Finja, Hannover, Germany

olgamaus


Posted May 23, 2008, 11:15 pm
Finja's travel list

strangeMissy - Austria (arrived here)
Marjolein - The Netherlands
luckaye - Australia
sararingham - Australia
PinkiTheBear - HongKong

Sahnepop - Germany







Hello,
I arrived in Remscheid today. My new mentor Katja adopted me from Delenna in Finland. You can read my story here.

Katja had to pick me up at the local post office. The postman did not put me with my envelope into the postbox. I don't know why he did not. Instead Katja found a notification that said that a letter was waiting for her in the post office on Wednesday. You can't pick up the letters on the same day. On Thursday they had a holiday in many parts of Germany, so the post office was closed. But today Katja went to the post office to pick up the envelope that contained me. I was so happy. Of course  I wanted to get out immediately but Katja told me that she was on her way to her nephew's birthday party and she had to hurry to get to her aunt's flat. They wanted to drive to her nephew's home in another district of Remscheid together. So I waited to arrive at the party.

In Katja's bag were two other ToyVoyagers sitting, Chompers and Galaxy Bear. Katja's daughter is the host of Galaxy Bear but she went to the birthday party later because she had to join a soccer training. So Katja took all the TVs to the party for having coffee and cake.

The ride did not last too long.

Katja's nephew Lucas and his guests were sitting in the garden. There were his grandparents,his Mum, Katja and the  three of us. Later his aunt and uncle came, his Daddy arrived also later.

The other TVs helped me out of envelope and welcomed me. I was glad that there some really nice people.

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I was very hungry so I first tasted the cakes. Katja had made Australian Lamingtons, then there was a cheese cake and nut wedges. It was all very delicious.

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Katja's sister Ina made something really good afterwards - strawberry punch. Therefore you cut strawberries into small pieces. Then add a little bit of sugar and let it draw through for a while. Then you put the fruits into a large bowl and add a bottle of white wine and a bottle of sparkling wine. That was very refreshing.

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I was a little bit tired then and rested in a candle glass for a while. I think I even fell asleep for a while. Chompers and Galaxy Bear wanted to play with Lucas and his Daddy. I saw them playing a a football table. They had a lot of fun.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2015/2516467753_d2ef9a7609.jpg?v=0

Tomorrow Katja will repair my dress. We will also write a postcard to Delenna tomorrow. Katja told me that I will travel to Italy in summer. I'm really looking foreward to this trip.

Bye
Finja


olgamaus


Posted May 28, 2008, 5:08 pm
I will travel to Italy with Marjolein and the TVs Snowy and Just Married, maybe even more. This trip will start on July, 14th.

Maybe I wait until this special trip will start or maybe I will look for a host for the next weeks.

Katja did some repair work to my dress. The flowers were ironed on the dress and got loose already. We sewed them tight to the fabric, so they will keep in place.

I'm looking foreward to Italy. Maybe I manage to buy sunglasses for me.

Finja

olgamaus


Posted Jun 4, 2008, 8:19 pm
Hi,
tomorrow my journey will start. First I'm visiting strangeMissy in Austria. I'm really looking foreward to it!

I hope they have better weather in Austria. Here at home the weather is very bad.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/2551038259_888c755fdd.jpg?v=0

Bertie was very sad and feeling a bit homesick. Mummy made sangria with fresh oranges for us. It tasted really good.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3079/2551860962_848278da31.jpg?v=0

Mummy's daughter, Alex, bought a lei today. I'm looking good with it, have a look.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3151/2551861546_3184074a68.jpg?v=0

This is my last photo with Bertie. Maybe we will meet again some time, who knows?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2415/2551861512_11cd8232c8.jpg?v=0

I hope I will arrive in Austria soon.

Bye
Finja
strangeMissy


Posted Jun 9, 2008, 4:38 pm
Hey!
Today I arrived in Austria. When Sigrid came home from school she showed me the house and introduced me to Tiah Tigris from the Netherlands.

http://communityneu.klz.apa.net/static/sites/solembum/media/SANY0001%282%29.story.jpg?tmp=4103

Tomorrow she'll take me with her to school (her school uses rooms of a baroque monastery) and probably we'll go to Graz, the next city, on Wednesday.
strangeMissy


Posted Jun 14, 2008, 12:24 pm
Today we went for a walk with one of Sigrid's friends- it was great to see a bit of the landscape!

http://communityneu.klz.apa.net/static/sites/solembum/media/SANY0002%282%29.story.jpg?tmp=1323

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strangeMissy


Posted Jun 14, 2008, 12:32 pm
Graz ist so beautiful! It's the capital of Styria (a part of Austria) and there are so many different kinds of buildings... Some look almost mediterranian! But I won't tell you any more, just look at the pictures...

http://communityneu.klz.apa.net/static/sites/solembum/media/SANY0013%281%29.story.jpg?tmp=2042
The townhall

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Some church

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Again =D

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The "painted house"

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The view from a balcony in the staircase up to the "stair church"
Marjolein


Posted Jul 7, 2008, 10:40 pm
Hello!

I arrived in 's-Hertogenbosch today! My host Marjolein is already very busy preparing for our trip to Italy, we are both looking forward to it! I met some other ToyVoyagers, I will introduce them to you. There's: Nick, Chompers, Davy, Pingu, TheOutsider, Roots Bear and Claire.

Best Wishes,

Finja
Marjolein


Posted Jul 13, 2008, 11:05 pm
Dear mum,

It's almost time to leave for Italy! We will leave tomorrow from Den Bosch at 7:30 am with the bus to our first stop in Beek, wich is near Arnhem. From there we will get into the bus, that will get us to Italy! Firstly we will stop in Germany, near Freiburg, for a good night sleep in our first hotel. Tuesday we will continue our journey and in the evening we will arrive in Toscane, Italy! But I will not tell too much already, I will update as much as possible!

I have already learned some Italian:

Yes: sì
No: no
Thank you: Grazie
You're welcome: Per favore
Here you are: Prego
Fantastic: fantastico
I don't speak Italian: non parlo italiano
Do you speak English?: parla inglese?
0: zero
1: uno
2: due
3: tre
4: quattro
5: cinque
6: sei
7: sette
8: otto
9: nove
10: dieci
What time is it?: che ore sono?
Goodday/morning/afternoon: buongiorno
Goodevening: buonanotte
Hi: salve/ciao
Welcome: benvenuto
How are you?: come sta?
Have a nice meal: buon appetito
See you later: arriverderci
Have a nice holiday: buone vacanze

I will speak to you in Italy soon!

Hugs Finja
Marjolein


Posted Jul 27, 2008, 10:22 am
Dear mum,

Today was a traveling day. I am in France now, just over the bourder with Germany. Our hotel is very good, the bed nice and soft, and there is a swimming pool! Too bad it is too cold to swim. And because we are soooooo tired, we just went to sleep!

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Apart from the nice bed, the view from the window wasn't all that.

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We had a nice diner, a good night sleep, and after breakfast it was time to really go to Italy!
Marjolein


Posted Jul 27, 2008, 11:11 am
More traveling today! We went across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Wow I'm seeing a lot af the world today! I will show you some photo's of Switzerland.

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This is the bus I am traveling with and will be traveling with for the next days.

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We went through the Gotthard Tunnel and after that we almost where in Italy. Just a few kilometres now!

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Our first stop is in Toscane. The town in called Montecatini Terme.

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We took a strowl through the town.

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There wasn't much time, so we went back to our hotel, had some diner and went right to sleep!
Marjolein


Posted Jul 27, 2008, 11:43 am
Time for the holiday to begin! I started in Pisa and saw the Tower of Pisa!!

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This building is where people are baptisted in.

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Marjolein


Posted Jul 27, 2008, 12:17 pm
After our visit in Pisa, we had some wonderfull lunch in the mountains of Toscane. We tasted lots of wine and olives made from the people who live in the farm.

