Posted Apr 4, 2012, 11:12 am
I'm Finfin female and ready to start my journey.
I love parks and trees and grass and all that grows in summer.
Yes and here I'm with my first log.
Today my Mummy said me that she allows me to start my journey, too.
She waits until my best friend Kasimir tell her about his.
Now I'm sooo happy to start
Here are my first pictures.
Posted Apr 12, 2012, 7:54 pm
it's me again.
Today is eastern and this is our easter-fire.
We've got a lot of fun.
And now I finally know where my next host live: Finland.
Can't wait to see it.
Posted Apr 12, 2012, 8:02 pm
so this is my last entry from home.
Today I'll start my way to Finland.
I visit a last time the park beside my home and fly directly in my box.
So next time you hear from me, I'm at the first station of my great trip.
Your Finfin
Posted Apr 18, 2012, 5:20 pm
Finally! FINALLY someone opened my box, and I could come out off it. There were many creatures waiting for me, and they all said it's nice that I arrived. Mom, I feel very welcome here!
I'm so happy. I'm in Finland.
Everyone said to me: "Finfin is in FIN. Welcome!"
(the national code of Finland is FIN.)
As you can see, there's another toy, who also arrived here today. She is PinkLady bunny.
I got many welcome hugs!!! <3
Here is Mo...
...Sylvia...
...Tokki...
...Porridge...
...Ape Apina...
...and Hipsu
I asked hostmom told me, where I am exactly right now.
She showed me the map of the World. Ooooh, I'm in so North!
Finland located in North Europe, in Scandinavia.
And here is the map of Finland. Mom, can you see the red spot in Central Finland? There's Jyväskylä, the city where I am now.
And this is the map of Jyväskylä.
I'm so exited to be here! Just can't wait, what I can experience here...
But right now I'm tired after long travelling, so I think it's best to go relax... See you soon, mom!
Hugs,
Finfin
xxx
Posted Apr 19, 2012, 10:26 pm
Today was beautiful day, so I was outside. Hostmom showed me this nice town. We visited in the harbour of Jyväskylä.
But hey, mommy!!!! Where are all boats? I can't see any of them!
Ooooh, there they are.
We all went to see boats little closer. There's me and Sylvia, Mo, Porridge, PinkLady and Tokki.
The ice looks cool!
Is there anyone who need help? I'm here! Count on me, the lifesaver Finfin.
Mom, do you like this building? It's cute, isn't it?
Here are some views from the harbour
This is the bridge of Kuokkala (Kuokkalan silta). It starts from the harbour area and ends in the neighborhood named Kuokkala.
Ooooh, what on earth that human is doing?
It must be dangerous to swinging under the big bridge.
Hih, hostmom told me that it's not a real human. It's art sculpture.
Wow!!! It's the one I never forget.
It's very cool!
This nice sign is in the harbour.
Finnish text means: "Keep the archipelago clean - On behalv of clear lakes/water."
It's nice!
The harbour area of Jyväskylä is quite pretty, don't you think?
Hostmom told me that the area is even more pretty in summertimes. But I think it's nice at this time of the year,too.
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted Apr 20, 2012, 3:53 pm
I was walking just next to the lake Jyväsjärvi. The lake is quite small, and there's a nice little street for pedestrians around the lake. All these photos are from next to that lake.
I climbed on the birch (koivu in Finnish). Birch is a very common tree here in Finland.
Look mom, how beautiful the nature is!
That white building is one part of the Jyväskylä University. It's the apartment of the math and science. The famous architect Alvar Aalto has designed it.
Hhmmmm...
What is this?
Hostmom told me it's an art sculpture, named Suuri Kompassi (the big compass). Artist's name is Markku Hakuri. And it has made in the year 1991.
And this is also an art sculpture. The name is Exit. The artist is Reijo Veijalainen, and it has made in the year 2002.
Ooh, even more art!!!
This one's name is Tähystäjät. The artist is Virpi Lehto. It has made in the year 2002.
It's a nice view...
And here's more art. This one's name is Kakophone.
The artist is Harald Karsten. It has made in year 2002.
"HELLO MOMMY, CAN YOU HEAR ME?"
There's nice buildings, and so funny small trees (the small ones!) in front of the building.
This is quite cool bridge!
The white building is one part of the Jyväskylä University.
I'm on the bridge now. This is the one view from that bridge. There's little part of the city center and the harbour of Jyväskylä, and the bridge of Kuokkala.
Just in front of the Jyväskylä University building there's this art sculpture. This one's name is Hyöky. The artist is Kimmo Schroderus. It has made in the year 2006.
And what are those weird white things there? Ooh, more art, offcourse. I should know that...
The name of this art sculpture is Weimar-Chicago.
The artist is Jaakko Valo. And it has made in the year 1991.
Mom, look!!! Another bridge!
Well, this one is quite small one... but cute!
Mommy, I got new friends!
How cool!
The footprints of those wild ducks! Have you seen them before?
Me and other TVs Tokki, Mo, Porridge, PinkLady and Sylvia were all watch them very carefully.
bye for now,
Finfin
xxx
Posted Apr 20, 2012, 5:07 pm
Guess what? Hostmom just told me, that I can come with her for a little journey. Hostmom will go visit her parents in North Karelia, Eastern Finland. It's over 300 kilometres away from here.
I can see the other side of Finland, and I will spend the next few days there!
So, because we will leave tomorrow morning, I decided to pack.
Hmmmm... what should I take with me?
a toothbrush, a mirrow, clothes..... hmmmmm....
Ok, things are packed now. I'm ready to go!
Hugs,
Finfin
xxx
Posted Apr 24, 2012, 8:30 am
I had a nice weekend. I was in a village named Ilomantsi, in North Karelia, Eastern Finland, visiting hostmom's parents and her godchild.
In Ilomantsi there's living about 5 000 people, and there's many sub-villages there. There's also the easternmost point of Finland, and the easternmost point of the continental European Union in Ilomantsi. This village located so east, that it shares about 100 km long border with Russia.
Well, here I am, in front of the house of hostmom's parents.
After long drive a car, we were so hungry. So, we decided to cook. And I was there helping to barbeque! Yummy!
There's sausages, beef, chicken and apple slices...
...and offcourse some salad, too.
...and for dessert BIG sized pancakes (in Finnish: lettuja).
It was really good!!! And I ate a lot!!!
After eating I had enough energy to help changing tires of the car. There's no need to use winter-tires anymore, it's already time to use summer-tires.
That was little dirty work, so we all went to wash ourselves. Look, I am in the sauna. This is very Finnish thing.
There's so warm and relaxing!!! Awww!!! I'm in heaven!!! It's so nice to become clean again.
Look mom, I met so many new friends!!! Many toys of hostmom's godchild came to meet us and play with us. It was really fun!
Look, I met other ladybugs there!
We were sailing!
And we had a party!
This instrument is kantele. It's the national instrument of Finland. More infos about kantele you can found for example from here: (click). I want to mention that kantele exist also in Finland's national epic Kalevala.
Then hostmom showed me this village, Ilomantsi.
the main street
the town hall of Ilomantsi
a small park
a dog statue in the park
lots of trees!
pitkospuut (a way for pedestrians to be able to walk through the swamp)
I found a small bird's nest there!
The small ladybug was our guide and she showed us places of Ilomantsi. We all followed her.
The evangelic lutherian church of Ilomantsi. It has buildt in 1796.
Some nice landscapes
The lake is still frozen and there's snow on the ice.
This is the swim hall of Ilomantsi.
Spring is here! Look, those little soft round things in the branches, they are in Finnish pajunkissa.
