HolgiHH, Magdeburg, Germany

RikeH


Posted Apr 6, 2009, 3:19 pm
Hi there,

this is my first day as a ToyVoyager - and I am a little excited.
To calm down, I visited some flowers and plants - because I love them so much !!!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/HolgiHH/IMG_6154.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/HolgiHH/Holgi2.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/HolgiHH/IMG_6157-1.jpg
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/HolgiHH/IMG_6159-1-1.jpg


If you have nice plants in your country, please invite me and show them to me.

This is my best friend. He wants to become a ToyVoyager, too...

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/HolgiHH/IMG_6164.jpg
RikeH


Posted Apr 9, 2009, 8:18 am
my travel plan :
maelle in Belgium.
Marjolein in the Netherlands.
Marilia in Brazil.
Pixiedustlady in the USA.
Nancyjb in the USA.
Carolyn in the USA.
JaymeC in Japan.
beccasaurus in the USA.
smaug in France/Canada.
BunTraveler in the USA.
drakie in England.
kcrawfish in the USA.
Erulisse in Singapore.
minnihiiru in Estonia.
La_Kate_Boheme in Germany.
nuriayasmin in Germany.
MamiTig in the USA.
miapearl in the USA.
olgamaus in Germany.
Emjay in the Netherlands
QuamQuam in Germany. <- here I am now !  B)
 


RikeH


Posted Apr 9, 2009, 10:29 am
We were in Hamburg, the town, where my Mum works.

We had fun, because we were 5 TVs.  :rolleyes:

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/PinkyHH/IMG_6178.jpg

You can see me in front of the Alster Lake. And in a wonderful yellow tree.  :p

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/HolgiHH/IMG_6168.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/HolgiHH/IMG_6173.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/HolgiHH/IMG_6182.jpg

Then I found a bridge - and I love bridges. The next photo was in front of the Town Hall.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/HolgiHH/IMG_6186.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/HolgiHH/IMG_6188.jpg

We went to the port and saw a lot of very big ships - amazing !!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/HolgiHH/IMG_6194.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/HolgiHH/IMG_6196.jpg
RikeH


Posted Apr 9, 2009, 10:33 am
I had to say good-bye to my TV-friends.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/Polki/IMG_6200.jpg

I am a little sad, because I left PinkyHH, my best friend.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/PinkyHH/IMG_6201.jpg

But now I am on my way to maelle in Belgium. I hope, that it will be a short journey - and I will have a great time with her !
maelle


Posted Apr 11, 2009, 8:10 pm
Hello mom, I arrived well to Maëlle in Belgium, with me I brought of the sun. I met Charlis but we have no again had a lot of time to take photos.
Kisses mom, goodbye

maelle


Posted Apr 12, 2009, 2:18 pm
Hello mom, today, I saw and (smelt) several plants and Belgian flowers.
I think that they are not very different from Germany.
With Charlis, we collected chocolate eggs in the garden, it was very funny.
Happy Easter mom.
See you later
maelle


Posted Apr 15, 2009, 6:26 pm
Hello Mom.
Yesterday, we went to Liège, a town of Belgium.
Maëlle goes there to make  shopping.It was very funny
maelle


Posted Apr 22, 2009, 12:52 pm
Hello mom, I go very well here in Belgium.
Yesterday with Maëlle we went to make a walk in cycle.
Today, Wieka and Dottie Mouse arrived home. Now we are 3, we go we amused a lot
maelle


Posted Apr 27, 2009, 6:13 pm
Hello mom,
today I have receive your beautiful card, I am satisfied to have of your news because you miss me!
Helgoland has the very great air. Maëlle is also very satisfied to have news of Polki.
See you later mom
maelle


Posted Apr 29, 2009, 1:36 pm
Hello mom, today, the weather is not very beautiful, then we played football with Wieka, Dottie Mouse and Charlis. I was in the team of Charlis and we won!
Later, we went to make a siesta because we were all tired!
To tomorrow mom
maelle


Posted May 2, 2009, 12:49 pm
Hello mom,
in Belgium the weather is very beautiful, the sun shines.
We played outside with all other travelers.
maelle


Posted May 3, 2009, 3:12 pm
Hello mom, in Belgium today, the weather is not very beautiful. That is why we made a small feast.
We got dressed with disguises. How find me kept silent mom?
Later, we ate chocolate eggs. I spent good one a the afternoon but you miss me mom.
maelle


Posted May 5, 2009, 6:26 pm
Hello mom, today, I told goodbye to Charlis because he leaves to his next host . He is going to miss me because it is the first one  toyvoyager that I have met.
It is a good friend and I hope to see again him later in another country.
Goodbye Charlis
maelle


Posted May 10, 2009, 7:51 pm
Hello mom, I spent a beautiful weekend with Maëlle. We went to Strée, a small village of Belgium. We saw several batiments and visited the village It was the last weekend with Maelle because I am going to go in Netherlands now. I keep good memories of my stay in Belgium. I am sad to leave Maelle and Wieka and Dottie Mouse but I also want to continue to travel.
See you later mom
Ps: today in Belgium, it is the Mother's Day, then good celebrate mom! I wrote you a card just before my departure.
maelle


Posted May 10, 2009, 7:53 pm
Goodbye Belgium
Marjolein


Posted Jun 7, 2009, 4:01 pm

Hi mum! I arrived in The Netherlands some time ago!

Today I went to Eurovoetbal with Marjolein! It's footballtournament for young people of the great footballclubs in Europe. We say FC Groningen, Schalke '04, Hamburger SV, Real Madrid, AFC Ajax, Valencia, PSV and much more! It where the youngsters of the clubs, maximum 17 years old.

This is me at a match of Real Madrid against FC Twente from The Netherlands. Real won!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF7938.jpg

The tournament was won by Valencia.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF7940.jpg

Hugs HolgiHH
Marjolein


Posted Jun 7, 2009, 4:09 pm
Today the wheather was the best! I went on a bicyclytour with Marjolein and her best friend Dieuwerke. We started and ended in the city Groningen. We drove about 26 kilometres and had a picknick in Wierumerschouw! Marjolein had also never heard of it, but apparently it's a very small village near the city Groningen.

In Wierumerschouw I saw this great bridge.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF7943.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF7955.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF7956.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF7957.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF7958.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF7944.jpg
Marjolein


Posted Jun 7, 2009, 4:14 pm
Closer to the city Groningen, we sat down together with lots of other people. Here we saw more cool bridges!

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF7959.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF7960.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF7961.jpg

It was a great trip!

Hugs HolgiHH
Marjolein


Posted Jun 7, 2009, 5:17 pm
Hi mum!

I took pictues of Marjolein's plants today. They are all green and that's because Marjolein is not very good with plants; she does NOT have green fingers ;)

This is the biggest plant she has, with the Christmasdecorations still hanging in it, haha.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF7965.jpg

This plant is supposed to bloom with pink flowers, but yeah, Marjolein's not-so-green-fingers are to blame.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF7966.jpg

Also for this plant, where the pink flowers are just falling off! It's still a very cool plant though, in my opinion.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF7968.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c162/marjoleinaneth/DSCF7967.jpg

Kisses HolgiHH
Marilia


Posted Jul 2, 2009, 3:04 pm
Dear mom,

I'm finally in Brazil. I actually arrived last Tuesday (06/30), but I didn't have much to say. Marília, my host, told me that I could have something interesting to write if I waited until yesterday, but it's so rainy outside that we didn't go out after my arrival.

Anyway, the journey was ok. I couldn't say it's that great traveling in an envelope, but I guess it could be worse... maybe.

Marília is a nice host. She got so surprised when I arrived! She had thought I was bigger and she can't stop saying that I'm cute. You always say that too! =)

This is me when I first arrived, sitting on my envelope next to Mortimer_.

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/3.jpg

I saw a very nice chair and asked if I could sit on it, but Mortimer_ told me that Marília's mom had given it to him and he wouldn't let me sit.

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/4.jpg

Marília got worried because she didn't want us to fight, so she called Mortimer_ and talked to him for a while. I heard something about making me feel home. I guess it was a good conversation because then Mortimer_ let me sit on his chair.

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/5.jpg

We realized that the chair was too small for both of us, so Mortimer_ left and let me sit by myself. Don't I look nice on it, mom?

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/6.jpg

Then we had this great conversation. I told him all about the places I've been and he told me about Greece and Finland, and we talked about the places in Germany that we have visited. It was a very nice night.

Later, Christian, Marília's fiancé, arrived and we watched The Sound of Music...

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/7.jpg

... and had some very Brazilian food: rice and beans. But there were also nuggets, and nuggets aren't typical Brazilian food. But anyway... it tasted good.

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/8.jpg

I hope I have a good time in Brazil. Marília will travel next week and she told me that I'll come with her. I can't wait :p

Love,

HolgiHH
Marilia


Posted Jul 6, 2009, 2:57 pm
Hi mom!

It's finally sunny out there!! It was great because we could go out last weekend. And we had another TV with us. His name is Hedgie, he is Australian and has been in Brazil for some months now, but he is still very happy about it.

Marília meant to update my travelog earlier, but she has been very busy lately. Can you believe that she was interviewed last Friday? She is becoming famous because of her blog. We all went with her to the TV office, but she didn't take pictures of us... =/

On my first weekend here, I had so much fun! On Saturday, we went to Parque do Ibirapuera, a very famous park of São Paulo. It was very calm and relaxing, although it's the biggest park of the city!

This is us arriving. They have some very nice paths and a big lake
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/A1.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/A2.jpg

There are many ducks there and they get very close to us because they know that the visitors will feed them.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/A3.jpg

After walking a lot, we decided to rest, so we layed on the flowers and just watched the lake and the people playing around.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/A4.jpg

Of course Marília and Christian, her fiancé, also decided to lay, but they had a towel and didn't want to lay on the flowers.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/A5.jpg

Yesterday was also a very good day. We all walked almost 4 km and Marília and Christian showed us many things. We walked along this very beautiful avenue called Avenida Paulista. I didn't know I was coming to such a huge city! Mortimer_ told me that he has been to an observatory on the top of a building, and Marília told me that she will take me there someday.

This is Avenida Paulista:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/A8.jpg

There are some very nice places to stop by.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/A6.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/A7.jpg

Then we went to the movies, watched a funny Brazilian movie called "A Mulher Invisível" ["The Invisible Woman"] and walked all the 4 km back home.

Now we will rest because, as I told you, we are going to travel on Wednesday. Marília is going to visit her friend and will take all of us. She'll buy the bus ticket tomorrow.

I'll let you know about our plans.

Love,

HolgiHH
Marilia


Posted Jul 12, 2009, 1:46 pm
Hello mom!

I'm back from our holiday! Last Wednesday we (Marília, HolgiHH, Hedgie and me) took the bus very early and the ride took about 4:30 hours. This is our bus:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/R1.jpg

And this is the first view of the city:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/R2.jpg

Marília hadn't been there before, so she was a little excited to see the place. Marília met Rafaella on the internet 6 years ago and they became close friends.

It was fun staying with the girls, although most of the time Marília was helping her friend, Rafaella, to pack her things. Rafaella is going to study in another state and she will move within a couple of days.

Rafaella has 6 cats and a huge dog. Marília couldn't find them all together, but you can see some of the cats in this picture:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/R8.jpg

And the dog, called Budy:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/R9.jpg

On Wednesday and Thursday night there was a dance festival in town. We all went to both of them and Rafaella danced on Thursday.

This is the Municipal Theater, where she danced, and then me looking forward for the festival to start:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/R3.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/R4-Holgi.jpg

Rafaella and her group danced very well. I really enjoyed it! Marília took tons of pictures and I'll show you two of them. In the first one you can see Rafaella dancing in the front and in the second one you can see the whole group:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/R7.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/R6.jpg

We also went to a small park, but Marília couldn't get nice pictures there...
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/R5-Holgi.jpg

We came back home on Friday and yesterday we (Marília, Christian, Holgi, Hedgie and me) went to the movies to watch Transformers 2.

It's rainy and cold out there again. I wish the weather was better so we could hang out more. But I'm having fun here.

Love,

HolgiHH
Marilia


Posted Jul 16, 2009, 8:12 pm
Hello mom!

Yesterday Marília and Christian went to the Canadian Consulate to apply for a visa. They're going to Canada for their honeymoon. I really liked going there. There's a lot of modern buildings around the Consulate. As you can see, the weather wasn't so great.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05936e.jpg

Marília know how I love bridges, so we saw this one on our way. It was built last year and it's already very famous in São Paulo. Don't you think it's a totally different kind of bridge? I loved it!
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05945e.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05941e.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05944e.jpg

Then we went with Marília to her dad's place. We all took a picture with him because he looks just like Santa Claus. In fact he works as Santa Claus at Christmas time. He's very funny.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05950e.jpg

Every week, Marília studies English with her mom, Leonor. Two weeks ago, we saw Leonor planting:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05796e.jpg

And this is a picture of her plants yesterday. Isn't it nice? It's already growing!!
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05953e.jpg

Finally a picture with the Brazilian flag. Their flag is very beautiful and colorful.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05952e.jpg

Well, now I have to go. We are going out with Marília and her friend.

Love,

HolgiHH
Marilia


Posted Jul 22, 2009, 7:03 pm
Hi mom,

Things are going greatly here. Marília is getting busier, though. Her wedding day is getting closer and she still has lots of things to do. We've been helping her a lot and I'll send you the pictures soon.

Last week, Marília took us to the top of one of the highest buildings of São Paulo. In the 35th floor (more than 160 meters high), there’s an observatory and you can see the downtown São Paulo and the surroundings. Mortimer_ had already been there with Marília, so he showed us many things. It was so nice!
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/555.jpg

This is me looking down. It was a little scary...
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/holgi.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/holgi2.jpg

Last weekend we went to Christian's hometown, called São Carlos to visit his dad. His family has a very nice house there. We went to a huge university of the city. There are many buildings in this university and they even have a lake.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/222M.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/333.jpg

We all like this picture:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/444.jpg

I'll come back soon!

Yours,

HolgiHH
Marilia


Posted Jul 28, 2009, 1:59 pm
Good morning, mom!

I'm sorry I didn't come back earlier, but we have been doing many interesting things.

We helped Marília to finish her wedding invitations. It was a real team work: Mortimer_ wrote the names on the envelopes, I attached the individual invitations to the bigger one and Hedgie put the invitations in the envelope.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05977e.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05979e.jpg

Then we had some fun. Marília bought this tiny balls that you have to put in water for them to grow. It was so nice to watch them turn into big round balls! In this picture they are still dry and tiny:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05974e.jpg

In this one they're in water:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05975e.jpg

Some minutes after they were already growing:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05976e.jpg

And finally we had two ball pool for us to play.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05983e.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05993e.jpg

At night, to relax a little, I decided to read "The Little Prince", or "O Pequeno Príncipe" in Portuguese. This is such a great book!
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05994e.jpg

I think that's all. Marília is planning a trip for next week, so she has to use the computer now for her researches.

Love,

HolgiHH
Marilia


Posted Aug 3, 2009, 3:27 pm
Dear mom,

Last weekend we went to São Carlos again, Christian's hometown. Getting away from São Paulo was so exciting! You will understand what I'm saying when you take a look at this picture:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC05998.jpg

It's always good to breathe some fresh air and to watch a blue sky. And guess what I saw. A donkey, mom!! It was so nice! Marília didn't allow me to get too close to him because she told me that he could be wild, but it was very nice!
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06003.jpg

There were also some horses and we took some pictures with them. I like the second one: Christian made me look as if I were riding the horse.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06005.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06011.jpg

Then Marília took us to see Christian's dad's garden. We saw a lot of interesting things. First you can see a banana plant. Did you know that the banana plant is actually the world's largest herb?
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06029.jpg

Unfortunately the bananas were still green and we couldn't eat them.

In this picture you can see a cassava (or manioc). Cassava is a root native to South America and you can prepare many dishes out of it.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06034.jpg

This is another fruit native to Brazil (and Argentina and Paraguay). It's called jabuticaba or Brazilian Grape Tree. Marília told me that they are delicious, but they were also green so we couldn't eat them. When they get black, they are very sweet.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06015.jpg

Then we saw some strawberries and climbed a tree.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06037.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06030.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06032.jpg

And mom, just take a look at the size of this leaf! It's huuuuge.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06039.jpg

Well, this was a VERY nice weekend!

We are going to travel on Wednesday morning and won't be back until Sunday night, so don't worry about me. Marília is taking good care of me.

Love,

HolgiHH
Marilia


Posted Aug 10, 2009, 10:03 pm
Hello mom!

It's been a long time, huh?

First of all, thank you so much for letting me stay in Brazil a little longer! Marília told me that you intended me to travel last week, but I had the best week ever!

To celebrate their fourth year together, Marília and Christian decided to travel. Of course they took me, Mortimer_ and Hedgie.

The journey was nice and we had some great views:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06057.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06060.jpg

But there was a part of the road which was destroyed last year and we didn't know, so we got to a barrier and a guy let us go on so that we didn’t have to come all our way back to another road.

As I said, it was terrible. Just take a look at this picture and you’ll know why:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06068.jpg

It was a relief when we finally got to Paraty, which is a historical small town in the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is a wonderful place to have some rest!
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06083.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06077.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/600.jpg

Then I saw the sea. The Atlantic Ocean, mom!!
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06100.jpg

This is our hotel room. It was very comfy.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06114.jpg

The following day we sailed in a boat and visited a couple of islands. It was amazing!!
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06098.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06164.jpg

Look at the water’s color and all those fishes…
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06198.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06157.jpg

And this is the boat we took:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06205.jpg

The next day we went to Trindade, a tiny, TINY town of Rio de Janeiro. There’s almost nothing in the town, but the beaches are truly gorgeous.

The weather in our first day in Trindade was a little disappointing: it was cloudy and a little cold. Anyway, we could see how beautiful the beaches were:
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06310.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06298.jpg

http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06247.jpg

The following day was a lot nicer with the sun shining.
http://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy273/mariliadiniz/DSC06412.jpg

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And yesterday we came back home.

Again, thanks for letting me stay, mom!
Marilia


Posted Aug 12, 2009, 7:13 pm
Hello mom,

It's dark in here and I don't know where I am exactly.

Marília sent me to the USA yesterday.

I will miss Brazil but I'm sure I'm going to enjoy North America.

I gave my TV friends a huge hug. I hope I can meet them someday, somewhere...

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Talk to you soon.

Love,

HolgiHH
Pixiedustlady


Posted Aug 23, 2009, 1:02 am
Hi Mom!!! Today I flew in from South America all the way to North America!! I have arrived in Richlands, North Carolina and there are three other TVs in the house and we are all going to have so much fun!!

Here I am getting out of my envelope.  It sure felt good to get out and move around! As soon as I jump out I have hirvuli henry-bo and Baubles waiting to greet me.

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Darcie has a dog named Thumper.  Thumper is a very fat and spoiled Chinese Pug.  I have to be careful not to be left on the ground or Thumper will pick me up and carry me around!! She is always interested in the new TVs in the house! anyways here are two of her toys... a duck and a monkey who came over to see me.

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Here I am with my North Carolina postcard!!

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I got on the computer and pulled up a map of the United States.  You can see the white arrow to the right (right next to me) that is the state of North Carolina.

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I heard we are going to the movies tommorro and also we have to stop by the motorcycle shop to pick up some parts for Darcie's husbands racebike.  I am going to the Summit Point Cycle Fest  in West Virginia on Thursday!!! We will be camping in the Toy Hauler from Thursday till Sunday.  I thought a Toy Hauler was a special car just for me LOL it is really a enclosed big trailer that has beds, bathroom, kitchen, flat screen TV, Microwave, fridge, sink, table and chairs.... just like a motorhome but you tow it from behind your truck.  I will be taking lots of photos of me hanging out at the track and having lots of fun!! anyways mom I will write more tommorro after I come home from the movies!!!  I am safe and sound and having a great time!

Love,
HolgiHH
Pixiedustlady


Posted Aug 25, 2009, 12:52 am
Tonight I got on the computer and prepared a entire history lesson about the state of North Carolina.  You will find many interesting facts here in my report and I hope you enjoy it!!

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North Carolina is bordered by South Carolina on the south, Georgia on the southwest, Tennessee on the west, Virginia on the north, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. The United States Census Bureau classifies North Carolina as a southern state in the subcategory of being one of the South Atlantic States.

North Carolina consists of three main geographic sections: the coastal plain, which occupies the eastern 45% of the state; the Piedmont region, which contains the middle 35%; and the Appalachian Mountains and foothills. The extreme eastern section of the state contains the Outer Banks, a string of sandy, narrow islands which form a barrier between the Atlantic Ocean and inland waterways. The Outer Banks form two sounds—Albemarle Sound in the north and Pamlico Sound in the south. They are the two largest landlocked sounds in the United States.

Immediately inland, the coastal plain is relatively flat, with rich soils ideal for growing tobacco, soybeans, melons, and cotton. The coastal plain is North Carolina's most rural section, with few large towns or cities. Agriculture remains an important industry. The major rivers of the coastal plain: the Neuse, Tar, Pamlico, and Cape Fear, tend to be slow-moving and wide.

The coastal plain transitions to the Piedmont region along the "fall line", a line which marks the elevation at which waterfalls first appear on streams and rivers. The Piedmont region of central North Carolina is the state's most urbanized and densely populated section - all five of the state's largest cities are located in the Piedmont. It consists of gently rolling countryside frequently broken by hills or low mountain ridges. A number of small, isolated, and deeply eroded mountain ranges and peaks are located in the Piedmont, including the Sauratown Mountains, Pilot Mountain, the Uwharrie Mountains, Crowder's Mountain, King's Pinnacle, the Brushy Mountains, and the South Mountains. The Piedmont ranges from about 300–400 feet (90–120 m) elevation in the east to over 1,000 feet (300 m) in the west. Due to the rapid population growth of the Piedmont, many of the farms and much of the rural countryside in this region is being replaced by suburbanization: shopping centers, housing developments, and large corporate office parks. Agriculture is steadily declining in importance in this region. The major rivers of the Piedmont, such as the Yadkin and Catawba, tend to be fast-flowing, shallow, and narrow.

The western section of the state is part of the Appalachian Mountain range. Among the subranges of the Appalachians located in the state are the Great Smoky Mountains, Blue Ridge Mountains, Great Balsam Mountains, and the Black Mountains. The Black Mountains are the highest in the Eastern United States, and culminate in Mount Mitchell at 6,684 feet (2,037 m).[3] It is the highest point east of the Mississippi River. Although agriculture remains important, tourism has become the dominant industry in the mountains. One agricultural pursuit which has prospered and grown in recent decades is the growing and selling of Christmas Trees. Due to the higher altitude of the mountains, the climate often differs markedly from the rest of the state. Winters in western North Carolina typically feature significant snowfall and subfreezing temperatures more akin to a midwestern state than a southern one.

North Carolina has 17 major river basins. Five of the state's river basins: the Hiwassee, Little Tennessee, French Broad, Watauga and New, are part of the Mississippi River Basin, which drains to the Gulf of Mexico. All the others flow to the Atlantic Ocean. Of the 17 basins, 11 originate within the state of North Carolina, but only four are contained entirely within the state's borders - the Cape Fear, Neuse, White Oak and Tar-Pamlico.




The coastal plain is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean which keeps temperatures mild in winter and moderate in the summer. Daytime high temperatures on the coast average less than 89 °F (31.6 °C) during the summer. In the winter, the coast has the mildest temperatures in the state, with daytime temperatures rarely dropping below 40 °F (4.4 °C); the average daytime winter temperature in the coastal plain is usually in the mid-60's. Temperatures in the coastal plain rarely drop below freezing even at night. The coastal plain usually receives only one inch (2.5 cm) of snow and/or ice annually, and in some years there may be no snow or ice at all.

The Atlantic Ocean has less influence on the Piedmont region, and as a result the Piedmont has hotter summers and colder winters than the coast. Daytime highs in the Piedmont often average over 90 °F (32.2 °C) in the summer. While it is not common for temperatures to reach over 100 °F (37.8 °C) in North Carolina, when it happens, the highest temperatures are to be found in the lower areas of the Piedmont, especially around the city of Fayetteville. Additionally, the weaker influence of the Atlantic Ocean means that temperatures in the Piedmont often fluctuate more widely than the coast.

In the winter, the Piedmont is much less mild than the coast, with daytime temperatures that are usually in the mid 50's, and temperatures often drop below freezing at night. The region averages from 3–5 inches of snowfall annually in the Charlotte area to 6–8 inches in the Raleigh–Durham area. The Piedmont is especially notorious for sleet and freezing rain. It can be heavy enough in some storms to snarl traffic and collapse trees and power lines. Annual precipitation and humidity is lower in the Piedmont than either the mountains or the coast, but even at its lowest, the precipitation is a generous 40 in (102 cm) per year.

The Appalachian Mountains are the coolest area of the state, with daytime temperatures averaging in the low 40's and upper 30's for highs in the winter and often falling into the teens (−9 °C) or lower on winter nights. Relatively cool summers have temperatures rarely rising above 80 °F (26.7 °C). Snowfall in the mountains is usually 14–20 in (36–51 cm) per year, but it is often greater in the higher elevations. For example, during the Blizzard of 1993 more than 50 inches (130 cm) of snow fell on Mount Mitchell over a period of three days.

Severe weather occurs regularly in North Carolina. On average, the state receives a direct hit from a hurricane once a decade. Tropical storms arrive every 3 or 4 years. In some years, several hurricanes or tropical storms can directly strike the state or brush across the coastal areas. Only Florida and Louisiana are hit by hurricanes more often. Although many people believe that hurricanes menace only coastal areas, the rare hurricane which moves inland quickly enough can cause severe damage. In 1989 Hurricane Hugo caused heavy damage in Charlotte and even as far inland as the Blue Ridge Mountains in the northwestern part of the state. On average, North Carolina has 50 days of thunderstorm activity per year, with some storms becoming severe enough to produce hail, flash floods, and damaging winds.

North Carolina averages fewer than 20 tornadoes per year. Many of these are produced by hurricanes or tropical storms along the coastal plain. Tornadoes from thunderstorms are a risk, especially in the eastern part of the state. The western piedmont is often protected by the mountains breaking storms up as they try to cross over them. The storms will often reform farther east. Also a weather feature known as "cold air damming" occurs in the western part of the state. This can also weaken storms but can also lead to major ice events in winter."[8]


North Carolina was originally inhabited by many different native peoples, including those of the ancient Mississippian culture established by 1000 A.D. in the Piedmont. Historically documented tribes included Cherokee, Tuscarora, Cheraw, Pamlico, Meherrin, Coree, Machapunga, Cape Fear Indians, Waxhaw, Saponi, Tutelo, Waccamaw, Coharie, and Catawba.

Spanish explorers traveling inland encountered the last of the Mississippian culture at Joara, near present-day Morganton. Records of Hernando de Soto attested to his meeting with them in 1540. In 1567 Captain Juan Pardo led an expedition into the interior of North Carolina on a journey to claim the area for the Spanish colony, as well as establish another route to protect silver mines in Mexico (the Spanish did not realize the distances involved.) Pardo made a winter base at Joara, which he renamed Cuenca. The expedition built Fort San Juan and left 30 men, while Pardo traveled further, establishing five other forts. He returned by a different route to Santa Elena on Parris Island, South Carolina, then a center of Spanish Florida. In the spring of 1568, natives killed all the soldiers and burned the six forts in the interior, including the one at Fort San Juan. The Spanish never returned to the interior to press their colonial claim, but this marked the first European attempt at colonization of the interior of what became the United States. A journal by Pardo's scribe Bandera and archaeological findings at Joara have confirmed the settlement.[9][10]


Sir Walter Raleigh returns to find the colony abandonedIn 1584, Elizabeth I, granted a charter to Sir Walter Raleigh, for whom the state capital is named, for land in present-day North Carolina (then Virginia).[11] Raleigh established two colonies on the coast in the late 1580s, both ending in failure. It was the second American territory the British attempted to colonize. The demise of one, the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke Island, remains one of the great mysteries of American history. Virginia Dare, the first English child to be born in North America, was born on Roanoke Island on August 18, 1587. Dare County is named for her.

Main article: Province of Carolina
As early as 1650, colonists from the Virginia colony moved into the area of Albemarle Sound. By 1663, King Charles II of England granted a charter to establish a new colony on the North American continent which generally established its borders. He named it Carolina in honor of his father Charles I.[12] By 1665, a second charter was issued to attempt to resolve territorial questions. In 1710, due to disputes over governance, the Carolina colony began to split into North Carolina and South Carolina. The latter became a crown colony in 1729.


Colonial Period and Revolutionary War
Main article: American Revolutionary War

Reconstructed royal governor's mansion Tryon Palace in New BernThe first permanent European settlers of North Carolina were British colonists who migrated south from Virginia, following a rapid growth of the colony and the subsequent shortage of available farmland. Nathaniel Batts was documented as one of the first of these Virginian migrants. He settled south of the Chowan River and east of the Great Dismal Swamp in 1655.[13] By 1663, this northeastern area of the Province of Carolina, known as the Albemarle Settlements, was undergoing full-scale British settlement.[14] During the same period, the English monarch Charles II gave the province to the Lords Proprietors, a group of noblemen who had helped restore Charles to the throne in 1660. The new province of "Carolina" was named in honor and memory of King Charles I (Latin: Carolus). In 1712, North Carolina became a separate colony. With the exception of the Earl Granville holdings, it became a royal colony seventeen years later.[15]

Differences in the settlement patterns of eastern and western North Carolina, or the low country and uplands, affected the political, economic, and social life of the state from the eighteenth until the twentieth century. The Tidewater in eastern North Carolina was settled chiefly by immigrants from England and the Scottish Highlands. The upcountry of western North Carolina was settled chiefly by Scots-Irish and German Protestants, the so-called "cohee". Arriving during the mid-to-late 18th century, the Scots-Irish from Ireland were the largest immigrant group before the Revolution. During the Revolutionary War, the English and Highland Scots of eastern North Carolina tended to remain loyal to the British Crown, because of longstanding business and personal connections with Great Britain. The Scots-Irish and German settlers of western North Carolina tended to favor American independence from Britain.

Most of the English colonists arrived as indentured servants, hiring themselves out as laborers for a fixed period to pay for their passage. In the early years the line between indentured servants and African slaves or laborers was fluid. Some Africans were allowed to earn their freedom before slavery became a lifelong status. Most of the free colored families formed in North Carolina before the Revolution were descended from relationships or marriages between free white women and enslaved or free African or African-American men. Many had migrated or were descendants of migrants from colonial Virginia.[16] As the flow of indentured laborers to the colony decreased with improving economic conditions in Great Britain, more slaves were imported and the state's restrictions on slavery hardened. The economy's growth and prosperity was based on slave labor, devoted first to the production of tobacco.

On April 12, 1776, the colony became the first to instruct its delegates to the Continental Congress to vote for independence from the British crown, through the Halifax Resolves passed by the North Carolina Provincial Congress. The dates of both of these independence-related events are memorialized on the state flag and state seal.[17] Throughout the Revolutionary War, fierce guerilla warfare erupted between bands of pro-independence and pro-British colonists. In some cases the war was also an excuse to settle private grudges and rivalries. A major American victory in the war took place at King's Mountain along the North Carolina–South Carolina border. On October 7, 1780 a force of 1000 mountain men from western North Carolina (including what is today the State of Tennessee) overwhelmed a force of some 1000 British troops led by Major Patrick Ferguson. Most of the British soldiers in this battle were Carolinians who had remained loyal to the British Crown (they were called "Tories"). The American victory at Kings Mountain gave the advantage to colonists who favored American independence, and it prevented the British Army from recruiting new soldiers from the Tories.

The road to Yorktown and America's independence from Great Britain led through North Carolina. As the British Army moved north from victories in Charleston and Camden, South Carolina, the Southern Division of the Continental Army and local militia prepared to meet them. Following General Daniel Morgan's victory over the British Cavalry Commander Banastre Tarleton at the Battle of Cowpens on January 17, 1781, southern commander Nathanael Greene led British Lord Charles Cornwallis across the heartland of North Carolina, and away from Cornwallis's base of supply in Charleston, South Carolina. This campaign is known as "The Race to the Dan" or "The Race for the River."[15]

Generals Greene and Cornwallis finally met at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in present-day Greensboro on March 15, 1781. Although the British troops held the field at the end of the battle, their casualties at the hands of the numerically superior American Army were crippling. Following this "Pyhrric victory", Cornwallis chose to move to the Virginia coastline to get reinforcements, and to allow the Royal Navy to protect his battered army. This decision would result in Cornwallis's eventual defeat at Yorktown, Virginia later in 1781. The Patriots' victory there guaranteed American independence.


Antebellum Period
On November 21, 1789, North Carolina became the twelfth state to ratify the Constitution. In 1840, it completed the state capitol building in Raleigh, still standing today. Most of North Carolina's slave owners and large plantations were located in the eastern portion of the state. Although North Carolina's plantation system was smaller and less cohesive than those of Virginia, Georgia or South Carolina, there were significant numbers of planters concentrated in the counties around the port cities of Wilmington and Edenton, as well as suburban planters around the cities of Raleigh, Charlotte and Durham. Planters owning large estates wielded significant political and socio-economic power in antebellum North Carolina, often to the derision of the generally non-slave holding "yeoman" farmers of Western North Carolina. In mid-century, the state's rural and commercial areas were connected by the construction of a 129–mile (208 km) wooden plank road, known as a "farmer's railroad," from Fayetteville in the east to Bethania (northwest of Winston-Salem).[15]

In addition to slaves, there were a number of free people of color in the state. Most were descended from free African Americans who had migrated along with neighbors from Virginia during the eighteenth century. After the Revolution, Quakers and Mennonites worked to persuade slaveholders to free their slaves. Enough were inspired by their efforts and the language of men's rights, and arranged for manumission of their slaves. The number of free people of color rose in the first couple of decades after the Revolution.[18]

On October 25, 1836 construction began on the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad[19] to connect the port city of Wilmington with the state capital of Raleigh. In 1849 the North Carolina Railroad was created by act of the legislature to extend that railroad west to Greensboro, High Point, and Charlotte. During the Civil War the Wilmington-to-Raleigh stretch of the railroad would be vital to the Confederate war effort; supplies shipped into Wilmington would be moved by rail through Raleigh to the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.

During the antebellum period North Carolina was an overwhelmingly rural state, even by Southern standards. In 1860 only one North Carolina town, the port city of Wilmington, had a population of more than 10,000. Raleigh, the state capital, had barely more than 5,000 residents.

While slaveholding was slightly less concentrated than in some Southern states, according to the 1860 census, more than 330,000 people, or 33% of the population of 992,622 were enslaved African-Americans. They lived and worked chiefly on plantations in the eastern Tidewater. In addition, 30,463 free people of color lived in the state. They were also concentrated in the eastern coastal plain, especially at port cities such as Wilmington and New Bern where they had access to a variety of jobs. Free African Americans were allowed to vote until 1835, when the state rescinded their suffrage.


American Civil War
Main article: American Civil War
In 1860, North Carolina was a slave state, in which about one-third of the population of 992,622 were enslaved African Americans. This was a smaller proportion than many Southern states. In addition, the state had a substantial number of Free Negroes, just over 30,000.[20] The state did not vote to join the Confederacy until President Abraham Lincoln called on it to invade its sister-state, South Carolina, becoming the second to last state to join the Confederacy. North Carolina was the site of few battles, but it provided at least 125,000 troops to the Confederacy— far more than any other state. Approximately 40,000 of those troops never returned home, dying of disease, battlefield wounds, and starvation. Elected in 1862, Governor Zebulon Baird Vance tried to maintain state autonomy against Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond.

Even after secession, some North Carolinians refused to support the Confederacy. This was particularly true of non-slave-owning farmers in the state's mountains and western Piedmont region. Some of these farmers remained neutral during the war, while some covertly supported the Union cause during the conflict. Approximately 2,000 North Carolinians from western North Carolina enlisted in the Union Army and fought for the North in the war, and two additional Union Army regiments were raised in the coastal areas of the state that were occupied by Union forces in 1862 and 1863. Even so, Confederate troops from all parts of North Carolina served in virtually all the major battles of the Army of Northern Virginia, the Confederacy's most famous army. The largest battle fought in North Carolina was at Bentonville, which was a futile attempt by Confederate General Joseph Johnston to slow Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's advance through the Carolinas in the spring of 1865.[15] In April 1865 after losing the Battle of Morrisville, Johnston surrendered to Sherman at Bennett Place, in what is today Durham, North Carolina. This was the last major Confederate Army to surrender. North Carolina's port city of Wilmington was the last Confederate port to fall to the Union. It fell in the spring of 1865 after the nearby Second Battle of Fort Fisher.


Bennett Place historic site in Durham, North Carolina.The first Confederate soldier to be killed in the Civil War was Private Henry Wyatt, a North Carolinian. He was killed in the Battle of Big Bethel in June 1861. At the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, the 26th North Carolina Regiment participated in Pickett/Pettigrew's Charge and advanced the farthest into the Northern lines of any Confederate regiment. During the Battle of Chickamauga the 58th North Carolina Regiment advanced farther than any other regiment on Snodgrass Hill to push back the remaining Union forces from the battlefield. At Appomattox Court House in Virginia in April 1865, the 75th North Carolina Regiment, a cavalry unit, fired the last shots of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the Civil War. For many years, North Carolinians proudly boasted that they had been "First at Bethel, Farthest at Gettysburg and Chickamauga, and Last at Appomattox."

Film studios are located in Shelby, Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem. Some of the best-known films and television shows filmed in the state include: All the Real Girls, Being There, Blue Velvet, Bull Durham, A Walk to Remember, Glory (film), The Color Purple, Cabin Fever, Super Mario Bros. (film), Cape Fear, Children of the Corn, The Crow, Dawson's Creek, Dirty Dancing, Evil Dead 2, The Fugitive, The Green Mile, Hannibal, The Last of the Mohicans, Nell, One Tree Hill, Patch Adams (film), Shallow Hal, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Leatherheads, Nights in Rodanthe and 28 Days. Half of Steven King's movies were filmed in North Carolina. The television show most associated with North Carolina is The Andy Griffith Show, which aired on CBS-TV from 1960 to 1968. The series is set in the fictional small town of Mayberry, North Carolina, and was based on the real-life town of Mount Airy, North Carolina, although it was filmed in California. Mount Airy is the hometown of actor Andy Griffith. The show is still popular in reruns and is frequently shown in syndication around the nation. North Carolina is also home to some of the Southeast's biggest film festivals, including the National Black Theatre Festival and the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem, and the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina.

The School of Filmmaking at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem is a unique arts conservatory that combines rigorous professional training with unparalleled facilities, equipment and resources. All Second, Third and Fourth Year productions are entered into film and video festivals worldwide, and several have won major awards, including the Student Academy Award, the Angelus Award and the Cine Eagle Award. The best Fourth Year productions are also screened on film in front of large industry audiences at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles in June each year. School of the Arts alumni have performed in or behind the scenes of Broadway shows, film, television and regional theatre, and are members of the world’s finest symphony orchestras and opera and dance companies. They have won or been nominated for all of the major awards in the entertainment industry, including Tony, Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and others. Some well-known alumni of the NCSA School of Drama are Jada Pinkett Smith, Mary-Louise Parker, Catherine Dent, and Tom Hulce.

Although North Carolina did not have a major-league professional sports franchise until the 1980s, the state has long been known as a hotbed of college basketball. Since the formation of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 1953, the conference's North Carolina member schools have excelled in conference play. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), Duke University, and North Carolina State University are all located within 25 miles (40 km) of one another, creating fierce rivalries. Wake Forest University, another ACC member, is located less than 100 miles (160 km) to the west of these schools in Winston-Salem. UNC has won four NCAA national championships in basketball: 1957, 1982, 1993, and 2005. The Tar Heels also won a national-level championship in 1924, before the NCAA was created. Duke has won three NCAA championships: 1991, 1992, and 2001. NC State has won two: 1974 and 1983. The Duke-UNC basketball rivalry has been called one of the best rivalries in sports and the two schools are often contenders for the national title. In addition to the ACC schools, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte went to the NCAA's Final Four in 1977, and Davidson College near Charlotte went to the NCAA's "Elite Eight" in 1968, 1969, and 2008. In 2007 Barton College in Wilson won the NCAA Division II championship in men's basketball. Although basketball remains the dominant college sport in North Carolina, several schools have also enjoyed success in football and other sports. In 2005, 2006, and 2007 Appalachian State University won the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision championship; they are the first university to win the Division I Football Championship Subdivision championship three times in a row. Wake Forest University has also enjoyed substantial success in football; in 2007 they won the ACC football championship and participated in the 2007 Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. This was the first major bowl berth for a North Carolina-based team since Duke defeated Arkansas in the 1961 Cotton Bowl (game).


Recreation

The Blue Ridge Mountains of the Shining Rock Wilderness AreaDue to geography, rich history, and growing industry, North Carolina provides a large range of recreational activities from swimming at the beach[53] to skiing in the mountains. North Carolina offers fall colors, freshwater and saltwater fishing, hunting, birdwatching, agritourism, ATV trails, ballooning, rock climbing, biking, hiking, skiing, boating and sailing, camping, canoeing, caving (spelunking), gardens, and arboretums. North Carolina has theme parks, aquariums, zoos, museums, historic sites, lighthouses, elegant theaters, concert halls, and fine dining.[54]

North Carolinians enjoy outdoor recreation utilizing numerous local bike paths, 34 state parks, and 14 national parks which are the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Cape Lookout National Seashore, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site at Flat Rock, Croatan National Forest in Eastern North Carolina, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site at Manteo, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in Greensboro, Moores Creek National Battlefield near Currie, the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, Old Salem National Historic Site in Winston-Salem, the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, Uwharrie National Forest.


Other information

Famous food and drinks from North Carolina

 
2008 Lexington Barbecue FestivalA nationally-famous cuisine from North Carolina is pork barbecue. However, there are strong regional differences and rivalries over the sauces and method of preparation used in making the barbecue. Eastern North Carolina pork barbecue uses a vinegar-based sauce and the "whole hog" is cooked, thus using both white and dark meat. The "capital" of eastern Carolina barbecue is usually considered to be the town of Wilson, near Raleigh. Western North Carolina pork barbecue uses a ketchup and vinegar based sauce and only the pork shoulder (dark meat) is used. The "capital" of western Carolina barbecue is usually considered to be the Piedmont Triad town of Lexington, home of the Lexington Barbecue Festival which brings in over 100,000 visitors each October.

North Carolina is the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, first produced in 1890 in New Bern. Regional soft drinks created and still based in the state are Sun Drop and Cheerwine. Krispy Kreme, a popular chain of doughnut stores, was started in North Carolina; the company's headquarters are in Winston-Salem. Despite its name, the hot sauce Texas Pete was created in North Carolina; its headquarters are also in Winston-Salem. The Hardees fast-food chain was started in Rocky Mount. Another fast-food chain, Bojangles', was started in Charlotte, and has its corporate headquarters there. A popular North Carolina restaurant chain is Golden Corral. Started in 1973, the chain was founded in Fayetteville. Popular pickle brand Mount Olive Pickle Company was founded in Mount Olive in 1926. Cook Out, a popular fast food chain featuring burgers, hot dogs, and milkshakes in a wide variety of flavors, was founded in Greensboro in 1989 and operates exclusively in North Carolina.


Ships named for the state
Several ships have been named for the state. Most famous is the USS North Carolina, a World War II battleship. The ship served in several battles against the forces of Imperial Japan in the Pacific theater during the war. Now decommissioned, it is part of the USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial in Wilmington. Another USS North Carolina, a nuclear attack submarine, was commissioned on May 3, 2008.[55]


Cardinal, North Carolina state bird
Strawberry, North Carolina state red berry
[edit] State symbols
Main article: North Carolina state symbols
State motto: Esse quam videri ("To be, rather than to seem") (1893)
State song: "The Old North State" (1927)
State flower: Dogwood (1941)
State bird: Cardinal (1943)
State colors: the red and blue of the N.C. and U.S. flags (1945)
State toast: The Tar Heel Toast (1957)
State tree: Pine (1963)
State shell: Scotch bonnet (1965)
State mammal: Eastern Gray Squirrel (1969)
State salt water fish: Red Drum (also known as the Channel bass) (1971)
State insect: European honey bee (1973)
State gemstone: Emerald (1973)
State reptile: Eastern Box Turtle (1979)
State rock: Granite (1979)
State beverage: Milk (1987)
State historical boat: Shad boat (1987)
State language: English (1987)
State dog: Plott Hound (1989)
State military academy: Oak Ridge Military Academy (1991)
State tartan: Carolina tartan (1991)[56]
State vegetable: Sweet potato (1995)
State red berry: Strawberry (2001)
State blue berry: Blueberry (2001)
State fruit: Scuppernong grape (2001)
State wildflower: Carolina Lily (2003)
State Christmas tree: Fraser Fir (2005)
State carnivorous plant: Venus Flytrap (2005)
State folk dance: Clogging (2005)
State popular dance: Shag (2005)
State freshwater trout: Southern Appalachian Brook Trout (2005)
State birthplace of traditional pottery: the Seagrove area (2005)

Hope you enjoyed your history lesson Mom!!

Love,
HolgiHH


Pixiedustlady


Posted Aug 25, 2009, 11:59 am
Hi Mom!!!!
Today we went out in town to get a few more things for the race bike.  We had to make sure everything is perfect and ready to go.  Here we are at Lejeune Bike Shop.  It is raining today and you can see the rain as we drive downtown to Jacksonville.
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We checked out some of the dirt bikes.  Here is a perfect TV sized bike!! It is only a 50cc and that is perfect for us!
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN0981.jpg

Next we go check out the four wheelers.  They are very popular here with the guys who like to take them in the woods and race them around as fast as they can!

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN0984.jpg

Next we go look at some helmets.
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN0982.jpg

Here is the special edition Repsol Honda race bike.  There was a sign that said KEEP OFF but we asked the manager and he said we could take a photo.
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN0985.jpg

Next we went to the movie theatre.  The ones here are HUGE and have 16 screens! we went to see *The time travelers wife* Darcie read the book and said it was fantastic! The movie was very good.

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Here we are getting Popcorn,  coke and some Reeses peanut butter cups!!
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This movie advertisement looks like it will be great!
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Here we are in the movie theatre waiting for the show to start.

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The movie was really good and we had a fun day! We almost have the race bike put together and will start loading the Toy Hauler tommorro!!!


Love
HolgiHH



Pixiedustlady


Posted Aug 27, 2009, 12:57 am
Hi Mom!!!
Today Darcie had a little surprise party waiting for Steve when he got home from work!! the party was a *Good Luck* party for the big race this weekend.  As you can see everything was done in Tiffany blue (Darcie's favorite jewerly store and color)  We even had blue raspberry Martinis!! Anyways here we are helping getting the food already before he got home.

Here we are with Blue Truffles
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Here we are with chocolate cupcakes and Tiffany blue icing, I ate two of them myself!

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Here we are with the blue raspberry martini mix and the bar set and martini glasses.

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And here we are with all the goodies out and ready to eat!!

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Now it was time to load up the toy hauler.  We helped out getting everything checked off the list and loaded up and tied down.

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Here we are inside the front of the kitchen.  It is kind of dark since the lights were not on but I will take more photos when we get to the track so you can see better :)  we loaded up all the food in the fridge and the Corona beer, Captain Morgans rum, snapple teas, Water and Coke in the coolers.

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Here we are on the back of the race bike after we got it loaded.  Doesnt it look better then a few days ago?? :)
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Here we are on the back of the pit bikes.  My hosts have three pit bikes, two scooters and one dirt bike.  They make it easy to get around the paddock since the race tracks are way to big to walk around back and forth all day long.  This time we are bringing the Zuma Scooter and the Dirt Bike.
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Here we are checking to make sure we have all our riding gear.  This boot bag has our Alpine Star racing boots inside and also to the left is Steves back protector.
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Last thing to go in is the big tool box.  We cannot go anywhere with out all the tools! as you see we have quiet a huge load of stuff that has to be hauled to the races!

