Hippy, Bruchsal, Germany

Snamoen


Posted May 23, 2012, 9:05 am
Today I was adopted from the toy orphanage by my new Mum!

I was so excited and happy.  It wasn't just an exciting day because of that though - Mum's friend Gizalba was also there, and there were so many other toys as well.

At first I thought that maybe they were my new brothers and sisters, but then they explained to me that they were Toy Voyagers, and were visiting Mum or Gizalba.

It was so interesting hearing their stories.  Mum could tell that I was really fascinated by it, and she asked if I would like to register to travel.  Of course I said yes!  So Mum applied for my travel ID straight away.

But before we got to my new home, I went to the park with all the TVs.

Here we are - Flummi, Sheela, me, Paula Hip, Edelweiss, Tobbi and Pinky Bear.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1070310300x400.jpg

Imperio was also there, but I think at that particular point he was feeling a little camera shy.  He's in the next picture though.

Here is a picture of all of us - including Imperio! - by the war memorial, dedicated to those that fought in World War 1 and World War 2.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1070316300x400.jpg

http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1070317400x300.jpg

What a great day - being adopted and becoming a TV all in one day!
Snamoen


Posted May 23, 2012, 9:17 am
Today was another exciting day.  Because it was lovely and sunny outside, we all went for a walk to the Roman Fort at Chester.

Here I am enjoying the lovely English countryside.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090574300x400.jpg

Then we arrived at the Roman Fort.  Mum told me a bit about the history - that it was built in AD122 and was 120km long and 10m high at some points!  It was built under the command of the Roman Emperor, Hadrian, to keep the Scotts from attacking, to keep the empire safe.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090591400x300.jpg

Gizalba and some of her TVs were with us as well.

Here we all are - Pinky Bear, Sheela, Imperio, Edelweiss, me, Paula Hip, Tobbi and Flummi.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090580400x300.jpg

We explored quite a bit.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090610400x300.jpg

Then we relaxed by the river.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090583400x300.jpg

And since it was such nice weather, we all sunbathed for a bit - lovely!
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090592300x400.jpg

It got quite hot though, so Mum bought us an ice cream to cool us down.  Yummy!
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090630400x300.jpg

Then we went back home, where there was a package waiting for us.  I was really curious as to what - or rather, who - was in it.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1070322400x300.jpg

We quickly started to open it...
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1070323400x300.jpg

And out popped Huhn!
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1070324400x300.jpg

Then, to end the day, we had one last big group photo before Gizalba and her TVs went back home.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1070326400x300.jpg

It's been another great day!
Snamoen


Posted May 25, 2012, 9:36 pm
It's been so hot and sunny these past few days, it's been lovely!

I've been enjoying relaxing outside with my fellow TVs.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1070347400x300.jpg

http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1070339300x400.jpg

And there's nothing better than a refreshing cool drink!
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1070345300x400.jpg

As you can see, it's been quite a quiet day today - but lovely nonetheless!
Snamoen


Posted May 26, 2012, 7:39 pm
Today I went on a short trip with the other TVs to see one of the landmarks of the North East of England.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1070380400x300.jpg

We went to see the Angel of the North.  It was huge!  It's over 20m (66ft) tall and the wings are 54m (177ft) long.  I felt very little!
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1070384300x400.jpg

Then Mum treated us to some ice cream.  Mmmm!
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1070390300x400.jpg

When we got back home, we all decided that it was the perfect weather to sit outside and have a fruit smoothie.  But first, we had to make it!
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090647400x300.jpg

My job was to collect the strawberries and pass them to Sheela.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090648300x400.jpg

And voila, the finished product!
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090649400x300.jpg

It was delicious - but because I was so little, I couldn't reach the glass!  Luckily Sheela didn't mind helping me.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090655300x400.jpg

Then Mum gave us some olives - yum!
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090667300x400.jpg

It was another great day.  And Mum said that on Monday I'll be going on my first trip, I'm so excited!
Snamoen


Posted Jun 1, 2012, 4:51 pm
I was meant to be going on my first trip on Monday, but Mum couldn't drive to the post office.

But today is the day!  I'm going on my very first trip.  I'm really excited!  But I'm sad to be leaving everyone - who knows though, maybe I'll see them again someday.

Tobbi is also leaving today, he's going to Yorkshire, which is south from here, whereas I am going to Germany, which is where Tobbi is from!

