Posted Feb 18, 2012, 5:55 pm
Posted Mar 3, 2012, 6:58 pm
A few weeks ago I went on a Faschings parade in Bad Camberg. Here is a picture of me.
Posted Mar 16, 2012, 6:01 pm
Shesh arrived at the same time. We won't get bored here, there's a 3000 piece jigsaw to do!
Posted Mar 30, 2012, 10:33 am
Today, we went out on the bus. My host wanted to buy the new issue of stamps.
We had time afterwards for a quick visit to Criccieth before having to get home before the end of the school day.
Criccieth has a castle. We didn't have time today to visit it, but other toy visitors here have..
Posted Mar 30, 2012, 10:40 am
Today is a sunny day so we popped to my host's allotment.
This Purple Sprouting Broccoli looks tasty.
Posted Mar 30, 2012, 11:04 am
My host heard about a craft and seed fair in Conwy, a historic walled town about an hour away by bus.
We came early on the bus and shared a nice pot of tea over breakfast.
Conwy lies on a river mouth. There is an RNLI station so we had a look at the lifeboat.
This is a "mussels" statue
Look at all those boats.
We went for a short walk along the town walls.
Afterwards, my host bought some seeds.
Posted Apr 10, 2012, 8:49 pm
Today, we have come to the seaside town of Rhyl on the North Wales coast
There are some amusement rides here for the kiddies.
There is a beach though it does look a bit cold down there with the wind.
The Sky tower is undergoing refurbishment.
So, we decided to take a look at Terror Tombs, I am a brave Unicorn.
This monster is trying to eat me, but I will wriggle out from between its teeth.
I am not frightened...
Posted Apr 11, 2012, 1:45 pm
Today, we've come to the allotment.
There's a big black cat snoozing the afternoon away.
Time for a little nibble on some fresh purple sprouting broccoli.
Pretty blossom on the greengage tree.
Posted Apr 15, 2012, 8:05 pm
After visiting the allotment, we went for a mystery drive.
My host says there is a geocache this side of the bridge we crossed.
Here it is!
We had to cross the tracks of the Welsh Highland Railway. We looked both ways to check the crossing was clear.
Then on the way back, we stopped off at a garage with a carwash.
The car should be sparkling clean shortly!
Posted Apr 15, 2012, 8:07 pm
Just wanted to say Hi. We are going out somewhere. And a package has arrived. We'll have to open it when we get there.
Posted Apr 15, 2012, 8:21 pm
We've arrived safely at my host's mum's house.
Now it is time to see what is in the package.
Hello Yetta Bear
Posted Apr 15, 2012, 8:54 pm
It is a bit windy on the prom.
So we've come into the aquarium.
There's a toilet under water with an octopus hiding behind it!
There are many different tanks.
The fish won't stand still for their photos to be taken!
This horseshoe crab has its back to us.
That's a shark.
We are in the shark tunnel.
They have other fish in with the sharks.
And a turtle, only 8 years old.
These sharks don't want to stay still for their photos either!
Posted Apr 15, 2012, 9:01 pm
It is my host's birthday soon, and my host's mum doesn't live too far away from LittleBlogFrog
So, we hijacked my host's toyvoyagers account and decided to contact LittleBlogFrog for help with presents.
We wrote a message to her asking her to meet us at King's Lynn the next day, to see if she has any ideas what my host would like.
Posted Apr 15, 2012, 9:19 pm
We heard back from LittleBlogFrog and she has agreed to meet us.
But first, the little problem of getting there! Come on bus.
We didn't have to wait too long and now we are sat at the back of the bus.
When we get there, we'll see if we can run off with my host's mum to meet LittleBlogFrog
We met her and have a present for my host! We caught up with my host when she was looking at the "eggs"
Posted Apr 15, 2012, 9:28 pm
It is time to wrap up my host's birthday present.
Done!
And then my host's mum gave us an Easter chocolate each.
Posted Apr 26, 2012, 6:24 pm
We have stopped off at Wrexham's Techniquest, a hands on science centre.
Can you see me in the pin screen?
Couldn't stay in there too long.
Here we are investigating vocal cords. The different shapes produce different sounds.
A gravity well.
We like watching the balls go round.
I can't remember what my host said.
A maze to go through.
My host's hand has some heat.
We read about nebulas.
Orion.
I appear to be on the ceiling!
Posted Apr 26, 2012, 6:54 pm
I hope you like our present to you..