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Close up of us checking to make sure every tool is in the right drawer. 
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This year Steve got new racing shirts done and they are sooo neat!! His number is #33 and if you look hard *Muttley* the cartoon character is on the front of the shirt!!! Have you ever seen Muttley on TV??? he has the FUNNIEST laugh.  Darcie's nickname for her Porsche is Muttley so they put him on the shirts this year.  Here is the front.
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1009.jpg

Here is the back.  GSXR is the type of race bike that Steve races.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1010.jpg


Well mom I have to now go pack up my suitcase and get everything ready to leave for tommorro.  We are leaving at 10 am for the long drive to West Virginia.  Thumper the dog is coming along too!! It should be a fantastic adventure!! I will try to do some updates at the track (if the wi fi is working good!) talk to you soon!!

HolgiHH
Official Pit Crew
Team Clark racing
Pixiedustlady


Posted Aug 28, 2009, 11:41 pm
Hi Mom!!!!
Today we loaded up the truck and headed off for Summit Point, West Virginia.  It is going to take us about 7 hours to arrive at the track.  Here we are in the truck ready to go!!! We are getting on interstate 95 which is famous in the USA.... either South to Florida or North to New York City.  Here we are getting on 95 to take us up North to West Virginia.

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We see lots of familiar signs and we are headed towards the Washington DC area.  We are lucky we missed all the horrible everyday traffic on our way to the track!

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Here we are with our happy meal that we got from McDonalds.
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We pass over a real cool looking bridge in Virginia.  It was hard to take a photo but I thought you would like it!
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1026.jpg

We enjoy the beautiful scenery as we travel through the Shennandoah valley, the area is filled with beautiful horse farms and mountains and pretty trees :)

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There are a lot of National Civil war battlefields and parks that people travel all over the world to come and visit in Virginia.  Here we are passing through one of the parks.
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We finally arrive in West Virginia, we drive through a lot of old historic tiny towns like this one in the photo.  This little town is called Millwood and it was so cute!

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Here we are!!! we are finally at the racetrack!!!

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We have to wait 15 more minutes before we can go into the Paddock so we wait in line with everyone else till they open up the gate.
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Here we are with the signs telling us which way to go to the main Paddock.  There are two race courses here at the Sports park.

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We find our friends and we start setting up all the pits.  We all camp together and have a great time.

Here we are on our friend Jamie's bike.  This is a GSXR 600.  We like the paint job.

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Here we are on our host, Steves bike.  Dont we look cool?!

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Here we are on our friends Yamaha R1.  This is a 1000cc motorcycle and he is in 1st place this year for the WERA club racing Championship.

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Here is our friend Kent holding us on our host's Dirt Bike.  He thinks it is fun we are visiting!
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Here we are hanging out in our pit on the tables against the toy hauler.

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We get the tool box out to do some last minute adjustments and get ready for the track day tommmorro!! a track day is a practice day before the races on Saturday and Sunday.
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We are tired and it is time for bed!! Thumper the pug dog has also come on the trip and has been having a fun time watching us get our photo taken :)

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Well mom that is what happened on our first day.  Mostly just traveling up here and getting everything set up for the track day!! I get to get out on the track tommorro!!! hope you are enjoing the updates.  The weather is NICE and cool here :) much better then the heat in North Carolina!!!

We are going to watch a movie before bed... I think we are going to watch *The Hangover* for the 10000000000000th time LOL it is sooooooooooo funny!! 

Love
HolgiHH








Pixiedustlady


Posted Aug 29, 2009, 3:15 pm
Hi Mom! We got up at 6:00 am and checked the weather and saw it might rain!! rain is NOT good for motorcycles on the race track.  Steve has rain tires but was hoping not to have to use them.  Today is a *track Day* which means it is a opportunity just to practice all day long.  It is a great time to do any kind of adjustments that need to be done to the motorcycle.  We got our breakfast out and cooked scrambled eggs, bacon and had some Amaretto Cheesecake flavored yogurt and Vanilla Coffee :)

Here we are cooking.

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Yum doesnt it look good?!
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We have to get the bike ready for practice so we put the tire warmers on the tires.  The tires *stick* better to the race track when they are warmed up.  If they are cold it is easy to crash.

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Darcie had some friends go water tubing earlier that day and this is a portable cooler that they took down the river.  It holds all your drinks and has spaces for your cups around the bottom! pretty cool!

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1049.jpg

Something that they NEVER have at the races is racing sidecar Motorcycles.  We went over and took some photos with them. 
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1050.jpg

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This one was our favorite, it looks like a rocket!!

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Here we are watching the sidecars do race practice.

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Here is the podium that winners will stand on tommorro if they place 1st, 2nd or 3rd.  Can you see us way at the bottom?

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Here we are on our pit bike.  We are going to take it down to the hot pit so we can watch our host do race practice.
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Here we are with Steve holding us and his friend Kent before they went out on the track.

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Here is Steve coming down the front straight at 150 mph.. we love watching the bikes zoom real fast!!!
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Here we are with one of the race officials.  He was laughing at the fact we were coming to the hot pit to watch the race.  He said he had never held TVs before and posed for a picture with us.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1066.jpg


Here we are watching all the bikes come in after a red flag.  A red flat is when someone has crashed and they have to go send out the crash truck to pick up the bike and rider.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1068.jpg




Here is Steve and his four friends all together waving at you with us in the front!!
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1069.jpg



If you look hard WE are on the bikes!!!!! HolgiHH and Henry-Bo are on bike number 142 on the right hand side of the intake valve (to the right of the number) they were too little to sit on the windscreen :)

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1073.jpg

Here I am sittting on Kents intake valve.  You can see me down by the right of the number 142 :)  When the practice started again, I got tucked inside his leathers and got to go for a wild ride around the track!!

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1076.jpg


After a long day we cooked dinner and then had a few Coronas, took a shower and went to bed.  Tommorro is race day #1!!! I cant wait to see all the action!!

Love
HolgiHH






Pixiedustlady


Posted Sep 2, 2009, 2:51 am
Hi Mom!!!!
Well it is race day here at the track! lots of people have arrived and my host is geared up and ready to go! These photos will cover both Saturday and Sunday :)  Here we are in our bed waking up and getting ready to go out and cook breakfast.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1084.jpg




I get the coffee going and then I decide to cook some pancakes! YUM!!
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After breakfast we need to go get a new pair of Pirelli race tires.  Tires are the most expensive part of racing and here we are checking out the prices....yikes!!

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1081.jpg


Darcie asks the Pirelli guy for some Tshirts and hats ect.  He says he is totally out of everything but stickers :(  here we are with the stickers and then we go inside to see all the tires.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1090-1.jpg


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It is now race time and we go to the hot pit and watch the races!! We watch from the front straight for a bit, then we go down to turn 6 which is at the bottom of the race track.  We take the pit bikes and ride through the beautiful wooded area to get down to the fence line.


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Here we are with AMA rider Jeff Wood.  Jeff set a new track record of 1 minute 11 seconds while we were watching him race!!! it was so exciting to see him fly around the track like it was nothing! he laughed when we asked if we could take a photo of him with his motorcycle :)
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1086.jpg

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After the races we get into a bottle of Captain Morgans spiced rum :)
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1079.jpg


Here we are with Ava, who is a daughter of one of my host's friends,  She did NOT want to give us back lol


http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1083.jpg

Now it is dinner time.  We cook New York strip steaks, Garlic mashed potatoes and corn on the cob!!
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1080.jpg


http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1082.jpg

We get into bed and go to sleep! we leave early the next morning and arrive home and unpack and get ready for our next adventure :)


http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1085.jpg

Well mom I had a fantastic time and now I want to get my own motorcycle!!!  I am sure more adventures will be coming my way soon!!

Love
HolgiHH
Pixiedustlady


Posted Sep 9, 2009, 1:22 am
Hi Mom!!
Tonight we took Darcie's Spyder down to PTs Grille for a cruise in with a another car club.  We had a lot of fun looking at the Dune Buggies!! Here we are with Darcie's Spyder.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1113.jpg

Here we are with two of the Dune Buggies
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http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1115.jpg

We ordered our dinner and they had the BEST Hamburgers in the world!!!

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1117.jpg

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We had a fun time and enjoyed meeting all of the other people in the car club :)  well mom tonight we are going to eat hot dogs and watch movies!!! I am having a great time!!

Love
HolgiHH
Pixiedustlady


Posted Sep 13, 2009, 2:49 pm
Hi Mom!
Today we went to Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune.  The base is about a 30 minute drive from our house.  My host Steve works at the other Marine Base which is only 15 minutes away. The base he works at is called New River Air Station, which has all the helicopters! we are going to sneak in and see all of them tommorro!! anyways we went to Camp Lejeune today to go to the hospital.  My host was sick and had to go to the Doctor so we went along for the ride!!!

Here we are approaching the entrance to Camp Lejeune.
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If you look to the right, you can see the main entrance sign. We could not slow down to take a better photo, but hope you like it!

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1135.jpg

Here we are approaching the gate guard.  You have to have a special military sticker on your car to be able to drive on the base. The Marines look at us funny as we take their photo :)

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1137.jpg

The first base sign welcoming us aboard Camp Lejeune!
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The second one with the names of the Base Commanders on it.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1139.jpg

Here we are at the top of the hospital looking down on the main building.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1140.jpg

We sneak inside the emergency room and take a photo before the Doctor arrives :)

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1141.jpg

My host hurt his knee during training but the Doctor fixed him up and he is much better now!! Tommorro we are going to the Air Station, Beirut Memorial and Vietnam Memorial.  I will take lots of photos of our big day!!

Love
HolgiHH
Pixiedustlady


Posted Sep 15, 2009, 8:03 pm
b]Hi Mom!!!! A few days ago on September 11th we went out in town and went to my hosts work at the New River Air station.  After that we went to the Beirut Memorial, World Trade center memorial and the Vietnam Veterens Memorial.  The airstation and the parks were very nice.  Here I am with all the other TVs as our day unfolded :)

Here we are at the entrance to my host Steves work.  As you can see it is fenced off and you have to have a special clearance to get on the flight line.  We sneak through with my host and start exploring!!

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We are now inside the compound and we take a photo with the units sign.  This is a Helicopter Squadron and we are amazed at what we see!!

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1145.jpg

First stop we climb up this very interesting staircase!!! Can you see us on the stairs??

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1162.jpg

We read the signs on the side of the building, these are the battles the Marines have fought in.  We learn a lot of history today.

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We then go in my hosts office to get a key so we can go out into the helicopter bay... we need top secret clearence for this and we hide in our hosts pocket :)

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1161.jpg

Since we will be out in the helicopters we need to grab our safety helmets :)

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WOW look how BIG this first helicopter is!! This is the CH53 helicopter and it can hold 50 Marines and pick up 15,000 pounds of gear!!

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1147.jpg

Here is a larger view, can you see me?

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We climb inside..... this is very special since we are not suppose to be here lol

Here we are up front, look at all the dials!!

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I get my honorary flight crew status and now I am FLYING the helicopter!!!! dont I look good!!

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This is the view looking out the back................kinda dark but I wanted you to see how big it is!

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We peak out the Helicopter bay and see the other bay across the yard.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1154.jpg

Here is a view of the CH53 *parking lot* :)
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1152.jpg

My host now shows us the V22 Osprey helicopter.  This is the ONLY place in the entire world that they are available to see.  They are kept here exclusively!
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1153.jpg

The V22 has a rotor on each side of it.  It is unique in that the rotors spin down like a airplane but once up in the air they rotate above the top of the helicopter. Here is a great photo of one.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/IMG00060-20090527-1954.jpg

Here we are posing with the V22

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I go inside to see where the pilots sit.. sssshhhhh dont tell anyone I was in here!!!!!

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We leave the flight line and go to the Staff NCO club.  This is for ranks E6 and above.  Here we are outside the club.

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Here we are with a pretty view of the New River inlet.

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We leave the club and drive to the Aviation outdoor memorial.  Here is a view of the flight line from the car.

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We arrive at the memorial, which is outdoors and pretty neat!
Here we are with the statues, signs and old helicopters on display.
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We leave and go visit the Beirut Memorial

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1193.jpg

We walk through the beautiful gardens over to the world trade center memorial.  This is a actual steal beam from the world trade center tragedy.  Since this day was September 11th lots of people were also here.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1194.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1195.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1196.jpg

We walk around the corner and visit the new Vietnam Memorial.  this is a beautiful fountain and the panals that you see are made of glass and every single person that died in Vietnam has their name on the glass.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1197.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1198.jpg

I learned a lot about the Marines today and their past history.  I wanted to share my fun day with you and hope you enjoyed the updates. 

Love
HolgiHH
Pixiedustlady


Posted Sep 22, 2009, 7:54 pm
Hi Mom!!!

Guess where I am?? I am in the state of Virginia at Virginia International Raceway!!! Yep I am at the final Motorcycle race of the year! We just had Brauts for dinner and drank a few Coronas.  This is the NICEST race track in the USA!!! It looks like a Country Club! We are camping in the paddock again and we are right next to a small lake.  The trees and the mountains are just beautiful!! I will post a lot of photos when we return on Sunday!!! Tommorro is a track day (practice) and racing is on Saturday and Sunday!! Well mom we are going to go inside the trailer and watch a movie and eat some chocolate chip cookies!!

Love
HolgiHH
Pixiedustlady


Posted Sep 23, 2009, 2:26 pm
Hi Mom!
I am back and unpacked from VIR.  I had a great time at the race track and loved watching the races! We camped out with our host's friends and got to meet a lot of new people. Here are my photos  with the other TVs and all the new things we got to see!!


Here we are at our pit area.  As you can see there is a pretty lake behind us and we fed the ducks in the evening time!!


http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1203.jpg


Our host rides on Pirelli tires..... we have a big sign on the side of our trailer advertising that he uses Pirelli :)
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1204.jpg


Here we are at the top of Turn #4
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1205.jpg

Here we are watching our host going around turn #2

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1206.jpg





Here we are overlooking the entire paddock area.  The weather was nice and cool but a bit cloudy!

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1210.jpg

We go in the hot pit area and watch the bikes race down the front straight!! They are going up to speeds of 175 MPH

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1211.jpg

Our hosts friends son is riding his skateboard and gives us a ride!!


http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1214.jpg

Here we are looking up at the scoring/start/finish tower.

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1213.jpg


The Porsche club of America was having a track day on the South Course so we went to the Porsche Paddock to take some photos!

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1237.jpg

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/DarciesTVs/DSCN1234.jpg

We watched the cars practice racing around the track and we were amazed at how fast they went! My host did very well in the races and finished 7th, 8th and 10th.  There are usually about 30 bikes in each class so he did well!  I had a great time in Virginia and it sure is a beautiful state! I just got a note that I will be traveling across the USA to go see Nancy in San Diego!! I have had a great time here and will miss all my new friends.  Darcie says I can come back whenever I want!!

Love
HolgiHH



Nancyjb


Posted Oct 3, 2009, 3:47 am
Hi Mom and Friends,

I arrived safely yesterday with barely a wrinkle in my envelope.  It's nice and sunny here.

I met another TV, Pisoni, and found out that I just missed a trip to Disneyland 10 days ago!  Oh well, I have a trip to Las Vegas to look forward to at the end of the month.

Pisoni is very nice but Nancy's dog Mitzi, got a hold of me while Nancy wasn't looking and it was a little scary there for a minute.  But she's just a puppy who wants to play and I am fine.

Here's a picture of me arriving and Pisoni greeting me.
Nancyjb


Posted Oct 17, 2009, 2:28 am
Hi!

Nancy is helping me with one of my life missions:  to be photographed with host's houseplants.  I like houseplants! 

So here I am in a spider plant hanging in the living room with a fairy and koala that live in the plant.  These plants grow indoors and outdoors here very easily. 

The other one is a popular plant here:  a good luck bamboo.  They just grow in water.

Plants grow very easily in the mild climate here.

Nancyjb


Posted Oct 17, 2009, 2:47 am
Hi!

A new TV arrived this week, he's a little yellow duck from Malaysia named Teuksoon or Teuki.

The first photo shows where we three TV's hang out with another little dog who looks like Nancy's real dog Mitzi.

Today we went to Ocean Beach, Nancy's beach where she's gone since she was 3 years old!  It was a nice warm day.  That's the Ocean Beach Pier in the one photo.  The waves were a nice size with lots of surfers.

So now I have seen one of the 5 big oceans:  The beautiful Pacific Ocean.

Next week we go to Las Vegas!
Nancyjb


Posted Oct 24, 2009, 2:53 am
Hi!

We went east in San Diego where we visited Mission Trails Regional Park.  This is the largest urban park in the country at 6000 acres and shows the natural habitat of San Diego. 

Nancy ran the annual photo contest here for 10 years; it's a good place to take photos!

We visited the San Diego river which is very small as this is a very dry place, some people don't even know that there is a San Diego river!  In 1813 Spanish priest, Father Junipero Serra, had the local Indians build a dam on the river for water for his new mission. 
It was hot, almost 90 degrees F, in October!  This is not uncommon in San Diego, as they often get hot, dry winds off of the desert in the east.  This is the season that there have been terrible wildfires over the whole county in past years.
Nancyjb


Posted Oct 28, 2009, 4:52 pm
Hi!

We all arrived in Las Vegas:  the two Nancys, Pisoni, Teuki, and me! 

The first night we stayed at the Palazzo which is part of the Venetian.  Then we moved to the Wynn next door the next night.  The Nancys had visited the Wynn's casino last year and were looking forward to staying there one day.  It was even nicer than they expected.

The room was on the 33rd floor and had a huge window looking towards the mountains.  Everything on our floor and room was cream and salmon colored which was very pretty.

Here are some photos of the hotels and the inside of the Wynn; they have beautiful flowers, plants and mosaic floors.
Nancyjb


Posted Oct 28, 2009, 5:24 pm
On Sunday we took a road trip out of town and look what we got to do!!

A man drove up in this beautiful Pink Cadillac and let us sit in it! 

How cool is that?!
Nancyjb


Posted Oct 30, 2009, 9:49 pm
Hi

First, I forgot to show the photo of us in our nice bed at the Palazzo.  We love these fancy hotels!

The rest of the photos are on our road trip to the Red Rocks National Park right outside of Las Vegas.  The weather at night is cool and only in the 70's during the day.  We all thought it would still be in the 80's so it wasn't real good weather to go to the pool. 

But it was good hiking weather.  We spent about five hours driving and taking hikes in various parts of the park.  It was a good day!

Entering the park we saw a sign about horses and burros in the park so I was excited - maybe I'd see a burro in person!  Well the closest we came was to a sign, you can barely see me at the bottom of this big sign.

From the other photos you can see why it's called Red Rocks Park!

The last photo shows the last part of the park that we visited.  It was a natural meadow with pink rocks.  It was so pretty!

Monday we stayed in the casinos because it was only in the low 60's and way too cold for the pool, sadly.  But we had a fun time in Las Vegas!
Carolyn


Posted Nov 3, 2009, 11:01 pm
Hi there!
Today I went to Mission Valley , in San Diego, to Hazard Center (that's a mall).  We met Carolyn at a coffee shop there and I decided to go with her.  She took me around the some shops... I posed with some little things that were just my size!  And then we stopped in at the library.  I found a funny little building.  I even tried to look inside.  Then we came back to Carolyn's house.  I met her cat, Izzy, and together we took a little nap.  Boy was I tired! :o
Nancyjb


Posted Nov 4, 2009, 2:33 am
Hi!

It was a warm Halloween day here in San Diego.  Here's our Halloween photo.  It was fun eating candy and handing it out to the Trick or Treaters.
Carolyn


Posted Nov 6, 2009, 1:09 am
Hi again,
I just met the other toyvoyagers that are staying here.  There's Midnight Sneaky Puss, the cat from Ohio, Yakety Sax, the yak from Canada, Marshall, The wolf in sheep's clothing from Prague, and Marty the monkey from North Carolina.  They all seem very nice.

Then I decided to try doing some drawing... A popular activity around here (both my new hosts are artists!)

Well, bye for now!
Carolyn


Posted Nov 7, 2009, 5:43 am
Hello!  Today I went out to the farmer's market with Carolyn and her daughter.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2742/4081580251_39cfa5a431.jpg

This is a picture of us walking there.

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On the way I found these interesting plants!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/4082340334_b9853ee3db_o.gif

This one was great too!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2709/4082340466_584918659d.jpg

We both really liked this train.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2523/4081579783_f631a5017b_o.gif

Can you see me at the base of this tree?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2506/4082340048_32c49b593c_o.gif

After a long walk we finally got there.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2668/4081580163_145e86ce31_o.gif

We found the vegetable stand, but it made us hungry...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2701/4081580053_76e8b368dc_o.gif

So we got some sushi... yum!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2626/4082339982_22b34ee0fc_o.gif

Then we met a nice lady named Debbie!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2546/4081580315_f9dd78c8a1_o.gif

I also found these nice soaps...
Today sure was exciting! :D
Carolyn


Posted Nov 8, 2009, 6:23 pm
Hi Again!
I've been busy here with Carolyn and her family.  We went down to the Seaport Village and the waterfront, and guess what?  We took the trolley!  It was great! On the walk there we took a picture of the trolley bridge. There were cruise ships docked at the port.  Carolyn looked to see if someone would take me along, but no  luck! :(
There was also a sculpture exhibit along the waterfront called Urban trees... I saw a mermaid and an eagle! In the Seaport Village I got a close look at some ducks.  Then we took the trolley back again.  I sure liked that train! :D
Carolyn


Posted Nov 14, 2009, 12:26 am
Hi!
Today Carolyn and her husband went to work at Jones Elementary School and I got to go. They've been hired to paint a mural!  This is a picture of it.  As you can see they are just getting started.  It's a picture of dolphins-the school mascott! :rolleyes:
Carolyn


Posted Nov 18, 2009, 8:54 pm
Today I went in to see more progress on the mural.  It  looks like they are almost done.  Carolyn promised to show me when they are finished. :)
Carolyn


Posted Nov 19, 2009, 9:16 pm
Hi again,
Carolyn and her husband finished the mural today.  They say they are pretty happy with how it came out... I liked watching them work, but I think they are happy to be done! :D
Carolyn


Posted Nov 23, 2009, 8:40 pm
Hi,
Yesterday we went downtown to the Children's Museum.  What a place!  The first picture is right outside, then when we walked in there was a HUGE trojan horse!  We went upstairs and actually got to go inside.  Then we went down to the "Rainbow Room".  I watched a monkey on TV! :D

It's such a fun place!
Carolyn


Posted Dec 1, 2009, 10:57 pm
Hi there!
We went down to Tijuana last weekend, what an adventure.  We took the trolley to the border town of San Ysidro and walked across to Mexico!  Right inside the border was a the prettiest cow I've ever seen!
Then we walked into the city to the wax museum.  Many interesting Mexican officials and heros have been sculpted in wax, also Elvis was there!  Then I posed for a photo by the famous Tijuana arc! :D
Hasta luego... Holgi :D
Carolyn


Posted Dec 2, 2009, 2:20 am
On my way!
JaymeC


Posted Dec 18, 2009, 2:12 am
Dear Mommy,
I was bobbling around in an envelope and then suddenly I smelled something very yummy. Jayme opened the envelope and I found out what it was! Jayme was baking up a storm for a party the next day. What a yummy day to arrive! We made cookies and put them along with buckeyes in these little bags. The bags are for the Marines to take home with them along with other stocking stuffers from the Christmas party. You see, there are many single men out here who are very far from home and so Jayme's job is to try to help them (and the other families) to feel a little less lonely, especially during the holidays. So we cooked and cooked cookies!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4367.jpg
Then we bagged them up.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4372.jpg
Look at all these bags! 100 of them here, another woman was doing another 100. That's a lot of cookies!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4377.jpg
Finally we also made a couple of Christmas tree cakes for the party itself. Doesn't it look yummy?
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4387.jpg
And then we were off to the party! It was at the bowling alley. They were supposed to have things outside as well, but it was raining :( This isn't a very good picture, but it was quite crowded and we didn't get to bowl at all! But here is the party itself.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1208.jpg
But most importantly...someone very important came to the party. After he was done greeting all the children Jayme was able to ask him to take a photo with us as well. Did you know that Jayme knows Santa?! I'm very impressed. Here are all of us visiting right now with Santa!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4388.jpg
Whew. Very tiring! I wonder what else we'll do for Christmas?
HolgiHH
JaymeC


Posted Dec 26, 2009, 9:43 pm
Dear Mommy,
I have lots of fun Christmas stories to tell you, but first I wanted to show you the decorations here at Jayme's house. She actually has two nativity sets. You see, she bought one the first year, but then realized her kids always wanted to touch it so she found one online that's a childrens nativity set that they can play with. Unfortunately she says this means there's almost always a piece missing, but at least now they don't try to get her set anymore. And it is pretty cute.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4392.jpg
Here's the adult nativity set. Its still pretty kid proof, but looks a bit nicer.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4393.jpg
Then there were the Christmas cards Jayme received! A few from toyvoyagers, a few from postcard friends, and a few from family. Not too many cards, but she put them out anyway.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4421.jpg
Finally there was of course the tree! I won't put up a big picture of the tree yet, you can see that on Christmas Day :) But I will show you some of the small ornaments on it. Jayme and her family each get one ornament every year for a Christmas present. It may be something from a movie or cartoon they like or something on a trip. Like the Minnie ornament Jayme got at Tokyo Disney. Or it may be something that reminded Jayme of her kids. Like the panda ornament because her oldest son used to carry a panda around non-stop as a lovey for awhile. And then of course, there's a few small ones the children made as well. Here are some pictures of them.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4412.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4413.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4414.jpg
I hope you liked the pictures! I'll be sure to write all about Christmas very soon so you can see what fun we had!
HolgiHH
JaymeC


Posted Dec 31, 2009, 11:52 am
Dear Mommy,
I'm sorry I didn't get my update up sooner to tell you about Christmas! But here it is now.
On Christmas Eve our first priority was of course making Christmas cookies! The kids had lots of fun making them. We toys mostly stayed out of the way since we didn't want to get all floury or coated in icing.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1233.jpg
Here are the ones we left out for Santa.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1245.jpg
After getting every ready for Santa we went on out to the Christmas Eve light show! We got there quite early before nightfall. Here we are waiting and watching some shows near the stage. You can't really see the shows from here, but they just had people coming up doing short acts juggling or what not.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1261.jpg
They also had a small festival area for the kids with games and rides, so we took the kids over to do some rides while we waited.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1282.jpg
The best part of all for the kids though was that we got to see some real snow! Even though it was very warm that night (Jayme was in a tshirt!) they had a snow maker they kept running to build up snowmen, and igloos and other things. It was very, very packed in the snow area. Lots of children checking it out! Many of them will live on Okinawa all of their lives and not really have a chance to play in the snow. Here I am in a brief picture I managed to squeeze in while we were trying to carefully keep an eye on Jayme's children.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1306.jpg
Finally the lights came on! Aren't they pretty? They have a few very elaborate light set ups.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1360.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1380.jpg
Whew! After that we went home and put the children to bed and helped Jayme do some last minute wrapping.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1344.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1346.jpg
Finally we all got to bed and when we woke in the morning Santa had visited and brought more presents! Here we all are under the tree with the gifts.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1417.jpg
We spent Christmas Day at Jayme's house playing with the boys and their new toys. Maybe I can take some pictures of them later. For now, Merry Christmas Mommy! Hope you had a wonderful one!
HolgiHH
JaymeC


Posted Jan 11, 2010, 1:30 am
Dear Mommy,
Its been quite rainy here recently, but we've been trying to get out whenever the sun is out. The children are quite restless from staying indoors and they need to get some energy out! So we headed to one of the giant slide parks on Okinawa. Jayme's children really love this slide. Here it is from the bottom, you have to walk up quite a few stairs
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4438.jpg
And here's the view from the top looking down. Its a rollerslide so there are many rollers you slide down. The Japanese children go down standing up, but Jayme's children are a bit young for that so they go down sitting on a piece of cardboard.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4428.jpg
They also had a small beach nearby so the children tried to build a sand castle.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4444.jpg
More soon,
HolgiHH
JaymeC


Posted Jan 11, 2010, 3:28 am
Dear Mommy,
Like I said in the last update, its been very rainy! And Jayme's children are even driving us toys a bit up the wall with too much energy, so we also headed to an indoor playground. Its a place called Mona Kids. Here is the entrance, isn't it cute?
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4481.jpg
We had a snack inside
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4482.jpg
And here's the play area for the children. There's lots of tubes and ball pits for them to play in.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4489.jpg
While the children were playing Jayme got to sit and rest and read a bit. I read some Lord of the Rings with her.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4499.jpg
More soon,
HolgiHH
JaymeC


Posted Jan 13, 2010, 12:52 am
Dear Mommy,
I was quite excited when I woke up and it was actually sunny! Jayme said we were going to go out, but first we would make some lunches to take to eat in the car since it was going to be a bit of a drive. She said we were going to use these things called egg molds. First you boil and peel the eggs, then you put them in molds like this.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4449.jpg
Here we are with all the egg molds.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4454.jpg
Then you put them in the fridge until the cool, and when you take them out they've been molded and will hold their new shape. Neat huh?
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4463.jpg
We packed them along with other snacks into a bento box, which is a boxed lunch. Bentos are very popular in Japan. Jayme says she makes "American" bentos because her family doesn't like eating rice when it gets cold, which is a traditional bento food, so instead she makes her own type of boxed lunch. But it does look yummy... you can see the eggs are wrapped in saran wrap and placed in with the other food.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4468.jpg
Then we headed off. It was a long carride up the coast until we arrived. Finally we arrived at the Busena resort! If you can see that pier far out in the distance, that's where we're headed.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4516.jpg
We took a nice walk along the way, I thought this anchor was kind of neat.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4533.jpg
And finally we made it to the pier.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4544.jpg
We walked to the end and they had what's called an Underwater Observatory. You go down 2M under the water and you can look out the portholes! The area is really rather small, with only about 25 portholes, but its very neat. We stayed there for a long time watching the fish go by.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4549.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4551.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4553.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4554.jpg
Finally it was time to head home, but we did stop at the playground on the way to let the children run a bit more. Can you tell Jayme spends a lot of time at playgrounds? Here's a view of the playground from one of the many things to climb on.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4508.jpg
We toys took a rest on the rock wall.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4501.jpg
Whew! I'm glad we finally got to go out and have some fun, hopefully I'll have another neat update soon,
HolgiHH
JaymeC


Posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:17 am
Dear mommy,
Sorry for the late update! We've visited a few places I'll tell you about, but Jayme hasn't had time to sit down it seems lately. First we celebrate Jayme's son Jacob's birthday! He's five years old.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1540.jpg
For his birthday he wanted to go visit the aquarium so off we went! Here I am outside the building.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1608.jpg
When you walk down to the entrance this is the view of the water there.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1626.jpg
We got to see many fish. The Churaumi aquarium has the largest salt water natural light coral tank.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1645.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1646.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1671.jpg
They also have the largest view screen to see whale sharks. Do you see him behind him? He's huge!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1705.jpg
We made a new friend at the aquarium. He said he wants to be a toyvoyager too! He still has to pick a name for himself though.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1726.jpg
Finally when we got home we decided to have some fun with the legos got for Christmas an his birthday. It took forever to put them all together!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1722.jpg
More soon,
HolgiHH
JaymeC


Posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:25 am
Dear Mommy,
We also got to visit a ferris wheel! Here I am outside the ferris wheel.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1791.jpg
And here are all us toys who are visiting on the ferris wheel.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1771.jpg
Here's the view out the window. The water there is sunset beach.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1773.jpg
More soon,
HolgiHH
JaymeC


Posted Feb 2, 2010, 12:35 am
Dear Mommy,
We also got to visit the grounds of Shuri-jo castle here in Okinawa. Shuri is the most famous castle on island. It was the main castle for the Ryukyan kings. It has been destroyed 5 times, most recently during WWII and they continue to rebuild it. Now you can visit and even pay a fee and enter the reconstructed castle. We only visited the outside today, but I thought you would like to see these photos of the outside of the castle and grounds.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1735.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1750.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1764.jpg
More soon,
HolgiHH
JaymeC


Posted Feb 6, 2010, 7:35 am
Dear Mommy,
Jayme told me we were off to do something very special today. We got in the car for a long car ride and finally got out at a castle to quite a surprise. Us toys hadn't realized it was cherry blossom season here in Okinawa! You see, in mainland it comes much later but since Okinawa is warm year round the cherry blossoms tree bloom very early. They're also a much brighter pink than most in the mainland because they're a slightly different variety of tree. One of the most popular spots to visit is here at Nago Castle. You walk up the stairs and just look at the cherry blossoms along the way. Here is our view as we were walking.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1940.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1921.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1903.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1892.jpg
On the way home we stopped by a spot called Manzamo Point to stretch, isn't it pretty?
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1857.jpg
After this adventure it was time for me to get into my envelope to head off to my next host. I hope I'll have more updates for you soon!
HolgiHH
beccasaurus


Posted Feb 18, 2010, 8:33 pm
Hello Mum!
I'm writing to let you know that I have arrived safely to my new host in Maine!

I'll tell you it was a relief to finally get out of that envelope. There was a lot of room, but it was starting to get stuffy.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5231.jpg

Once I was out I met another ToyVoyager Xrundel=). He's a lovely pig from Russia.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5232.jpg

After I looked around my new settings and got comfortable me and my new friend sat and got to know each other.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5237.jpg

Well Mum, I think I'm going to like it here. beccasaurus promised to show me around her little town more in the coming days. Her parents and younger brother are coming for a visit this weekend. I believe this should be fun :)
beccasaurus


Posted Feb 23, 2010, 4:12 am
Hello Mom!

Today was a bit of a gloomy day. There was a light rain most of the day and since where I'm staying is higher above the Valley there was also a light fog. Nevertheless Becca wanted to show us the view from her home.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5269.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5270.jpg

In the distance you can see the hills of New Brunswick, Canada. She says the picture doesn't really do the view justice and it's also much prettier in the fall with all the different colors.
beccasaurus


Posted Feb 23, 2010, 4:20 am
After we saw the view from the house we were heading to a restaurant called Lake View. There we were going to have chicken wings, since Monday night is all you can eat wing night.

On the way there we had to stop at the bank for one of Becca's friends so as we were waiting I looked out the windows of the car.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5273.jpg

Finally we were really on our way and made it to St. Agatha. I found out that around here the locals call it St. Agat Becca is not completely sure why, but we were told it's a French thing.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5277.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5291.jpg

For dinner me and Xrundel=) had a plate of wings, barely anyone at the table made it through two orders (12 wings).
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5278.jpg

I think they were all just saving room for dessert, though three of the party did eat well over 20 wings!
For dessert we had a delicious peanut butter pie.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5286.jpg

Xrundel=) said that last week before I arrived Becca took him to wing night at a restaurant right in town and they were much better there. Maybe next week I'll get to go and see for myself.
beccasaurus


Posted Feb 23, 2010, 4:32 am
When we got back to Fort Kent we went over to Becca's friend Krystal's house.
We got settled in and I was offered refreshments.
I didn't really care for the wine in a plastic cup :rolleyes:
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5310.jpg

But another friend offered me a beer and I enjoyed it much more than the wine.  :D
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5313.jpg

We also met a brand new TV his name is Scrotes and belongs to Krystal. We think he'll begin his traveling soon!
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5316.jpg

Next we played a game called Apples to Apples.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5301.jpg

The green cards have adjectives and red cards have nouns, to be described by the adjective. The point of the game is to get the person who's turn it is to pick your red card, if they do then you get the green card. Collect 7 green cards and you win!

Xrundel=) and I decided to play on a team since neither of us had ever played the game before.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5303.jpg

We got how to play the game down during the first round and actually won the second round!
These are the green cards we had collected.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5307.jpg

After the game playing it was time to head home. It had been a long night and I was beat.

That's all for now Mom. I'll update again soon.
beccasaurus


Posted Mar 13, 2010, 12:12 am
Hi Mom!
I'm sorry we haven't been able to update you on my travels here in Fort Kent for a while.

Last Monday (March 1st) we went on a trip to Presque Isle, Maine. This place is really the closest thing to a city way up here unless you cross over into Canada!

Here are some pictures of us on the road.

When there isn't snow on the ground most of these fields are used to grow potatoes.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5525.jpg

The views even from the road were great :)
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5533.jpg

It was a very long road!
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5538.jpg

Here we were stopped for about 10 minutes while they were doing road construction.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5542.jpg

There are solar powered animal crossing signs all over the road! Though I didn't actually see any animals crossing.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5552.jpg

Someone had a television on top of their mailbox!
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5544.jpg

We also saw a house with trees growing in through the porch. Now that's what I call a tree house!
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5550.jpg
beccasaurus


Posted Mar 13, 2010, 12:29 am
On this day I was able to travel to where Becky works! While she's attending school she's working for a company called ARAMARK and works in the dining hall at the University of Maine at Fort Kent.
She showed me around on her break.

Here I am in the Bakery.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5471.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5472.jpg

This is where most of the food is prepared.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5490.jpg

This is the line. Where the food is served.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5478.jpg

Here is where most of the students come to eat.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5479.jpg

I had a delicious cheese and bacon omelet.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5481.jpg

Then I was able to sit with some of the flowers that are in the dining room.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5484.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5485.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5486.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/livesinshadows/100_5483.jpg
RikeH


Posted Mar 18, 2010, 11:00 am
Hi,
I am just updating for my journey map.
HolgiHH
RikeH


Posted Mar 18, 2010, 11:06 am
Hi,
just updating for my journey map.  B)
HolgiHH
smaug


Posted May 9, 2010, 4:29 am
Hi Mum!

I am in France :D! I spent a few days at the post office wondering what was going to happen to me (at least I was in a big envelope, so I could stretch my legs ;)), then today someone picked up my envelope and I heard some excitement around it.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2392.jpg

When I managed to come out I found Krystal (one of smaug’s TVs who is spending some months here) and Sigfrido (who is not officially a TV but takes care of all the guests coming here in Rouen) ready to welcome me :D.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2395.jpg

Apparently they flew back from the States this morning so they were a bit jet-lagged and fell asleep very quickly :rolleyes:. I guess I’ll have to wait until they wake up to explore around, but at least I managed to take a look out of the window :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2396.jpg
smaug


Posted May 16, 2010, 3:25 pm
Hi Mum!

Today I went visiting “my office” here.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2418.jpg

As coming in I saw some plants in the background,  I decided to get a closer look.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2403.jpg

Later I met all the little toys that live here...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2409.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2411.jpg

...and I played a bit with the phone.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2412.jpg

I also decided to leave my autograph on the whiteboard B).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2407.jpg

I was starting to feel a bit hungry, and guess what, Krystal and Sigfrido got a big piece of chocolate out of nowhere, that was nice :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2414.jpg
smaug


Posted May 24, 2010, 4:31 am
Hi Mum,

Today I went exploring Rouen a bit :). First I started around the house...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2420.jpg

...where I found this lovely patisserie :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2423.jpg

On my way I went past this clock tower.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2425.jpg

Then, since it was a nice sunny day I went to have a walk along La Seine. On one of the bridges they have statues of famous explorers.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2430.jpg

The day was beautiful :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2432.jpg

On this bridge they also had some lovely flowers, so I stopped for a picture.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2438.jpg

Later we went back to the town center. Here I was on the side of the Cathedral.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2449.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2450.jpg

I visited some nice ceramic shops...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2453.jpg

...and saw more flowers.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2455.jpg

Those buildings with timber frames are very typical of Rouen.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2458.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2462.jpg

This nice little square was a cemetery for the victims of the black plague back in the fourteenth century :stare:, kind of creepy ;).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2466.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2469.jpg

Here are some more typical Rouen buildings....they just seem about to fall down, but apparently they are not :rolleyes:.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2471.jpg

This road in the past had lot of dye works and the little watercourse was used to clean up the mess. Now it is just a wonderful place for toyvoyagers to rest and enjoy the sun ;).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2478.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2482.jpg
smaug


Posted May 25, 2010, 1:58 am
Hi Mum,

Today I visited the city of Caen :). The trip on the train was a bit boring, so I spent most of the time chatting with Krystal.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2492.jpg

As I arrived I checked out the harbour. Actually Caen is a few km away from the sea, but it’s connected to it by a navigation canal.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2496.jpg

Later I explored the Rue Froide...and despite the very warm day I actually felt a little chill walking along it :rolleyes:.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2501.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2504.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2505.jpg

This is the rear of the Abbaye aux Hommes.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2510.jpg

Later I wandered a bit around the town centre...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2512.jpg

And had a look at the castle.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2516.jpg

What a nice day :D!
smaug


Posted May 30, 2010, 2:48 pm
Hi Mum,

Today I went for a stroll along la Seine :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2517.jpg

I came by this nice little tower. Not sure what it is exactly :rolleyes:, but apparently it’s just been refurbished.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2521.jpg

There was a nice old sailing ship in the harbour.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2527.jpg

And this is Pont Gustave Flaubert, the newest bridge in Rouen. Apparently every few years an “armada” of historic tall mast ships comes up the river to Rouen harbour and the bridge deck can be raised to let them through :o.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2529.jpg
smaug


Posted Jun 7, 2010, 4:36 am
Hi Mum,

Today we said goodbye to the little throng of toys here in Rouen (I always find a bit daunting to face all of them together :rolleyes:).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2532.jpg

I jumped in the bag with Sigfrido and Krystal and off we went. We are going to Italy :D!

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2535.jpg

After a long and uneventful trip we arrived in Roma where firstly we explore our new house. Well, it’s not too exciting, there is some strangely painted furniture...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2537.jpg

...and the view from the window is not exactly unforgettable :rolleyes:.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2540.jpg

But I’m told that we will explore the Eternal City in the forthcoming days. I can’t wait :).
smaug


Posted Jun 7, 2010, 4:59 am
Hi Mum,

Today I had my first chance to quickly explore a bit around :). First I went to have a look at the River Tevere. A bit blurry in the background you can see S.Peters Cathedral.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2542.jpg

Then I stopped in front of Castel Sant’Angelo.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2545.jpg

That nice bridge is called Ponte Sant’Angelo. Apparently it’s been there for almost 19 centuries :o.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2546.jpg

Later, on the way home, I witnessed a typical Roman feature: cars parked in the middle of a fairly narrow alley :rolleyes:. Sigfrido assured us that the gap left open was enough not only for other cars and vans to get through, but they also do that at a quite scary speed :stare:.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2549.jpg
smaug


Posted Jun 13, 2010, 3:53 am
Hi Mum,

This weekend I quickly visited Trento. The weather today was a bit rainy :rolleyes:, so I just had a quick look at Piazza Duomo (the main square in town) and around it :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2553.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2555.jpg

Apparently there is a big conference in town, so even the cathedral was almost hidden by the temporary installations.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2554.jpg
smaug


Posted Jun 13, 2010, 4:14 am
Hi Mum,

Today the weather was much nicer :), so I went for a walk along a little river that crosses the town (there’s also a big river, but it’s a bit too far to walk there).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2558.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2560.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2564.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2570.jpg

On the way I met these horses. There was a donkey too :D, but he was hiding a bit (he was obviously :rolleyes: shy) so it’s difficult to see him in the photo.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2567.jpg

Here we decided to rest a bit near this lovely bushes.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2580.jpg

Coming back home we stopped at this terrace that has a lovely view over the valley.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2581.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2586.jpg

Later, at home, I decided to take a look at the plants...it’s one of my missions after all ;).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2587.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2588.jpg

Then I was introduced to some of the local residents: this nice bald eagle...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2591.jpg

...and this friendly hippo. They are so big :stare:!

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2593.jpg
smaug


Posted Jun 17, 2010, 5:18 am
Hi Mum,

I am back in the Italian Capital city and today I visited a bit more of it :D. First I went to see the Pantheon, this was the only part of it that wasn’t covered by scaffolding :rolleyes:.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2595.jpg

After that I went to a very famous spot: the big fountain called Fontana dei Trevi, very nice :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2607.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2602.jpg

Later we decided to go visiting the President of the Republic at the Quirinale palace, but he didn’t invite us in for a tea :stare:.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2611.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2616.jpg

So we moved on and went visiting another famous square, Piazza di Spagna. This is the even more famous fountain in the middle of it called La Barcaccia :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2628.jpg

Then we went up the stairs on the side of the square, from where we had a lovely view.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2631.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2637.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2638.jpg

Last but not least we reached the Colosseum.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2656.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2661.jpg

After so much walking we needed some refreshment, so we stopped in Campo dei Fiori. This nice little square is notorious as, during the Church State times, capital punishments used to be held here :o. The most notable person to take advantage of this service was the philosopher Giordano Bruno (whose ideas where not looked upon with favour by the clergy) who was burnt here in 1600. Anyway, nowadays it’s just a lovely place for a drink ;).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2664.jpg
smaug


Posted Jul 11, 2010, 2:59 am
Hi Mum,

I am back in France :D! Well, I have been here for a bit but my host was very busy. I actually had to earn my bread and help out doing the chores :stare:. Today, for instance it was a very busy working day. First I went to the laundry.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2687.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2684.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2683.jpg

Back home I put out the clean clothes to dry.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2691.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2693.jpg

After that we run the vacuum cleaner...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2697.jpg

...and once the clothes were dry it was time for ironing them.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2699.jpg

Later we had to prepare our dinner. We started cutting the veggies...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2702.jpg

...checking them cooking...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2704.jpg

...and grating the cheese.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2707.jpg

Eventually our hard earned meal was ready :): don’t worry, I am not on a diet ;), we just remembered to take a photo only when we had already almost emptied the plate :rolleyes:.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2708.jpg
smaug


Posted Jul 11, 2010, 3:24 am
Hi Mum,

Today I am flying to Canada :D! I took a train to the airport very early in the morning and there was a nice view on the French countryside...a bit burry maybe :rolleyes:.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2710.jpg

Here I was already at the airport waiting to board the plane, I am so excited :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2721.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2722.jpg
smaug


Posted Jul 11, 2010, 3:34 am
Hi Mum,

I am in Canada :D! We stopped in Toronto for about an hour to get a connection to the prairies. We thought to explore the airport, but we all agreed that we had more pressing needs and stopped at Tim Hortons (very Canadian I am told :rolleyes:) for a nice meal instead ;).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2727.jpg
smaug


Posted Jul 11, 2010, 5:07 am
Hi Mum,

After a few more hours flying, we eventually arrived in Calgary where we found sammino ready to welcome us at the airport :D. Apparently he is a stay-at-home TV who looks after all guests at smaug’s place :). On the way home we enjoyed looking at the road.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2731.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2738.jpg

This building under construction that we saw entering downtown is The Bow, that once finished will be the tallest building in Canada west of Toronto :stare:...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2744.jpg

...and all the red flags at the traffic lights have been put there for the Calgary Stampede that started earlier today.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2746.jpg

Once home I met all the other guests here: they are Dean, Spooky, Red Navel and Roderichwho is German too :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3434.jpg

Since I was a bit jet lagged I went to bed very early. We’ll have plenty of time to chat tomorrow ;).
smaug


Posted Jul 24, 2010, 6:37 am
Hi Mum!

Today the weather was horrible so we just went for a short walk in downtown Calgary. Luckily it’s Stampede time, so there are plenty of places where you can snatch a free pancake breakfast around town :D. We found one where we could even stop eating indoor :)

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2775.jpg

Calgary has the world most extensive pedestrian skywalk system, so you can explore several kilometres of downtown without ever going outdoor. Here I was on a bridge with the Calgary Tower in the background.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2787.jpg

Eventually we tried to go outside, but not for long :rolleyes:.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2794.jpg

We found some shelter in this big shopping center until it was time to go home.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2780.jpg

The great thing of being a Toyvoyager is that, even when the sky started dropping golf-ball size hailstones on the head of our host, we were safely hidden in a rucksack ;).
smaug


Posted Jul 25, 2010, 3:37 pm
Hi Mum!

Today we went visiting the Stampede Park :)! First we got ready for the day with a filling breakfast. The others really appreciated the chocolate Madeleines that Krystal, Sigfrido and I brought from France :D.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3435.jpg

Just to be sure not to run short of energy we got also some bread and nutella ;).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2768.jpg

On the way to the stampede park we passed through this nice park.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2806.jpg

Eventually we arrived at our destination. First we checked out the Stampede Market where we found some nice “western” corners.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2809.jpg

There was even plenty of straw to play with...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2821.jpg

Then we played cowtoyvoyagers with  this saddle.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2822.jpg

We also found a chuckwagon...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/IMG_2829.jpg

Later we explored a bit the park.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2837.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2850.jpg

On the way home we decided to get some typical food found in every cattle ranch: cowboy popcorns :rolleyes:!

