Qah, St. Lorenzen, Italy

qball Posted Jul 17, 2012, 7:03 am	Hello, everyone! My name is Qah. It is said Qah means monkey in an old language. As a baby, I am curious about the whole world. Is it the same way people live in different areas? What is the main food? What to do in leisure time ? What is the residential building like? And so on. I hope I can answer these questions one day. I am in China now. And I will start my adventure soon. To see the world, to grow up.
qball Posted Jul 19, 2012, 6:13 am	I find some postcards in a drawer. It is so amazing. Beautiful landscape, blooming flowers, and special buildings! All of these are attracting me so much. Yes. It is the time to go out. Even just a walk on the street. It is full of green. And sunshine makes me so comfortable.
qball Posted Aug 1, 2012, 6:11 am	Hey! After 2 weeks preparation, I'm already on my way to Ukraine! I am not familiar with this country. I hope after this trip, I can tell my friends that I know Ukraine much! And, some photos before depart:
Katusha Posted Aug 15, 2012, 1:14 pm	Hello, Mommy! Hurray! I'm in Kiyev now! It was very long travel, but finally I'm here. At first I didn't see nothing, but then heard some noise outside. Then my envelope was opened by somebody and I saw... ...all my new friends! That were MokoMoko and other toys. They are very fun and met me with all hospitality. I like my new buddies! My host mom liked your little letter and a present. She said, this girl is so cute! So you see - I'm fine and very glad to be in new place. Hope to show your more very soon! Bye-bye, Mommy! Your Qah.
Katusha Posted Aug 16, 2012, 7:14 pm	Hi, Mom! Today was a rainy weather, so we were at home. We decided to cook something sunny and warm. We looked over little CookBook... ...there are so many tasty recipies... ...and finally we chose pancakes! We prepared batter and began cooking! This is our pancake heap!  After all our work it was very pleasant to take a cup of tea and a couple of pancakes with sour cream and homemade apricot jam! Yummy! Have a good day, Mom! Your Qah
Katusha Posted Aug 26, 2012, 8:27 pm	Hi, Mommy! This day we visited the National Expocenter of Ukraine. It occupies very big territory and there are many beautiful buildings here. Here we decided to rent bikes and to go for a cycle ride in the big park of Expocenter. In the park there are many big and small paths and riding along them you can see many interesting things. Me and MokoMoko on a rest. Huge tree.. Sunny clearing.. Wonderful mushrooms.. In the end of our forest route we found this pound. On our way back we met a pony farm! And then several cows.. Finally we finished our little travel and came back to the Expocenter. We walked a little around it. And even met several weddings. Nothing surprising - people like to take wedding photos here. Then we went back home. And met these swans... ...and also many sculptures. Some of them were like alive! So that was my day Bye-bye for now, Your Qah.
Katusha Posted Sep 2, 2012, 8:19 pm	Hi, Mom! It's me again. I want to show what we did today. This morning the weather was very sunny and we decided to go to university stadium and to play in basketball a little. We took also my host's turtle Yasha. She likes to take sun-baths from time to time. And I understand her very well!  At first she was afraid of something and hid in her little turtle-house. She is so shy.  But soon she got accustomed and agreed to photo with me. Then we played. Basketball is not very simple game for me, but I even put one ball in the busket! So I liked this play. On the way back I noticed that fall is very close. Rowanberries are red already... ...and some leaves are yellow and falled. Also we found an apple-tree. But all apples were green as yet. Then we went by park, where I saw several ponds and a pinery. There were many people who were resting, playing games and fishing. It was very interesting day! Bye-bye!)