Awww! I'm chilling in the sun!
This place called Sankarihautausmaa. It's a cemetery for those people who fighted in war many many years ago on behalv of Finland.
Hostmom told that there was a storm last winter, and the wind was so strong that some of these big spruces fall down then. And guess what? I am sitting right now on the root of one of those fallen tree. It's quite big, isn't it?
This is the orthodox church of Ilomantsi. It has buildt in 1892. It's the most biggest wooden orthodox church in Finland, and it is dedicated to the prophet Elijah.
After long time for walking outside, I need some sleep.
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted Apr 24, 2012, 4:31 pm
Today we got company. A cute frog Telie arrived here from Luxembourg.
We all gave Telie a group hug as a welcome.
And here we all are: Ape Apina, PinkLady, Hipsu, Telie, me, Sylvia, Mo, Porridge and Tokki
Telie showed us some pictures of Luxembourg. I think it is a beautiful country.
Hugs,
Finfin
xxx
Posted Apr 25, 2012, 7:36 pm
Guess what? There was an envelope today, too! And there came a cute teddy bear Ronja from Germany from that envelope. There's starting to have so many TVs here right now. But I think that the more, the more fun we all have!
We gave a group hug to Ronja as a welcome.
Love you mommy,
Finfin
xxx
Posted Apr 25, 2012, 8:08 pm
In the morning I watched through the window, and I noticed there were so many clouds in the sky. Everywhere looks blue and gray, and that was so sad...
I was thinking that there must be at least one way to feel better, and bring sunshine and happiness inside. So, I decided to make a sun myself. Maybe my sun will bring some light here...
And I did it!
Others did, too!
And it worked, we all feel much better now.
xxx
Love,
Finfin
Posted Apr 25, 2012, 9:08 pm
The making own sun was really powerful thing, because in the afternoon it was sunny weather outside! How cool! We had sunshine inside and outside, too!
In the first photo there's a white house, where my hostmom is living on the second floor.
Because it looked so nice outside, I went there, and relax in sun bath.
Look mommy, so much of snow has already melted away. Spring has come, and snow is dissapearing really fast. And the ice on the lake is melting, too.
Yeah, summer will come soon!
xxx
Hugs,
Finfin
Posted Apr 26, 2012, 8:51 am
Smile, please!
Say cheese!
Thanks!
xxx
Finfin
Posted Apr 26, 2012, 9:27 pm
Wow, this macine is amazing! I can chat with you, even though I'm so far away from home. It's so nice to talk with you, mommy! Hostmom told me this small macine is a phone, and in Finnish it is puhelin or kännykkä.
Well, let me tell you something, mom. Today was quite boring day, just because it was raining outside during the hole day long! So, I couldn't go outside to play or see places at all today. We all were inside and tried to think something nice things to do. But guess what? None of us has any idea, and it made us all very sleepy. And we went to sleep... Quite boring day, isn't it?
Hmmmm, nothing else to say for today. I hope tomorrow is the better day, and fun.
Bye for now, mommy! Love and kisses!
Finfin"
Posted Apr 28, 2012, 10:29 am
Today was much better weather outside than yesterday, so I went to outside to play in the evening. It was really fun!
I was in the playground to have some fun time there. The place's name is Eilan puisto, and it's located very near of hostmom's home.
I was swinging. It was really fun!
Others came, too!
There were Ronja, Telie, Mo, Sylvia, Porridge, me, Tokki and PinkLady.
Then I was swinging in other swing!
I was in the same side of the swing as Telie, Sylvia and PinkLady.
Then we all decided to go to slide.
First must climb the stairs...
...and then it's time for the funniest part!
We decided to slide all together in the same time. Oh, how crazy idea!
But before that, we must climb the stairs once again.
Paikoillanne, valmiina, hep!
(Ready, steady, go!)
It was fun!
Look, mommy! We all are having really much fun together!
Look mommy, I'm here top of the bird!
Others came, too. We wanted to go flying...
As the way back inside, I saw some real living birds there. And there were so many of them! Cool!
(Mommy, just take a look at the photo very carefully. Can you see those white spots on the ground? Yes, they are birds!)
While walking back inside, hostmom took some other photos, too.
It was a really nice day!
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted Apr 28, 2012, 9:03 pm
Today I read a book. Yeah, the HOLE book!
The story was so nice, that I coudn't stop reading it untill it was end.
Have you read this book, mommy?
At first reading was quite difficult, because book was written in Finnish.
But hostmom helped me to underestand everything.
And I read forward...
...and even more forward...
...untill the story was end.
After reading I got hungry. So, I made a sandwich with a funny smiley face on it.
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted Apr 29, 2012, 4:53 pm
I was outside today, because there's so nice sunshine there.
It was nice to walk next to the lake and see how spring is totally here.
I saw the first small flowers of this year's spring, and first leaf in the trees. Also some birds and beautiful landscape!
Hostmom is living just next to this beautiful lake. Oh, she is so lucky!
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 1, 2012, 7:05 pm
I have had such a great time today!
It's a day before the May Day, so it's time to celebrate and have a party!
In the May Day Eve (April 30th) and May Day (May 1st) Finnish people are celebrating, too. May Day is almost like a spring carneval or festival in Finland.
We decided to have a fancy dress party. It was really fun!
We dressed ourselves as ourselves.
Mommy, I'm here!!! (No, I was only kidding!!!
It's PinkLady, who has dressed and now pretending to be me!)
But here are we all:
Mommy, guess who I'm pretending to be.
Yes, I'm like Telie
We all have so much fun!
Telie is pretending to be Mo, Tokki is pretending to be Ronja, PinkLady is pretending to be me, Ronja is pretending to be Sylvia, Mo is pretending to be Porridge, Sylvia is pretending to be Tokki, Porridge is pretending to be PinkLady.
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 1, 2012, 8:35 pm
Party goes on!
How cool!
It's May Day Eve today, and I tasted something Finnish May Day sweet. They called it as tippaleipä (=funnel cake).
Wikipedia says this about funnel cakes (click) "Funnel cakes are made by pouring unleavened batter into hot cooking oil in a circular pattern and deep frying the overlapping mass until golden-brown. When made at concession stands, a pitcher with an integral funnel spout is employed. Funnel cakes are typically served plain with powdered sugar."
And a drink is sima.
Wikipedia says this about sima (click)
"Sima is a sweet mead, still an essential seasonal, sparkling brew connected with the Finnish Vappu festival. It is usually spiced by adding both the flesh and rind of a lemon. During secondary fermentation raisins are added to control the amount of sugars and to act as an indicator of readiness for consumption — they will swell by absorbing carbon dioxide and rise to the top of the bottle when the drink is ready."
It was so yummy!
Every year in May Day Eve, the statue of Minna Canth has got a special hat, ylioppilaslakki (=white cap). It's always few students, who can put the hat on the Minna Canth's head.
Here's some pictures about that seremony:
Hostmom told me, that not all can own this special white cap. Only they, who has successfully completed the upper secondary school final exams, matriculation examinations, can have those white caps. And this time of the year, Vappu (May Day), is the time for celebrate this.
When we were back inside, I could try hostmom's white cap.
Do I look cool, mom?
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 1, 2012, 10:02 pm
Because it's May Day, there was a flag of Finland in the flagpole. The flag looks quite nice, when the sky is so blue (today it was!)
Today I did also something exiting! I went to see some very cool cars!
There was a Car Show in Jyväskylä, so there were SO MANY old and new, and cool cars there!
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 2, 2012, 8:47 pm
Today I had really exiting day!