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2853.jpg

Delicious :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2855.jpg
smaug


Posted Jul 29, 2010, 4:57 am
Hi Mum,

Today the weather was gorgeous, so we went for another walk in downtown Calgary :). On the way we took a picture of some of the skyscrapers.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2859.jpg

Later we grabbed another free pancake breakfast...why isn’t  it always stampede time ;)?

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2871.jpg

Once we had a full belly B), we went visiting the Calgary Tower. It might not be so obvious in the photos :rolleyes:, but the view was great :)!

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2888.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/IMG_2892.jpg
smaug


Posted Jul 31, 2010, 6:02 am
Hi Mum!

Today we went visiting Banff :). Here we were comfortably settled in the car.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2906.jpg

The drive was a bit long, but eventually we arrived close to our destination...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2925.jpg

...and entered town.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2944.jpg

We spent most of the day dodging showers :rolleyes:, but we managed to walk a bit along the River Bow without getting too drenched.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3442.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3455.jpg

Here you can see the Bow falls... hidden somewhere behind Sigfrido's antlers :rolleyes:.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3445.jpg

Later we got a glimpse of the Banff Springs Hotel, one of the most luxurious resorts of the Rockies B).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3463.jpg

Eventually it was time to go back home. On the road we got a bit scared when we saw a truck driving the wrong way on the highway towards us :stare:...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2989.jpg

...but it was just being towed :rolleyes:.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_2991.jpg
smaug


Posted Jul 31, 2010, 3:37 pm
Hi Mum!

Today we went visiting the Dinosaur Provincial Park: we were very excited at the idea of meeting a T-Rex strolling on the road ;). The drive was long and a bit boring, so we spent most of the time chatting.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/IMG_3016.jpg

We also stopped to take a couple of pictures at the prairies.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3504.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3505.jpg

Eventually we reached dour destination :D. Here the prairies are carved deeply by the Red Deer River and its tributaries, so there are plenty of these deep gorges with luscious vegetation at the bottom.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3469.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3475.jpg

At some points the landscape turns quite “lunar” :o.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3486.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3490.jpg

Disappointingly, we didn’t meet any dinosaur walking around :rolleyes:, just a lot of information panels describing all the different skeletons (an awful lot apparently) that were dug out in this area.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3491.jpg
smaug


Posted Aug 5, 2010, 3:30 am
Hi Mum,

Today we all gathered together to say goodbye to Krystal and Sigfrido who are on their way back to France.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3508.jpg

It was really hard to said goodbye to them, they were such nice hosts :)! Sigfrido told me that I can go visiting him whenever I wish to :D, and maybe I’ll meet Krystal again around the world.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/Krystal_tv/DSCN3509.jpg
smaug


Posted Aug 5, 2010, 4:35 am
Hi Mum,

This week end we are in Jasper and today we immediately explored a bit around the town :). First we jumped on the Jasper Tramway that took us up a mountain with a lovely view of the valley.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3516.jpg

With a short walk we reached the top of a nearby mountain called The Whistlers, and the view was even better :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3538.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3550.jpg

On the way up I saw a lot of mountain flowers :). I particularly liked these small ones.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3564.jpg

This peak is called The Whistlers because of the sheer number of Whistling Marmots living here. They didn’t seem to inclined to take a photo a with us :(, but we managed to at least take a decent shot of one of them.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3563.jpg

Later we moved a bit on the side of the peak to enjoy more views.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3557.jpg

Here you can see Jasper again with the Upper Station of the Jasper Tramway...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3559.jpg

...and here is the ridge that we walked on to get o the top B).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3560.jpg

From the opposite side of the mountain we could see in the haze :rolleyes: the Athabasca Valley, with the Athabasca River being that silver ribbon on the valley floor.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3551.jpg

What a great day :D!
smaug


Posted Aug 8, 2010, 12:58 am
Hi Mum,

Today we were supposed to visit a glacier, but the weather had other plans so after trying to reach it and getting drenched in the process we had to change destination. So we checked out a little lake near Jasper town called Lake Annette. Nice place, and it wasn’t raining :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3570.jpg
http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3572.jpg

In the background you can see a green space. There was actually a beach there with someone swimming in the lake, crazy people :stare:!

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3581.jpg

Back to our hotel we gathered some wood...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3590.jpg

...and decided to use the fireplace :D.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3591.jpg

Unfortunately smaug said that the room was already warm enough and we just have to chat imagining to sit in front of a fire :rolleyes:.
smaug


Posted Aug 8, 2010, 4:49 am
Hi Mum,

Today we are going back to Calgary, so on the way we took a couple of photos. One with the Athabasca River...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3597.jpg

...and one with Mount Fryatt :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3600.jpg
smaug


Posted Aug 20, 2010, 3:53 am
Hi Mum,

Today we all gathered to say goodbye to Spooky and Roderich who are leaving Calgary tomorrow. Spooky is going home to rest a bit, while Roderich will stay in Canada visiting the west coast.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3967.jpg
smaug


Posted Aug 24, 2010, 5:00 am
Hi Mum!

smaug has to work for a couple of weeks in the Vancouver area, and we TVs came along :D.  First thing we did as we arrived was to explore the hotel room. There is a big television...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3991.jpg

...an (empty :() fridge...

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3989.jpg

...and a tiny microwave oven. Well, I am not sure about the waves, but the oven is micro indeed :rolleyes:.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3987.jpg

As we overheard smaug saying something about microwaved TVs for dinner :stare:, we quickly scrambled out of it and found a nice place where to spend the evening chatting...with some supplies close at hand ;).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3986.jpg
smaug


Posted Aug 31, 2010, 5:04 am
Hi Mum!

Today we had a chance to get a very quick glimpse of Vancouver :). Here we were just out of the sky train station looking at North Vancouver across Burrard Inlet.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3973.jpg

While here you can see Lions Gate Bridge behind us.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino%20tv/DSCN3977.jpg

Unfortunately smaug was a bit busy for the rest of the day and we were forgotten in his bag :rolleyes:, maybe another time we'll see a bit more ;).
smaug


Posted Sep 1, 2010, 5:21 am
Hi Mum,

Today the weather wasn’t very nice, but we tried to take a walk around Burnaby anyway. So, we discovered that we are close to the western end of the Trans Canada Trail :o.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3985.jpg

Although we all agreed that more than 11,000km to get to Newfoundland :stare: seemed a bit too much even taking a few “shortcuts”, smaug pointed out that the trail is kind of exploring the country and so wanders around a lot, rather than crossing all the way to the east with a direct route, mah :rolleyes:.

Between the trees we could occasionally see Burrard Inlet with some dockyards and the mountains north of Vancouver in the background :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/HolgiHH%20tv/DSCN3980.jpg

And here our exploration was cut short by the rain that started falling down rather heavily :(.
smaug


Posted Sep 5, 2010, 4:01 am
Hi Mum,

Today I said goodbye to my friends here and got ready to travel to my next host :).

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino2%20tv/DSCN3993.jpg

sammino gave me a big hug and wished me a safe journey.

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt157/smaug_tv/sammino2%20tv/DSCN3995.jpg

Red Navel is leaving too, so I’ll have company while I’ll wait at the post office ;).
RikeH


Posted Nov 10, 2010, 8:32 pm
Hi World,

I arrived in Germany to celebrate the birthday of my Mum, RikeH!

Of course I said hello to Dicker Kumpel.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A2010c/IMG_A300.jpg

Mum got nice presents.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A2010c/IMG_A303.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A2010c/IMG_A304.jpg

You know that I love flowers - so I visited the nicest here at home.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A2010c/IMG_A305.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A2010c/IMG_A306.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A2010c/IMG_A307.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A2010c/IMG_A308.jpg

Well - I had a nice day with my Mum - but I am a ToyVoyager, so it was time to leave again - a big hug for Dicker Kumpel.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A2010c/IMG_A309.jpg

And I am on my way to the UK - and from there I will travel to Egypt. Great, isn't it? -One of my life missions.
Love
HolgiHH
drakie


Posted Nov 12, 2010, 11:02 pm
Well here I am I have arrived in the Uk, its a bit windy and cold but nice and warm in my hosts house.  She has some very nice flowers her husband bought her and I had a sniff of those, she hasnt done too well with her plants, one is definitely not looking too good. (photos to follow)

my host says she cannot update the writing under the photos as she doesnt know how to do it.
drakie


Posted Dec 5, 2010, 2:19 pm
Well its snowing, and settling in November!!  my host tells me its 17 years since we have had snow this early, the UK just doesnt get it this early and many more years in  Devon, I would say Devon doesnt get snow but the last few years they have.  We had big trouble trying to get up my hosts hill to the shops, the car just kept going in circles... ha ha ha :D
drakie


Posted Dec 5, 2010, 2:24 pm
We started to put up Christmas trimmings, we got one tree up and some pretty red flowers and a santa musical toy but then we ran out of time, because we are going on our Jollidays... yeah yeah yeah, we have packed and we are ready to go tomorrow.... in the sun cannot wait... Egypt here we come B)
drakie


Posted Dec 22, 2010, 5:59 pm
Well we are back from Egypt we came back to snow blizzards, 6 inches and we cannot get out to the shops, my host lives at the botto of a hill and the cars cannot get up it ....  at least we have food and milk for our tea.....

Whilst the snow was here my hosts husband took me slalolm ski-ing, in fact as you can see I was a bit of a whizz!!!
drakie


Posted Jan 16, 2011, 4:25 pm
Cannot find map ref for Sharm El Sheikh.

Well here I am in Egypt, this is my hotel

And these were the beautiful flowers i saw, the smelt lovely and the red one is called Chinese Rose.
drakie


Posted Jan 16, 2011, 4:37 pm
We went to Egypt today, we had a boat ride on the river Nile.
We had lunch and then we went to see the glorious pyramids.
drakie


Posted Jan 16, 2011, 4:37 pm
We went to Egypt today, we had a boat ride on the river Nile.
We had lunch and then we went to see the glorious pyramids.
drakie


Posted Jan 16, 2011, 4:49 pm
The pyramids were great, one of the 7 Wonders of the World!
It has had lots of bits chipped off over the years, so very soon they are to put a wall round to stop people climbing on it, its a good thing as we do need to preserve these.  My hosts hubby went inside one and said it was very very narrow and steep.

It was very strange you drive up the main street, very old street and in the alleyway between the buildings you can see the pyramids they are just behind the shops which seemed very strange to me.

There was policemen patrolling the pyramids on Camels.!!!

drakie


Posted Jan 16, 2011, 5:45 pm
More pyramids and the Sphinx -

drakie


Posted Jan 16, 2011, 5:51 pm
Well after some busy days, today we rested in the lovely warm sun, it was wonderful.  I was going to try and go snorkelling but you couldnt in the sea as it was banned as there was big sharks about.  And this lasted all of our holiday.  But I did try the mask on, you can see me if you look very very close.  ha ha

I stayed with my host until after Christmas then I was posted home 13th January, well I am going to another host. 
kcrawfish


Posted Feb 17, 2011, 12:34 am
Hi Mom and all HolgiHH fans! 

Don't worry about me!  I'm safe and sound in California.  I'm just resting for a while.  Between Egypt and England and here, I am seriously jet-lagged.  I had just enough energy to say hi to my new TV friends and fell asleep with Sierra.  She doesn't have as much jet lag as me, but she's pretty cuddly. 

Love,
HolgiHH

P.S.  I met Bally.  Remember that I stayed with his mom and dad in North Carolina?
P.P.S.  Dreaming about the pyramids ....  B)

kcrawfish


Posted Feb 22, 2011, 3:17 am
Miss Kate let us play on the copy machine today!  (She got the idea from another TV host. :) )

Holgi

P.S.  Mom, can you see the desert sand on my nose?
kcrawfish


Posted Feb 25, 2011, 12:14 pm
Hi Mom,

Miss Kate had a business trip, so she got everyone up so early ... before 5!  But the sunrise at the airport was pretty AND there was time for a photo.  Too bad Peach the pooch and Sierra had to be checked in.  They missed out a little, but they're a bit too big to carry on.

HolgiHH
kcrawfish


Posted Mar 3, 2011, 4:58 am
I am here in Southern California, Mom!  We got to the hotel and unpacked Sierra and Peach the Pooch.  We looked around ... a desk, a big television, sliding glass door, and a big soft, comfy bed with lots of pillows -- and that was the last of the looking around for us!  We all got into bed and pulled up the blanket while Miss Kate went to her work thing.  We watched a little news before falling asleep ... all of LA is very excited about Oscar Sunday and about it maybe snowing on the Hollywood sign.  Pretty cool.
Bye for now!
Holgi
kcrawfish


Posted Mar 4, 2011, 3:24 am
Hi Mom!

Well, I'm sad to say that Miss Kate had to work this weekend, so no trips to Disneyland or to the circus.  But we had some fun in the hotel room.  Now there was a shelf that was perfect for toyvoyagers:
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/IMG_1825.jpg


Sierra was the last one to climb up.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/IMG_1826.jpg


But Sierra had lots of trouble staying on the shelf!
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/IMG_1827.jpg


Finally, she could stay on the shelf with a little help from Peach.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/IMG_1824.jpg


When Miss Kate got back in, we jumped down really fast just in case we weren't supposed to be up there.  Do we look innocent?
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/IMG_1828.jpg

Love and hugs,
Holgi
kcrawfish


Posted Mar 4, 2011, 10:19 pm

Hi Mom!

We hoped it would snow at our hotel so that we could make snowdonkeys on the balcony, but instead we got to see a little snow in the Angeles National Forest, just a few minutes north of Ontario Airport.  With the pollution all blown and washed away and the pretty snow, it makes Southern California look quite nice.  Miss Kate says, almost as nice as Northern California! 

I am small enough for the carry-on, so here are two pictures as we waited to take off.  Miss Kate let me have some of her Panera salad, too, during the short flight.  We can't expect airlines to feed us more than peanuts.

Love,
Holgi
kcrawfish


Posted Mar 6, 2011, 3:30 pm
Hi Mommy and fanHHs!

We had a real sunny day in Sacramento!  Not today.  Today is wet and drippy, but a rainy Sunday gives me time to tell you about Thursday, which, again, was really sunny!  B)

Miss Kate planned to go for a walk downtown with her friend and her friend's 4 dogs.  Two are old mellow dogs named Chica and Jojo.  One is new and young, and a pit bull, named Dinah Flo.  She was very sweet but FULL of energy.  And dog #4 is a fostered Pomeranian dog named Timmy.  Anyway, Miss Kate decided to leave Hypno-dog home, as 5 dogs were more than they could handle.

We went to Capitol Park where there are trees from around the world with name tags.  It was fun to stop and admire the trees and see where they were from.  Here is one:
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/Sierra%20and%20HolgiHH/IMG_1862.jpg


I was in heaven with all the lovely plants.  Mom, do you think Saucer Magnolias come in houseplant size?
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/Sierra%20and%20HolgiHH/IMG_1865.jpg


Here is the lovely Capitol building!  Miss Kate said she read that California is the 8th largest economy in the world.  So maybe this building is important internationally.  Or maybe not!  Maybe it's just pretty and white!  :rolleyes:
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/Sierra%20and%20HolgiHH/IMG_1869-1.jpg


Hope you are doing well.  I miss you!

~Holgi
kcrawfish


Posted Mar 7, 2011, 3:46 pm
Miss Kate's friend found this article in the local newspaper just 2 days after we visited the Saucer Magnolia's in Capitol Park.  A mother has her daughter pose in front of that tree every year.  Now Miss Kate feels bad about leaving Hypno-dog home, but she didn't know it was a celebrity tree!
kcrawfish


Posted Mar 8, 2011, 12:14 am

Clyde left today to start galloping along the ETVT.  He loves trails!  We all watched him get in his travelope with his horse-related gifts for his first host.  We'll miss him, but we're so looking forward to reading his updates from Europe!  I asked him if I saw my mom to say HI from me!  :D

Love,
Holgi
kcrawfish


Posted Mar 13, 2011, 10:48 pm

Hi Mom and everyone,

It was a lovely day in Sacramento, with rain clouds just about to roll in, so Miss Kate and friend took Hypno-dog and me to Effie Yeaw Nature Center while the sky was still blue.  Sierra stayed home because she didn't want to get dirty.

It was so nice!  There were children doing crafts with acorns and people learning about Native Americans.  Also, the American River was running fast from snow melt from the Sierras.  (I wonder if Sierra would like to go to the Sierras?)

We heard a tree that was buzzing!  :o  But it was just full of bees!  I love plants and especially flowers -- almost as much as bees do! 

Can you see the bee next to me?

~Holgi
kcrawfish


Posted Mar 18, 2011, 1:06 pm

Hi Mom!

Not much going on here.  It's been rainy, so we helped to make vegetable broth.  Miss Kate taught us a song while Sierra, Hypno-dog and I were slicing and stirring ... "beautiful soup, soup of the evening, beautiful soup."  You can listen to it here

Don't these jars of soup look big next to my petiteness?  ;)


Love,
Holgi

........... beautiful soup so rich and green waiting in a hot tureen .............
kcrawfish


Posted Mar 20, 2011, 6:04 pm
Hi Mom!
How are you?  I am fine.  We've had a lot of rain and wind here.  We watched the news on the computer about flooding and a waterspout in the Pacific Ocean.  And two houses down from Miss Kate's, a big branch landed on top of a building.  The next door neighbor told us he's calling an emergency tree person because that branch could fall on his house any minute (you can see his roof).  I am also showing you a picture of a branch that squished a car a few blocks from here.  Zarafeh saw it when Miss Kate and he were getting the Sunday paper.
Hypno-dog is going to a photo exhibition today, but I'm glad to be staying home for the rest of the day.
I hope you are well!
Love,
Holgi
P.S. Mom and Dicker Kumpel, I do love the spring flowers!  Happy first day of Spring!  Oh, and Gustav makes me laugh.  :rolleyes:
kcrawfish


Posted Mar 26, 2011, 6:09 am

Hi there!

Look what we found!  A box!  What ... or who ... could be inside?  :)
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/IMG_1938.jpg


I was excited and tried to cut it open, but I guess I couldn't get, well, traction :)  ...  So Peach did it. 
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/IMG_1940.jpg
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/IMG_1941.jpg


We saw two little beautiful black eyes peering out ... hmmm ... is that a mouse in the house?  :o :)
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/IMG_1942.jpg


I stepped forward to meet the little mouse.  Her name is DuDette
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/IMG_1943.jpg


She told us about the lovely foggy pastel hills of San Francisco.  She told us about Cheerio and got us caught up on the adventures of Aslan
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/IMG_1945.jpg


Niblet the monster-sized kitty was interested in meeting DuDette ... or eating DuDette?  :o  No, no, we're here to keep her safe.  :)
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/IMG_1947.jpg


After a lot of gabbing, DD and I decided to spend the evening alone on a shelf.  It wasn't long before we fell asleep.  It's so nice to have someone around small enough to understand me.  ;)
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/IMG_1949.jpg

Bye for now!

Holgi
kcrawfish


Posted Mar 29, 2011, 6:51 pm
Hi everybody!
We are on the coast!  Surprise!  It all happened so fast!  Here are my photographs of the trip out here.  We piled into the car and arranged ourselves on the dash.  We left Sacramento heading toward San Francisco, but we went well north of SF to the Mendocino Coast. 
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/toSFsign.jpg


Here you can see what a stormy day it was. 
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/stormcloudson37.jpg


This is our exit on Highway 101.  We’ll be heading west again.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/IMG_1986.jpg


We saw grapevines in Sonoma County.  Miss Kate said yummy nummy.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/Grapevines-1.jpg


We also saw wet hills with lots of rock slides.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/IMG_1992.jpg


Here we saw some pretty redwood trees.   
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/Redwoodtrees.jpg


We arrived at the Russian River!  Here we are crossing the Hacienda Bridge and now we’ll make a left and follow the river to the ocean.  It isn’t the biggest or most beautiful bridge I’ve seen, but I like it.  :rolleyes:
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/HaciendaBridgeoverRussianRiver-1.jpg


Can you see me on the dash?  I guess you can’t.  Maybe I was tying my shoe laces.  We stopped for gasoline in Guerneville.  Miss Kate found some nice postcards there of the Russian River and of the bridge, and I called dibs on the bridge postcard.  (I think I’ll bring it home with me.)
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/ondashinguerneville.jpg
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/ondashinguernevilleupclose.jpg


This is the Russian River.  It’s named that for the Russians who lived here a long time ago.  It’s very full.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/holgirussianriver.jpg


We’re done heading West and will go North on Highway 1.  In just a few minutes we got our first glimpse of the ocean!
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/ReachingHighway1.jpg


Here’s me where the Russian River flows into the Pacific Ocean.  Can you see how brown the ocean is?  Miss Kate says it’s usually the green-blue color, but it’s been raining a LOT and lots of dirt has been flowing down the river. 
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/HolgiatJenner2-1.jpg
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/Highway1.jpg


Highway 1 has a lot of curves; this is me with one called a “hairpin turn”.  It made us a little queezy in the tummy. 
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/HolgiandHairpin.jpg


There were dozens of trees that had recently fallen across the road.  I couldn’t count how many!
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/FallenttreeonHwy1.jpg


We drove by Fort Ross.  Here you can see the tops of the redwood buildings there.  Miss Kate told us that back in 1812 about 40 Russians with 150 Alaskans came ashore and created Fort Ross in a month.  Russians had been eye-ing Northern California for a long time, but Spain had claimed it.  However, Spain hadn’t moved above the middle of California, where San Francisco is today.  The Russians built Fort Ross so fast and had guns and supplies so that when the Spanish found out, it was too late.  The Russians were moved in!  Oh, and the Russians weren’t the first in this area – they bought the land from the local Native Americans for 3 blankets, 3 pairs of pants, 2 axes, 3 hoes and some beads.  (After seeing all of those fallen trees, they should’ve asked for more axes!)  Hypno-dog was very proud, and he knew that Ross wasn’t some British name, but was short for Rossiya.  The Russians left around 1840 – no war or anything, they just thought there were better deals up north – and they left these buildings, but more than that they left a little bit of Russian with the Native Americans in their language.  For example, the Gualala Indians called milk, moloko, long after the Russians were gone.  Those tribes have blended into the population, so their languages are gone.  We can learn about them only from reading what one or two white men wrote down a hundred years ago.  Now hundreds of acres of land are preserved to keep Fort Ross like it was 200 years ago.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/FortRossbuildings.jpg
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/FortRosssignsup-close.jpg
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/Highway1signatFortRoss.jpg


Well, that was one tiring day, but it was fun to see everything.  I’m just glad a tree didn’t fall on us! 
I’m hoping for some nice house plants at The Sea Ranch, where we’re staying …

Love,
Holgi
kcrawfish


Posted Mar 29, 2011, 7:10 pm
Hi Mom!

We got here last night safe and sound with smiles on our faces.  Now we're just beat, putting our little feet up and taking it easy.  We have the ocean waves out this window and a creek out the other window.  The water noises are really nice and make me sleepy.  We're making room for Koko on the window sill, but Hypno-dog is making sure DuDette stays safe.  :thinking:

http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i475/kcrawfish/DuDette/InTSRBedroomSill.jpg

Later!  Time to relax .......  :)

~HolgiHH 
kcrawfish


Posted Apr 2, 2011, 1:30 pm
Hi Mom!

We had a reallly good time at The Sea Ranch and Gualala and the ocean.  I do miss Zoe, but she was staying at home resting and Peach the Pooch was keeping her company.

We walked around and had some fun outside.  I hope you can see me in the pictures.  Also, can you see the waterfall in the first picture?

Love,

Holgi

P.S.  I know I will be leaving soon, and I think I will miss DuDette a LOT.  I don't know if she feels the same way about me, but I think so! 

P.P.S.  I have a suprise I'm sending.
;)
kcrawfish


Posted Apr 2, 2011, 2:14 pm

Hi everyone! 

We had so much fun playing inside and out. 

We drove to a place to walk along the bluff trail farther from where we were staying.  But first we saw some deer.  We walked through a tunnel of hedgerows and DuDette and I rested on a log.

Later in the day, we went with Miss Kate and her cousin and her cousin's dog Luna to the beach.  I hope you like the pictures ... no swimming, though, because the surf was a bit dangerous.

At the end of a long day, though, you know where you can find me.  That's right!  A house plant!

Love you all!

Holgi
kcrawfish


Posted Apr 3, 2011, 1:48 am
Hi Mom!

Here are some pictures of me and Sierra, Crawfish, Hypno-dog and DuDette.  We looked for whales and then we posed on some pedestals, climbed up a driftwood chair and checked out a giant geode ... beautiful purple amethyst and as big as a toyvoyager house.

Bye for now!

Holgi 
kcrawfish


Posted Apr 3, 2011, 8:14 pm

Hi!

We found the California poppies were just beginning to bloom on our way home from the coast.  So here is a pretty one with a black sand beach many feet below us.  Miss Kate said it wasn't a windy day or she wouldn't have let us sit on the cliff!  :o  ;)

Do you remember the scenic highway sign a few days ago just as we were turning onto highway 1?  That had some California poppies on it.  They're very popular here.  Some people think you can't pick them ... ever ...  Even some people get confused and think you can't plant them!  In reality, you can pick them except not THIS one.  I mean, it's illegal to pick California poppies that are growing by state highways, so we left it alone.  Besides, I would not let anyone pick it anyway.  It's too beautiful.  :rolleyes:

Love,
Holgi
kcrawfish


Posted Apr 6, 2011, 12:55 am
Hello everyone!

It's time for me to say goodbye to all my TV buddies in California, Zoe, Hypno-dog, Sierra, DuDette, Crawfish, Peach the Pooch, to the big toys and to Miss Kate.  I will especially miss hanging with little DD on the bookshelves and in the houseplants.  But I am looking forward to great adventures, lovely plants and beautiful bridges ahead! 

Love and hugs to Mom and all my readers,

Holgi
Erulisse


Posted Apr 17, 2011, 5:14 pm
Greetings again!

After a looooong journey, I was "released" from the envelope and found myself in Singapore!  There to greet me were fellow TVs Orkku Orava and Little Bump!  Needless to say, after the warm welcome, I found myself pretty much at home.  There are many other toys around, but not all of them are voyagers.  They are a friendly bunch though.  Am sure it won't take long before we'll be good friends!  Gotta remember to take photographs with them soon!

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x374/BumpTV/TV%20HolgiHH/01-arrival.jpg


It was pretty late when I arrived, so I didn't do much.  Sat around with the other toys and chatted for a bit before we all went to bed.

In the morning, I took a peek out of the window and couldn't believe my eyes.  There are so many tall buildings!  And I never realized I was living that high above the ground!  Bump informed me that we are actually on the 15th floor!  It's lucky that I never had a fear of heights haha.

http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x374/BumpTV/TV%20HolgiHH/02-windowpeek01.jpg http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x374/BumpTV/TV%20HolgiHH/03-windowpeek02.jpg


The rest of the day was pretty much uneventful.  I was introduced to the family cat, Meow, who didn't seem to like me much.  He sniffed at me once, swatted at me with a paw and then pretty much ignored me.  This will be my mini-mission - to befriend Meow before it's time for me to go.

Catch ya all later!  B)
minnihiiru


Posted Jul 7, 2011, 2:11 pm
YEEE ! I am in Estonia,I heard that we are going to look around today.It's warm here and also I saw Brinda,Pinkz and Albus =) I hope we have all together lots of fun.I write you soon,mum!
minnihiiru


Posted Sep 13, 2011, 3:49 pm
Hello mummy,

"Jaanipäev"(John's Night,Midsummer) is today here,we do some BBQ,we didn't celebrate it as big as some people do,but anyway something we did.It's 2nd biggest holidays after Christmas in Estonia.

Usually Estonians celebrate "Jaaniõhtu" on the eve of the Summer Solstice (June 23) with bonfires. On the islands of Saaremaa  and Hiiumaa, old fishing boats may be burnt in the large pyres set ablaze. On Jaaniõhtu, Estonians all around the country will gather with their families, or at larger events to celebrate this important day with singing and dancing, as Estonians have done for centuries. The celebrations that accompany Jaaniõhtu carry on usually through the night

We were not awake all night and we got even some rain,as it is "common " in that evening(night).

2 weeks ago Mari got rabbit and today he was first time outside and I was looking,together with other TVs what he is doing.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qCz9HQLqx4M/Tgi3MStBuOI/AAAAAAAACh0/SPOIQhjGYgU/s640/P6242658.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-k2FJ5eGguNA/Tgi4uOUL1-I/AAAAAAAACiA/LXMdBOlaq4Y/s640/P6242660.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ZbwU_1CbW1Y/Tgi4xO-vUGI/AAAAAAAACiM/aRW3B6qAHrc/s640/P6242664.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-902XrAoX7Ng/Tgi4zGuK_tI/AAAAAAAACiQ/oFHRY9OrP9o/s640/P6242665.JPG
It is the street where I live now
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jcMRx33H4lQ/Tgi42z9yY3I/AAAAAAAACiY/rb9FgEegMbc/s640/P6242669.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3dtQZyVQ1RA/Tgi44gln6KI/AAAAAAAACic/L9QX3rGGZM4/s576/P6242670.JPG
I was somewhere there too,but you don't see me from picture,maybe I got lost in grass..
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Ws_5RxC6fjA/Tgi6ISbaSgI/AAAAAAAACjQ/qmc0vGWFH4U/s640/P6242686.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--yZMI3cPC20/Tg4nu3C5m0I/AAAAAAAAClA/GTBGq3PCKew/s640/P6242683.JPG
minnihiiru


Posted Sep 13, 2011, 3:57 pm
Hello

Today we celebrated Mari's birthday,well she is now 20 years old : D There were only 2 guests,what a big party,but we toyvoyagers joined and it looked like real party then.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nJKhfEIN6YY/Tm9urpGGy1I/AAAAAAAACpA/pO_qODlbAGg/s640/P7262725.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-UG6eFfbBCfs/Tm9uty8pq8I/AAAAAAAACpE/qamYu4r6_M0/s640/P7262726.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mWeCfeXZ-xs/Tm9uyjJt7rI/AAAAAAAACpI/vrZec58jt_I/s640/P7262731.JPG

Happy birthday for Mari !
minnihiiru


Posted Sep 28, 2011, 12:50 pm
Hey mom!

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-JeYJuaE1uVU/ToMHJPyBXpI/AAAAAAAACpw/_uqxyXuKYGo/s640/P9162765.JPG
its lake Gallträsk.You should know that Finland is the country of thousands lake and it was first lake I saw in Finland.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yCymTs-D_bU/ToMHKgfAypI/AAAAAAAACp0/Ef-eJKAOB1o/s640/P9162766.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8SGNql2NHhk/ToMHRNu22RI/AAAAAAAACqI/Kqrvihs5GaQ/s640/P9162771.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lHUcr00XJRc/ToMHXtNUjNI/AAAAAAAACqY/_gO2CKk_OrQ/s640/P9162775.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nw9eugA6p2U/ToMHYgKpKCI/AAAAAAAACqc/Mp5mnhX8eKQ/s640/P9162776.JPG
It was nice cloudy afternoon and we were walking around the lake.Albus was also with us.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-m7NoznIpp8s/ToMHdOYfteI/AAAAAAAACqk/dOSbYq8D_h4/s640/P9162779.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-GjKosiKH6oE/ToMHa67nFjI/AAAAAAAACqg/kE4c_pdk5ag/s640/P9162778.JPG
Next we tried to climb the tree.
After walking we returned home and it was time to take a littlerest on the table.Also Mari told me that I am going to continue my journey.I was happy to hear that!
Hei-hei Suomi/Bye-bye Finland
minnihiiru


Posted Sep 28, 2011, 1:00 pm
Today we visited capital of Finland,Helsinki.We went there by train and you can see there on the picture train station.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zsYATgP8dk0/ToMHF7TEIVI/AAAAAAAACpk/kjPk1iIG8TI/s640/P9032758.JPG


Helsinki Central railway station  is a widely recognised landmark in central Helsinki, Finland, and the focal point of public transport in the Greater Helsinki area. The station is used by approximately 200,000 passengers per day, making it Finland's most-visited building.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Ij8iqL9x-HQ/ToMHHHks1UI/AAAAAAAACpo/Wv4n2DlSpcs/s640/P9032760.JPG
busy city life =busy people,trams,big buildings..
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-87la61bjkBc/ToMHE0AKKyI/AAAAAAAACpg/tXQ6KRwoMos/s640/P9032757.JPG
From here you can get to Helsinki metro station.
RikeH


Posted Nov 20, 2011, 10:01 pm
Hello World,

Oups – what happened? Where am I?

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/Holgi_0001.jpg

It is me – HolgiHH – and I am sitting in a houseplant!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/Holgi_0002.jpg

I had bad luck during the last months with my hosts – and the awful host from France didn’t send me back.  :(

But it is a miracle (I don’t understand what happened) and I am back home again.

Hey – here are more nice plants…  :D

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/Holgi_0003.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/Holgi_0004.jpg

Well, after sitting in the plants I start talking with Dicker Kumpel. He told me that there is a nice lady in Germany who would love to host me.

I am not sure what to do -  maybe she will not make any updates or steal me. But Dicker Kumpel says she is nice – and I believe him.

So I will jump into my envelope and hopefully will have a nice time in another part of Germany.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/Holgi_0005.jpg

Bye
HolgiHH
Zandy


Posted Nov 24, 2011, 6:43 pm
Hello mommy!

I would tell you something about my arrival here in Öhringen. You know what happen with me during my travel time, so I was a litty shy when someone opened my envelope. I wait inside, but maybe it was too long, becuase three TVs put there heads insite to look who arrives.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/01.jpg

They say welcome to me and that I can come out. so I slowely climbed up and look carefully outside.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/02.jpg

I see the other three TVs. Their names are from left to right: Amalthea, Hanni and Ele. And than I saw some other plushies.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/03.jpg

That's great I feel really good here. And we talked a little. Oh and of course I give Zandy the postcard. She was very thankful for it.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/04.jpg

I'm looking foreward to write more soon.
Bye,
HolgiHH
Zandy


Posted Nov 24, 2011, 8:37 pm
Hi mommy,

Zandy know, that I love plants, so she show me the plants at her home. We have a lot of fun. And take some pictures of me and the plants. Look:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/08.jpg

And they have allready have poinsettias at home. One in white and one in red. I can't decide with one is nicer.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/06.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/07.jpg

Zandy and her mom have a lot of orchids at home. But they didn't bloom at the moment. Only one orchid has a flower and I must take a picture with it.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/05.jpg

The flower is such as little as I am.  :D From now I think I mustn't be afraid to stay with a new host. Zandy is really nice and she know some things I really like.

So mommy, I hope you like to read my updates from here and see, that our decision was right.

Bye
HolgiHH
Zandy


Posted Nov 30, 2011, 10:31 pm
Hello mummy!

I'm writing to tell you what I've done at the last saturday. My friends and I have to help Zandy and her boyfriend to decorate a little for christmas. And first of all we must craft a Advent wreath, because they have no one and first Advent is comming.  :D

So Ele, Hanni, Amalthea and I create one wreath. How do you like it? We named it: "The real TV Advent wreath"

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/09.jpg

Zandy and her boyfriend laugh about this idea and told us, that we must sit in this positions for four weeks, if we really want to do this. This means four weeks no adventures. So we decided, that our idea wasn't the best and we have to craft another one. First we have to collect branches of fir. And when we did this, we all played a little hike and seek.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/10.jpg

I hade the best hiding-place, they found me last. But Zandy and her boyfriend found us all.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/11.jpg

Than we hade to look for other decorations. And we found the following.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/12.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/13.jpg

So we could start. But we forgot to put on gloves, so the banches prick us a little. But strong TVs like us didn't know pain.  ;)

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/14.jpg

And now the rest of the decorations. We all think, that the Advent wreath is great for our first try.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/15.jpg

So, that's all for the moment, mummy.
Hugs yours
HolgiHH
Zandy


Posted Dec 4, 2011, 11:10 am
Hey mummy!
Sorry, that you must wait so long for my next update, but Zandy was very busy the last days and we had no time to write updates. But now I will catch up this.  :D

Last sunday we had a lot of fun. Zandy an her boyfriend were invited for lunch, so we had time to play at home. We decided to play with a truck of Zandys boyfriend. It was so much fun. Sometimes it's profitable to be such tiny as I am. Because I was the only one who could get behing the steering wheel, so I was the driver.  :D

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/16.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/17.jpg

Of course Ele and Amalthea drove with Hanni and me.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/18.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/19.jpg

It was soooo great. Maybe you buy me a truck one day?  ;) One with place for flowers, so I can carry them for you from one room to the other. *tihi*

Later this day Zandy and her boyfriend decided to craft some strawstars and we could help.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/20.jpg

First we all were a little bit confused about the tutorial in the book, but than we get it.
Here you can see me and my friends watering the straw so that we can press them.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/21.jpg

And than it was my time to craft a star. To put the first straws into the form was easy.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/22.jpg

But than it gets difficult. Ok, a little.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/23.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/24.jpg

This is my star before binding. It looks a little bit strange, so undefinable.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/25.jpg

But after binding and cutting I had a great star. Or what do you think mummy?

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/26.jpg

I like it very much.  :D And all of us craft one. So after a few hours we had a little strawstar collection.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/27.jpg

I think it was a great weekend, because we learned to make different things. And now we know, that it makes fun to craft things by yourself. It's a goof feeling to see what you've done.

That's all for the moment.
Bye mummy!
Yours,
HolgiHH
Zandy


Posted Dec 4, 2011, 11:42 am
Mummy, today arrives a new TV at Zandys home. Ele, Hanni, Amalthea and I were so nosy that we look inside the envelope before the new arriver had the chance to come out.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/28.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/29.jpg

But than he jumped so fast out that he had frightened the life out of us four.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/30.jpg

When we get better we all talk together and laugh. We found out, that his name is Paddington and his last stay was in Russia. Originaly he cames from the UK.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/32.jpg

And of course we all gave him a warm welcome.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/33.jpg

Bye bye!
Zandy


Posted Dec 4, 2011, 1:17 pm
Here we are! Born to be kings! We're the princes of the universe! *sing*

Hey mummy,

today evening we visited a Tribute Show to Freddie Mercury and Queen. Zandy showed us the entry tickets and so we get know what we will do.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/34.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/35.jpg

Before the show began we had a little drink.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/36.jpg

And than it began. I saw him, Freddie Mercury. Ok, not really him, such a double. But the singer made a good job.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/37.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/38.jpg

At the break we take some pictures on the stage. Look me in front of the drums.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/39.jpg

My friends and I  sit together on teh stage and sing a sloud as we could.
Friends will be friends!
When you're in need of love they give you care and attention!
Friends will be friends!
When you're through with life and all hope is lost!
Hold out your hand cos friends will be friends right till the end!


http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/40.jpg

And than: The show must go on!

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/42.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/43.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/44.jpg

And than the singer weared this funny costume.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/45.jpg

At the end of the show we take this picture with the plakat.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/46.jpg

Than it was time to drove back home. Ele, Hanni, Amalthea, Paddington and I were so excited that we couldn't sleep. So we talked and sing together.

Good night mummy!
Zandy


Posted Dec 5, 2011, 9:08 pm
Hey mummy!

Today was a curious day. Ele and Amalthea leaved today, but on the other side it was funny to see a little bit of Öhringen.

The day began with a big goodbye of my two friends which leave. We had a long chat bevore we all give us some hugs.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/47.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/48.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/49.jpg

And than we had a last look at the leavers. Of course I wish them all the best for their future journey. Maybe we will see us in the future once more.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/50.jpg

We were allowed to go with Zandy an her boyfriend to the post office where we saw Ele and Amalthea the last time. And Zandy allowed e to throw a Postcard for her in the post box.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/51.jpg


On our way home she showed us some things in Öhringen. First we met this funny guy. His name is Hamballe.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/52.jpg

His name means in Hohenlohe that he is a adorable but also a silly human. (Like you see he water flowers when it's raining)  :D
But I think I like him. He is flowerfriendly, like I'm. *tihi*

During the Christmas market in Öhringen there are some szenes from fairy stories in the town. So we met this nice, green guy and than the devil...

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/53.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/54.jpg

But he didn't hurt us. Puh! Oh, and we saw this crib on the market place. It's a nice one. Not to big, but also not to small.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/55.jpg

And here you can see me in front of the Stiftskirche. But the tower wasn't open at the time, so we can't go upstairs. Zandy told us, that maybe on another day we can go there.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/56.jpg

Here I'm in the atrium of the church.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/57.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/58.jpg

There was a parcours for children, where they can see what you can find in the forrests.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/59.jpg

And we met Snow whithe, with the seven dwarfs...

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/60.jpg

...and Robin Hood
http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/61.jpg

Our last Station was the upper gate (Oberes Tor) in Öhringen.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/62.jpg

And than in the park we take this picture with me in front of the chruch and the Stiftskirche.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/63.jpg

Bye mummy and good night!
Zandy


Posted Dec 8, 2011, 9:41 pm
Mummy, I think I will be big and fat when I come back home. *tihi* No, not really. Not more than on other christmas'.  ;)

Today we had to help Zandy with cooking. She want's to wirte a recipe notebook, which will travel around the world - maybe. And so she must write the first recipe in it and of course we cook it. We cook a special Schwäbisches Menue: Ervil with Spätzle and sausages (Linsen mit Spätzle und Saitenwürtschen)  :D Of course we have to prepair the ingredient.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/64.jpg

Not much for the Spätzle, so we thought it could be an easy undertaiking. My job was to prepair the milk for the Spätzle.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/66.jpg

And than we rasp the Spätzle and cook them step by step. Here you can see me watching the Spätzle.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/67.jpg

First Zandy's boyfriend showed me, how long they must cook and how they must look and than I could cook them myself. (Ok with a little help  ;))

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/68.jpg

And than tatatataaaaaaaaaaaaa: Hanni, Paddington and I with our dinner.  :D

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/69.jpg

*hmm* very delicious. And such a big portion for a little donkey.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/70.jpg

After eating we decided to make some choco-crossis. Very easy to do.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/71.jpg

We all look on the chocolate while it was melting.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/72.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/73.jpg

And than we put the cornflakes inside and made little bunches.  :D

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/74.jpg

But we couldn't taste them. Because they must dry first before eating.  But I think that was ok so, I couldn't eat anymore this day. I was very overeaten.  :D

Bye mummy!
Yours globated
HolgiHH
Zandy


Posted Dec 8, 2011, 10:26 pm
ToyVoyager labour! HELP! MUMMY! Hehe, no no Joke.

Tomorrow is St. Nicholas day. And Zandy allowed me to take one of her boots and situate it in front of the door. She said maybe Nicholas will bring something. :o So of course the boot must be clean and I cleaned it.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/75.jpg

Hanni and Paddington get also a boot. An here you can see us in front of them.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/76.jpg


We all are so excited. Will St. Nicholas really bring something to us?

But Zandy said, that we must go to bed now. Otherwise Nicholas won't come. So we jump very fast into our bed.

Good night mummy!
Zandy


Posted Dec 11, 2011, 10:54 pm
Yeah! St Nichoal really bring something for us mummy. The work yesterday was effective.  :D
Early in the morning we wake up and had a look at our boots.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/77.jpg

I didn't belive, that St Nicholas will really bring something for us, but he did. So great! This means I was a really honest donkey this year.  :D Yummy! Sweets!  :)

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/78.jpg

And than St Nicholas had an other present for us. Ok not really he, it was the postmen. He brought two other envelopes. And we opened them, because we thought there will be TVs inside.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/79.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/80.jpg

And than we had an introducing round. Mummy, I thought the whole time, that the I know the giraffe. And it is so! It's ThomasHH one of your TVs and so one of my brothers. What a surprise.  :D

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/81.jpg

Oh äh... and the bear is SammyFire. He is a fire brigade bear. And while Zandy must work we all talk together for hours and eat the sweets which St Nicholas brought us.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/82.jpg

Bye Bye mummy!
Yours,
HolgiHH
Zandy


Posted Dec 13, 2011, 11:15 pm
Hey mummy!

Do you remember my picture in front of the Tower last week and that we can't go upstairs while it wasn't open? Today we go up. But first we visited the castle or better one part of it. There was an exhibition of the history of Öhringen. Sadly it wasn't allowed to take pictures inside. But in one room we fastly take this pictures while no supervisory staff was there. *hrhr*

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/83.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/84.jpg

And than back outside we had a small snack to calm down before we climbed up the tower.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/85.jpg

Here you can see me allready in the tower. Next to a model of it. It could be nearly a home for me.  ;)

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/86.jpg

The model showes the "Blasturm" (blow tower). Here it is so little. But really the tower is 56,16 meters high. And it was built in 1494. But we only could climbed up to 32 meters. In the tower are seven stories and the truss. And the rooms inside were two archives, a musician room, the "Verschlooch" (a crate in the Hohenlohisch slang. It was the bedroom for the helper of the steeplejack) and the apartment form the steeplejack. And of course the tower gallery on which we could go outside.

So I think thig are enough facts for the moment. It's time for more pictures.  ;) We found this lamps hanging around.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/87.jpg

A little bit highter on the next floor we saw this clock.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/88.jpg

And than we go outside. Wow what a view.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/89.jpg

The tower on the left is called "Läutturm" (ringtower?!) with four bells. And on the right, the white tower it's from the St. Josef church. Great! Isn't it?

Of course I had a look down on the christmas market (sadly with no snow)

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/90.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/91.jpg

Mummy can you see the railway? It's every year on the market place an it was allready there when Zandy was a little child. Cildren ride on it. A great idea isn't it?

Oh an look at this bell. It was very loud. While we are looking on it it rings. Wow my ears...

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/92.jpg

And we also saw the atrium of the Stiftskirche from above.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/93.jpg

Than it was time to go down. Back across this wooden stairs which were very comfortable. The Stoe stairs were horror.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/94.jpg

Oh and we found this nice clock on our way down. you can see the mechanism of it.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/95.jpg

And we found one of the old Archives. It was luck. Becuase we must wait on a jutty while other people come up the stairs.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/96.jpg

Back on earth ...  ;) ... we decidec to have a snack. And Zandy bought us a "Rosenküchle" (rosecacke/cookie). It is called so because it looks like a rose. And it tastes very well.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/97.jpg

On our way back home we saw some animals in the little zoo in Öhringen. And they have a donky.  :D

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/98.jpg

So mummy, this was my sunday. I hope you enjoy it to read what happened.

Good night!
Yours
HolgiHH
Zandy


Posted Dec 20, 2011, 9:35 am
Mummy! Look what we saw when we wake up!

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/99.jpg

SNOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW! The first snow this winter.  Juhu! So great! But sadly we can't go outside because Zandy must go to work now and she will come back very late. But maybe tomorrow we had the chance. *hope*
Zandy


Posted Dec 24, 2011, 11:13 pm
http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/100.gif

Hey Mummy!
First I will wish you and all the others a merry Christmas.
Sadly we had no snow here. But we made a little bit snow. It was fun and I could dream. :-) Please klick on the picture below  ;)

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/th_101.jpg

And than we helped Zandy and her parents a to prepair the christmas meal. Zandy's parents are from Poland and so they had a traditional meal from there. They always eat fish (normally carp) and cabbage with peas and they eat potates.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/102.jpg

For dessert they eat "Makufka". This is poppy cooked with milk and than you give sugar, raisin and bap (or rusk) in it. First we all were a little skeptic and look in the big bowl with the Makufka.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/103.jpg

And than we taste a little. And it tastes really good. I didn't belive. But it is so.  :D

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/104.jpg

Oh and they always drink strawberrycompot.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/105.jpg

Than all was prepaired and we eat. After eating we went to the christmastree and look, there where presents for us. Soooooooooooo cool.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/106.jpg

I found my present. What it could be?

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/107.jpg

Wow! The biggest present for the smallest TV. How cool is that? ;) A houseplant for me.  :D

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/108.jpg

We made a grouppicture after me and my friends have unpacked the presents.  :D

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/109.jpg

So mummy, now it's time to go to bed.
I wish you a good night!
Love yours
HolgiHH
Zandy


Posted Dec 29, 2011, 9:26 pm
Hi mummy!