Katusha Posted Sep 17, 2012, 10:55 am	Hi, Mommy! Sorry for delaying, my host was busy a little - her studies at English school began. But now here I am! And I want to show you what we did on 24th August. In the morning we went to the centre of city by the underground. Underground's map (a little blurred, it was hard to photograph a-going). When we arrived, we got to one of the oldest movie theatre in Kiev. Funny shop window of Tea store. We met very nice Book store. It was an exhibition of children art studio here. All exhibits were marvelous. We took a photo of some of them. Then we got to main street of Kiev - Kreschatik. There were many people here. It was a big festival, because August 24 is an Independence Day of Ukraine - national holiday. Little chess club. Live statues. Fun musicians. Big map of dreams. Finally we get to  Independence Square, where was a main stage and big concert. There was even some raicing perfomance here. Then we went to the Friendship of Nations Arch. It is very big and looks very beautiful in the nigth, when it is illuminated of colour lights. Here you can see wonderful panorama of Kiev and the Dnepr river. Then we came back to the Independence Square and went down to the underground to go home. So you see, it was very saturated day. Of course, we were tired, but despite everything it was very interesting day! Bye-bye, your Qah!
Katusha Posted Sep 30, 2012, 5:01 pm	Hi, Mommy! This day my host had a test in language school, so we got up early, although it was hard to do because it was Sunday. When my host passed her test, we decided to go for a little walk before to came back home. So what I saw: The Heart Monument Some playbills Buisness Center In a window of candy shop we saw this fun mini candy factory. It was very yummi to watch how candies are cooked. Also we walked by souvenir store. I liked dolls in national costums. As usually our walk ended in the Independence Square. Here we stopped to have something for lunch.  We had soup, some salads and steamed buns with sauce, that my host likes very much. So that was my day. See you later, your Qah
Katusha Posted Oct 11, 2012, 11:12 am	Hi, Mom! It's me! One day my host and I found an interesting cafe, where you can try a lot of pies with all kinds of fillings. So we decided to visit it and to try something tasty After my host's studies we went straight this place! While we were waiting for our order, I looked through the window. Day was great and sunny. Last autumn sunny days.. Then our order was brought! There were one unsweetened pie and two pies with sweet fillings - blueberry and cherry. It was a big feast as for me And tea was also great. My was with fresh raspberries, mint leaves and lime, I guess. After our hearty lunch we went for a little walk along the side-street. In the end of our walk we met these people with green umbrellas. It was some action. Witness for nature I think or something like that. That was my day Buy-buy!
Katusha Posted Oct 15, 2012, 8:38 pm	Hello, Mom! This day we had a little trip to the big park zone. We put our warm clothes on, took knapsacks and some food for lunch and started our journey. We walked trough the forest... then walked by lakes... and even trough the canes. Finally we get into the other side of big lake, where stopped for break. Here we drank a hot tea from a thermos with sandwiches, cookies and candies. It was wonderful! Then we met Horse Guards. Then we went back home.. and I saw a pony farm again. This nice pony was very friendly. That's all for today! Bye-bye!
Katusha Posted Oct 22, 2012, 12:32 pm	Hello, Mom! Today we cooked the big pie with eggs and spring onions. Nobody from us has never baked this pie before. So we were excited a little and were afraid of spoiling everything.  So we began.. We weighted all the ingridients and mixed them... Tadaaaam! Our pastry was ready. Then we put it off for a little time and decided to go for a short walk. Where I saw the big national stadium. The World Football Championship Euro 2012 was right here. Then we came back home and continued to cook our pie. We prepared filling... Put it on the one part of a pastry and covered by another one. I liked to do holes in a pastry for air going. After all our efforts and after one hour of waiting, while it was in the oven... hurray! It was finally ready! And unexpectedly it was very tasty! That was my little story this day See you soon!
Katusha Posted Nov 4, 2012, 8:53 am	Hello, Mommy! My host and I have two last updates for you before my depart to Germany. Last weeks were so rainy and foggy that we haven't any chance to go out and see something interesting. We were very sad about this, and tried to use every sunny hours to go for a walk. This day while we were walking in the park, we saw a squirrel! There are many squirrels here, but this one was very brave and came very close to us! We didn't take this picture, but she even take a bit of a cookie from our hands! It was exciting! Hope weather at home is better and wish you a good mood and a good day!