Guess what I did? Hostmom took me with her to a postcrossing meeting! The meeting was in a postcard shop named Harjun Paperi, in the Jyväskylä city center.
It was really fun! I met other nice Finnish people, and a real living dog, too! But don't worry mom, the dog was very kind.
I wrote postcards, eat some little snacks, and have a little adventure in the shop between all those wonderful postcards and other little stuff there. I had a great time as you can see from photos.
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 3, 2012, 10:01 pm
Look, I found a new friend!
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 3, 2012, 10:03 pm
Ooooh, I found a picture of a cow who slides!
The picture is in a milk carton. Mommy, do you think they got milkshake in Finland by shaking cows by letting cows to slide?
Well, I was kidding!!!
It's only a picture. But I think it's a cute one.
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 3, 2012, 10:07 pm
I found this cute thing today. It's quite interesting... What it might be?
Mommy, is this thing perhaps a rocket? Is it going to space?
Can I go in? Mommy, can I go to travel in space? I would visit the Moon, and many planets, and I want to see the black hole, asteroids etc... (I'm dreaming...)
Ooooh, mommy! Look!
There is happening something! The white part on the bottom is being bigger!!!
Hmmmm...
...maybe it is not a rocket...
This is so exiting! The white thing is moving, and it changes its shape all the time!
I have to take a look little closer. How cool!
Hostmom told me that it is laavalamppu (= a lava lamp).
It's magical, isn't it? I could stare it the hole day...
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 4, 2012, 9:15 am
We got some company today. There were an envelope in today's mail. And yes, there was a ToyVoyager inside!
We all were wondering, who this new TV might be.
We only saw a brown head and two big white teeth peeking out of the envelope. I haven't ever seen that kind of creature before.
The new TV came out of the envelope, and introduced as a B.o.B. the beaver.
B.o.B. gave us some candies.
I gave B.o.B. a hug as a welcome.
And then we had a welcome party for B.o.B.
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 6, 2012, 5:13 pm
At first, I want to say this warning to everyone, who is reading this...
IF YOU ARE AFRAID OF SPIDERS OR SOME OTHER SMALL BUGS, DON'T READ THIS UPDATE!
Well, now it has been said, and I can continue to tell you, what I have done.
I did today something really exiting! Mommy, can you guess what I did? It's related to spiders!!! How cool!
I tell you that little bit later...
First, I need to go outside, because we all walked to this "secret-spider-place". But, it was raining, and it wasn't quiet raining. It was raining a lot!
But don't worry mom, I didn't get wet, I got my umbrella with me.
And now it's time to tell you, mom, where I was going. I visited to see the Tarantula Birdspider Exhibition (more info: click here ) <--- I'm sorry, it's Finnish
There were many different big spiders, tarantulas, and other bugs and butterflies, too, showed from all over the World.
First, I saw some really beautiful butterflies. Some of them were SO BIG sized.
...And some cool and BIG sized spiders!
This one was the biggest tarantula in the exhibition.
I'm sorry about the quality of photos, but there were difficult lights for taking photos in that exhibition room.
I saw a real living scorpion, too!
And here are the most beautiful butterflies of the exhibition in closer look:
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 6, 2012, 9:45 pm
I was watching the really B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L sunset in hostmom's backyard today.
I think the nature in Finland looks very beautiful, indeed!
And I think my hostmom is really lucky to live in this environmental, just next to this small lake.
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 7, 2012, 8:55 pm
Guess what? Another ToyVoyager arrived here today!
He is Erol the Pirat from Germany.
We all gave him a group hug as a welcome.
He showed a postcard from his hometown, and we ate candies what he has brought from his home. They were so yummy!
Hostmom's cat came to say hello too!
Love
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 8, 2012, 7:42 pm
I had a fantastic and so funny day today!!!
I visited in the amusement park named Suomen Tivoli!!!
I was there with all other ToyVoyagers. And guess what? We met a new puppy toy (look the second photo). He wasn't a ToyVoyager, he was with one employer of the amusement park. He came to sit next to us to the bench, and he was in the same photo with us!
There were so many crazy things in that amusement park. And I was so brave, because I went to The Giant Wheel. It was so exiting, but I really liked the views. Hostmom took good care of me, I was in her lap or in her hands all the time.
Hostmom told me this Suomen Tivoli is the travelling amusement park. It stays some times in one city, and then it travels to the other city, and it travels in different parts of Finland.
I had a really great time today!
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 9, 2012, 4:38 pm
Because hostmom feels like she propably going to have a flu, we all stayed inside today, and just relax.
I found today's newspaper Keskisuomalainen, and I read it. But mommy, all is written in Finnish! So weird language!!!
So, I concentrated to watch the pictures, and offcourse the weather forecast.
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 9, 2012, 8:41 pm
Look, hostmom draw me!!! Do I look pretty?
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 10, 2012, 1:33 pm
I had a fun day today, as you can see from the pictures.
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 11, 2012, 4:27 pm
Today we said goodbye to Tokki and Porridge, because they started their travelling to the next place, to the next host.
We gave a goodbye group hug to Tokki...
...and to Porridge, too.
I'm going to miss them both!
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 12, 2012, 9:47 am
It's raining a lot here today, so we stay inside... and do some silly things!
We all were thinking what to do...
Then we decided to play with the scanner of hostmom, hihii
Mommy, I scanned myself!!! So funny!
Hi hiii... I just can't stop laughing! I look so funny!
We all laughed so much!!!
It was fun! Oh, silly me!
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 14, 2012, 4:27 pm
I did today something really exiting thing!
I sent a message in the bottle!!!
It was so fun!
Offcourse others came to write, too.
This is the message we wrote together.
It's time to put the message into the bottle.
...And put the bottle closed.
Yes, now it's ready to "send"
We went outside to the lake. There we released the bottle.
And there it goes... cool!
Bye bye little bottle, travel safe!
Hostmom put a little note in the bottle, too. She wrote one of her e-mail address there, so it's possible if someone will find the bottle, he can write a message to hostmom's e-mail.
Now we can only wait...
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 16, 2012, 4:53 pm
I had a wonderful day! I went to visit exiting place, where I climbed so high, and where could see so awesome landscape views. Can you guess already, where I was?
Yes, I visited in the ski jump place here in Jyväskylä!!!
Watch very carefully these photos... Can you believe there's still little bit of snow there?
Hihii!!! This is like a BIG slide! Mommy, this is soooooo fun!!!
I wanted to climb up... I wanted to see this place even more better. And I wanted to see the view up there...
So, I climbed up. It was hard work, but I managed it.
Sooooo long stairs!!!
But as I was thinking, the view... Wow! So beautiful!
On the way back, I saw some great things.
I saw this mysterious tunnel. What might be in the other side of the tunnel? Hmmmm...
...There's even more forest, offcourse!
I saw also the small stream. Look, how pretty it is!
And I saw a beautiful butterfly, too.
It was just pity, that the butterfly flew away before I managed to be in the same picture...
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 17, 2012, 8:09 pm
Today I was cycling with my hostmom and all other ToyVoyagers.
And because Finland is "the country with thousands of lakes" we were cycling around the lake named Jyväsjärvi. There I saw beautiful nature of this town. And guess what... the lake is just next to city center!
Hostmom also told me that there's about 188 000 lakes in Finland. Wow! So many!
Cool!
Look how nice little basket hostmom put in her bicycle. We all toys travelled in it.
And here we go! Oh, mommy, I can already see the lake! Can you?
From there we just came...
And there you can see the lake, a street for cars and a railway, too.