All the TVs came to say goodbye to us.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090790400x300.jpg

First I said goodbye to Huhn.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090797400x300.jpg

Then Flummi wished me a safe journey.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090799400x300.jpg

Next, Paula said goodbye to me.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090801400x300.jpg

Then Sheela gave me a big hug and wished me a pleasent journey.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090798400x300.jpg

And lastly, Tobbi and I said goodbye to and told each other that we hoped for a safe journey for the other.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090795400x300.jpg

And now... it's time that I'm on my way.
http://i1069.photobucket.com/albums/u474/Snamoen/P1090796400x300.jpg

I was really sad to say goodbye to everyone,  but I'm really excited about my first trip.
beelicious


Posted Jun 9, 2012, 7:49 am
Hey mum!

Today I arrived at my new host in Germany.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050785.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050786.jpg

I was welcome very friendly by the other TV's  :D.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050787.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050799.jpg

Look! An another rabbit TV! It's Tokki from Canada. My first life mission is fulfilled  :cyclops:!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050789.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050790.jpg

Take care!
Hippy
beelicious


Posted Jun 12, 2012, 12:04 pm
Hello!

Today is the day: The soccer European championship begins!

I print a couple of flags....
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050823.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050824.jpg

cut them out....
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050835.jpg

and make small flags.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050836.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050837.jpg

Ready!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050838.jpg

My hostmum made for us TV a little Fan-sofa. Now it can start!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Bobi/P1050864.jpg

Bye,
Hippy
beelicious


Posted Jun 13, 2012, 9:44 am
Today I watch the game between England and France.

Goal for us!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050950.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050952.jpg

Oh no! Goal for France....
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050954.jpg

Final result 1:1...
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050955.jpg

Kiss,
Hippy
beelicious


Posted Jun 18, 2012, 9:45 am
Hi!

Today we've looked the match between Germany and the Netherlands on the TV.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Leooo/P1060045.jpg

The Dutch fans are very funny!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Leooo/P1060062.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Leooo/P1060063.jpg

The German too.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Leooo/P1060076.jpg

The German TV's sing the National Anthem. They are not the best singer ...
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Leooo/P1060077.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Leooo/P1060074.jpg

Leooo sings the Dutch national anthem. He sings very nice....
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Leooo/P1060079.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Leooo/P1060080.jpg

Good luck and fair play!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Leooo/P1060082.jpg

Goal for Germay!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Leooo/P1060093.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Leooo/P1060096.jpg

Goal for Germany again!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Leooo/P1060101.jpg

Now goal for the Netherlands!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Leooo/P1060114.jpg

Final result  2:1. Germany wins!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Leooo/P1060116.jpg

Kiss,
Hippy
beelicious


Posted Jun 19, 2012, 3:51 pm
Hello mum!

This afternoon we made a spontaneous trip to the  "Brombachsee". It isn't a natural lake but it's still very nice there!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060135.jpg

It was too late for a boat trip...
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060150.jpg

On the way home we've stopped in Bamberg and went to a beergarden. The people in Upper Franconia called it "Keller".
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060151.jpg

Kiss,
Hippy
beelicious


Posted Jun 26, 2012, 8:30 am
Hi!

Today Tokki and I had a great idea.
We want to see real rabbits...  so we made a poster!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Tokki/P1060204.jpg

We demonstrated until our host said "Ok! We drive to real rabbits!".
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Tokki/P1060206.jpg

So we went to Schweinfurt to the "Oaks", a little park with animals.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Tokki/P1060197.jpg

Finally! I meet a real rabbit!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060161.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060162.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060172.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060173.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060184.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060196.jpg

I can't read the sundial but it's time to go back at home. It was a great day  :cyclops:!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Bobi/P1060158.jpg

Bye,
Hippy
beelicious


Posted Jul 2, 2012, 9:30 am
Today I baked cheesecake muffins. Yummy!

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050957.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050982.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050989.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050966.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050972.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060005.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060007.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060018.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1050961.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060023.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060026.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060034.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060039.jpg
beelicious


Posted Jul 2, 2012, 10:17 am
Today  was an envelope in the mail.
Maybe a new friend?
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Cherry%20Lola/P1060207.jpg

We're so excited!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Cherry%20Lola/P1060208.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Cherry%20Lola/P1060209.jpg

Look! It's Cherry Lola, a real california girl! We gave her a warmly welcome!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Cherry%20Lola/P1060210.jpg

beelicious


Posted Jul 2, 2012, 10:48 am
Hi mum!

