Jialin Gui gjl_sharon@qq.com Posted Jun 26, 2012, 2:17 am |
I'm so excited!!!
I'll leave home and go to Finland! It's my first time to go abroad! And i 'm now saying goodbye to sister and my friends. |
mmm105 Posted Jul 12, 2012, 7:49 pm |
Hello!
I finally arrived in Finland! Yej! When I was still inside my envelope, I heard many different happy whoices out there. And when I saw light coming inside the envelope, I saw many curious faces looking at me. They were other ToyVoyagers, who all wanted to meet me. Just look, how curious they all were!!! "Hello! My name is Totoro Nice to meet you!" They introduced themselves (from left): Kurnau-cat, Druri-dragon, Ronja-teddy, Mr. and Mrs. Honeymooners sheep couple in back line, BarryO-teddy in front line, Kit-Kat-cat, Wayne-cincerbreadman, TobiHH-seal and Lina-sheep. I said all: "Greetings from China!" I think I will have great time here! I'm looking forward to see new places here. It must be fun! The journey from China to Finland was so long, that I was truly hungry when I finally arrived. Look, how thin I am. So, I ate lots of bananas... yummy! ...and look, how big my tummy is now! Now I'm happy. I arrived safe in Finland, I met new friends, I got something to eat... So nice! I think I'm going to sleep now... feel little tired... ZZZzzzz zzzz ZZZz z zz z Z Zz ZZzzzzZ ZZ Z ZZ zz zz z Love, Totoro xxx |
mmm105 Posted Jul 12, 2012, 8:55 pm |
Hello!
I was walking outside today. I saw a nice small park. And there I saw this statue of Uno Cygnaeus (1810-1888). He is considered the father of the Finnish public school system. And because the boy in the statue is reading, I feel like I want to read something. Kurnau show me the local library building. There's so many books!!! Even more books are outside the photo. There's an art statue in the library building. This one is called "Tiedonpuu" ("A tree of knowledge"). It has made in 1980. And there's also a nice exhibition about the history of Jyväskylä-city, the dolls are showing things about this town's developement. In 1850's Jyväskylä was a small town with many craftsmen. In 1860's Jyväskylä was important city in the civilization and education in Finnish language. In 1900's came first railways, and it helped making connections to the World. In 1910's industrialization grows and became more and more important. In 1940's Jyväskylä was important supporting hometown during wars. In 1970's trafic grows fast, and it was necessary to build bigger and better streets. In 1980-1990's the activities of free-time got more popularity. (And by the way, ice hockey is very popular activity in Finland, and Jyväskylä is the current Champion in Finnish ice hockey.) In 2000's Jyväskylä became a bigger town, because some federations of municipalities has made (smaller cities joined together to became one bigger city). Love, Totoro xxx |
mmm105 Posted Jul 15, 2012, 9:55 pm |
Hei! Hello!
Today I saw some public art works outside. They are all so unique. This one is called as "Elämän koulu - vastuu, luottamus, luovuus" In English it might be something like "A school of life - responsibility, trust, creativity" This one is "Karhu" ("A Bear"). The artist's name is Oskari Raja-aho, and the statue has made in the year 1930. Look, we all are riding on the bear! This one is "Keinumieli-Tyhjämieli-Häkkimieli" and the artist is Juhani Petäjäniemi, and it has made in 1989. The name is difficult to translate into English, but it might be something like "a mind of swing - a mind of emptyness - a mind of cage". I like this statue. It looks like there's two people flying. The name of the statue is "Elinehto-ajatus-liiketoiminta" and the artist is Heikki Häiväoja, and it has made in 1979. The translation of the statue's name is "Lifeline-idea-business". And there's a statue "Kauppias ja apulainen" ("A Merchant and his assistant). The artist is Pauli Koskinen, and it has made in 1959. And this one has made the same artist, Pauli Koskinen, in the year 1957. It is art in the outside wall of the building. And it's name is "Reliefi" After walking a little there started to be dark clouds in the sky, so we turned walking back, and we hoped to arrive 'home' before it's raining... ...But we didn't managed. It started raining so quickly. And the rain, it was HARD, we got totally wet within one minute. We run back 'home', and inside it was time to get dry again, aww... What an adventure!!! Love, Totoro xxx |
mmm105 Posted Jul 16, 2012, 9:02 pm |
Hei! Hello!
A new toy arrived here today: Hunny bunny originally from USA. It's so nice to have more friends! We had a welcome party for her. We ate all candies what she got with her in the envelope. They were soooo yummi! Love, Totoro xxx |
mmm105 Posted Jul 17, 2012, 4:03 pm |
Hello!
One more toy arrived here today. This is so great, to have more friends! We looked the envelope, and the stamps on it. Who is coming from South Africa? Wow, so far. "Hello! My name is Phog. I'm from Germany, but I was visiting in South Africa." said this cute dog to us. We introduced ourselves, too. Then Phog showed us the great postcard what he had took with him from South Africa. Love, Totoro xxx |
mmm105 Posted Jul 20, 2012, 11:05 am |
Hei! Hello!
Today I went outside to walk and look around this surroundings. And almost immediately I saw the beautiful nature of Finland, so many green coloured trees, the fresh air, and so on. Oh, it's so nice to be here! And this is an orthodox church of Jyväskylä. And this is an evankelic lutherian church of Jyväskylä. The church has buildt in 1929, and the architect was Elsi Borg. This church has called also "the church of angels". Then I continued my walking, and I found a river named Tourujoki. This river goes through the city of Jyväskylä. It's about 2 kilometres long river, and it goes from the lake Palokkajärvi to the lake Jyväsjärvi. Here are we all toys: Lina, Kurnau, Wayne, me, Honeymooners, Hunny, Phog, Kit-Kat, Ronja, BarryO, TobiHH and Druri. And there's a bridge of Tourujoki. Love, Totoro xxx |
mmm105 Posted Jul 20, 2012, 11:12 am |
Hello!