Today was a little bit a boring day. The first time it was great to relax a little bit and of course me and my friends plaed a lot, but after a few hours it was boring, because we can't go outside. Zandy and her boyfriend were visiting his family and they couldn't take us with them. So they leave us alone at home.

But the best of the day was when the both came home. You should have see their looks when they found us in the christmas tree with nice Santa-caps. Really funny!  :D

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/110.jpg

Here I'm. The cap was very suitable  ;)

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/111.jpg

Love yours,
HolgiHH
Zandy


Posted Jan 2, 2012, 10:00 pm
Hi mummy,
today we suprised SammyFire, we visited a Club, where they collect old Fireengines. Zandys Boyfriend showed us those old Trucks and also a lot of Equipment.

We arriverd at the Location. The Sight from the Parking Ground is great. A very beautiful Landscape.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/112.jpg

Zandys Boyfriend opened a big Door and then we saw the Fire Trucks. We are all exited to this, but i think, SammyFire was the most exited.The Trucks where big, and red, and beautiful. We all sit on the Bumper.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/113.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/114.jpg

I climbed into the Cabin of these Fire Truck and sit on top of the Radio. "puhh" that was exertive"

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/115.jpg

"Alarm!!!!!!!!!!" hurry up, we have to go for a Fire. SammyFire drove us to the Place where the Fire was burning.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/116.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/117.jpg

At first we have to stop the Traffic on the Street. For this we use a Stoppanel. We have to hold it all, because the Wind was very strong at this day. If only one of us hold the Stoppanel this Tv will fly away.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/118.jpg

Then we arranged our things we need to extinguish the Fire. In these Truck there are many many interressting Things. We needed Hoses, Pipes, distributos, Pumps, and many many more Parts. We also find a Sparetyre in the Truck. I hope this one we dont need.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/119.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/120.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/121.jpg

We extinguish the fire with the Watercanon on the Roof of the Truck. Its hard to operate, but very funny. The Water shoot 50 meters. You can harvesting Appels when they hanging on a Tree.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/122.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/123.jpg

"OK, the Exercise is over, very goog job, everyone"
I hope you are not worried Mummy, it was just an exercise. Not dangerous. Zandys Boyfriend sayed, we all have done a very good Job. He asked us, if we want to join the Firefighters. Maybe I do.

After That we found a very old Waterpump. This was build in 1857. Very nice. We searching for the Engine, but we couldnt find it. If you want to move this Carriage, you need Horses or many other Tv´s

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/128.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/129.jpg

We found also a lot of stuff you need if you work as a Firefighter

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/130.jpg

This Mask you need if you go into a burning House wich is full of Smoke. If you wear this on, your Voice sounds funny, like Darth Vader: I am your Father, Luke.

Here are the Bottels for the Air that you breath.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/127.jpg

We just have a look in the Store. There we found old Ladders and hoses.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/132.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/133.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/131.jpg

Now is Time to go. We have to prepare us for Lunch. We are invited by Zandys Parents. We all enjoyed the time with these old Fire Trucks. It was very interesting and Funny. SammyFire was very happy about the Trip and I think he liked it.
Zandy


Posted Jan 2, 2012, 11:55 pm
Hey mummy!

Today we went to the theatre. The name of the play was "Ganze Kerle" (whole guys) It was a comedy. And we all laugh so much that we must cry.  ;)

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/134.jpg

But it was no normal one. It was a theatre-ship. A real ship on which they play theatre. Unbelivable! But I saw it with my own eyes. A really cool location and not so normal  :D Here you can see me in front (or better behind the ship)

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/135.jpg

And here my friends and I in front of the "Neckarturm" in Heilbronn.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/136.jpg

And another view from our place. Also the theatre-ship and a hotel.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/137.jpg

While we are waiting inside the ship we met this nice guy. Isn't he cute? He was so relaxed.  :D

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/138.jpg

From our seats inside the boat we could look outside to a bull's-eye. But it was very difficult to take pictures on which you can see something.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/139.jpg

And this were our funny seats. They are from melted plastic. They were more comfortable than they look.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/140.jpg

After the show we take this picture now in front of the ship.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/141.jpg

And on our way back to the car we met this nice lady. Her name is "Käthchen from Heilbronn".

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/142.jpg

And than it was late for us and we go to bed. But it was really a very funny comedy.

Bye bye mummy!
Love yours,
HolgiHH
Zandy


Posted Jan 3, 2012, 12:12 am
Happy new year!

Hi mummy!

I have bad news... We take pictures last night. But the card from the cam is broken now. We don't know why. But Zandy was very angry abou it. And sadly we couldn't repair it. So no pictures from my new years eve.  :( But you can belive me, we had a great party.  :D

Today we take a new card and take som elast pictures before I must leave. Not it's time to say goodbye and to go to the next host.

But first I will tell you where the pictures are taken. It's in Neuenstadt am Kocher at the open-air stage. In summer they play there theatre.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/143.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/144.jpg

To come to the stage you must pass the "Lindenplatz".

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/145.jpg

Zandy told me, that in summer, when the trees have leaves it's very nice here. But I think it's also nice now.  :)
And than they showed my a little nice and very old bridge. Can you find me? It was really difficult to take the picture, because the other side was far far far away.  ;) But when struggle you can find me. We decided to help you a little bit.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/146.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n530/ToyVoyagerHost/HolgiHH/147.jpg

Zandys boyfriend told me, that in the past it was the only alternative to pass the river, when you want to go to Neckarsulm, a city next to Neuenstadt.

Bye mummy!
Zandy


Posted Jan 3, 2012, 8:26 pm
Hi mummy!

I'm writing to tell you, that I'm now on my way to my next host.

Zandy and I hope that you enjoy to read the updates. My friends say goodbye to me and that it was time to crawl into the envelope.

So Bye mummy!
Next time you will here from my I'm in another place.  :D
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Jan 4, 2012, 9:18 pm
Hey Mum,

I finally arrived in Dortmund today!! It is a city in the state North Rhine-Westphalia and it belongs to the Ruhr Area.
The travel wasn't very long but I'm tired anyway.
Domino, a TV from England, waited for me when I came out of the envelope. It was so nice to see a friendly face at the arrival  :)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ervttayQh0Y/TwS7qJi-CTI/AAAAAAAAAEY/2tJFv70dTZg/s512/SAM_0874.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-F89kJLd6Oy0/TwS7rIOCXpI/AAAAAAAAAEc/kKx9knvnozE/s640/SAM_0875.JPG

After the welcoming, my new host Kate showed me the flat. It's not so big but it's nice anyway. The first thing that really striked my eyes was a plant on the window seat. Yippieh!!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DcL7b2A4sK0/TwS7h66f0KI/AAAAAAAAAD0/ix5aSI-m4VM/s512/SAM_0859.JPG

After spending some time with relaxing in the plant, Kate showed me some things that reminded me of my home... Souvenirs from Hamburg, Kate has been there several times. Look!
A picture that she took by herself on a boat tour:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Qqljk930eNo/TwS7kYNoL6I/AAAAAAAAAEA/GXygBhvKFts/s640/SAM_0864.JPG

And some things from St. Pauli:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hQlG4RAXxWk/TwS7lPBF6LI/AAAAAAAAAEE/pRCx40ikc8k/s512/SAM_0865.JPG

This is on the window seat, isn't it cute? :)
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mzBNCZ30qHU/TwS7g_mMY6I/AAAAAAAAADw/cVpTXw9RFDQ/s512/SAM_0858.JPG

Well, after showing me everything, we sat down and had time for some conversation. Domino showed me where his home is and told me a bit about it. He is from Norfolk which is in England, Great Britain. Afterwards I showed him where I'm from.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GU9hgTgBawA/TwS7nYBJMBI/AAAAAAAAAEM/YJjb97bLHwo/s512/SAM_0868.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aNxZ3HPkkEY/TwS7ocyHtGI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/x-OkG8yddBM/s640/SAM_0870.JPG

It's quite late now and my travel was very exhausting, so I'll go to bed now.
Good night, mummy!!  :)

HolgiHH x
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Jan 5, 2012, 7:15 pm
Hi Mum,

today I visited Kates university, TU Dortmund. It's a very impressive university, although it looks quite ugly in winter because of the bad weather and without any leaves on the trees.
There are many different departments, like natural sciences, humane scienes, engineering and teacher training. As a result of this, there are many different people on the campuses (there are two campuses, nothern and southern), that's really cool.  B)
The northern campus is much bigger than the southern campus, but the southern one is more familiar. Even though Kate studies at the southern campus, we also visited the other one just to show me everything. Unfortunately there was heavy rain and storm so we couldn't take many pictures...
This is the view from the maths-tower, 10. floor. It was quite high.. Almost a little too high for me!! The building on the right side is the library. But this is not even the half of the northern campus!! So as you can see, the campus is huge!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QMjqh8MBfmI/TwXthIGljPI/AAAAAAAAAEo/kHWNNGRoR5M/s640/SAM_0878.JPG

The campuses are connected by overhead-tracks, called "H-Bahn" (Hängebahn). I really like them :)
This was taken on the southern campus:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ORBRQwWGDuw/TwXtgIUgpkI/AAAAAAAAAEk/5p_mMNVPzKM/s640/SAM_0877.JPG

When we turned around, we saw 3 buildings. The one on the right side is the building of my hosts faculty. Well, these ones don't look very pretty, but it's not too bad  ;)
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BrtKmPClCa4/TwXte3EWsGI/AAAAAAAAAEg/mHlsCjzOZbI/s640/SAM_0876.JPG

After arriving at home after university, the weather was still totally strange. Heavy rain and storm followed by sunshine and dead calm. Weird.. Last night was a hailstorm and we found some of the hailstorms this afternoon which converted into ice.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6GxoabSsXtw/TwXtlXAOeqI/AAAAAAAAAE4/rC9u5qxEkUk/s512/SAM_0882.JPG

And finally: a rare moment with sunshine in front of the door
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-juf3-9vySD8/TwXtk9pGjEI/AAAAAAAAAE0/ZOlUYprj1Qc/s640/SAM_0881.JPG

So, that's it for today.
Love you and miss you!!

HolgiHH x
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Jan 8, 2012, 11:39 am
Hey mum,

Kate, a view friends and me went to the theatre on saturday evening. We watched "The full monty - Ganz oder garnicht" in the opera house in Dortmund. It's a musical about some unemployed men who worked in a now closed steelworks and need to get some money. They start to train striptease and arrange a show to earn some money with it. It was so much fun!!  :D The actors and the songs were really great and we laughed so much! All in all it was a great evening.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-t8_it6cuHyc/Twl7Oki4IwI/AAAAAAAAAFk/dw0wGGlkPSo/s640/SAM_0893.JPG

These are some lights which are in the foyer of the opera house. It looks very nice, doesn't it?
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-BzhFJLhpJR8/Twl7LmXYR9I/AAAAAAAAAFY/O6IRNmuv98E/s640/SAM_0889.JPG

And finally, this is the theatre hall:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gE9x4vmNq5w/Twl7MZn5PKI/AAAAAAAAAFc/SuOAJ-8Tvyk/s640/SAM_0891.JPGhttps://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-x89jCYZY2ms/Twl7Nax3utI/AAAAAAAAAFg/L8BJnvhGHOg/s640/SAM_0892.JPG

On sunday we'll go to Oberhausen to see the musical "Cats". I wonder if it'll be good and worth the admission money..  :)

I hope you have a great weekend!!

Love you, mum!!
HolgiHH
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Jan 12, 2012, 8:26 pm
Hey mummy,

on sunday, 8th of january, Kate, some friends and me went to Oberhausen, it's about 25 minutes far apart from Dortmund by car.
Well, we watched the musical "Cats" by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It's currently on tour here in Germany, you might know that, so it's presented in a big tent which looks like a circus tent, just with a lot more luxury  :)

This is the awning with a bar and the cloakrooms:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-asphDK8a7WM/Tw87l0aad5I/AAAAAAAAAFs/QEYEHO_zhWM/s640/SAM_0902.JPG

And this is the stage, it illustrates a rubbish dump, where the cats meet and the whole story takes place. This stage setting is awesome..!!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Y-gm62n6Wno/Tw87mzpvfcI/AAAAAAAAAFw/7YHPCGWUjEI/s640/SAM_0905.JPG

On our way to our car we passed another theatre, the Metronom theatre in Oberhausen. The musical "Dirty Dancing" is currently shown there. Well, I don't think that I have to see this one.. :D
But Kate told me that this theatre was a performance space for maaaany great and popular musicals such as "Tabaluga & Lilli", "Beauty and the Beast", "Dance of the Vampires" and last but not least "Wicked".
It was very dark so it's hard to see anything..:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mlaUqiSWEbY/Tw87kwCWZ2I/AAAAAAAAAFo/PoBDSs8SVro/s640/SAM_0899.JPG

All in all, it was a nice evening with lots of stunning things to see. There where so many talented dancers and singers, the costumes where amazing and the music was quite nice  :)
When we were at home later that night, we took a last look into programme..
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-iQR1md0iY74/Tw871S5fD2I/AAAAAAAAAGU/FkENDBPMCQI/s720/CIMG6110.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SGZMbOSaQvU/Tw872kQBCCI/AAAAAAAAAGY/Yqba49ECvWs/s720/CIMG6111.JPG

That's it about our trip to Oberhausen :)

Love,

HolgiHH xx
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Jan 12, 2012, 8:50 pm
My dearest mum,

we took a walk through the forest near our flat. I think it was the first day without rain for a long time so Kate and me decided to take a walk. Well, it looked a bit dreary without the leaves, but hey, it's winter, that was to be expected.. :)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9eluDaP07As/Tw87vMJtW4I/AAAAAAAAAGE/kuqD3vomDxQ/s640/SAM_0906.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WXU1nXiPYtA/Tw87oastIII/AAAAAAAAAGc/DovrK_2cGi0/s720/CIMG6098.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aEDLYpayZeI/Tw87ybMWvMI/AAAAAAAAAGM/yTNDk3t7wkc/s640/SAM_0911.JPG

A small creek in the forest (sorry, a bit blurry)
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Zf5L1dYYP4g/Tw87p55n65I/AAAAAAAAAF4/b4-UA_ssBVQ/s512/CIMG6102.JPG

Me in a hole in a tree stem :) :
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7ttOTxzNbuU/Tw87rpRijeI/AAAAAAAAAF8/wU2gnz8v5TY/s512/CIMG6105.JPG

It was so nice to walk through the forest, listening to the birds and feeling the air on my body :) I hope the weather will be better some time soon so that I can take more walks in natural surroundings and show you more places here in Dortmund and in other cities :)

Miss you!!
HolgiHH xx

La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Jan 16, 2012, 7:07 pm
Hey mummy,

how are you? I hope you're fine!!
May day started really cold.. When I woke up, I was freezing like hell!  :stare: Kate told me that it was the coldest day in the whole winter this year (and the end of last year). I took a look from the balcony and I saw frost everywhere.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vRpG_8MsvJc/TxRn1ZHNwrI/AAAAAAAAAGk/InlR0nd3wJQ/s640/SAM_0914.JPG

Well, after spending the whole day at university we drove to Bochum to dine out.
Spaghetti Carbonara, yummy!!  :)
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Aia5FPrxYvs/TxRn2cQx9oI/AAAAAAAAAGo/s8gwMXco9Ew/s640/DSC02580.JPG

After dining out we took a little after-dinner-walk at the Harpener Teiche (harpener ponds) in Bochum. It was so great!! The air was cold but clear and pure. Beautiful :) Unfortunately it was almost dark because we spent so much time at university.. :( But I took some pictures anyway.
This is a water inflow with stones and heavy fog. It looked so mystic!!  :D
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9Dd_FeTs10w/TxRn3SbMntI/AAAAAAAAAG4/Qyi66SwJvW4/s512/DSC02581.JPG

Kate told me that the mine drainage water of a nearby mine flows into the Harpener Teiche. The Ruhr Area is popular for its former mining and the mines which are out of service fill up with mine drainage water. This water has to be pumped out because otherwise it would mix up with the groundwater and would make it useless. It's kinda complicated to explain, anyway this process has to be conducted to all eternity.
To come back to the Harpener Teiche... It's a huge area and you can walk miles and miles, it's so great! When Kate was a young child she lived in a house near the ponds with a beautiful view all over the ponds. I think it must have been amazing, especially in spring or summer  :)

Well, during our walk we made a little stop to see the sunset. The red sky looks nice, doesn't it?
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PVwfcQeoc4M/TxRn4M74gCI/AAAAAAAAAG8/R58wMOr0E2s/s640/DSC02583.JPG

A little later, we went back to our car and drove home because we didn't want to walk through the darkness.

Now I'm at home, relaxing a little bit, watching TV and all that stuff.

Love you, mum!!
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Jan 20, 2012, 9:10 pm
Hey mummy,

welcome to another week full of rain and hail!!  :( The weather is really bad and it's hard to find places that I can show you without getting very wet. Kate came home from university earlier than expected and the sun didn't go down to this time (every day of the last two weeks she came home after sunset so we couldn't take any pictures outside!!!) and so we decided to drive to Bochum, Kates hometown, to visit her other domicile. She still lives at her parents house on weekends and sometimes during the week). That's why I'm mostly photographed in Bochum.
Well, today was the day with the heaviest hailstorm ever, well actually there were several hailstorms today. But I managed to see some nice places in Bochum anyway, even if it rained cats and dogs, but it was time to show you a piece of Bochum so I walked through the rain, just for you  B)

I started my trip at the theatre of the musical "Starlight Express" by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It was built from 1986-1988 especially for this musical. It looks like a station and the stage shows many different rails. It's the musical with the longest repertory season in Germany (since 1988) and there's a world record for the most visitors to a musical in a single theatre. Great, isn't it? :)
The show is about a world championship of the trains with some small lovestories. The moral of this show is, that you can do everything if you believe in yourself and that true love isn't just about goodlooking, but havin wonderful inner values.
The extraordinary thing on this show is, that every actor wears roller skates and looks like a train. It's a very tough training for the actors at the beginning.
Well, this is the Starlight Express Halle, fans just call it "Halle" ( do you see the hail on the ground?!)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-0yXrVMClOos/TxnH9uxxZcI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/uQGIb5_eTEs/s640/SAM_0931.JPG

This is an engine on the forecourt in front of the theatre. The carriage shows some of the characters of the musical:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7m4n4cUBZvs/TxnH-7gXD1I/AAAAAAAAAHc/k8BuY0fjBT8/s640/SAM_0932.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n46ZYNvhcVI/TxnIAHNFM3I/AAAAAAAAAHg/hVSGPNZqCxs/s512/SAM_0933.JPG

The next stop was the "Zeiss Planetarium Bochum". It's one of the most modern planetariums worldwide!!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GGmgQXs5FFA/TxnIE247pDI/AAAAAAAAAIA/6WDz7DZPwqI/s640/SAM_0938.JPG

Well, Bochum was a host city in last year's Womens World Cup, this is a picture in front of the Planetarium which is a sign for beeing a host city:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-M3GwNF7bMgg/TxnIGC9H0qI/AAAAAAAAAII/2Qt2iTZMP9Q/s640/SAM_0939.JPG

This is a synagogue for the jewish citizen. Sadly, the synagogue has to be guarded by two policemen when they have a divine service on friday evenings to protect the jewish people. The german history still isn't forgotten...  :( Thank god there aren't many brutalities, so mostly the policemen just sit in their cars until the end of the divine service.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XBEOgQmLS2s/TxnIHAklsmI/AAAAAAAAAIU/j0uYhGLS8GI/s640/SAM_0940.JPG

Finally, the last stop was at the "Deutsches Bergbau Museum". It's one of the most important museums about mining worldwide. There's a shaft tower and a recreated adit in in a depth of 20 meters which you can explore. The tunnel in the adit has a length of about 2,5km .  :o
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UvhEn4uYh50/TxnIJvrLLxI/AAAAAAAAAIg/-nbbIFPEC9w/s640/SAM_0942.JPG

This is the shaft tower:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-p3nZ1c3cGpA/TxnII9AVkDI/AAAAAAAAAIc/i0ponrvLDz8/s640/SAM_0941.JPG

After the long day in the rain and the hail I relaxed a bit in a plant in the dining room in Bochum.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tz47N61GDaA/TxnINIJhJ_I/AAAAAAAAAIw/SZ12aM2hz5I/s512/SAM_0944.JPG

This is an abstract image of the whole Ruhr Area. It shows the most significant sights of every city. Maybe can spot Bochum (shaft tower) or Dortmund (Football Stadium), both is quite in the middle.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-SMZRJfHEm6o/TxnIRNh-epI/AAAAAAAAAJM/a4F_kk1KiIc/s640/SAM_0948.JPG

And finally, this is Kates dog called Lady. She's a 11 years old Jack Russel Terrier. :)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nOtJSoXYZMk/TxnIRz3sfEI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/wTONW15KvEA/s640/SAM_0949.JPG

Well, it's late now and the day was very exhausting.
I hope you have a great weekend, mum!!!

Love and miss you,

HolgiHH xx
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Jan 22, 2012, 9:22 pm
Heey mum!!!

First of all: Thank you sooo much for the birthday greetings!!  :)

I had a little birthday party this eve with some friends that I made here. They're no TVs but we still have much to talk about, for example the football match Hamburger SV vs. BVB Borussia Dortmund  today. Dortmund won 1:5!! People here in Dortmund were really excited but I don't know what to think, because my real home is near to Hamburg..
Well, let's come back to my party. One of my presents was green scarf, because it's still cold here in Dortmund. I really like it!!
These are my friends Alex, Austin and Berta (from left to right):
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0OCvP4NOhDI/Txx6lF9FXhI/AAAAAAAAAJc/ejYzq8AGV2U/s640/SAM_0952.JPG

I got a delicious birthday cake!!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Fcb3NVFPRP8/Txx6mT58BkI/AAAAAAAAAJo/YIVzu4r8p9U/s640/SAM_0956.JPG

Look at my new scarf!!  :)
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-P4H1fRdgRjs/Txx6l6pQ5XI/AAAAAAAAAJk/XNZho257n0k/s640/SAM_0953.JPG

Well, I'm gonna relax with my friends for the rest of the evening and afterwards I'll go to bed.

I hope you had a great weekend!!

Lots of Love,
HolgiHH
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Jan 26, 2012, 8:28 pm
Hey mum,

just a small update today.
Today I saw the building of the "Dortmunder U". It's a famous center for culture and creativity. In the past, it was a high-rise of the Union Brauerei (beer company), the "U" on the top of the tower reminds of it. Now there's a restaurant, a museum, a center for cultural knowledge, ECCE European Centre for Creative Econonomy, exhibit rooms and some other things. A highlight is the installation of LED monitors around the building on the upper floors. They show video art of the artist Adolf Winkelmann. Mostly there are shown beautiful videos of animals, flowers, nature, people or just abstract things. Sadly, today was a more or less boring video when we were there.. I can't exactly tell you what it was, I didn't understand the meaning behind it  :D It kinda looked like there was the german flag that created a stir.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Of-WskAnxJ0/TyGyKWgTBcI/AAAAAAAAAKg/xkWzeTEXZi4/s512/SAM_0966.JPG

Lots of Love,
HolgiHH
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Jan 27, 2012, 7:04 pm
Heyheyhey Mummy :)

Today was a veeeery sunny day and I enjoyed every minute of it!! I visited some new places with Monster ^_^, a TV from Austria which arrived on wednesday.
We started our day at the stadium of the VFL Bochum, the local football team. Earlier, the stadium was called "Ruhrstadion", now it's called "RewirpowerStadion". But every fan still calls it Ruhrstadion.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DFx4IistjOI/TyLqy1XVH2I/AAAAAAAAAOg/J5hQVz6YMlo/s640/SAM_0969.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9b9_cULFsdM/TyLq34KDjvI/AAAAAAAAAL0/xCwPjH12GGM/s640/SAM_0978.JPG

From this point we walked to the "RuhrCongress". It's a huge center for events and big stars give concerts or shows there, but it's also for congresses, exhibitions and trade fairs.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Dwr0xw7XTrI/TyLqzxez1OI/AAAAAAAAAK8/owC9rWoZeJg/s640/SAM_0971.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fr1pHT_B_F0/TyLq0w2CmZI/AAAAAAAAALM/tbYUJ8ZopLA/s640/SAM_0973.JPG

Later that day, we visited the "Moritz Fiege Brauerei". It's a brewery which produces the local beer, called Fiege Bier. Almost every Bochumer loves it.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3k_EU-UXjy0/TyLq5TYDe8I/AAAAAAAAAMA/WRBUem7vg58/s512/SAM_0980.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BhjMKIKTPJQ/TyLq6Ht0HEI/AAAAAAAAAMI/OCem7CJalKw/s640/SAM_0981.JPG

Afterwards we went to the Schauspielhaus Bochum. It's one of the largest and most notable theatres in Germany!! Many famous german actors worked in this theatre, for example Peter Lohmeyer, Harald Schmidt (yes, the talkshow-guy), Helge Schneider, Armin Rhode, Claude-Oliver Rudolph, Michael Kessler, Herbert Grönemeyer and many more.  :)
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8VrLhVCF3hk/TyLq9HLQV2I/AAAAAAAAAMo/C9dIpcFjl1Y/s512/SAM_0984.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GCu8QOvmFxs/TyLq-CVMyPI/AAAAAAAAAM4/l4NWi0zeD08/s640/SAM_0987.JPG

Our last stop was at the Bergbau Museum again. I've been there once before but the new TV didn't know this museum.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QaJwNiYaTqU/TyLrCAmoB1I/AAAAAAAAANc/xVTFM4lJ7dU/s512/SAM_0992.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-obCiZvR8v3k/TyLrDHJuNXI/AAAAAAAAANk/XK2zir9vBkw/s640/SAM_0993.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pTQajbKM2-8/TyLrDyqXIJI/AAAAAAAAANs/DhElP33zKm0/s640/SAM_0994.JPG

When we were at home in Bochum, my host showed me some things around the house.
This is a catholic church which is cattycorner the house:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6slHouBzVEI/TyLrFddnMeI/AAAAAAAAAOA/FsGBBxXc_r0/s512/SAM_0996.JPG

And finally, this is a restaurant right beside the house:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-of95ffxHyRk/TyLrHALcT4I/AAAAAAAAAOQ/XKIA6aRhroM/s640/SAM_0998.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fnlTM_f4xrw/TyLrHvQaHEI/AAAAAAAAAOY/PHy5XUp7dpg/s640/SAM_0999.JPG

Well, that was my day. It was quite exhaustively but it was worth it.

Miss you!!
HolgiHH
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Jan 31, 2012, 10:44 pm
Hey mummy,

Kate took me and the other TV to Oberhausen today, to be exact to the CentrO, a huge shopping mall with a beautiful setting. There's a theatre, a canal with boardwalks, many bars and restaurants at the canal, a small amusement park for children and the Gasometer.
I've been here once before but just at night so I couldn't take any good pictures. Do you remember? :) But this time it was sunshine and by day.

Well, this is the Metronom theatre at day (You just saw it at night and I already told you about it)
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bIAS_BuC92Y/Tyhhle39q3I/AAAAAAAAAO0/6HfcvGI4upQ/s640/SAM_1002.JPG

This is the canal with the boardwalks and a view on the bars and restaurants:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uGFjvJ4mYh4/Tyhhp43752I/AAAAAAAAAPU/OSAPZDMq6kc/s640/SAM_1006.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-BrFxZF7ylq4/Tyhht0h54ZI/AAAAAAAAAP0/FvpxmVeNSIE/s640/SAM_1012.JPG

There building in the background is a cinema:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xatOeYUPnxc/Tyhhu726QcI/AAAAAAAAAP8/CGrrI-97D8I/s640/SAM_1013.JPG

So this is the Gasometer. It's the town's landsmark. The Gasometer stored gas in the past, until about 1988. Since 1993 it's a location for exhibitions. You can barely see it on the pictures but it's huge.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-vKAJ6TdHqyA/TyhhnkUWsHI/AAAAAAAAAPE/WGEJ-AwxkY0/s512/SAM_1004.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-18rbeI0vq3o/TyhhrvyBEZI/AAAAAAAAAPk/KydqyKEpzm0/s512/SAM_1008.JPG

This is a quite nice building, it looks a bit different to the other buildings in this area. Besides I think it looks beautiful with the water near the house and bridge :) It's an Irish Pub and there are karaoke nights on every friday.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-w9nB2GWR_WM/TyhhyENI9bI/AAAAAAAAAQc/rca-q-i-pnI/s640/SAM_1017.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Phi3Yqw0WSk/Tyhhz8DrhkI/AAAAAAAAAQo/xLHYIbOFfEU/s640/SAM_1018.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uCwSxtFsGOo/Tyhh24PjDgI/AAAAAAAAARE/o2GbP9J1pzA/s640/SAM_1025.JPG

Near the Irish Pub is a Chinese restaurant called "Pagoda". Pagoda is the name for a temple. Its architecture is very impressive, don't you think?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WFwXlepBsb0/Tyhh6mms8iI/AAAAAAAAARo/eiDshHQZfPg/s640/SAM_1029.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-dUm1A7Pdm-k/Tyhh5oAS-GI/AAAAAAAAARc/UuoRspJj3zk/s640/SAM_1028.JPG

And last but not least, this is the entrance of the mall itself:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-r1jLso3dXUk/Tyhh7d7HXhI/AAAAAAAAARw/-6t7Vldnkl8/s640/SAM_1030.JPG

Well, that was my day... By the way, it was fricking cold today!! It must have been the coldest day in Dortmund this year. So I'm gonna snuggle down in my warm bed and relax :)

Lots of love,
HolgiHH
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Feb 4, 2012, 10:02 am
Hey mummy!!

How are you? I hope you're fine even though the weather in Sülfeld is very cold!! It's cold here, too.. :(
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-p29D8Tj6b0I/TyztTFApjnI/AAAAAAAAASI/ta2TKSKnyco/s640/SAM_1033.JPG

Well, I didn't see so much this week. Most of the time I was at home or in university because Kate has some exams in the next weeks.
But Monster ^_^ and me decided to help her, so we learned with her.  :)
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-M23FwoLIQwA/TyztUe6OKxI/AAAAAAAAASY/91PgFHMx3jo/s640/SAM_1036.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-r_jDff29guc/TyztWFYMx9I/AAAAAAAAASw/PYp7lR-NB9k/s640/SAM_1041.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ADN2mKpaB6o/TyztXfH0B_I/AAAAAAAAAS8/oMj0jYzpvnQ/s640/SAM_1043.JPG

We TVs had a little nap in between, it did us good
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-WHkOWufKUDg/TyztT3-pjSI/AAAAAAAAASQ/0gDRifLjeo0/s512/SAM_1035.JPG

Well, that's it about my friday, there's nothing more to say.
Love you and miss you!!  :)

HolgiHH xx
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Feb 8, 2012, 8:59 pm
Heyho mummy,

today was a quite relaxed day. We took a walk through the park behind Kates house in Bochum. The park is called "Grummer Teiche". The weather was really nice, even though it was very cold. The ponds were frozen over!! But I think it's the same at yours.

This is a part of the park:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-h6vFcJRf8uM/TzKv9GqCR_I/AAAAAAAAATI/bKrFr3pFRfc/s640/SAM_1044.JPG

This is one of the ponds. Monster ^_^ and me slid on the ice but then we slipped and fell :(
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-r6xWvJq9c10/TzKv_IHB-aI/AAAAAAAAATg/JSi_3gQdrh4/s640/SAM_1049.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-sbpPNJKguI4/TzKv-gJI78I/AAAAAAAAATU/bJX4Gex3XV0/s512/SAM_1047.JPG

Afterwards we crossed a little bridge. I love bridges, as you know!! :)
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-g9AeSUYOCD8/TzKwCqv9vmI/AAAAAAAAAUI/JhoP-9nzEcY/s640/SAM_1057.JPG
Can you spot me? :D
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-l4yNf7Mkpv0/TzKwDQphENI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/fHWzRQdJQlY/s640/SAM_1058.JPG

The view from the bridge :) Some ducks!! It must have been very cold on their bottoms!
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-z5KPk4X8w9Q/TzKwBQhxNvI/AAAAAAAAAT4/PRL_-OOnDgU/s640/SAM_1054.JPG

When we came home I had to recover from the cold, so I sat down in one of the plants and relaxed a little bit.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-XWABlneNFzY/TzKwGxwv7II/AAAAAAAAAVA/Q_MBtMMvXz4/s512/SAM_1069.JPG

Later this eve Kate told me that Monster ^_^ will leave us today. He just spent 14 days with us but I think I'll miss him nevertheless, so I decided to make a small sign for him for his goodbye. He really liked it :)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-LIP8y1Rvy4U/TzKwD3-nx5I/AAAAAAAAAUY/8aeG_a_q6WQ/s512/SAM_1060.JPG

Then it was definite time to say goodbye. I hope that he'll have a great time in Texas.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7a_dJNm1s7o/TzKwGOyQQ3I/AAAAAAAAAU4/MInGifa8Olk/s640/SAM_1068.JPG

I hope, you're fine, mum! Miss you very much...
HolgiHH xx
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Feb 10, 2012, 7:56 pm
My dearest mum,

I went to a short shopping trip to the "Ruhr Park Einkaufszentrum" today. It's a big shopping center here in Bochum. The special thing is that the shops are not in just one building as other malls handle it. The alleys between the shops are unroofed, so it's like a small city or something like that, I can't explain it  :D That's why it's called "park" and not "mall". Only a small part of the Ruhr Park is completely roofed, it's newer than the rest of the center.

These are water wheels, Kate told me that they're filled with water in summer.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MmSgYDhBjH4/TzVxOI5BCpI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/qyOsoP-zxzc/s640/SAM_1072.JPGhttps://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-a1L0abavYcs/TzVxOgcHkLI/AAAAAAAAAVg/lOkDjhFPFa4/s640/SAM_1073.JPG

One of the alleys in the Ruhr Park:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-j3_uLsvok3c/TzVxPM1cvwI/AAAAAAAAAVc/kt70FK9bprs/s640/SAM_1074.JPG

All shops are already prepared for Valentine's Day  :)
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-A1bpRqJOcRA/TzVxPlNmN1I/AAAAAAAAAVo/7qMQX-YD8MY/s512/SAM_1075.JPG

And finally, this is the newer part of the center (I think it looks stunning with the colourful lights and the trees, doesn't it?)
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-sNYEjPpUNJ4/TzVxQe6dGdI/AAAAAAAAAVs/-FN_DVJXcTQ/s512/SAM_1076.JPG

I hope that you'll have a great weekend, mum!!
Lots of love,
HolgiHH
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Feb 14, 2012, 12:19 am
Hey mum,

I had a really nice sunday :) I had to get up very early because we had to pick someone up from the station who came home from a holiday. Well, it was definitely not my time, but hey, the early bird gets the worm  :D

After bringing that person home Kate and me took a walk through the Westpark in Bochum. It's a huge area where once were some industrial buildings for steelsworks from 1842 on. It all belonged to the Mayerschen cast steel factory. Later on (sometime between 1956 and 1965, Kate doesn't know exactly when it was) the area was taken over by Krupp (company for steelworks).
In 1944 - during World War II - the factory was an object for shelling and bombings and many buildings got destroyed. You can still see some bullet holes in the brickwork and the steel girders. It's awesome, this place tells so much history...

Some of the buildings still exist but they have a different usage now. One of the buildings is the Jahrhunderthalle. It was built in 1902 and was a blasting machine hall for furnace. Since about 2003 or 2004 the Jahrhunderhalle is a place of several events (shows, music, comedy, awards shows and all that stuff).

So, as I said, it was early in the morning and the sun didn't rise completely during this time, that's why the photos look a bit gloomy.
Here are some impressions of the park. Every building or tower in these pictures are original old things of the past :)

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Wb6q8J608w4/TzmT37fHODI/AAAAAAAAAXU/ZScDmFFwyvU/s640/DSC02602.JPG

This is a chime of bells, but it doesn't work anymore :(
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R4DKUT-b3_I/TzmTsjcjPWI/AAAAAAAAAXY/w0QRtnLMObA/s512/DSC02587.JPG

This is the way up to the Jahrhunderhalle. On the left are some remains of a wall of one of the buildings from the industrial time.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-91FPeAqPKtQ/TzmTto4mB0I/AAAAAAAAAWA/HqRRfFC9-ec/s640/DSC02588.JPG

This is the Jahrhunderthalle. It's a very old building (as you can see on the back part of the house) with a new entrance of glass. In the background is a water tower.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hrc8MejJlgQ/TzmTudajdYI/AAAAAAAAAWI/8lH4na7qNIU/s640/DSC02589.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cmgcdNlCVBI/TzmTvfDOVEI/AAAAAAAAAWM/OqOLOMY25QE/s640/DSC02590.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eKbj78VVPOY/TzmT2HKRbNI/AAAAAAAAAXg/pD6Kf4YNFdU/s640/DSC02600.JPG

These are some cooling towers, they are located behind the Jahrhunderthalle.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZLmJTIZK3nI/TzmTwKcvR8I/AAAAAAAAAWU/rS-LVehzbiM/s640/DSC02592.JPG

Whilst walking through the park, we found a small canal with frozen water.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-pCO8ckJ6VYs/TzmTxRXhcWI/AAAAAAAAAXc/RilmTugLfzs/s640/DSC02594.JPG

A view to the Jahrhunderhalle from the other side and a small part of the park:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-in3BLrheuxM/TzmTyyFRr8I/AAAAAAAAAXo/cyncV_uiuKg/s640/DSC02596.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--0uGicCAoyQ/TzmTzunCL-I/AAAAAAAAAXk/WBBIxaH3TWo/s640/DSC02597.JPG

And finally, this is the "Colesseum". It's an old wall of a building which was used for offices and material storing. Besides it was the entrance to the former Krupp-terrain.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0xlKsbE7so8/TzmT3LmSisI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/Opa8jlpIo40/s640/DSC02601.JPG

Well, that's it about my trip to the Westpark. I hope that it wasn't too much information for you, mummy  :rolleyes:

Love you
HolgiHH xxx
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Feb 17, 2012, 12:24 am
Heyhey mum,

the last days were quite boring because Kate had to learn for an exam. Today was the day of the exam, it was from 6.30pm until 8.30pm (really late, I think..) When we came home from university we found a big surprise :) Kates mum was here in Dortmund while we were at the university and she brought some homemade cheesecake, did the dishes and put some trash out. Amazing!!
This is what we saw when we entered the flat:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5u2dYv1PCg4/Tz2a8cv1w7I/AAAAAAAAAXs/8i6I1ESoW6I/s640/SAM_1078.JPG

Yummy!!!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-lADigYfK5Is/Tz2a9aUZsZI/AAAAAAAAAXw/g0PvdgzAmDA/s512/SAM_1080.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-CbTe360I960/Tz2a-Sr-yEI/AAAAAAAAAX0/C3UUZqGkPJA/s640/SAM_1081.JPG

Well, nothing left to say... As I said, nothing really happened the last days.
Hope you have a great weekend. :)

Love you!!! xxx
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Feb 20, 2012, 10:40 pm
Hey mummy,

today was a very exhausting day.. I spent more than 12 hours at university with Kate!! To be exact, we were there from 9am until 9.25pm!! That's just unreal!! Kate and me were the last ones in the whole building.. It was so scary!!
Anyways.. I wanna show you the room were we spent the whole time today... It's called Faculty Lounge. It's a room where students can spend time together, learning or doing teamwork or projects or something like that.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-cWWoe-OXehs/T0K8XSu9IuI/AAAAAAAAAYA/gqOi9l7Hoj8/s640/SAM_1084.JPG

This is a poster in the room... There are so many posters, but I liked this one most:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-KCOaG70E_vc/T0K8ZFkmsqI/AAAAAAAAAYE/lEroXrC2rdM/s512/SAM_1085.JPG

This is the foyer of the building and some placards:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7bFw2ZOj6E8/T0K8VWdsjsI/AAAAAAAAAX4/LztxM7805ZM/s640/SAM_1082.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-NwXp8FEs1C4/T0K8Wuinh5I/AAAAAAAAAX8/8k9CzUVqlNU/s640/SAM_1083.JPG

As we wanted to leave the building we found some plants so I just had to take some pictures of me in it  :D
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-p70rTOYp__Q/T0K8bIMGwWI/AAAAAAAAAYI/xId11OzHg6w/s640/SAM_1086.JPGhttps://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-KtdhprL1yVM/T0K8cjiRl1I/AAAAAAAAAYM/iQMoSShHVPY/s512/SAM_1087.JPG

Back at home I ate some noodle salad. Yummy :)
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-X1lK-CloQXw/T0K8e4osKBI/AAAAAAAAAYU/NpuKb6Icguc/s512/SAM_1089.JPG

Kate and me are watching "The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary DVD" at the moment. Last year was the 25th anniversary of this musical and there was a great performance in London at the Royal Albert Hall. It was broadcasted in some cinemas all over the world, Kate watched it in Recklinghausen. Well, now we watch it again on DVD.
Now I have to tell you something, but please don't be scared!!


So.. I must confess that.. I'm the real Phantom!!
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-txuMZq7zDUA/T0LD3hYAyqI/AAAAAAAAAYw/aqljtlv3AEE/s512/SAM_1098.JPG

This is me with the music box which appears in the musical:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2pGIly6-HPM/T0LD0OdyyRI/AAAAAAAAAYY/fb70ZWe9U3E/s512/SAM_1093.JPG

Who's the real Phantom? The guy or me??
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UeQ6_UmUMrA/T0LD4oTmVDI/AAAAAAAAAY0/0XddAoj7ZQ4/s512/SAM_1100.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5v_ECLi5IcE/T0LKl-XtnTI/AAAAAAAAAY4/bo4coLCDnHA/s640/SAM_1101.JPG

Just kidding, mum.. I'm not the Phantom!! Did I scare you? :D
The man who is shown one the screen is the amazing Ramin Karimloo. The character "Christine" is played by the talented and well looking Sierra Boggess :)

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-EcWLY6Jnr6Q/T0LD21HueNI/AAAAAAAAAYk/MwcBgd589Pg/s640/SAM_1097.JPG

Well, that's it for today :)

Love you!!!
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Feb 22, 2012, 12:00 am
Hey mum,

I've been in Essen this evening. Kate, her mum and me watched the musical "Elisabeth" which is about Sisi, the empress of Austria and queen of Hungary. It was amazing!! It was a bit depressing and thought-provoking but it was great nevertheless!! :) It's not like the Sissi movies with the kitsch and the "everything's great and we are a happy family" fuss. It's more based on Sisis real life with her depressions, being tormented by Sophie (Franz Josephs mother) , the death of her son Rudolf and her own death. It was very touching..
The theatre were it was shown is called "Colosseum Theater". It was an industrial building of the industrial group "Krupp" in the past (do you remember my update where I was at the Jahrhunderthalle? That belonged to Krupp as well). You can still see the remains of the industrial time in the building!! Here are some pictures of the foyer, you can see steel constructions everywhere. I think it looks quite cool with the mix of the old steel stuff and the modern things.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qWf3T3tvPnU/T0Qo4JIST1I/AAAAAAAAAY8/odnz4jbQvkg/s640/SAM_1103.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YUgsJxVgtc0/T0Qo5JFjf7I/AAAAAAAAAZA/9maAA8GXluw/s512/SAM_1109.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Z4JDGr3vCco/T0Qo8BXlOlI/AAAAAAAAAZI/olGnya2ceiQ/s512/SAM_1111.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-S4JvzSIIlTc/T0Qo9IJIBRI/AAAAAAAAAZM/5uL32d89-1M/s640/SAM_1112.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-F7wFG40SxzQ/T0Qo-Z6iIYI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/yw5B3xuJtf0/s640/SAM_1113.JPG

This is a sculpture which shows a hand which is based on a foot. I really don't know the meaning of it.. :D Strange..
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JKenRm9oYg4/T0Qo7TiIgTI/AAAAAAAAAZE/mD0_zzSmRdg/s512/SAM_1110.JPG

This is the view from the auditorium to the stage during the interval:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-MV715FrRfWI/T0Qo_21eorI/AAAAAAAAAZU/XSXK4iifXhM/s640/SAM_1114.JPG

And finally, this is the theatre by night:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fOKQR0J-liI/T0QpAvA_PxI/AAAAAAAAAZY/xSxLdsaceoQ/s640/SAM_1115.JPG

I had a really great time there and I love this musical!! But now it's time to go to bed, it's really late now..

Good night, mummy!!  :)

HolgiHH
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Feb 26, 2012, 7:01 pm
Hey Mama,

how are you? I hope you had a great weekend!! :)
I took a little walk through the neighbourhood this morning. It was interesting, I never did this before  :D Funny, Kate took me to many places and cities but she never showed me the neighbourhood :D

Well, I live here in a district called "Dortmund Bövinghausen". It adjoins to the cities Bochum and Castrop-Rauxel, so we live in a Three-City Point quasi.
This is our place-name sign. Some idiots stuck a sticker over the "s"..
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-S9dxRd6m4r0/T0p8SSIR7jI/AAAAAAAAAZo/4QflZQ6W0cQ/s640/DSC02603.JPG

This is the evangelic church of this district, it was built in 1914:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-oXzrdQNna9M/T0p8TpuUahI/AAAAAAAAAZw/bXUhkoRFgzM/s512/DSC02604.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Ip9P23uUy8o/T0p8VcSyqII/AAAAAAAAAaA/BRw8zXyLf-w/s640/DSC02607.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PJu5pytfgwE/T0p8WDNXNJI/AAAAAAAAAaI/f-zthGCOKMg/s640/DSC02608.JPG

We also have a "Kinder-Arche" (children ark) here. It's a family center of the church.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hHGVv9grYeA/T0p8UUzVyPI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/N7gUA0FPxt4/s640/DSC02605.JPG

The remaining setting looks very shabby so I don't want to show it to you..  :rolleyes:

Anyway, just wanted to tell you that I'm fine and that everything's okay over here.

Lots of love,

HolgiHH xx

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yTONuW2JfXQ/T0p8XZpeeOI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/x4TWya-yYb8/s640/DSC02609.JPG
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Feb 28, 2012, 10:26 pm
Heyhey mum,

a new TV arrived here in Dortmund today!! His name is Brownbeard and he is from Germany, just like me :) He's a pirate and he only speaks pirate-english, it's a bit hard to understand!!  :thinking:

Well, let's start at the beginning of the day.. I woke up and heard some noises from outside the door. I opened the door and saw the envelope. I called for Kate to pick it up and put it on the sofa. I was very excited how my new roommate looks like!!