Last night was a terrible storm! Thankfully I wasn't alone!

This morning we saw the damage.

Twigs and branches everywhere on the streets ...
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060218.jpg

broken trees ...
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060224.jpg

and the tomatoes are a little bent.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060230.jpg

But don't worry! I'm fine!

Greetings,
Hippy
beelicious


Posted Jul 10, 2012, 8:42 am
Hello mummy!

Today we were in the beautiful city of Bamberg.

We wanted to the cathedral but unfortunately there were all the roads blocked ...

A view of St. Michael.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060289.jpg

We are then in the historic Old Town. They is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This is "Little Venice." The river is the "Regnitz". It is not beautiful?
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060260.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060261.jpg

This is the "Old Town Hall".
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060273.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060278.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060285.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060270.jpg

It's really magical here!

Best regards,
Hippy
beelicious


Posted Jul 12, 2012, 1:39 pm
Hi!

Today we got a parcel!.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Wolley/P1060328.jpg

Yeah! A new TV!
We're very excited!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Wolley/P1060329.jpg

Look! It's Wolley from Guinea! 
We welcome him friendly!

We also said "Goodbye!" to Kasimir Kashmir. He travels to England!
Good luck, Kasimir!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Wolley/P1060331.jpg

In the evening we visited a friend of my hosts.
The boys are Ismael and Ilias.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Wolley/P1060332.jpg

Bye,
Hippy
beelicious


Posted Jul 26, 2012, 7:18 am
Hello!

Today was Cherry Lolas birthday.

We made a little birthday-party for her!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Cherry%20Lola/P1060381.jpg

We sang "Happy birthday!"
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Cherry%20Lola/P1060382.jpg

She blow out the birthday candle.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Cherry%20Lola/P1060383.jpg

I hug her.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Cherry%20Lola/P1060386.jpg

Then we ate birthday cake and...
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Cherry%20Lola/P1060391.jpg

drank Cherry Cola.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Cherry%20Lola/P1060393.jpg

We had a lot of fun together!

Bye,
Hippy
beelicious


Posted Aug 3, 2012, 8:19 am
Hey Mum!

Today is the day - It's time to travel again!

I talk to  Bobi and he travels too! I ask him where he travels and he say "Offenbach in Germany".
Me too! Oh that's so great! I don't have travel alone!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060438.jpg

On the PC we inform us.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060440.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060442.jpg

http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060443.jpg

There are about 280 km to Offenbach.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060446.jpg

I write into the guestbook.
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060439.jpg

A last picture with the another TV's. Goodbye my friends! Take care!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060435.jpg

Bye! See you soon!
http://i1236.photobucket.com/albums/ff457/Kalea3307/Hippy/P1060437.jpg

Hippy
Fin07Fay09


Posted Aug 13, 2012, 9:02 pm
Hi Mommy...

Bobi and I were really excited. After a long journey (we slept a lot after we left beelicious) we heard some noises...

I told Bobi, that there must be rabbits somewhere because I understand what they said, and then the envelope was opened.

I did a skip forward and recognized there were JellyBelly and Queenie. Then also Bobi comes out (he was a bit afraid, because now there were 3 rabbits)

After we introduce ourself, we eat the gum which were inside the envelope and enjoy the nice evening.
Fin07Fay09


Posted Aug 14, 2012, 9:14 pm
Hi Mommy,
today afternoon we went outside in the garden. Hostmoms children loan us their sandtoys, so we could build a small sandcastle....

First we put all the sand in the mold and then we hammered it out, but me, she was jumping on it and that was really funny  :D
Queenie and JellyBelly turned the mold very fast around and Bobi and I looked under the mold if everything go the right way...

After lifting we saw a really nice castle. Bobi wants to jump on the balustrade, but unfortunatly he slides down... but nothing happened, just the castle gets an old touch by this.  ;)

Later we all laying down in the grass and enjoy the sun...
Fin07Fay09


Posted Aug 14, 2012, 9:46 pm
Yesterday hostmum told us about a surprise visit... but didn't tell more details...

We all were really excited and waked up very early. After breakfast we walked (ok, we had the luck to sit on the top of the buggy) to the S-Bahn Station and waited. We thought over what it could be and were so bemused, that we didn't recognized we were still there... in the ZOO of Frankfurt....