I visited in the natural park of Jyväskylä. It's so cool forest area just next to the river Tourujoki. It's a nature conservation area in the middle of Jyväskylä. At first, we need to go down to the long wooden old stairs. It was exiting! Look, how beautiful nature there is! Can you see those weird things in the tree? They are "kääpä" in Finnish, they are some kind of mushrooms growing in old trees. How cool! It's time to have a little brake, and just relax. Then it's time to walk forward. We walked on the "pitkospuut", the wooden path on the ground. There must be this wooden path, because the ground is so wet. It was a nice place, this small natural park! Love, Totoro xxx |
mmm105 Posted Jul 21, 2012, 1:36 pm |
Hi!
Ooooh, something really nice thing happened to me today! It made me really happy! Soooooo happy! I got one of my life mission completed!!! I visited in museum! The museum where I visited is the Craft Museum of Finland. Due to water damage, there were only small exhibitions of different things. They all were very colourful and nice exhibitions! Just look by yourself, mommy... I hope you can feel the atmosphere through these photos. There's some Karelian national costumes. And there's very old ski supplies. This is very colourful art, isn't it? This one is so colourful, too. Do you think there's all the colours of the rainbow? Well, they are different coloured coat hangers. It looks nice! And what do you say about this, mom? Even more colourful!!! On the floor there's many tiny marbles there. And in the wall there's a lot chrocheting hotpads. All together it looks nice, right? Love, Totoro xxx CONGRATULATIONS FOR COMPLETING LIFE MISSION!!! (Visit a museum) |
mmm105 Posted Jul 23, 2012, 10:35 am |
Hei! Hello!
We got more company today. A new ToyVoyager Ranja Dragon arrived from Germany. I'm sure we will have lots of fun together! Love, Totoro xxx |
mmm105 Posted Jul 24, 2012, 3:54 pm |
Hello!
I read today a newspaper. It was fun, because everything has written in this weird language, Finnish. All writings in the newspaper looked so strange, very different than I'm used to at home. Love, Totoro xxx |
mmm105 Posted Jul 25, 2012, 9:55 pm |
Hello!
I got a new friend today! He is hostmom's cat named Jeppe. At first, I was nervous about this big cat (he tickeled me with his furr), but when I noticed that Jeppe is very kind, I'm not so nervous anymore. Love, Totoro xxx |
mmm105 Posted Jul 27, 2012, 4:00 pm |
Hei! Hello!
I was walking outside today. I visited in a place called "kirkkopuisto" (a church park). There I saw this beautiful church just in the middle of the park surrounded by green grass, trees and beautiful flowers. The church has buildt in 1880, and the architecht was L. I. Linqvist. In the church park, there's a statue of Minna Canth (1844-1897). She was a famous Finnish writer and social activist. Her works addresses issues of women's rights. There's another nice statue. And all those flowers are so beautiful! Love, Totoro xxx |
mmm105 Posted Jul 27, 2012, 4:07 pm |
Hello again!
I visited today also in "satama" (a harbour of Jyväskylä). There I saw many great boats! Just take a look at photos to see how fun I had. Love, Totoro xxx |
mmm105 Posted Jul 29, 2012, 3:42 pm |
Hi!
A new toy arrived today here. He is Rico the Tiger from Germany. We had a welcome party, we ate all chocolate candies what Rico brought from Germany. They were so yummy! Love, Totoro. |
mmm105 Posted Jul 29, 2012, 3:50 pm |
Hello!
Today Kurnau wanted to show me something. He said the place where we will go is great. He was so mysterious... So, we went outside and started to walk. Kurnau said this place is called Harju. It's like a small hill just next to city center. And there's such a great and long stairs there. We all climbed up these long stairs. Up there is the building called Vesilinna. I'm so exited, because Kurnau said we are going to up in this high tower to see great views! There's the city center. And the lake in the picture is named Jyväsjärvi. Look, the lake is so close to city center!!! And by the way, did you know that there's about 188 000 lakes in total in Finland? Lots of lakes, isn't it? So cool! There's the sport stadium of Harju. On the downstairs of the building Vesilinna, there's the Natural History Museum (Keski-Suomen luontomuseo). We visited there. This is my second visit in a museum (a life mission thing)!!! There's karhu (a bear). It's the national animal of Finland. There's hirvi (a moose). It's the biggest animal living in Finland. There's joutsen (a swan). It's the national bird of Finland. There's susi (a wolf). There's pöllö (an owl). There's jänis (a rabbit), and näätä (a weasel). There were showing also some interesting informations about Finnish nature and stone materials. It was such a great place to visit! Love, Totoro. |
mmm105 Posted Jul 29, 2012, 3:54 pm |
Hei! Hello!
I watched the Opening Seremony of the Olympic Games from TV. It was a cool show! Love, Totoro. |
mmm105 Posted Jul 29, 2012, 3:58 pm |
Hello!
I enjoyed the sunshine today. I went to see the lake just next to hostmom's home. I think she is so lucky to live in this beautiful surroundings: lots of trees and a lake just next to her home. It's so Finnish thing: there's so much forests and lakes in nature of Finland. Love, Totoro. |
mmm105 Posted Jul 30, 2012, 7:30 pm |
Hello!
I said goodbye today to Niiskuneiti, Druri and TobiHH, who all will travel to Germany. And also to Honeymooners, who will travel to Japan. I'm so happy for their journey and adventures can continue now, and they all will see new places. I wish their travel will be safe. Love, Totoro. |
mmm105 Posted Aug 2, 2012, 9:32 pm |
Hello!