Now we are even more close to the lake Jyväsjärvi.
The city center is so close the lake.
Now we are in Jyväsjärvi. And we are going to cycle all around the hole lake!
The views from the harbour.
Look! The flags of many different countries!
There is Kuokkala, the one part of the Jyväskylä city.
And this is the bridge of Kuokkala.
Going forward.
The bridge of Kuokkala even one more time.
Hostmom took so many photos...
And again the bridge of Kuokkala...
C'moon hostmom, please stop taking pictures, and continue cycling.
Thanks. Now it's the right direction: forward.
(By the way mom, we are in Lutakko, it's the one part of Jyväskylä (as Kuokkala)).
Oh my... even one more photo of the bridge of Kuokkala!
YES, keep going hostmom...
Ok, I have to admit, that this view is quite nice (there's the bridge of Kuokkala again in the picture, hih).
It's so nice that there's this small street for pedestrians and bikes so close this lake.
Hostmom told me, that this is the popular for people to exercise by walking, running, cycling, rolleyskating etc. around this lake.
There's Lutakko.
And there's Kuokkala.
And there are both: Kuokkala and Lutakko.
Look mom! Can you see that small castle just in front?
The castle is part of the park named Peukkula. It's a place where children can play all the day, and meet some fairy tale creatures!!!
Now we are in the bridge named Äijälänsilta. Look, there's two men canoeing there! Can you see them?
This is Äijälänsilta.
And now our little journey continues.
There's city center... So so far!!!
Isn't this view nice? There's many birches, very typical tree in Finland.
Hih hih... Guess what is this bridge's name... YES, it's the bridge of Kuokkala, only from the other side of the lake now.
There's the harbour and the city center and Lutakko.
Look, there's two wild ducks swimming (yes, those two small black spots in the lake)
And the journey continues. Look how green there is.
On the left side, there's trees.
And on the right side, there's the lake.
This bridge called as Mattilanniemen silta (a bridge of Mattilanniemi).
And we keep going...
...and keep going...
A cute small bridge.
Now we have cycled around the hole lake!
When we were back inside, we looked from the map, where we were cycled exactly. Look the red line around the lake, that is the way we were cycled today. Hostmom told me, we cycled about 15 kilometres. Wow!
It was nice!
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 18, 2012, 8:38 am
It's time to say goodbye to ToyVoyager Sylvia. She is leaving here.
I'm going to miss her, because she is so nice little tiger.
We all said goodbye to her.
And we gave her a group hug as goodbye.
Then we watched when Sylvia went into her envelope. Bye Sylvia!
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 18, 2012, 4:49 pm
Sylvia left here earlier today, BUT we got more company today, too.
ToyVoyager Mi Nam arrived here. She is like a bunny and a pig, too. Both of them! How cool!
It's so nice to have more friends!
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 22, 2012, 9:24 pm
I have been so good time with my ToyVoyager friends here, that I haven't got a time to write updates daily...
Hostmom has got busy days at work lately, and she has been quite tired after the work day, so we toys have been doing something ourselves. One of the most nicest thing we have done, is playing different boardgames. It has been fun!
We have been played for example the Monopoly, Muuttuva labyrintti (the changing labyrinth) and different kinds of plays with playing cards.
Hostmom promised, that I can go outside soon, because the weather forecast has told there will be so nice weather here in the next following days.
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 24, 2012, 3:16 pm
I was outside today with other ToyVoyagers.
We went walking to the hostmom's backyard. There's already a summer here, and there's so green in everywhere!
I wanted to see more, so I went to the tree, a birch (koivu in Finnish).
There's the house of hostmom's home.
We went to see the flowers more closer.
I think these flowers are so beautiful.
...all of them!!!
Look, how beautiful view there is!
Here are we all just taking a little brake off walking.
Then we walked to see the lake. And we all were sitting and watched the lake and landscape there.
It's so finnish things: a lake and a tree.
I found these yellow flowers just next to water.
Now I am going back inside.
When we went back inside, we noticed that there has come a new ToyVoyager, Wayne gingerbreadman, to visit hostmom. How nice!
We all became friends!
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 28, 2012, 11:33 am
I found a flower sea!
There's so much of flowers there!
It's like a flower sea, or a flower jungle! Cool!
Everything is fine here. Hostmom said she has a special plans for the day after tomorrow, and I'm so exited about it...
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 30, 2012, 9:41 am
A new ToyVoyager Kit-Kat arrived here today!
She is so cute and friendly kitty.
We all said her welcome.
I'm sure we will be friends!
She showed us the postcard, candies and a teabag, what she got from Lithuania with her.
Hostmom's cat came to say "Hello!" too.
I'm so exited about today's plan, because hostmom told me that today evening we all are going to do something really nice thing... Hih, but I don't tell you that yet, because it's more funny to keep it in secret. Don't worry mom, I will tell you that later!
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted May 31, 2012, 1:45 pm
I had a w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l day!
Guess what I did... I was in a TOYVOYAGER MEETING!!!
Just great!!! I met sooooooo many new ToyVoyagers, and we had so much fun!
Here are we all toys together in Kirkkopuisto (a church park).
Our hosts and moms mmm105 and Reissari from Finland, and RikeH from Germany has organized this meeting, thanks for them!
Then mmm105 and Reissari said they have a secret, and we all must trust them. They talked each other something about benji jumping...
No no no, I won't do that!!! It's too crazy thing to do!!!
But it wasn't a benji jumping place where we went. I was so relief about that. mmm105 and Reissari were just kidding!
We went to see more Finnish people in a great postcard shop, where was a postcrossing meeting there. That was nice!
After that we went to the restaurant and I ate pizza, yummy.
Then was time to go "home", to mmm105's place.
There we said welcome to a new TV TobiHH, who came to visit mmm105.
After a long and exiting day, I was quite tired, so I went to sleep...
ZZZzzzzZZZ zzzzz ZZZZZZ zzzzz ZzZzZzZ zzZZZZz ZZZ zzzz
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted Jun 1, 2012, 8:55 pm
Today hostmom took me with her to visit a great place.
We went to näkötorni (the viewing tower) to see good views about Jyväskylä city.
And the views were definitely so great! I saw the hole city from there!
The viewing tower is located in the place called Harju (it's like a hill just next to city center).
There's the city center, and the harbour of Jyväskylä:
There's the sport stadium of Harju:
And if you look very carefully on the horizon of the following picture, you can see the ski jumping place there:
There's the house where hostmom is living! Yes, the building inside the red circle.
There's Natural History Museum in the same building as the viewing tower is.
So, I visited there, too.
The Natural History Museum's website (click) tells that "The Natural History Section serves as a preservation unit for natural scientific research, and displays environmental subjects and research material. It takes care of the living plants of the botanical garden on the campus. It also receives wild animals found dead and prepares scientific samples of them. The section has a collection of over 250 000 samples, the most numerous being invertebrates, plants and moss."
I saw many Finnish animals there.
There's two swans. A swan is the national animal of Finland.
Just next to Harju, we all stopped to watch a fountain.
And by walking in the city center I saw this little detail on the wall of one building.
Looks cool!
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted Jun 3, 2012, 7:37 pm
Look how nice rainbow I saw today!
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted Jun 4, 2012, 10:34 am
It's time to say goodbye to all my friends here, because I'm leaving today. It's little bit sad to leave here, because I'm going to miss everyone, but in the same time I'm so exited to start travelling again.
Thank you hostmom mmm105, and thank you all in Finland!
I had a great time here!
I said goodbye to all other ToyVoyagers... (TV Mi Nam is leaving today, too).