Katusha Posted Nov 5, 2012, 11:14 am	Good day! We went to the Andriyivskyy Descent today. It is a historic street in Kiev with beautiful buildings, many souvenir stores and great panoramic views of Kiev. You can see in the background The Saint Andrew's Church that is located atop a hill, where Andriyivskyy Descent starts. It was our main goal today. Monument to Hryhorii Skovoroda. He was a Ukrainian poet and philosopher. Among souvenirs and antique things you can find everything here. Then we decided to go up to the viewpoint. higher and higher And finally we were on the top. Classic view of the Andriyivskyy Descent. Then we continued our walk. And finally the Saint Andrew's Church. It is very beautiful. Monument to the main characters of very popular in Ukraine and Russia movie. Name of this movie hard to translate for my host, but it means something like " if you run after two hares, you will catch neither". Then we went to have something for lunch. This is what we saw else, while we were walking. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Charming church ensemble. Nice buildings and stores. And many pigeons. It was a long walk. And we were very hungry. This day we decided to visit a new vegetarian cafe near our house. My host is not a vegetarian but she said everything there was very tasty. And I agree with her So this was my day. I guess I will arrive in a few days to my next host, so I let you know Mommy. Hear you soon, bye-bye, your Qah!
Katusha Posted Nov 10, 2012, 6:51 pm	Good day! Today we have prepared for my sending to Germany. I'm so excited! My travelling goes on and very-very soon I will see new places and meet new people and friends! We make ready my envelope and some gifts for my future host. Hope she will like all these little surprises! I can't show you what we did right now. You'll see it later, when I arrive to Germany. Tomorrow I will go next. Hope everything will be ok and I arrive to Leipzig very fast! Bye-bye, your Qah!
Katusha Posted Nov 10, 2012, 6:58 pm	Hi, Mom! I'm at the post office already! I haven't got too much time for looking around. So I had better jump in my envelope, where I feel myself safer. Hope my travelling to Germany will be not very long and I can write you soon! Oh, I need to go, bye-bye!
Niina Tuulia Posted Nov 25, 2012, 4:43 pm	My first weekend in Leipzig! I think I like this place. (Made a gingerbread Qah and tasted ...Swedish... glögg) <3 Qah PS. Host says thanks for the presents I brought with me!
Niina Tuulia Posted Nov 29, 2012, 7:20 pm	It's been so grey and rainy this week that I've been mostly keeping my fur dry and staying indoors... Well, I went to a German bakery (they're everywhere!) to get some bretzels. And I found a nice little book about birds being philosophical about life so I've been read...looking at that. I might be travelling somewhere on Saturday if it's not too cold for me... Hope everything's OK at home! -Qah
Niina Tuulia Posted Dec 3, 2012, 5:37 pm	So much for the travelling - my host hurt her arm at gym - but I sneaked out today and went to see a nearby river (and enjoy life). Looking forward to see a little more snow than that. ^.^ Qah
Niina Tuulia Posted Dec 10, 2012, 1:26 pm	Finally!! Germany is being covered in snow.. I might need a scarf or some other woolly thing some time soon. 'Mütze' would be cool... xx Qah
Niina Tuulia Posted Dec 16, 2012, 12:09 pm	Yesterday I visited the Christmas market here: the whole centre of the city is full of wooden stands and cottages and everything looks very old-fashioned and cosy. I made some new friends and met some Germans who were struck by my quteness. They were asking my name and told me that I look like Bob. (I was a bit offended by that.) Next week's mission: getting back to the stand where they sell chocolate covered bananas! <3 "Bob"
Niina Tuulia Posted Dec 23, 2012, 5:47 pm	My short visit to Berlin: (Berlin was cold as Siberia so the only sight I was taken to was the East Side Gallery which happened to be just around the corner of the place where I stayed, but anyway, now I've seen the Berlin Wall, yay!) Back in Leipzig I came across the biggest advent calendar I've ever seen and stole a Glühwein mug. ^.^ -Qah
Niina Tuulia Posted Dec 30, 2012, 7:45 pm	Today I visited the Cospudener See (<-- German for lake): lots of people jogging, cycling, roller skating, sailing and flying a kite. I also saw a teepee and a sightseeing tower which I climbed even though it was windy and the whole thing was shaking like mad. Cheers Qah
Niina Tuulia Posted Jan 1, 2013, 1:05 pm	I'm getting a little restless in Leipzig after having been here so long so I took a train and went to Jena. (I'm becoming good friends with German railways.) I also discovered that Germans are crazy with their fireworks and little dynamite-looking things they throw at railway stations, tram stops and just everywhere to celebrate the Silvesternacht (New Year's Eve). I feel almost like I've survived a war or something... (I think I like the moon better ^.^)
Niina Tuulia Posted Jan 18, 2013, 1:55 pm	Planning my journey to Nürnberg!! Bye, Leipzig!