I visited in a new place today: Korpilahti. It's located very near of Jyväskylä. I was there, because there was a postcrossing meeting, and it's one of hostmom's hobby. I had such a great time in the meeting, and I met new ToyVoyagers there! Another host (Fendi) was there, too, and offcourse with all her toys and toy-guests (PieksiHH, Nils and Kitsune). We all toys have really fun time together! When hostmom and other humans there wrote postcards, we toys were eating their snacks, hih. After eating we got thirsty, so we made coffee. And then we played hide and seek! But it didn't go so well, because the most of us was hiding under the glass. After eating and playing I wrote a postcard. Here are only some of the postcards what postcrossers wrote. And here we toys are helping to mail those postcards. It was really fun to join in the meeting! Love, Totoro. |
mmm105 Posted Aug 2, 2012, 9:55 pm |
Hei! Hello!
After postcrossing meeting I wanted to take a look this place, Korpilahti. We all toys visited in the harbour of Korpilahti. Some wild ducks came to swim there! Look, we found this little (and weird) fountain there. And the car behind it looks cool, isn't it? This building is quite unique looking, I think. And there are we all toys, with hostmom. Then we found a playground, and we had some great time there!!! Look, we are sailing! And offcourse we climbed! It was really fun day!!! Love, Totoro. |
mmm105 Posted Aug 2, 2012, 10:03 pm |
Hei! Hello!
It's my time to move on, and continue my journey in another country. I'm leaving here, because I got an invitation from USA. Wow! It will be a long journey to travel there. I's time to say 'goodbye' to all. First to Kurnau... ...and then to all others, too. They all gave me a group hug. Oh, I'm going to miss them all... I'm ready for new adventures! Love, Totoro. |
mmm105 Posted Aug 2, 2012, 10:07 pm |
Hi!
I'm in my envelope, and travelling to USA! It's so dark here, I can't see anything! Hopefully I will arrive soon and safe to my next host. Goodbye Finland! USA, I'm coming... |
Jillyfish Posted Aug 12, 2012, 5:43 pm |
Hello!
I have arrived here safe and sound in Minnesota, USA! I'm looking forward to seeing all the sights here. I'll update again soon. Host mom has some cool places for us to visit. Bye for now! |
Jillyfish Posted Aug 20, 2012, 6:15 pm |
Look at me, mom!
We are visiting the Rum River in Anoka, Minnesota. This small river goes directly to the Mississippi River. I found a Minnesota Sign. Not very sunny here today.... but we are having fun being out and about. Look at this cute birdhouse we spotted: We stopped by the store on the way home..... and the sun came out as we found this sign: Guess what we decided to make? Pancakes! We have a special trip planned for later.... Look forward to it! Bye for now! ~Totoro |
Jillyfish Posted Aug 20, 2012, 6:25 pm |
We are taking a special trip today!
We first traveled over this bridge connecting Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. And we finally made it (after three hours in the car!) to Lake Superior~! Lake Superior is so beautiful and peaceful! Don't worry-- host mom made sure that we were completely safe out on this rock: We are making a Toy Voyager pyramid! Hahaha! This is the little bridge near the cabin we rented. I'm happy to have many toy voyager friends with me on this journey. |
Jillyfish Posted Aug 20, 2012, 6:46 pm |
We visited a small island on Lake Superior called "Devil's Island".
It looks like a scene from "My Neighbor Totoro"! Look at these cool cliffs: Very fun, but now it's time to go back to Minnesota with host mom. |
Jillyfish Posted Sep 18, 2012, 5:32 pm |
Hi mom!
We've been seeing cooler weather here in MN, so we've stayed indoors studying a lot these days. I met a new friend! It's just a regular cat-- not a cat bus! Host mom is studying Ukulele! She taught me a few chords. I like how sweet it sounds. Oh my gosh! Danko and I met some celebrities! Host mom's roommate got engaged to her boyfriend in the Disney store (and she brought back some souveniers)! Can you name which movies these characters are from? Oh man! I should've asked for an autograph! We are going outside to enjoy the crisp Autumn air. Look for pictures from our adventures tomorrow. Love you, mom! ~Totoro |
Jillyfish Posted Sep 20, 2012, 6:58 pm |
It's Movie Night!
We are going to see Finding Nemo in 3D! I tried to tell the ticket lady about "My Neighbor Totoro", but she didn't understand. But look: SNACKS! Mr. Blubber and I don't know what to order. Hey! We are NOT candy! We've got out 3D glasses on! Ready to go! Shh! The movie is starting! |
Jillyfish Posted Sep 20, 2012, 7:13 pm |
We were invited to a wedding shower for one of my Host Mom's good friends.
Beautiful decorations! cupcakes! Lots of cupcakes! Lots of pop! And the gift opening/visiting section! Uhh! A little help, guys? |
Jillyfish Posted Sep 20, 2012, 7:17 pm |
Hello!
My Host Mom's roommate and best friend is getting married in April of next year. So, that means we are going dress shopping! Hooray~! Lots of different colored Bridesmaids dresses While waiting to see the soon-to-be-bride in her dress, we looked at possible veils. Oh my goodness! She's beautiful! Mr. Blubber and I agree that THIS is the right dress. I've been invited to Host Mom's other friend's wedding coming up in October, but I don't know where I'll be come April, so best wishes to this bride! |
tarepanda Posted Nov 3, 2012, 12:26 pm |
HELLO! I arrive already! It's nice to be in the warm sunshine state of Florida for a change.
Looks like my host is packing to travel somewhere. It may be a little while before we can post, but I look forward to having fun! I wonder where we will be going? |
tarepanda Posted Jan 11, 2013, 7:14 pm |
Yippie we are at the airport!
Let's take some Miami-looking pictures. Hmmm wonder where we are going? It's a pretty airplane. It says Portugal on the airplane. Is that where we are going? Looks like we are flying across the Atlantic! Wow we are about 17km from Lisbon!! That's the capital of Portugal! |
tarepanda Posted Jan 13, 2013, 4:37 am |
We are going out to do some sightseeing!
