Posted Jul 31, 2012, 6:40 pm
Posted Aug 6, 2012, 8:44 pm
Tomorrow morning i will start my Journey.
Goodbey Home, goodbey Friends. Specially goodbey to my Friend Runa, a norwegian Cat. I will miss her very much, but perhaps i can visit Norway and send Greetings from her Birthplace. Nürnberg i come.
Posted Aug 7, 2012, 10:43 am
Posted Aug 8, 2012, 6:29 pm
Posted Aug 15, 2012, 8:57 am
Posted Aug 15, 2012, 9:26 pm
Posted Aug 16, 2012, 11:01 am
Lots of hugs, yours Jasper.
Posted Aug 27, 2012, 7:20 pm
I miss you. Hugs from me and my friends.
Posted Aug 29, 2012, 8:21 pm
Write you back soon.
Lots of love, Jasper
Posted Sep 11, 2012, 4:32 pm
Today we made a sightseeing Tour in the City of Nuremberg. First we walk above the "Henkersteg". Near that is the House from the hangman (just in medievil times). After that she showed us the Maxbrücke and a small waterfall at the River Pegnitz. Then we went to the Fleischbrücke where in middleage was a big slaughterhouse. brook and i chilled in a hole in the wall. then we stopped at a fountain. At the end we met a big rabbit. can you see me?
The next time i write to you from America.
Love and hugs from yours Jasper
Posted Oct 30, 2012, 12:05 am
Arizona and I arrived on the same day. Funny!
We were warmly welcomed by a group of new Toy Voyager friends. Hello Everybody~!
We took a little walk. Host mom says she has a surprise. Hmm.... but the Autumn leaves are very pretty!
It's the Mississippi River! Wow!
It's quite nice out here, but VERY windy!
Posted Oct 30, 2012, 12:08 am
OoooOOOoooOoohhHhh~!
We are helping Host mom create her Halloween costume: She's going as a postcard! Ha!
It should be a big hit! (I hope there's enough candy for me!)
Posted Jan 4, 2013, 10:06 pm
We participated in a few Christmas card swaps on Swap-bot . com this year..... and HOLY COW: look at all the beautiful cards we received:
Posted Jan 4, 2013, 10:12 pm
It's a beautifully sunny day outside. We are getting ready to drive to family's house to open presents.
YAY~! Presents!
After the holiday, I will be traveling on to my new host.
Posted Jan 11, 2013, 5:21 pm
After some boring days in the envelop, I can hear a lot of excited noises. And light finally!!
Wow what a welcome party I have!
I am so glad to find another moose. Mocha is the resident TV here and he said it's about time he has a moose friend, he is tired of all the rats and mice in his place! (No he was just joking, he likes his rodent friends.) Like me, he wishes to meet a real moose some day! He proudly introduce me to his grandpapa, Cappuccino. His Grandpapa is too old to travel but he loves having visitors.
I think I will have a grand time here.
Posted May 10, 2013, 2:04 am
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!
Posted May 10, 2013, 2:35 am
No, I am not kidding! Turns out it's the lunar New Year, or more popularly known as Chinese New Year.
My host and her friends are throwing a new year party. Yay!
First we find a plate of gold nuggets! This is chocolate, similar to the chocolate coins, but made in the shape of what Chinese money used to look like!
There are some Chinese BBQ roasted pork and duck.
And of course there will be fried rice!!
These are actually not Chinese spring rolls, but a Filipino lumpia, brought by a Filipino guest. There is beef inside.
Another guest made dumplings.
And someone bring along Korean kimchee (spicy pickled vegetables)! Wow I am trying food from all over Asia.
The kimchee is too spicy we need some drink. I see a lot of Japanese beer!!
For dessert we have the Chinese New Year pudding. It's made with sugar and sweet rice flour. Mmm we have such a feast!!!
Posted May 10, 2013, 4:31 am
Naturally, we shop for some fresh, local vegetables.
There are many varieties of tomatoes.
Wow they even have lobsters! 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.
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 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!
Posted May 23, 2013, 8:28 pm
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 not a 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!
Posted May 23, 2013, 9:40 pm
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.
Posted May 23, 2013, 10:05 pm
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.
Posted May 31, 2013, 12:25 am
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.
You can see other people carrying the special beer. 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. We need food to go with our beer!
This one called Oki Doki, is for 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.
There is a booth selling locally made cigars.
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! There is no Guiness though. Most of them are local craft brews.
Wow look at the stack of cups.
This guy invites us to join his party.
The brewery has won a lot of awards, which they proudly display.
We check out the shop so we can buy some souvenir.
Posted Jun 5, 2013, 11:20 pm
These metal plates are very beautiful!
These paintings are really cute.
These are photographies of the islands in Florida.
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.
Posted Jun 6, 2013, 7:30 pm
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.
Here are the side dishes, rice and beans as well as stewed chicken, spaghetti and more.
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!!
Posted Jun 6, 2013, 9:12 pm
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!! I'll forget about my Guinness for now.
Ahh it's delicious!!
Posted Jun 6, 2013, 9:31 pm
Lots of people are here already.
We set up our chair and get our popcorns ready.
Yay movie is starting!
We enjoy the movie a lot. It's about a boy who is lost on the sea and spends the time with a tiger on a small boat. I am glad I am not on that boat!
Posted Jun 7, 2013, 4:15 pm
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!!
Posted Jun 12, 2013, 12:02 am
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.
Look, there is a baby warrior here, being led by his mommy!
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 man has a lot of bells on his outfit so when he dances he makes his own music.
This is the Southern tradition.
The most spectacular is the feather dancers.
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.
Posted Jun 13, 2013, 5:35 am
"Who's in there?" "Hello?"
"Hello! I am Lumpi!! I am a travelling toy! Have I arrived?"
"Wait a moment! We'll get you out!"
"Hurry, hurry! I can't wait a moment longer! I am so excited!!"
I am so happy to see a new friend. His name is Mr. Lumpi.
Posted Jun 13, 2013, 5:55 am
Big Foot is very excited to see the coconut!! But how do we open it?
If you can a machete you can just chop off the top. But it's too dangerous for us. We don't want to chop off our fingers too. So we are doing it the safer way. First, we trim off some of the fiber outside the shell.
Next, we get a screwdriver and a hammer. Yes, you read that correctly. Make sure you clean the screwdriver first.
With the help of the hammer, we use the screwdriver to make several holes around, like a dotted line.
Then we pry it open. It takes only a minute or two!
Now we can enjoy the cool, refreshing water inside. Coconut water has electrolytes too so it's a natural replenishment, better than artificial sports drink!
Don't forget to enjoy the tender meat as well! Our host tells us also that when you choose a young coconut, shake it. If you hear water, the coconut is drying out. Old coconuts have thick, dry, hard meat inside with no water. So if you don't hear anything, that means that the coconut is young and full of water and the thin layer of meat is very tender.
Posted Jul 30, 2013, 4:22 am
Sit tight, everybody. I wonder where we are heading?
Wow we are in Toronto, Canada!! See the road sign says Ontario at the corner?
The road and trees here look very different from Miami.
I wonder if we will get to see some maple leaves and some moose? I am getting excited.
Posted Aug 2, 2013, 4:40 am
Surprise, we get introduced to a new friend. Her name is Early, and she is given to our host from a friend who sees how much fun we are having. The friend decides to send her bird to travel too! We are so excited.
First, let's set up the GPS.
Okay, let's get going!!
Umm, our host thinks it's better for us to enjoy the view and let her do the driving. Look, the sign says it's 120 km away!
As we drive on the landscape becomes more rocky.
We spot this sign that says that we are in Ontario. That's the province where Toronto and Parry Sound, our destination, are in. It's a very large province.
Looks like we are getting close to our destination.
We spot the water tower with the town's name on it.