Hostmom's cat came to say goodbye, too.
After all goodbyes, it's time to go inside my envelope.
Bye bye all!
Love,
Finfin
xxx
Posted Jun 4, 2012, 10:45 am
I can't see anything... But maybe now it's perfect time to get a sleep and dream about what kind of place I'm going...
LITHUANIA, here I come!!!
xxx
Finfin
Posted Jun 6, 2012, 7:01 pm
I'm in Lithuania now
When I came out from the envelope, I saw nature around me! That's right, I first saw Vilnius outside, not inside. And my first photo was with this gorgeous flower:
I also took a picture near the house. Look who's behind me - a white cat!
When I came to my new home, I saw my friend Porridge! I've met her earlier, when mmm105 was hosting us. She gave me a big hug
Then I saw a nice fox Húlí hútú, he also gave me a great hug and we became friends!
My new friends and my new host mum Karolina were very happy to see me. They read my letter and I showed them a postcard and chocolate bar, which came with me from Finland. Kit-Kat told me that I'll have a great time in here - she was in Lithuania before she went to Finland. I really hope to see many beautiful places in here!
Love,
Finfin
Posted Jun 10, 2012, 8:14 am
I said 'hello, mummy" in Lithuanian! I know some words now and Karolina said that I could learn more today. Can't wait! But at first, here is what I did yesterday:
Me, Porridge and Huli went to the mall "Panorama". It was quite early, so not many people walked around.
I was sitting on a decorated bench:
Then we went to another mall VCUP where we saw a poster with a first toy musieum in Lithuania! You can read more about it here. We've seen an exhibition of some of the toys from the museum's collection. I've seen what games and toys children used to play in the last decades of the 20th century!
With already vintage teddy bears:
Look at these nice drawings which were drawn by children!
VCUP is in the New Vilnius, so when we went outside and walked on the White Bridge, this is what I saw:
We went to the park, where I landed near the small flowers...
...and then had a walk in the Old Town. I finally saw two famous buildings in Vilnius - The Cathedral and The Bell Tower! Beautiful!!
We decided to rest for a while in a small park near The Presidential Palace. It is located in Vilnius Old Town, is the official office and eventual official residence of the President of Lithuania. The palace dates back to the 14th century and during its history it has undergone various reconstructions, supervised by prominent architects, including Laurynas Gucevičius and Vasily Stasov.
After this journey we went back home
Love,
Finfin
Posted Jun 10, 2012, 12:36 pm
Today our host mum showed us this chocolate in the shape of Lithuania. Isn't it great? We started to explore it right away!
Then Karolina told us some lithuanian words. Did you know that AČIŪ means THANK YOU and ŽAISLAS means TOY? I wrote something:
Yep, a LADYBUG or a LADYBIRD is BORUŽĖ in Lithuania! Other friends did the same game with their names. While me and Porridge were finishing our first lithuanian words lesson, Huli thought that he could make a prank and scare us! We didn't see him at first...
Almost there to scare us...
BOO! Gosh, I really didn't expect this!
Huli said sorry for his joke, because we at first seemed to be very frightened, but we started laughing right after this. We also made a funny photo with mustaches:
That's what I did today. I guess I'm going to watch a movie or chat with my friends. I feel a bit tired now
Love,
Finfin
Posted Jun 14, 2012, 8:28 pm
Today Karolina showed us a bit of Zirmunai (in lithuanian it's Žirmūnai). It's the most populous administrative division in Vilnius. It is also a neighbourhood in the Lithuanian capital city Vilnius, encompassing the city district of the same name, built in the 1960s.
And you know what? We are living in Zirmunai! The house where I'm staying right now is in this administrative division
Here I'm next to the fountain:
This poster which we saw at the bus stop is about a great poetry writer Maironis:
And this is a very old fountain which was built in Soviet times. It's not working now. Can you see us?
Here, take a closer look!
It was a short journey, but I enjoyed it. We had to go to the Old Town because our host mum had to meet her friend there, and before that we stopped to take a picture near the Pranciškonų monastery:
And that's all for today. Miss you, mummy!
Finfin
Posted Jun 19, 2012, 10:03 pm
This Sunday our host mum's aunt had her birthday. We had a picnic outside and that was very cool! We went to Swedbank terrace at first:
Then we decided to be in Zirmunai, near the Neris river. We helped with the food...
...then we were sunbathing...
...even eating sushi! It tasted really interesting to me!
In the evening we went back home and we were eating the cake. Yummy!
That was a nice day. Karolina said that this week we can go to another country for one day. Can't wait!
Love you,
Finfin
Posted Jun 21, 2012, 1:27 pm
Today a new toy voyager arrived - it's Zed Dog! We all gave him a super big hug
We decided to see what's new outside, because Karolina felt not very good today and she stayed at home. We went to the balcony:
We played hide and seek! Zed Dog is looking for me... Hope he won't find me soon, haha!
It's cloudy outside and a bit cold, so we all decided to sleep for a while.
Hugs,
Finfin
Posted Jun 24, 2012, 11:44 am
Today we went to Latvia because Karolina with her family wanted to see some relatives. It was a great journey, though it was raining in the morning. We had so much fun in the car, too!
Here we are in our new house in Riga, Latvia:
After some time spent talking to all aunts and uncles (they're all very friendly
) we went for a walk in the city.
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga, at the mouth of the river Daugava. Riga's historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture!
Here we are at the Bastion Hill park:
And these are wedding locks on the bridge. So romantic!..
What a great fountain!
Near the Latvian monument to Freedom (for Heroes killed in action during the Latvian War of Independence) :
Musicians of Bremen Monument, Riga. How cool is that?
Do you know that you have to make a wish and touch all of the 4 animals noses? Not many people touch the top of it, but everyone touches the donkey's nose. You can see it from the picture (unfortunatelly, I couldn't get the 4th musician rooster in the photo):
I found my sister! Haha, it's a Latvian ladybug
Black cat (and the rooster) are symbols of Riga, Latvia. Here I am with the kitten!
And here we are all in the flowers:
The Old Town...
Near the monument with my friends:
Talking about the public transport - trams are very popular in Riga!
We were in Latvia when they had their public holidays. June 23rd is Līgo, a day before Jāņi. It's a Latvian festival held in the night from 23 June to 24 June to celebrate the summer solstice (Midsummer), the shortest night and longest day of the year. Many people that day were wearing a "crown" made of leaves and flowers, and the public transport was free. So, we were inside of the trams, too!
We had to go back, so I stopped to take a picture in the park:
It was great to see another country, even if this journey was that short. I hope to visit Latvia again one day, I liked it! After we came back from our short trip to the Old Town, we went back home to Lithuania. I was a bit tired, so I took a nap.
Love,
Finfin
Posted Jun 27, 2012, 7:22 pm
Today was our host mum's BIRTHDAY!!! Yayyy!!
We all gave her a big hug and said many beautiful words. I wished her happiness
Here we are with the chocolate cake!
I also gave Karolina a pretty flower. Then we all sung "Happy birthday". Our host mum seemed very happy!
We also had a sad moment, too. Huli and Porridge had to go to other countries, so me and Zed Dog said goodbye to them. I hope they travel safely!
Love,
Finfin
Posted Jul 2, 2012, 1:10 pm
Sorry for not posting anything new for a while. Now I have something to show you - on Saturday, we decided to go somewhere. Karolina showed us this little piece of paper and we decided to visit "Flea festival 2012"!
We went to Karpiškių village, near Varėna. I was looking at the plan:
Nature everywhere! Seems that it's going to be a fun day!