This is us at his arrival:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pxLoXpy-_9U/T01JAQ_Cf_I/AAAAAAAAAa0/yujDaYg-3b0/s512/SAM_1132.JPG

Then we had some lunch, noodles with chicken meat. It tasted very good :)
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NcTYZAOWWGs/T01JCAI1k9I/AAAAAAAAAbE/7CG5AcfO0CU/s512/SAM_1135.JPG

Afterwards, Brownbeard asked me to tell him about my travels and the adventures that I experienced. I showed him some countries on a globe and told stories about the individual places.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nsr84LNomyg/T01JHFhtU2I/AAAAAAAAAbo/FvxBU_gQRLU/s512/SAM_1143.JPG

Shortly after that, Brownbeard went to bed. He was very tired because of his travel to Dortmund.
Well... I just noticed that I never showed you my sleeping-place. So, this is it: My bed, a chair and a small cabinet with a plant. It looks nice, doesn't it? :)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-IspFQEGFUww/T01JE6lwfWI/AAAAAAAAAbY/aZzfnId3wQA/s640/SAM_1140.JPG

Okay, it's time to go to bed now.. Good night, mum! Sleep well!! :)

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-v9JTNi4ONiI/T01JFuASi1I/AAAAAAAAAbg/n97zV44ChJo/s512/SAM_1142.JPG
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Mar 5, 2012, 12:09 am
Hey mum,

I've been in Essen again today to watch the musical Elisabeth again. But this time Brownbeard joined me. We had a lot of fun!! :)
It was the last show of this musical in Essen. It's on tour and it was only 4 weeks in Essen. The next stop of the musical will be in Bremen.
However, it was a very emotional show!! It's sad for the cast to leave Essen and it's also sad for the fans here. I think that the cast and the musical will be missed in the Ruhr Area...
Well, but let's start at the beginning:
About 5pm Kate, some friends and me got in the car and hit the road to Essen. It was a very rainy day :(
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-T1bJa9lWdBw/T1P_witg0FI/AAAAAAAAAco/dlHhie7vG1Y/s640/SAM_1150.JPG

Well, one of Kate's friends is Tiffy. She took Bubo with her and I think he's really nice!! :) We shared a seat at the theatre and talked a lot about our travels while we waited for the show to start.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jB05-hOU65M/T1P_01RGGJI/AAAAAAAAAdY/qLNk-NGj5qM/s512/SAM_1160.JPG

This is the theatre again during the intermission:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1vwWMJwBGJU/T1P_1Vki2yI/AAAAAAAAAdg/O7iFo_OeI0w/s640/SAM_1161.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IsPLoS8wFaA/T1P_2N6sQ4I/AAAAAAAAAdo/-riOgu-sSiM/s512/SAM_1162.JPG

This is the ticket and the cast list of today's show:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cc8Aya4lrfU/T1P_4NCr1vI/AAAAAAAAAd8/aCTAEWmKR40/s512/SAM_1170.JPG

So now it's very late and I'm really really tired!!
Good night, mum xx
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Mar 6, 2012, 11:11 pm
Hey mum,

I've been in Witten today in a furniture centre called "Ostermann". Kate and her flatmate wanted to buy some decoration for spring because they still had some christmas decoration in their flat until today :D Haha, typical students' flat-sharing community :D

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-QufAKYENgLw/T1aUSNwCAPI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/fCK4-WZZ4OM/s640/SAM_1172.JPG

Well, we bought some flowers and potpourri for the hall and a completely new decoration for the bathroom. I think it looks quite nice :)
This is in the bathroom:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-im4TEXS-oHY/T1aUTooeMlI/AAAAAAAAAek/KMjTLQ2Pg14/s512/SAM_1174.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rbNFToIhw1A/T1aUVLtQ2xI/AAAAAAAAAes/hgKAwAvcS-k/s512/SAM_1176.JPG

In the hall:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pxzVnGuQ8I8/T1aUYGSUQiI/AAAAAAAAAfI/66HgOwoDpIk/s640/SAM_1179.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mfGPumPnDXQ/T1aUZfIZVNI/AAAAAAAAAfM/q551GlPqjxU/s512/SAM_1180.JPG

For the livingroom (which is also my host's room) we bought some new scatter cushion. They're a bit kitschy :D
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-02ZT9sY0_Y0/T1aUcscpEwI/AAAAAAAAAfc/dhWcQXWIIUw/s512/SAM_1182.JPG

After placing the new stuff we got some old decoration out of the basement. Brownbeard and me helped Kate to decorate a vase with artificial flowers.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-kJ7q2u9s7Dw/T1aUhIZ2CKI/AAAAAAAAAf8/cW7qE-plr-w/s512/SAM_1187.JPG

Now I'm gonna relax a bit and head into bed.
Good night, mum!!!
Big kisses xx
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Mar 11, 2012, 10:55 am
Hey mum,

I looked into the letterbox today and found a small packet. I wondered if it was a new TV or if it was something else.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-UTRQ4ZEwFp0/T1x75SQK7kI/AAAAAAAAAhM/4KpK71eKx0o/s640/SAM_1200.JPG

Kate opened the packet and pulled out a CD. I was a bit disappointed because it would have been cool to have another TV here in Dortmund  :( But well, my host was happy about it and I'm happy for her.
It is the new cast-recording of the musical Elisabeth. I watched it in Essen last week, do you remember? :)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--DleulmONg8/T1x763BFpSI/AAAAAAAAAhg/_M055x7hpLk/s640/SAM_1204.JPG

It is a special edition which is only available in a certain shop called "Sound of Music" in Essen. There are many pictures and the texts of the whole musical in it, it's pretty nice.  B)
This is me whilst looking at some pictures:
(On the left you can see Elisabeth and The Death behind her, on right is Elisabeth with her husband Franz Jospeh)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-NKk2ciMsNQY/T1x79DrU3-I/AAAAAAAAAh4/DJ9dwMOeeOI/s640/SAM_1207.JPG

(on the left: archduchess Sophie and her court ladies | on the right: crown prince Rudolf with The Death behind him)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hNTcRDu8NFg/T1x78Q7nzRI/AAAAAAAAAhw/HTt-dYuiaTg/s640/SAM_1206.JPG

Here I am reading some texts:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MOj37J8WDsM/T1x7_YIvcgI/AAAAAAAAAiM/z_LVYLXJ3QQ/s640/SAM_1210.JPG

Well, that's it.
I'm mainly at home because Kate has to learn for an oral exam, but from wednesday on I will be spending more time outside :)
I hope you have a nice weekend!!

HolgiHH xx
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Mar 13, 2012, 5:59 pm
Hey there,

today I've been in Bochum. Brownbeard, Kate and me changed some money for our trip to Scotland next week!! I'm sooo looking forward to this trip!! :)

Well, we changed the money at the Sparkasse in the city.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cB5VyMN1DUU/T1-AP394mnI/AAAAAAAAAiU/Rn1suzmVyZY/s640/SAM_1211.JPG

Afterwards we went to the central cemetry here in Bochum to visit the grave of a beloved person of my host. The name of the cemetry is "Friedhof Freigrafendamm. It's the biggest cemetry in Bochum. The buildings (mourning hall, crematorium etc) were built from 1935 - 1939 in the typical design of the Nazi period.
There are specific fields for soldiers, for stillbirths, for anonymous persons, for islamists etc.

This is the entrance of the cemetry:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9Dtnlc8g90I/T1-AUdnG1GI/AAAAAAAAAis/6H1VqqnkPzA/s640/SAM_1214.JPG

On the right you can see the big mourning hall. The rest of the building consists of the delivery of the coffins, cells for corpses and a small mourning hall on the left.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-CLXOqnQF0xw/T1-Ab0Sx5mI/AAAAAAAAAjc/qM21a2zj1G0/s640/SAM_1222.JPG

This is the big mourning hall:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5V3P_in4qcY/T1-AXOSbgJI/AAAAAAAAAi8/GEUU-JUdC0s/s512/SAM_1217.JPG

Here you can see how huge this area is!!! That small orange square with the yellow and green squares in it is the building from the second last picture above this one, so you can see that it's a really big cemetry.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_JyEVCjIPWk/T1-Aa3tfD8I/AAAAAAAAAjU/y9J_vjcd49Q/s640/SAM_1221.JPG

Now I'm gonna relax and prepare some things for Scotland.

I miss you, mum, and I can't wait to enfold you in my arms again one day!!  :D

Lots of Love
-HolgiHH xx
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Mar 16, 2012, 10:12 am
Hey mum,

today was a wonderful day!! The sun was shining like new, I didn't see such sunshine here in the Ruhr Area since I arrived here, it was amazing :) And it was so warm that the people only wore shirts, no jackets!! :) I hope you had a great day with lots of sunshine, too.

Well, I've been at the "Stadtpark Bochum" (city park Bochum) to enjoy the sun. It has 311.402 m² and is one of the biggest city parks in the state NRW. It's pretty cool!! There are 2 big ponds and and great green areas. Unfortunately we didn't have the time to walk through the whole park because Kate had other dates :(
Here are some pictures of the park...

This is the biggest pond in the park. You can take a trip on a pedalo on it :)
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ws6mbowpBoo/T2MK7KZn92I/AAAAAAAAAj0/ZaBfUkkuMiY/s640/SAM_1225.JPG

This is a small waterfall.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2z-u6qJ2UoU/T2MK8EKsSaI/AAAAAAAAAj8/dbmyjmqFpks/s512/SAM_1226.JPG

On this picture you can see a small bridge, on the right of it is the small waterfall from the picture before:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NziDm_EPBMg/T2MK_c1yOTI/AAAAAAAAAkY/z6AfJ6W9_AI/s640/SAM_1229.JPG

One of the smallest green areas in the park:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-21157qSuO8Y/T2MLBixDttI/AAAAAAAAAko/8hgETkf3qQs/s640/SAM_1231.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-e9tk_lKT97g/T2MLClVmI8I/AAAAAAAAAkw/NcjqY9XKTMo/s640/SAM_1232.JPG

At the end, I've been at the stadium again to show Brownbeard where the VFL Bochum kicks. I won't tell you about this stadium again because I've already been there once before and told you about it :)
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GflSwqds3bo/T2MLET4DQtI/AAAAAAAAAk8/_ZQAAtHX1FU/s640/SAM_1234.JPG

Yeah, that was my day in the sun!! I wonder what I'll see tomorrow when the sun's shining again :)

Lots of love
HolgiHH
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Mar 18, 2012, 11:06 am
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-yiPtzVhicBw/T2W7kMlG8DI/AAAAAAAAAlk/UaMGR8SgOTY/s512/SAM_1240.JPG

Today is St Patrick's Day :)
Well, it's not a typical german holiday but rather an irish holiday. Kate loves Ireland so we decided to celebrate it a little bit  :p

Anyway, the travel to Scotland closes in, the trip starts on monday!! I'm so excited and I can't wait to visit Edinburgh and Glasgow!! Yaay!
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MYbORKIwhNg/T2W7pEQ2ohI/AAAAAAAAAmM/HOuxBsGn1JU/s512/SAM_1246.JPG

Kate had to pack her luggage today because we're gonna spend the weekend in Bochum and won't come back to Dortmund before our travel. I tried to help her packing :)
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-c7ghX20P-Qo/T2W7nh-A0NI/AAAAAAAAAmA/8h3ZGreOE4I/s640/SAM_1243.JPG

Done!! Everything's stored and we're ready to start our adventure. Whoop whoop!!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-KAzxvqfvLBg/T2W7qZcbYQI/AAAAAAAAAmc/-fbIRUwnFgc/s512/SAM_1248.JPG

So, I've been informed by Kate that Brownbeard and me are not the only TV's who gonna go to Scotland with her. We have another guest on our travel, called Marawarpina, which is a TV as well. She's a rat from Ratingen, Germany. We picked her up at the Starlight Express theatre today.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ZVLf2Hjx2kg/T2W7sznrPfI/AAAAAAAAAm0/MFGvQ8SA1J4/s512/SAM_1251.JPG

The united tour group :)
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rZvdJfex618/T2W7tkA-XPI/AAAAAAAAAm8/0h8n25aJW-U/s512/SAM_1252.JPG

I won't be able to make any updates while I'm in Scotland but I think I could update the travelog around sunday next week or maybe monday.

I love you!!
Hope you're having a great week!

HolgiHH xx
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Mar 23, 2012, 8:26 pm
Hey there,

today was the first day in Edinburgh!!
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and it is a wonderful city!! Full of history and great architecture, even though everything looks quite gloomy because of the stone buildings :)

Well, I'll start at the beginning.. I had to get up very early because our departure from Cologne-Bonn Airport was at 11:00am. The flight was without any turbulences :)

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ON0Tx1gWxbg/T2yxL-LxB-I/AAAAAAAAAnY/XQqaASdH894/s640/SAM_1257.JPG

After our arrival in the centre of Edinburgh we got lost. We didn't find our hotel and came to a dead end. Somehow it was horrible and hilarious at the same time :D In the end we finally found our hotel and took a little time out from the exhausting morning...
Afterwards we walked through the city for the first time, to be exact through "Old Town".
Edinburgh is divided into "Old Town" and "New Town". The Old Town is the oldest part of the city, where e.g. the Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile are located. Everything looks very rough and there are loads of buildings which are very very old.

Whilst walking through Old Town we passed the Royal Mile. This Mile is a street that stretches from the Holyrood Palace (the official residence of the british monarch - The Queen - in Scotland) to the Edinburgh Castle. This castle is located on the Castle Rock and it's very high.
This is the Castle:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_5YDfBN7mxs/T2yxPe68v9I/AAAAAAAAAns/6sQYfHLCzJs/s640/SAM_1267.JPG

Well, unfortunately I don't have many pictures of our tour through Old Town today, but I will take many pictures in the following days!!

Lots of Love,
HolgiHH xx
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Mar 23, 2012, 9:08 pm
Hello there,

today was the second day in Edinburgh. I visited many places and I walked sooo much that my feet really hurt..!! :(

I started the day on the "Calton Hill", it's a very very high hill in New Town from where you have a view over the whole city. There are several iconic monuments and buildings.
This is almost on the top of the hill, on the left you can see the City Observatory.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fWnwP7BOd9E/T2yxWg-7w6I/AAAAAAAAAoo/z9mTJayM31s/s640/SAM_1286.JPG

This is the view over "New Town":
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-8kW0WawD5Ns/T2yxXdenqVI/AAAAAAAAAoc/_EnRGDDvdzQ/s640/SAM_1287.JPG

This is the National Monument, it is a memorial to the scottish soldiers and sailors who died fighting in the Napoleonic Wars.
From the back and from the front:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PQn9wOLJ-0w/T2yxZQIEy_I/AAAAAAAAAow/FczTwcBWsTo/s640/SAM_1291.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-W2KsuZ4EGl8/T2yxbwfJwnI/AAAAAAAAApE/VMmLrcFES8U/s640/SAM_1295.JPG

This is the view over "Old Town". On the left you can see the Dugald Stewart Monument, a memorial to a scottish philosopher called Dugald Stewart. It's such an awesome view, don't you think? :)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-LHNBquTGZ2M/T2yxco8qs_I/AAAAAAAAApI/_kza76ZFtDY/s640/SAM_1307.JPG

Afterwards we did a little Sightseeing tour by bus and by foot.
These are some streets:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Z-pDiPv6QM4/T2yxhslBMiI/AAAAAAAAAp8/pzkmy-DCEdw/s640/SAM_1395.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-LCOq52WybLw/T2zdJ8rErJI/AAAAAAAAAt4/un5j5M8WsE0/s640/SAM_1394.JPG

This is me in front of the Holyrood Palace. It is at the beginning (or at the end - depends on where you start walking) of the Royal Mile. The Queen wasn't there today :( :D
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-HA5ChzXe9so/T2yxmQho3SI/AAAAAAAAAqQ/etprHxgwsqM/s640/SAM_1414.JPG

This is the Edinburgh Playhouse. It's a former cinema but now it is an theatre in New Town which hosts concerts and touring musicals. It looks quite nice!! :) This week is the musical "Spamalot" shown, it's on tour at the moment.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-NJtq5vc54Q8/T2yxqChbaYI/AAAAAAAAAq0/CnpJcfikABg/s640/SAM_1427.JPG

I saw many other places but I didn't take any pictures there. Tomorrow will be a tough day, we'll take a tour through Scotland by bus which takes 12 hours!!  :o We will drive through the Highlands and we will stop at Loch Ness. I'm so excited!!

HolgiHH xx
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Mar 23, 2012, 10:07 pm
Latha math!!

You might wonder what it means :) It's a scottish salutation which means something like "Good afternoon / Good morning" or something like that.

Well, I already told you about our plan to take a trip by bus through the whole country, so the day started really early and the trip actually took 12 hours!! We drove through the Highlands and stopped at Loch Ness. :)


Kilmahog:

These are some Highland cattles in the small village "Kilmahog". It's locaed somewhere between Edinburgh and Glencoe.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mwfhqhIgabM/T2yxspAYobI/AAAAAAAAArM/OGunBLgvsWA/s640/SAM_1452.JPG

Just some landscape:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-T7EjDF3VbRc/T2yxvnR5zvI/AAAAAAAAArk/faGtugvcAZI/s640/SAM_1467.JPG


Spean Bridge:

The village takes its name from the Highbridge over the river "Spean". It lays in the Great Glen.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pDln8_aGatE/T2yxzqOwcLI/AAAAAAAAAr4/XFYuolNvHI8/s640/SAM_1511.JPG
[/color]

Loch Ness:

This stop was the best stop ever!! Unfortunately I didn't see Nessie, the monster...
The Loch Ness has the biggest volume of water in the whole country. On the deepest point, the sea has a depth of about 230m  :stare: It has a length of 37km, so it's quite long.
"Loch" is the scottish word for "sea".
On the riverside is the "Urquhart Castle" but there's just a ruin left. It was built in 1230, so it's one of the oldest ruins in Scotland.
It is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. :)
The following pictures show the castle and the Loch Ness from different views:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-kvh4jNz23MY/T2yx43ZK7EI/AAAAAAAAAs0/Ldy6jQCfh-8/s640/SAM_1538.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4Arq-v75AvY/T2yx5khb7rI/AAAAAAAAAs8/Yg91gLddk-A/s640/SAM_1539.JPG
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-LwVlNof8Pn8/T2yx6fnj3-I/AAAAAAAAAtE/jndrbaSZwJE/s640/SAM_1575.JPG
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aKQniBGWn30/T2yx7FjKM4I/AAAAAAAAAtM/fkjzXLLlwF0/s640/SAM_1577.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Dio762T3YM8/T2yx7izvJJI/AAAAAAAAAtU/eWqtOboViiE/s640/SAM_1614.JPG

This is on our return at evening on a roadhouse in Perthshire, somewhere between Inverness and Perth ;)
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IUeV8-Sv1Hk/T2zdMQPN0CI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/ZTHpLYL54Ig/s512/SAM_1683.JPG

Yeah, that's it for today.. It was very exhausting and I visited many new places but it was totally worth it!! :)

Beannachd leat! ("See you / Bye" in scottish)
HolgiHH xx
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Mar 24, 2012, 8:17 am
Hello there,

today was already our last full day here in Edinburgh  :( It was time for some shopping :D Prior, we walked over the "Greyfriars Kirkyard", it is a graveyard in Old Town. It's a very old graveyard, it came up about 1561!! The cemetry is known to be haunted by a Poltergeist, the "Mackenzie Poltergeist".

Oh, I just noticed that I totally forgot to tell you that I did a "Double Dead Tour" on tuesday night!! It was a tour through the vaults of Old Town (many people lived from 1788 until about 1822 in the underground without any light or water) and of course the Greyfriars Kirkyard. It was spooky and the guide told us many things about the Poltergeist. We actually got into the "Black Mausoleum" where most of the attacks of the Poltergeist take place.
Both the vaults and the mausoleum aren't publicly accessible, not everyone can visit these places so it's quite cool :D

Well, back to our trip today.. I guess you know Harry Potter, am I right? Joanne K. Rowling (author) created some characters of the book in Edinburgh and got inspired by some names of the kirkyard!! She loved that kirkyard and an old man who works there told us that she returns to the graves 2 times per month.
Perhaps you know the character Tom Riddle (Lord Voldemort), he is named after Thomas Riddell who died in 1806.
Another character - Minerva McGonagall - found its surname in William McGonagall who was a poet and died in 1902.
This is me in front of his headstone:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-P54tTmZKw3c/T2yx90XoLSI/AAAAAAAAAts/RyN3FZRZIF0/s512/SAM_1694.JPG

This is the headstone of Thomas Riddell, but without me.. I hope you don't mind but I really wanna to show it to you.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tkHPWnO17dY/T22AHQ-nQoI/AAAAAAAAAuY/KxAkOVp9g_4/s512/SAM_1689.JPG

The kirkyard directly adjoins to a school, the George Heriot's School. It was the model for Hogwarts!! Amazing, isn't it? Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures of it because of the kids etc. The teachers came to us and told us to stop taking pictures..  :mad:
The graves of McGonagall and Riddell are near the school.
Later, we passed the Cafe were Rowling wrote her books. It's called "The elephant house" and it's known as the "birthplace of Harry Potter" :)

Well, we spent the rest of the day with some shopping. Afterwards we needed a little rest in the hotel to get some food. We had Chicken Caesar Wraps and some milk :)
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-itR4O7jfqZs/T2yx_5S32hI/AAAAAAAAAtw/xJ_JlkN7hcM/s640/SAM_1703.JPG

Afterwards we had a night out in a live music bar called "Whistle Binkies". It was very nice!! :)

Well, tomorrow will be our last morning in Scotland and we will arrive in Germany about 2 pm. I think I won't take any pictures so this will be my last update of my trip to Scotland. Did I mention that it was warm and sunny in Scotland the whole week? It's quite unusual for this country... :D

I hope you had a wonderful week!!
HolgiHH
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Mar 27, 2012, 12:29 pm
Hey there,

the weather today was absolutely lovely!! Bright sunshine  B)
My host, the other TV's and me enjoyed the weather in Oberhausen at the promenade :)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NdyB8tuS8I0/T3GiByCmTpI/AAAAAAAAAug/pSxp4FXR3Sc/s640/SAM_1716.JPG

Well, Kate told me that it's time for me to leave the Ruhr Area, so this was my last full day here. I'm a bit sad to leave my new friends but I'm also excited to meet my new host and visit new awesome places :)
I think my journey starts tomorrow, so I have some things to prepare now..

Read you next time!
HolgiHH
La_Kate_Boheme


Posted Mar 27, 2012, 12:36 pm
Hello world,

I will start a new adventure today!! Kate told me that my next host lives in Heidelberg. I can't wait to arrive there and explore Heidelberg and the environment!!
I already read some things about the city to know where I am going and what's waiting for me there.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Mq94F6Q_92g/T3GiC5imxsI/AAAAAAAAAuo/_m0zLDOL42g/s640/SAM_1719.JPG

So.. It's time to say goodbye. I relaxed on the balcony with Brownbeard and Marawarpina for the last time and said goodbye to them afterwards.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-a9CCQd14M7U/T3GiD_E49rI/AAAAAAAAAuw/SHdM-LJXLRc/s512/SAM_1721.JPG

So, the journey begins... I will message you when I arrive in Heidelberg!!
Lots of Love

HolgiHH

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_rFp1PmIscU/T3GiFjPKYtI/AAAAAAAAAu4/aKWeoDhizrE/s512/SAM_1722.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZLjZye1wBgs/T3GiG0ChRII/AAAAAAAAAvA/pMOupSxghp0/s640/SAM_1723.JPG
nuriayasmin
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com

Posted Mar 31, 2012, 4:11 pm
Dear Mum

I've safely arrived in Heidelberg. The weather is quite cold and rainy at the moment. This is what I see when I look out of the window:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-KGxw6rgpm2g/T3cc8xyb8uI/AAAAAAAAMAg/1X-wsDsRfVM/s564/DSCF0614.JPG

My host nuriayasmin's cat Sammy was also curious, so we had a look together.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-TxZ9lTqEcxk/T3cc89G5VRI/AAAAAAAAMAk/rKwOT6JYCYw/s564/DSCF0615.JPG

There are more TV's here. I'll introduce them to you tomorrow. Nuriayasmin has to work another night shift tonight and says she has time for taking more photos tomorrow.

Keep fine,
HolgiHH
nuriayasmin
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com

Posted Apr 1, 2012, 6:14 pm
Dear Mum

As promised I'm going to introduce the TV's to you who are currently staying here.

The white bear is Nils.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-znhHbtLUf6E/T3iGuQenWMI/AAAAAAAAMA4/JadCPNfa_Mw/s564/DSCF0616.JPG

The orange bear is Coco Presley. She lives here and only travels with her mum. I couldn't resist to jump on her head to have a better look around.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Vq4CWQRove4/T3iGt8sbXzI/AAAAAAAAMA0/F3nYh0B8Ogc/s564/DSCF0617.JPG

From there on I jumped straight on to Králi's head. A green rabbit ... there are really some unusual creatures living on this earth.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YA6dtGAAHR4/T3iGvcAl1GI/AAAAAAAAMBE/ig_lXQIcktA/s564/DSCF0621.JPG

Josie and Kit-Kat are TV's of my size. While Josie, the cute dog on the left, is leaving tomorow, Kit-Kat, me and the rest on us will go on a trip to Rhineland-Palatinate.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qZeoGSBk_G8/T3iGwWYSvXI/AAAAAAAAMBM/u5X4fX98t5o/s564/DSCF0622.JPG

Well, today the weather was much nicer than yesterday but as nuriayasmin was still very tired from her night shifts we stayed home and I admired the plants and flowers on the balcony.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-98ux4bh7q2o/T3iGx_ywGMI/AAAAAAAAMBU/PniyJEjucjs/s564/DSCF0623.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VAkMXQyqfLQ/T3iGzSJ8yhI/AAAAAAAAMBc/pouTRUmeyu8/s564/DSCF0624.JPG

Greetings from Holgi
nuriayasmin
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com

Posted Apr 4, 2012, 7:39 pm
Dear Mum

I haven't seen anything of Heidelberg yet but I've been to two other German states. Today we went to Homburg which is situated in Saarland.

First we went to the youth hostel which almost looked like a hotel, really beautiful.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-eLm0NAxNGcw/T3yHdErxKWI/AAAAAAAAMWQ/dxu-UA80Frw/s512/DSCF0638.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0B_ksjKKejE/T3yHfQ9mNwI/AAAAAAAAMVg/akIbwIXrmg0/s600/DSCF0636.JPG

Then we climbed up to the fortress of Hohenburg. It was built around 1200 and destroyed by the French in the early 18th century. Nowadays the ruins can be be visited and are quite impressive.

However, first we passed the hotel situated beneath the fortress and look what we saw:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XXrTpZCpPak/T3yHfEWG-cI/AAAAAAAAMWU/HC2xTkFZq9k/s512/DSCF0646.JPG

A forgotten ToyVoyager? No, the bear was much too big. He introduced himself as the hotel's porter and we had a nice chat.

After we had passed the hotel, we reached the ruins and took a couple of photos:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ttZJcCvASvE/T3yHgDWz9AI/AAAAAAAAMWM/i4MOeXN4ljI/s512/DSCF0649.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nCVlpAXvL2c/T3yHh_aSXyI/AAAAAAAAMV0/uI4cxnJEVPs/s558/DSCF0658.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7gU71GTv15A/T3yHkNcFymI/AAAAAAAAMWY/EvrLLkHiWIc/s512/DSCF0672.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pdxigj1xX3E/T3yHklAoizI/AAAAAAAAMWA/B7iG_4Z-kLw/s564/DSCF0678.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cz1Oaajmw6w/T3yHnZiWYyI/AAAAAAAAMY8/9LN2wAZUmsM/s512/DSCF0680.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kJfP5yb7e1U/T3yHnk2oPAI/AAAAAAAAMZA/zCqJlhMLgMU/s512/DSCF0698.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-iWx3RbEczCA/T3yHqc1SavI/AAAAAAAAMWw/0SECcNWpXQs/s600/DSCF0709.JPG

We also saw the fossil of a dinosaur near the fortress. Hope you can recogneize a bit of it on the photo.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VM2k3PHgo04/T3yUm-aaNsI/AAAAAAAAMe4/YafgDYAsN90/s564/DSCF0687.JPG

Afterwards we returned to the youth hostel and I had a cup of capucchino.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qjSmfVjY25A/T3yHqKX3sbI/AAAAAAAAMWs/5QYWxw540hk/s600/DSCF0714.JPG

There was a park very near to the hostel and we took a walk there. I tried to climb this climbing wall but didn't manage.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1idfwmgprQc/T3yHr0VpRpI/AAAAAAAAMZE/_neCQXLnlGY/s512/DSCF0721.JPG

There was a nice lake.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-lUOQ1fNBV08/T3yHvcrES4I/AAAAAAAAMXI/JHZy6_Yr03E/s564/DSCF0730.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Bfv80tFytkY/T3yHu2B4zFI/AAAAAAAAMZI/KWK1VtFrS1A/s512/DSCF0736.JPG

And also a creek.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QLSdWmeg7IM/T3yHvn8x2WI/AAAAAAAAMZM/elpFbExtHnc/s512/DSCF0749.JPG

I had fun on the playground.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SGIWKWGTz8U/T3yHyBERD-I/AAAAAAAAMXc/_kgA4q9ohME/s600/DSCF0758.JPG

It was a fabulous day.

Love from Holgi
nuriayasmin
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com

Posted Apr 4, 2012, 7:50 pm
Dear Mum

After a good night at the youth hostel in Homburg we went to Kaiserslautern, a city in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

First we explored the Japanese Garden.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FDL0xI2u2n4/T3yH0xnAQcI/AAAAAAAAMZQ/mMcrreNccfc/s512/DSCF0769.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2OE1Ui5X4rc/T3yH0p8dMsI/AAAAAAAAMZU/bTO-PXB6elk/s512/DSCF0775.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LPVtRB1Bq8k/T3yH4U6991I/AAAAAAAAMfI/oaSoRJmTWZ8/s599/DSCF0786.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-zjgvocywqOM/T3yH4guRVrI/AAAAAAAAMZc/p2YVtB9JT5U/s512/DSCF0793.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SxoQZGuaceg/T3yH51mWUQI/AAAAAAAAMZg/oECO46udlH0/s512/DSCF0806.JPG

Afterwards we strolled to the Dinosaurs and Garden Park where we spent a couple of hours.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-dPWMyuafM5E/T3yH7ecqdPI/AAAAAAAAMZk/07qjb2igCso/s512/DSCF0816.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EaVeXayS8iM/T3yH84BxrwI/AAAAAAAAMYU/cbV2I7bol3c/s564/DSCF0826.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-T_GKbgeY-JU/T3yH91nLkgI/AAAAAAAAMYc/jERHU6glSW8/s564/DSCF0827.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-iZbm36feZn0/T3yIAuh72FI/AAAAAAAAMYk/sqWQ5WOnxmU/s600/DSCF0835.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aVuuxi6Vgtg/T3yIBwJ3PSI/AAAAAAAAMYw/8brUi5G1rC8/s564/DSCF0844.JPG

This is the "Weidenkirche", a church where even services take place regularly.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-koDFA_EE7Qo/T3yIBnvyXRI/AAAAAAAAMYs/D0U4NyIua44/s600/DSCF0852.JPG

Bye,
Holgi
nuriayasmin
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com

Posted Apr 4, 2012, 7:55 pm
Dear Mum

When we returned home from our trip to Homburg and Kaiserslautern, two small packages for waiting. Hoorraaahh, more ToyVoyagers.

The funny purple creature is Woozy and the cute little tiger is Tiger Lilly.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-U8XsN7e2_cs/T3yCekO7GAI/AAAAAAAAMUA/RnmWDhbXmEo/s600/DSCF0860.JPG

Well, and now I have to relax a little. Those were exhausting days with a lot of walking for a small donkey like me.

Love ya,
Holgi
nuriayasmin
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com

Posted Apr 8, 2012, 10:36 am
Happy Easter, Mum!!
nuriayasmin
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com

Posted Apr 15, 2012, 10:16 am
Dear Mum

Today a bunch of seven ToyVoyagers went on tour. It was very funny and interesting. We passed this school but as it's Saturday, there were no pupils around.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nYAWSPVD8Is/T4nZCMslLSI/AAAAAAAAMzg/IVrbEw2_-Pk/s600/DSCF1094.JPG

Then we walked on to the cemetary "Bergfriedhof". It was opened in 1844 and consists of a Christian and a Jewish part. It's quite a big area and we saw only a small part of it.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bVmKlMLVLx4/T4nZF_OCWYI/AAAAAAAAM1M/rAQSUPxzoBs/s512/DSCF1098.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-pe5c62GzlmE/T4nZH21h2fI/AAAAAAAAMz4/N9u4IIT1sVU/s600/DSCF1110.JPG

Here we're all sitting on the grave of the Jewish author Hilde Domin who as born in Cologne in 1909 and died in Heidelberg in 2006. In 2004 she became a honorary citizen of the town.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-BZYjXFJle5c/T4nZFbw7k3I/AAAAAAAAMzo/g8yAOfN1JEE/s600/DSCF1114.JPG

After leaving the cemetary we spent three hours walking through the forest.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SpH4KvzJZZU/T4nZIJzN2NI/AAAAAAAAMz8/pb4nSgiW5rg/s600/DSCF1117.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wUqaLK7nVtQ/T4nZMnRcn6I/AAAAAAAAM0Q/4HmQ8xvHbu8/s563/DSCF1136.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-m_8SvXLhrYU/T4nZQRKWK6I/AAAAAAAAM1c/q1JmAP_F26w/s512/DSCF1143.JPG

We rested on this interesting table.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-17UqvsSB4oY/T4nZMhOewyI/AAAAAAAAM0I/4r_4Oc5btnE/s600/DSCF1124.JPG

This totem pole was standing next to the eagle table so we actually felt a bit like in the USA:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-B1Pza9qxIGg/T4nZMph1mzI/AAAAAAAAM1U/MHXT645nyLA/s512/DSCF1131.JPG

We were quite tired after all that walking but as we had to go down to the city centre, anyway, to catch a bus back home, we decided to take some photos at the castle.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-vKk-eMcFaH8/T4nZRFZmsMI/AAAAAAAAM0o/jpBGmmcZnnc/s564/DSCF1144.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3bzNVnfZ0p8/T4nZQlufQDI/AAAAAAAAM0g/b2s6Ugkwb5I/s600/DSCF1158.JPG

These are two of the fountains in the castle's garden:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ot1mATlRUyI/T4nZThqRufI/AAAAAAAAM04/lhkrkHtLPSk/s564/DSCF1160.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-OG76ALyWYhg/T4nZUcQdP8I/AAAAAAAAM08/io0tZUj5w-w/s600/DSCF1167.JPG

The view to the city centre, the Old Bridge and the river Neckar is really stunning.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-QbeJN6JTe1A/T4nZVyt5nsI/AAAAAAAAM1I/1T4PM8VRWyQ/s564/DSCF1169.JPG

Heidelberg Castle was built in the early 13th century and was destroyed in the 17th and 18th century. Its ruins are nowadays the city's most popular tourist attraction.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-h-pb1irwaEc/T4nZWv5R_sI/AAAAAAAAM1o/pa6Z9JbqOA4/s512/DSCF1177.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-NpF5TFkAVYA/T4nZZP-jnMI/AAAAAAAAM14/d9hyqMxaPw0/s512/DSCF1183.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LCX3eFth2fs/T4nZYdyLjbI/AAAAAAAAM1k/dgSIPdZZcKc/s600/DSCF1194.JPG

Bye-bye,
Holgi
nuriayasmin
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com

Posted Apr 26, 2012, 9:24 pm
Dear Mum

I'm sorry you haven't heard from me for a while. I'm fine but nuriayasmin was busy, so we didn't go anywhere.

Well, today we went to Mannheim and took some photos of the water tower and the Friedrichsplatz with its fountains and flowers. A very beautiful place.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8Cz-SP7DMpU/T5lK_Zvc_iI/AAAAAAAANEY/lLc1oxLjBzU/s564/DSCF1223.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-mGK5-ESyjss/T5lLAcaw0AI/AAAAAAAANE0/cr54jX7__kU/s512/DSCF1234.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-fxEyZDBtGqc/T5lLB-e8GjI/AAAAAAAANEo/ZETp6wpkjBc/s564/DSCF1241.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RvPUuQ7Tnis/T5lLChDXGmI/AAAAAAAANE8/t6I7gIjvzr0/s512/DSCF1249.JPG

Love,
Holgi
nuriayasmin
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com

Posted May 1, 2012, 2:37 pm
Dear Mum

I spent two days at the UNESCO world heritage site of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley. The weather was marvellous and the landscapes fantastic.

On the train to St. Goar.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aTPMZfFXues/T5_fpc0Yn7I/AAAAAAAANe4/EZB1h25FIcg/s564/DSCF1259.JPG

St. Goarshausen
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-58K2TDuZrNk/T5_fpWiIadI/AAAAAAAANe0/Sh8Sn7fH6sc/s564/DSCF1279.JPG

The Loreley Statue
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-v__8BHPKsUw/T5_foXDh6vI/AAAAAAAANfM/Tlh8o_mnD9U/s512/DSCF1288.JPG

View from the Loreley
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-psKoB12BB2Y/T5_fqTnj3fI/AAAAAAAANfE/48lI5Sx70U0/s598/DSCF1305.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4bouuDCuP18/T5_ftqLsM6I/AAAAAAAANfQ/HvXDfkPO9jM/s600/DSCF1309.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ntNV-ULStCg/T5_ftsdzcII/AAAAAAAANfU/PmkeUCywNrg/s600/DSCF1332.JPG

Climbing up the youth hostel of Stahleck Castle in Bacharach.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-izOo-GGamCQ/T5_fxD3suLI/AAAAAAAANfs/WcOjbZrrcoQ/s600/DSCF1343.JPG

Love,
Holgi
nuriayasmin
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com

Posted May 1, 2012, 2:40 pm
Dear Mum

Today I visited the beautiful city of Bacharach and then took a boat to Rüdesheim where I rode the chair left to the top of the mountain.

Bacharach
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jB0TSjKHOA0/T5_fvfV0QkI/AAAAAAAANfg/WWEijXXxN8U/s564/DSCF1366.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0qSEJ1VReVI/T5_fwQadYnI/AAAAAAAANfo/qAyQscmAxNE/s600/DSCF1385.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-0durtdHPOTk/T5_fyoMC1FI/AAAAAAAANf4/kM4fE0ITjZ8/s600/DSCF1401.JPG

Rüdesheim
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vzNsIhafsjg/T5_fzOADh3I/AAAAAAAANgE/eijVCLGW5zg/s600/DSCF1413.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-we2-Vfgztb0/T5_fzkvYokI/AAAAAAAANgA/TpbDBTcjzSM/s536/DSCF1423.JPG

Love,
Holgi
nuriayasmin
nuriayasmin70@gmail.com

Posted May 9, 2012, 10:48 pm
Dear Mum

Today it was time to say good-bye. The Round Robin continues and all TV's here wished me a safe journey to the US.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iLRsaylR6Sw/T6rg8SJHroI/AAAAAAAANqY/yM5tfxz2Kjg/s600/DSCF1473.JPG

Will write to you as soon as I've arrived.

Yours,
Holgi
MamiTig


Posted May 20, 2012, 12:28 am
HolgiHH arrived safely in Kansas today!
MamiTig


Posted May 20, 2012, 12:30 am
HolgiHH visited the host family's back garden and met the dogs!
MamiTig


Posted May 21, 2012, 1:23 pm
The host family went to help a nice lady named Lula with weeding her garden today. I had so much fun exploring! My favorite things were the two lovely, intricate bird nest that we found on the ground.
MamiTig


Posted May 22, 2012, 3:50 am
When we were coming back from Lula's, host mom decided to take a country road we hadn't explored before. Anastaysia got excited and we stopped to explore an old cemetery we found!
MamiTig


Posted May 23, 2012, 4:48 am
Host mom showed us why Kansas and the midwest are called America's bread basket. The fields of wheat are so lovely, and I could see why the song America the Beautiful refers to "amber waves of grain" as the wheat blew in the wind and made ripples like the ocean!
MamiTig


Posted May 23, 2012, 5:59 am
Host mom and two of the little sisters took me for a walk around the neighborhood this evening. We looked at the houses (most were built between the late 1800s and mid 1900s), as well as taking a stop to look at Mr. Hillbrant's amazing garden!
MamiTig


Posted May 24, 2012, 4:50 am
The host family all went to the dentist today, so we hung out in the waiting room for quite a while.
MamiTig


Posted May 24, 2012, 1:29 pm
HolgiHH met Leonidas the rat today. Leonidas is not the world's friendliest rat, having been tormented in his previous home, but since coming to a safe home, he's beginning to get curious and tolerate being petted.
MamiTig


Posted May 25, 2012, 1:33 am
Today I got to see two week old baby hedgehogs in their nest!
MamiTig


Posted May 25, 2012, 4:14 am
The cows at Strickler's Dairy made a lovely scene today! We couldn't resist stopping for pictures :)
MamiTig


Posted May 26, 2012, 4:38 am
Host mom took me and two of her sons out to lunch at El Charro. The salsa there is always sooo delicious!
MamiTig


Posted May 27, 2012, 7:08 am
HolgiHH enjoyed Sabbath school and church supper!
MamiTig


Posted May 28, 2012, 6:31 am
We went to Twin Trestles today! It's turning green as spring turns to summer, and there were so many amazing things to explore!
MamiTig


Posted May 29, 2012, 5:05 am
Today was Memorial Day, so host mom had the day off from work. In the afternoon, the family took a picnic, then stopped at the town square to see the flags and contemplate their loved ones who are gone.
MamiTig


Posted May 30, 2012, 5:45 am
Oh goody, a birthday! El Charro's for dinner, snuggling Biscuit the cat, and the unwrapping of presents! Perfect! :)
MamiTig


Posted May 31, 2012, 5:59 am
HolgiHH met the resident squishables today! They are so adorably squishy!
MamiTig


Posted Jun 2, 2012, 7:06 am
The host family took me to their dress rehearsal for thier dance recital! The theme is "An International Affair" and they had a lot of amazing dances, representing all sorts of different countries!
MamiTig


Posted Jun 3, 2012, 5:31 am
Tonight was opening night! We learned about the "break a leg" tradition. To wish stage performers good luck, you tell them "break a leg" and bring a gift. It was fun to spend time with all the kids in the waiting area downstairs from the stage!
MamiTig


Posted Jun 4, 2012, 3:23 am
I stayed back stage in the waiting area during the last night of dance recital, with host mom. She took me for a peek in the dressing rooms when the kids were all on stage for the opening act!
MamiTig


Posted Jun 5, 2012, 1:07 pm
We went to help a nice lady named Miss Lula in her garden. So much to explore!
MamiTig


Posted Jun 6, 2012, 4:57 am
HolgiHH likes host mom's new project!
MamiTig


Posted Jun 7, 2012, 5:24 am
HolgiHH met a baby blue jay today :)
MamiTig


Posted Jun 8, 2012, 5:28 am
Today, host mom took us to see the caboose at the head of the Garnett rail trail. The rail trail is many miles of hiking and biking trail,  that runs along the lines of an old railroad corridor.
MamiTig


Posted Jun 10, 2012, 1:24 am
We visited Arnold's Greenhouse! It's such a magically relaxing place, with all of the amazing plants and flowers!
MamiTig


Posted Jun 11, 2012, 4:59 am
After visiting Arnold's Greenhouse, we visited a curious place called Luther's Beef Jerky and Convenience Store. There were lots of unusual things there!
MamiTig


Posted Jun 12, 2012, 5:09 am
HolgiHH enjoyed Sabbath supper at the SDA church.
MamiTig


Posted Jun 13, 2012, 1:21 am
We took host mom's parents to meet Lula and work in the garden. It's looking so pretty and nice as all the weeds get gone!
MamiTig


Posted Jun 16, 2012, 1:03 am
Mmmmm! El Charro is delicious!
MamiTig


Posted Jun 17, 2012, 8:10 pm
Today we went to the Farmer's Market- then we got to go to El Charro for the second time this week, to celebrate a birthday! Yay! :)
MamiTig


Posted Jun 18, 2012, 5:13 am
Today we went to Deanna Rose Farmstead! There were so many fun things to see and do. The gardens are lovely and the petting zoo animals were very curious. We had fun playing and exploring!
MamiTig


Posted Jun 20, 2012, 4:57 am
After visiting Deanna Rose Park, we went to China Star for dinner. Some people think that dessert is the very best part!
MamiTig


Posted Jun 21, 2012, 4:05 am
There are always interesting things to see and do in Lula's garden! We had fun exploring! :)
MamiTig


Posted Jun 22, 2012, 4:45 am
The ToyVoyagers loved the tooth fairy bench at Legends Drive Dental!
MamiTig


Posted Jun 22, 2012, 5:39 am
Host mom was really excited that she finished her daughter's Prinplup costume today! :) Only about a month until Tokyo in Tulsa and she can show it off!
MamiTig


Posted Jun 24, 2012, 6:49 am
One of the host family boys was in a play this morning, at the community theater. It was all very exciting!
MamiTig


Posted Jun 25, 2012, 5:59 am
Today I went fossil hunting with the host family! It was so pretty and we skipped rocks and saw lots and lots of interesting things :)
MamiTig


Posted Jun 26, 2012, 4:31 am
HolgiHH is back on the road! :)
miapearl


Posted Jul 27, 2012, 11:05 pm
I have arrived safely in wet Wales, I hope the weather improves!
miapearl


Posted Jul 29, 2012, 7:44 pm
Hi Mum,
It had stopped raining so we went out...
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-v6pd9jhuoNQ/UBAkM_xiOiI/AAAAAAAAGTk/5ZvKyxyetTg/s500/holgillan1.jpg
This is Llyn Padarn.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LDhEfow3P0o/UBAkO5OjPfI/AAAAAAAAGTs/3Y_sH4HUaMU/s500/holgillan2.jpg
Across the lake is an old hospital. I think I have seen some travelogs of toys visiting there.
miapearl


Posted Jul 29, 2012, 7:50 pm
We've come out to Manchester in England to visit a museum.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ONTEmmq2W20/UBAkiiO5p0I/AAAAAAAAGU8/Tm4eahu4Y9Y/s500/mosi4.jpg
This is an old steam engine called Planet.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2q-iRNnu-FU/UBAkpY4yZjI/AAAAAAAAGVc/d3dvaR79zzU/s500/mosi8.jpg
An engine
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wXWWjNOT4Hw/UBAkq1YxTsI/AAAAAAAAGVk/gQ14-8ijq8M/s500/mosi9.jpg
Another engine.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-U22QI7uqITI/UBAks2Tp7qI/AAAAAAAAGVs/0bmrk4-YNYs/s500/mosi10.jpg
This is a model of an engine a set up at ICI
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Z3p2h7jHPIY/UBAkvYIsxnI/AAAAAAAAGV0/2o3vISR7zZw/s500/mosi11.jpg
Part of the museum is based in a train shed, and there are train engines and carriages.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-m9hpBTTooY4/UBAk2zTXqKI/AAAAAAAAGWU/uT_01qPcwso/s500/mosi15.jpg
In another building of the museum, equipment from a laboratory at Daresbury, used in various experiments. People from the lab won a Nobel Prize.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-gqzEm_r3xAo/UBAk_lJeeAI/AAAAAAAAGW8/BLcbG_AHRMI/s500/mosi20.jpg
There was a hands on science section. We can investigate Magnetic Fields.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-95NXM_EqLHQ/UBAlBXkz6FI/AAAAAAAAGXE/xgNte5rC-ZQ/s500/mosi21.jpg
Do you see the difference?
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tg4QyJ_LVyQ/UBAlNKrFNII/AAAAAAAAGX8/guF18Ru7N_s/s500/mosi28.jpg
This is Bernard Lovell, a pioner of modern astronomy.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-R4uqc6o9pwU/UBAlPTty6zI/AAAAAAAAGYE/M8Lt2CAzs8Q/s500/mosi29.jpg
This is Jodrell Bank, a radio telescope able to track Sputnik.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-qx1KwfUtoXk/UBAk9m_xonI/AAAAAAAAGW0/VtWNc8EB5D0/s500/mosi19.jpg
Manchester was home to the textile industry. These are some fabric printing blocks.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-bZLHKexACv8/UBAl1SeeLGI/AAAAAAAAGaM/J78T2mU76fQ/s500/mosi46.jpg
We caught a cotton demonstration. Here, the fibres are separated and drawn together to make a "thingy".
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-IBD7V6_kdFo/UBAl3htbLRI/AAAAAAAAGaU/ons1GP7630w/s500/mosi47.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p_hrwfmj6MM/UBAl5nC4SuI/AAAAAAAAGac/b90qdlE-9o4/s500/mosi48.jpg
Then they are smoothed out again and combined with other strands to make it stronger.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--hFZSdejAJU/UBAmPUCAb0I/AAAAAAAAGb0/VjMdu3Rl3Uk/s500/mosi59.jpg
The strands are smoothed out again and combined with other strands to make it stronger still, and then wound onto a bobbin.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-zMwPDwH_7EI/UBAmRpNU89I/AAAAAAAAGb8/41SQy9xaHYQ/s500/mosi60.jpg
The man is holding a picture of these machines, back to back, in a mill.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-inXkSokLw54/UBAmT3hn--I/AAAAAAAAGcE/bjgC-uEPEP0/s500/mosi61.jpg
The thread is drawn out, and then twisted before rolled onto another bobbin.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-klAI7qDg3PQ/UBAmV-7ep3I/AAAAAAAAGcM/or5fZx-4_1U/s500/mosi62.jpg
Small children would clear out the debris as the machine moves back... A dangerous job...
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-iLB8Qm2yRpo/UBAmdpR6Y0I/AAAAAAAAGcs/AwCg-omPvLA/s500/mosi66.jpg
Now it is time for weaving to make the cloth.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-kZLuIPXTvvA/UBAlio8mNYI/AAAAAAAAGZE/7E7sVQAqqJc/s500/mosi37.jpg
This is the Pegasus computer, built by Ferranti.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-IKhbcCuOGww/UBAlk_MAJUI/AAAAAAAAGZM/KdBmjiKybjs/s500/mosi38.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-j9GSjVqhMCk/UBAlqkKF_oI/AAAAAAAAGZk/8CIUu_WM6tA/s500/mosi41.jpg
Air samplers to measure radiation.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4xxAqBYsej8/UBAlr8DNoBI/AAAAAAAAGZs/sk3Q_Zb0NI4/s500/mosi42.jpg
Here we are measuring radiation.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-cnbanKEnhL0/UBAmhhQ5VnI/AAAAAAAAGc8/GdMr5ncdcbw/s500/mosi68.jpg
Next, we went to another building housing the aviation section.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OtxHn7JLv-M/UBAmlAoOd7I/AAAAAAAAGdM/iKTCaBsM250/s500/mosi70.jpg
Odd-looking aircraft.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-aAZHmGYsRmg/UBAmmtY7ryI/AAAAAAAAGdU/irg1MUHHPP0/s500/mosi71.jpg
Rotors.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-d3laxyJDVb0/UBAmt-1kQ5I/AAAAAAAAGd0/tPQyo7ZUFUM/s500/mosi75.jpg
Boldly going where no one has gone before.
miapearl