First thing first. We need some breakfast! Naturally we want to try the famous pastel de nata with coffee. It is an egg tart from Portugal. We buy the ticket for the subway. It can be used on buses and trams too. Let's check the map to see how we get there. We are on the subway now! We arrive at the terminal. Here they have trains too. We get outside the terminal to get on a bus. Portugal sure looks very different from where I've been before. After the bus ride we arrive at our destination, the Azulejo Museum. Azulejo is a type of painted, tin-glazed, ceramic tilework that was introduced to Portugal by the Moors in the 15th century, and has become a typical aspect of Portuguese culture. A major aspect of Portuguese architecture, they can be found on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, houses and even railway or subway stations. The museum building looks very old. The moment we enter, this azulejo painting of soldier greets us. These tiles from the 16th centuries are some of the earliest examples of azulejos. These are examples from the 17th century. This is a peony pattern. I have to say, the painter is not very good at drawing! We see examples of how the tiles are used to decorate churches. The corridors are decorated with azulejos too. Some of the azulejos are very large in scale. Here's an example of tiles along a flight of stairs. This one has different flowers, animals and boats in it. This one is pretty, isn't it? Each tile shows a different picture. By the 18th century, people certainly can draw much better. This is depicts maritime and country life. I really like the colorful tiles. Sometimes a series of tiles are used to tell a story. This one is supposedly scenes from China, but to me they look very weird! Wow, look at this! A paranoma of Lisbon. Now we go on to some more contemporary designs. We are getting tired, let's take a break. Afterwards, we visit the chapel that is also part of the museum. The ceiling is very beautiful. I see a reproduction of the Last Supper. Did you see the mummy at the bottom? The inside of the chapel is very beautiful. As we exit, we pass by the workshop area. Wish we can see the artisans at work. |
tarepanda Posted Jan 16, 2013, 5:38 pm |
Today we go explore downtown Lisbon.
We start out at Praça do Comércio. The square is still commonly known as Terreiro do Paço (Palace Square), because it was the location of the Royal Ribeira Palace until it was destroyed by the great 1755 Lisbon Earthquake. We walk through the triumphal arch onto Rua Augusta. This is a lively pedestrian street with mosaic pavements, outdoor cafes and many shops. Here is a newspaper kiosk. The front page of newspapers are displayed, so people stand there to read them. There are souvenir shops too. Do you see the many rooster figures? They are called O Galo de Barcelos, and is the unofficial symbol of Portugal. There is a story behind it. At a banquet given by a rich landowner in Barcelos, a valuable piece of silver was stolen and one of guests was accused of the theft. He was tried by the court and was found guilty, despite his claim of innocence. On the day he was to be executed, he was brought to the magistrate. The magistrate was having dinner with his guests. Seeing the cock on the plate, the condemned man said, “If I am innocent, the cock will crow.” The cock stood up from the plate and crowed, and the prisoner was allowed to go free. We stop for lunch. As Portugal is famous for its codfish dishes, we decide to try one. This one is baked with potatoes. This is the Santa Justa Elevator which can take you up for a view of the city. Can you see the car passing under the little arc? We reach Rossio Square, with the column of Pedro IV in the center and the national theatre behind it. There are many shops around. This is a beautiful fountain. In the 19th century the square was paved with cobblestones in wave patterns, a design seen today in many other pavements all over Portugal, and that has spread to Portugal's former colonies from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) to Macao (China). We see an old tram. And a modern one! We find a shop and go in for our daily quota of pasteis de nata! What interesting pattern they have on the streets! We continue to walk around the streets. This is a nice-looking police station but we are not interested in a tour. This is the Rossio Railway Station. What is special about it is its facade, made in Neo-Manueline style unique to 16th century Portugal. Look this guy is selling chestnuts! We find the funicular tram that will take us to a Miradouro (viewpoint). Let's get on the tram. After a few minutes we are up the hill! The tram goes up and down the same track, so it has doors on both sides. We are rewarded with a nice panorama of the city. Time to leave. Should we walk or take the tram? Hmmmm we are tired. Let's just hop onto the tram! And leave the walkers behind!! We find the metro station and take the subway back to the hotel. |
tarepanda Posted Jan 23, 2013, 4:05 pm |
Today we are staying in the Alentejo district.
It's a small hotel with only 11 rooms. What a nice fireplace it has! The wines lined up here in the corridor is from the vineyard. We have a really nice room! You can see the garden from the room. Let's go out and explore! What a nice pool! Sadly it's too cold to swim. We can see the vineyard from here. Harvest is over so we don't see any grapes on the vines. We do see a lot of olives though! We try some fresh olives and find out why we never see fresh ones for sale. It's very astrigent! This place pick their olives to make olive oil. |
tarepanda Posted Feb 13, 2013, 3:47 am |
Today we stop by the ancient city of Santarém for a short time and get to see the city very briefly.
The region of Santarém has been inhabited since pre-historic times. The city was named after Saint Iria (or Irene). Look at the beautiful street signs! Even the facade of the buildings are decorated. This is the Igreja da Graça, built between the 14th and 15th centuries in a mix of mendicant and flamboyant Gothic styles. It is closed so we cannot get in for a visit. |
tarepanda Posted Feb 15, 2013, 4:13 pm |
Today we visit the Alfama neighborhood in Lisbon. It's the oldest district of Lisbon. Its name comes from the Arabic Al-hamma, meaning fountains or baths. During the times of Moorish domination, Alfama constituted the whole of the city, and it was also the only part of the city not destroyed during the great 1755 Lisbon Earthquake.