Here we met a lot of interesting people and animals, saw a lot of old stuff...
...ate some vegetarian food, listened to a good music...
We found a place called "Ramybės pieva" ("Quiet meadow") and went to a tea drinking ceremony. That was very interesting! We tasted different teas, such as pu erh or oolong tea.
That was a great festival! We all came back home relaxed and happy.
Hugs,
Finfin
Posted Jul 6, 2012, 8:40 am
I said "hi" to you in lithuanian!
This evening was really nice and warm, so Karolina took us to a short trip on a bike. It was really great, though I was very tired after that - we went from our house to Karaliaus Mindaugo bridge, almost to the Old Town!
Look - there you can see Gediminas' castle!
We stopped to take a picture next to this building (in Tuskulėnai park):
We've spent only an hour to this trip, but I liked it.
Kisses,
Finfin
Posted Jul 7, 2012, 8:46 am
Today we celebrated a big event in Lithuania - the day when Mindaugas was crowned King of Lithuania. It happened really long time ago, at the year of 1253! Mindaugas (ca. 1203 – fall 1263) was the first known Grand Duke of Lithuania and the only King of Lithuania.
We went for a walk to the beach near Neris river. It was a hot and sunny day!
Love ya!
Finfin
Posted Jul 7, 2012, 8:55 am
Today is a busy day - tomorrow we are going to Nida, a sunny resort in Lithuania. It is located on the Curonian Spit. It has 1,650 residents and is the administrative center of the Neringa municipality. Nida is the westernmost point of Lithuania and the Baltic States.
Me and Zed Dog are packing our stuff:
I will not be able to update my travelog until July 13, but I hope that when I return, you'll see many beautiful photos!
Au revoir!
Finfin
Posted Jul 14, 2012, 8:16 am
Me and Zed Dog with our host mum and her family are going to Nida. Great! We woke up very early in the morning and after 3 hours we were in Klaipėda. We went to Neringa with a ferry and we saw many birds flying with us!
We decided to go to The Sea Museum. But first, we took a picture near Curonian Lagoon!
It's me next to the ship "Dubingiai":
After 2 km of walking we finally reached it! Lithuanian Sea Museum, here I come!
Funny penguins
And here you can see on the right side curonian lagoon and on the left side - Baltic sea!
It's something like a bridge that separates the sea and the curonian lagoon:
The Baltic sea! Yaay!
Look, mummy, what a big ship I found!
And this is a picture inside the old wooden house - museum:
Well, it's time to go. Next stop - Juodkrantė!
Love,
Finfin
Posted Jul 15, 2012, 8:15 am
Our jorney continues and after the Sea Museum, we stopped to see one of the largest grey heron and cormorant colonies in Europe - The Hill of Herons. It's a bit scary to be there!
Finally we arrived at Nida! Our flat is very cosy and nice, but we decided not to sit at home and to go for a walk in the evening. The Curonian Sea (Lagoon) looks so romantic
There are many beautiful weathercocks in Nida:
Near the yacht:
Nida has it's own star gallery with hand prints of famous lithuanian singers, actors and others. Here we are near the very famous person in Lithuania Vytautas Kernagis hand print:
Birdies came to take a picture with me!
Wow, Nida looks so great! It's a small town, but I understand why this place has long been an attraction for tourists and artists.
Hugs,
Finfin
Posted Jul 15, 2012, 8:35 am
Today it was raining, but in the evening the weather was nice again and we went out for a walk.
We saw a beautiful Parnidis dune!
We also stopped to see the Sundial - Calendar. It's sad that in 1999 hurricane "Anatoly" tore down part of the solar clock, but it still looks interesting!
And this is the calendar - I'm in the summer part!
Other dunes. If you take a closer look, you can see a part of Russia - Kaliningrad Oblast is bordered with Lithuania!
On the beach...
And here is Nida lighthouse. It's very big and beautiful, we could see it when we were at the beach!
Watching the sunset:
I'm really going to miss this place when we leave
Love,
Finfin
Posted Jul 15, 2012, 8:39 am
Our last day in Nida was very cool - we ate a delicious cake named "Juodkrantė" and drank warm milk:
We also stopped at Preila to buy some fish and it was time to go. Our last stop was to say goodbye to the Baltic Sea:
Bye bye, Neringa! It was great to see such an amazing and beautiful place. Maybe one day I'll come back here
xxx,
Finfin
Posted Jul 15, 2012, 9:26 pm
today my mum said that it's time for me to continue my journey. It's really sad to leave Zed Dog, my host mum Karolina and Lithuania, but I have to go and see the world!
I gave a big hug to Zed Dog and he wished me a great journey:
I kissed Karolina and said bye bye to Vilnius. It was great to see this little, but really beautiful country!
My next stop - SWITZERLAND. I've heard that it's an amazing country, too. I hope the journey won't take too long...
Bye, everyone!! I'll miss you, Lithuania!
Finfin
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Jul 20, 2012, 6:50 pm
I arrived safely in Switzerland at my host mum Melanie's house! Sadly it was raining today so we stayed the evening inside.
Karolina send some sweets and a lovely card along! She says thanks coraline!!
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Jul 22, 2012, 11:40 am
Today we went to see my host mum's uncle, who owns a music shop!
I met some cool musicians outside.
This is a Swiss accordion, a traditional Swiss instrument. This one is from a famous maker, entirely hand made.
Look at all these guitars!
They even have a didgeridoo!
A statue outside the shop, of Helias Helye. He confirmed to have printed the first book in Switzerland in the 15th century, "Mammotrectus" of Johannes Marchesinus, although it is thought that books have been printed around Basel before that.
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Jul 23, 2012, 1:37 pm
Today we've been in Rheinfelden, and I first thought I see double. There's a Rheinfelden in Switzerland. Then you cross the Rhine over the bridge and you are in Rheinfelden in Germany! The two cities were joined until Napoleon Bonaparte fixed the German–Swiss border on the Rhine in 1802 and are still socially and economically tied.
In the middle of one of the bridges connectin the two Rheinfelden is a lovely little park.
Left Switzerland, right Germany.
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Jul 23, 2012, 1:44 pm
Today we've been in Roman town Augusta Raurica. It's actually called Augst now, but it has many landmarks from ancient Roman times, such as the theater.
This is it from below. Still now theater groups and school classes use it for shows. Due to its architecture there are no microphones needed.
And here from above. It's much steeper than it looks. Very exhausting!
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Jul 30, 2012, 1:24 pm
Today we've visited the regional museum of Emmental in Langnau. It's located in a very old Emmental-style chalet house called "Chüechlihus" (Swiss German for "house of cake", doesn't this sound yummy?).
Inside we found a miniature version of the house. Sadly it was a little too small for me..
This is a "Tracht" the traditional dress of this region. I think it looks very lovely. My host mum told me that there are differend Trachten depending on the region you're from. Some of them have really silly headdresses, one looking like a mohawk, another like a pot. Unfortunately most young people in Switzerland aren't interested in this part of the Swiss culture anymore and a lot of groups become too small to exist.
I bet this is where they made the fabric for the Trachten
I wasn't allowed to play, but it probably wouldn't have sounded very nice anyway
In the olden days, babies were put in these little beds with a sting so if they would cry at night all their mothers had to do us pull the string to gently rock the cot and they would quiet down. Clever, isn't it?
^
I think it would be really posh to be chauffeured around with this buggy
Swiss cheese has been shipped all over the world for over a century. Do you think it was still good by the time it reached it's destination?