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Marjolein


Posted Jul 27, 2008, 12:40 pm
Then it was time to go to Lucca. Lucca is a wonderfull old city with lots of beautiful buildings and old squares.

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This square used to be an amphitheater. They build houses on top of it, but it still has the shape of the theater.

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Marjolein


Posted Jul 27, 2008, 2:55 pm
Florence is the place to be, lalala :D Florence has to be the most beautiful city I have ever seen! Did you know that every year lots of tourists end up in the hospital because they are overwhelmed by the beauty of Florence? It's called the Stendhal Syndrome after this man called Stendhal. He is the first person of who it is known he fainted after seeing Florence. His heart stopped pumping and he coulnd't breath. Thank God none of us had these problems but it is such a beautiful city!

Santa Maria Novella

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Campanile next to the Basilica San Lorenzo
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Basilica San Lorenzo

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Duome (Santa Maria Del Fiore)

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Saint George (from Saint George and the Dragon) made by Donatello

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The tourguide of the trip told us a story about this George. Donatello made this statue and showed it to his master. He asked him if there is anything wrong with George. His master answered: Yes there is something wrong. Donatello of course wanted to know what this was. But his master simply answered: I won't tell you, you have to find out yourself. Donatello wondered and wondered, he looked at George and he could not find anything wrong with him. He got ill of these doubts. Donatello got so sick, that at one point he was actually dying. On his deathbed he asked his master: Please tell me, what was wrong with Saint George? His master said: He doesn't breath. He looks so real, if he breathed he could just walk towards us. And then Donatello could die in peace.
It's a wonderfull story, but in reality Donatello lived happily ever after, after making this statue. But it's a good story :)

David (waiting for Goliath) made by Michelangelo.

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This is not the original David, that one is savely in a museum.
It stands on the Piazza Della Signoria.

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Ponte Vecchio

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Marjolein


Posted Jul 27, 2008, 6:44 pm
The fifth day was a bit of a travelingday. We went to Siena first, but after that to our new hotel in Fiuggi. First Siena. This is a very old city from the Dark Ages.

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It has a very famous square: Piazza Del Campo. The people of Siena call it the most beautiful piazza of the world. It has the shape of a shell.

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Every year this Piazza turns into a racecourse. When the 'Palio' (horseraces) takes place, every person from Sienna goes to the Piazza. They stand on the inside of the square and the horses run on the outside.

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Every part of the city have a horse in the race. And it doesn't matter if the jockey makes it to the finishline, when the horse makes it, the horse wins. Sometimes accidents happen because the jockey doesn't ride the horse on a sadle.

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Duomo di Siena

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We walked around the city for a bit and we had some really good pizza! Funghipizza (mushrooms) on the Piazza Del Campo.

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Marjolein


Posted Jul 27, 2008, 7:28 pm
After our visit to Siena, we travelled to Fiuggi. From this town we are going to Rome! I can't wait! Here are some views from thr bedroomwindow, looks pretty doesn't it?

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Marjolein


Posted Jul 27, 2008, 8:53 pm
Time to visit Rome! Or Roma as it's called in Italy. The bus brought us to Rome. We took the subway to go to the centre of the city. Went we got back at the streetlevel this is the first thing I saw:

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The Colosseum! The Colosseum is soooo big!! It was built between the year 70 and 80 AD. The use was an amphitheatre. You could watch fights between lions, between lions and gladiators or just between gladiotors. One way or another, people would die. When the Colosseum was opened the Romans celebrated the opening with a party of 100 days. In these days everyone was welcome in the Colosseum. Everyday the fights and other events happened during the entire day. Romans where very ahead of their time: they already had fast food! You could buy it at stands near the Colosseum. Bread and wine, that sort of stuff.

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Forum Romanum, this is the central area which the ancient Roman civilization developed.

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The Pantheon (Temple of all the Gods)

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Trevi Fountain

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Spanish Stairs

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Marjolein


Posted Jul 27, 2008, 9:49 pm
The second day in Rome! This day we had some time off in the morning and in the afternoon we went to the St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

On our free time we found a cool Toy Store called Al Sogno.

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They had lots of very cool toys.

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Too bad Marjolein found the toys way to expensive. But they seem to have a really good life in the store and they will be bought by rich people who will give them a good life :)

We had pizza again today! After walking around we went to Vatican City to see the St. Peter!

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On this photo I am standing on the Bridge of Angels.

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The view from the balcony. This is the way the pope always looks at the St. Peter's Square.

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The guard of the St. Peter are Swiss Guards. They have to be realy Swiss boys from between 18 and 25 and not married. And of course Catholic.

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The inside of the St. Peter's Basilica

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The Piéta from Michelangelo.

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Saint Peter's Tomb, where the popes are burried. It was not allowed to make photo's of the grave of the latest pope but Marjolein did make some photo's where she was allowed.

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Marjolein


Posted Jul 28, 2008, 10:01 am
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Pompei is a town from the first century after the birth of Christ. It was built by Romans.

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Years (about 15 years) before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the town was destroyed by on earthquake. The inhabitants of Pompei didn't know it then, but this was just Mount Vesuvius warning them for the eruption.

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There where other warnings. The water dissaperead. Because of the hot lava the Vesuvius was making the water turned into steam.

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In Pompei lived about 20.000 people. The went to the store

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To the bakery

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Or to a bathhouse

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Or the just sat in there own garden, for example in the House with the Little Fountain

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But on 24 August 79 the time stopped. The day turned into night and this lasted for three days. People didn't know what was happening. Some died because they breathed in the ashes of the mountain. Some died because of rocks flying around. Most people died right at the spot.

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Almost everybody died in 79. But the city was preserved really well because of the ashes of Mount Vesuvius. So that's good for us, we can learn a lot, about the way people lived and what happened that day. We can go back in time and walk around like the people of Pompei used to do.

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Marjolein


Posted Jul 28, 2008, 10:44 am
On our way our next hotel near Venice, we had a stop in Ravenna. In 409 AD Ravenna became the capital city of the Roman Empire. Julius Caesar gathered his troups here. This was in 49 BC.

We went to see a early Christian church famous of mosaics. The Basilica of San Vitale.

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We also went to the mousuleum (Mousuleum of Galla Placidia) next to the church.

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Marjolein


Posted Jul 28, 2008, 5:34 pm
Time to see Venice! Venice is by many called the most beautiful city in the world. We went here by boat. You could also go there by car but according to our guide you are suppose to go by boat.

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We set foot on the land and went into the harbour of Venice after a trip of about half an hour.

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On our way to Piazza San Marco we saw The Bridge of Sighs. This bridge passes over the Rio di Palazzo and connects the old prisons to the interrogation rooms of the Doge's Palace. It got it's name because the prisoner got a last look at Venice and their loved one from the brigde before there inprisonment or death and used to sigh there.

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On the Piazza San Marco stands the Basilica di San Marco a Venezia.

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http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5259.jpg

There also stand two poles on the Piazza San Marco. No inhabitant of Venice would ever stand between those two poles, because people used to get excecuted their. Gulp!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5250.jpg

On the left pole stands a lion. The lion is the animal of Venice.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5251.jpg

We went for a walk around the city. The first thing we saw was the second most famous bridge, the Rialto Bridge. It's the oldest bridge in the city and build in 1181.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5286.jpg

We had the most wonderfull view from the bridge!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5289.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5292.jpg

We walked on and saw some beautiful sights.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5271.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5300.jpg

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http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5330.jpg

Then we came across the only wooden bridge in the city: Accademia Bridge.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5336.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5341.jpg

But sightseeing was the only thing we did, we also did some shopping! We saw a great toystore again, this was a Disney store!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5285.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5284.jpg

Venice stretches over 118 little islands. It has a population of 271.251 people. People have lived on the islands for centuries but it is known as a city since the ninth century.