This is the hotel we are staying at. We bring our lugguage in.
Posted Aug 2, 2013, 3:52 pm
We are a bit tired. Let's take a break.
See the Canadian flag flying up there?
The water looks beautiful on the lake.
Look there is a train passing by.
Dinner time! Look, we are going to an Irish pub!
It looks pretty nice inside.
And of course they serve Guinness!
We order some food.
And of course some beer. Cheers!! We are not in Ireland, but this certainly is an Irish pub and I am enjoying my Guinness here!
Posted Aug 2, 2013, 7:29 pm
I wish you still much fun - and thanks tarepanda.
all the best,
mom
Posted Aug 9, 2013, 12:33 am
I just wanted to say that I have safely arrived at my new host sannah. Climbing out of the envelope, I went to their "green bay" first.
sannah told me they moved in less than a month ago. Isn't that a nice view over the Zumbro River?
Then I noticed I am not the only toyvoyager! I found Michel and met Nils again. So we sat down and had a chat.
They told me that one of our next adventures involves a long time flight! I am so excited!
All the best,
Jasper
Posted Aug 10, 2013, 12:02 am
What or who is Waubuno? Here's the story. Waubuno was a steamer that was sunk during a storm near here in 1879.
This is the anchor that was recovered, though the body of the crew was never found.
We are here for a dragon boat festival, which my host's family races in. First, there is an opening ceremony. Usually there is a dragon dance. Here they do not have the real Chinese dragon, but the students make some nice dragon heads instead.
They are very creative and colorful. The students perform a dance with the dragon heads.
Look, there is a dragon boat getting onto the beach, let's go check it out.
A dragon boat has ten rows that carry 20 paddlers.
There is a drummer up front that will beat the drum so the paddlers can paddle in unison.
This is the head that attaches to the front of the boat... Argh! Help! I don't want to be dinner!
We check out the score board. I wonder if our host is winning?
It would be nice if we can take one of these home!
Look, there seems to be a lot going on there. Let's check it out.
This is the festival information booth.
People set up their own tents so they can watch the race.
We get invited to sit in one of the tents too!
Getting a bit hungry, we walk around to see if there is any food.
This food truck is selling potato chips.
Mmmm, kettle popcorn!
I want some donuts!!
Oh, Canadian beer!
Check this out!! The radio station here is called Moose FM!! Moose rules!!
Weather is very gorgeous today.
The bay looks beautiful.
Our host didn't win, but we have a lovely day.
Posted Aug 10, 2013, 1:51 am
Afterwards, we start to head home.
Our host's friend, who lives in the area, tells us that they sometimes see bears, deers, mooses and other animals near their houses. We try to keep our eyes open, but we do not see anything.
They must all be hiding!
Hmm I guess we need to camp out deep in the woods to find them!
We are almost back to Toronto.
We feel a bit hungry so we think some dessert will be nice. Our host takes us to try some Hong Kong dessert!
The place looks very interesting inside.
We take a look at the menu. So many choices!
We order this big bowl of shaved green tea flavored snow, with strawberries, mango and red beans. Yummy!!
Posted Aug 11, 2013, 3:55 am
Before leaving, we went to the Twin Cities. Well, actually we were neither in St. Paul (the capital of Minnesota) nor in Minneapolis (the state’s largest city), but in the suburbs. After some shopping, we needed a quieter place. And found it – at Fort Snelling State Park.
More than 150 years ago, what now is the state of Minnesota was the border to the Wild West. A fort was established to “secure” the area for traders and the British Army – against the Native American tribe of Dakota who lived there and were afraid of losing their homeland.
Well, to cut a long story short, the Dakota lost their homeland and were even imprisoned at Fort Snelling. We did not go in there, but the walls already look impressive from the outside!
At the adjacent State Park, the Minnesota River joins the mighty Mississippi River. One of the numerous hiking trails leads along this stream.
Can you see the highway bridge in the background?
Especially at the Minnesota River, the ground is very much swampland – and attracting lots of mosquitoes. I decided to stay in sannah’s bag in order to avoid being bitten! sannah told me afterwards that this was a wise decision …
So far,
Jasper
Posted Aug 13, 2013, 2:56 am
See the tall tower? That's the CN Tower, the world's tallest tower when it was built in 1976, and today remains the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere.
I wonder where we'll be going?
We enjoy checking out the street scenes of downtown Toronto.
Shanti Baba is an Indian store sells incense, hookah pipes and more.
Chapters is a Canadian bookstore chain.
Look at the banner! Are we in Portugal?
It's Little Portugal!
We find a Portuguese bakery. They have many fresh bread.
And cheeses and sausages from Portugal!
This is called pastel de nata.
Nom nom nom what a delicious afternoon break!
Posted Aug 17, 2013, 10:11 am
We have traveled far in the past days – from the US to Germany where sannah visits friends and her family.
As the weather was nice, sannah took me sightseeing to her former university city: Halle at the river Saale. A few months ago, the city hit national news because of a severe flooding.
We started at University Square. The Löwengebäude serves mostly official and representative purposes.
Here we all posed with one of the two lions in front of the entrance to the Löwengebäude which means lion buiding in German.
All buildings at University Square were beautifully restored.
Then we went to the Market Square – five towers make up the city’s historic skyline. Four of them belong to the main church Marktkirche - Unser lieben Frauen.
The fifth one is the so called Red Tower.
And this place at the Graseweg is supposed to be the oldest residential house in town. I love the half timbered Tudor Style!
It was nice to get to know all these places!
All the best,
Jasper
Posted Aug 22, 2013, 1:15 pm
Being in Germany also required traveling between sannah’s second hometown Halle and her region of birth. sannah told me that she is a born and raised country girl – I had no idea!
Rural northern Germany is very flat and therefore perfect for going by bike. Real villages outside of Soltau are rare, homesteads are more popular. But only very few of them are still farms nowadays. While sannah’s grandparents had cattle and cropped potatoes or grains in order to make a living of that, it did not pay off for her dad anymore.
So here we are in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by fields and wind turbines.
There is a saying: "You could see yesterday who is coming for dinner tomorrow."
Corn fields could be scary – especially at night! I refused to listen to the scary stories sannah was told at the daring age of 10 or so ...
All the best,
Jasper
Posted Aug 25, 2013, 5:43 am
Let's check out the menu.
It's popular to have rice porridge for breakfast, and you can select what type of meat or seafood to go in there, with eggs, scallion, and other things. There is the fried dough that can be dipped into the porridge. It's like a salty doughnut. We also have some fried noodles.
Afterwards we go the road again. Look there is a McDonald's. Inside the logo there is a small red maple leaf, to remind us that we are in Canada.
We pass by Chinatown.
Look there is the CN Tower again.
Look there is a H&M here!
We visit a store calls Mountain Equipment Co-Op, which specializes in outdoor gears and wear.
Looks like they have both water and mountain equipment!
The paddles look very beautiful.
Bear bells? I hope they don't attract bears. Mooses aren't friends of bears.
Ticks remover? Yikes!!
Oh I like watermelon helmet!!
On a brighter note, here are some plastic wine glasses to keep some civilization in the wild!
Hey let's go camping!!
Posted Sep 5, 2013, 12:23 am
we are back in the USA. sannah took me for a short walk downtown. The weather is still nice and very summerly.
The heart of downtown Rochester is the Mayo Clinic - every high building in town is somehow connected to this well known hospital ... for treatments, administration or research.
But two buildings stand out. One is the Plummer Building, erected in the late 1920s. sannah likes the old fashioned style. The other one is the Chateau, formerly a movie theater, but now turned into a bookstore.
All the best,
Jasper
Posted Sep 21, 2013, 9:27 pm
sannah told me you have found another host for me. So I packed something to eat, a postcard and slipped into the envelope. I hope I won't travel too long ...