Posted Aug 1, 2012, 1:14 pm
Today, we popped to the allotment
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-akIEYDiojYA/UBkPHZprnyI/AAAAAAAAGfg/h2nDVLpjYO0/s500/july12plot4.jpg
These blackcurrants are almost ready.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tvkyAUbPceU/UBkPJIaEfzI/AAAAAAAAGfo/8Z1Qt2vdTi4/s500/july12plot5.jpg
These broad beans are almost ready too.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-_ApKIOiNmUc/UBkPLMDzYyI/AAAAAAAAGfw/4vdBxSLTcCo/s500/july12plot6.jpg
My host is growing a small patch of wheat.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-mJSIWpbUe-g/UBkPNQRDT4I/AAAAAAAAGf4/Neqzbm33TGE/s500/july12plot7.jpg
And these onions are looking good.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-o4vujS3bhmI/UBkPRZ9Zu8I/AAAAAAAAGgI/v5obWCay7u0/s500/july12plot9.jpg
The potatoes look OK too.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xz84Y34oa9k/UBkPnJepoFI/AAAAAAAAGhc/uSpZ_fIB6Es/s500/july12plot19.jpg
Yummy raspberries, red and yellow
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-h1wtCS-Ns4s/UBkP0v9FhfI/AAAAAAAAGiM/fWGzBpdVDoY/s500/july12plot25.jpg
Do you see the goldfish in the pond?
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6X_vfbG4HGQ/UBkP2UubUWI/AAAAAAAAGiU/Vn69J4iORN0/s500/july12plot26.jpg
A pretty flower
miapearl


Posted Aug 1, 2012, 2:49 pm
After the allotment, as it was a nice day, we went to Portmeirion.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EuaRkQ4CNNM/UBkP39gkUWI/AAAAAAAAGic/CNZpJoAQxxI/s500/jlyportm1.jpg
This is the type of chair Number Two sat in.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6uJA3tDDzC0/UBkP8CQ915I/AAAAAAAAGis/LqYldLJqRgc/s500/jlyportm3.jpg
That's the Bristol Colonnade.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7ajA2GhQZBI/UBkQCgxO3XI/AAAAAAAAGjE/SphXmHeet98/s500/jlyportm6.jpg
Nice and cool in the shade, looking across the gardens.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TcQZniCiFgA/UBkQFF5RIaI/AAAAAAAAGjM/AukeLHooEzM/s500/jlyportm7.jpg
Coins in a tree stump
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-vk51ux8KhvM/UBkQLN5HVbI/AAAAAAAAGjk/hkR4kjTTRI0/s500/jlyportm10.jpg
Pretty flowers.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Ob32cyAcqvg/UBkQU_LkVuI/AAAAAAAAGkM/wZflnpJtw3s/s500/jlyportm15.jpg
The tide is out.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OcEevoJWka4/UBkQdq51UWI/AAAAAAAAGk0/k6DG8--BIeI/s500/jlyportm20.jpg
The Lighthouse.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zUupVCjjeqA/UBkQfAYo75I/AAAAAAAAGk8/INy115G5rtI/s500/jlyportm21.jpg
Admiral Nelson.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ylOXe10KRME/UBkQgZdPnrI/AAAAAAAAGlE/pxYj723RA_M/s500/jlyportm22.jpg
The Observatory Tower.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-d2u2V3jNPdM/UBkQiCku72I/AAAAAAAAGlM/7CpOqcjqEhk/s500/jlyportm23.jpg
Looking up to the village.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-hIGUzd027KI/UBkQkAGUHPI/AAAAAAAAGlU/YPh3qCuGGjk/s500/jlyportm24.jpg
Ahoy there!
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-K5SR3GjcmZE/UBkQlEUzLBI/AAAAAAAAGlc/JpNkPhcUB54/s500/jlyportm25.jpg
That's the Bell Tower.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-whaNgxhXgTw/UBkQxtqaynI/AAAAAAAAGmU/CKGiElwpmek/s500/jlyportm32.jpg
The Bristol Colonnade.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-d7btWDJFyvU/UBkQ4M9Ej1I/AAAAAAAAGms/qCHfCNmIFYs/s500/jlyportm35.jpg
The Piazza.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xcI6ZBafB1o/UBkQ8LXOpEI/AAAAAAAAGm8/iZgkIVnBMN8/s500/jlyportm37.jpg
The Bristol Colonnade again.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-z9q8rzZ3WaE/UBkRDkcgheI/AAAAAAAAGnk/sciucLz7X70/s500/jlyportm42.jpg
Some of the buildings in Portmeirion can be rented out for holiday accomodation.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Uw4d_XRlcts/UBkRFqpcLQI/AAAAAAAAGns/piJETBo881A/s500/jlyportm43.jpg
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tiW8UqkXNt0/UBkRH1GJ-mI/AAAAAAAAGn0/UlhNuN-e76k/s500/jlyportm44.jpg
The Round House is where Number Six "lived"
miapearl


Posted Aug 1, 2012, 4:08 pm
Today, was another nice day so we went out to Colwyn Bay's Mountain Zoo
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Y9FJPb5bjc0/UBkRSbbNWCI/AAAAAAAAGoc/hVSuqFlmiWU/s500/colwynzoo4.jpg
These meerkats are fascinating to watch.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-pkvFmMUj25g/UBkRUit2ZcI/AAAAAAAAGok/IhWKskiFOZM/s500/colwynzoo5.jpg
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-BieGs4_U0q0/UBkRjng6l5I/AAAAAAAAGpc/Vr8lLJSDEd4/s500/colwynzoo12.jpg
There's a bear.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yvf3o8ILEGQ/UBkR96O6GqI/AAAAAAAAGq0/jdQKGKhpKBg/s500/colwynzoo23.jpg
A Gibbon.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lKAqqR0Q2W8/UBkSAXhm95I/AAAAAAAAGq8/fehuOoR2Ct8/s500/colwynzoo24.jpg
And one on a mission.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ARHBbWq_4gY/UBkSOrWLeJI/AAAAAAAAGr0/0dK0mXenzvI/s500/colwynzoo31.jpg
A snoozing tiger...
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0c7UrLaq9uw/UBkSX7meO8I/AAAAAAAAGsU/1XeTo38GKmM/s500/colwynzoo35.jpg
Wallabies...
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YXzffo7FXQo/UBkSgN5C1uI/AAAAAAAAGs0/3FUXDpXnRQw/s500/colwynzoo39.jpg
Pengiuns...
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ji-q_E1rSOM/UBkSqwaek0I/AAAAAAAAGtc/5rcvEfqGnUI/s500/colwynzoo44.jpg
Flamingoes...
miapearl


Posted Aug 16, 2012, 5:39 pm
We've come to stay at my host's mum's for the weekend and have come out to the local Maize in Maze field.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qUA-Bf8-2O4/UCucndjobVI/AAAAAAAAGxc/jlAjwWYIPb4/s500/whap4.jpg
The weather has been rather wet so the corn hasn't grown as high as the farmers would have liked.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9JeMIeBtwtU/UCucuxQ18LI/AAAAAAAAGx8/QRmJ84wt7Sw/s500/whap8.jpg
Hidden around the maze are boards with information about the Olympics. There is a letter on each board and when arranged, they form a word. My host has obscured the letter.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-g9C8vTdf3_w/UCucy_YScII/AAAAAAAAGyM/K1uypGAMdHQ/s500/whap10.jpg
Olympic Motto.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-GPRTomndKTc/UCuc7RX7G9I/AAAAAAAAGys/csChjgwglqU/s500/whap14.jpg
Mascots...
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Q9EZhv8-9is/UCuc-NF0UtI/AAAAAAAAGy0/hp2pyyLl99E/s500/whap15.jpg
Is it this way?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XvKtcayYpwU/UCudJRUqYtI/AAAAAAAAGzc/uuM_Hed5Pco/s500/whap20.jpg
Dara Torres was an Olympic swimmer.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-BZIHNMTATrg/UCudNnj6LOI/AAAAAAAAGzs/x0adzq2S6RM/s500/whap22.jpg
Daley Thompson won his first Olympic decathlon in 1980 at the Moscow games...
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Z3LUFdMOWuA/UCudeBfhKnI/AAAAAAAAG0k/_drm8zSLsv0/s500/whap27.jpg
The corn looks small down there...
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fC9yOZcz9mE/UCudSkXA_RI/AAAAAAAAG0E/ONo4Aedh7LI/s500/whap28.jpg
Yes, rain clouds, with lightning and thunder and heavy rain... We just made it under the tent.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UZTQU-XpBF0/UCudUBKFELI/AAAAAAAAG0M/Jp0tIaRyqoQ/s500/whap29.jpg
It is also windy..
miapearl


Posted Aug 17, 2012, 2:10 pm
On the way back to Wales, we stopped off at Snibston Discovery Centre in Leicestershire.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-V9RjroaPGYM/UCudjnEDM7I/AAAAAAAAG08/LjuJHWTx6yU/s500/snib3.jpg
A teasmaid
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nzlmL_6M0LM/UCudlIz5j2I/AAAAAAAAG1E/q9ZecfJgGc4/s500/snib4.jpg
Plasma Ball, this is fun.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hY6O7m8qT1Q/UCudmsKe8vI/AAAAAAAAG1M/R58enWX5gZ8/s500/snib5.jpg
My host's one had broken :( so we played with this one for a while.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Onjr-G2IrT0/UCudoFwJQ4I/AAAAAAAAG1U/KV-4HOkauKw/s500/snib6.jpg
My host's son had one of these duck things...
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Zn3NB9Fvf0E/UCudp7TfsII/AAAAAAAAG1c/iEKQyRzrXQ0/s500/snib7.jpg
Teddy bears and a tea set.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2tPwbmBVPok/UCud3zgkkII/AAAAAAAAG2c/TizI3YXlZ_E/s500/snib15.jpg
An old ice cream van.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-hAErOkvkONU/UCud6GCsLjI/AAAAAAAAG2k/364NQK75BcE/s500/snib16.jpg
A train engine.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FELZQ1TboT0/UCueDnlZcpI/AAAAAAAAG3U/eU6nw6UFMsM/s500/snib22.jpg
This area had coal mines.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ULGHvOg7PZU/UCueKzcM3KI/AAAAAAAAG3s/1hNQ3AhSlKg/s500/snib25.jpg
An old fire engine.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-yfuh-7qBTy0/UCueNPcthRI/AAAAAAAAG30/TpX_uSgwzV8/s500/snib26.jpg
miapearl


Posted Aug 17, 2012, 2:17 pm
Today, we visited Stone Science on the Isle of Anglesey.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-fvbPp-Ie378/UCueTQ_gJEI/AAAAAAAAG4M/9bOZgPxLOPs/s500/sscience1.jpg
They have some fossils
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lBb3_PV6SXA/UCueVGipfKI/AAAAAAAAG4U/bFOFge9aglk/s500/sscience2.jpg
And more fossils
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-out9uNrNdHY/UCueZdS94UI/AAAAAAAAG4k/ydh7gqjouk0/s500/sscience4.jpg
And even more fossils, these are molluscs.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-6II02OCCrYA/UCuees77UXI/AAAAAAAAG48/VqTuPpuvgXQ/s500/sscience7.jpg
Sharp teeth!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-x2pG74yAGzQ/UCuegWseLJI/AAAAAAAAG5E/zXlcAa9MPKE/s500/sscience8.jpg
Smoky Quartz, and other stones.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xgtYPK-REZs/UCuereZDwnI/AAAAAAAAG50/CpWbh8LAvls/s500/sscience14.jpg
Some tumbled stones, including quartz, agates...
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-oJdrRaUDGSA/UCuetTV9dEI/AAAAAAAAG58/Khkv81s7ADE/s500/sscience15.jpg
Emeralds, topaz, beryl....
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MyQHXbtG0Ig/UCue0Fm7AHI/AAAAAAAAG6c/EXwk28Lrfi8/s500/sscience19.jpg
More fossils, bivalves, ammonites....
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-pO8_IRExv_c/UCue87b2mII/AAAAAAAAG68/4qbNLVjiXDk/s500/sscience23.jpg
Looking at the shiny shell. There's a sea urchin too...
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aj9ESwbskwg/UCue-pLGTTI/AAAAAAAAG7E/KcEjz9uulqM/s500/sscience24.jpg
Petrified wood, and some corals..
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xtTVxgBII1s/UCufJGdkRpI/AAAAAAAAG7s/QITf2wqehK0/s500/sscience29.jpg
Galena (lead) and ...
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4TmW_uQSPVI/UCufPoLapPI/AAAAAAAAG8E/K7xV01BEntU/s500/sscience32.jpg
miapearl


Posted Aug 17, 2012, 2:32 pm
Today, we came to Chester, just across the border into England to wander around the shops..
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jhq9rigWDBU/UCufRg4Ee7I/AAAAAAAAG8M/Snt5DlDXNLY/s500/caer1.jpg
This is the Eastgate clock.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zMMNeC5xux8/UCufbhQ39yI/AAAAAAAAG80/01LVfL_pAo4/s500/caer6.jpg
Chester is a historic city, with many Jacobean half-timbered style buildings, many have listed building status.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0KT05vzktXg/UCufhhA4trI/AAAAAAAAG9M/losBRMWEZz0/s500/caer9.jpg
There is a walkway above the ground floor shops.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Ymniwxmg_2Y/UCufnXdTUBI/AAAAAAAAG9k/kvqoFnGC204/s500/caer12.jpg
And Chester is quite close to Liverpool...
miapearl


Posted Aug 17, 2012, 3:05 pm
We are now up in Yorkshire so my host's husband can take her son caving for the first time.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-onrRUiXTVJQ/UCufs4q-3pI/AAAAAAAAG98/rZeC8FkKOHs/s500/york3.jpg
This system is called Alum Pot, and this part is the Long Churn
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-K8SR0oocYQE/UCufvHCFt0I/AAAAAAAAG-E/sxuV2VPUOMg/s500/york4.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-giqkJKDLSD0/UCuf6DiwDwI/AAAAAAAAG-s/BhacZhLGrzk/s500/york9.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NppNkVVO1QQ/UCuf8ZT66oI/AAAAAAAAG-0/Q8Acw89ZUAM/s500/york10.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yXOD5FsBIuI/UCugFKWX9xI/AAAAAAAAG_U/jBynVH-J9U8/s500/york14.jpg
There they go..
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-p2erRIduoiA/UCugOIbp1NI/AAAAAAAAG_0/xIbaj_R1LAc/s500/york18.jpg
They have hard hats on.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-czoWA2l1qs0/UCugTUS7d9I/AAAAAAAAHAM/hNypww7g00w/s500/york21.jpg
I could have gone, but the caving shop in Ingleton didn't have any helmets for hire to fit me.
miapearl


Posted Aug 17, 2012, 3:18 pm
Look who arrived a few days after we got back from Yorkshire
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xSyQ_P94vP4/UC5Rl-HofuI/AAAAAAAAHBM/sikBFzWmrYE/s500/helloyo.jpg
olgamaus


Posted Aug 30, 2012, 8:29 pm
Hi Mummy,
I arrived in Remscheid  today, in North Rhine-Westphalia. I am not the only "new" guest" here, Emma Squirrel also arrived today, she came here from Lithuania.

MuhKuh, Orkku Orava, another squirrel and my new host Katja gave us a warm welcome.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8031/7895704714_faf05b75af_o.jpg

I brought a letter for Katja with me, from  miapearl.

Now we are tired and will go to bed early. Let's see what tomorrow will bring. Katja already told us that one her friends move this weekend, tomorrow and on Saturday she will help to carry furnture and packing cases to the new apartement.

Bye
HolgiHH
olgamaus


Posted Sep 4, 2012, 8:14 pm
Hi Mummy,
today we visited my host's daughter. She is living in a district called Luettringhausen, half an hour's walk from my current home. We took a walk with her in the surroundings of Luettringhausen.

We walked along a lovely valley. Katja's daughter is living in one of the houses you can see in the background.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8180/7928257164_a756984e23_o.jpg

We saw meadows with horses here. Only horses, no donkeys.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8172/7928257502_deb65c5b76_o.jpg

Katja loves to cook jams, elderberries and blackberries are already looking great.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8309/7928257922_4bacbbeacd_o.jpg

We found a fantastic place in the forest - a hammer mill. Iron and steel was produced here since 15th century.

Katja toldl us that the signs was saying something like "Hosts are responsible for curious donkeys".

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8179/7928260716_e26e585855_o.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8452/7928259888_f2f4f23777_o.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8452/7928258548_2d817a1450_o.jpg

This water wheel was not working.

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A large millwheel was lying on the ground.

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We had a closer look at it - a great place to enjoy the nice weather :)

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When we walked towards Luettringhausen, we went along a parkway. Some dozen apple trees were planted here, some of them sponsored by citizens of the city, some to commemorate celebrated public characters.

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From here we had to walk about ten minutes to reach the town centre of Luettringhausen. Here we saw lovely old houses and narrow lanes.

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We had an ice cream as a reward for our long walk :)

Yummy - blueberry ice-cream!

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Good-bye and greetings from the forest :)

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Love
HolgiHH
olgamaus


Posted Sep 9, 2012, 9:42 pm
Hi Mummy,
in the late afternoon we took a short walk in the city. We walked through the municipal park to the district Hasten. Here in the park you can find several allotment garden areas, that's why there are parked cars.

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Although we are already having late summer there are still a lot of blooming bushes and flowers.

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I found a plastic companion in a garden ☺

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Hasten is one of the historic districts of Remscheid, here you can find old factory buildings between dewellings.

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For getting home we walked along the Route of Tools (Trasse des Werkzeugs) for some time. The Route of Tools is a lane for pedestrians and cyclists which was built on a former, now closed track for freight trains. It was sponsoed by local companies, most of them producing tools. So it was called Route of Tools. Along the route you can find informations about the factories, prominent buildings and life in general in ancient times.

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The Route of Tools is following the former track from the central station to Hasten, about 5 km long, running through industrial complexes close to the central station, along woodland areas and dwellings.

Here are distance data, painted to the ground.

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Can you see the pattern in the tarmac, stamped with wrenches?

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There are signs with the logos of the sponsoring companies, also one showing the coat of arms of Remscheid.

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That's all for today :)

Bye
HolgiHH
olgamaus


Posted Sep 9, 2012, 9:55 pm
Hi Mummy,
as long as we are having wonderful weather we would take a long walk every day, Katja promised. And she is keeping word! Today we picked up a friend at her work place in Lennep and took a longer walk in the surroundings. We started in Lennep and soon we left the city to reach rural areas.

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We reached the Eschbach dam  than, Germany's oldest drinking water dam. Here you can find a nature trail, telling you facts about fauna and flora.

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Isn't this a lovely place?

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Here you can see the rear side of the concrete dam.

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In Eschbach valley we walked along the open air bath. It looks at it was closed already.

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Or course there were several creeks running towards the valley.

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Too soon we reached the outskirts of Remscheid ...

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We walked along the company complex of a famous company. The historic factory building was preserved among the new buildings.

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From here we took the bus back home.

Bye
HolgiHH
olgamaus


Posted Sep 9, 2012, 10:32 pm
Hi Mummy,
we visited Wuppertal today. Wuppertal is one of the neighbour cities of Remscheid. Katja's daughter is working here as a cook. We picked her up when she finished work in the afternoon to take a walk to the botanical garden.

One of the city’s greatest attractions is the suspended monorail (Schwebebahn), which was established in 1901. The tracks are 8 m above the streets and 12 m above the Wupper River. There are 20 stations, each of them built in another style. There are modern ones and also historic ones.

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Like every city with a river running through it you can find lots of bridges in Wuppertal, here is one of them.

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The trains are looking really funny.

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This big fountain is situated in front of the city hall (which is hidden behind a scaffolding).

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On our way to the botanical garden, which is situated on a hill we came across several smaller parks.

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There is a large area on a ridge, called "Hardtberg". Here you can find a fantastic landscape park.

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Everywhere people were enjoying the sunshine.

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We reached the botanical garden than. You can find more than 5.000 intercontinental plants here!

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This is a Styrax tree, originally from Anatolia.

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Here is a moor bed, I had to keep away from lots of carnivorous plants.

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Finally we reached part with millions of flowers.

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Sunflowers are so beautiful.

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Here you can see Elise Tower, built in early 19th century by a local factory owner, together with a beautiful villa with an orangerie. The tower is about 21 m high, originally built as an observatory, nowadays used as an outlook tower. We would have climbed it to enjoy the spectacular view, but it was closed due to a wedding party taking place there.

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We went to another part of the botanical garden, with this basin where lots of kids were playing.

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We also visited the greenhouses with tropical plants.

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We rested on giant leaves for a while.

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We found banana trees here ...

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... and also oranges.

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Walking back steep downhill we reached the city centre, close to the local court and district court.

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At the left side of the next photo you can see the station "Landgericht". It was rebuilt two years ago in its original style.

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Here we are inside the station.

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Our train was coming than!

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We went to the central station to get home by train.

Bye
HolgiHH
olgamaus


Posted Sep 13, 2012, 8:46 am
Hi Mummy,
the weather here is rather bad, so my host decided to decorate the walls in the living room. She moved to this apartment in July and did not finish all the painting works. Today was the perfect day to do it :)

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With the help of o stencil we painted roses onto the wall.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8435/7981888065_986d58c829_o.jpg

Have a look at the result!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8181/7981892068_97dd32b678_o.jpg

Bye
HolgiHH
olgamaus


Posted Sep 17, 2012, 1:19 pm
Hi Mummy,

today we visited an arboretum in Wuppertal, the "Staatsforst Burgholz". An arboretum is a collection of trees, sort of a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study. We went to "Staatsforst Burgholz", a woodland area which is situated in both urban area of Wuppertal and also the urban area of Solingen, but only a small part of it.

When World War II was over, there were nearly all trees felled for rebuilding of destroyed city areas and also as firewood.

Searching for fast-growing forest species trees from foreign counties were planted than in this area to study their growth in local weather conditions. Plants from North America, South America, Asia and Europe were planted.

There are several walking paths through the arboretum, of course we chose the longest of them, about 6 km long, displaying a variety of trees from Europe, America and Asia. At the parking lot we found a map of the arboretum area.

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We decided to walk along a path showing trees of Northern America.

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In the background, along the slope different kinds of conifers were planted.

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This is the sign we had to follow.

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You can find informations about the foreign trees.

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The path was covered with clover.

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Our path is meandering through the forest. Look how good "Chief" Emma Squirrel was looking!

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Finally we saw sequoia trees.

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This was a very interesting trip.

Bye
HolgiHH
olgamaus


Posted Sep 17, 2012, 3:39 pm
Hi Mummy,
today we made a fantastic trip to Gelsenkirchen in the Ruhr area. We visited a zoo there, the ZOOM-Erlebniswelt.

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This zoo is specialized in animals from Alaska, Africa and Asia. The whole area is divided into three parts. We started our adventure in Alaska.

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My host could have spent hours here with the raccoons :D They are extremely cute.

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Nobody has to starve here.

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We saw several bears here: Grizzly bears, Kodiak bears and polar bears.

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The bear was separated from the visitors only by a thick glass panel.

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We entered Africa  than!

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It is so cold today that I prefer the comfort of a heated apartment to those huts :D

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Any donkeys here? No? Only sheep and goats?

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The lionesses were very lazy behind their glass panel.

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Zebras and antilopes were much more agil than the dozing lion...

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... as well the giraffes.

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We entered Asia than.

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[img] [/img]

Here we also found a typical hut.

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They have a large greenhouse here with free living birds and turtles.

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We had a lot of fun with those monkeys, gray langurs. They were playing endlessly in their enclosure, chasing each other and climbing and jumping from their ropes and nets.

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Finally we went to the petting zoo where I met donkey friends.

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I found their place in the stable.

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More lazy animals :D

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What a fantastic trip!

Bye
HolgiHH
olgamaus


Posted Sep 20, 2012, 9:04 am
Hi Mummy,
we took a short walk in the late afternoon in the surrounding forests, most of them are nature protection areas.

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Summer is over now, have a look at the fruits of a plane tree.

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The path was following a railway track for some time.

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Once more we walked through a housing area with those lovely houses.

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We had to hurry home than, it started to rain again.

Bye
HolgiHH
olgamaus


Posted Sep 21, 2012, 9:21 am
Hi Mummy,
while my host was writing updates I strolled around in the bedroom. I climbed onto the window sill and had a look outside to the garages.

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There is a lawn with old trees behind the house and also some garages.

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Bye
HolgiHH
olgamaus


Posted Oct 2, 2012, 2:16 pm
Hi Mummy,
MiniMarshmallow invited us to a marshmallow lunch. We had marshmallow-banana-shashlik with chocolate :)

First the chocolate was melted.

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Than Katja's daughter showed us how to roast marshmallows over a flame.

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The shashlik was already looking good ...

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... but even much better with a a chocolate topping!

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Enjoy!

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Love
HolgiiHH
olgamaus


Posted Oct 6, 2012, 8:12 pm
Hi Mummy,
we are having lovely weather today - a good opportunity to take a walk in the surroundings of Remscheid.

There is a lot of green around, several outskirts are hidden there.

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Turkeys, chicken ...if they also had a donkey? No!

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The sheep did not even recognize us.

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We found the remains of a villa hidden in the forest. The house is no longere there, but those stairs.

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We walked through a rural area than.

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We enjoyed the sunshine :)

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This is the creek the valley was named after - Morsbach.

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From here we had to walk uphill for some time to get back home. Why does my host  has to live on top of this  hill?

Bye
HolgiHH

olgamaus


Posted Oct 13, 2012, 7:46 pm
Hi Mummy,
today there is a national holiday in Germany - it's German reunification day! This means my host does not have to work, but to take a walk with the TVs instead :) We went to the neighbour city Solingen to take a walk in the outskirts.

First we walked through a forest for some time.

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We reached a more rural district than.

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A lovely medieval castle came into sight than.

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Although it seemed to be rather close to us my host told me that we'd had to walk some minutes to get there. Time for a rest :)

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Than we reached the castle. Katja told us that it was originally built in 12th century by one of the former reigns of this county. We took a look at the courtyard with many shops.

Here you can buy wine and several spirits. One of them is called "Hexenschuss" -  I'm sure you know what this means :)

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This memorial is showing Adolf IV, count of Berg who originally built this castle in early 12th century. In the following centuries it was enlarged, destroyed an rebuilt until nowaday'Äs appearance.

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You have a stunning view to the surrounding valleys and forests (and also a view to the rain clouds above!)

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Bye
HolgiHH
olgamaus


Posted Oct 18, 2012, 8:51 am
Hi Mummy,
today is the perfect day for travelling home. It's drizzling outside, it is cold - really ugly :(

I packed my things and sayed good-bye to my friends and to the ferrets.

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Obviously there was something more interesting on the work space - probably their breakfast :D

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I'll bring some souvenirs with me :)

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Bye
HolgiHH
RikeH


Posted Oct 26, 2012, 10:31 am
Hello,

I just want to tell you that I arrived safely at home.

Dicker Kumpel gave me a warm welcome.

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Then I met my other brothers and sisters.

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I showed my postcard, photo and information about the Schwebebahn in Wuppertal.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012a/R_0343.jpg

Thanks to all my hosts for giving me a great time out there.

Love
HolgiHH
RikeH


Posted Dec 23, 2012, 9:10 pm
Hello friends,

Christmas is coming – and today NiliHH and I helped decorating the Christmas tree. We started with the Christmas baubles.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012a/V_0120.jpg   

These two baubles were so funny!

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We had many more decorations for the tree.

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We loved these snowmen most!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012a/V_0152.jpg

Yours
HolgiHH
RikeH


Posted Jan 14, 2013, 8:03 pm
Hello friends, 

I love Christmas! My brothers, my sisters and I sat in front of Rudolph and Snowy  - two close friends of Santa Claus.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012a/V_0234.jpg   

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012a/V_0235.jpg   

We all had fun and sung a Christmas Song for both.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012a/V_0238.jpg   

We must have been great, because we received a lot of chocolate.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012a/V_0240.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012a/V_0244.jpg   

Merry Christmas!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012a/V_0255.jpg   

Yours
HolgiHH
RikeH


Posted Jan 22, 2013, 6:23 pm
Hello friends,

believe it or not - it is my birthday today!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2013/V_0375.jpg

My brothers and sisters and our guests sang a Birthday song for me!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2013/V_0376.jpg

Then I got some gifts.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2013/V_0377.jpg

We had a lot of fun together. Later I went to some flowers here, because I love flowers!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2013/V_0378.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2013/V_0379.jpg

Congratulations to my uncle Holgi, it is his birthday today, too.

yours
HolgiHH
RikeH


Posted Apr 4, 2013, 9:12 pm
Happy Easter!

I celebrated Easter with my sisters and brothers.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2013/CAR_1003.jpg

TobiHH and I found a lot of chocolate.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2013/CAR_1001.jpg

Yours
HolgiHH
RikeH


Posted Apr 4, 2013, 9:15 pm
Hello friends,

I am really excited. I will travel to the Netherlands  :p

So I had to say goodbye to Dicker Kumpel.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2013/CAR_1022.jpg

Before I jumped into my envelope I played in some flowers.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2013/CAR_1023.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2013/CAR_1024.jpg

I will write from my next host soon.

Love
HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Apr 8, 2013, 3:03 pm
Hi there Mummy!

I've made it! I'm in Holland, or the Netherlands I should say. Emjay's TV's were there to welcome me when I was finally outof that stuffy enveloppe.
They are not TV's yet... but they will be in future. Their names are Slowly-Slowly, Cuty and Minnilotta. They are really nice!
Emjay


Posted Apr 8, 2013, 3:11 pm
After I spend some time with my new friends, I explored the house. Emjay's orchids are in bloom now. I love them! But look who's trying to eat one of the orchids! No, don't do it, naughty pussycat!
Emjay


Posted Apr 8, 2013, 3:16 pm
Well, I'm gonna rest for a while now. I'll write to you tomorrow. Bye, bye! (They say "doei, doei" in Dutch, Minnilotta told me!)
Yours,
HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Apr 9, 2013, 10:35 am
Hi Mummy!

I slept very well in my little cot. This morning I explored the house some more. Emjay has some nice pieces of art. This is a nice miniature in remembrance of her cats Kerry, Cousine and Coos.
Emjay


Posted Apr 9, 2013, 10:42 am
What a beautiful lady!
Emjay


Posted Apr 9, 2013, 10:44 am
These guys are even smaller than me!
Emjay


Posted Apr 9, 2013, 10:45 am
I had a bit of Dutch cheese for breakfast and than I went on my way.
Emjay


Posted Apr 9, 2013, 10:52 am
Emjay took me to her workplace by bike. I hung around with a few nice characters. And there was a plant, too!
Emjay


Posted Apr 9, 2013, 10:55 am
This is a map of Delft. Sorry, I look a bit blurred!
Emjay


Posted Apr 10, 2013, 2:48 pm
Hi Mum!

Emjay took me to the city center of Delft by bike. I saw some lovely bridges. But it was cold and wet, so we didn't stay long. I'm sure I get another chance to see the city center.

Bye for now. Big hug, HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Apr 10, 2013, 2:50 pm
Hi Mum!

Today it was still cold, but it stayed dry. I took some time to explore the garden.
Emjay


Posted Apr 10, 2013, 2:51 pm
Look Mum, I grew wings!  :D Just kidding!
Emjay


Posted Apr 10, 2013, 2:52 pm
This could be a nice little hotelroom for me. In fact it is an insect hotel!
Emjay


Posted Apr 10, 2013, 2:53 pm
And this is another nice house for my size.
Emjay


Posted Apr 10, 2013, 2:55 pm
I'm enjoying myself in this nice garden, although there are not many flowers yet.

Until next time! Big hug from your little HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Apr 12, 2013, 9:56 am
Hi Mummy,

I had a great day! I was at the birthday party of Emjay's Mum. She turned 80! She is a lovely lady and still very active.
We went to her house by car instead of by bike, because it was raining. I met Monus, the Car Bear.
Emjay


Posted Apr 12, 2013, 9:59 am
Emjay's mum has a lot of toys and miniatures. I met a few donkeys and we had a lot of fun!
Emjay


Posted Apr 12, 2013, 10:02 am
And Emjay's mum has a lot of flowers too!
Emjay


Posted Apr 12, 2013, 10:05 am
I grew wings again  :D
I think butterflywings are the theme for this trip!
Emjay


Posted Apr 12, 2013, 10:06 am
And then we had cake. Yummie!
Emjay


Posted Apr 12, 2013, 10:14 am
After we left Emjay's mum, we went to Rijswijk, a town nearby. Emjay wanted to shop at the shoppingmall over there.
At the end of this month Queen Beatrix will "abdicate" or something like that. It means that her son Prince Willem Alexander will be the new king and his wife, Princess Maxima, will be the queen. It will be a big celebration in the Netherlands. And when Dutch people celebrate something together (like winning a soccer match, or the queen's birthday) they always dress in ORANGE. That's the national colour, although the Dutch flag is red, white and blue.
There are a lot of orange articles for sale already, as you can see!
Emjay


Posted Apr 12, 2013, 10:18 am
Delft is famous for it's Delftblue pottery. This isn't the real thing. It is nice, though. Maybe I take a little windmill home with me.
I had a lovely day! Bye for now! Big hug, HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 8:27 am
Hi, it's me again!
We went to the city center on foot today. It's about 1 hour walk. On the way we went through a little park, near Emjay's home. Isn't nature beautiful?
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 8:28 am
The leaves are coming out!
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 8:33 am
This is an artwork Emjay calls "Toys' Church". Actually it is an Etruscan Treasure Trove. How about that?
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 8:34 am
There's a bridge in this little park too. It's a modern, wooden bridge. Nothing fancy, but I like it.
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 8:36 am
Later on we saw some more springflowers. And I met a cow. Can you spot me? I'm on her head.
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 8:41 am
Dutch people travel by bike a lot, as you can see! This is the bike parking near the railroad station.
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 8:43 am
This part of Delft is chaotic at the moment. There will be a new railroad station in a couple of years time. The trains will go under ground.
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 8:44 am
We leave the mess behind and look for a nice bridge. Yes, found one!
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 8:48 am
This church is called New Church. But it isn't that new, it was built in the 14th century! It is almost 109 meter tall and it stands at the market square.
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 8:53 am
A little look at the market square. There are a lot of souvenirshops and restaurants here. We saw just a few tourists now, but in summer there will be many more tourists from all around the world.
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 8:54 am
This is the town hall. Doesn't it look smart with those red shutters? It is a popular place to get married.
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 8:58 am
This is the blue heart of Delft. Why blue? Well, because of the Delft blue pottery off course!
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 9:00 am
Each Saturday there's a food- and flowermarket in the city center. Behind me there's a Dutch streetorgan and next to me a stall with beautiful flowers.
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 9:02 am
This is one of the nicest views in Delft: the Oude Delft (the oldest canal) and at the end of it the Old Church.
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 9:03 am
Emjay's feet were tired, so we went home by tram.
Emjay


Posted Apr 14, 2013, 9:07 am
That night we went out to eat in a biological restaurant in a little village nearby.
This time it wasn't me with wings, but a guardian angel!
The food looked a bit funny to me at first, but it was great!

Til next time! Love, HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Apr 15, 2013, 8:45 pm
Hi Mum!
Finally spring is in the air! But although it's a warm day, Emjay gave me a shawl. An orange one, so I can celebrate Queen's Day later this month. I'm showing my shawl in the garden. And than we're on our way! We're going for a walk in the rural area of Midden Delfland.
Emjay


Posted Apr 15, 2013, 8:46 pm
This looks rural, indeed!
Emjay


Posted Apr 15, 2013, 8:47 pm
I'm inside a hollow tree.
Emjay


Posted Apr 15, 2013, 8:48 pm
I'm leading the way.
Emjay


Posted Apr 15, 2013, 8:50 pm
This is a so-called "polder" landscape.
Emjay


Posted Apr 15, 2013, 8:53 pm
I'm up a tree! Don't worry, mum, it's not a high tree. It's only about 2 meter.
Emjay


Posted Apr 15, 2013, 8:56 pm
I've just realized: on April 11 I had my travelling anniversary! I've been travelling around for more than 4 years now! Thanks for the opportunity, mum! Big kiss, HolgiHH XXX
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 11:29 am
Hi Mum!
Today we went to another part of the city center. We saw the Old Church (Oude Kerk) from a different angle. You can see that it's a leaning tower.
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 11:30 am
I LOVE Delft!
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 11:31 am
A Delft Blue totempole! How about that!
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 11:36 am
Wow, this is a bit psychedelic, don't you think? All those historic buildings make my head spin.  :D
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 11:41 am
This building used to be a monastry and the court of Prince Willem van Oranje, an ancester of Queen Beatrix. Prince Willem was murdered there in 1584. Nowadays it's a museum.
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 11:45 am
Beware! The "Orange Fever" has reached Delft!  :D
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 11:49 am
This friendly nun wanted to serve me a drink.
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 11:50 am
I found a nice bridge again. But we have to hurry now. Emjay has to go to a singing workshop.
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 11:52 am
There were four ladies singing. It sounded really nice! I sang along, but I've got such a soft voice. They couldn't hear me.
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 11:54 am
Guess where we went today...
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 11:56 am
Den Hoorn is a village near Delft. There's a lovely church. Inside I was impressed by the old icon.
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 11:58 am
After visiting Den Hoorn we walked to Schipluiden. We saw this funny looking bridge. Emjay held me really tight, because the wind was blowing fiercely!
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 12:00 pm
We visited another lovely church, called Op Hodenpijl. We went up to the tower and look...
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 12:02 pm
there's Secondhand Rose! She has been released in the wild, but nobody has picked her up yet. So she's sitting and waiting like Rapunzel in her tower. She's getting a little bored now and she's happy to meet me.
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 12:05 pm
We said goodbye to Secondhand Rose and went down. This church has a lovely interior with glass stained windows and a painted ceiling.
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 12:07 pm
Behind the church is a meadow with a few animals. I met a relative!
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 12:08 pm
This could be a nice summerhouse for me!
Emjay


Posted Apr 18, 2013, 12:09 pm
At home Emjay had a surprise for me: a Dutch treet and it's ORANGE, off course! :D
Emjay


Posted Apr 20, 2013, 2:03 pm
Hi Mum!

This is Cuty the Cat, my new friend. He will go to Finland in July and stay with Oehippus. How exciting! He got his ID yesterday.
Emjay


Posted Apr 20, 2013, 2:04 pm
The "Orange Fever" has reached Rijswijk, too!
Emjay


Posted Apr 20, 2013, 2:05 pm
Even the oranges are orange!
Emjay


Posted Apr 24, 2013, 4:28 pm
Hi Mum,

Today we went to...
Emjay


Posted Apr 24, 2013, 4:30 pm
I already showed you a lovely church in Schipluiden before. But now we visited another one. The church was closed, so we could only look at the outside.
Emjay


Posted Apr 24, 2013, 4:32 pm
Here are a few more pictures of Schipluiden.
Emjay


Posted Apr 24, 2013, 4:33 pm
Ooooh dear, two gigant swans! :o
No, I'm not really scared, cause I'm a brave donkey. And... they looked friendly.

Enough for today. Bye Mum! Til next time!

Your HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Apr 24, 2013, 4:47 pm
Hi Mum!

Today is an exciting day! My host knows I'm interested in Egypt. She takes me to an exihibition about Tutanchamon's treasures in Amsterdam! 
Emjay


Posted Apr 24, 2013, 4:48 pm
I'm back at the piramids!
Emjay


Posted Apr 24, 2013, 4:49 pm
This is a scale model of the underground buriel chambers.
Emjay


Posted Apr 24, 2013, 4:50 pm
The gentleman behind me is the famous King Tut!
Emjay


Posted Apr 24, 2013, 4:54 pm
We were allowed to see the wonderful treasures of King Tut. Everything was shining and golden.
Emjay


Posted Apr 24, 2013, 4:55 pm
A guardian angel with... WINGS!
Emjay


Posted Apr 24, 2013, 4:58 pm
It was a fabulous day! On the way back we passed Schiphol.
Emjay


Posted Apr 24, 2013, 5:06 pm
Back in Delft Emjay had to go to singing workshop again and I came along. We came across the only windmill in Delft. There used to be fifteen of them! The name of the surviving mill is "The Rose".
Last year something extraordinary happened to "The Rose": it was lifted of the ground and replaced a few meters further down the road. This was neccesary for the building of the new trainstation nearby. I wish I could have seen it!

Bye Mum! Big hug,
Holgi
Emjay


Posted Apr 28, 2013, 11:20 am
Hi Mum!

It's a nice day today. When I first arrived here, this prunus was bare. But look at the blossom now!
Emjay


Posted Apr 28, 2013, 11:21 am
This flower is called Forget-me-not. No, I won't forget you, mum!
Emjay


Posted Apr 28, 2013, 11:24 am
Just a few more days and then we'll have a big celebration!
Emjay


Posted Apr 28, 2013, 11:27 am
Me and Cuty say goodbye to Slowly-Slowly. He's going to Germany and stay with Nuriayasmin. She will take him on holiday to the Czeck Republic. How exciting!

That's it for today. Bye, bye!
HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 3:58 pm
Hi Mum,

Here I am again! It is an exciting day for Emjay today. She is gonna sing in a jazz restaurant. We go there by tram.
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 4:03 pm
We've arrived at the restaurant. It's called "Miles". Every last Sunday of the month musicians and singers can come in and show their skills. Today we had a lot of great female singers, two male singers, a harmonica player, a guitar player, a pianist, a drummer and a poet. Emjay sang very well. But... I forgot to take a picture. Sorry, Emjay!
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 4:06 pm
Emjay forgives me. Besides, her camera is much too heavy for me.
When we went home, I looked at the buildingsite of the new railwaystation for a while. In front of me is the old stationbuilding. They won't tear it down, fortunately!
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 4:07 pm
This funny fellow has something to do with the celebration in two days time!
Until then!

Big hug,

HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 4:20 pm
Hi Mum!

I'm watching a gameshow called "I love Holland". Only tonight it's called "I love Beatrix". You can guess why!
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 4:27 pm
Hi Mum!

I'm watching a gameshow called "I love Holland". Only tonight it's called "I love Beatrix". You can guess why!
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 4:32 pm
I'm bathing in orange crisps. Yummy!
Emjay has painted her fingernails orange. Hm, I don't know if I like it... :rolleyes:
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 4:46 pm
The big day is finally here! Look at all the flags! Today we're celebrating the Queen's birthday and her abdication.
Emjay bought some orange cakes. They look delicious, but they're a bit too big for me. Cuty and me get another treat in apropriate colours!
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 5:07 pm
We're watching the abdication on TV. What a historic moment! The Queen, her son Willem Alexander, his wife Maxima and a lot of seriouslooking men and women sign an important document. After that Queen Beatrix is no longer queen, but princess. Willem Alexander is King and Maxima is Queen. All the people outside on the Dam Square in Amsterdam are cheering.
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 5:11 pm
The royal family apears on the balcony. It is a moving moment! And look at the people on the Dam Square! All dressed in orange, can you believe it?
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 5:16 pm
I'm glad I'm wearing my orange scarf, otherwise I would be underdressed! I'm waving my little orange flag now. Long live the King, hurray, hurray, hurray!
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 6:22 pm
So now we're going to the center of Delft to celebrate some more!
There's an open air market all over town, where people can sell their... well, OLD JUNK  ;)
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 6:29 pm
Everything is decorated nicely. At the market square there's a band playing.
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 6:31 pm
Here's another band playing. Not really my style: it's GRUNGE!
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 6:33 pm
Here are some more people trying to sell their junk. Or... wait a minute! Is that real Delft Blue? I wonder...
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 6:35 pm
Aaaah, how cute! Emjay's aunt is selling baby clothes. Their a bit too big for me. Never mind, I don't need a dress anyway! I'm a boy!
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 6:36 pm
A lovely Maxima doll.
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 6:37 pm
I'm posing in an old tin mug.
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 6:38 pm
This is the grandma of princess Beatrix. Before King Willem Alexander there were three queens: Wilhelmina, Juliana and Beatrix.
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 6:39 pm
A lot of junk again  :D
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 6:41 pm
Oh look! I found a friend! I hope he gets a nice home.
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 6:43 pm
We're at the funfair now. I don't think I want to try one of those scary rides  :o
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 6:44 pm
This nice old building is more my style. I wonder what is behind that door?
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 10:42 pm
It's a lovely peaceful garden! It's called "Hofje van Pauw". Can you see me, mum?
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 10:45 pm
"Hofje van Pauw" is named after a childless widow, Elisabeth Pauw. She lived in the 18e century. This is her portrait.
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 10:52 pm
When she died she left money to the communitiy to build houses for the poor and needy.
A year after her death eight houses were ready. Until World War II the houses were occupied by elderly women and poor families. But the houses became old and run down. After the war they were renovated. And now people live there again. Isn't that a great place to live with the lovely garden in the middle?
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 11:01 pm
We're going home to watch the next important moment of the day on television. King Willem Alexander takes the oath.
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 11:02 pm
He looks like a real king now, don't you think?
Emjay


Posted May 1, 2013, 11:04 pm
Later that evening we had dinner at a Greek restaurant.
What a great day! I wish you could have been here, mum!

Big hug,

HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 3:51 pm
Hi Mum,

What a beautiful Queensday we had on April 30! But now it's back to business. Emjay has an extra job for a few days: she takes care of three cats and a chicken of people who are on holiday. I went along and met Vicky, Jimmy and the nameless chicken. Kitty, the other cat, wasn't home.
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 3:52 pm
It's great being small!
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 4:16 pm
Emjay took me to her friend Sylvia, who lives in a extraordinary house. On our way there we saw a poster. Do you recognise the picture? It's Emjay's profile picture of the "Oostpoort" (East gate). It's the only remaining city gate and a symbol for Delft.
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 4:19 pm
So here's Sylvia's house. Cool, isn't it? You can tell Sylvia is into dancing and theatre. The main theatre of Delft is only a few steps away from her house.
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 4:22 pm
This is the inside of Sylvia's house. A lot of theatre posters on the wall. I look a bit like a goast, but never mind. We had a nice evening with Sylvia. She's a unique person.
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 4:26 pm
We're on our way to Rotterdam to do some shopping.
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 4:30 pm
Rotterdam has a lot of modern architecture. The city center was bombed severly during the Second World War. The center had to be rebuild. And the building still goes on, adding a lot of tall officebuildings. I like older buildings much more. Still... it is impressive.
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 4:31 pm
This is the shoppingmall called "Koopgoot", which means "buy gutter" :rolleyes:
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 4:33 pm
A big friend. He's grey, just like me!
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 4:34 pm
I'm glad I'm not afraid of heights!
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 4:36 pm
A few impressions of the Koopgoot.
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 4:39 pm
This modern bridge is in Rotterdam. It's called "The Swan", but we didn't visit it today. Maybe next time.
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 4:40 pm
The joined portraits of princess Beatrix and King Willem Alexander are on the tall building behind me.
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 5:24 pm
It is a special day for the Dutch. The flags are out again, but this time they are half way down. It's a day to remember the victims from World War II.
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 5:27 pm
This is a statue for people in the resistance who lost their lives.
Emjay


Posted May 4, 2013, 5:28 pm
A great spot to reflect.
Emjay


Posted May 5, 2013, 9:15 pm
Later that evening there's a ceremony at the Dam Square. The new King and Queen will attend. It's their first official task.
A two minutes silence is held and a young woman reads a poem. It's very impressive.