First, we have to take the tram to go to Alfama. There is a long line! We wait and wait, and finally our tram comes! We get off at Miradouro das Portas do Sol. This is a statue of St. Vincent, the city's patron saint, holding a boat with two ravens, the symbols of Lisbon. From the terrace we get a very beautiful view of Lisbon. The weather is lovely and the houses look very cute viewed from high above. There is a beautiful church on the left. It's the São Vicente de Fora Monastry A short walk away is Miradouro de Santa Luzia where we get more views of the city and spot this wall tile. There are a lot of souvenir shops around, and we visit some of them. Look at all the bottles of Port and other wines! Port is a famous wine from Portugal and here you can see them from different vintages. New ones to some that are decades old! |
tarepanda Posted Feb 17, 2013, 3:23 am |
Today we visit the Castle of São Jorge. It was royal residence until the early 16th century.
As it's on top of the hill, we get a great paranoma of the city. This is remnants of the old gardens. In the main square (Praça d'Armas) there are many cannons. Watch out for enemies!! Ready to fire! We continue on to the castle. You can see the Portugal flag. The tower and wall was built during the Moorish occupation. We see some peacocks around the castle ground. I wonder what activities used to go on here? Still checking for enemies!! The castle and tower had been rebuilt and fortified over time. Hey it reminds me of the Great Wall of China! |
tarepanda Posted Feb 17, 2013, 3:55 am |
We next visit Sé de Lisboa. The Cathedral is the oldest church in the city, it began construction in the year 1147 and had survived many earthquakes.
The main façade of the cathedral looks like a fortress, with two towers flanking the entrance and crenellations over the walls. This menacing appearance, also seen in other Portuguese cathedrals of the time, is a relic from the Reconquista period, when the cathedral could be used as a base to attack the enemy during a siege. The west façade with a rose window is among the oldest remaining part of the building, from the Romanesque period. This part is from the Gothic architectural style. |
tarepanda Posted Feb 17, 2013, 5:34 pm |
It's time for dinner.
We pass by this building with beautiful azulejo tiles on its facade. We arrive at the restaurant. Cervejaria Trindade is the oldest brewery in Portugal. In 1294 a convent was built on this spot. Destroyed by fire and earthquake in the 1700s, the remains was purchased and reconstructed as the first beer brewery and factory in 1836. Here you can see the banner announcing its 175 year anniversary. The tiles in this room were designed and decorated back in 1860. We sip on the beer as we go through the menu. It's nice they draw pictures of the seafood so we know what they are! First we enjoy a caldo verde. It means "green broth" and is a popular soup in Portuguese cuisine, made with potato and kale. Next we enjoy a codfish dish, another favorite of the Portuguese. After dinner we walk around downtown a bit. We see vendors selling roasted chestnuts on the street. They look delicious! We pass by this bookstore in Chiado district. Founded in 1732, Bertrand is certified by Guinness Book Record as the world's oldest bookstore! Quite a historic tour we have today! |
tarepanda Posted Mar 15, 2013, 4:10 pm |
Today we take the bus to Belem.
We arrive at the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. The monastery is one of the most prominent monuments of the Manueline-style architecture (Portuguese late-Gothic) in Lisbon and is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The construction of the monastery and church began on 6 January 1501 (and were completed 100 years later). The project was funded with commerce from Africa and the Orient. The monastery was designed in a style that later became known as Manueline: a richly ornate architectural design that includes complex sculptural themes incorporating maritime elements and objects discovered during naval expeditions, carved in limestone. The local gold-coloured limestone adds a very beautiful aura to the buildings. We enjoy looking at the intricate carvings. No wonder it took so long to complete! We go to the second floor of the cloister. We next enter the Church of Santa Maria. This is the entrance of the church. The tympanum, above the double door, displays, in half-relief, two scenes from the life of Saint Jerome: on the left, the removal of the thorn from the lion's paw and, on the right, the saints experience in the desert. The Madonna (Santa Maria de Belém) is located on a pedestal on top of the archivolt. This monastery is really beautiful. |
tarepanda Posted Mar 23, 2013, 6:24 pm |
After a very enjoyable visit to the Monastery we go ahead to visit another sight.
Look at this beautiful tower by the Tagus river! It's called the Belem tower. It is one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal and also UNESCO World Heritage Site, like the nearby Jerónimos Monastery we just visited. The tower was constructed on a small island but with development the shoreline changes and now it's right by the shore where we can reach from a short bridge. On the Gothic-rib-vaulted ground-floor bunker, there are canons along the niches. The bartizans, cylindrical watchtowers, are topped by Moorish-looking cupolas. Now we will climb up the tower. What a beautiful view of the city! Here we get a nice view of the river with its bridge. This is the inside hall of the tower. Nice view indeed! A beautiful day! The Monument to the Discoveries is a 52 metre-high slab of concrete erected in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator. The monument is sculpted in the form of a ship's prow, with dozens of figures from Portuguese history following a statue of the Infante Henry sculpted in base relief. After all the sight seeing we are a bit hungry. Time for a coffee break! Wow looks like everybody is hungry and lining up for food! The cafe has been around since 1837! What's so special about it? Ahh, we are here for the pastéis de nata! It is believed that pastéis de nata were created before the 18th century by Catholic monks at the Jerónimos Monastery. During Portuguese medieval history, the convents and monasteries of Portugal produced large quantities of eggs, whose egg-whites were in demand for starching of clothes (such as nuns' habits) and also in wineries (where they were used in the clearing of wines, and the monks and nuns make dessert with the left over egg yolks. The clerics at the monastery later pass their secret recipe to the cafe. So they are the maker of the original Portuguese egg tart! The counter is very busy w all the customers! The tarts in the photo looks delicious!! Where are the real things? We pass by the kitchen. Look, there are the tarts!! Lots and lots of them! I want the whole tray! Let's get a seat. We look at the menu, but of course we know what we want! Hey waiter, where is the waiter? We want some fresh from the oven, hot pasteis de nata with a delicious cup of coffee!! It was a fun day of sight-seeing but sadly it's time to leave! |
tarepanda Posted Mar 25, 2013, 3:56 am |
How sad but tonight is our last night in Portugal! We decide to have a little something special to remember it by.