Now I will go back to my hotel! Bye Venice!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5398.jpg
Marjolein


Posted Jul 28, 2008, 6:08 pm
In the evening after our trip to Venice we took a little walk down the beach near our hotel. I saw the Adriatic Sea in Venice but now I also got to touch it!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5457.jpg

Tomorrow it's time to go back to The Netherlands. We will sleep in Germany the next night and by friday we are back in Den Bosch. The trip to Italy was so cool! I certainly want to go back ;)

I hope you enjoyed the updates!

Love Finja
Marjolein


Posted Aug 19, 2008, 12:50 pm
Hi mum!

I have more exciting news to tell you! Today it's time to leave for our next holiday! Check out the cool van we had to leave for the holiday! :D

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5492.jpg

Hugs Finja
Marjolein


Posted Aug 19, 2008, 1:14 pm
We arrived in Austria the same day. We stayed in a Landall Greenpark near the town Gargellen. The view was beautiful!!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5601.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5612.jpg

We are going to do really cool things in Austria, lots of walking and swimming! 9th of August we will leave for another country!!
Marjolein


Posted Aug 19, 2008, 1:28 pm
On our way to our next holiday-stop we went through a very small country. Called Liechtenstein! We saw the capitalcity Vaduz. Unfortunately there wasn't much time to make photo's, but look at this one:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5733.jpg
Marjolein


Posted Aug 19, 2008, 1:43 pm
The next week of our holiday is in Switzerland! On top of the hill of the village Wildhaus is our very big house. For all of the family of Marjoleins boyfriend Kasper. This is a familyreunion! I met everyone!

This is our house:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5760.jpg

And this is the view:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5763.jpg

The family's name is Paping, so they had their own flag!!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5815.jpg
Marjolein


Posted Aug 19, 2008, 1:58 pm
We did really cool stuff. On sunday we went on a picknick on a mountain! We roasted sausages on a campfire! Look at the beautiful surroundings:

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5901.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5902.jpg

Marjolein


Posted Aug 19, 2008, 2:23 pm
In Unterwasser, they have a very famous waterfall! The Thurwasserfällen.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF6045.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF6068.jpg
Marjolein


Posted Aug 19, 2008, 2:37 pm
The last day of our holiday, we stayed in because of the rain. We did saw a beautiful rainbow!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF5975.jpg
Marjolein


Posted Aug 19, 2008, 2:54 pm
Pfieuw we're finally home! It took a lot of time, because 38 km before Den Bosch, the car broke down!! We had to wait for hours and hours for someone to get us. But we did ride into a really big truck!!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF6216.jpg
Marjolein


Posted Aug 26, 2008, 9:35 am
Hi mum,

It was the open day of the Footballclub FC Groningen today! Marjolein goes here since FC Groningen playes football in the stadium the Euroborg, which is since 13 January 2006. It a really cool green stadium. We also went to the dressingroom of the players, it had a really big green bathtub!
Marjolein


Posted Aug 26, 2008, 9:37 am
After the day at FC Groningen we went to the annual festival in Groningen called Noorderzon. At Noorderzon it's always fun with theater, music and lots of food! I saw a really cool car, with speakers so we could hear really cool sixties music coming from the car! Chompers thought the car was so cool, he jump right onto it to have his photo taken!
Marjolein


Posted Aug 26, 2008, 5:30 pm
It was time to say goodbye to Den Bosch, Marjolein and all the ToyVoyagers here! I am of to Luckaye in Australia. By bye!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF6258.jpg
luckaye


Posted Sep 19, 2008, 12:12 am
Finja has arrived in Australia!
sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Oct 20, 2008, 7:01 am
I have arrived in Orange! It took a while but I'm here now. It's quite a hot day too - thankfully I'm sitting next to a fan now to keep cool. It's been quite warm here Sara says... but I don't know much about that I've been in a few air conditioned buildings... but now that I'm not... man, it's sure hot... at least I'm out of that package. :-)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/lotsofvoyagers/toyvoyagers_biggroup_photo.jpg
Can you see me in this big group? Sara's been doing a bit of rescuing and taking over for people that can no longer host so she has a bit of a crowd. A few of them are moving onto other hosts tomorrow... but she thought to get a photo all together before they leave... it's going to be interesting the conversations we'll have. :-)
sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Oct 28, 2008, 4:31 am
This weekend was a pretty boring weekend... but Sara decided on a whim that she was in a Halloween decoration mood... even though Australia doesn't have the normal orange Halloween pumpkins (well, they have the small ones sometimes but they're quite expensive since they're imported from America). Sara found a pumpkin that they've been storing for a baked dinner and decided that it looked like it wanted to be a jack-o-lantern. Sara carved and cut out the pumpkin and we all watched since there was a sharp knife involved... well, here I am with the finished product...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/lotsofvoyagers/finja_pumpkin.jpg

...after we all got our photos with the pumpkin, Sara turned out the lights and put a candle in the pumpkin... doesn't it look cool? It was quite fun! We also did a few other halloween decorations... you'll probably see those a bit later...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/lotsofvoyagers/jackolantern.jpg

Write again soon mom! Sorry I've been so quiet... :-)
sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Oct 28, 2008, 5:36 am
Well, today me and the toyvoyagers took a trip up to Mount Canobolas. It's quite warm out... ugh! Well, when we finally got up there it was VERY windy, we were all kept in a plastic bag so Sara was sure not to loose any of us in the car ride up or while we were there (except when photos were taken of course)... but I got to see a nice view of the town below...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/lotsofvoyagers/finja_canobolas1.jpg

...as you can see it was a beautiful blue sky day... not a cloud in sight, apparently it's supposed to rain... but for some reason Sara doubts it... she hopes so though because then it'll at least cool everything down a bit... here's the other side of the mountain. This is facing towards Blayney and the smaller towns that are around 30 minutes drive away... it's so dark because it was around 3pm when the photos were taken so the sun was in the wrong place.. whoops!...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/lotsofvoyagers/finja_canobolas2.jpg

...when Sara was actually taking photos the plastic bag flew away, thankfully it didn't have any toyvoyagers in it... it flew around 300 feet and then down a huge hill so Sara had to trudge down by herself to get the bag... but first she dropped all the toyvoyagers off in the car where they would be safe.... here's the apex point of the mountain...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/lotsofvoyagers/canobolas_apexpoint.jpg

...and here's a bit of information about the Canobolas mountain range that were standing on...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/lotsofvoyagers/canobolas_information.jpg

...because you can't read it because it's so small, Sara will type it out in case you want to learn a bit more about the mountain range...
Mount Canobolas volcanic complex is listed in the Commonwealth Heritage Register for it's unique geological composition and location. These factors have resulted in a distinctive vegetation pattern, containing rare and unique species, which in turn contain habitats for a number of equally unique animals.

Within a 30 kilometre radius of Mount Canobolas, approximately 30 vents are known to have erupted. These eruptions commenced about 50 million years ago and halted approximately 10-15 million years ago. The Mount Canobolas vents erupted over that entire period, while others within the 30 kilometre radius were active for shorter periods. The basalt capping has largely weathered away, producing fertile soils as far away as West Wyalong.