Bye so far ...
Jasper
Posted Sep 27, 2013, 11:01 pm
i think that i frighten him hehe
J-Hello, I´m jasper, the reindeer and you?
PM-Hello, i´m purple monkey, nice to meet you, Jasper.
J-Hey Ana, can you make us a photograph together, please?
A-Of course, Jasper. Smileeeee
later, i meet other possibles tv´s of our host. Adam, the playmobil, Yoshi tourtlellini, the tourtle, the Nymeria´s twin sister (she has not name still) and the snake (other without name)
here, i with the present that my other host send to Ana.
I meet MÍA, a female 4 years cat. She give me some welcome kisses
[img] http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m218/JEAN_GREY_25/CIMG6906_zpsf520c1e1.jpg[/img]
and met BOB too. is a ma le black cat of 10 years. And is very sweet, He kissed me too
and play with me. SORRY, BOB WANTS TO EAT ME, AAAHHH!!!
Uuf, MIA saves me.
Posted Sep 27, 2013, 11:02 pm
in house again, Purple monkey and i play to clim. Purple monkeys win, is very fast
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Mia join to us, but she don´t need climb, is giant!!!
And, in the night, we play videogames, is very funny!!!
tomorrow send you more photographs!!
Posted Sep 29, 2013, 6:03 pm
look, what breakfast: milk, nesquick and cookies
Ana give us a pair of cookies. One for me, and one for purple monkey
Again in the car. This time, for going to the post office
but unfortunatelly the post office was closed and Ana can´t send the packet and postcards. Very very bad day.
eat hour!!! chinese food for today and spicy, very spicy
evening of relax in the jungle... oh no, is only a plant.hehe
ok, the monday we going to the post office, the park... i hope that makes a good day and not rain.
Posted Sep 30, 2013, 12:16 pm
Behave well my little one and have fun.
Mom
Posted Sep 30, 2013, 11:29 pm
But first, we go to the post office.
Here, in a moment of relax
Here, in parque de la paz. (park of peace)
in a big fountain
Playing with purple monkey
Look at me, i´m in the tree!!!
look that big stairs...
Some flowers... smell very well
Again in the car, we go to other park
is a natural park, called Bosquesur, with a lot of trees. Ana sais that be rabbits and Frogs, very little frogs, but today we can´t see them
with the map of the park
With a View of Fuenlabrada to the bottom
And last, to the post office Again. This time, to gather a package. A big package.
tomorrow, we, are going to throw racing cars and motorbikes, will be funny.
See you tomorrow!!!
Posted Oct 2, 2013, 7:39 pm
First, we going to see the gooses and duck. Are a lot of them in this park!!!
make a photograph in the lake
Later we going to the medical centre and shopping, but can´t take photographs...
And this evening, in house, we can make a race of cars and motorbikes, is very Funny!!!
First, i drive the car...
and later, the motorbike
I don´t know were going tomorrow.Maybe to the library and send some postcards.
see you tomorrow!! and this monday maybe we go to the centre of Madrid!!!! Great!!!
Posted Oct 10, 2013, 3:56 am
This is his very friendly dog.
He has a beautiful garden.
Look at the maple leaves with the beautiful seeds!
We sit out on the pouch.
And drink some beer.
Later we go to a Brazilian cafe.
and get more of the pastias de nata!
Posted Oct 10, 2013, 4:14 am
We mark down what we like to eat on this order form.
Isn't this dumpling very pretty?
More food arrives. Dim Sum means small dishes of food, like tapas. So you get to order and try many things.
This is chicken feet!
Then later in the day we go to a Korean dessert place.
All the cakes look delicious!
Everything looks so tempting, it's hard to decide what to order!!
This is a crepe with sesame ice cream.
We also have a green tea shaved snow. Yummy!!!
Posted Oct 10, 2013, 4:20 am
Good bye, our Canadian friends!!
Back to Miami we go!
But now we have a new friend traveling with us!!
Posted Oct 16, 2013, 12:04 pm
But don´t worry , i´m watching some dvd films of superheroes, vampires... was funny
Look,this monday, we help her to write some postcards and, later, she put the postcards in the mailbox
look what beautiful postcards!!!
uuufff purple monkey and i was very tired. Are a big number of postcards to write
And today, Ana will received some postcards and packets. I help her to open it. The panda and loki postcards are awesome.
And here, with purple monkey.
this evening, we can help our host with some handcrafts. She promise take us some photographs in the process. iSo, this night or maybe tomorrow, yo have new photographs. And maybe omorrow or friday we go to other new park to take more photographs. Well!!! And next monday yes, we go to the centre of Madrid!!!!!
Posted Oct 23, 2013, 5:19 pm
these days i make some things
I had to rescue Purple monkey, because BOB try to eat him.
Run, cat, run!!!
Make some handcrafts. I can use the cutter, but don´t worry, I had a lot of care.
haha, purple monkey is my prisioner!!!!
also, we saw scooby doo in the pc.
and, today, open the mail
Ana wants to get us to the center of Madrid, but is always complicated. Or it rains a lot and we can´t go, or our hoster has something to do ... Next Monday we can´t go, but the following, I hope that yes, in Madrid there are many beautiful things to see.
see you soon mom!!!
Posted Nov 10, 2013, 4:19 am
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.
Wow there are so many people!! The Capitol is in the background.
Here you can see the Washington Monument (the tall obelisk) and the White House.
There is a concert.
The army plays the national anthem.
It must be a lot of fun to be there!! I hope I can go visit one day.
Firework is on! You can see the Washington Memorial, a very tall obelisk.
I enjoy watching the spectacular fireworks.
Posted Nov 10, 2013, 5:59 pm
For convenience, we use a bag of shredded green papaya. it's a lot less work than shredding from a fruit. If you can't find a green (unripe) papaya you can make the salad with cucumber.
First we put some garlic cloves and chili pepper.
Then we add some of the shredded green papaya. We use a pestle to pound it. Our host's pestle looks like an egg. This will make the papaya more tender and release the juice.
This is palm sugar. Of course you can use ordinary white sugar too, but we are trying to make it more authentic!! We break it apart and add it to the salad.
Now we add some green onion and tomato. We also add some fish sauce and other seasonings.
We finish by putting some peanuts on top. Salad is ready!! Doesn't it look delicious?
Posted Nov 13, 2013, 12:15 pm
My new friends say goodbye to me.
then, i enter in my envelope with some sweets and postcards for my new hoster, but ssshhhh, is a surprise for him / her hehehe
Goodbye Spain, now, i was travelling to Germany.
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:39 pm
I arrived at Fabi's house a day ago and today we visited the Christmas market in Bochum for the first time.
Fabi chose to only take two photos, so I am sorry for the things we're missing on this, but she didn't have that much time as we had to catch the train.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:42 pm
today we helped Fabi at work. They had the Christmas market there and we were allowed to sit on the table with their goods for a while.
Fabi made most of them, so you can see what she did at work most of the time lately.
It was fun.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:43 pm
today Fabi had to walk home from work, so I walked with her and we took some photos to show you.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:45 pm
today we went to the city and took a photo with the big wheel on the Christmas market.
Fabi is really busy, so sorry for not much updates lately.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:46 pm
today we had to say goodbye to HolgiHH. I hope he'll have a safe travel and will have fun at home.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:51 pm
today Fabi got up the Christmas tree and unpacked it so it can "unfold". It looks quite funny, I think.
We played UNO because we were bored. But we had fun while doing so.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 1:55 pm
New Years Eve was celebrated with food, watching TV and playing Mario Kart and Mario Party. Later we did some "lead-pouring" which should tell you if you're a lucky person in the next year.
Fabi seems to have a lot of trustworthy friends.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 2:15 pm
today we went to school with Fabi and took photos on our way to the bus stop.
