiful Chinese dress. Tomorrow if it is good weather we shall go places in the car and I might make some new friends |
glenasena Posted Jun 9, 2008, 5:23 am |
Here I am at Glennis's computer group, everybody thought I was so cute |
glenasena Posted Jun 9, 2008, 5:51 am |
As is was still to wet and windy to go to the beach we went for a trip to a small country town called Bellingen which is only 10 mins from Urunga. I really liked the countryside and met some cows and had coffee and explored the town |
glenasena Posted Jun 9, 2008, 6:35 am |
We had a look around Urunga. Down by the bridge which crosses the kalang river and then we drove out to the other side of the river which is mainly farms. We went to the train station as well. |
glenasena Posted Jun 11, 2008, 5:56 am |
Here are some pictures from the 40th Birthday party I went to. I looked great in my Chinese outfit. |
glenasena Posted Jun 16, 2008, 3:21 am |
We finally got some sunshine here and we went for a walk out to the ocean on the Boardwalk. The tide was out in the lagoon so we could not see the stingrays and other fish. |
glenasena Posted Jun 23, 2008, 4:47 am |
On Saturday the 21st June we went to Coffs Harbour which is the closest country town to Urunga. It is a 30 minute drive from here and we explored the marina an the pier as well as the lookout. The weather was kind to us and it was a nice warm day. |
glenasena Posted Jun 23, 2008, 5:04 am |
Here we are at the lookout. It was exciting when an aeroplane came right over our heads hile we were looking at the airport. |
Geheimnis Posted Mar 10, 2009, 8:55 pm |
Hello everyone.
I know it has been a long time since you heard from me, and I am very sorry for that. Britta didn't get around to upload the new pictures But I didn't stop bugging her and now she finally did After a great time in Australia, glenasena sent me back home to Germany. At first I had a nice long sleep to recover from the journey. I also took a nice hot bath HAHA, no, that was a joke Britta would never put me into the washing machine On my adventures I got some great gifts from my hosts There are the dress and the lucky charm I already told you about. I also got a pen from the University of Camebridge, a brochure from Schönbrunn Palace and a Bookcrossing bookmark. I also got a lot of great postcards. I love them. Every time I look at the pictures I think about the awesome time I had there. I want to thank all the people who made my journey such an amazing success! You made me the happiest frog in the world! |
Geheimnis Posted Mar 12, 2009, 6:34 pm |
At the begin of November I traveled to London, together with Britta and Daniel, a friend of hers. We took the ferry from Calais to Dover and drove to London by car. We arrived there at the 31th of October. Halloween!!!
The streets were full of people, many of them with fancy dresses and we had a lot of fun! |
Geheimnis Posted Mar 12, 2009, 7:01 pm |
Today we took the Underground to visit all the sights. That was so much fun! It was raining all day long but I don't mind wet conditions
Britta and Daniel didn't want to get wet so we went to Harrods to buy umbrellas Here you can see me in front of Harrods with Britta's new umbrella. It was very important to her to go to Harrods to buy an umbrella Why? Well,... she told me that, a couple of years ago, she spent her easter holidays in London and bought an umbrella at Harrods. She liked that umbrella a lot because it was a souvenir from a great trip and it was very small and handy and useful! But then she lost it! And since then she always wanted to get a new one if she ever were in London again. And now she did. This story really made me laugh! Here I am in front of the tower. In the evening we went there to attend the ceremony of the keys it was amazing but we were not allowed do take pictures. I also saw Big Ben and the London Eye And of course the famous red post boxes and telephone boxes |
Geheimnis Posted Mar 12, 2009, 7:35 pm |
Today we went to Greenwich where we visited the Royal Observatory and saw the Prime Meridian
The weather was nice and sunny, so we decided to go to the Greenwich Market. There we had lunch: Pie and Mash The mashed potatoes didn't have a lot of taste but the pie was very nice! In the afternoon we left London. We wanted to visit Daniel's grandma in Wales and to stay there for a couple of days. On the way we visited Stonehenge! WOW!! I always wanted to see that! Unfortunately we were late, so the gates were already closed I tried to climb over the fence but Britta wouldn't let me. |
Geheimnis Posted Mar 12, 2009, 8:00 pm |
Daniels grandma lives in Pembroke, a sweet little town!
We used the days to relax and visited some nice and interesting places. |
Geheimnis Posted Mar 12, 2009, 8:50 pm |
Today we visited St Davids and the Cathedral. Daniel told me that St Davids is the smallest city in Great Britain, because of the Cathedral
We had tea at the visitors centre, it was great! We got cake and welsh cakes and cream, butter and jam! The welsh cakes were so Yummie! |
Geheimnis Posted Mar 12, 2009, 8:59 pm |
Today we went to a town called Laugharne.
We saw the boat house and the writing shed of Dylan Thomas, a famous Welsh poet! |
Geheimnis Posted Mar 12, 2009, 9:13 pm |
We went to see an old slate quarry. Today nobody works there anymore.
There was an amazing little pond. The water was coloured bright blue. From the sate I guess. It was beautiful, look at the colour! |
Geheimnis Posted Mar 12, 2009, 9:34 pm |
Today we went to Daniel's favourite Beach, Freshwater West. It was beautyful, especially the impressing limestone cliffs. The wind was very strong and the sea was spectacular.
Afterwards we had tea at Stackpole Quay. We got scones, clotted cream and jam. Delicious! The Café's homemade lemonade is great! And afterwards the birds landed on the table to eat the crumbs. So cute! |
Geheimnis Posted Mar 14, 2009, 10:31 am |
Today we returned home to Meppen.
On the way back I saw the white cliffs of Dover. The waves were high and the ship was moving up and down all the time. Many passengers were sick, but we had a lot of fun |
Geheimnis Posted May 26, 2009, 8:07 pm |
Britta and I visited a friend of hers. His name is Daniel and he lives near Aschaffenburg. We spent some days there.
On the first day we visited Mespelbrunn Castle which is a beautiful medieval moated castle. |
Geheimnis Posted May 26, 2009, 8:55 pm |
Today we had a look at Aschaffenburg. It is a very nice city!
In a park I had a little chat with a friendly lady who watches over the fountain. The river Main flows through the city and wine is grown on the riversides. I climbed between the grapevines because I wanted to eat some grapes but they weren't ripe I liked this interesting looking tree. Of course I wanted to climb it. No! I am not trying to eat it it just looks like that! Really! Later on we saw this impressing monument It tells that the first driving school in Germany was founded in Aschaffenburg! That was 1904, 105 years ago. I think that's cool and of course I climbed the pillar to have a photo taken. |
Ferdinando <3 Posted Jun 30, 2012, 5:53 pm |
deleted |
Ferdinando <3 Posted Jul 3, 2012, 8:39 pm |
deleted |