We go to a restuarant. First, we order some pata negra. The black Iberian pig is from Spain and Portugal, and the best ones roam free in oak forest and eat a diet of acorns. We also get some delicious Portuguese cheese and bread. Now the best: a glass of Madeira from year 1850!! That's very very old wine! And of course it's very delicious and memorable! We are a bit sad as we leave and go to the station to take the subway home. This is the Rococo station. |
tarepanda Posted Apr 1, 2013, 9:03 pm |
Today is our last day in Portugal. Before we leave we have a little bit of time, and we decide to go get some delicious Portuguese bread and pasteis de nata to take home.
We arrive at the Largo do Chiado (Chiado Square). The famous Café A Brasileira is not open yet, but we can see the statue of Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa sitting outside. This is one of the oldest cafes in Lisbon. We walk around the neighborhood a bit. Here we are at the Praça Luís de Camões. Ah, the familiar tram 28, which we rode a few days ago! Goodbye little tram! We spot this little shop selling coffee and tea. We find the bakery we are looking for. Everything looks delicious. We have some lugguage space so we decide to fill it with fresh bread! Now when we get home we can munch on the bread and recall the fond memories of our travel! Adeus Portugal! |
tarepanda Posted Apr 12, 2013, 4:09 pm |
We are now back in Florida. Today we go visit an attraction called Coral Castle. It's built by the man in the picture, Edward Leedskalnin.
Well this is a very old sign. The admission is definitely not 10 cents now! Hmm I wonder what we will see? There is a sign that says "Ring Bell Twice". In the past, visitors would drop a coin and then ring the bell to enter. Leedskalnin was very strict about "ring bell twice". If the visitors rang it too many times or only once, he would not let them in till they got it right! He sure sounds like a weird fellow! The whole place is built with big limestone! According to our guide, the man who built the castle, Edward Leedskalnin, was eccentric indeed. He came from Latvia after his sweet 16 broke up their engagement the night before marriage. He lived alone and built this whole place by himself, craving and moving stones weighing many tons, never letting anyone see him work! There is a lot of mysteries and legends about how he built the whole place, people claiming to peek in at night and saw him levitated the stones around! Not to mention the man was only 5 ft tall! Here are some lounge chairs for you to rest in. This board meeting table is craved in the shape of the state of Florida. The puddle of water in the center is Lake Okeechobee. These are the "beds" though they must be very uncomfortable. And a bathtub! This table is carved in the shape of heart. Some visitors liked to propose or renew their vows at this table. The sundial is accurate within minutes, though I don't know how to read it! Oh a dungeon! I wonder what creepy creatures live in there? Well, our guide said this was where he stored his food, keeping it cool underground. And a well for nice, cool water. Guess what this is? His stove! He put food inside the metal ball, built a fire underneath, and the food would cook up nicely. This door was built so cleverly that even a child can push the stone door open, but sadly the mechanism is broken now and cannot be repaired. We are shown where he dug the coral stone for his castle. These are signs of different planets. I bet it's great sitting here and watching the stars in the sky at night! It's impressive indeed! Very beautiful and we cannot imagine how a man was able to build the whole thing back in 1930s without any help from machine or men! We went up the second floor of the the building. (How did he even build this? He must be a wizard!) This is the bed he slept in. Everything looked somewhat primitive. Quite an interesting tour indeed! |
tarepanda Posted Apr 14, 2013, 12:08 am |
Today we are going out to visit some place.
Hmm, what does it say on the sign? Ah, it's the Thai Buddhist Temple in South Florida. The building sure looks unusual. The entrance to the temple looks very grand, and there are two golden lions guarding it. The inside looks equally grand! The Buddha statue was sculpted in Bangkok and is 23 feet high and weighs 5 tons. Wow this gong must make very very loud noise! These chairs are for monks to sit in. A monk there is very happy to see us. He gives everybody a string of prayer beads and sprinkle water on us as blessing. |
tarepanda Posted May 9, 2013, 10:44 pm |
Wow looks like we have another TV joining us! Who's he? Who's he?
Oh it's a moose. Mocha is very happy to finally see another moose friend. He says there are too many rats and mice in the house. He is joking of course. Anyway, we give Jasper a good welcome party! Mocha He proudly introduce Jasper to his grandpapa, Cappuccino. His Grandpapa is too old to travel but he loves having visitors. Then he can tell his stories all over again. (Not that he doesn't repeat his stories with us... |
tarepanda Posted May 10, 2013, 1:59 am |
Today we are going to see a Cirque du Soleil show! They are a famous circus group from Canada.
Look at the colorful tents! The show has not started yet, so we browse around the shop where they sell T shirts and other things. There are also souvenir books, CDs and more for those who want to relive the show. You can also buy pop corns, pretzels, drinks and other snacks. We finally get inside and watch the show! It's very good! |
tarepanda Posted May 10, 2013, 4:22 am |
Today the weather is very nice, and we go to the farmer's market.
Naturally, we shop for some fresh, local vegetables. There are many varieties of tomatoes. Wow they have lobsters too! Unlike Maine lobster, Florida lobster do not have the big pincher claws. This stall makes conch fritters, and conch salad, a specialty of South Florida and the Caribbeans. There are a lot of food. This French (looking) guy is making crepe. It looks delicious! We see this stall selling things with an ocean motif. They have bags too with seahorses, shells and other decorations. We buy some local honey. Look they even have local rice grown in Florida! Florida is actually the 7th largest rice-growing state in the U.S, but most of its production is used locally, as there is a heavy population of South American immigrants whose main starch is rice rather than potatoes. It is used as a cover crop in sugarcane fields during the fallow period. Here are some home-made cookies. These are empanadas, stuffed pastries. There are many varieties, filled with different types of meat, vegetables and cheeses. These hand made soaps look very pretty! Oh the popcorn smells so delicious! There are flowers for sell. These dwarf trees are called bonsai. We can pick up some spices and herbs. Or some blend of tea. We sample some of the home made dried fruits. Yummy!! The market is a lot of fun! |
tarepanda Posted May 23, 2013, 8:33 pm |
Today we visit a place called Pinecrest Garden.