Well, it was getting kind of late so it was time to move on... Sara did another stop off half way down the mountain for another view of Orange along the side of the road... quite the same from what I've already seen, but so different as it's not all cloudy and freezing cold (even though Sara would kind of prefer that right now)...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/lotsofvoyagers/finja_canobolas3.jpg

....and across the road is the peak of the mountain we were standing on and Little Mount Canobolas (as it's called) is another peak near it that you can hike to... it's around a 1.3 kilometre hike from the peak of the mountain...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/lotsofvoyagers/finja_canobolas4.jpg
sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Oct 28, 2008, 5:37 am
On the way home, we stopped off at Lake Canobolas to see the ducks and well... it was just a nice and pretty day out and the water was gorgeous... although it was tempting to go swimming we didn't... the ducks even looked like they were hot from all this dry heat...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/lotsofvoyagers/finja_lakecanobolas.jpg

...well, not much time to spend there it was time to head home... on the way home we saw a fire truck... Sara thinks they kind of look funny from the ones she's used to in America...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/lotsofvoyagers/firetruck.jpg
...it seems one of the firemen seemed to be looking at her taking a photo of them too while they were driving by... they probably think she's crazy! Oh well... :-)

...and you know how I said it was forecasted to rain? Well... it did, for a whole 5 minutes before heating up again actually warmer than it was most of the day, at 7pm even... ugh! But it did have a nice rainbow... :-)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/lotsofvoyagers/rainbow.jpg

Well, I'll write again soon! Miss you mom!
sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Nov 1, 2008, 3:08 pm
Today we all went to the dog park... it was VERY warm today, it was around 95' degrees in Sydney but they have the wind from the ocean when there is any... we are more inland and no rain so it was very very hot outside... we decided to take the dog to the dog park and just let her run like crazy... here I am at the dog park...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/randomtoyvoyagers/finja_dogpark.jpg

...as you can see the dog, and Sara's husband Daniel were getting quite the workout... I'm not in the photos because Sara was zoomed in quite a distance... in the first picture you see that huge hill? They were up there when the photos were taken... pretty crazy the distance her camera can zoom in...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/randomtoyvoyagers/dogpark_danielandanni.jpg

...and here's a picture of her 6-month old beagle puppy called Anni... isn't she cute?
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/randomtoyvoyagers/dogpark_anni.jpg
sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Nov 1, 2008, 3:38 pm
Well after the long day at the dog park (even a few hours felt like much longer in that heat) we celebrated Halloween... Sara got some candy for her, Daniel and us to share... Halloween isn't as widely celebrated down here as - nothing like it is in America. We've never gotten trick-or-treaters... in the bigger cities and suburbs they do sometimes but nothing like in America so no worry about that here... we just sat down ate some nice candy, burned the jack-o-lantern and watched scary movies... :-)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/randomtoyvoyagers/finja_halloween.jpg
...there was some pretty scary looking candy... there was gummy vampire tounges, gummi eye balls, that looked really realistic... freaky!... some skeleton lollipops and some marshmallow scary creatures like a witch, a vampire, a skeleton and a pumpkin... it was quite yummy! I hope you had a good Halloween mom! :-)
sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Nov 1, 2008, 3:57 pm
Today was a nice day, much cooler than the past days so Sara decided to take us all to the park... she went to a park that wasn't as full of people since they stopped off at Cook Park and it was packed because of a wedding so we went to a much smaller park called Memory Park... Sara swore it was called Moulder Park... but apparently not... it's really nice and green isn't it?
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/randomtoyvoyagers/finja_park.jpg

...we also got to see some strange looking beetles... they kind of look like they have a tribal shield thing on their back don't they? Well, they're harmless so we left them alone... :-)
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/saragoescrazy3/randomtoyvoyagers/strangebugs.jpg

I've only been here a few days but sorry for not really updating earlier, Sara's been trying to get over this cough she has so all of the toyvoyagers are staying together and just having a chat and resting a lot... it seems a bit too hot to do much else... but Sara says were going to be going to Dubbo next week, and then Sydney the week after... it's going to be a busy next few weeks... write again soon mom! Miss you!
sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Nov 9, 2008, 8:49 am
As you may or may not have known Sara took us all to Dubbo today for a whole bunch of jobs she had to complete. She did it today instead of Friday, in which it was originally planned for... they decided after they got the jobs done to go to the Old Dubbo Gaol which she had never been to before... so this was totally new to her... it's quite a historic little piece of work right in the middle of town... so it's time to go and find out what this little (or not so little) museum is all about...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/entrance.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/entrance_sign.jpg

After Sara paid for our admittance into the museum (thankfully it didn't cost anything for all of us to come along - although we stayed in the bag most of the time... Sara will show you what we saw along the way... here I am with the map of the gaol and the self guided tour information was on the back... I'll read it out to you as we go through the gaol...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/finja_map.jpg

Once we entered the main gate we turned around and got a photo, it's called the "West Main Gate", this is what the self guided tour map and information told us about it...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/westmain_gate.jpg
This section was completed in 1887. The main timber gates are the original gates and many of the wooden pavers are original. Note the small gate within the iron gate. This is where prisoners and visitors would have entered the Gaol until 1929 when it was replaced by the Eastern entrance.

...The guy in the office told us to first go to what was called the "Infirmary" or the hospital of the old gaol, when we walked in we heard this voice... it was an old goast of the gaol he told us about the gaol and what we can find there... it was really interesting to learn about it... kind of freaky too..
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/ghost.jpg

When we turned we saw there were some paint scrapings... so what is the significance of that you may wonder? Well, they scraped away the paint to show the original paint, which was the orange/red colored paint, then through the years they painted it the other different colors than you can see... this is what that sign says next to it...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/paintscrapings.jpg
Paint Scrapings were carried out to identify previous colour schemeds used in the Gaol. Peeling back the paint has revealed the following sequence of colours and possible dates.
1970's Pale Green
1940/50's Pink
1930's Emerald green above and below a cream line
1880's Red and Orange with a stone color above a black line


Next stop off was the Vegetable and Food store, which was right next to the infirmary...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/vegetableandfoodstore.jpg
In 1885 the prison diet consisted of wheat bread, an overcooked mixture of maize meal, vegetables and meat juices, known as hominy. As a minor gaol, prisoners at Dubbo were allocated a different diet to those of the larger labour prisons with less meat (1/4lb on Wednesdays and Sundays served with rice). Prisoners also received a ration of salt, sugar and soap. Bread and water was considered a low diet and issued for punishment or when ill. From the late 1890's the produce from the vegetable garden was storedhere for use in the kitchen next door.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/prison_kitchen.jpg
This area originally housed the Gaol's kitchen. There were two prisoners who worked as "Cooks Assistants" under lock and key. All meals were prepared here and then issued to prisoners in their cells.

Finally out of the first area of the gaol, it's time to move onto the more interesting areas of the gaol... we got to see the original gaol bell, which is located on the northern end of the building. When the gaol was closed in 1966 the bell was used at Newnes Prison Farm. It was returned in 1974, restored and re-erected in it's original place...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/gaolbell.jpg

Next stop is the prisons well, this was used by on average 2-4 prisoners at a time that were responsible for pumping and distributing water throughout the gaol... this is what the plaque said right above the well...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/well.jpg
In 1865, when the gaol was a 'holding lockup', consisting of a construction of some eight cells, the prisoners had no water supply in the existing gaol and were obligated to borrow water from a property close to Dubbo, hauling the barrels by bullock dray. However, due to severe drought, the property owner objected to supplying water as there was insufficent quantities for his own use. The then Member for Dubbo, Mr. George W. Lord, wrote to the Minister for Public Works, requesting a well be sunk in the gaol yard.

Now the next stop on the self guided tour was something that was originally not part of the Dubbo Gaol, but something that was used during the time that the Gaol was opened, and it is dated back to the early 1900's it's the portable cell...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/portable_cell.jpg
Originally from the Pilliga region, this is a typical example of the portable cells that were commonly used across the state, particularly in the far western areas. This size is also similar to the original first lock up in Dubbo in 1848.

Right next to the portable cell was a washtub and a vegetable garden...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/washtub_veggiegarden.jpg
Prison reforms in the late 1890's resulted in the development of prison vegetable gardens and farms at most NSW prisons. They were part of an agriculture training program designed to give prisoners a specialised skill for later employment. This garden is a reconstruction of where it is believed once stood the original vegetable garden. There is also a suggestion that area outside of the walls was also converted for vegetable production.