We saw a lot of animals and here are some special pictures I want to show you...
- the apes, which had a lot of little baby-apes hanging on their belly (I think his works different with rabbits, or?)
- flamingos, which had their first babys since 13 years in Frankfurt
- an animal named "Double-wattled Cassowary", that looks really strange and he looked at me like it wants to eat me....
- and the giraffes... also with a baby. Just 1 Month old but sooooo tall...

We had so much luck with the nice weather and enjoyed also all the other animals, like hippopotamus, okapis, meerkats, african wild dogs, tigers and lions...
fam-united


Posted Dec 24, 2012, 9:29 am
Hi Mum,

today I arrived at Bruchsal. My host welcomed me as a very special guest for Christmas. She is so happy to have me with her for the holidays. And I met many other toyvoyagers already. We had some fun exchanging our stories. I will post some photos of it soon.

Bye, Hippy
fam-united


Posted Jan 30, 2013, 7:36 am
It is Sunday, the fourth of advent. So nobody did think, that the doorbell would ring and the postman would come and bring a package. But suddenly we heard a bell ringing and we were shaken back and forth. Of course we were very excited, especially because it was the day before Holy Eve. So we all sat in our package and waited. In the meantime this happened outside the package:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8083/8424006543_45dc1224fc.jpg


What a big surprise for us! There were so many new toyvoyagers outside the package: Kari, Robby, Fiona, Hömpfmömpf, Madam Miff, Chalon, Kara and Mysterio. So the house got crowded:)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8324/8424006367_cd711e17e5.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8047/8425096314_773e29038b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8365/8424006083_d3cbd158bd.jpg


They told us to walk out of the package, so we could introduce each other and exchange adventures. We had a nice chat.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8473/8424005945_001be1c371.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8496/8425096012_470d02e1b5.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8218/8425095910_befa865c1b.jpg
fam-united


Posted Jan 30, 2013, 8:02 am
Our hosts received a present: An Anastatica. Anastatica is found in arid areas in the Middle East and Sahara Desert, including parts of North Africa and regions of Iran, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, and Pakistan .

After the rainy season, the plant dries up, dropping leaves and curling branches into a tight ball, and "hibernates". Within the ball, the fruits remain attached and closed, protecting the seeds and preventing them from being dispersed prematurely. The seeds are very hardy and can remain dormant for years. Wetted again in a later rainy season, the ball uncurls and the plant wakes up from its dormant state, which causes the capsular fruits open (dehisce) to disperse the seeds.


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Then we finished some other cookies called Staenglein. They are very yummy.

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On Holy Eve we had the family's traditional dinner: chicken fricassee in pasty with lamb's lettuce.

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Later we sat around the plate with cookies and sang Christmas carols under the Christmas tree.
sorry, it was so dark, so the photos aren't that good and somehow the flashlight didn't work.

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fam-united


Posted Feb 17, 2013, 3:02 pm
It's the last day of the year and it's not raining. So we decided to go out on a sightseeing tour in Bruchsal.

At first we walked through the so called Bürgerpark, citizens' park. It was created in end of 1980something. There are two memorials of National Socialism victims and a third memorial as sign for understanding between different people of the world.


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Here you see the medieval tower and a part of the community centre. The tower was built in 1358 and is the oldest building of Bruchsal. It belonged to the old castle.

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Bruchsal has about 42 000 inhabitants, if you also count those in the five suburbs, which are Heidelsheim, Helmsheim, Untergrombach, Obergrombach and Büchenau. It was first mentioned in 796 A.D., but there had been an older settlement. 80 % of Bruchsal had been destroyed during World War II. on 1rst of March 1945. So you hardly find really old places.

Schloss Bruchsal is one of the most beautiful Baroque palaces in Germany and the only episcopal Baroque residence on the Upper Rhine. The foundation stone was laid in 1722 by Cardinal Damian Hugo von Schönborn, Prince Bishop of Speyer, who made the palace the centre of his absolutist dominion.
After being almost completely destroyed in the final days of World War II, the main tract was painstakingly reconstructed according to the original design and work was completed in 1975, including the magnificent dome, Marble Hall and Prince's Hall. The staircase designed by Balthasar Neumann is considered to be an architectural tour-de-force and has been described as the "finest staircase in the world".