On the first photo you can see Fabi's school. It's a really nice place. And then you can see the music school which isn't far from Fabi's school. After that it's the way where she walks every day - at morning in darkness and later back when it's light already.
We also took a photo with the shopping centre near her school, Ikea and the Colloseum.
At the Colloseum you can watch musicals, plays and other things. Whatever is in their program. They have a big stage which is quite impressive.
I hope you like them.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 2:22 pm
today we had a walk through the city on our way to the main station. Fabi showed me some places.
The church is the "Marktkirche", the cruxes are next to it.
The glasshouse is the "Volkshochschule" - it's a place for adult education where you can learn languages, dances, how to play instruments and so much more.
The statue is Wilhelm I. .
Lichtburg is the oldest cinema in Essen and the biggest cinema in Germany (room to sit). Even though we don't know if this is still true.
The carillon is famous in Essen, but a lot of people never heard it play in their life. Fabi sometimes waits to hear it as it is really cute.
It's carnival season so I could look at some costumes in the windows of the shops. Can I go as a wolf?
Essen - die Einkaufsstadt (Essen - the shopping city) is written on the Handelshof, a hotel.
Old photos of the main station and the Handelshof.
And a new photo of the main station so you know how it changed.
And the last photo is the post office right at the main station where Fabi sends most of her mail. When I leave I will probably sit in one of their mailboxes as well.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 2:27 pm
after our tour through Essen we made another tour through Bochum.
The first two things are just finds on our way through the city where I don't really know what exactly it should be.
The third photo is the town hall of Bochum.
The fourth and fifth photos are churches which I liked.
Six is the town hall again.
Seven is a special traffic "light" which is used for a long time already.
Eight is a shepheard statue.
And the last one is another church for you.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 2:34 pm
this morning we had a walk in Steele. It is a part of Essen and was really nice. We saw the church and I took a closer look at the mailboxes here.
The statues are miners who are showering. Essen was a city built thanks to coal mines, so there are a lot of statues for them.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 2:46 pm
in the evening Fabi's best friend came over and as she had the car we decided to drive to the lake in Essen - lake Baldeney.
The ruin at the lake is called house Scheppen. In front of it is the loved bike meeting point where a lot of bikes meet up in summer.
At the end of our walk we came to the dam of the lake. It was already getting dark so we took some photos and then walked back to the car to get home.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 3:09 pm
today we had a walk in a forest in Essen. My new friend Stitch joined us (he is part of Fabi's family for a while already but doesn't go out that often) and we had a lot of fun. There is a game reserve with deers, wild pigs and goats.
I found lots of interesting signs which told me which tree was there, so I took some photos for you.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 3:12 pm
today we had a short walk at the Nordsternpark in Gelsenkirchen.
As it is still winter there wasn't much to see. But we had some fresh air and that was what Fabi wanted.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 3:17 pm
today we had a long walk through Steele again. This time we took photos of houses, funny street names (Neue Liebe = new love), the bus that drives here (one of them), the sign of the bus stop, one church and the station of Steele (the one with the yellow Evag).
I hope you like the photos. It shows how it looks like in Fabi's neighborhood.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Jan 31, 2014, 3:17 pm
today we had a long walk through Steele again. This time we took photos of houses, funny street names (Neue Liebe = new love), the bus that drives here (one of them), the sign of the bus stop, one church and the station of Steele (the one with the yellow Evag).
I hope you like the photos. It shows how it looks like in Fabi's neighborhood.
Love,
Jasper
Posted Feb 4, 2014, 11:17 pm
Today was my last day with Fabi. I will sit in the mailbox tomorrow and go on with my travels. On my last day I met Matcha and Marmalade, who will stay with Fabi now. They wished me a good travel.
Hope I can say Hi from my next place, soon!
Love,
Jasper
Posted Feb 12, 2014, 5:12 pm
today I arrived at Murph’s home.
We took a long walk in this forest.
There were great mushrooms in the forest.
Wow, how beautiful. Did I tell you that I love these mushrooms?
This lake was frozen.
But we found the spring at a lot of places. The wild arum started to grow.
The Black elder already got leaves.
And the snowdrops were blooming.
A wonderful day in the forest.
Greetings
Jasper
Posted Feb 19, 2014, 5:27 pm
today I went to a beautiful park.
On our way to the park we found this gate. I loved the color.
... and this fountain.
Behind me you can see the castle.
There is a small pavilion in the park.
Some pussy willows…
Let’s see, what more we can find here.
These old bonnets look funny, don’t they?
These old tomb slabs are impressive.
A sprig of mistletoe on the ground...
Wow, what a beautiful park!
Yours
Jasper
Posted Feb 27, 2014, 4:58 pm
we had to take a trip because of the wonderful sunshine. First I found these winter aconites.
Unfortunately you cannot read this sign, it explains a special forest – the „Hutewald“.
There are many very old oaks. Cows are grazing here 1-2 times a year, because the oaks need enough light for growing. Unfortunately the cows were not here today.
This was a small part of the „Wohldenberg“ Castle.
On this photo you can see how big it was in the past.
We found many snowdrops in the garden.
From this look-out you can see the Harz Mountains, but it was closed in the winter.
The Castle stood on wonderful rocks.
And the trees grow directly on the rocks, too. The roots look great, don’t they?
Of course you don’t have a walk with Murph without a mushroom.
This one is very rare – and looks like a mosaic.
It was great to sit in the sunshine!
Until soon
Jasper
Posted Mar 6, 2014, 5:23 pm
today we went to a holy spring. Many people take water from it. It should help against sicknesses.
This was the main spring.
The water was so bright!
Here you see 2 other springs – coming directly out of the hill.
There was a small altar next to the spring. People sacrifices things here, and hope that the spring never stops.
Then we went into the forest to search the spring. And we found some flowers. This was amazing! But look: sweet violets
A spring snowflake
The orchids didn't bloom yet.
Another flower: daphne mezereum
Wow - the bear's garlic is really tall. We can go and collect it in 2 weeks.
Greetings
Jasper
Posted Mar 13, 2014, 5:25 pm
we visited a ruin today.
The walls of the gate were very thick.
This catapult was really huge.
We had a great view from the wall. It was the garden of the castle.
You won’t believe. The people had a heating in the past.
The thing with the holes was the heating.
This was exciting. Stones like these hold the drawbridge.
There was a nice view from the tower over the ruin.
Yours
Jasper
Posted Mar 20, 2014, 5:04 pm
Today we had beautiful weather. We walked around a big lake. There is the possibility for water skiing here.
But there were no people here today – maybe the water was too cold.
There were sculptures everywhere around the lake – should this be art?
I really liked these small flowers!
I have no idea, what this should be. Maybe it was a work art, too?
There was a long sandy beach at the lake.
Really great – just like the sea!
A wonderful day in the sunshine!
Best wishes
Jasper
Posted Mar 24, 2014, 5:22 pm
Another day with wonderful sunshine. These mountains were our call – they are called „Adam and Eva“.
Let’s go!
We have to go up there – this is really steep! This will be exhausting!
When we arrived at the top it was time for a rest. Isn’t it beautiful?
Look, there were the rocks. It won’t be too far now.
Finally we arrived. These are „Adam and Eva“.
On our way back we found bear’s garlic.
It was already big – maybe we can collect it next week-end.
Until soon
Jasper
Posted Apr 2, 2014, 5:20 pm
The weather was so beautiful. So let’s go onto the balcony and enjoy the sunshine. What is this?
Freya sat on the balcony and waited for us. She flew all the way from Berlin to us.
We sat together immediately – and had to talk a lot.
Yours
Jasper
Posted Apr 4, 2014, 4:52 pm
we went into the forest again. There were flowers everywhere – all were blooming! Great! Beautiful cowslips
Sweet violets
The orchids didn't bloom yet.