Posted May 9, 2012, 10:03 am
Today, we are travelling by steam train!
We are leaving Porthmadog station. We are at the back of the train.
We are crossing the cob.
We stopped at Minffordd station, where a train passed us.
There's some nice scenery
This is Llyn Tanygrisiau.
We've arrived at Blaenau Ffestiniog, and the engine is going to pull us back.
There are a couple of tunnels on the journey. Can you see the ToyVoyager tag?
Flash!
We are returning over the cob, with some of Snowdonia's mountains in the background.
Looking out over the estuary. Just above my head, can you make out the tidal island?
The engine is fuelling up.
Posted May 9, 2012, 10:05 am
A package arrived...
Hello MuhKuh
Posted May 17, 2012, 4:24 pm
There are some fun things for children to do and play
A helterskelter
A little engine.
Another little engine.
The little railway
Two engines are on the train, one at each end.
A "wind-up doll" in front of an old traction engine.
Chair-o-plane and a little big wheel
This wheel is huge.
A different engine
My host's son is on this ride
My host and her family didn't fancy a ride on this tall thing.
My host has been on this sort of ride before, she tells me.
Posted May 17, 2012, 4:25 pm
Puffin Island and Anglesey can be seen from here.
That's a slightly better view of the islands.
The path I should follow.
we found the cache. My host's son wants a bouncy ball.
View towards Conwy and Llandudno
Posted May 18, 2012, 4:32 pm
A package arrived today, let's see what is inside...
It is a ToyVoyager called Twixx
Posted May 30, 2012, 4:19 pm
This is going to be a long update with many photos! Today, we went to Portmeirion, an italianette village used in the 1960s cult TV series, The Prisoner. The village was designed by Clough Ellis, and most of the buildings have Grade II listed status.
This is the Gate House.
This is a mural inside the Gate House arch, painted by Hans Nathan Feibusch from Germany.
We descended down some steps by the Gate House.
That's the Hotel on the beach.
We are inside the grotto.
A look along the coast.
There's the hotel again and the Observatory Tower.
A view from the shore up to the village.
Admiral Nelson!
A view next to the Observatory Tower.
We walked back via the woodland trail, coming across a stump with tuppence pieces in it.
It looks quite pretty!
This is the Lighthouse
The Gloriette, not a "complete" building.
There's the Bell Tower.
The Bristole Colonnade, and The Pantheon (the Green Dome, in The Prisoner where Number 2 could often be found).
This is the Piazza, with The Gloriette.
Another view of the Bristol Colonnade.
The Bell Tower again.
Another statue.
View from near the Pantheon, of the Bell Tower and other buildings.
St Peter is on the balcony of the Toll House.
The Pantheon is up there.
The Colonnade again. And now it is time to go home.
Posted May 30, 2012, 7:47 pm
Winter bear arrived and to celebrate it, we are watching The Prisoner.
The first episode is the arrival of Number 6 to The Village (aka Portmeirion where the other visitors went last weekend).
Number 6 has just looked out of his window.
There he is.
An aerial view of the green dome
Another aerial view.
Rover in The Piazza.
Another aerial view.
Posted Jun 1, 2012, 11:33 am
Today, we went to The Centre for Alternative Technology near Machynlleth.
First, we rode in the train up the cliff to the top.
A pond with the frog
Currant bushes.
A dolls house with electrical gadgets. This display allows you to see how much energy is wasted by leaving things on, or on standby.
They haven't heard of ToyVoyagers!
A little garden with things growing in sinks and toilet bowls.
Solar panel, we can position it...
and increase the amount of light hitting the panel.
We are in the polytunnel. They have some grape vines.
They also have flowers and other plants.
Herbs!
Mint! Twixx is in the Thyme.
There is a solar panel roof. There is a course currently for people wanting to know more about solar panels.
A mole!
and its tunnel.
Comparing different energy and power.
Bee hive!
Anatomy of a bee!
Honey bees.
Dancing bees (waggle dance).
The Queen Bee lays eggs in a wax cell.
A wind powered seat.
A metal plate, painted dark, insulation behind, and then covered in glass.
Blades for a wind turbine get attached to this thing.
Now it is time to go.
Posted Jun 1, 2012, 12:09 pm
As it was a nice evening, we stopped off to cross a bridge to Barmouth.
We'd better collow those people in the distance.
That's the river Mawddach
The bridge spans the estuary.