A formal garden also existed outside the hospital block. Both were maintained by prisoners as part of their daily work.


Next were ready to get into the more interesting areas of the gaol, the actual cells and dark rooms, and all that interesting stuff... welcome to the male division...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/maledivision.jpg
The entrance of the cellblock is the oldest portion of the gaol. It was built in 1871 and initially housed the warden, his family and four cells. The building now comprises 14 cells of differing sizes and two dark cells, used for solitary confinement.

Next stop were the dark cells, or also known as the solitary confinement cells... they were totally black, even the walls were painted in black and there was a sound of some chains dragging along the ground when you walked in there... really quite eerie when you think about it... this is what it looked like by using the flash... Sara read a plaque that said that prisoners that were put in solitary confinement for as much as 21 days let out once a week for a nice meal before being put back into the dark cells. It also said that prisoners would tear off a button and throw it against a wall, and then search around in the pitch black cells to find it, and then throw it again as a game to keep themselves from going crazy...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/darkcells.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/darkcells2.jpg
The use of the solitary confinement in dark cells was officially discontinued in 1896. However, there is evidence that it, and the use of the mouth gag, was still practiced in 1900 in Goulburn Gaol despite being considered inhumane.

As you enter the long hallway with all the cells, the first cell on the right side was known as the Condemned cell...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/condemed_cell.jpg
In this cell there was an animatronic character that was called Thomas Moore, who was one of the prisoners that were convicted and put to death at this gaol. His death was actually one of the deaths that was quite memorable for the people witnessing, he was 67 when he was executed and it was said his head was "removed" from his body when he fell through the trap door of the gallows. Quite shocking.

There were three cells that showed normal prisoner conditions during the times that the gaol was opened, there were times that the gaol was so full that they had three or more prisoners in each cell...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/prisoner_conditions.jpg
...in this picture you only see one prisoner, but there were two others in the corner and three beds side by side. The beds were literally just wooden planks, and quite uncomfortable I'm sure...

In the next cell was something they commonly used as a punishment (one of the many forms) used mainly during the 1880's... the whipping stool... there was even a painting above it representing the times it was used...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/whipping_stool_photo.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/whipping_stool.jpg
The whipping stool was used in both regional and city gaols throughout the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries. The prisoner lay across the stool and his wrists and ankles were manacled to the device. This prevented the prisoner from moving or resisting the punishment. Prisoners were then flogged using a leather tawse. Flogging could occur as part of the punishment issued by the courts or be inflicted for misbehaviour once inside the gaol.

The next cell over was the one padded cell in the whole gaol, at least that's still as it was when the gaol was opened...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/padded_cell.jpg
The padded cell was added in 1886 and was used to house violent and mentally ill inmates, known as lunatics. Records indicate that a 68-year-old labourer was imprisoned at Dubbo Gaol for over a year suffering from melancholia, an illness currently known as depression. By 1904 official documents noted that the "system of dealing with lunatics in goals was (still) unsatisfactory.

As were leaving the male division of the gaol you could almost miss the next exhibit, it was known as a watchman's telltale...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/watchmans_telltale.jpg
The small green metal Watchman's Telltale, located on the outside wall of the male cell block, was used as a security device. Wardens inserted a key into the aperture and wound up the spring within. If this procedure was not repeated on the hour, the spring unwound and set off an alarm bell, alarming the watch officer that either the warden had come to harm, or that he was not doing his duty. These were also located at the western end of the block, and the remand yards and outside the former library.

Throughout the museum if you look along the edges of the gaol, you can see statues of prisoners trying to escape over the walls of the prison...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/escaping_prisoner.jpg

...although that wasn't the best place to escape, as right near it was the Watchtower...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/watchmans_tower.jpg
The watchtower dominates the north eastern corner of the Gaol. Wardens entered this tower from a flight of fifteen wooden steps outside the Gaol wall. Use of the tower was discontinued in the early part of the 20th century. Another watchtower existed in the southeast corner of the Gaol in the 1890's but all traces of this bulding have vanished.

...next stop is the much smaller female division...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/female_division.jpg
The small female area comprised of an exercise yard, covered shelter, clothing store, ablution block (bathroom), kitchen and two cells. The display shows the maximum capactiy of the female prisoners.

Within the female division was an area where you heard about the hangman, who had no nose, and the 8 men that were condemned to death at the Dubbo gaol, it was quite intereseting to listen to... next were going into what is known as the gallery of the condemned. This is where they have information about the men that had died, age, date of death, date condemned to death and the date they were executed with information about their crime...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/galleryofthe_condemned_small.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/galleryofthe_condemned2.jpg

...and there was information about the gallows that were used...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/galleryofthe_condemned3.jpg
Eight men were hanged for murder in Dubbo Gaol between 1977 and 1904. One or two appear to have been ruthless and calculating murders. Others claimed to have killed in self-defence or in passion. But under the law at that time, no mitigating circumstances were recognised; the penalty for murder was death.

But was the penalty applied equality to all? All the hanged men were poor and uneducated; most beloged to minority groups, and prehaps it is no coincidence that they were often those most generally disliked at the time - Irish Catholics, Aboriginal people and the Chinese. They struggled to survive on the harsh margins of an alien society, with no influential friends, no money and no resources. Some may have been mentally ill.

Would they be convicted of murder today? The evidence against many of these men was only circumstantial - one was found with a dead man's possessions, another was the last man to be seen with the victim. There were rarely any witnesses, and community feeling ran high against them. In one case the policeman chose to pursue the offender rather than seek medical assistance for the victim. As a consequence the victim died adn the offender was charged with murder. Interestingly, in at least two cases, the community at the time thought that the punishment was unfair, and sought to save the condemned man. Today men and women are still found on Death Row all over the world. Do you think their deaths serve a worthwhile purpose?


Going back outside again, we got to see the exercise yards that were mentioned earlier in the self guided tour...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/exercise_areas.jpg
Male prisoners only used these yards. They were rquired to complete 1 hour of exercise per day and were separated by classification of crime and sentence. From 1934 prisoners were required to do their own laundry in exercise yard 1.

Another part of the museum that was hard to see unless you were really looking, the roll call lines...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/rollcall_lines.jpg
The two red lines painted onto the cement near the south eatern end of the male cellblock were used as the assembly point for the daily roll call of prisoners.

Now something a bit more eerie, but quite interesting to actually see... the Dubbo Gaol Gallows...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/gallows.jpg
These were erected for each execution. When not in use they were stored under the courthouse. Like the hangman's kit, the gallows are unique to Old Dubbo Gaol. It is not known when the gallows were first erected or when they were dismantled, but they were in use over a period of more than 30 years - from the 1870's to the early part of this century. The gallows are approxmiately 16 feet high, with a base of 12 feet by 9 feet. The top bar is 10 feet wide and there are 13 steps up the platform from which the felons "took the drop".

Here's a plaque showing the names and dates of the men condemned to death, and the date they were executed...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/gallows_condemnedmen.jpg

Nearing the end of our tour, was some original artifacts from this time, from this gaol and from other gaols in the area at the time. This is known as the "hangman's kit"...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/hangmans_kit.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/hangmans_kit2.jpg
The hangman's kit displays the ropes, nooses, and other tools of the trade used by the State Executioner to preform his macabre duties. The items in this display are all original artefacts that were used by the hangman and his assistant.

Right near the area with the hangman kit was a covered area that was known as the prisoners labour area of the gaol...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/prison_labor.jpg
Male prisoners were kept occupied with labour such as woodcutting, gardening, book binding, and tailoring. These tasks were also designed to retrain inmates with a more useful trade to take up upon their release.

Last thing to see as your ready to exit the gaol and onto your way was the pillory...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/dubbogaol/pillory.jpg
The item was donated to the Gaol many years ago. Although this form of punishment was not standard practice for prisons, it makes for a great photo opportunity!