Another flower: wood anemones
We wanted to collect bear’s garlic. We took our basket.
What a wonderful view – bear's garlic – as far as you can see.
Where should we start? Here!
Murph cut the bear's garlic and put it into the basket. Our basket was full.
This is the bear's garlic paradise!!!
Until soon
Jasper
Posted Apr 10, 2014, 6:03 pm
Today was the last day with Soeren here. We absolutely wanted to enjoy the sunshine. A beautiful forest. Everywhere were blooming flowers.
Didn’t it look nice?
A beaver gnew at this tree – this is really rare here.
A flower with green blossoms: the green hellebore
At the end we found a mushroom: the Bleach cup. It smells like chlorine.
At home I had to say goodbye to Soeren. We had a great time together, but now it is time for him to go home.
Greetings
Jasper
Posted Apr 13, 2014, 3:14 pm
We wanted to search for morels in this beautiful forest today.
First I will show you two flowers that I never saw before. The spring vetch:
and the Yellow star of Bethlehem
We search these mushrooms – they were really good in hiding.
But there have to be more – let’s see.
Maybe there will be one?…
Here it is.
And many more – how great.
Next week we will show our new guest these wonderful mushrooms –hopefully we will find more.
And finally the orchids start blooming.
Yours
Jasper
Posted Apr 14, 2014, 3:17 pm
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.
Posted Apr 16, 2014, 10:57 am
Today a new TV arrived – let’s have a look, who it is.
It was DottyCroc.
He showed his gifts and the postcard from Dicker Kumpel.
Thanks Dicker Kumpel! We will need luck tomorrow, this weekend we will search for morels and help DottyCroc with another life mission.
Keep your fingers crossed for us!
Until soon
Jasper
Posted Apr 17, 2014, 4:39 pm
The weather was wonderful. We went into the forest. First we found these beautiful kidneyworts.
Then we found these small mushrooms. Can you see it?
Here you have a better view – they were half-free morels.
Finally the orchids bloom.
Where are the yellow morels?
Murph found one.
Then we found more and more.
Tomorrow we will return with our baskets and then we will collect yellow morels.
Many greetings
Jasper
Posted Apr 21, 2014, 2:38 pm
Today we will collect yellow morels. Let’s start.
Where are they? They play hide and seek with us.
Then we find one.
Murph cut it and put it into the basket.
I found the next one.
Wow – our baskets got full! DottyCroc found one, too.
There were no more place in our baskets, they were full.
Let’s go home – it will be yummy!
Yours
Jasper
Posted Apr 23, 2014, 5:12 pm
Today we started our very short holiday. On the way to Thuringia we stopped at this beautiful spring. The water looked great, didn’t it?
On the sign there were a lot to learn about this spring.
It was so wonderful here.
We didn’t want to leave.
A last photo of the spring and we continued our trip.
On our way we saw this sign.
Surely HoBi had to stop.
And we had to search for Easter eggs. And yes:
Easter was here…
Jasper
Posted Apr 26, 2014, 3:46 pm
We learnt a lot about Martin Luther in Eisleben. There he is…
This was the house where he died.
This beautiful fountain had nothing to do with Luther.
Neither this house. It is the town hall.
There were many sculptures of Luther in Eisleben. We really liked this one.
At the end we found the house where Martin Luther was born.
So much about Martin Luther – but it is Easter
Until soon
Jasper
Posted Apr 29, 2014, 5:07 pm
Isn’t this a beautiful castle?
We wanted to have a closer look at it.
We walked around the castle.
It looked like a castle in a fairy tale.
In the inner courtyard there was a market. It looked like the Past.
This was a wonderful day – let’s see what we will do tomorrow.
Many greetings
Jasper
Posted May 2, 2014, 4:19 pm
On our way to Tilleda we drove through Bad Frankenhausen. Here you can see a very famous church.
The church is more inclined that the tower of Pisa.
Then we went to a museum. You can see parts of a castle of Emperor Barbarossa.
The gate to the old castle and an old workshop.
This is an old smithy.
I really liked this house.
An old stove out of mud.
Behind me you can see our next goal.
Yours
Jasper
Posted May 4, 2014, 4:51 pm
This was our next stop. I think that this monument is famous in Germany.
It is a monument for the emperor Barbarossa.
Here you can see a photo of Barbarossa
I absolutely wanted to have a photo with this lion.
How exciting – petrified wood…
We wanted to have a souvenir from this holiday.
What a great coin – it was self-made by us.
Unfortunately our holiday is over now.
Time to start the way back.
It was a wonderful holiday, I saw so many things.
Until soon
Jasper
Posted May 8, 2014, 5:04 pm
today I took a look at the hometown of Murph. This river flew through the whole city.
There are 2 big salines in the spa gardens. The people used it to produce salt in the past.
It smells good.
This is the famous place of Murph. It is called Summstein – you sit inside of it and bumble. Then the whole body prickles. Very funny!
Next to the Summstein you see the colorful pigeonry, but I didn’t see pigeons.
There were many beautiful trees in the park.
They opened a golf-course here. It is an 18-hole-adventure golf course.
Bad Salzdetfurth is a really nice city. I hope that I will show you more of it.
Many greetings
Jasper
Posted May 9, 2014, 4:30 pm
We went into the forest again and searched new mushrooms for DottyCroc.
But first we found many orchids. Really beautiful flowers!
The first mushrooms… St. Georg’s mushrooms
Murph told us that we should smell the mushrooms. Not that nice
….but eatable.
The bear’s garlic blooms!
And another Orchid – it was really big!
We never saw a white orchid before. They are very rare.
Another mushroom: a little brown cup
We saw this danger sign in the forest. Ticks should live here – but we have no problems with it – we are ToyVoyagers.
This mushroom is really rare. Murph only knows one place where it grows. Normally it is purple – this one is not that purple – and it is poisonous – violet crown cups
We continued our walk and went onto a meadow. So many Snowdrop windflowers!
And more orchids – I love these flowers. Mum, do we have wild orchids at home, too?
You know this orchid, don’t you?
At last we found another brown cup – but this one was really big…
What a wonderful day in the forest. Next weekend we will visit Dicker Kumpel, the best friend of Murph. How exciting!
Yours
Jasper
Posted May 16, 2014, 4:05 pm
Today we visited Dicker Kumpel.
We showed our gifts to the others.
They really liked it and were so happy.
Dicker Kumpel planned a game for us - great!
He explained the rules. We played with the die. Everyone who has a six put the cap and the scarf on. Then he or she was allowed to ‘fight’ with the wrapped chocolate. This seems to be funny. Let’s start.
I threw the dice – unfortunately no 6…
The next time there was a 6 – I took the cap and the scarf – and here I go.
After the game we all ate sweets – yummy!
What a wonderful day!
Until soon
Jasper
Posted May 18, 2014, 2:50 pm
We took a trip to Grabau together. There is a maypole in the middle of the village.
But actually we wanted to go into the forest.
Let’s see what we can find here.
Wow – really beautiful!
We loved the view over the lake.
A quiz in the forest. Do you know this tree? It was an oak tree.
Normally you can play music here, but I was too small.
We found great mushrooms! Everyone knows these mushrooms – you can eat it in chinese restaurants – jelly ears…
We observed animals.
For good photos we were brave and went near to the animals.
Then we continued our walk- and at this lake we watched out for birds.
More mushrooms!
I think that DottyCroc completed his 2. life mission. But now surely…
At the end we found this great wooden wigwam.
What a wonderful forest! But then it was time to say goodbye to Dicker Kumpel and his guests.
It was a great weekend!
Yours
Jasper
Posted May 19, 2014, 5:38 pm
Today I had to say goodbye to Murph and DottyCroc.
I visited Murph for a long time – and we had a lot of fun together. He is a funny guy and became a good friend of mine.