I can't see a bridge for cars....
We crossed the bridge, it was rather too windy to stop for photos on it..
Posted Jun 1, 2012, 12:10 pm
Posted Jun 1, 2012, 12:18 pm
Today we went GeoCaching along the North Wales Coast.
There is a GeoCache near this small church and it has a well.
This is a very small church.
But it has stained glass windows.
It really isn't very big!
Then, we went along the coast and found one here!
Posted Jun 1, 2012, 12:20 pm
Posted Jun 1, 2012, 12:25 pm
The Torch is coming, the Olympic Flame is coming.
There's a procession first
With the corporate sponsors
getting us in the mood
to see the Torch any minute now...
More police on motorbikes.
There it is, trust my host to have it out of focus!
There it goes, can you see the flame?
Posted Jun 1, 2012, 12:28 pm
We have another chance to see the Flame.
Should be here any minute now.
Looks camoflaged in the "fold" of the building.
Can see the Flame better.
And there it goes.
Posted Jun 1, 2012, 12:29 pm
Posted Jun 1, 2012, 6:53 pm
I've arrived safely in Hexham, and the journey wasn't bad at all.
I was greeted by four TV's - Sheela, Paula Hip, Flummi and Huhn.
Right from the start I felt very welcome and at home.
Then they told me that another envelope with a TV in it had arrived at the same time as me. We all worked together to open it, and were met with _Mihuta_.
Here we all are.
The other TVs suggested that we go for a short walk to something called the 'Brunton Turret'. I had no idea what it was, but agreed to go - it would be nice to stretch my legs after travelling!
This is the view that we're greeted with when we step outside hostmum's front door. Typical English countryside!
Here we are outside the Brunton Turret.
Apparently it used to be part of Hadrian's wall - a massive 200km long wall that stretched from one end of England to the other. In some places it was more than 10m high! It was built in AD122, under the command of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. The wall meant that the Scot's couldn't invade, so the Roman empire in England was save from them.
Can you see me?
Here I am!
Then when we got back to hostmum's home, I said hello to Snoopy - hostmum's cat. Isn't she lovely?
It's been a good day Mum!
Bye,
Lizzy
Posted Jun 4, 2012, 2:58 pm
Today we went to Durham, which is where hostmum goes to university. We met up with one of hostmum's friends, Gizalba and spent the day at her college. I also met Edelweiss and Tapsi, who are staying with Gizalba.
Here we all are by the pond on the college grounds.
Then we saw this war memorial - dedicate to those that lost their lives in the Great War (WW1).
Look Mum, in the background is Durham Cathedral.
Here we all are, posing with the cathedral in the background.
When it started to get a little cold, we went inside. I had a game of Monopoly on the machine in the bar. I got a question right!
Then I had a very nice cocktail, but don't worry Mum, I was very sensible and didn't drink too much!
Bye!
Lizzy
Posted Jun 8, 2012, 6:45 pm
What a day! We went to an Alice in Wonderland themed party that was held at hostmum's college at university. So of course, the first thing we did was watch the Disney movie of Alice in Wonderland!
Then we went outside and were met with some crazy sights... look, a teapot in a tree, whatever next??
We explored a bit more, and then decided to play some games - there were lots to choose from! First we started with bowling. My team won!
Then we played checkers. I'm quite small, so I'm used to feeling like I live in a giant's world, but this was something else! I felt like Alice had after she drank the magic potion that made her shrink. Everything was so big, much bigger than normal!
We didn't win this game, but it was still a lot of fun.
Then we played four-in-a-row, and again, I felt so small!
I was on the yellow team, and we won! Can you spot the four in a row?
It was such a great day Mum, and with everything so big, it really did feel like I was in Wonderland!!
Bye,
Lizzy
Posted Jun 16, 2012, 10:52 am
Today, a package arrived. I wonder who could be inside it...
It's HelgaHH!
But wait... there's someone else as well - Niiskuneiti!
Now there's 8 of us - wow! I don't think any of us will ever be bored or lonely.
We thought it would be fun to play Trivial Pursuit, but the Disney version.
First we had to pick the colour that we wanted to be. Of course, I wanted to be blue!
As you can see, unfortunately I'm not winning.
It was still fun asking questions though. Especially when someone landed on the place to get a cheese - we asked them a question from the normal Trivial Pursuit. We didn't want to make things too easy!
Do you know the answer to this question? Who was the founder of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster?