These are some pretty flowers! The garden has been around for a while so the tropical foliage is very thick. It feels like we are in a jungle! I hope there's no tiger! Look at this fruit! I wonder what it is? We see some bamboo too. We come to a different part of the garden. Here people can enjoy a picnic and just sit and relax. We see a swam! The lotus flowers are very beautiful. Wow look at this banyan tree! Banyan tree is special because when its air root touches ground, it will grow into another trunk, so all you see here is just one tree. As a result, one tree can grow to cover a big area. Covering 2/3 acre, this tree is among the largest of its kind! |
tarepanda Posted May 23, 2013, 9:38 pm |
This weekend we visit Tarpon Springs. It is a small town on the west coast of Florida. It used to be famous for its sponge production back from 1880s. Back in 1950s the sponge industry made millions of dollars a year. Nowadays, due to the high costs and water condition, very little sponge is produced and the place is mostly a tourist attraction. However, the town continues to have the highest percentage of Greek American in the whole country, many descendants of the divers who immigrated during the sponge industry boom.
First on the agenda: visit a Greek restaurant to try some Greek food. We are ordering the gyros. It is a sandwich, with some grilled lamb & beef wrapped in a pita bread, with some tomato, cucumber, onion and tzasiki sauce. Look at all the pita bread! Can you see the roaster where the meat is grilled? Our gryos has arrived. We also have a lamb souvlaki, similar to gryos but with lamb inside. They are both very delicious. |
tarepanda Posted May 23, 2013, 10:07 pm |
Today we visit the Sponge Dock.
There is a statue memorizing all the sponge divers who had lost their lives when sponge harvesting. This is an example of a sponge boat. Maybe we should go and try harvest some sponge? Or maybe not. I don't want to be shark dinner. It's safer to go to check out the shops. What do they have? Lots of sponges!! This one is called finger sponge. This one is your plain old yellow sponge. And the sign says it's harvested locally! And these are vase sponges! These are called sea biscuits but I don't think they are very tasty. And these are sand dollars. You can find them on the beaches, though usually not as complete as this. They are the skeletons of sea urchins, although in folk legends, they were thought to be the coins lost by mermaids or people of the Atlantis. Ah, I know these! Star fishes! Next we go to a Greek bakery. There are many kind of sweet pastries, like bavlaka. Our host gets some of her favorite, diples. It's a roll made from a thin sheet of fried dough and drizzled with honey. |
tarepanda Posted May 31, 2013, 12:52 am |
Today we are going on a trip to Tampa, on the west coast of Florida.
Look there is a bridge coming up. This is the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. The Travel Channel rated the Sunshine Skyway #3 in its special on the "Top 10 Bridges" in the World. We come to visit the Cigar City Brewery. The brewery was first built in Ybor City, which is a historic neighborhood in Tampa founded in the 1880s by cigar manufacturers. Later it moved this current location, hence the saying on the sign. Here is the star of today! The special brew, Hunahpu, which is available only on this day of the year, which we come here for. Each person can buy only 3 bottles at $20 each. The limited release bottle has received very high rating among drinkers and can fetch up to USD $200 on ebay. People from all over the country come to line up from early in the morning to buy it. There are some food trucks here, because we all love some food to go with our beer! This one called Oki Doki, sells Okinawan food. We take a peek inside the truck. They are very busy cooking! Everybody seems to enjoy themselves, walking around with a beer in hand. Some people bring their own chairs, coolers filled with beers, and food to just enjoy a nice day out here. They chat, drink beer, and listen to the band playing. There is a booth selling cigars made in Ybor City. Hmmm... I guess big cigars need a big lighter? Let's check out the tasting room! Look at all the beers on tap!! What a selection! Most of them are local craft brews. Wow look at the stack of cups. The brewery has won a lot of awards, which they proudly display. Before we leave, we check out the shop so we can buy some souvenir. |
tarepanda Posted Jun 5, 2013, 11:33 pm |
Today we go to an arts fair.
These metal plates are very beautiful! These paintings are really cute. These are photographs of the islands in Florida. Looks like paradise indeed! There are some food stalls. This one sells popcorn and lemonade. There is also a music band playing. This one has Chinese style paintings on gold paper. This artist creates interesting pieces with metal. This one displays South Western inspired artworks. |
tarepanda Posted Jun 6, 2013, 7:23 pm |
Have you ever tried a Brazilian churrascaria? Today we are going to a Brazilian steakhouse. At this one, instead of Rodizio style, which means the waiters bring the meat to you, it's self service.
Ah, I think we find the right place. We can see the Brazilian flag on the sign. This is the name of the restaurant. It means Rice and Beans, but our host assures us that we will get a lot more than that. Mmm it sounds good. Here is a poster reminding us that the 2014 World Cup will be in Brazil! Hmmm needs to start planning my trip there! We sip some cold, refreshing cashew juice while reading the menu. The juice is make from the cashew fruit, where the cashew nut is actually the seed of the fruit. At the buffet line you can see the salad and dessert. This is the grill where they have various cuts of meat: sirloin, chicken, pork loin, filet mignon, flank steak, sausages, and more. You let them know what meat you like and they cut it for you. At fancier place you will have waiters come by to your table with the sword skewer of meat. Bom apetite!! |
tarepanda Posted Jun 6, 2013, 8:01 pm |
Today we go to visit a Free Little Library. These are the books we are bringing. We register them on BookCrossing first. BookCrossing is like toyvoyagers, every book gets an ID number and it travels around the round. By reading the book's journal you can find out where the book has gone and what its readers say about it.