But now it is time for me to travel on.
Bye Germany! Russia – I am coming.
Hopefully until soon.
Jasper
Posted Jan 5, 2015, 5:50 pm
toyvoyagers is finally repaired. I am very happy
I'm alright, I rest in Russia and miss you so much
In the near future I'll tell you what I was doing all this time. Happy Holidays!
Jasper
Posted Jan 20, 2015, 6:35 pm
I very miss you. I want to tell you soooo much. Sit in a comfortable position and listen
This summer I and other good TV went to Lake named Bannoe
It was cold, but very fun
I was even able to put on the One Ring. I'm Frodo, can you see me?
We also saw the horses and cows. They are so big compared to me! I wonder how much I need to eat that to be the same as they are?
In the autumn we went to watch a movie in the open air. Do not worry, I put on my hood
In honor of the opening of the "cinema" was a drift cars...
...and fire show
It was awesome! Then we watched 2 films and went home.
We celebrated the New Year at home. We found a present for us under the Christmas tree
It's a little Christmas tree ^_^ But the best gift is to see site working again
We walk in the park next day
It was so cold brrrrrr
We should drink hot tea with some tasty staff after a good walk
So I spent time very good
See you soon,
Jasper
Posted Jul 2, 2015, 12:47 pm
as our weekend trip turned out (heavy thunderstorm, the road has been spilled) mom comforted us with a pizza.
A pizza from sweets.
Bye for now
Jasper
Posted Jul 3, 2015, 5:25 am
we will take a trip, no matter what the weather report says.
We make our way to Flims in canton Grisons.
There lies on 997m above sea level, tucked away in the woods, one of the most beautiful mountain lakes of Switzerland - the Caumasee.
The first view of the turquoise lake let us cheerfully start.
Through wild meadows and unspoilt woods brought us our path to the viewing platform Conn.
First impressions of the gorge.
This is the platform.
"Il Spir" (swifts) is called this platform for their birdlike appearance.
It extends diagonally across the 400m deeper Anterior Rhine Gorge.
Then it was time for a break.
Apple pie and coffee gave us the strength for the way forward.
Wild strawberries, mushrooms and escargots were our companions for a certain time.
Then we reached again the Caumasee. The short rain shower caused a particular mood.
This color - something truly special.
We enjoyed the rest of the way.
After five hours we arrived back to our starting point.
A last look at this beautiful lake.
Maybe I'll be back someday.
Hugs and kisses
Jasper
Posted Jul 5, 2015, 11:16 am
This morning we took the train to Solothurn.
Solothurn is located on 430 m above sea level. M. on Jurasüdfuss. The city is divided by the river Aare into a northern and southern area.
The old town in its present state was built mostly 1520-1790 and accordingly shows a mixture of different architectural styles, but especially the Baroque, so Solothurn is regarded as "most beautiful baroque city of Switzerland".
The first look at the city center and cathedral.
On our way along the river Aare, we discovered an "open bookcase". You can bring books or take free.
We walked further and saw many beautiful buildings.
This is the "crooked tower", you can see why it's called so.
We crossed the Aare
and went to the old town.
Also Solothurn is not spared of graffiti on the walls.
This here I liked.
An office building.
The portal of the Protestant City Church.
The church seen from the side.
Through picturesque little roads
we came to the town hall.
Around every corner was something new to see.
The old arsenal museeum is being renovated.
One of the many beautiful fountains.
Up we went
to this round tower, a part of the fortress wall.
Hmm, was this formerly the castle moat ??
The round tower.
It's very old.
From the terrace we saw the mountains of the Jura -
and the Cathedral of St. Ursen.
We walked on, looking forward to a flower bed
and refreshed ourselves at a fountain.
Then we discovered a model of the city of Solothurn.
Here we sit in the middle of the river Aare hi, hi.
By Baseltor
we came to the bell tower of the Cathedral.
249 steps take you to a viewing platform.
We begged until mom dragged us up.
One of the eleven bells.
Ooh, the climb was worth it.
With shaky legs and wet hands mom photographed bravely.
She has a bit afraid of heights. Especially with TV's in her hands.
Magnificent views.
Then - 249 steps down.
Ha, I was up there.
View over the rooftops of the old town.
We sat for a moment in the cool church.
Then we admired the main portal.
The Clock Tower was also worth a look.
Slowly it was time to think of the way home.
Over a footbridge we came back to the other bank of the Aare -
and the train station.
See you
Jasper
Posted Jul 9, 2015, 3:50 pm
we deserved an Oscar. An Oscar for whining.
First it was too cold, then it was too wet and now it's too hot.
But it's really too hot. For days, temperatures above 35 °.
We can barely drag ourselves out to the balcony.
Between all the vegetables - which like the weather - there are a few cool spots.
Eating a cake and do nothing - that's the best.
Bye for now
Jasper
Posted Jul 13, 2015, 3:10 pm
while we enjoyed the sun on the balcony, mom brought us a newcomer.
The little sheep comes from China, introduced herself as Rachel and brought beautiful postcards and sweets.
We warmly welcomed and gave her a big group hug.
Then we enjoyed a leisurely afternoon together.
Hugs
Jasper
Posted Jul 13, 2015, 6:02 pm
Today we took a hike to the Schwendi lakes.
The Schwendi Lakes lie between Gamser- and Chäserrugg (two of the seven Churfirsten mountains) in a hollow in a sheltered flat moorland of national importance. When the Schwendi glacier about 14,000 years ago melted, he left the hollow in which the lakes were dammed. In the following millennia caused by siltation of the lake shore gradually the moors.
A funicular took us to 1340 meters above sea level. Here we started our hike.
We had a nice view of the opposite side of the valley. There we saw the Schafberg and the Säntis.
After about an hour we reached the first lake.
On an information board was everything worth knowing about the formation of mountains and moorland.
On a boardwalk we went deeper into the bog.
The lakeshore can only be reached through a single web. This of course was crowded.
So we contented ourselves with this sight.
We walked on and marveled at the many, various bog plants.
Up here theplants bloom between May and September. Therefore, the meadows are now very colorful.
We have also discovered such romantic places.
Even lotus flowers grow here.
And a lot more.
This is the second Schwendisee. Because you reached its water surface only by a marshy reeds, it is much quieter here.
On a bench, we rested and gathered strength for the descent. After all, it was necessary to overcome 300 meters in altitude.
Last panorama before descending, Jasper knees tremble already.
Here we go.
Safe and happy back home greets you
Jasper
Posted Aug 10, 2015, 12:49 pm
and once again it was time to say goodbye to two good friends.
Sansone travels to his new host to Germany and Twixx wants to fulfill his last life mission: return home safley.
As a farewell we celebrated a great Cake Party.
With cake in the belly and melancholy in the heart we said goodbye and wished a safe journey.
Jasper
Posted Aug 10, 2015, 1:38 pm
today we welcomed our new guests:
The WotWots from Austalia.
Let's have fun together !!
Jasper
Posted Nov 14, 2015, 5:18 pm
this week I arrived at my new host's home in Wuppertal. My new host is Katja, she and _Mishuta_ from Ukraine gave me warm welcome. I brought a postcard with me and a lovely souvenir dish towel which was already pre-washed and is in use now.
Katja is also living in a flat, this is the view from the balcony.
Today Katja took me to town, we had to do some shopping. We are living in a quarter just above the central station, so we have to cross the tracks everytime we walk to the city. It is just a few minutes walk to get to the city centre of Elberfeld.
Can you see the cranes in the background? A vast area is re-built at the moment. This large construction site will be finished around spring 2017, containing a completely new area in front of the central station with a lowered-down street. Here you can read more about the building site and you can see pictures how this area once looked.
This is the historic concert hall, built in 1900, also a fantastic event location.
Due to the building site the central bus station also had to move, it is located now here.