The answer is Reverend Ian Paisley. Well done if you knew the answer to that Mum, because I didn't!
I didn't win, but it was a fun game and I learnt a lot of new things.
Bye,
Lizzy
Posted Jun 16, 2012, 4:53 pm
Guess what? I saw the Olympic Torch again today!
The others hadn't seen it yet, so we went in to town early to make sure we got a good place. We sat around for quite a while.
There were so many police around.
And here it is... the Torch again!
Bye Mum,
Lizzy
Posted Jun 28, 2012, 6:20 pm
Today we all took a trip to Derwent Resevoir.
What you can see behind me is only a small part of the resevoir. In total it's just under 5km wide. It can hold up to 11 million gallons of water and provides water for almost half of the North East of England.
There's about 7km of coastline around it.
When we went exploring, we came across this very picturesque river that feeds in to the resevoir.
Hugs,
Lizzy
Posted Jul 8, 2012, 4:17 am
This week has been so exciting for me! Sorry I haven't had a chance to update - but I've been so busy playing with all the animals, and hostmum has been very busy helping her Grandparents - which is where we are now.
Anyway. Hostmum's Grandparents have lots of animals, so I've been having a great time here.
This is Summer. She's a German-Sheppard mix and is so sweet. She loves nothing more than having her belly rubbed.
Here I am with Honey. Honey is very mischevious and likes to pounce on things - including me!! But she never hurts me, and only ever licks me when she catches me. It's great fun.
This big fluffy ball is Tosca. He's a very proud cat - he likes to keep himself well groomed, and often asks for attention! I think he's very regal looking. Look - doesn't he look like a really fluffy version of the Sphinx in Egypt?
And here I am with Jessie. Jessie is an old lady of 15, so she takes things a bit easier than the others. She loves being stroked, and when she's not keeping an eye on the other three, she spends her days sleeping in the sun. It's great having a nap with her - she purrs really loudly, which is vey soothing.
But oh, Mum! The most exciting and interesting creature I met was by far Mr. Pickles! He's a tortoise. Why am I so excited about this? Because he's in the reptile family - like me! I've always wanted to meet another lizard - it's one of my life missions, as you know! Well, Mr. Pickles isn't quite a lizard - but he's in the same family as one. So I'm one step closer to one of my life missions. It was very exciting!
Anyway, I better go - I think I'm going to find Jessie, as I'm very sleepy and a nap in the sun would be lovely right about now!
Bye,
Lizzy
Posted Jul 17, 2012, 3:28 pm
We arrived back in Hexham on Sunday, and today we said goodbye to two of the TVs.
Huhn is going to Switzerland.
And _Mishuta_ is going to Germany.
I was sad that they're leaving, but I know they're going to have a great time in their next voyage!
Bye,
Lizzy
Posted Jul 19, 2012, 8:57 pm
Guess what? We threw a house party yesterday! Hostmum and her family went out, so we had the house to ourselves. It was great fun. But I have a bit of a headache right now...
First we had to set up. I helped Flummi and HelgaHH get the drinks ready.
Lots of toys from around the neighbourhood arrived. We put the TV on to play music, and then all started dancing. The carpet in the lounge made a great dancefloor!
I started talking to a little dog called Woofie, who lives nextdoor. He was great fun, and like me, loved to dance. We ended up dancing most of the night.
I have to be honest though... I did have a few drinks...
I can't really remember much else, all I know is, I woke up in the morning on the table, with a very sore head...!
It was such a great night, and once we had all tidied up, it looked like nothing had happened. So ssshhh, don't tell hostmum!
Bye,
Lizzy
Posted Jul 20, 2012, 8:25 pm
Guess what? I'm on a cruise!! We're travelling around the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, it was too dark to take any decent pictures. But I'll make sure to post some tomorrow!
It was an early start this morning - we all woke up at 3am. I didn't want to leave my bed! But we had to hurry - there was a lot to do. First we all said goodbye to Niiskuneiti, as she's going back home.
Then we went around the house, making sure that we had packed everything. When we were sure we hadn't forgotten anything - it was time to go!
We spent most of the day travelling, and there weren't really any photo opportunities. But I promise I'll take some tomorrow.
Bye,
Lizzy
Posted Jul 22, 2012, 10:23 pm
Today was a brilliant day!