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Jul 30, 2012, 1:55 pm
Today I accompanied my host mum to work. She works in an office you can pretty much compare to an employment agency, but the people which get hired are all doctors and scientists. They people at the office all came to say hi to me (that is the ones who were there, as almost half is on holidays at the moment), but they were too busy to pose for a picture with me.
"Hello, you're talking to FinFin, how can I help you?"
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Aug 2, 2012, 9:50 am
Tonight is a big event in Switzerland. It's the eve of the Swiss National Day! The Swiss National Day is the national holiday of Switzerland, set on August 1. It is an official national holiday since 1994, although the day had been suggested for the celebration of the foundation of the Swiss Confederacy as early as 1889.
All day we could watch the carnies build up everything.
In the back you can see the Basler Münster and the Floos.
The Basel Münster is one of the main landmarks and tourist attractions of the Swiss city of Basel. It was built between 1019 and 1500 in Romanesque and Gothic styles. The late Romanesque building was destroyed by the 1356 Basel earthquake and rebuilt by Johannes Gmünd, who was at the same time employed for building the Freiburg Münster.
The Floos is a stage floating on the Rhine which attracts many spectators for more than 7 years now. For a few weeks every night from 8.30pm or 9.00pm onwards you are able to see various bands and singers from Switzerland and abroad.
As we were going to Laufen to see the fireworks arranged for tonight we didn't see the performers of this evening.
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Aug 2, 2012, 11:17 am
Now we're back in Laufen. Here the whole old town has been decorated and lots of booths where you can eat, drink and dance.
I'm not on the picutre, because then we would have had to use the flash and it would've ruined the pictures.
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Aug 2, 2012, 11:49 am
Today we went to the étang de la Gruère, a small lake in the Jura range near Saignelégier. The lake and the surrounding bog is a nature preserve. The lake was formed in the 17th century, when a dam was built for a mill.
We sat down relaxing at the shore and feed ducks, which came really close.
The view was just fantastic and I enjoyed to lay in the shade.
Even tho the lake is a nature preserve you can swimm in it, which at this day many people did. In winter, it usually freezes and you are able to skate on it as well
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Aug 6, 2012, 8:14 pm
Tonight was a really big thunderstorm. My host mum loved it, but NicePeter and I prefered to hide under the blanket..
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Aug 8, 2012, 9:09 am
Today we got up really early. We packed our bags but weren't told where we're going to.
First we stopped in a coffee shop for breakfast. Lovely croissants with jam, hot chocolate and orange juice, yum!
Then it was back on the road again.
After a while we could see mountains in the distance..
And then we arrived: in Grindelwald, where it was really warm
We were going up a mountain called Männlichen with the cable car.
On top we had a great view onto the mountains.
It was a long way down..
And then we started the hike to Kleine Scheidegg. It takes about one hour to get there and it's a very comfortable hike considering we're on top of a mountain. No steep descents or ascents. We even met some cows along the way.
After the hike we arrived at the Kleine Scheidegg. We could've continued up with a cog railway all the way up Jungfrau but we decided not to, as it was very cloudy up there and we wouldn't have seen anything. So after a hearty "Holzfäller Znüni" (swiss = lumberjack lunch) we took the railway down and went back home.
Lots of love,
Finfin
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Aug 14, 2012, 10:38 am
Today we had a really lazy day.
We relaxed in the hammock..
... and enjoyed the bubblying of the little fountain.
We played a little hide and seek in the flowers...
... and found a really big beautiful flower with pale rose petals.
Love you lots,
Finfin
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Aug 20, 2012, 2:07 pm
Today a new toyvoyager arrived: PieksiHH.
NicePeter and I gave him a big welcome hug...
...to thank him for his presents brought from Finland.
At dinner with a big pizza hawaii we get to know eachother better.
Love & miss you lots,
Finfin
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Aug 24, 2012, 8:03 am
Today we were able to help PieksiHH with one of his missions: to eat cheese in Switzerland.
There are many different kinds of Swiss cheese. I've learned that the next time I am talking about Swiss cheese, I have to think about which Swiss cheese I actually mean.
Love,
Finfin
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Aug 28, 2012, 9:52 am
Today we've been in the old Roman town Augusta Raurica. It's actually called Augst now, and a small town not too far from Basel. It's known best for its Roman archaeological site and an open-air museum. We went to a Roman sitting room, where we played a small version of Nine Men's Morris. My host mum won most times, but she says it was just dumb luck.
Love,
Finfin
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Aug 29, 2012, 2:17 pm
Today on our way home from work, we stopped for a picture at the old market square in the center of Basel.
When one enters this impressive piazza, the first thing that catches the eye is the colourful Town Hall (Rathaus). However this piazza still plays a key role in the lives of Basel's inhabitants today. The market that takes place here every day of the week is a welcome addition to the grocer's and greengrocer's shops elsewhere in the city centre. Lovers of good food can find delicious local produce on the market stalls, as well as many specialities from the region, Switzerland and the entire world.
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Sep 5, 2012, 7:39 am
Today we stayed at home because it was horrible weather outside. It rained all day and we even had flashes of lighning now and then.
My host mum showed me something very interesting: to knit! At first I thought it very complicating, because she uses very strange wool, but soon I got the hang of it. Within a few hours work we made a lovely scarf.
Everyone helped a little:
First me...
...then PieksiHH...
... and then NicePeter.
In the evening we sat at the window watching the rain.
Then we read a good night story and called it a day.
Good night mum!
Love,
Finfin
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Sep 14, 2012, 11:35 am
It was Tokki! He's a Canadian bunny who came to visit us from his last destination in Germany with beelicious.
We gave him a big welcome hug and showed him our pace for the night, as it was already very late.
Lot's of love,
Finfin
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Sep 18, 2012, 3:45 pm
Mummy, where shall I go to?
Love,
Finfin
melik90@gmx.ch
Posted Sep 20, 2012, 1:53 pm
Today we watched a movie called Changeling. It's a drama with Angelina Jolie based on a real story.
It made us a bit sad but we all got chocolate to cheer us up again!
Lots of love,
Finfin
Posted Nov 9, 2012, 1:07 pm
Some hours ago I've arrived Claudia's home. I'm pleased to be here! The first thing we did.. Claudia took me into the city centre of Graz. At the moment I'm sitting atop of "Schloßberg". It's the landmark of Graz. Today is such a nice day.. The weather is perfect
sunny and warm! Hope you are also having a great day Greetings from Austria Finfin! PS: pics are coming soon
Hello!
Here are my first pics from Austria
I've arrived my hostmums home about 10o'clock a.m. And a brought a lot sweets with me.. mmh Claudia wanna say thank you to the previous hostmum in Swizerland.
This is my new friend Chacaice.. He is from Brazil and a very nice guy
He gave me a kiss..
We went into the city by bicycle.. Let's go
Our first stop: A nice place on the river "Mur"
This is the "Murinsel"
Behind me you can see the "Schlossberg" with the clocktower on the top. It's the landmark of city Graz.
How you can see there are a lot of steps to coming up
It's gonna be exhausting
But not for me
because ladybirds can fly hihi
Let me spy a bit
clocktower at close range
I love this place!!
what a beautiful sight! The clocktower is in the middle of the city so you can see all around.
It is about half past one
the clocks hands are inverted. The big one showes the hour
This guns were used until 1797 to warn the inhabitants when enemies were coming!
nice restaurante
How you can see.. Kiel is 888km away from me
just follow this direction
It is also autumn here in Austria
I like this season! The leafs look so colourful
Hope you are gonna like my pics.