We're now standing in front of one of the three entrances to the palace church called St. Damian and Hugo. From here you can see the county court, the Damian Gate and the tower of the jailhouse. The building on the left side,m which of course is the right part of the building,  houses the chamber music hall.

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Inside the church you can see these plates, which show the palace during the years. In the top photo you can see, how it looked like after World War II. In the last photo we were standing just in the corner, which you see in the middle of this top photo, between main building and church.

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The church wasn't rebuilt in baroque style. It is really modern. Somehow that's sad, but the costs were just too high. Here we are at the backside of the church. You see, that the tower isn't directly next to the church.

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This is the backside of the palace. In summer there are weeks, when they play open air theatre and in winter there is a second Christmas market since a few years.

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Next to the main way through the palace garden you find a lot of statues. At one crossing you see in each corner one statue of the four elements: fire, water, earth and air. Here you see the statue earth.

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The statues in the next crossing's corners show the four seasons: winter, spring, summer, autumn. Here you see winter.

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At one small gate you come to this street with really old houses.

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Here you see the mainbuilding of the palace.

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Just turning around on our heels we saw the county court building and the Amalie fountain.

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The Amalienbrunnen is called Schnecklesbrunnen ( in Bruchsal dialect), which means snail fountain.

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This is the gate called Damianstor. It is the entrance to the palace area. In the Damian Gate you can visit art exhibitions.

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We walked to the Stadtgarten, another park. This fountain is called Ferdinand Keller Brunnen. Behind the fountain you can see a part of a grammer school called Schönborn-Gymnasium.

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The Belvedere on the edge of the "Stadtgarten" was built by Leonhard Stahl in 1756 as a hunting lodge for Prince Bishop Franz Christoph von Hutten. The location was chosen so that the lodge would command an unspoiled view of the palace, town and Rhine rift valley beyond.

Especially worthy of note are the two towers, each of which has a viewing platform topped with a Chinese-style baldachin – an example of the fashion for chinoiserie prevalent at that time. Today, the Belvedere is used as a venue for concerts and theatre productions.


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At top of the Andreasstaffel, high stairs, you have a great view over Bruchsal. The houses below belong to the oldest part of Bruchsal. You also can see the tower of the ancient castle and of two churches (from left). The houses, which are in one line right in front of us, belong to the Huttenstraße.

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Here you see the baroque church St. Peter in the far. If you take a look right to the edge to the wood, you can see a big house. This house is called Sancta Maria. It is a school for social education and it is still home for Franciscan nuns.

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The buildings right in front of us and the white building in the far on the left side are all part of the old people's home. The big grey building behind the white is another grammer school called St. Paulusheim.

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We also walked a bit down the Andreasstaffel and had a few to the top from there. You see that small house. It is called Wingerthäusle. Maybe you can read about it in the next photo, it might be a bit small.

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We saw a beautiful house next to the Stadtgarten. If you plan to stay in Bruchsal for a holiday, you can rent this house for a while. It belongs to a hotel and restaurant.

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Finally we walked back home again. We came to the baroque church St. Peter, which is only a few hundred feet from our host's place. THe church is still baroque inside. It is located at the edge to the graveyard.[img]null[/img]

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fam-united


Posted Feb 17, 2013, 5:51 pm
Finally it is time to welcome the New Year 2013. We watched the fireworks and our host's children made a special firework with sparklers for us. Then we went to bed, really tired.

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fam-united


Posted Feb 17, 2013, 6:34 pm
On January 6th is Epiphany. Children go out as the three kings and collect money for church and special needs. Many people offer them sweets. That's why they also carry bags with them to put the sweets, chocolate and other things like apricots and appels in it. Here you see some of the sweets the sons and daughter of our host brought home on 5th January. (This year they went on 4th and 5th). Maybe they will share them with us, who knows.

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fam-united


Posted Feb 17, 2013, 7:36 pm
Finally we have some snow, so we decided to go on a walk around the Kreuzbergsee in Tiefenbach. The lake was contured as recreational area in 1974 and it's magnitude is about 200.000 m². It is about 340 m long and 70 m broad.

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fam-united


Posted Mar 29, 2013, 4:02 pm
The weather was so grey, that we had not really a chance to go out and see other places. It had snowed during the night - everything is white now. At least it isn't so dark outside now.