First we went to visit the Virgin Mary house, which is high up on a mountain. It is believed that this is the last house that the Virgin Mary lived in before she died. Every year thousands and thousands of people (Christians and Muslims alike) make a pilgrimage to visit this house.
People write prayers on pieces of paper, or napkins or anything they can find and put them on this wall. There are so many!
Then we went to the ancient city of Ephesus, which was built in 2000BC.
This is where people in the government held their meetings, to decide new laws etc.
Here you can see part of the city, with the library in the background.
These are the original moisics - quite impressive!
This is the theatre. Gladiators didn’t fight here, instead they held plays and concerts.
Look Mum! We ran in to other toyvoyagers!
After visiting Ephesus, we went and had a look around Kusadasi, which is a very nice little town.
Eventually the heat from the sun wore us out and we decided to go back to our ship and relax on the balcony. Aah, lovely.
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Jul 24, 2012, 3:10 pm
We have been at sea all day today. It was a very relaxed day, which was nice. It was also very hot – 37C – so I spent most of my time out in the sun, just staring out in to the sea.
The heat did bother the other TVs somewhat, and they would often go and sit in the shade to cool down. I wasn’t too bothered though – I am a lizard after all, it’s what I was made for! But I did join them in the shade sometimes, just for company.
One of the crew members also put on an ice-sculpting demonstration for us.
I found it fascinating, how he could make two dolphins out of a block of ice in 15 minutes!
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Jul 25, 2012, 8:46 pm
The first thing we did today was go to the ancient city of Byblos (which is in Lebanon). It was amazing! Here I am at the entrance.
Did you know that the city is over 7000 years old? Imagine that!
Another interesting fact is that the Bible was named after this city.
Here I am with a lovely view of the coast of Beirut.
Once we had finished exploring, we decided to go to the caves in Jeita. They were amazing – so beautiful. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take any pictures inside the caves though.
This statue (‘Guardian of Time’) is outside one of the entrances to the caves.
After exploring the caves, we went for a walk around Beirut. Here I am outside the house of parliament.
This is the main Mosque in Beirut. Did you know that 50% of the Lebanese population is Muslim and the other 50% is Christian?
And guess what? I met a lizard today! Can you see him in this picture? I’ve drawn a circle around him…
Then I met another lizard! Unfortunately I’m a bit blurry though.
I’m so happy to have FINALLY met not one but TWO lizards. Another life mission fulfilled!!
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Jul 27, 2012, 4:38 pm
Today our ship docked in Marmaris, Turkey.
It’s a beautiful place with amazing views.
The beaches are wonderful – the water is so warm!
We explored some of the little villages. Only a few hundred people live in each village, but there’s a Mosque in each one (99% of Turkish people are Muslim and 1% are Christian).
This tree was one in of the villages and it’s just under 2000 years old. Local legend says that if you walk around the tree you will live a happy and healthy life.
Then when we returned to our ship, we all relaxed on the balcony and enjoyed the view.
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Jul 28, 2012, 3:47 pm
Today our ship docked in Santorini, a lovely Greek island. I’m on top of the highest peak, and from this vantage point I can see the entire island.
Walking up there was quite a chore though, so a relaxing stop at this little café was a definite must. Aaah, a nice cool drink!
This is Santorini’s most famous church – looking out over the Caldera.
Look at the view out to sea, isn’t it something?
The ship you can see in this picture is our cruise ship!
Unfortunately, today was the last day on this cruise. Tomorrow we dock in Athens where we will go straight to the airport to fly back to England.
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Aug 2, 2012, 4:01 pm
I'm so tired right now! I've been travelling since 9am yesterday, and have only just arrived back at hostmum's house today - at 1am!
I'm sad to say that it was time to say goodbye to Flummi, as he is travelling to Germany.
And now, I think, it's time for bed!
Love,
HelgaHH
Posted Aug 2, 2012, 4:28 pm
Today was quite a relaxed day. I think we're all recovering from the trip. And hostmum has been really busy with the unpacking and washing, but she says she has a surprise for us on friday. I wonder what it could be?
Anyway, today we all relaxed in the garden.
I spent my time catching some sun. Unfortunatley it's not as hot as it was in the Meditterranean, but I'm not fussy when it comes to sunning myself!
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Aug 2, 2012, 5:36 pm
Today was another sad day, as HelgaHH left us to go to Finland. I wished her a pleasent journey.
I'm getting really excited about tomorrow - hostmum says she has a big surprise for us. I wonder what it could be??