Well, I say goodnight to you, mum. Tomorrow will be a different day...
your Holgi HH
Emjay


Posted May 5, 2013, 9:21 pm
Hi Mum!

How do you feel? I show you this beautiful orchid to cheer you up and hope you get well soon!
Emjay


Posted May 5, 2013, 9:31 pm
The flag is out again once more! I guess now you know what the Dutch flag looks like  :rolleyes:
Today is the celebration of the ending of World War II. In 1945 Dutch people were liberated.
It's not an official holdiay, but since it is Sunday most people are free from work or school. It's a beautiful. sunny day  B). Everybody is enjoying it. All people in Emjay's street are in their back gardens. Children are playing with water and jumping on a trampoline. The adults are working in the garden or just relaxing. What a perfect day for celebrating "Freedom Day".
By the way, Cuty and me enjoyed a sweet little cake. Nice!

Bye, mum! Take care!

HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted May 9, 2013, 6:46 pm
Hi Mum!
How are you doing? Hope you got rid of your flu.
It's Mother's Day on Sunday, so I wrote you a nice card.

I'm thinking of you and my brothers and sisters. I miss you all!

Big hug,
HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted May 10, 2013, 4:16 pm
Hi Mum!

I'm feeling playful today.
Emjay


Posted May 10, 2013, 4:22 pm
A bed of blossoms!
Emjay


Posted May 10, 2013, 4:23 pm
And here's where they came from.
Emjay


Posted May 10, 2013, 4:24 pm
Emjay takes care of some pets again: a cat and a goldfish.
Emjay


Posted May 10, 2013, 4:25 pm
I'll write to you again soon, Mum!

Big hug,

HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted May 12, 2013, 7:37 pm
Hi Mum!

Happy Mother's Day to you!
I had a fun day. Emjay had organized a lunch for her mother and mother-in-law. So I met two lovely ladies and had lovely food as well!
Emjay


Posted May 12, 2013, 7:39 pm
Isn't this a beautifully painted wall?
Emjay


Posted May 12, 2013, 7:40 pm
Oof! My belly is full!
Emjay


Posted May 12, 2013, 7:42 pm
On the way to the car we had a nice view of the New Church.

Have a nice day, Mum and give my regards to Gozer, Dicker Kumpel, Kleine Fee and all of my other friends.

Bye! Big kiss
HolgiHH XXX
Emjay


Posted May 17, 2013, 7:17 pm
Hi Mum!

Guess where we went today...
Emjay


Posted May 17, 2013, 7:19 pm
Yes, that's right: Den Haag, also known as The Hague.
Here's a piece of modern art in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Emjay


Posted May 17, 2013, 7:21 pm
As you know, I'm an old fashioned donkey and I like old fashioned art. Still, I think this is kind off cool. It looks like I'm surfing a big wave!
Emjay


Posted May 17, 2013, 7:22 pm
This is a nice piece of art too!
Emjay


Posted May 17, 2013, 7:23 pm
But this is the purpose why we are here.
Emjay


Posted May 17, 2013, 7:27 pm
Yoohoo Mum! Can you see me?
Emjay


Posted May 17, 2013, 7:27 pm
Here I am!
Emjay


Posted May 17, 2013, 7:28 pm
This terracotta warrior used to hold a speer.
Emjay


Posted May 17, 2013, 7:29 pm
And now he's holding me!
Emjay


Posted May 17, 2013, 7:31 pm
I befriended this nice gentleman.
Emjay


Posted May 17, 2013, 7:34 pm
This poor fellow has broken down.
Emjay


Posted May 17, 2013, 7:39 pm
Some of my distant relatives are exhibited too.
Emjay


Posted May 17, 2013, 7:45 pm
It was an interesting exhibition. I learnt a lot about the Chinese terracotta army. It is astonishing how all the warriors were individually crafted, more than 2000 years ago!

I write to you soon, Mum! Have a nice weekend!

Your HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 8:30 am
Hi Mum!

We had a cultural day today. First we went to Rotterdam by train and to the harbor district by underground.
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 8:31 am
Here's where we're going: Nederlands Fotomuseum (museum of Dutch photography).
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 8:34 am
On our way to the museum we saw a gigantic, modern bridge. It is called "The Swan". I saw a photo of it some time ago and now I'm really here!
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 8:37 am
There's something else gigantic right next to us: the cruisship SS Rotterdam. Maybe I can take the oppurtunity to go on a cruise... Okay mum, it's time to board. I'm going to Honolulu!  B)
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 8:38 am
No, I was only kidding. We're going to the museum in stead. Here you can see a picture of a Dutch family in the 50's. Followed by a picture of one of the first female photographers. She was born in Germany and later moved to Holland.
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 8:41 am
There was also an exposition about clouds. But it was a bit boring. Too scientific for me. Anyway, this is an old notebook of someone who studied clouds.
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 8:43 am
I thought the other exposition, about couples in love, was much nicer!
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 8:46 am
In the evening we did something cultural too: watching Eurovision Songcontest on telly  :rolleyes:
I cheered on the German singer off course. But I though Anouk was great as well.
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 8:50 am
But this was the lady who won: Emmelie de Forest from Denmark. Oh, I can live with that  :D
Did you look too, Mum?
Well, it was a nice day again. Bye now!

Love,
HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 9:08 am
Hi Mum,

There's a theatre festival in Delft. We're going to the city center of Delft to see a friend of Emjay performe.
On the way there we saw some nice flowers, which are called "Frog flowers" in Dutch. I don't know why.
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 9:09 am
Here's where we're going.
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 9:19 am
This is the location where the performance took place. Lovely isn't it?
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 9:23 am
We couldn't take pictures during the performance. Emjay's friend did very well. He told a few fabels, which were very funny. It was a great performance for young and old.
Afterwards we walked back home and passed this beautiful building. It used to be a house in the 16th century. Now it's an office.
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 9:24 am
Looks like I'm in chains! But don't worry, this is only part of a fence.
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 9:28 am
We were almost home again when we saw this lovely flower.
Bye Mum!

Love,
HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 7:08 pm
Hi Mum!

We wanted to visit the last day of the Keukenhof flower exhibition, but guess what...
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 7:11 pm
It was raining cats and dogs. So we stayed at home all day and did some chores, like vacuum cleaning, making beds, dusting the windowsill, doing laundry...
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 7:13 pm
And in the evening I helped Emjay to make her famous potatoe salad. Here's the receipe.
Peel 1 kilograms of potatoes. Oof, that's hard work!
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 7:14 pm
Cook the potatoes for about 20 minutes.
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 7:16 pm
Slice a red or orange paprika in small bits. Bake them till they are soft.
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 7:17 pm
Peel a carrot and slice it in small bits. Cook for about five minutes.
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 7:19 pm
Slice about six small gerkins in small pieces.
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 7:20 pm
When the potatoes are cooked, let them cool down. Then mash them, but don't make it too smooth.
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 7:22 pm
Add carrot, paprika, gerkins, small pickled onions, two full tablespoon of mayonaise, some (curry) ketchup a good drizzle of olive oil and vinegar. Mix it all up.
Emjay


Posted May 20, 2013, 7:24 pm
Put the salad on a nice plate and dress it up with for example cold cuts and hardboiled eggs. Enjoy!
The heart is for you, Mummy!

Big hug,
HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted May 22, 2013, 9:09 am
Hi Mum!

The weather is dreadful again. We went to the city center by tram. When we got out, we saw this friendly fellow on the pavement.
Emjay


Posted May 22, 2013, 9:11 am
I helped Emjay to pick out some new clothes, cause I have an excellent taste!  ;)
Emjay


Posted May 22, 2013, 9:29 am
We look for an indoor activity, like... visiting the Old Churh. It's also lovingly called "Old John" (Oude Jan) by inhibitants of Delft. It is a leaning tower, just like the tower of Pisa.
There are some beautiful glass stained windows. Wow... I'm impressed.
Emjay


Posted May 22, 2013, 9:39 am
This is the grave of Piet Hein. He was a naval officer in the 16th century. He is famous for concurring the Spanish treasure fleet. There's even a song about it, which everyone knows in Holland:

Piet Hein, Piet Hein,
Piet Hein, zijn naam is klein
zijn daden benne groot, zijn daden benne groot
hij heeft gewonnen de zilvervloot!

Which means: Piet Hein, his name is small, but his deeds are big. He has concurred the treasure fleet!
Emjay


Posted May 22, 2013, 9:41 am
Strange to know we're walking on graves. I think it's a bit sinister...
Emjay


Posted May 22, 2013, 9:43 am
This is a plaque in remembrance for the great Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. When he died, he was poor and he was laid to rest with his mother-in-law. There's not a beautiful grave for him, like Piet Hein's. Just this simple plaque.
Emjay


Posted May 22, 2013, 9:44 am
Hey, I've seen these guys before! Oh, wait a minute... They're not guys, but girls!
Emjay


Posted May 22, 2013, 9:47 am
This is the terracotta women peace army, made by Marian Heyerdahl. Some of the women are pregnant, or they have children with them. I think this peace army is a wonderful idea.
Emjay


Posted May 22, 2013, 9:53 am
On our way back to the tram stop, we passed this Delft blue armchair and I had a little rest.
That's it for today, Mum!

Bye! Love,
HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted May 25, 2013, 8:26 pm
Hi Mum!
How are you? I'm fine, cause finally it is sunny. But still cold.
We visited a friend of Emjay's. She has a lovely garden. Look at those fantastic plants! Do you know how they are called in Holland? Violins!
Emjay


Posted May 25, 2013, 8:33 pm
Today we went to Wijchen, a 1,5 hours drive from Delft. Emjay went there to book her holiday to Greece. Near the travelagent is a castle and a park.
Emjay


Posted May 25, 2013, 8:37 pm
This is a very large tree with branches that touch the ground, but it is not a weeping willow.
Emjay


Posted May 25, 2013, 8:44 pm
There are a lot of garden plants for sale at the museum shop. Even garden orchids!
Emjay


Posted May 25, 2013, 8:50 pm
This is the herbal garden. Some of the herbs can cure illnessess.
Emjay


Posted May 25, 2013, 8:52 pm
Purple is my favourite colour!
Emjay


Posted May 25, 2013, 8:55 pm
Back home I read the travel brochure. I saw a picture of my Greek nephew!

Bye for now Mum!

Love,
HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted May 28, 2013, 9:04 am
Hi Mum!

I've decided to stay a little longer. I hope you don't mind! I'm waiting for my donkey friend Emil, who's coming from Oklahoma. There's been a devistating tornado. But fortunately Emil and his host are safe!

I miss you, but I've made some nice friends here too! Here are two of my cat friends: Keiko and Fancy Pearl.
Emjay


Posted May 28, 2013, 9:16 am
The weather is fine. What a nice surprise! I'm wandering through the garden, looking at all the beautiful flowers that just came out. I know you love flowers too, Mum. So these pictures are especially for you!
Emjay


Posted May 28, 2013, 9:17 am
I'm lazy today and I'm doing nothing... exept sunbathing!

Bye Mum!

Love,

HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Jun 1, 2013, 1:35 pm
Hi Mum!

Today we went to the gardencenter. This is my new summerhouse.
Emjay


Posted Jun 1, 2013, 1:50 pm
Maybe this can be my next life mission: get wings in every country I visit!  ;)
Emjay


Posted Jun 1, 2013, 1:51 pm
Hey, I know this fellow from somewhere...
Emjay


Posted Jun 1, 2013, 1:53 pm
Another nice summerhouse.
Emjay


Posted Jun 1, 2013, 1:55 pm
Some friendly characters I met.
Emjay


Posted Jun 1, 2013, 1:57 pm
And some lovely flowers.
Emjay


Posted Jun 1, 2013, 2:00 pm
Here are the flowers that Emajy bought, planted in the garden.
Emjay


Posted Jun 1, 2013, 2:03 pm
It looks you and your TV's have a great time. Wish I could have been there. But still, it great being here too! In a few days time another TV will come: Rattie Rat. I love to meet him!

I'll keep you posted!
Bye, Mum!

HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Jun 1, 2013, 2:09 pm
Hi Rattie Rat,

Emjay has prepared a nice bed for you, near the window.

See you soon!

HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Jun 5, 2013, 6:52 pm
Hi Mum!

Have a good holiday in Switserland! I hope you have the same sunny weather as in the Netherlands!
We got a nice surprise today: a package was delivered. Cuty and me wondered: what or WHO could be in there?
Cuty tried to scratch open the envelope. It was sealed with artistic looking tape. When Cuty had removed the tape, he wore it round his neck.
Emjay


Posted Jun 5, 2013, 10:05 pm
Oh yes! It is Rattie Rat! We were expecting him. We had a nice picknick with the candy he brought along.
Emjay


Posted Jun 5, 2013, 10:08 pm
I'm glad there's a new TV, cause Cuty is leaving. He's going to Finland to stay with a nice lady called Oehippus.
Rattie and me say goodbye to him and wish him a safe trip.
Emjay


Posted Jun 5, 2013, 10:09 pm
Rattie and me took advantage of the sunny weather.
Hope you have some sunshine too, Mum!

Byre, bye!

Your HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Jun 8, 2013, 6:59 pm
Hi Mum,

I've seen your lovely holiday pictures from Switzerland! Fantastic!
As you know, I have company now. I'm telling Rattie Rat all about Delft and other places to go.
Today Rattie and me went to the shopping mall in Rijswijk. First we drank some coffee with cake and then I showed Rattie around. I feel like his personal guide!
Emjay


Posted Jun 8, 2013, 7:00 pm
It looks a bit like Christmas already!
Emjay


Posted Jun 8, 2013, 7:02 pm
Now that the weather is finally sunny, the fieldflowers are all over the place! I love these poppies.

Bye for now, Mum!

HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Jun 13, 2013, 9:07 pm
Dear Mum,

What a beautiful postcard. Thanks so much! It almost feels like I am there!
Emjay


Posted Jun 13, 2013, 9:10 pm
Rattie and me are in...
Emjay


Posted Jun 13, 2013, 9:11 pm
Is this blue cheese?
Emjay


Posted Jun 13, 2013, 9:12 pm
No, it's a bench!
Emjay


Posted Jun 13, 2013, 9:18 pm
Rattie and me had a great time at the seaside!
Emjay


Posted Jun 13, 2013, 9:21 pm
This is Hansje Brinker. He put his finger in the dike to stop a flood. What a hero!
It was a perfect day at the sea side. I'll write to you soon.

Bye Mum!

Your HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Jun 13, 2013, 9:23 pm
Emjay and Rattie bought some cheese fondue today. But I'm not such a cheese lover. I just ate some lettuce.
Emjay


Posted Jun 15, 2013, 6:24 pm
Hi Mum!

How are you? Now that Rattie Rat is here I don't go out much. Emjay takes Rattie to all the places I've seen before. And sometimes Rattie and me go out together. Please except my appologies for not updating the travellog as often as I used to do.
Here we are posting a card to Rattie's mum.
Emjay


Posted Jun 15, 2013, 6:28 pm
Oh dear, the flag is out again! Dutch people really like to fly their flags! This time a lot of young students celebrate that they have passed their exams. Their schoolbags are hanging from the flagpost. Isn't that a funny tradition?

I still have a lot to learn about the Netherlands!

Bye, mum!

HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Jun 20, 2013, 6:12 pm
It was a lovely day today. Emjay took us to the city center by bike. We started at her workplace. When she looks outof her office window, she can see these horses. Isn't that nice?
Emjay


Posted Jun 20, 2013, 6:15 pm
I show Rattie around. Here we are at the balcony of the townhall, overlooking the market square and the Nieuwe Kerk.
Emjay


Posted Jun 20, 2013, 9:08 pm
What a beautiful roses!
Emjay


Posted Jun 20, 2013, 9:10 pm
I've been here before, but I like this corner of the Old Church very much. So I just visited it once more.
Emjay


Posted Jun 20, 2013, 9:11 pm
This is another part of Delft I like very much.
Emjay


Posted Jun 20, 2013, 9:14 pm
Back home we checked the fruit in the garden. The figs, the gooseberry's and the strawberry's aren't ripe yet.
Emjay


Posted Jun 20, 2013, 9:15 pm
So we picked some wild strawberry's. They look fine, but they didn't taste very well.
Emjay


Posted Jun 20, 2013, 9:16 pm
That's more like it!
Emjay


Posted Jun 20, 2013, 9:18 pm
The weather was so good that we decided to camp in the garden. We even had a visitor!
Emjay


Posted Jun 20, 2013, 9:20 pm
It isn't even the longest day, but it is still light till very late.
Emjay


Posted Jun 20, 2013, 9:22 pm
My wings are lighting up the whole garden  :D

I'm off to sleep in our little tent now.

Bye Mum!
Big hug,

HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Jun 23, 2013, 7:38 am
Hi Mum!

We got a beautiful card from Alienne, Rattie's mum. It's Minnilotta, who is staying with her.

The weather is bad today. We left our tent and went back to Emjay's home. Now I'm sitting here, watching the rain and chatting with Rattie. I hope the weather will be better soon, so we can go out again!

Bye Mum,

your HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Jul 4, 2013, 11:55 am
Dear Mum,

How are you? Sorry I haven't written for so long. But here I am again and I have an exciting story to tell. Emjay took Rattie and me to Schiphol airport. I wondered why...
Emjay


Posted Jul 4, 2013, 11:57 am
We overlooked the gates and the landing platform. And we also saw the radio tower.
Emjay


Posted Jul 4, 2013, 11:58 am
There's the Dutch flag again!
Emjay


Posted Jul 4, 2013, 12:00 pm
What a gigantic airplane! Look how big a wheel is!
Emjay


Posted Jul 4, 2013, 12:02 pm
And now we're inside the plane!
Emjay


Posted Jul 4, 2013, 12:03 pm
Are we going on holiday?
Emjay


Posted Jul 4, 2013, 12:05 pm
No, I'm afraid not! We just stay at the airport. But that's fine too. We saw some lovely tulips. Do you think they're real?
Emjay


Posted Jul 4, 2013, 12:07 pm
I'm checking the globe. I've been in so many countries already. I can hardly believe it! But for now I'm staying in the Netherlands, patiently waiting for the arrival of Emil.

Bye, Mum!

Big hug from
HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Jul 12, 2013, 9:16 am
Hi Mum!

It was such a lovely day, so Rattie and me went to the beach by bike. We relaxed in the sun and looked for seashells, but we didn't go for a swim. The seawater was much too cold!
Emjay


Posted Jul 12, 2013, 9:21 am
We got mail today! Rattie quickly opened the envelope. Out came a little donkey called Emil. He was a little scared at first, because he thought Rattie was waving around a sword! But it was only an innocent letteropener.
Emjay


Posted Jul 12, 2013, 9:27 am
We gave eachother a hug and talked for a long time. Then I showed Emil around the garden. We are friends already!
Emjay


Posted Jul 16, 2013, 1:51 pm
Hi Mum!

I'm having a great time with my new friend Emil and my "old" friend Rattie!
Today we went to a big music event: North Sea Jazz Festival. Here you see me at the entrance.
Emjay


Posted Jul 16, 2013, 1:53 pm
It was too dark to take good pictures inside. Emjay took only one of me and one of Branford Marsalis and Bonnie Riatt. It was a wonderful festival.
Emjay


Posted Jul 16, 2013, 1:54 pm
Been there. Done that. Have the T-shirt!
Emjay


Posted Jul 16, 2013, 1:55 pm
Emjay took us to the shopping mall in Rijswijk. I had already been there a few times, but I was happy to show Emil around.
Emjay


Posted Jul 16, 2013, 1:56 pm
Guess what? I found some wings again!
Emjay


Posted Jul 16, 2013, 1:58 pm
These guys are on the roof of an underground parking lot. They have big horns, but they look friendly to me.

Bye, Mum! Until next time!

Big hug,
HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 9:40 am
Hi Mum,

Here I am again! We went for a walk to the village of Schipluiden, but first we had some fun at a children's playground! I finally have a partner to go on the see-saw with me!
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 9:42 am
We crossed a bridge and walked through a park.
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 9:44 am
Emil and I visit a nice little church called "Op Hodenpijl". I have been here before. It's lovely.
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 9:46 am
We climb the stairs to the tower of the church and there we have a nice view over the farmland.
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 9:48 am
One last look at the interior of the church and then we walk back home again.
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 9:53 am
Oh dear, what happened? Is there a fire somewhere? No, we don't need to worry. The firemen are playing soccer on a nearby field! It gives us the chance to climb on the firebrigade van!
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 9:56 am
The next day is a warm day. HolgiHH, Rattie Rat and me are walking to the city center of Delft. Look at this funny bumpersticker we saw!
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 10:02 am
After a long walk we rested for a while on this lovely Delft Blue bench.
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 10:07 am
Rattie and me will leave Delft soon. As a special surprise Emjay took us to the New Church and we climbed the stairs in the tower. Phew, it is 356 steps to the top!
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 10:09 am
But it's worth it! What a view!
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 10:11 am
On the way down we stop to look at the bells and the old hourwork.
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 10:17 am
This is a lovely church. The beautiful mausoleum is of Willem van Oranje, an anchester of King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands.
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 10:19 am
My friends and me!
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 10:24 am
At home a surprise awaits us. It's a package and in it is... Orkku Orava, a squirrel from Finland! Welcome in the Netherlands!
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 10:26 am
Orkku Orava has brought some sweets along. Nice!
Emjay


Posted Jul 20, 2013, 10:56 am
We take her for a walk around the garden.
So now we're four TV's together! It's good company!

Bye for now, mum!

your HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Jul 22, 2013, 2:04 pm
One last day together with the gang! We're relaxing at the beach.
Emjay


Posted Jul 22, 2013, 2:06 pm
We looked for little treasures. I found a shell, Emil the house of a seasnail, Orkku Orava a bit of seaweed and Rattie... a piece of cheese!
Emjay


Posted Jul 22, 2013, 2:06 pm
It's time to take a nap.
Emjay


Posted Jul 22, 2013, 2:08 pm
We had luch in a nice beach restaurant. Then we went home, before the beach got too crowdy.
Emjay


Posted Jul 22, 2013, 2:14 pm
Well, it's time to say goodbye to my friends and my host. It's always difficult, but I'm a Toy Voyager and Toy Voyagers most move on.
Emjay


Posted Jul 22, 2013, 2:16 pm
Orkku Orava offers me a sprig of lavender, so my envelope will smell nice. That's sweet!
Emjay


Posted Jul 22, 2013, 2:18 pm
Bye, bye friends! And thank you for hosting me, Emjay! I had a great time in Delft.
Emjay


Posted Jul 22, 2013, 2:21 pm
Bye, Mum! I'm on my way to Berlin. Exciting!

Big hug & lots of love,

as always your little HolgiHH
QuamQuam


Posted Jul 26, 2013, 8:56 pm
Hello from Berlin! :D

I arrived save and sound at QuamQuam's place with all the presents. QuamQuam wants me to say "Thank you" to you, Emjay. She really likes your presents.
When I arrived I was welcomed by Feli, the cat who lives here. She even kissed me, I think I'm in love ;). I also had a look outside the window. What a great view! One of the strangest things here is a colourful poster on the wall. Very confusing :stare:
QuamQuam told me, that another tv will visit us soon. I wonder who it will be...

Greetings
HolgiHH
Emjay


Posted Jul 29, 2013, 8:49 am
Hi Holgi,

Glad to see you arrived safely! It was fun having you around. Have a good time at QuamQuam's place.

Regards from Holland (also for your new host),

your former host
Emjay
QuamQuam


Posted Jul 30, 2013, 5:05 pm
Günther arrived today! Now we are ready for new adventures. Although the very big ones have to wait a bit because it is so hot here. But I know what I want to do tomorrow!
QuamQuam


Posted Aug 1, 2013, 1:39 pm
Hi Mum,

today Günther and I went on the balcony to have a look at the beautiful flowers there. We could sit on some plants, climb a tree and we even found a strawberry! Günther helped me to get it and I shared the strawberry with him. It was yummy! :D

The best thing today was that QuamQuam promised us a big adventure soon! I'm really looking forward to it.

Love you
HolgiHH
QuamQuam


Posted Aug 8, 2013, 6:51 pm
Light, camera, ACTION!

We had a great day at the Filmpark in Babelsberg. It is a big area where you can see many different things connected with movies: How they are produced, costumes of the actors, movie sets and much more. Because we started our journey early in the morning we were very hungry when we arrived. So we visited a restaurant called "Restaurant Prinz Eisenherz (Prince Valiant)" The name was inspired by the movie of the same name. Inside it was dark and we felt like we were in the Middle Ages.

After that we had a look at the statues of fantasy creatures and other things from different movies. Maybe you know some of them ;).
The movie sets were so impressive! Most of them were copied like the fountain from the movie "Der kleine Muck ( The little Muck)". But the little witch house was really used in a movie: "Hänsel und Gretel (Hansel and Gretel)". The sweets on it looked so real :o.

Then we made a boat tour through "Panama". This country is part of a story for children written by Janosch. It was beautiful there with all the green plants and the funny animals around us :D.
There were so many more things to see! We visited a wild west town and a very scary place, brrrr. But see yourself.

Greetings
HolgiHH
QuamQuam


Posted Aug 24, 2013, 2:11 pm
Hello, here I am again! :)

I visited the German-American Fair today. It was near the central railway station of Berlin, so we took some photos of it. It is so big, really amazing!
But the fair itself was cool, too. Just look at the roller coaster! And there were so many other rides. Later we looked for something to eat in the American part of the fair. We ate fried cauliflower, it was yummy!

Greetings
HolgiHH
QuamQuam


Posted Sep 16, 2013, 1:27 pm
Hi everyone!

Shopping time! Today we went to the "Eastgate", a big shopping center. QuamQuam needed warm clothes for the cold seasons. I have to admit that it was a bit boring. But because we were so patient Günther and I got a whole chocolate bar back home! This was a very nice reward :D
Later that day QuamQuam took us to a market hall where we could try many different meals from different countries. This was a great experience because everything was sooo yummy.

I hope you had a nice day, too :)
HolgiHH
QuamQuam


Posted Sep 23, 2013, 12:48 pm
Today Günther left us :(
But QuamQuam told me that he will soon fulfill a life mission. That's great! :D
Günther gave me a huge hug and then he climbed into his envelope. I will miss him... :thinking:

Love you
HolgiHH
QuamQuam


Posted Oct 8, 2013, 2:49 pm
Finally QuamQuam made the promised sight seeing tour with me!

We started at the "Weltzeituhr" (world clock). As the name already says, it shows the time around the world. It is also a famous meeting point. Near it was a little fair.

We went on to the "Fernsehturm" (television tower). With its 365 meters it is the second highest television tower although I can't imagine that there is something higher than this :stare:.

Anyway, the next sight we saw was the "Marienkirche" (Church of Our Lady). It is one of the oldest churches in Berlin.

Right next to it was the "Neptunbrunnen" (Neptune Fountain). It looked very impressive.

If we turned around we could see the "Rotes Rathaus" (Red Townhall).

The "Berliner Dom" (Berlin Dome) and the river "Spree" right opposite to it also looked beautiful.

The last and the coolest sight we saw was the "Brandenburger Tor" (Brandenburg Gate). It marks the border between east- and west Berlin.

I love learning new things. That's what toyvoyagers is all about, or not? :D

Greetings
HolgiHH
RikeH


Posted Dec 26, 2013, 12:50 pm
Hello friends,   

After spending some time with BlackCat I am back home again. Maybe she will write some updates for me, I don't know.  :(

But I arrived in Sülfeld just in the right time for Christmas.  :D

In Germany we celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December. Today it was time to decorate the Christmas tree. Look – we had sunny weather – my Mum RikeH loves sunshine – but told me that we will have problems with some photos because of the light.

Look – there is our tree.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0205.jpg

Here you can see our decoration.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0218.jpg

We loved these balls.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0219.jpg

These are the wooden things.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0240.jpg

Here are the small ones for the upper part of the tree.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0241.jpg

These are some ornaments RikeH likes very much.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0242.jpg

And some of these she brought from her journeys, most of it is from Denmark.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0243.jpg

Witching hour! No – it is not a ghost – it is me. There is still the problem with the sunshine in the living-room.
But I wanted to show you a photo of our Christmas tree.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0249.jpg

This is the decoration I love most!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0257.jpg

And this is an important part of the Christmas tree – the bird was always in the Christmas tree of RikeH's grandma.
And now it has a place of honour in RikeH's tree.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0260.jpg

I am so excited – tomorrow it is Christmas!

Love
HolgiHH
RikeH


Posted Dec 29, 2013, 7:49 pm
Hello friends,

It is Christmas! And look! A child is born!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0313.jpg

First Dicker Kumpel read the Nativity Story for all of us.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0314.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0315.jpg

We all sang Christmas Songs – the last one was Silent Night.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0316.jpg

Eventually the two most important guests arrived. Santa Claus was busy, but he sent his two friends Rudi the reindeer and Snowy the snowman.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0317.jpg

PinkyHH and I started with a Christmas Poem and sang a song.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0322.jpg

I am sure they loved it – because we got some chocolate.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0323.jpg

We all wanted a group photo with Snowy and Rudi.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0333.jpg

Then Helmutbluepant’s big moment came. He had a lot of gifts for us.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0336.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0345.jpg

I loved the sweets. Thanks Helmut, Charlotte and strunki.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0346.jpg

We all had a great time!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0357.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0358.jpg

Merry Christmas!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0364.jpg
   
Love
HolgiHH
RikeH


Posted Jan 2, 2014, 8:34 pm
Hello,

It was a great day today! Murph, Soeren, TobiHH and Sean came and visited us.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0365-1.jpg

Murph had gifts for us!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0371.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0372.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0374.jpg

Yummy chocolate!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0375.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0376.jpg

Christmas is great!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0389.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0414.jpg

We talked the whole day – but then it was time to say goodbye.

It was so great to meet the other TVs.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0433.jpg

We had a big TV-hug. Hopefully I will see the others somewhere again.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A13a/Dez_0437.jpg

Love
HolgiHH
RikeH


Posted Jan 9, 2014, 12:42 pm
Hello friends,

Look – the Christmas tree has colored lights today – time for a party!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/Jan_0011.jpg

Dicker Kumpel decorated our chair.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/Jan_0014.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/Jan_0015.jpg

Then he brought the important things – drinks and food.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/Jan_0016.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/Jan_0017.jpg

At midnight we went out to welcome the New Year.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/Jan_0055.jpg

As a lucky charm for 2014 I got this funny chocolate ladybird.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/Jan_0043.jpg

Happy New Year to all of you!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/Jan_0060.jpg

Love
HolgiHH
BlackCat


Posted Jan 29, 2014, 3:37 pm
Hey mummy,

I arrived in Essen and we had a short walk today.

On our walk we found this cool painting on a wall. What do you think?

Love,
Holgi
BlackCat


Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:09 pm
Hey,

today we went to a trade fair where we could look at a lot of nice things. But see it yourself. We had a lot of fun and I even saw an unicorn.

Love,
Holgi
BlackCat


Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:18 pm
Hey :)!

Today Fabi had to do something in Bochum and we joined her. We walked through the city and saw two churches. The big bell is in front of the town hall of Bochum and the statue we took a photo of is a shepherd.

Love,
Holgi
BlackCat


Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:21 pm
Hey,

today we went into the city to see the famous "Lichterwochen". The whole city is decorated with pictures out of lights.
This year the guest country is Sweden, so we took a photo with the starter picture and one about Astrid Lindgren.

I hope you like them. It was dark so it's not that good quality.

Love,
Holgi
BlackCat


Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:24 pm
We are flying away...
BlackCat


Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:28 pm
Hey mum,

we were flying to Vienna, Austria with Fabi. She is visiting a friend here and I am excited to see everything. Today we went to see the Prater (all those nice rollercoasters and such are there and the famous Big Wheel from the Prater).
Later we had a short walk in the city and saw some statues and the Hofburg.

I hope you like the photos.

Love,
Holgi
BlackCat


Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:30 pm
Hey,

today we went to the aquarium, where you couldn't really take photos. But up on the roof we took some photos with the view of Vienna.

It was amazing. I hope you like it as well.

Love,
Holgi
BlackCat


Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:33 pm
Hey,

today we saw Castle Schönbrunn. It's the place where Sissi lived.
Look at the impressive garden...I am sure it's even beautifuller in summer.

Love,
Holgi
BlackCat


Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:34 pm
We are on our way back to Essen now. So our next update will probably be from there.
BlackCat


Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:36 pm
Hey,

today we went to the Christmas market in Steele and the photo I'm going to show you is the only one we took, as Fabi somehow was busy after that. Sorry.

Love,
Holgi
BlackCat


Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:39 pm
Hey,

today we visited the Christmas market in Bochum for the first time.
Fabi chose to only take two photos, so I am sorry for the things we're missing on this, but she didn't have that much time as we had to catch the train.

Love,
Holgi
BlackCat


Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:41 pm
Hey,

today we helped Fabi at work. They had the Christmas market there and we were allowed to sit on the table with their goods for a while.
Fabi made most of them, so you can see what she did at work most of the time lately.

It was fun.

Love,
Holgi
BlackCat


Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:45 pm
Hey,

today we went to the city and took a photo with the big wheel on the Christmas market.
Fabi is really busy, so sorry for not much updates lately.

Love,
Holgi
BlackCat


Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:47 pm
Hey,

today was my last day with BlackCat. Meggie and Jasper said goodbye to me.
I am excited to come home.

Love,
Holgi
RikeH


Posted Mar 3, 2014, 9:43 am
Hello friends,

You didn’t see it up to now, but I am on the Cruise with my Mum. I spent most of the time in the kid’s club together with my sisters and brothers, but today we were in the cabin, when we reached Lissabon.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/AIDA_0250.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/AIDA_0251.jpg

It was a nice view from our balcony.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/AIDA_0263.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/AIDA_0264.jpg

There was a big bridge over the river.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/AIDA_0279.jpg

Tomorrow there will be a big TV-meeting! I am so excited!

Love
HolgiHH
RikeH


Posted Mar 17, 2014, 8:42 pm
Hello friends,   

Today was an exciting day – we had a TV-meeting.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/AIDA_0326.jpg

It was great to sit together and talk!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/AIDA_0327.jpg

Poschti came on the Cruise with us so we had a welcome party this evening.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/AIDA_0356.jpg

We had chocolate and fruits.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/AIDA_0357.jpg

I had my own bottles of Coke.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/AIDA_0358.jpg

Then we all took one piece of fruit and one piece of chocolate.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/AIDA_0366.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/AIDA_0367.jpg

It was a nice party, but then we were tired and went into our TV-bed.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/AIDA_0378.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/AIDA_0380.jpg

Good Night!
HolgiHH
lapislazuli


Posted Apr 2, 2014, 12:54 pm
Greetings from Madrid! I've arrived safe and sound and I do miss my home but I'm getting used to my new friends. We are having rainy weather lately, so we have spent most time indoors. I was warmly welcomed and after meeting some new friends, I spent some time with Yuma exploring and having fun. We also played with Indira, she is a cute bunny, a little bit shy but very curious and clever. I will be visiting a very nice place this weekend, I am not revealing where, but I must say that I can't wait!
Lots of hugs from Spain, I do miss you mum!

HolgiHH

RikeH


Posted Apr 8, 2014, 2:33 pm
Hello friends,

Back home I decided to travel again, so I said goodbye to Dicker Kumpel.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/Maerz_0116.jpg

I had a last meeting with my brothers and sisters.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2014/Maerz_0118.jpg

Now I am on my way to Spain.

Love
HolgiHH
lapislazuli


Posted Apr 15, 2014, 8:52 pm
Rainy greetings from Madrid!
My host mum has been feeling a little bit under the weather so we had to put off our trip to Manzanares el Real which is in the countryside of Madrid, near 'La Pedriza'. Today, the day has started great, the sun was shining and the sky was bluish, but little by little, the sky got darker and darker....and the strom took us by surprise! So we had to take the bus back home and call off the visit to other places in the little town. We decided to get into the castle in order to find a cover from the raindrops, and we couldn't do too much afterwards.
I felt so small in such a big castle! I liked the view of the lake, it was really breath-taking and it was a shame we couldn't come back due to the poor weather.
We spent the day walking up and down, and many shops and stores were closed because tomorrow is the beginning of Easter holidays - I can't wait to prepare 'Torrijas'! Yum Yum, my host mum has told me that this is what Spaniards like to eat during this festivity. I feel soo curious!
I like a lot this part of 'La Sierra Madrileña', there are a lot of prey birds, such as the Spanish Imperial Eagle and the Eurasian Black Vulture.
Despite the bad weather, we have had a fun and pleasant day.
Lots of hugs and kisses from Spain xxx

HolgiHH
lapislazuli


Posted May 12, 2014, 12:39 pm
Hi mum!
Sorry for the delay, but I was very busy. Among other things, I learned to cook "Torrijas" with my friend Yuma.Torrijas are a very tipical spanish dessert.
Here you have some photos of my day as a chef...mmm yummy!
lapislazuli


Posted May 12, 2014, 12:53 pm
In my recent walks I found a very beautiful plane, I think I would be very useful for my travels! who would be parked there?

See you later mom
lapislazuli


Posted May 12, 2014, 12:59 pm
With great sorrow, I said goodbye to my friends. But now It's time to go!
Next station: Gemany.
RikeH


Posted Jun 1, 2014, 6:09 pm
Hello friends,

I am back home in Sülfeld.

Of course I met my brother Dicker Kumpel and showed him my postcard.

Now I am thinking about my next trip...

Yours
HolgiHH
HoBi


Posted Jun 4, 2014, 5:18 pm
Hello,

It was boring at home – only sitting in the blue armchair and no adventure. So I listened to a phone call between Murph and Dicker Kumpel.  :) Murph will go on holiday – this sounds great. I kept all in my mind – and went to the place. 300 kilometers to the south – no problem for a brave donkey.  ;)

What was the name Dicker Kumpel talked about? Bellenberg – this looks good!  :)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Ankunft%20HolgiHH/IMG_0706_zpsc1ebc000.jpg

It must be here…

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Ankunft%20HolgiHH/IMG_0705_zps8b020e99.jpg

Yes, this was the right way.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Ankunft%20HolgiHH/IMG_0703_zpsf29d6ea6.jpg

I found the farm.  :D

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Ankunft%20HolgiHH/IMG_0702_zpsc2e7ca5e.jpg

Now I have to wait for Murph! Hopefully this is the right place.  :rolleyes:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Ankunft%20HolgiHH/IMG_0700_zps2dfaa03a.jpg

I heard voices! They come!  „Pst, here I am!“

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Ankunft%20HolgiHH/IMG_0701_zps175ae4d6.jpg

They found me! 

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Ankunft%20HolgiHH/IMG_0716_zpsa8fc58c1.jpg

We all were so happy.  :D

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Ankunft%20HolgiHH/IMG_0719_zps73a5c378.jpg

We found a nice armchair and talked all night long!

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Ankunft%20HolgiHH/IMG_0722_zps9cb618ff.jpg

Mum, hopefully it is okay, that I am here…  :)

Yours

HolgiHH
HoBi


Posted Jun 6, 2014, 4:18 pm
Hello mum,

Today we visited two landmarks in the Teutoburger Wald. First we walked to the „Externsteinen“.  These rocks are really famous. There behind me you can see it.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Externsteine/IMG_0660_zps76ca8135.jpg

We saw this beautiful small river – and urgently wanted to have a photo.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Externsteine/IMG_0664_zpscc3a2f11.jpg

These rocks look really great – don’t they?  :)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Externsteine/IMG_0653_zps22123d9e.jpg

There is a bridge between these rocks – it looks dangerous…

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Externsteine/IMG_0655_zps56e53825.jpg

These rocks are really beautiful!

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Externsteine/IMG_0666_zpsd8a766c1.jpg

Our second stop is the region’s landmark.  It is „Hermann der Cheruskser“. A really big monument!

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Externsteine/IMG_0676_zps92e1c4f6.jpg

Here you can read the height of the monument. The sword alone is 7 meters high.  :stare:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Externsteine/IMG_0671_zps7c524fd5.jpg

What a wonderful day!

HolgiHH
HoBi


Posted Jan 5, 2015, 4:57 pm
Hello mum,

Today we went into a big museum.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Detmold/IMG_0736_zps60a373fd.jpg

There were many old buildings. This house stands on stones, because the mice should not climb into it.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Detmold/IMG_0726_zpsd7d86dc2.jpg

The umbrella for the hay looked great.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Detmold/IMG_0725_zpse0b56b0b.jpg

I love Windmills.  :D

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Detmold/IMG_0732_zps177834f7.jpg

Look, Mum, so many vegetables.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Detmold/IMG_0753_zps60761418.jpg

Can you see who is on the vegetable? Snails everywhere.  :rolleyes:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Detmold/IMG_0754_zpsb0a3d301.jpg

Wonderful houses!

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Detmold/IMG_0741_zpse1a22619.jpg

We saw this funny guy in one garden.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Detmold/IMG_0757_zps762cfe76.jpg

Wow, another windmill!

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Detmold/IMG_0759_zpsf0c85b81.jpg

And a water wheel.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Detmold/IMG_0763_zps4f2aef87.jpg

At the end we saw an old fuel station – funny, wasn’t it?

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Detmold/IMG_0748_zps6042ea31.jpg

The museum was really great.

Until soon

HolgiHH
HoBi


Posted Jan 7, 2015, 5:07 pm
Hello mum,

On our way back we visited another small and beautiful town. The town hall:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Blomberg/IMG_0627_zpsb01771b4.jpg

There was a beautiful fountain on this place.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Blomberg/IMG_0630_zpsdad38c09.jpg

I saw many nice half-timbered-houses in Blomberg.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Blomberg/IMG_0634_zpsfa07a463.jpg

And I really liked this old water pump.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Blomberg/IMG_0639_zpsd1cec6cc.jpg

Another great half-timbered house – it was wonderful painted.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Blomberg/IMG_0636_zps194f7560.jpg

This is an old town gate.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Blomberg/IMG_0640_zpsac4a56ef.jpg

Blomberg has a castle. This is the courtyard of it.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Blomberg/IMG_0643_zpse50ec0b1.jpg

We saw this car there – I would have loved to drive in it.  ;)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Mai%202014/Blomberg/IMG_0650_zpsfe69eda0.jpg

Unfortunately our holiday is over and we have to go back home.  :(

Greetings

HolgiHH
HoBi


Posted Jan 9, 2015, 4:45 pm
Hello mum,

It is very hot!  :rolleyes:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/IMG_0816_zpsc28f4457.jpg

Nevertheless we went into the forest.. Maybe we will find mushrooms.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/IMG_0815_zps2e0d3612.jpg

Immediately we found one. It is called Chicken of the woods - funny color, isn’t it?

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/IMG_0771_zps3f65edc7.jpg

A beautiful flower: the Purple foxglove

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/IMG_0792_zpsa1aa95c6.jpg

And then this: a small King bolete. We left it in the forest, because it was too small.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/IMG_0786_zpscbdd23b5.jpg

Another mushroom:  a Common stinkhorn  :)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/IMG_0775_zps71dd357b.jpg

Puh, mushrooms can smell really bad!  :o

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/IMG_0777_zps65a3bb5e.jpg

These blossoms smell much better: the Black elder

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/IMG_0801_zps3bb5d96d.jpg

What a beautiful mushroom!

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/IMG_0803_zps9d7fd000.jpg

We smelt it – it smells like vinegar…  :thinking:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/IMG_0804_zps889c4b3f.jpg

This plant is really rare here, but beautiful: the Wood cow wheat

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/IMG_0823_zps35f62e61.jpg

Finally I show you this mushroom. Many people love its taste.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/IMG_0826_zps9122e68f.jpg

What a wonderful day in the forest, although it was very hot!

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/IMG_0817_zps3852ade2.jpg

Yours

HolgiHH
HoBi


Posted Jan 11, 2015, 3:29 pm
Hello mum,

Today the German team started in the World Cup of Soccer. We had to celebrate it. Can you see our great drink?  :)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/WM%202014/IMG_0832_zps884c7bdc.jpg

I had gold…

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/WM%202014/IMG_0838_zpsc9fc55ff.jpg

…some sweets…

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/WM%202014/IMG_0844_zpsbb2990ba.jpg

… and  potato chips.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/WM%202014/IMG_0834_zps59cdd8a8.jpg

Everything was ready!

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/WM%202014/IMG_0848_zps15116307.jpg

It can start!

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/WM%202014/IMG_0845_zpsf0085532.jpg

Here they go. The German team played really great!  B)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/WM%202014/IMG_0850_zps8bfdb48c.jpg

It was exhausting and the drink was really yummy…  :p

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/WM%202014/IMG_0854_zps797b7111.jpg

It continued…

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/WM%202014/IMG_0851_zps6a4a8fc7.jpg

Why did the German Coach looked so strange – Germany will win!  :thinking:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/WM%202014/IMG_0856_zps21f9eeb8.jpg

What a game and what a party!  B)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/WM%202014/IMG_0859_zpscb2dffa4.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/WM%202014/IMG_0858_zpsc393c316.jpg

Have a good night!

HolgiHH
HoBi


Posted Jan 13, 2015, 5:21 pm
Hello mum,

It rained today, nevertheless we wanted to go into the forest. Maybe we will find mushrooms.  :rolleyes:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/Pilze%20Wald/IMG_0939_zpsb9e5bc4c.jpg

We found mushrooms. First it was a small king bolete.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/Pilze%20Wald/IMG_0917_zpsa4ac1c49.jpg

This beautiful mushroom is eatable... a Blusher

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/Pilze%20Wald/IMG_0929_zpsa1cf962e.jpg

And this small mushroom is really hot – Murph told us – we didn’t try it.  ;)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/Pilze%20Wald/IMG_0924_zpsf37b439d.jpg

Another mushroom: the tawny grisette

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/Pilze%20Wald/IMG_0935_zpsd1e045c3.jpg

We had to hide under the trees because of the rain.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/Pilze%20Wald/IMG_0943_zpsb76b9c0b.jpg

This plant looked interesting. It was not green.  :thinking:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/Pilze%20Wald/IMG_0946_zpsb0d53266.jpg

At the end we found a nice portion of  chanterelles... Yummy  :p

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juni%202014/Pilze%20Wald/IMG_0942_zpsb60e9afd.jpg

A wonderful day in the forest!

Yours

HolgiHH
HoBi


Posted Jan 14, 2015, 5:48 pm
Hello mum,

Today we took a long walk. We started in this small forest.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/IMG_0867_zpse5032806.jpg

The first mushroom: The Miller- it really smelt like flour.  :thinking:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/IMG_0873_zps82a04dc5.jpg

Imagine that – we found truffles.  :)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/IMG_0885_zps8f92a5cf.jpg

And another beautiful cup

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/IMG_0883_zpseffff734.jpg

At the moment we only find small mushrooms  :( - not enough for taking it with us…

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/IMG_0893_zps1dd38d00.jpg

On our way back we walked over a big meadow.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/IMG_0902_zps6f2d1031.jpg

There weren’t mushrooms, but beautiful flowers.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/IMG_0907_zpsc90af352.jpg

And this plant is very rare: the Restharrow

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/IMG_0915_zpsd6f528a2.jpg

Until soon

HolgiHH
HoBi


Posted Jan 16, 2015, 3:17 pm
Hello mum,

Today we drove to a meeting with our friends, who like mushrooms like we do. This was the meeting point. Everybody said that the pea soup was very delicious.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Elend%20Juli%202014/IMG_0966_zps4dd58676.jpg

We went into a wonderful forest.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Elend%20Juli%202014/IMG_0975_zps1c14aa28.jpg

There was a meadow with wild orchids in it…  :)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Elend%20Juli%202014/IMG_0957_zps20c7ac64.jpg

...and colorful mushrooms!