Well, we just had a really long day and we got to see and learn a lot of things about Australian prisons, especially back in the day, which was really interesting especially since that is what Australia is known for, when England sent their prisoners to Australia as a form of punishment... very interesting... I hope you enjoyed that mom! I'll write again soon, Monday were off to Sydney...
sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Nov 11, 2008, 8:36 am
Today we were taking another trip, this time to Sydney... we stopped off quite a bit to get some nice photos of whatever we could along the way... Sara decided first stop would be Bathurst, we would see if we could spot some kangaroos... and we did... sadly when I tried to get in front of the camera the kangaroos bounced off... they didn't seem to want any of that...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/kangaroos1.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/kangaroos2.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/kangaroos3.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/kangaroos4.jpg
...as you can see they saw Sara get close with us, and got a bit spooked so moved on back... we'll try again on Wednesday when we're going to Bathurst for a longer trip... we'll see if we can get in the photo this time! :-) There is more to come... just hang tight! :-)
sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Nov 11, 2008, 8:54 am
Next stop was Lithgow, which was about an hours drive from Bathurst... honestly, there's not too much there, but Sara decided to show us something she's always liked for part of Lithgow, which is the Lithgow's Miner's Lamp... here I am in front of it...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/finja_lithgow.jpg
...since this is the backside of it you can't see it all that well... it doesn't look much different, although this is what it looks like from the front...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/minerslamp.jpg
...not much different as you can see... but you can see the windows at the bottom... there's a little bit of cloth thats is lit by an orange lamp and a little fan to make it look like a flame... kinda cool... :-) Otherwise Lithgow there isn't much to see... we're only at the half way point of Sydney now... watch for more updates. :-)
sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Nov 11, 2008, 9:16 am
Next stop was in Sydney's Blue Mountains... they're in the outskirts of Sydney, a lot of people don't really think much about the outskirts, let alone thinking there is a huge mountain range that goes through before you get to Orange, Bathurst and even Lithgow... well, welcome to the Blue Mountains... it was time to visit one of the big tourist spots for people visiting the Blue Mountains and Sydney... the Three Sisters... a huge rock formation...

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/finja_bluemountains.jpg
...can you see it? It's behind some trees, but Sara had to take photos in an odd spot as it was quite full near the view point so she didn't want to loose any of us... so she then walked over and got a proper photo of it... isn't it pretty? Also you can tell in the distance why they call it the Blue Mountains... :-)

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/threesisters.jpg
The Three Sisters comes with an old aboriginal legend... this is what it is:

Long ago in the Blue Mountains there lived three little Aboriginal sisters. They were Meenhi, Wimlah and Gunnedoo, whose Witch Doctor father was called Tyawan.

Only one creature was feared by all – the Bunyip who lived in a deep hole. When Tyawan had to pass the hole, he would leave his daughters safely on the cliff behind a rocky wall. One day, waving goodbye to his daughters, he descended the cliff steps. On top of the cliff a big centipede suddenly appeared and frightened Meehni, who threw a stone at it. The stone rolled over the cliff and crashed into the valley.

Birds, animals and fairies stopped till as the rocks behind the three sisters split open, leaving them on a thin ledge.

The angry Bunyip emerged to see the terrified sisters. In the valley, Tyawan saw the Bunyip close to his daughters, so he pointed his magic bone at the girls and turned them to stone. The Bunyip then chased Tyawan, who found himself trapped, so he changed himself into a Lyre Bird. Everyone was safe, but Tyawan had dropped his magic bone. After the Bunyip had gone, Tyawan searched and searched for his bone – and he is still searching.

The Three Sisters stand silently watching him from their ledge, hoping he will find the bone to turn them back to Aboriginal girls.

As you look at the Three Sisters, you can hear Tyawan – the Lyre Bird – calling his daughters as his search for the lost bone continues.


Here are some of the views around the Three Sisters... it's quite beautiful isn't it?
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/bluemountains2.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/bluemountains3.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/bluemountains1.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/bluemountains4.jpg
Well... were almost in Sydney now... just a bit longer... sadly we weren't able to see any of the big famous things like the Harbor Bridge or the Opera House but you can see what Sydney looks like at least... :-) Write again soon!
sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Nov 11, 2008, 9:44 am
Well... we were finally there... well no, not really Sydney is a HUGE city full of smaller suburbs, the actually city of Sydney is pretty small which is just the CBD, which is what everyone sees, the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, all that fun stuff... lots of huge buildings and very expensive shops... :-) Kind of like Rodeo Drive in Hollywood... lots and lots of expensive shops and tourists...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/sydney_welcomesyou.jpg

Sadly, we weren't able to visit that - Sara and Daniel had an appointment at a dietician and allergist for their son Andrew at the now famous hospital RPA (Royal Price Alfred Hospital) - why is it famous you might ask? Because it's got a TV show on every Thursday... Sara enjoys watching it... it's got some pretty crazy stuff from what I've seen of it... lol...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/camperdown_buildings.jpg

...that's mainly what a lot of Sydney looks like, very similar to Orange actually... very old looking buildings... Sydney is a mix of old and new buildings... as you can see...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/sydney_oldhouse.jpg

...we were also very very close to the Sydney CBD, we got to see the Sydney skyline while we were driving but it was quite hectic driving around Sydney, especially this close to the CBD, you take one wrong turn and your in a different suburb and lost...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/CBD_bigbuildings.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/AMP_tower_landscape.jpg

...now, you might wonder what that strange looking tower is in between the bigger buildings... it's called the AMP Tower, also known as the Centerpoint Tower, it's right in the middle of Sydney... you wouldn't have any idea, but people walk along the top of it, it's called the Sydney Skywalk... Sara honestly thinks people are crazy, there's a part with a walkway that's clear so you can look straight under you... so creepy! Then again, Sara's not fond of heights...

...but as you can probably imagine, Sara had a good time navigating their way to Camperdown, without one wrong turn (without using the map even)... then when we got there... we couldn't merge... so we drove into another suburb and got lost... so there was a lot of this:
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/sydney/sydney_map.jpg
If that doesn't look scary, I can guarantee you it is... haha... well, I'm back in Orange now, safe and sound it was quite a long day... we're going to Bathurst on Wednesday though for some mystery shopping, and some more kangaroo searching... and maybe a bit more, we shall see won't we? :-) I hope you enjoyed my trip to Sydney! :-)
sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Nov 13, 2008, 2:01 pm
Today we took another trip to Bathurst it's a 45-minute drive from Orange, and that's where Sara always sees the kangaroos, and where thousands of people flock each year to see the famous Bathurst 1000 races each October... well, Sara decided since we were going in again it was time to visit the famous race track...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/mountpanorama_sign.jpg

So here I am in front of the famous sign (on the side of the mountain) and the entrance of the track, which people can drive on all year round, and actually some people have to drive on to get to their house... funny isn't it? :-)
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/finja_panorama.jpg

There was this really strange noise behind us while Sara was taking photos of us in the above photo... then she turned around and there were two magpies making some strange noise... after thinking about it for a little bit she realised it's still around the breeding season for them and they're very good about swooping you when you get close to their nest.. thankfully none of that happened, but it was pretty strange...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/magpies.jpg

Well, there was another thing to see before we drive on the track... something new to the "Motor Racing Museum" right next to the track... it's a statue that's of the late Peter Brock who was famous for driving the track and winning 9 times... he's known as the "king of the mountain"... here's the statue...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/peterbrock_statue.jpg

...and here we all are in front of the statue...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_peterbrockstatue.jpg

Well... now it's time to finally see the track for ourselves...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama1.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama2.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama3.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama4.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama5.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama6.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama7.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama8.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama9.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama10.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama11.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama12.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama13.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama14.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama15.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama16.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama17.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama18.jpg
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_panorama19.jpg

So as you can see it's quite the track... and to know people go around that at around 200 to 300 kilometres per hours is crazy... especially in that "drop" downhill, it doesn't look like it, but it's quite steep around the mountain... and then the straight at the end, people get really fast up that... there's a speed limit for most people on the track, a lot of people walk the track or ride bike on it every day so you have to be careful around the corners especially... but that definitely was quite the experience... well next thing, were going to have a search for kangaroos...