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Aug 3, 2012, 9:40 pm
Today was so exciting! Remember the surprise that hostmum said that she had for us? She had tickets for the woman's Olympic football! We went to an Olympic event! It was very exciting.
Here I am in front of St James' Park in Newcastle, where the event was held.
Then we went inside.
Now the players are warming up... The teams that were playing were New Zealand and America.
And it's play time!
Such an exciting game!
In the end, America beat New Zealand 2-0. Hostmum was dissapointed as she was rooting for New Zealand. But it was so much fun, I'm so glad I got to see an Olympic event!
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Aug 10, 2012, 7:24 pm
We've all been relaxing in the garden this past week, as it's been such nice weather. Today, I had an idea. I thought it was great - the perfect surprise for the other TVs. So, with hostmum's help, I set up an outdoor swimming pool. Look Mum!
I sat and waited for a while, but the others were taking so long to get here. So I decided to enjoy the pool for myself for a little while. First I had to get the canoe in though.
And, typically, as soon as I was in the pool, the others arrived. They were really impressed with what I had made for us!
I played in the pool for a while, in the canoe, and then decided that it was time to sunbathe a bit. Imperio was very quick to jump in to the pool and he spent the rest of the day in it!
Whereas I was quite happy to sunbathe!
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Aug 13, 2012, 12:13 am
Today was a sad day, as Sheela has left us to continue her travels. I gave her a big hug and wished her a safe journey.
Then we posed for a final group picture.
And now she's on her way to Sweden!
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Aug 15, 2012, 8:34 pm
Tonight was the Olympic's closing ceremony. So of course I had to watch it. I got some popcorn and made myself comfortable.
Then it started.
Look at all the different flags!
Then the final winners - from the men's marathon - were presented with their medals.
Hostmum was thrilled when this group of children signed the song 'Imagine' by John Lennon, as she's a BSL user.
Look Mum - it's Jessie J!
And the Spice Girls!
And finally, the UK handed the final part of the ceremony to Brazil, as Rio will be hosting the next Olympics.
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Aug 18, 2012, 12:19 pm
Today we went to Alnwick to look around Alnwick castle (pronounced 'An-ik'). It's a huge castle, and is very old.
This carriage was used in the wedding of Lady Katie last year.
This statue was built to remember Sir Henry Percy, who was well known for all the battles he fought and won.
This is the view from the top of the castle. It's a good view - you would definitely have been able to see any enemies approaching.
Look Mum - a dragon!
Look at all these weapons...
And here I am relaxing in a canon.
Unfortunately, we had to leave before we'd seen all of the castle, as it started to rain quite heavily. But hostmum says that on the next sunny day we'll go back again.
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Aug 18, 2012, 6:47 pm
Today we went to the Hexham Regatta. A regatta is a sporting event where boat races take place. There was also a fair on.
There were lots of different stands and games to play.
Look - there was even rock-climbing!
But the best part was seeing Matt Wells row. Amazing! Matt Wells is a famous British rower that has won many Olympic Medals - and he's from Hexham!
Posted Aug 22, 2012, 3:53 pm
There was a beautiful sunset this evening.
We had an excellent view of it from hostmum's front garden.
Isn't it gorgeous?
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Aug 23, 2012, 4:46 pm
Guess where I was today? London! We travelled down to Essex yesterday, and today hostmum took us in to London, which is about an hour away from Essex.
We explored Camden, which is an area in London. It's a great place with a great vibe and atmosphere. It's been described as an ecentric place. And the buildings are great!
The entrance to this building is tiny - but inside there is a HUGE market.
After exploring Camden, we went to Leicester Square, where we came across this fun shop.
Then we went to her Majesty's Theatre. Doesn't it look impressive?
We watched The Phantom Of The Opera - which was just amazing! Unfortunately though, we weren't allowed to take any pictures of the show, but it was great.
What a great day!
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Aug 26, 2012, 1:50 am
We're still in Essex at the minute. Because hostmum has been mainly helping her Grandparents, I've been exploring the house. It's quite an interesting place! I thought all the army paraphenalia was very interesting.
Hostmum's Grandad was in the army before he retired. This is his service dagger.
And this is the sword that he was given for excellent service.
Look at all these medals! Aren't they awesome? Not all of them are hostgrandad's though - some of them belong to his dad (hostmum's Great-grandad).
Hostgrandad has even met the Queen! She visited his regiment at their reunion - she's in the middle.