The Little Free Library is an organization that promotes setting up little "library" boxes in communities around the world, to encourage people to gather together, and to promote read. People are welcome to visit the libraries to take and leave books. We put our books into the library, and check to see if there is anything interesting. Hmmm, maybe we can just live here for a few days and enjoy some books? It would be nice and cozy here. Hey can you bring us some snack? |
tarepanda Posted Jun 6, 2013, 9:00 pm |
Today we go to visit a microbrewery. It's called Due South.
This little sign says: "Drink Like A Local" which we certainly would today! Here is a sign marking all the microbrewery nearby. The Cigar City Brewery, which we visited a few weeks ago, is 219 miles away on the west coast. You can also get some souvenir t-shirts. Look at all the fermentation tanks! We can see packs of ingredients lying around. These are the malt barley, a major ingredient in making beer. You can see the brew kettles on the left, where they add the barley. The grain after using in the beer will be given to nearby farmers. I am sure that will feed some happy animals! We notice that all the tanks are named after Space Shuttles! These are some apple brandy barrels, used to brew some special edition beer. Now is time to enjoy some beer. We go to the bar area. Hmm which one shall we order? We go to the lounge to enjoy our beer. There are lots of beer-related arts on the walk. Some are made with beer bottle caps. Yessir, we are doing our part: Support Florida breweries and drinking like a local!! Ahh it's delicious!! |
tarepanda Posted Jun 7, 2013, 4:07 pm |
If you think we've been drinking a lot lately, well, today for a change, we are going to eat a lot!! We are going to this event called Taste of Pinecrest.
Mmmm these cupcakes and lollipops look GOOD!! This stall sells different types of french fries, wrapped in newspaper-looking grease paper. Machu Picchu is the "Lost City of the Incas". So this must be a Peruvian restaurant! It's a rather hot day and great for some snow cone. Which flavor would you like? This is a big plate of pulled pork. It's pork barbecue where the pork, after slow cooking, is tender enough to be pulled into shreds. It is then mixed with barbecue sauce. Hamburger, anyone? You can also get some delicious and healthy smoothie. There is a band playing music. There is also a line of food trucks, for even more options. It's not easy at all deciding what to try!! When you eat so much your clothes feel tight, you can do some shopping here as well! There are also some games for children. I sure hope they haven't eaten too much food... I know I can't be swinging around and bouncing up and down with all the food in my stomach!! |
tarepanda Posted Jun 11, 2013, 11:08 pm |
Today we go to see something very American!!
No, I don't mean the Hard Rock cafe or casino, though that's very American... Let's follow the sign... to the American Indian pow wow!! The Seminole tribe owns the casino, that's why there is an Indian village and a pow wow here. It may sound weird, but because it has been determined that the Native Americans are here before the white American government, they do not have to abide by many laws of the U.S. govt and do not pay tax. As a result, many tribes open casinos because it's such a profitable business for them... There is no big prairie here, the dancing are done inside a stadium. We see them all dressed up ready to dance. First they say a prayer and then introduces the little Miss and Mister Seminole. Next all the dancers come out in a parade. It's leaded by the warriors. Following behind are the little Miss and Mister Seminole. Look at the beautiful outfit!! The face paint makes them look very fierce!! I don't think I will like to encounter them in a woods! The ladies look very graceful in their buckskin dresses. Do you see how the little toddler is dressed up like his father? The drummers sit in a circle. I can't imagine how they can sit down in their outfit! They have competition where different dances were performed. There are different themes and traditions. This is the Southern tradition. This one is called Grass Dancing. The head dress makes us think of moth antennae. There are many stalls at the pow wow. Look at all the moccasins! These jewelries are very beautiful. There are some paintings. The traditional Seminole clothings are very colorful. These pendants are made with tiny beads. Mickey Mouse moccasins! There are also books and CDs. Sherman Alexie is one of our host's favorite author. |
tarepanda Posted Nov 10, 2013, 3:51 am |
Today is Independence Day, so we are going to celebrate. It's popular to celebrate with barbecue, but as we don't have a grill, we go to a BBQ restaurant instead.
Let's see what they have! First we get some fried okra as appertizer. Everybody is so hungry the food is almost all gone before we take a picture! We have chicken wings. Then some really traditional American barbeque: beef brisket with black eye peas and collard green, ribs with sweet potato souffle and french fries. Then we go to a near by park to watch the fireworks. When we get home we turn on the TV to watch the celebration at Washington DC the capital. Everybody looks very excited. There is a concert. Wow there are so many people. You can see the Licoln Memorial in the background. The army plays the national anthem. The Capitol is in the background. Firework is on! You can see the Washington Memorial, a very tall obelisk. I enjoy watching the spectacular fireworks. |
tarepanda Posted Apr 13, 2014, 11:16 pm |
Today we go to Miami Beach, a very hot tourist destination.
We are on Ocean Drive now. It's famous for the Art Deco style buildings, which look very cute in pastel colors. Weather is very nice. People are around playing beach volleyball, cycling, rollerskating, or just walking around. There are some people selling souvenirs. You can rent these bicycles to go around. This is the house owned by a famous designer, Versace. He was murdered right on the doorsteps some years back! Now... the reason we are coming here: there is a new frozen yogurt place that's grand-opening today, and we get invited to free yogurt! Yay! Let's get some froyo! We select our flavor and toppings and watch as she prepare. Yum yum!! Nothing better than enjoying some cold ice cream on the beach. |
tarepanda Posted Apr 14, 2014, 4:18 pm |
Today we go to visit a Little Free Library. It's a movement to set up book exchange spot all over cities to encourage people to read more and to promote exchange of idea and friendship.
This is the park where it is. We spot the library!! It's quite empty. We put in some books. |