Greetings from Austria
FinFin
Posted Dec 2, 2012, 10:31 am
My hostmum decided to visit the capitol of Austria with Chacaice and me.. Vienna! We spend there one day and visited Schloss Schönbrunn (it's a castle), Mariahilferstraße (it's a shopping street) and two christmas markets. It was a great day. The temperatures was around 3°C.
First we went for shopping @ Mariahilfer Straße
I like this construction
. Claudia told me that there is a collection of art in it. This building is called Vienna Secession.
This is the biggest christmas market in vienna. Behind you can see the museum of natural history
.
In the evening we went to Schloss Schönbrunn.
Can you see the great christmas tree in the middle of the place. I love it!!
There was a big christmas market around the place
they had a lot of beautiful things to buy.. christmas tree decoration, candles, toys for children,... and declicious things for eat and drink (all the things were made by hand work).
First we drunk a hot wine punch
mmmh declicious
different kind of christmas cookies
Posted Dec 7, 2012, 7:59 am
Today Claudia took Little T.B. and me with her to work. She works in a hospital. We spend a great time there as against the reams of people which are wounded. While Claudia was working we had a lot of fun
haha
we tried to take the blood pressure
His bloodpressure was 120/80. perfekt
He is healthy
Little T.B gave me an injection
haha I was afraid!
the emergency nurse call
ohh there is a lot of medicine in it
should a try something?? Claudia reproved me.. it's better not 
Look mum I'm a half male nurse now
I know how to bandage a bears hand
auau my wing hurts
Little T.B. tryed how to put a patch on a wound
Look! He has done well
! My wing doesn't hurts anymore
At the end of the night turn Claudia commissioned us to learn something about the humans body
we did
Now we are certificated nurses
It's time to go to bed now
Posted Jan 1, 2013, 12:19 pm
It's time for holiday. Let's go to Egypt.
Our flight takes 4hours from Graz.. At about 7 o'clock p.m. we arrived our hotel Makadi Palace ***** at Makadi Bay.
It's a great hotel
Opposite the hotel is a shopping mall with 5 restaurantes.. We booked AI so we ate there for free
haha
next day morning.. time for a breakfast
mmh delicious
first we went to the beach. At Makadi bay there is a beautiful coral reef with a lot of colorful fishes
awesome!! Claudia had a bad camera and it was not possible to make pics under the water..unfortunately I've no pics from snorkeling but of course I did hahahaaa
This is a bridge for tourists to reach the reef..
The water was nice.. warmer than the pool and turquois. But this day there were a lot of wind so it looks a bit brown.
Of course we went to Hard Rock Cafe Hurghada \,,/. Claudia loves this Cafes
and me too
This is their currency.. Egypt Pfund
Posted Jan 1, 2013, 12:23 pm
she is not good in doing this and it was her first time so she needed my help . It's just a small one and I'm not sure if you can identification what it is haha I hope so
After that hard work we needed a rest
Sunset in Egypt
romantic <3
Posted Jan 1, 2013, 12:24 pm
Our room
Posted Jan 1, 2013, 12:36 pm
It was impressively! But unfortunetely Claudia forgot the cam.
And what do you think we have done on friday.. we went into the desert with a Quad
haha it was a great experience.
Our guide Ahmed explained us how to use this machines
We visited a village where Beduins are living
the beduins sell their remedies from nature
hahaha Claudia looks so funny
as an original egypt inhabitant
the funniest thing was riding a camel
Our hotel at night
Love FinFin
Posted Jan 7, 2013, 10:05 am
presents
sitting atop christmas tree
A crèche
mmmh delicious christmas coockies
They are made from Veronika. She is the sister of my hostmum Claudia.
We lighted the candles
I wish you merry Christmas
Love, FinFin
Posted Jan 21, 2013, 10:01 am
The grandmother of my hostmum Claudia invited us for lunch. We went to her by car.. It was snowing during the previous night so it was a bit dangerous to drive
but Claudia did it well
We had a typical austria dish: roast pork, sauerkraut, dumpling and roasted potato
mmh delicious
After the lunch we took a walk through the small village Fischbach. Fischbach has about 1600 inhabitants and is 1050m above sea level.
This is a typical austrian "restaurant". It's name is Kirchenwirt. (Kirche means church..because the restaurant is near the church.. and Wirt means host)
Posted Jan 21, 2013, 10:27 am
This day was a crazy day.. Claudia wanted to go to Graz because she had to work. So we waked up early in the morning. When we looked out of the window we saw that it was snowing a loooot
! I was pleased but Claudia not because she had to drive 65 kilometers. Normally she takes about 1hour but this day we took 3hours. It was a crazy adventuresome drive !
Look at the picture.. can you see the street?
Posted Jan 21, 2013, 10:57 am
Perhaps on christmas we had no snow.. but now there is a lot of snow all over the country
I love it! The landscape looks so great.
Let's ride a sleigh
Can you see the snow sparkling?
The snow looks so great when the sun is shining!
When there is snow birds couln't find anything to eat. So people put birdhouses on the trees with a lot of delicious food in it
window decoration
Posted Apr 8, 2013, 6:59 pm
My hostmum Claudia took me to incredible India
We were travelling around for 3weeks. Our trip starts @ Vienna Airport.
We just had a backpack with us
We changed plane in New Delhi
Let's go to Kolkata
Park @ Victoria Memorial
Victoria Memorial
Taxi in Kolkata.. the drivers are not very familiar with their place
better you know where you want to go
TukTuk
holy cows..eat waste
It's time to leave.. Let's go to Cochin/Kerala! I couldn't wait to explore the south of India
Posted Apr 8, 2013, 7:04 pm
The temperatures in Kerala are about 36-40°C puuuuuuuuh
On the 6th of february we made a romantic boat trip. In the city there where a lot of loud noises..but on the river we could hear nothing
just the chitter of birds! Amazing and relaxing
A sea shell fabrik in the middle of the jungle
This women made ropes from coconuts..
banana tree
delicious food was served on the leaf of a banana tree
mmmh
chinese fishing net in Cochin
spices
Posted Apr 8, 2013, 7:06 pm
delicious indian breakfast
black tea plantage
Riding an elephant
Posted Apr 8, 2013, 7:08 pm
mmmh spicy spicy chutney with sweet sweet chai tea
We went to Goa by train. The trip takes about 17hours. Afterwards we took a Taxi to Palolem Beach
It's time to chill..
Yoga was born here
sunset <3
Bye Palolem Beach.. Mumbai is waiting us
Posted Apr 8, 2013, 7:13 pm
Taj Mahal Palace Hotel.. 2008 there was a terror attentat. Bombs exploded
University of Mumbai
lunch
central railway station
a mosque
Hard Rock Cafe Mumbai
We met an índian girl during our trip with the train to Mumbai. She invited us for dinner
And we got to know a very nice indian family and their indian tradition!
The biggest hand-washing machine of Mumbai
Posted Apr 8, 2013, 7:22 pm
! But the trip was over very fast..
The guards were a bit surprised about travelling toys
hahaha so funny! They looked like we are alians
Posted Apr 8, 2013, 7:26 pm
fascinating!!!
spices market
Old Delhi
Mahatma gandhi park..
Hard Rock Cafe New Delhi
My hostmum Claudia got sick in Delhi so she was not able to visit a lot of sights
But we are not sick
so we orderd delicious food
Posted Apr 8, 2013, 7:29 pm
Red Fort Agra
This is the entrance to the Taj Mahal
Another Palace in Agra
Our trip is over now
Hope I'll return to India some day <3 I love this country! It's so different..
Posted Apr 8, 2013, 7:30 pm
There is a lot of snow and -10°C brrrrrrrrrrrrrh