...there was a lot of the kangaroo crossing signs around...
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/toyvoyager_photo/panorama/toyvoyagers_kangaroosign.jpg
...but sadly there were no kangaroos to be seen this time... I'm just glad we got to see some on Monday! It was so hot today, it was actually 8 degrees above average for this time of year in this area... so it was extremely hot and apparently the animals thought so too... oh well! I'm glad I at least got to see some while I was here! Well, I hope you enjoyed my trip to Bathurst, I'll write again soon! <3
sararingham
sara.ringham@gmail.com

Posted Nov 19, 2008, 6:20 am
Well... my time in Orange has ended... I've moved onto bigger and better places... well maybe not better - hehe - I had quite a fun time here and I'm glad I got to spend a lot of time with Sara but it's time to move on and see more of the world! I'll update again when I get to my new host mom! Miss you! <3
crizle
crizle@westnet.com.au

Posted Dec 21, 2008, 5:30 am
Hi Mum, here I am in overly sunny Queensland ready to experience a very hot Christmas.
My host Mumj has been unwell, but I have been having a wonderful time with the other friendly Toy Voyagers staying here.

We have decorated the tree and I have been having so much fun.
I can't wait till Santa arrives. Only 4 more sleeps and counting down.
crizle
crizle@westnet.com.au

Posted Dec 29, 2008, 7:37 pm
Christmas in hot Australia was lots of fun.
They eat icecream with their plum pudding and have a cold meat and salad Christmas Dinner, but even though it was strange for me, I really liked it that way.
I opened presents under the tree with the other Toy Voyagers and shared a bonbon with new Toy Voyager Banyo, who is a little bear like me.
crizle
crizle@westnet.com.au

Posted Jan 13, 2009, 11:38 am
Happy New Year!!!
I went to the beach for new years day and I had such fun in the sand with the other voyagers.

Next day I went to a teddybears picnic.
crizle
crizle@westnet.com.au

Posted Jan 13, 2009, 11:43 am
On a dull gray but still hot day, I went for a long walk to town and Riverlink.
I had a nice morning at the park there overlooking the Bremer River.
crizle
crizle@westnet.com.au

Posted Jan 31, 2009, 2:50 am
I have been having a very hot time in January but it has been lots of fun.
I went to Crizle's birthday, and went for a walk in the Australian bushland, then on Australia Day I was at a party to farewell Hartz before he left us.
Mondfalke


Posted Feb 13, 2009, 11:13 pm
Hello!
I arrived in Hamburg a few days ago and needed some time to rest from my long journey. I was welcomed by Jenny and some other TVs who are already staying here. Nanu the cubandSynapse are really nice guys and have to tell a lot of stories.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00148.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00153.jpg
Today another TV arrived here. It is Super Groverfrom Australia.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00154.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00156.jpg
We went to see the harbour today but I will tell about it in the next entry.

Bye,
Finja
Mondfalke


Posted Feb 13, 2009, 11:19 pm
Hello again!

Today we went to see the harbour of Hamburg. This is perhaps the most famous part of Hamburg and was really excited to visit it. We went there by public traffic and when we left the station we had a great view over the harbour. There was some snow in Hamburg these days which is really untypical. And we had grey weather with some more snow and rain which is typical for Hamburg.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00122.jpg
There were some bridges down to the ships and we went along one of them.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00126.jpg
But it started to rain heavier by then and Jenny decided to show us the old tunnel underneath the river Elbe and the harbour from the other side of it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00132.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00138.jpg
As the rain had stopped then we had a little picknick in the snow and watched some ships going by. The yellow one is the ferry to the musical "The Lion King" which is located in the harbour. But the ferries are used for normal trips when they are not needed to carry visitors to the theater.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00143.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00144.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00145.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00146.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00147.jpg
As it was really cold I was glad when we arrived home. I enjoyed the trip to the harbour and I hope I will see more of Hamburg soon!

Bye,
Finja
Mondfalke


Posted Mar 30, 2009, 8:23 pm
Hello!
Jenny took us out to show us some more of Hamburg. We went to the city centre and then we saw the town hall of Hamburg.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00126a.jpg
We went on to see the Alster and come along the "Alsterarkaden". There were many birds there and at the Alster.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00133-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00138a.jpg
I hope to see some more of Hamburg before I have to move on but next week the university starts again for Jenny and she isn't sure if she will find the time to take me around soon.

Bye,
Finja
Mondfalke


Posted May 9, 2009, 5:17 pm
Hello!
A new TV arrived here about two weeks ago. He is called Mister Snow and he has been to Alaska before he came to Hamburg. We made a trip with Jenny to a forrest called "Sachenwald" last week. It was really beautiful because everywhere we could see the first signs of spring and everything was green again. We enjoyed some time next to a lake.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00002-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00003-2.jpg
Then we walked through the forrest until we came to a place called "Garden of Butterflies" but they have a lot more to see there. First we went into a glasshouse were we saw a chameleon and a lot of beautiful fish.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00010-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00012-1.jpg
After this we finally went into the house were the butterflies were living. It was really warm inside and a lot of butterflies were flying around. The most beautiful was a big blue one but he never sat still so we couldn't make a photo with him. It was generally hard to get a photo with a butterfly so we took some photos with the nice plants and you can see the butterflies more in the background.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00018.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00019.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00020.jpg
But we were lucky and this beautiful butterfly sat still quite long.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00023.jpg
Around the houses there was a great garden and we spent some time with relaxing there.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00039.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00039.jpg
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00045-1.jpg
The last thing we watched before we went home were these rabbits. They enjoyed the sun like we did.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v641/mondfalke/Toyvoyagers/IMG00047-1.jpg
When we arrived home we were really tired and went to bed early.
This is my last update from Hamburg as I will go to Hong Kong now. I am really exited about it but it will be a long trip.

Bye,
Finja
PinkiTheBear


Posted May 17, 2009, 9:01 am
Hello, I arrived in Hong Kong with Cloudy yesterday,
but after Pinki's DAD received the package,
he put us in the drawer and fotgot to tell Pinki's MOM untill this morning!! :o

He is quite a forgetful person.......@_@


When we came out from the envelope, we saw Zera,
she is so enthusiasm, wagging her tail and spining around. :p

This is a sunny day, when Pinki and her mentor is napping,
Pinki's MOM take us to having sun bath.

Pinki's MOM said we will go out for dinner tonight,
and will see the Symphony of Lights at the restaurant,
looking forward to have the great journey.


PinkiTheBear


Posted May 18, 2009, 8:41 am
New friend arrived at Pinki's home this morning,
who is it??? :cyclops:

Wow ))))) This is a Leopard names Spots.

Welcome Spots, let's play together. ^0^
PinkiTheBear


Posted May 27, 2009, 4:40 am
Although we were late for the Cheung Chau Bun Festival,
Pinki' MOM had kept buns for us.

On the top of the bun there is two words「平安」 on it,
「平安」means safe and well. ^^

When we eat the bun, we will all be safe and well in 2009.

http://img.mobypicture.com/c1047fc13c106923549d368be4d81ec2_view.jpg


The Symphony of Lights' show @ 16-May-09
http://img.mobypicture.com/7b32001f87fcd57e6e8e32ced426e35d_view.jpg
PinkiTheBear


Posted May 27, 2009, 5:15 am

It rained all week......we staid at home with Pinki and her friends,
So boring to sit there without anything to do.

http://img.mobypicture.com/efc919ee0c48a9062062526933abc1d3_view.jpg

Maybe Pinki's MOM knew we all felt depressed,
she let us went out in the rain to took the tram visited around Sai Ying Pun yesterday. ^^

We passed through Dried Seafood Street(海味街;) on the tram,
you'll find rare and expensive items like dried abalone and dried scallops here.