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Elend%20Juli%202014/IMG_0969_zpsfb1036ac.jpg

This forest was really great.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Elend%20Juli%202014/IMG_0994_zps25632843.jpg

We found mushroom – wonderful color, wasn’t it?

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Elend%20Juli%202014/IMG_0985_zpsc3948e8c.jpg

I love this forest!  B)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Elend%20Juli%202014/IMG_0980_zpsd47d25c1.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Elend%20Juli%202014/IMG_0997_zps208c4ae0.jpg

Yours

HolgiHH
HoBi


Posted Jan 18, 2015, 4:15 pm
Hello mum,

We have new guests!  :D

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Lavespfad%20Juli%202014/IMG_1097_zps10256d83.jpg

Dicker Kumpel and Kleine Fee arrived!

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Lavespfad%20Juli%202014/IMG_1100_zps7389c445.jpg

Of course we will celebrate it, but first we will go on a nice excursion.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Lavespfad%20Juli%202014/IMG_1015_zps65058c3f.jpg

There is a big castle in Derneburg.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Lavespfad%20Juli%202014/IMG_1003_zps98cabaa7.jpg

In the forest was a small teahouse.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Lavespfad%20Juli%202014/IMG_1007_zps88a1af32.jpg

So many stairs…  :rolleyes:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Lavespfad%20Juli%202014/IMG_1008_zpsb1a4d1ba.jpg

Unbelievable – there exists a pyramid in the forest inside of Germany. It is the grave of the former owner of the castle.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Lavespfad%20Juli%202014/IMG_1009_zpsf87b6d08.jpg

I liked this house.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Lavespfad%20Juli%202014/IMG_1022_zpsc0903427.jpg

There were small houses of fishermen next to many small ponds.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Lavespfad%20Juli%202014/IMG_1018_zps41b842d3.jpg

It didn’t look like one – but this was one of the fish ponds.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Lavespfad%20Juli%202014/IMG_1026_zps1bc29fd1.jpg

This region is really beautiful.

Yours

HolgiHH
HoBi


Posted Jan 22, 2015, 3:40 pm
Hello mum,

Today we visited the Castle Marienburg. It looked beautiful!

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Nordstemmen%20Juli%202014/IMG_1046_zps6d215bd9.jpg

Just like a fairytale…  :)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Nordstemmen%20Juli%202014/IMG_1033_zpsc859d444.jpg

The courtyard of the castle…

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Nordstemmen%20Juli%202014/IMG_1037_zpsd8445f46.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Nordstemmen%20Juli%202014/IMG_1041_zps7c5de330.jpg

We were not allowed to take photos inside of the castle  :(. But we found this funny guy at the exit and wanted to have a photo with it.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Nordstemmen%20Juli%202014/IMG_1043_zpse5325a4f.jpg

In the evening we celebrated the arrival of Dicker Kumpel and Kleine Fee. Murph prepared a small party: B)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Nordstemmen%20Juli%202014/IMG_1116_zps5a1c5660.jpg

We drank, ate and talked a lot.  :)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Nordstemmen%20Juli%202014/IMG_1118_zpsae07e389.jpg

... even drank, ate and talked more...

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Nordstemmen%20Juli%202014/IMG_1122_zps211d8787.jpg

Maybe a little too much?  :thinking:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Nordstemmen%20Juli%202014/IMG_1124_zps8ed39fb0.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Nordstemmen%20Juli%202014/IMG_1127_zps6fd1a4e1.jpg

It was a wonderful evening!

Yours

HolgiHH
HoBi


Posted Jan 26, 2015, 5:12 pm
Hello mum,

Today was my last day at Murph’s home. I said goodbye to DottyCroc and Kleine Fee.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Pilze%20Juli%202014/IMG_1153_zps6d063074.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Pilze%20Juli%202014/IMG_1158_zps07bf3fea.jpg

Then I went into the forest with Dicker Kumpel and Murph. At the beginning we found these beautiful flowers.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Pilze%20Juli%202014/IMG_1095_zpsa17e4632.jpg

It wasn’t funny in the forest. Because nearly all mushrooms were eaten by snails. :stare:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Pilze%20Juli%202014/IMG_1049_zpsda19c08e.jpg

But I found a star in the forest.  B)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Pilze%20Juli%202014/IMG_1062_zps809a55f9.jpg

Often there were butterflies sitting on these flowers. Unfortunately there weren’s butterflies today.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Pilze%20Juli%202014/IMG_1087_zpsa5a94c66.jpg

This mushroom has a great colour, hasn’t it?

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Pilze%20Juli%202014/IMG_1081_zps6d51df85.jpg

People often think that it is the king bolete. But it is not – and it is really bitter…  :rolleyes:

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Pilze%20Juli%202014/IMG_1105_zps8bb7902b.jpg

A really wonderful forest.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Pilze%20Juli%202014/IMG_1074_zpsd7a67748.jpg

The black trumpets are really yummy, but not easy to find.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Pilze%20Juli%202014/IMG_1143_zpsfe8001dd.jpg

Then it was time to say goodbye.

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Pilze%20Juli%202014/IMG_1147_zps63280d7b.jpg

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Pilze%20Juli%202014/IMG_1150_zps940940b4.jpg

Mum, I am coming home!  :)

http://i1201.photobucket.com/albums/bb347/HoBi666/BadSe%20Juli%202014/Pilze%20Juli%202014/IMG_1151_zps40815be8.jpg

Yours

HolgiHH
RikeH


Posted Mar 20, 2015, 12:36 pm
Moin Moin, 

We went to a big lake in the Dunes of Amrum today.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2015/Amrum_0041.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2015/Amrum_0045.jpg

Behind me you can see the lighthouse of Amrum.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2015/Amrum_0048.jpg

I love dunes!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2015/Amrum_0049.jpg

We wanted to walk to the beach, but the path was flooded.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2015/Amrum_0054.jpg

So we took the wooden path back to Wittdün and looked at the promenade there.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2015/Amrum_0057.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2015/Amrum_0058.jpg

Back at home I had fun with my friends in our beach chair.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2015/Amrum_0032.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2015/Amrum_0033.jpg

Yours
HolgiHH
Phiva


Posted Mar 28, 2015, 8:56 am
Hello Mummy!

After a very good trip, I had a warm welcome in Saarbrücken:). I 'm very excited and I directly met a new very good friend! His Name is Stiftl and he is an always good-humoured guy. He told me that we will together travel to Austria to Stubai Tal next week, This is soooo great and I am really looking forward about this trip.

Grreeeeeets Holgi
RikeH


Posted Mar 29, 2015, 2:12 pm
Hello friends,

After a long time at home it was time to start travelling again.

I said goodbye to my friends here.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2015/Amrum_0230.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/2015/Amrum_0231.jpg

Until soon in Saarbrücken.
HolgiHH
Phiva


Posted Apr 2, 2015, 10:05 am
Hey mom,

today our Easter holidays get started :-)! When I woke up I first thought the weather to be a very bad joke on 1st April - unfortunately it wasn't :-(! It has been snowing all night long and so all the spring flowers were completely gone and all covered in snow!

We couldn't wait to get into our car and drive into the sun - this is what Hotte, Stiftl and I hope...!

See you there!
Kiss, Holgi
Phiva


Posted Apr 4, 2015, 8:35 am
Hi mommy,

aaaaarrrrrrgggghhhhhh this is NO holiday weather!!! I needed to put on a cap as my ears were almost freezing off. First I thought about having a nice day with champagne, then I took a ride on a Easter sheep - but it was all boring. So Hotte suggested to spend a nice and relaxed day at Stubay recreation centre. We had such a lovely day inspite of the bad weather and relaxed at the swimming pool, the sauna and the steam bath - wonderful.
In the evening we were all tired and slept very fast...!

Kiss, Holgi
Phiva


Posted Apr 4, 2015, 10:01 am
Hi friends,

jihaaaaaa this is our first holiday with fantastic weather conditions. So host-mommy, host-daddy, my friend Hotte and me decided to spend the day at the wonderful slopes of Schlick2000 ski resort at the Stubaital.
We had an awesome view over the mountainside, we did some snow-hiking and had fantastic ski-runs.
After that we relaxed in sunloungers and enjoyed a nice glass of "Weißbier" at the "Hüttn".

It was a lovely day with my host-family!

Yours, Holgi
Phiva


Posted Apr 4, 2015, 4:26 pm
Hi mom,

today the weather wasn't that good again, so we went to Innsbruck for a little shopping trip.

On our way we passed the ski jump of Bergisel, which is famous for the Four Hills Tournament that takes place every year in December and January.

After visiting Café Sacher and having a lovely piece of cake and some coffee, we went to the "Goldenes Dachl" - the Golden Roof. It's one of the most famous sights in Innsbruck. It was completed in 1500 being decorated with 2,738 fire-gilded copper tiles for Emperor Maximilian I. to mark his wedding. The Emperor and his wife used the balcony to observe festivals, tournaments, and other events that took place in the square below.
It was amazing to stand there and watch the people go by as if it's nothing special at all...! People are always in a hurry...!

But we were not :-)! We went on to Swarovski, where we found everything sparkling and glittering and illuminated - it was wonderful! Even the stairs were shining brightly with little diamonds!

Of course we did not miss the biggest shopping mall there, the Tyrol. They had some lovely Easter decorations we had to take some pictures with :-)!

Then we went back to our car, passed the "Annasäule" - a huge column that holds Mother Mary on top - and on our way back home again the wonderful Bergisel and an awesome view over the city of Innsbruck.

We had a fantastic day!

Love, Holgi
Phiva


Posted Apr 8, 2015, 2:52 pm
HAPPY EASTER MOMMY!

We had such a wonderful day today! Hotte and me were so nervous and excited about our Easter presents that we woke up very early in the morning.
Host mom had already prepared everything for us, so the fun began :-)! We got some delicious chocolate eggs and I even got a very special present - just for me! I coudn't wait to unwrap it!

GUESS WHAT I GOT, MOMMY!!! A BIKE! I got my first bike! Of course I checked it out immediately and Hotte looked after me.

Then we decided to go for a walk. There were sooo many interesting things to discover: strange wooden statues, chicken running around directly on the road, and wonderful views on the Stubai mountains.

Our walk wasn't boring at all, we did some rock-climbing - which was a very strenuous action... so we had to satisfy our thirst at a little watering place - the water was fresh and cooled us down!

We passed a lovely little waterfall and caught sight of the very first Stubai-flowers. On our way back home we met some of my fellows - DONKEYS! We immediately liked each other and a nice little talk.

Having arrived at home, we discovered the lovely jonquils on the table - I LOVE FLOWERS! But then we were quite tired and relaxed with a wonderful glass of champagne viewing the mountainside again.

This was our last day at Stubaital, tomorrow we'll be heading back home to Saarbrücken - I'm already veeery curious about the things to come ;-)!

Hugs and kisses to you mom,
Holgi
Phiva


Posted May 4, 2015, 5:53 pm
Hello Mummy!

Today I was allowed to go to gym with host daddy. So great, now I am a super muscular donkey :D. First we trained with weights and after that we completed a one hour mountain program on the crosstrainer. What a good workout, I was soooo thirsty :)...So, we took a fitness drink at the bar before we went to the dress room. All in all a great workout and i feel very good now.

You will hear from me soon.

Greats Holgi
Phiva


Posted May 8, 2015, 9:50 am
Hello mummy!

Watch me, today I'm a happy, little donkey in big business cause I went to the office with host dad. There, I was allowed to support host dad in a lot of very important actions. First I had to organize a lot of meetings with Stiftl and I called a lot of persons with my new headset :). Moreover I created some powerpoint presentations and sent it to the big bosses. After checking the copier, I was sooooo tired and I had to relax a little bit in chill out area. All in all, a very exciting and hard day, now I enjoy the evening with host dad in Saarbrücken.

Greeeeets Holgi
Phiva


Posted May 10, 2015, 11:23 am
Hey mommy,

today we went on a little shopping trip to the Outlet City Metzingen.
Such an awesome place, luxury wherever you look at. Big brands, nice clothes and a lot of people in shopping frenzy. Host mummy and daddy took me to a lot of shops: Cavalli, Boss, Prada, Armani, ... now I am the best dressed donkey in Germany  B).

Of course there was also some time to relax in the sun in a wonderful flowerbed - can you find me  ;)?

Before we went back home, I got a lovely picture on a lovely little bridge over a lovely little stream called Erms.

All in all it was a very nice, sunny and exciting day and now I'm looking forward to a laid-back evening with my host parents and my friend Hotte.

Yours, Holgi
Phiva


Posted May 10, 2015, 11:28 am
Hi mommy,

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!! I send you a lot of hugs and kisses and I'm thinking about you a lot!

Love you and miss you!
Your Holgi
Phiva


Posted May 14, 2015, 6:38 pm
FLOWERS FLOWERS EVERYWHERE!!!

Hi mommy,

we spent a wonderful afternoon in the garden today! I LOVE SPRING - all these lovely flowers made me sooo happy! My dog-friend Aris and I played in the sun and enjoyed the different flower fragrances.

By the way: I LOOOOVE THE PICTURE WITH ME SITTING IN THE TULIP <3! What do you think  ;)?

Love,
Holgi
Phiva


Posted May 23, 2015, 1:23 pm
Hi mom,

today we went into the forest for a walk. The weather wasn't very good, but we didn't care about that! We enjoyed the fresh air and I was amazed by the wonderful nature! It couldn't be any greener :)!
There was some mist around us, what made it quite surreal. I loved it. I tried to escape the rain and went to an old tree trunk, it was like a little roof for me ;)!
My dog friend Aris was with me, too. We played together in the rain! And I also met a new friend - a large garden snail! It was almost bigger than me :D!
You can feel the spring everywhere. Flowers are blossoming and birds are singing and breeding. I glanced into one of the birdhouses - and guess what!!! It was inhabited! A redstart nested in there with some eggs - I'm sure the bird-babies will emerge very soon :)!

Love you mom!
Holgi
Phiva


Posted May 25, 2015, 2:50 pm
Sightseeing part one:

Hello mummy,
today we wanted to do some sightseeing @ Saarbrücken City, which is famous for its lovely bridges. We started at the Bruch brewery, home of host dad's favourite beer. The building looks old but the beer is fantastic. I checked that out ;). Then we walked through the nice Nauwieser Viertel, a place with many bars, restaurants and home of a lot of students. There we found this nice piece of graffiti art. Unfortunately it started to rain and we had to return home quickly, but my sightseeing tour will be continued.

Cheers Holgi
Phiva


Posted Jun 1, 2015, 11:02 am
Hi mommy,

we actually wanted to continue our little sightseeing tour, and I also wanted to ride my bike, but the weather was still bad, so we decided to go to my host parents' favourite Italian restaurant - the Fellini! It is a very nice little restaurant with one of Saarbrücken's best pizza and pasta menu.
I had a wonderful glass of red wine and some scalloped rigatoni with host mom, soooo delicious!
When we arrived back home I immediately had to go to bed as I was completely full up. Time for a little nap :)!

Bye for now,
Holgi
Phiva


Posted Jun 1, 2015, 11:15 am
Aloha my friends!!!

This is me, the little Hawaiian Holgi. Today we all were in holiday feeling – once more my host dad had his famous Saarbrücken-event called Hellwigstadion. It takes place every two months and party people from everywhere join the event. The parties usually have a certain motto, and today’s motto is MISSION HAWAII. We all had leis (flower garland typical of the Hawaiian islands), sunglasses, aloha shirts and special cocktails. The club, the SOHO, was full to bursting with all the crazy party people, and I was one of them  B). I checked out the bar and the turntables and also had a very little drink – mom I promise it was only ONE!!!
You should have seen me, mommy, we partied hard until sunrise. When I fell into my bed early in the morning I was dead tired, so I actually had to sleep the whole Sunday long…

Yours, HolgiHH
Phiva


Posted Jun 9, 2015, 6:12 pm
Hi mommy,

in the last few days we had such HOT weather and we were invited to a birthday-garden-party. We had a lot of fun there, but most of the pictures were taken on our way back home ;). We stopped at a bridge where we had a wonderful view on train tracks – it was almost a romantic atmosphere as we observed the sun going down. In one picture I look like a mascot of Hellwigstadion :-D - and I'm proud of it  B)!
We took some more pictures on a friend’s balcony – there we found the perfect view over Saarbrücken’s skyline. It was amazing! And with a little drink sitting on a funny glowing chair we had the perfect sun-downer :-)!

Bye for now!
HolgiHH!
Phiva


Posted Jun 11, 2015, 6:29 pm
Hi mom,

puuuuuhhhhh the weather is still sooo hot. So there is only 1 thing left to do: buying a wading pool! So this is exactly what we did this morning! And then we had to inflate it - what an exhausting work to do in the sizzling sunshine...! So I had to put on some sunscreen - host mom didn't want me to get my lovely fur burned!

And then it was finally done: a wonderful little pool in the garden, ready to use B)! I didn't have an airbed, but I made myself a little float. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it!

Then I lay on my towel and was sunbathing for HOURS! But it made me so lazy, so that I had to do something active. I got my bike and went on a little tour in the garden!
I passed wonderful flowers, a little birdhouse and I even climbed a tree.

It was such a wonderful day, but now I'm tired as I've never been before...!

Good night mommy!
Yours, HolgiHH
Phiva


Posted Jun 18, 2015, 2:28 pm
Hi mom,

we continued our little sightseeing tour today! It was a very interesting day!
First we stopped at the Johanniskirche. It's a Protestant Church with a wonderful golden leaf-shaped-gate and a lovely little church garden. There we found a maze - but going in there was too dangerous for a little donkey like me... Host mom said she doesn't want me to get lost... But we found some more flowers, and so I was very happy :-)!

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This is the Catholic Church, the Basilika.

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Of course, Saarbrücken also has a football club, the 1. FCS. But they aren't very successful right now, so no need to watch a match :-D! This is the fan shop, but we didn't go inside... Host dad doesn't like the club :-D!

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Then we went to the market place, the Sankt Johanner Markt. This is the place where all the people meet and enjoy Saarbrücken’s lifestyle  B) this is exactly what we did!

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This is Saarbrücken's town hall. A nice old building with a lovely fountain.

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And then mommy, look what we found. An old car, I think it was an original vintage car, a French one.

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This is the "Alte Feuerwache", which was once the gym of the city fire department. Today it's a theatre and a café!

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It was dark when we went back home, and passed the town hall and the "Alte Feuerwache" again. It was wonderful to see them at night:

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What an exciting day!

Yours, HolgiHH
Phiva


Posted Jun 21, 2015, 4:39 pm
Hi mommy,

the weather is quite nice today, some clouds but also sunshine, so we decided to visit a small petting zoo near the Hohenzollern Castle. The castle is really impressive, but no king or queen lives there anymore. It’s the ancestral seat of the Prussian Royal House and of the Hohenzollern Princes. It’s got a great history and it’s one of Germany’s most beautiful castles.
In the zoo we saw some very friendly goats, they made such a funny noise, it made me laugh a lot :-D! Then we saw ALPACAS! I love them. They were very curious and came very close to me. There was also a fellow of mine of course, we had a quick talk and then he walked back to his horse friends.

Love, HolgiHH
Phiva


Posted Jun 29, 2015, 1:53 pm
Hi mom,

I was allowed to go to school today! Host mom is a teacher, so she showed me around and also taught me some important stuff about donkeys. I was a very well-behaved student.

I was shown a human skeleton (no worry, it's a fake one), and a real shark dentition! Wooow, I felt so small in there. Then I made the acquaintance of a very close relative - but a very old one too... A horse skull - quite spooky, but also very impressive! Look how tiny I am, mommy! Even the horseshoe was far too big for me :-D!
Afterwards I had to check something out under the microscope. I feel like a little scientist now!

We also had a lot of fun at school. When I got bored a littlebit, we played hide and seek. I thought about going outside, but it wasn't very warm, although the sun was shining... So my hiding place was a tortoise shell - very cool!!!

Love you mom and see you soon!
HolgiHH
Phiva


Posted Jun 29, 2015, 2:35 pm
Wohooooo it's restaurant time. We went to a wonderful restaurant, which is famous for its special meat dishes, especially beef. We had a lovely filet mignon with vegetables and potatoes. Hmmmmm that was delicious!
After dinner we went to the cinema - JURASSIC WORLD! First I was a little scared, but then I crawled into host mom's arm  ;)!
It was a very realistic movie, I was very impressed!

Yours, HolgiHH
Phiva


Posted Jun 29, 2015, 2:46 pm
Hello mom,

it's party time again B)! There was a very special event @Saarbrücken today: the party boat! Of course we were part of it!

BRIGHT SUNSHINE, COOL DRINKS, NICE PEOPLE, GOOD MUSIC!

I really enjoyed it. And it was such a great feeling to pass all of Saarbrücken's bridges from below. And then we had this wonderful sunset - it was really amazing!

Look at my pictures, it was a great day!

Love, HolgiHH
Phiva


Posted Jun 29, 2015, 2:54 pm
Hi mommy,

so my days in Balingen & Saarbrücken are over and I'm coming back home!
So I took another nap to be well-rested for my journey! I hope it won't take too long...! I'm looking forward to seeing you mommy!

Then I said goodbye to my good friend Hotte. He gave me a big hug and told me to take care! Before I jumped into my travelope I took another ride on my bike, I'll bring it home mommy :-)! So I can ride it whenever I want :-)!

Host mom gave me a big kiss and some gifts for you! See you very soon @ home!

Big kiss,
HolgiHH
goomymia


Posted Dec 19, 2015, 4:28 am
Hallo mama,

I'm in BEIJING! FINALLY!!!! It was a really long trip, wasn't it? :stare:
Ok..my host is busy..at least she said so, she goes to work everyday, has english lessons, meets friends and forgot our TVs at home..

Now she adds one daily activity, that is PRAY. Not pray for Paris, she prays she could get her IELTS test results soon which is withheld by the British Council for over 2 weeks. She told me as if she would fly to Trondheim or Oslo or Glasgow hum..or Newcastle after get the results back. Well, I followed her to her work place once, here are some random pictures showing me wandering in this hectic city..

Always love :thinking:
HolgiHH

goomymia


Posted Dec 19, 2015, 5:30 am

I'm sure I was just taking a nap in the left pocket of a black jacket, then I woke up and found myself at an airport. I glimpsed at the entrance before leaving, it says ''chi feng'' in Chinese characters..right, let's just pretend that I'm a Chinese master. At the same time, I heard my host mumbled" it seems Manchu there". Of course I know what she was talking about, you see the second photo below? The standing caterpillar shaped symbol on the roof is actually Mongolian, different from Manchu. I suddenly realized I was in Inner-Mongolia.

This is not a very pleased travel experience. You'll never guess where I visited. The landfill...DAH!! The methane made me feel sick, I even saw a sheep herd there, I hope they were not eating garbage..gosh. We stopped in the middle of nowhere on highway, I looked around..a sign wrote 'ROADWORKS', a gas station, a bit further there was railroad. I started feeling chilly, it could be -8 degree after sunset.

Thanks god I'm back to Beijing now, I still have no idea what's the point of flying 430km to a stinking landfill tho. It is a mystery. Almost forgot..I did have a brilliant breakfast, simple but tasty. A man named reed said "Yeah for me,  the only good thing about business trips is thr food  ".


goomymia


Posted Dec 22, 2015, 3:01 am

Hi mama,
Everything is going well here, although Beijing issued Red alert for smog.. :thinking:
Suspend classes in all elementary and middle schools, kindergartens and extracurricular training schools;cars are allowed on the roads on alternating days depending on the odd or even numbers of their license plates;outdoor operations of construction sites are banned and some industrial plants are required to limit or stop production.
BUT NOTHING CAN STOP US EXPLORING THE CITY!!! :mad:
The photos are not that perfect tho, the bird's eye view of the Forbidden City should be like the bottom picture...maybe that picture was a little bit over PSed.

Yours
HolgiHH




Quote:

Jingshan Park is a public park covering 23 hectares (57 acres) immediately north of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. The focal point is the artificial hill Jingshan, literally "Prospect Hill". Formerly a private imperial garden attached to the grounds of the Forbidden City, the grounds were opened to the public in 1928.The park was formally established in 1949. It is listed as a Key State Park and is administratively part of both Xicheng and the Dongcheng districts in downtown Beijing.
Jingshan's history dates to the Liao and Jin Dynasties, almost a thousand years ago. The 45.7-meter (150 ft) high artificial hill was constructed in the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty entirely from the soil excavated in forming the moats of the Imperial Palace and nearby canals. It is especially impressive when one considers that all of this material was moved only by manual labor and animal power. Jingshan consists of five individual peaks, and on the top of each peak there lies an elaborate pavilion. These pavilions were used by officials for gathering and leisure purposes. These five peaks also draw the approximate historical axis of central Beijing.

The dictates of Feng Shui long praised tombs and residences sited south of a nearby hill, serving to channel both harmful yin and cold northern winds. With Jinshan serving that purpose, it gained the name Feng Shui Hill. It is also well known to locals as Coal Hill, from an old rumor that the emperors kept a hidden stash in the park. The last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen, committed suicide by hanging himself here in 1644.



goomymia


Posted Dec 31, 2015, 7:08 am

Hi mum, did you see those skyscrapers over there?
That is Lujiazui, here are some info :rolleyes:

Quote:
Lujiazui, formerly known as Lokatse from its pronunciation in Shanghainese, is a locality in Shanghai, a peninsula formed by a bend in the Huangpu River. Since the early 1990s, Lujiazui has been developed specifically as a new financial district of Shanghai. The decision to earmark Lujiazui for this purpose reflects its location: it is located on the east side of the Huangpu River in Pudong, and sits directly across the river from the old financial and business district of the Bund.

Lujiazui is a national-level development zone designated by the government. In 2005, the State Council reaffirmed the positioning of the 31.78 km2 (12.27 sq mi) Lujiazui area as the only finance and trade zone among the 185 state-level development zones in mainland China.
goomymia


Posted Dec 31, 2015, 8:10 am


Today is my second day in Shanghai, the subway here is a bit wider than the train in Beijing. I'm gonna try some local food...ewwwwww..that dish doesn't look very tasty tho. OH MY! A PLATE OF EEL!!!

goomymia


Posted Dec 31, 2015, 8:27 am
Happy Christmas!!!
Right, it's just another normal day here in Shanghai, I can hardly see any Chritsmas decorations on the street... :(
I saw a small church!
goomymia


Posted Dec 31, 2015, 8:46 am

Shanghai musum is very close to the People Square, you got it! It's museum time!
OMG! That jade Jue is over 6000 years old, ancient chinese archers would use it when they were pulling the bow! And this is a ceramic pillow..I'm not sure about that. Ummm, Tibetan mask, what a master piece!!! really interesting, I reckon it won't help a bit if you wear them in smoggy Beijing.
goomymia


Posted Dec 31, 2015, 9:07 am

I go to City God Temple after sunset, the temple's surrounding area and vicinity is a large commercial district that hosts an array of shops, restaurants, teahouses, as well as annual temple fair events. Now It's snack time.
In the end, I have singapore Indian Fried Noodle for dinner..umm yummy!!! :p


goomymia


Posted Dec 31, 2015, 2:07 pm

I'm on the 76 floor of SWFC!

Quote:

The Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC) is a supertall skyscraper located in the Pudong district of Shanghai, China. It was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and developed by the Mori Building Company, with Leslie E. Robertson Associates as its structural engineer and China State Construction Engineering Corp and Shanghai Construction (Group) General Co. as its main contractor. It is a mixed-use skyscraper, consisting of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and ground-floor shopping malls. Park Hyatt Shanghai is the tower's hotel component, comprising 174 rooms and suites occupying the 79th to the 93rd floors, and constituting the second-highest hotel in the world after the Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong, which occupies floors 102 to 118 of the International Commerce Centre.
On 14 September 2007, the skyscraper was topped out and is 492 meters (1,614.2 ft), making it the 8th tallest building in the world and the fourth tallest structure in Mainland China. The SWFC opened to the public on 28 August 2008, with its observation deck opening on 30 August. The observation deck offers views from 474 m (1,555 ft) above ground level.
The SWFC has been lauded for its design, and in 2008 it was named by architects as the year's best completed skyscraper. In 2013, the SWFC was exceeded in height by the adjacent Shanghai Tower, which is China's tallest structure as of 2015. Together, the Shanghai World Financial Center, Shanghai Tower and Jin Mao Tower form the world's first adjacent grouping of three supertall skyscrapers.
goomymia


Posted Feb 24, 2016, 7:09 am
Hi mom,
Today I went to the CBD and Tiananmen Square. Did you see the skyscraper in the  photo below? It's China World Summit Wing which is 330m high, what a wired name! Ok it looks shorter in the photo, maybe I should learn some new photography tricks..
Well, perhaps I just need to move a bit closer next time. The buildings are always there standing still, but they truly give me different feelings in different seasons.
:rolleyes:
goomymia


Posted Feb 24, 2016, 8:58 am
Here are some photos I took on Qianmen Street. Did you see the memorial archway? :D
The tablet on it reads 'Zhengyangqiao', qiao means bridge.
People come here to buy souvenirs, clothes, jewelry.
On this street you can find most of Beijing food you've heard.
Like Beijing Duck, Beijing Noodles...and all kinds of snacks!
goomymia


Posted Feb 26, 2016, 1:32 am

I'm in Krabi!!! Thailand!!!! :cyclops:

Krabi Town is the main town in the province of Krabi on the west coast of southern Thailand at the mouth of the Krabi River where it empties in Phang Nga Bay. As of 2010 the town had a population of 52,867. The town is the capital of Krabi Province and Krabi District. Tourism is an important industry. Krabi is 783 km south of Bangkok by road.

There are so many talking birds here, I've even seen a lot of them on  the beach! Right, It's time to have some Papaya Salad!!! :p


goomymia


Posted Feb 26, 2016, 1:47 am
Hello mom!!!
I'm here in Bangkok!!!! :p
The first photo below is took on BTS skytrain of Bangkok. of course I also tried the famous Sticky Rice with Mongo...ummm yummy!!!

I also visited the Chinatown, settled in the 1780's by Chinese merchants, Chinatown retains a large ethnic Chinese community who still continue their own traditions and religious ceremonies. Famous for its markets and numerous gold shops, the area caters largely to the local population and contains a number of busy, almost frenetic market areas concentrated around a network of roads, alleys and small streets. Local favourites include Nakom Kasem market and Sampeng Lane, a long, narrow pedestrian lane crammed with masses of goods from hair slides (sold by the dozen) to kitchen utensils.

The area around Yaowarat road, Chinatown's main street, is fascinating for its Chinese pharmacies and unbelievable concentration of gold shops. Bordering Chinatown is Paruhat Cloth Market with a huge selection of batiks, sarongs and general fabric. A largely ethnic Indian area, Paruhat has some excellent local Indian restaurants and a large shopping mall selling handicrafts. My assignment was eating! I should come here again with you someday in the future!!! :p

Love
HolgiHH

goomymia


Posted Mar 7, 2016, 1:22 am
Hi mom,

Today I popped down to the Wangfujing Snack Street, well-known for its street food, especially for some creepy food..:cyclops:

The wangfujing Snack street has been hailed as one of the most exotic dinning locations in Beijing, boasting a wide range unusual cuisine including fried insects, scorpions, sea stars, seahorses, silk worms, and centipedes, but I didn't see silk worms and centipedes  this time.. :(

goomymia


Posted Mar 10, 2016, 3:26 am
Hi mom,

How's everything going? I saw you're in Norway, that's amazing!!! Well, today I visited Badachu Park. I saw a fab statue when I was walking through the red wooden gate. He is the god of longevity.  :rolleyes:

You see the tower in the photo? That is a Relic Stupa, which holds Buddha's relic. I guess it must be a very holy building, although I don't know much about Buddha. Ummmm..it seems that the photo I took is not clear. Don't worry I will definitely come closer to have a look at the tower. Oh yes when we passed through the long bridge, I noticed there were so many brown spots up there on the trees, then I relized they were all monkeys! You know this year is the Monkey Year, Suny was utterly excited because it's her year. Monkey is very popular among all 12 Chinese Zodiac, also the horse..I feel proud, me and horse we're related!!

Here we got many ice-sugar gourds, a kind of snack made of fruits like hawthorns, sometimes even strawberries. I've seen them many time on Qianmen Street and Wangfujing Snack Street.

Bada Chu it's a buddhist site so we can find many beautiful sculptures about Buddha here. More than that, there is a wall with full of exquisite relief on it, it's a kind of sculpture. The relief is actually much more beautiful than they look in the photo we took, and they tell Twenty-four Paragons of Filial Piety which is a classic text of Confucian filial piety written by Guo Jujing during the Yuan dynasty. Did you see the buffalos behind us? I seems to have seen them wagging their tails!
Finally It's hiking time!!!Cant' wait!!!!!
  :cyclops:

goomymia


Posted Apr 14, 2016, 6:09 am
Hello mom,

I'm doing good in Beijing. Today is the second day of Qingming holiday, it's a bit like the Hollaween we have but without the costome and treat or trick parts. :thinking:
Qing Ming is traditionally a time for families to travel to the family tomb to sweep, clean and place flowers or other memorials on the grave site. A day of commemoration for dead ancestors, Qing Ming also celebrates the oncoming spring. So it’s a day about remembering the past but also celebrating the future. So we decided to go to a temple and watch flowers blossom!

According to a stele at the temple, Dajue Temple was first built in 1068 during the Liao Dynasty and called Qingshui Temple, after a stream that ran through the temple grounds. It was later renamed Lingquan Temple, and after being rebuilt in 1428 during the Ming Dynasty, was given its present name, "Dajue Temple."The temple went through renovations in 1720 and 1747. It contains three main halls, a gate, a pagoda and various side halls.
:rolleyes:
Here are the photos I took.

goomymia


Posted Aug 13, 2016, 11:37 am
Hi folks!

We are heading to Warsaw, Poland!! Look how cute the way they serve food, it looks like a parcel, even with stamps and address on it! :p

goomymia


Posted Aug 13, 2016, 12:00 pm

After 9 hours flight, we finally made it to Warsaw...oh my neck and hoofs..
We need to stay for 4 hours in Chopin Airport. How about having a fantastic bagel with a cup of Americano :rolleyes:



goomymia


Posted Aug 13, 2016, 12:08 pm
Stockholm! Here we come!!

..
Alright, this is only another transit. Waiting to get on board...
goomymia


Posted Aug 13, 2016, 1:08 pm
Greetings from Norway!! B)
goomymia


Posted Aug 14, 2016, 5:50 pm
Mia made us breakfast today. Norway is quite popular with its high living expenses, but it is affordable if you cook by yourself. Mia barely went to the kitchen back in Beijing when she was living with her parents. She is a lazy girl, shhhhh..don't tell her. Look, she did pretty well this time, didn't she? After the breakfast, we checked the route again of today's little trip to the hill. It's amazing you could even tell when the bus will come by Google Map, it's blocked in China like Facebook, Instagram Twitter and Youtube, what a shame!
goomymia


Posted Aug 14, 2016, 5:57 pm
The purpose of today's trip is actually taking a look at two potential houses in private market. Because it will be terribly noisy in the midnight, yes, in the midnight! Those students are so crazy about party and they are over loud almost every night just right outside Mia's window. Last night they finished at 3am! 3 am!.  :mad:
We've been told that the winter here is always snowy which is fabulous but it will be very slippery on the street, and if you come visit you will find out there are so many ups and downs in this town! So we decided to move somewhere closer to the Dragvoll campus. We looked on Finn.no, which is also amazing you could get free furnitures through this site, found these two houses and luckily made appointments with landlord! You see how pretty the view is out side the No.1 house!! And Mia can only walk through a lovely wheat field to go to school!! The more amazing thing is she can see her home just life her head to the east sky when she is at school!!

But unfortunately a boy gets the priority to move in the house, he contacted the landlord just a little bit earlier than us :(
goomymia


Posted Sep 26, 2016, 6:09 pm
On the way to the next house, we passed by the campus. It's about a week before the semester starts so we didn't see any students.
The No.2 house is much bigger than the first one, nice and quiet community. An 80 years old couple live in the house, this landlord seems much more professional, he even printed out the contract and house rules ..which is in Norsk. Thanks to bing translator, we could translate it immediately by taking a photo.
The sky got clear when we were heading back to Moholt :rolleyes:
goomymia


Posted Sep 26, 2016, 6:20 pm
Daisies
goomymia


Posted Sep 26, 2016, 8:21 pm
I'm going to walk to the city center from Kristiansten Festning, it's rainy tho.
Wow look this is the bike lift! I saw the Cathedral and the old bridge. :rolleyes:
goomymia


Posted Sep 26, 2016, 8:36 pm
Here is the old bridge. I should come here again when it's not rainy :stare:
goomymia


Posted Sep 26, 2016, 8:42 pm
This is the largest cathedral in Scandinavia. :thinking:
goomymia


Posted Sep 30, 2016, 9:00 am


Tyholt tower is located on the highest point in the city of Trondheim, Norway. It is a 124 m tall communications tower, with a revolving restaurant.
It's time to go up and see further!! B)



goomymia


Posted Oct 2, 2016, 10:58 am
The brief history of Old Town Bridge :)
Quote:



Gamle Bybro crosses the Nidelva River from the south end of the main street Kjøpmannsgata connecting to the Trondheim neighborhood of Bakklandet. Gamle Bybro was constructed by Johan Caspar von Cicignon in 1681 in conjunction with the reconstruction of Trondheim after the great fire of 1681. Johan Caspar von Cicignon laid out plans for the reconstruction of Trondheim as well as its fortification. Kristiansten Fortress was built at this time after his plans. The bridge location was of military-strategic significance. King Christian V of Denmark assumed the cost of construction. It was completed in 1685. The bridge was built in the vicinity of the original Elgeseter Bridge. When it was opened the older bridge was allowed to decay and collapse. Since then Gamle Bybro has undergone many changes.

Originally Gamle Bybro was constructed of wood, but the wood was supported on three stone piers. In the middle of the bridge, an iron gate was placed. This remained a guarded city gate until 1816. At each end of the bridge there was a toll and guardhouse. The access house on the west end still stands, but that on the east side was taken down in 1824. Gamle Bybro was reconstructed in 1861 by the engineer Carl Adolf Dahl (1828-1907). Today Gamle Bybro is one of Trondheim's characteristic landmarks.

Gamle Bybro is also known as Lykkens portal (Gate of Happiness), after the lyrics of the popular waltz Nidelven stille og vakker du er ( "Nidelven quiet and beautiful you are") by Norwegian composer Oskar Hoddø (1916-1943). According to tradition, Hoddø wrote the waltz about the Nidelva River one night in late April 1940 while he was standing at Gamle Bybro. Oskar Hoddø was a member of the resistance movement against the Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany. He was executed in Trondheim on 17 November 1943.



goomymia


Posted Oct 2, 2016, 11:13 am
Here we come to Bakke bridge. It is another bridge over the river Nidelva in Trondheim.
Afterwards we met some animal friends on the street :rolleyes:
goomymia


Posted Oct 2, 2016, 11:47 am
Mia moved to a new flat, it's not one of the houses she had visited last time, it's at a vibrant but also quiet student village and Mia shares a very lovely  kitchen with 6 hallmates.
The thing is the only furniture in the room is a wardrobe. Umm, IKEA time  :thinking:
goomymia


Posted Oct 2, 2016, 11:57 am
I will never get tired of this beautiful sunset :)
goomymia


Posted Oct 2, 2016, 12:03 pm
After settled down, we returned the key of Moholt to the SIT office today, the staff told us' No extra rent would be paid if someone moves in your room, otherwise you have to pay for the next 2 months rent..'.
Hope we could finally get the Kl 5000 deposit back :thinking:
goomymia


Posted Oct 2, 2016, 12:12 pm
We are watching the game of Rosenborg Ballklub!! :cyclops:

RBK for short is a Norwegian professional football club from Trondheim that plays in the Tippeligaen. Rosenborg is Norway's most successful team, having won 23 league titles, nine Norwegian Football Cup titles and played more UEFA matches than any other Norwegian team. RBK play their home games at the all-seater Lerkendal Stadion which has a capacity of 21,400.
goomymia


Posted Oct 15, 2016, 3:24 pm
Guess where we are heading to??
Yes to Oslo! Mia is about to join an activity at Chinese Embassy to celebrate the National Day of China. So we got a change to have a small trip.
She has to skip some lectures though.. :thinking:
goomymia


Posted Oct 15, 2016, 4:01 pm
We decided to take the NSB train from Oslo airport to the town.
Wow, the weather doesn't look very good. It reminds me of a proverb norweigian usually say, "ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær." means “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes” :thinking:

Since the embassy is quite remote from the center, we took the subway and the bus. It's really been a while since I took subway last time in Beijing.
The ceremony was nice, we had buffet but because of the limited space, all of us had to stand while having dinner :(
goomymia


Posted Oct 15, 2016, 5:05 pm
We couchsurfed during our stay in Oslo, the first photo below is our host showing us where was the key. The house was built and designed by our host's grandmother, she was a great architect:)
Mia left her backpack last night  on the bus, fortunately she found it back in 12 hours! Now the bag is laying safely at Lost and Found counter at central station.
In the morning, we helped our host chopped some wood for the fair place in winter. :rolleyes:
goomymia


Posted Oct 15, 2016, 5:13 pm
Time to have a city tour!!! Haha look this little guy, he is really welcoming and told us we must see the Palace and Oslo Opera!! :D
...
Then I saw a tiger in front of the train station.
What a nice day. :rolleyes:
goomymia


Posted Oct 15, 2016, 5:43 pm
Today is our last day at Oslo, our host insisted us to try the banana pancake he made, cold and burned but still tastes nice.
We take a final look at the house, a neighbor, the wood, little harbour, the boat. Our host walked us to the bus stop, and then he went to the shopping mall nearby to get wifi..oh i forgot to tell you there are no wifi in the wooden house. There is a street in the neighbor named after our host's grandma, she was not only a great architect but also contributed a lot to protect the country during the World War II.
...
We are heading to the National Gallery, see some masterpieces, the Scream, the sketch by Picasso..
Oslo is warmer than Trondheim, rain sometimes but the rain only last a very short time. I may come back again someday :rolleyes:
goomymia


Posted Oct 15, 2016, 5:48 pm
Oh oh forgot to post the banana pancake...the plate :)
goomymia


Posted Nov 13, 2016, 12:58 pm
Hei!!
We had dinner at Baklandet Skydsstation today. It's a cozy restaurant, famous for its Norwegian home-made food. :rolleyes:
We had JONS FISKESUPPE which is tomato-based fish soup with salmon, pollock, carrots, celery, bread and butter, OVNSBAKT LAKS oven baked salmon with crème fraice, served with potatoes, cabbage, spinach and flatbread and Ostekake m blåbær-saus, cheesecake with blueberry-sauce as dessert.
mmmm, what a nice day! :)
goomymia


Posted Feb 10, 2017, 3:12 pm
My host moved to a new place! She has moved 3 times in 5 months :o
It's such a pity we couldn't move the bunk bed with us. We assembled the bed together :(
But the place is amazing, look at the view I have in the living room! Of course we also have new houseplants, I miss the plants in the old place tho.
goomymia


Posted Feb 10, 2017, 3:17 pm


Happy Rooster Year! :D

goomymia


Posted Feb 10, 2017, 3:21 pm
Happy Christmas!!

Do you know where I was on last Christmas? I was in Shanghai!
It feels like yesterday, time flies :p
goomymia


Posted Apr 27, 2017, 3:21 pm

Ha det bra Trondheim!!! ;)
Oh my..it snowed yesterday.
I'm soooo excited that I'm going to visit Italy!!!!
Ciao ciao! :cyclops:

Bye 1 month old cabbage.
Bye 4 months old avocado.
Bye snake plant.
Bye plate with NTNU.
Bye kitchen..
goldmoon


Posted May 28, 2017, 10:07 pm
Hi mum :-)
I arrived safe in Italy!
I began visit the house of my guest... this is a beautiful geranium in the balcony

goldmoon


Posted May 28, 2017, 10:09 pm
Oh mum, I'm not alone here, there are two other TV: Snowy the seal and Lucky Lion
goldmoon


Posted May 28, 2017, 10:11 pm
My first Sunday lunch: a typical food in broth called "passatelli". They are so tasty!
goldmoon


Posted Jun 3, 2017, 10:30 pm
Today is the Feast of Republic in Italy.
We spent the day at Goldmoon's friend's house in that very small village. It is called "Biagioni". This bridge, over Reno river, separates the province of Bologna (Biagioni) from Tuscany.
This village has about 23 residents.
goldmoon


Posted Jun 3, 2017, 10:31 pm
The little church of Biagioni
goldmoon


Posted Jun 3, 2017, 10:34 pm
The old station of Biagioni, still working
goldmoon


Posted Sep 9, 2017, 9:57 pm
Ferrara Balloon Festival.
Today it's too much windy, so it is difficult for the balloons to fly in the sky. Anyway, we saw the biggest cow in the world !
goldmoon


Posted Sep 9, 2017, 10:05 pm
This is the place where we are going to eat this dinner. It is an old boat that's been converted into a pub.
goldmoon


Posted Sep 9, 2017, 10:08 pm
Look! They gave us a world map as place mat!
goldmoon


Posted Sep 9, 2017, 10:12 pm
We ate an ENORMOUS pizza!
goldmoon


Posted Feb 11, 2018, 5:36 pm
Very hot climate here. It's time for a juicy slice of watermelon!
goldmoon


Posted Feb 11, 2018, 5:42 pm
Dear mum, we are guarding the photo exhibition of goldmoon's photoclub!
goldmoon


Posted Feb 11, 2018, 5:55 pm
Dear mum, we are having some days of holidays.
Here we are in Treviso, a small city with a lot of bridge and rivers. It's a sort of small Venice.
You can see a lot of Italian flags in the city, because tomorrow is the Armed Forces Celebration.
goldmoon


Posted Mar 1, 2018, 8:29 pm
Dear mum,
we were waiting for the spring but we had a surprise: it's snowing!
goldmoon


Posted Apr 1, 2018, 12:48 pm
Happy Easter mum !!
windy62


Posted May 13, 2018, 1:21 pm
Thank you so much, goldmoon! HolgiHH has arrived at Braunschweig in Germany.
"I was met with a warm Welcome! I'm sure I will enjoy the time here in Braunschweig!"
windy62


Posted May 28, 2018, 7:41 am
Hi, Mum- I'm so sorry you didn't hear from me that long time! Last 3 days I visited the Herb Garden in Altenau in the beautiful Harz with my new host mum and Viola... I was directly high from the fragrance of all the blossoms and spices!     :cyclops:
windy62


Posted May 28, 2018, 7:49 am
Thats me with Viola on the sculpture "Scuffling Boys" („Balgende Jungen“ by the Osnabrück sculptor Gerd Ruwe) on "Jacobsonplatz" in town Seesen(Harz) in Lower Saxony/ Germany. Whether the artist ever thaught, that one day one of the boys will hold a little donkey in his hand?... ^^
windy62


Posted May 28, 2018, 7:58 am
Here I am in the agricultural museum of Salder castle in Salzgitter-Salder. On some photos I'm very tiny- hope you will find me. But lovely Viola is always by my side! ^^   :)
windy62


Posted May 28, 2018, 8:10 am
On the last photo you see Viola and me in a miniature village in the 18./ 19. century. Thats the right size for us two! The smell of the museum made me remember the scent in a stable... I love it. ;) ^^
windy62


Posted Jun 1, 2018, 7:58 pm
Today I try to complete a part of my life mission- here I'm sitting on one of my hosting mum's houseplants!
It stings a little... I feel like a fakir!
  :stare:
windy62


Posted Jun 10, 2018, 11:57 am
A hot Saturday- I spent an afternoon in community of bookcrossing people. Here you can see me in front of a pile of books :-)  B)
windy62


Posted Jul 8, 2018, 6:29 pm
Hello Mum! I was in Magdeburg in Saxony-Anhalt in Germany.  And I have seen the Green Citadel(Grüne Zitadelle). The famous Friedensreich Hundertwasser himself was the architect. The house has been built in 2005...   :stare:
windy62


Posted Jul 8, 2018, 6:34 pm
Heaven was so blue! Here I'm refreshing on a fountain!   :p

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