And here is ..... the Schwebebahn!
The Schwebebahn is one of the most important attractions of Wuppertal. This is one of 20 stations, built in a modern style. The track is mostly following river Wupper, only in the West of Wuppertal it is leaving the river bed and follows streets, it is even crossing the motorway A46.
This is one of the trains. Next year these wagons will be replaced by new ones, just today a first new wagon was transported to Wuppertal. It will be tested for some time during nights.
Soon we reached the city centre with its shopping streets.
The building with the tower is the city hall, on the open space in front of it a daily farmer's market is taking place.
Here you can find the fountain "Jubiläumsbrunnen", it is a copy of the Neptun's fountain in Trient/Italy.
The booth for the Christmas market are already in place.
We went to Luisenviertel, an old quater which is well known for lots of bars, restaurants and nice shops.
This is St. Laurentius Church, also with a largen open space in front of it which is used for markets and other outdoor events.
This funny statue is called "A new successful day". Recently the statue's briefcase and tie were stolen, in the meantime the briefcase was replaced and also the tie - he is wearing a lot of ties right now
Back to the building site.
This is the Schwebebahn station Katja is often using.
On the information board we could read that the next Schwebebahn would be a special train. And yes, it was the historic "Kaiserwagen". This train is in use since 1900 and is nowdays used for private trips. You can hire it or sometimes there are special trips for the public.
When we came home from shopping we met our neighbour with her dog Jule in the entry, we decided to accompany her on a walk to the forest.
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Walking in Wuppertal means walking uphill, as the valley slopes are really steep. To make it easier for pedestrians, hundreds of public stairs were built. There are more than 400 of them, a lot of them with more than 100 steps.
As soon as you leave the immediate vicinity of the city centre, the more green you will see, parks or woodland areas.
It took us about 10 minutes to reach a nearby forest.
On our way back home Katja showed me the company building of a local insurance company. It is one of Wuppertal's landmarks.
From here you have a stunning overview across the city.
Bye for today
Jasper
Posted Nov 21, 2015, 5:08 pm
we made a trip to Wuppertal-Barmen today, the second largest district of Wuppertal.
Of course we went there by Schwebebahn.
Here you can find the "Historic centre" with the house where Friedrich Engels grew up, a social scientist and journalist, one of "Marx and Engels", founder of Marxist Theory. He lived from 1820 till 1895. Nowadays the Museum for early industrialism is also located here, with an adjoining park along the main street.
This is old man Friedrich Engels.
We went to the city then and saw the opera house.
This is the central Schwebebahn station in Barmen.
Can you see the bridge in the background? Katja told me that this bridge belongs to "Nordbahntrasse", which was a railway track once, now re-built for pedestrians and cyclists. Katja promised that we will go there later because you had a stunning view across the city.
First we visited the city hall of Barmen and the farmer's market which is held every Saturday on a space behind it.
The christmas market is also here waiting to be opened.
This is the farmer's market.
Afterwards we went to the Nordbahntrasse. Because it is situated much higher at the slope it meant walking stairs.
Soon we reached the bridge, or rather the viaduct.
Katja was right - the view is stunning
We left the Nordbahntrasse here. This former track is only part of a much larger track system. Within the municipality of Wuppertal is lane is about 23 km long and was completed last year. I hope I will see more of it.
We strolled around a district called Rott, with lots of lovely old houses.
We also found an architectural feature here, a residental area called "Waldhof", completed in 1928 with arcades and houses like "towers", nearly destroyed in World War II and re-built later.
This is one of several hospitals, having a lovely old building and lots of annex including a high-rise building.
Later we crossed the Nordbahntrasse once more, this time we took a photo of an information board.
Another highlight - the Lego Bridge!
The Lego Bridge is a concrete beam bridge of the Nordbahntrasse which crosses over the Schwesterstraße. In 2011, the bridge was repainted by a graffiti and street artist. The work was awarded the Deutscher Fassadenpreis Advancement Prize in 2012.
It looks incredibly real
From here we took the chance to visit a special market in Schwesterstraße, a mixture between flea market and farmer's market, mostly run by immigrants. We bought lots of vegetables here.
Bye for today
Jasper
Posted Dec 1, 2015, 6:16 pm
outside it is raining cats and dogs, so Katja just went shopping. She bought a few things for preparing christmas presents. She bought a large piece of ginger, untreated lemons and a bottle of vodka. We prepared lemon-ginger-liqueur.
We had to remove a really thin layer of lemon peel, the lemons were pressed, a large piece of ginger was also peeled and cut into slices. Lemon peel, lemon juice, ginger and sugar had to cook for 10 minutes. This mixture had to cool down then and was filled into a large jar and finally the vodka were also added.
Now the mixture has to rest for two weeks and will be re-filled in smaller bottles then.
Katja said that this stuff was just wonderful!
Bye
Jasper
Posted Dec 6, 2015, 10:21 am
Today I start a new adventure. My journey takes me to Wuppertal in Germany.
Bye my friends, I'll never forget you.
See you
Jasper
Posted Feb 14, 2016, 3:10 pm
we went to Hattingen today. Hattingen is a town in the northern part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district with a picturesque historic district. They are having timber-framed houses there, like in Wuppertal and Remscheid.
Hatingen is also known for a really lovely Christmas market.
This house is created like an advent calendar. On each day of December (until 24th) one window is opened.
We saw lovely Christmas decoration.
Of course we wanted to taste local delicacies, so we had "Reibekuchen" (potatoe fritter) and a beer.
We strolled around the city.
We really enjoyed this trip.
Bye
Jasper
Posted Feb 14, 2016, 3:23 pm
in the afternoon we took a long walk with dog Jule. We went to a nearby hill, called "Kiesberg". On our way there we walked along a lovely house, it belonged to a facitry owner once.
We had a good view to the university area. The university was built in the 1970s years and is constantly enlarged. Almost everytime you can find a building site there.
The city was lying underneath the hill then.
Greetings from Jule and me
Mishuta and I enjoyed the lovely weather.
Later we walked along a memorial grove, dedicated to the dead of World War I.
On our way back home we came across another intesting place, the former slaughterhouse. Nowadays "Villa Media" is located there, an arts venue.
Bye for today
Jasper
Posted Feb 14, 2016, 3:48 pm
this Saturday we went to the city to buy a few things. Because the weather was so great we walked around for some time. We started our trip in the city centre, in front of the city hall.
Katja showed me the listed facade of a well known department store.
We walked towards Luisenviertel ...
... with its picturesque narrow streets.
From here we walked uphill towards a quarter called "Ölberg". This quarter was built as a housing area for workers, although there was already electrictity, most residents of this quarter still used oil lamps.
That is where its name is coming from.
Walking uphill often means a fantastic view across the city
Have a look at thouse gorgeous houses!
Once again we had stairs to climb.
This is a well-known place in this quarter, "Schusterplatz" with a large playground.
This church belongs to a large cemetary.
We walked back towards the city centre though another part of the Northern city.
We had to buy food for the ferrets then. Katja often buys it in a Turkish supermarket.
Bye
Jasper
Posted Feb 15, 2016, 4:14 pm
this Saturday we went to the city to buy a few things. Because the weather was so great we walked around for some time. We started our trip in the city centre, in front of the city hall.
Katja showed me the listed facade of a well known department store.
We walked towards Luisenviertel ...
... with its picturesque narrow streets.
From here we walked uphill towards a quarter called "Ölberg". This quarter was built as a housing area for workers, although there was already electrictity, most residents of this quarter still used oil lamps.
That is where its name is coming from.
Walking uphill often means a fantastic view across the city
Have a look at thouse gorgeous houses!
Once again we had stairs to climb.
This is a well-known place in this quarter, "Schusterplatz" with a large playground.
This church belongs to a large cemetary.