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fam-united


Posted Mar 29, 2013, 4:26 pm
Today I joined my host on a trip to Blaustein. Her son studies at the university of Ulm and she visited him over the weekend. He has a nice view out of the window and today we had been really lucky, because the sun was shining.

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fam-united


Posted Mar 29, 2013, 4:56 pm
Blaustein is a municipality in the district of Alb-Donau Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is situated on the Blau River, 6 km west of Ulm and has about 15,000 inhabitants.

It was created in 1968 after the union of Ehrenstein and Klingenstein and some more municipalities joined.

It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps UNESCO World Heritage Site.


View to Löwenfelsen in Ehrenstein


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The river Blau really shimmers blue sometimes. The name comes from the celtic name Blava. The blue colour comes from light scattering due to the high chalky spring water. River Blau is a left tributary to the Danube.

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It was so so cold, that we hurried home again after these two photos.
fam-united


Posted Mar 29, 2013, 5:38 pm
The next day we joined our host's son and her on the way to the university and after we said goodbye to him, we walked back home. The way was rather steep and I had a lot of fun on the icy way. But you can see, that the sky was grey again.

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Back in Blaustein we walked through the Szeklertor, which is a present of the partner city Cernat in Romania. The Székelys derive their name from a Hungarian expression meaning "frontier guards" and were regarded as the finest warriors of medieval Transylvania, but it isn't completely proven.

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fam-united


Posted Jun 2, 2013, 9:32 am
Today I watched tv, because it was a special day. We followed the flight of former Pope Benedict XVI. out of the Vatican.

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fam-united


Posted Jun 2, 2013, 2:48 pm
Wow! We have another sunny day! I really had no chance to see the flowers in the garden behind the house until now, because the weather was that bad. I can't remember, that we had springweather like this before. All flowers are blooming at the same time and the trees got leaves within minutes it seems.

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fam-united


Posted Jul 21, 2013, 9:10 pm
Today we decided to bake a rhubarb cake. Our host allowed us to do it all alone without her help. So please take a look at the recipe. We explain it step by step:

At first we had to find a place - we are quite a few
:)

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Of course we aren't all traveling. Some of us are here as active toyvoyagers, but many of us are guests, who decided to stay here as long as the owners don't find time to get in contact with our host. And of course some of us live here, but we all have one thing in common - we are toyvoyagers.
At next we had to get the eggs. We need six eggs for the cake.


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It was Sausi Karl's job to beat the eggs.

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Then one of us - don't know who - added 50g sugar for each egg, so it was 300 g sugar. It's quite a lot, we know.

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Madam Miff added one packet of vanilla sugar to the dough.

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Of course we had to beat the dough again, but we couldn't handle the camera while beating the dough.
Matcha and Ted added 300g flour and one packet of baking powder.


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Then we had to stir the dough again until it was fluffy.

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Melek helped

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and Nathalie

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Then Matcha prepared the dish for the dough. We baked without bottom on a foil.

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Nathalie was still busy stiring the dough.

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And the she filled it in the dish.

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Then we all were sitting there and waiting for the cake to get baken in the oven. Man it was boring at first. But we didn't expect, that half an hour can be such a short time, when so many tvs are together.

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After this break we had to prepare the rhubarb, because we wanted to fill the cake with rhubarb cream.

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Little Dragon helped to skin it.

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And Matcha helped to cut it in pieces.

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Billy helped Matcha to stay on the pot during cutting the rhubarb pieces.

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Then we had to prepare some ingrediences for the cream. We needed two packets of vanilly pudding powder, one egg white and one yolk. We had to stir the egg white.

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Before adding the stirred egg white, we had to add the pudding powder. We had added a little bit of water to it and shook it until it was smooth. Then we added the pudding powder to the cooked rhubarb. We also added the yolk.

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Then Louis the Rat added the stirred egg white and gently folded it in.

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Finally we cut the cake in two layers and filled the cream on the first and then on the second layer and put the last layer on top of it.

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fam-united


Posted Feb 20, 2015, 6:37 pm
There will be a big event in this family this year: the wedding of one of the sons. Petra is happy, that she is allowed to bake the wedding cake. It will be a cake with strawberries and maybe some marzipan. She still doesn't know the other ingredients, so she has to try some cakes and find out the best version. And of course we are part of this.
Here's the first cake - I can't remember the ingredients anymore, I'm sorry.
:)

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