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Aug 26, 2012, 5:16 pm
We've just arrived back at hostmum's house after a looong car journey. As soon as we walked in the door, we saw that there was a package waiting for us. I wonder who it could be...
It's Mefito! He's travelled all the way from Mallorca.
I think he was glad to be out of the box after such a long travel. Tomorrow we'll show him around the area.
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Aug 30, 2012, 4:22 pm
Today is only a short update - as hostmum's camera broke when we were out!
We went in to Newcastle, and saw this monument. It's called Grey's Monument and was built in 1838 to recognise the work that Earl Grey did for the Great Reform Act in 1832 - he changed the face of British politics.
Then we stopped at one of hostmum's favourite cafes. She bought me a cupcake as a treat. Yum!
And... that's when her camera broke! She had to find a camera repair shop, and they told her it will take two weeks to fix, but in the meantime her mum has given her her camera to use.
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Sep 3, 2012, 1:55 pm
It's been raining so much recently. Then today, it finally stopped for about an hour. So of course we took advantage of that and went for a walk in the countryside.
A typical view of the countryside in Northumberland.
We passed through this tiny village.
And headed deeper in to the countryside.
Until soon, we were in the middle of a forest.
We came across this little waterfall and stream.
And then continued in our exploration of the wild.
It was great getting back in touch with nature Mum!
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Sep 6, 2012, 4:14 pm
We've had a few really nice days recently, so we took advantage of that today and went to visit Alnwick Gardens, which the Duchess of Northumberland designed, and is now a big tourist attraction.
There's a poisonous garden here. The only way you can enter is if you're on a tour - and the most poisonous plants are behind bars. It was really interesting.
We had a nice stroll, and came across this pretty pond.
Then we walked through the cherry orchard - which is the biggest orchard of its kind in the world.
After that, we explored the Ornamental garden a bit.
Followed by the rose garden.
And guess what Mum? I also explored the bamboo labyrinth - and managed to get lost for about 20 minutes! It was fun though
Then we had the opportunity to look at a honeybee nest - it was so fascinating seeming them work.
And these grapes are used to make some local wine.
Finally, we saw this amazing tree house - which is actually a restaurant!
And you have to cross this swing-bridge to get to it!
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Sep 12, 2012, 3:48 pm
Guess what I saw today? The great wall of China!!
But to get to the wall, we had to walk up to it, where we passed lots of awesome little stalls selling souvenirs.
This massive pot used to be full of oil, so that the guards could set it alight if they spotted any intruders.
Isn't the view pretty amazing?
The wall was pretty spectacular. It was amazing to see.
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Sep 14, 2012, 5:16 am
Today we went to see the Temple of Heaven - it was great to see.
There used to be 7 of these stones, and they represented the peaks of the Taishan Mountains, which was a place to worship in ancient China.
This is the Hall of Prayers for Good Harvests.
Around it there are quite a lot of other religious buildings, each with different altars.
This door was built for one of the emperors who was 70, he used it as a short cut due to his declining health. However, he was worried that his son would use it and become lazy, so he passed a law that you could only use this door once you reach 70, hence the name; the 70 year old door.
And finally, this is the Imperial Vault of Heaven.
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Sep 17, 2012, 3:22 am
Today we were in the 798 district of Beijing - which is a famous art district.
It was fun looking around all the art galleries.
I saw so many nice paintings.
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Sep 22, 2012, 7:41 am
Today was another very exciting day - we went to the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City.
It was so much bigger than I thought it would be.
The Forbidden City used to be the imperial Palace for over 500 years.
It was home to a total of 24 Emperors.
In total, it's 961metres long.
This is the imperial garden.
It was a great day!
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Sep 26, 2012, 2:23 pm
Tomorrow we're flying back to the UK, so today we're all just relaxing at our hosts' home.
I've also been playing with the two animals here. This is Lugnut, he's such a sweetie.
And this is Mecredi.
Love,
Lizzy
Posted Oct 12, 2012, 10:34 am
We all made it safely back to England, to hostmum's home. This past week hostmum has been struggling somewhat with jet-lag, so we've all been entertaining ourselves. I've been having a lot of fun with all the things that hostmum brought back with her from China.
What do you think this is? Believe it or not, it's a hat!
Hostmum also bought back some Chinese tea - yum!
What do you think is in here?
Cakes of course, mmmm!
Love,
Lizzy