We walked back towards the city centre though another part of the Northern city.
We had to buy food for the ferrets then. Katja often buys it in a Turkish supermarket.
Bye
Jasper
Posted Feb 15, 2016, 4:39 pm
we took a walk today in the surroundings of Remscheid and Solingen, both neighbour cities of Wuppertal. We walked along river Wupper, which is the natural border between the two cities.
We walked uphill towards the valley slope of Solingen. Soon we reached Germany's highest railway bridge, Muengsten Bridge. Katja told me that Muengsten Bridge is connecting Remscheid and Solingen.
Soon we were able to see the whole bridge, overspanning the valley of river Wupper. The bridge is 107 m tall and about 490 m wide, opened in the year 1907.
We walked along the valley, sometimes uphill, sometimes downhill.
In the background the first houses of Solingen-Unterburg came into sight... and also Schloss Burg, a medieval castle, situated on a hill high above river Wupper.
Unterburg is an historic district with picturesque timber-framed houses.
These houses were mostly built in late 18th century.
There is also a small church with an historic cemetary.
We walked back, again following river Wupper.
This time we crossed below Muengsten Bridge. There is a leisure park created underneath it with resting zones, a crazy-golf-course and lawns for playing and a restaurant.
At the moment construction works are taking place (not only now, but already for several years and it will stay like this for at least one more year).
Soon we reached the car. Bye for today
Jasper
Posted Feb 15, 2016, 4:47 pm
finally we are having winter - it is cold and it snowed
Katja decided to take a long walk with her daughter, so we went to Remscheid-Lennep where she is living.
We went to a nearby forest which belongs to the surroundings of a water reservoir.
Later we walked through a rural area and we had to cross several roads.
In the end we had wet feet and were frozen through and through
Bye
Jasper
Posted Feb 21, 2016, 1:53 pm
in two days we will go on a holiday trip! We will go to Tenerife.
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands. We will stay in Puerto de la Cruz, a city and municipality in the northern part of the island.
Bye
Jasper
Posted Mar 2, 2016, 12:29 pm
we travelled to Tenerife yesterday. Tenerife is one of the Canary Islands, the largest one of seven islands. Tenerife is a rugged and volcanic island sculpted by successive eruptions throughout its history. The island is about 300 km from the African coast, and approximately 1,000 km from the Spanish mainland.
We stayed in Puerto de la Cruz, a vivid city in the North-West of Tenerife. You can find lots of large hotel complexes here, but also a lovely old town with typical narrow streets and plazas.
Our hotel is situated at Playa de Martiánez, with a fantastic view across the beach and towards Orotava valley. Can you see the yellow spot? It is marking our balcony. Today we started a long walking trip in the Orotava valley.
First we had to walk uphill to leave the city area. The coasts of Tenerife are typically rugged and steep here in the North of the island, so you cannot just walk along the beaches.
Agriculture is centred on the northern slopes, tomatoes and bananas are cultivated, usually in plastic enclosures. In Orotava valley you can walk though banana plantations for hours.
There are overlook points everywhere, official ones are called "Mirador". The view across the coastline is always a spectecular one.
The North and South of Tenerife similarly have different climatic characteristics. While the South is mostly sunny, you have more rain in the North, due to the topography of the island. Today the weather was changing constantly, sunny on the last picture and a bit later the sky was full of clouds.
Our walking route took us high above the valley.
Later in the evening we took a walk in the city of Puerto de la Cruz.
Some houses are painted in vivid colors.
Katja enjoyed barbequed mussels.
In the evening we walked back to the Hotel, along the promenade with lots of historical buildings.
Bye for today
Jasper
Posted Mar 19, 2016, 9:42 am
today we visited the Botanical Garden in Puerto de la Cruz.
We saw the most insteresting plants here, like this fig tree for example. The figs are growing directly from the trunk.
This beautiful flower is called Bird of Paradise.
These trees are like a forest full of airial roots.
Tenerife is well known for its dragon trees. This is one of them. They can become hundreds of years old.
These are banana plants.
This tree is covered by lichen-
Later we walked to another park in the city.
Again we had to walk steep uphill to get there.
Our next destination was Playa Jardin, one of the few sandy beaches.
All the sand is black due to its volcanic origin. It is looking fantastic!
Around Playa Jardin a park with palm trees and cactus is created.
Tomorrow a hiking tour in the mountains is planned.
Bye
Jasper
Posted Mar 19, 2016, 10:01 am
today's trip started in Aguamansa, in the mountains above Orotava Valley.
We walked through lovely pine forests.
Here we also found trees which were covered by lichen.
This seems to be a kind of elderberry. Can you see that there are fruits and blooms at the same time?
And here ....
a wonderful look at Pico del Teide, covered with snow.
The higher we climbed, the more fantastic the landscape became. Look at these lava formation.
We were at a level of about 1.500 m than, the vegetation changing.
Eukalyptus trees were growing there.
I almost felt like home in the Swiss mountains
, even snow wasn't missing.
Above the clouds the weather was much better, of course.
AFter returning home to Puerto de la Cruz we were really tired.
Bye
Jasper
Posted Mar 19, 2016, 10:28 am
today we made a hiking tour along the coastline, towards the Western parts of Puerto de la Cruz, about 8 km towards Los Realejos and back.
Once more we walked through the lovely old town.
Close to the coast we found this lovely outlook pavilion.
We walked along the shore, with this fantastic view towards Playa Jardin and Punta Brava, another historical district of Puerto de la Cruz.
Over the years a large field with cairns (human-made piles of stones) was created by people.
These cairns are mostly used as trail markers.
Later ...
In the meantime we left Puerto de la Cruz behind, following the trail.
The coastline became more and more cliffy.
The decayed house was a water pumping station once, built in early 20th century.
Duck your head
From here we walked back.
This time we made a side trip to the narrow lanes of Punta Brava.
The breakers are nearly crashing into the houses.
Bye for today
Jasper
Posted Mar 19, 2016, 10:38 am
today we went to Garachico, also located at the North-Western coast of Tenerife. Garachico is an old town which was almost completely destroyed by an eruption in May 1706. Most of the town and the whole harbor were destroyed. There is no beach but natural rock bassins, remnants of the lava which came down the valley in 1706.
These are the rock bassins.
Tomorrow we will have to return home
Bye
Jasper
Posted Mar 19, 2016, 10:40 am
Posted Mar 19, 2016, 10:58 am
today we met Strunki and went to Cologne to meet another TV-host from Germany, fam-united.
We had planned to visit the Botanical Garden ("Flora") here. It was created in late 19th century.
Incredible! Real palm trees in winter in a German city!
These are monkey puzzles from South America, i.e. Chile.
This looks like spring is on its way to Germany
They are having a special camelia exhibition here in a greenhouse, camelia are blooming in winter.
Camelia in all colors and variations.
This is the beautiful glass palace.
The weather became more and more ugly, so we decided to "escape" to Düsseldorf, hopefully the weather would be better there!
Posted Mar 27, 2016, 1:39 pm
Duesseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The city is situated on the River Rhine, and is renowned for its many events and also for its fashion and trade fairs. We decided to visit the old townd and of course to have a look at river Rhine.
This is Burgplatz, a central place in the old town, opening towards the river.
In the background you can see Rhine Tower, a telecommunication tower, an Media Harbour.
From here we wallked to the old town, we found this old inner harbour.
Duesseldorf's old town is called "The world's longest bar" because of its hundreds of bars, pubs and restaurants. Here you can see the bar of one of the most famous breweries of the city - Uerige.
In Duesseldorf a special beer is brewed - Altbier, a delicious darker beer.
The interior of the bar is really rustic.
Greetings from all the ToyVoyagers who visited Duesseldorf today
In the centre of the old town the historic city hall is located.
Good-bye from the world's longest bar!
Jasper