See! There are so many salted fishs on both sides of the road!!
http://img.mobypicture.com/933dc907544390b5f817c001c8d8ba4d_view.jpg

After that, we went to Western Market.
It was originally the old Western Market (North Block),
which was identified by Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) as one of the Declared Monuments in 1990.
At present,
it is the oldest market building surviving in Hong Kong.
http://img.mobypicture.com/6cd9763899788998c1002ec8216dceec_view.jpghttp://img.mobypicture.com/dbd5c58d642282deb22ac1714d66797f_view.jpg
http://img.mobypicture.com/7a8c91113531332c462fab97488b1976_view.jpghttp://img.mobypicture.com/367417a746aa67166eca3cb4988d2362_view.jpg


IFC @ Central (the new heart of Hong Kong)
http://img.mobypicture.com/e299e8160729fd83b0eb968b3977da52_view.jpghttp://img.mobypicture.com/087b2f29cf588cbbfe7487f79c374d66_view.jpg


Shun Tak Centre & Macau Ferry Terminal
http://img.mobypicture.com/d38ef347b736d5760969ee8179b1cf16_view.jpg

PinkiTheBear


Posted May 28, 2009, 1:56 pm
Today is The Dragon Boat Festival, also called the Duanwu Festival,
celebrates on he fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
The festival has been marked by racing dragon boats and eating Zongzi--glutinous rice wrapped to form a pyramid using reed leaves.

After we got up, Pinki's MOM took us to watch the racing of dragon boats. :rolleyes:

But when we arrived, it started to rain again......
to prevent us to get wet, we can only took a photo and needed to leave,
it really let us felt very disappoint.

When will the sun come out again?? :stare:

http://img.mobypicture.com/7712659f6e8bfe08d51d6cbce1a9605c_view.jpg
PinkiTheBear


Posted Jun 8, 2009, 4:03 am
After a solid week of non-stop rain there was another agonizing week.

As Pinki's mentor was sick with influenza and Pinki's MOM also had a slight fever......
We needed to stay at home again. -____-#

What should we do??????????
We started to explore at home. :rolleyes:


When I explored in Pinki-DAD's room,
I saw something strange,
it has soft brown fur, smell likes a bear,
I tried to touch it.

Awful ! The strange thing caught me!!!
http://img.mobypicture.com/f3ebbdb25ede28001423ccdf5ad15d47_view.jpg

Help! Help!! Help!!! Is there anyone out there who can help???
Fortunately, Woody the sheriff popped.
http://img.mobypicture.com/d85a9df6827972176ad0c410fe9cee0b_view.jpg

He knocked it down and saved me.
Oh~~ Woody, you are my hero!
http://img.mobypicture.com/deb53f7708a2cd69f131dadfb6d552b5_view.jpg

After he saved me, Woody told me about the strange thing,
it was a bear's hand, on its top there is a label write in Japanese:
Caution! Ezo brown bear haunt (熊出沒注意;).

OMG! I'll be more careful next time. XD


@Times Square with Pinki on 5-June-2009 ^0^
http://img.mobypicture.com/ed03edabe100aa8d0ee5b74cb66d557e_view.jpg

Another new friend Plush Cats @ Cats Musical Hong Kong 2009
http://img.mobypicture.com/b13b9d701389039118f3ef505c6e40bd_view.jpg


PinkiTheBear


Posted Jul 21, 2009, 8:36 am
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs142.snc1/5252_1023363882074_1764550818_46559_7155843_n.jpg

Hello mom, do you miss me?
Pinki couldn't connect to ToyVoyagers's website for a long time,
almost a month, so we couldn't update my travelog for a month.

I went to Tokyo last week, and stayed there for 5 days,
and just back to HongKong last night.

It was fun and wonderful in Tokyo,
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs142.snc1/5252_1023364362086_1764550818_46571_4369746_n.jpg

Pinki's mom is retouching my photo,
and will updata my travelog tomorrow.
See you~

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs122.snc1/5252_1023365642118_1764550818_46595_4758014_n.jpg
PinkiTheBear


Posted Jul 23, 2009, 7:34 pm
Day 1 (15-July-09)


Arrived in Tokyo at 6:00p.m.,
checked in at the hotel and ready for dinner.
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs142.snc1/5252_1023363602067_1764550818_46553_7834552_n.jpg

Pinki read the travel guide and found a famous restaurant.
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs122.snc1/5252_1023364282084_1764550818_46569_100786_n.jpg

This restaurant serves Japanese cattle in 2 style :Shabu Shabu and Teppanyaki style,
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs142.snc1/5252_1023365762121_1764550818_46598_1399181_n.jpg

Inside the restaurant, we can panoramic view the night scene of Shinjuku.
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs142.snc1/5252_1023365802122_1764550818_46599_7304421_n.jpg

After the dinner, it was almost 1:30p.m.,
we back to horel and  look forward to go to the Tokyo Ueno Zoo tomorrow.
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs142.snc1/5252_1023363522065_1764550818_46551_2061073_n.jpghttp://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs142.snc1/5252_1023363562066_1764550818_46552_2890273_n.jpg

olgamaus


Posted Oct 21, 2009, 2:46 pm
I came home today after a longer stay in  HongKong. I even brought a friend with me, a little panda bear.

Maybe he wants to start travelling also one day.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3531/4032141694_45ceda17c6.jpg

Finja
olgamaus


Posted Nov 4, 2009, 10:47 am
I am on my way to my next host now. I will stay in Germany for a while.

Finja
Sahnepop


Posted Nov 4, 2009, 9:28 pm
Hello Mommy!

Today i arrived in Hannover at Sahnepops house. It was really rainy today. But in my envelope i was safe.

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/6677/img7982a.jpg

We drank tea and i told Sahnepop and her toys about my trips around the world. They are very nice. Now Spooks and Nala want to be toytravelers like me.

Later i had sushi and vegetarian sushi
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/1795/img7964k.jpg

I like Spooks, watch his strong arms  ;)
http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/958/img7981.jpg
Sahnepop


Posted Nov 5, 2009, 9:57 pm
Today i was with Sahnepops friend at his work.

He is a banker and taught me how to do expert consultations.
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/9569/finja0511091.jpg

Later i calculated life annuities by myself.
http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/9569/finja0511091.jpg

His colleagues were totally sweet on me and let me eat all of their cakes

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/6897/finja0511093.jpg

Sahnepops friend only get a coffee at least.  :cyclops:
Sahnepop


Posted Nov 24, 2009, 9:37 pm
Hello Mummy,
sorry that we didnt wrote earlier but we had a lot to do and Denise got ill.

On Saturday, 7th we drove to Wesel to get Denise's new kitten from his breeder. Wesel is very near to our home.

http://img682.imageshack.us/img682/6538/img8027klein.jpg

He is born in July and only weighs 5 pounds. I really like him  :)

One day later we made a pizza.
http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/8913/img8181klein.jpg One half vegetarian and the other one with salami.

The last days we went to a doctor, 'cause everyone is talking about swine flu
http://img256.imageshack.us/i/img00089klein.jpg/

i was tested and i'm healthy.  B)

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/643/img00086klein.jpg

Later we drove to IKEA to buy a new shoe cabinet and curtains.
http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/6546/img00088klein.jpg
Here i'm with Billy.

And here i'm sitting in front of a swedish xmas tree.
http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/3808/img00089klein.jpg

I hope i will enjoy a lot more adventures like this!

Luv you,mummy!

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