EuroMaus Posted Jan 19, 2013, 4:54 pm	Today i arrived here in Nuremberg Germany. Two other TV´s were already waiting for me. Its "Wink" from USA and "Nikita" from Lichtenfels in Germany. Oh and as you can see a little boy is on the pictures..That´s host Mum´s Son "Mahesh". We have a lot of fun with him. I  arrived exactly at lunch time. So we had Lunch togther. We had salad, chicken and indian dish called "Rajma". Yummy". After Lunch we went out in the snow. It was so much snowing the last couple of days... We sad also in a tree at "Duzendteich". The Lake is frozen now, but in summer there are many sailboats on it..host mum told its really beautiful... Near the Duzenteich is the Documentation Centre Party Rally Grounds)  Here is something about the history of nuremberg.... In 1933, the National Socialists decided that Nuremberg was to be the "City of the Party Rallies". They created a link between the Nazi movement and Nuremberg's glorious past as Free City of the Empire and venue for the imperial diets in the middle ages. This is why they staged the annual NSDAP party rallies here ever year in September, up until 1938. Designed by Albert Speer, in the city's southern districts, the "Party Rally Grounds" were erected as a huge parade ground on an area of 24.5 hectares. Zeppelin Field and Zeppelin Grandstand, the unfinished Congress Hall and a large excavation intended for the planned German Stadium are what remains in the city, as the monstrous stone legacy left behind by this regime of terror. Back home we went with the tram....
EuroMaus Posted Jan 23, 2013, 3:29 pm	Today two new TV´s arrived here. Its Vassily the cute tennis ball and the mouse UrselHH. As a welcome for them we got to eat some kind of donut with vanille cream inside....hmmm..it was so tasty...its made here in Germany for carnival... Looking forwared to carnival here in Germany....
qball Posted Jul 25, 2013, 2:32 pm	Hello, everyone. As you see, the blog hasn't been update for a long time. It means  something bad happend. It did happend. Qah, the first Qah, has losted. But the adventure must be continued. So, I'm here, Qah No.2. Life mission is still here. And the new journey will begin soon. Let's expect it, hopefully.
qball Posted Aug 3, 2013, 1:38 pm	We had a walk in Tiananmen Square today. It's a landmark of China. I will start my journey soon, so I decide to take some photos in my home town. I can't imagine any other places better than here.
qball Posted Aug 3, 2013, 3:26 pm	New journey is already began! Next station is Spain. At the time I start the adventure, a guest who lived with us a long time also begins her journey. We go to post office together. Maybe one day we will meet each other in another country.
SiniS Posted Oct 26, 2013, 4:59 pm	Hi mom!! Today I arrived at Spain!!! I heard some voices outside of my envelope… When I saw outside, a little butterfly, a ghost dog and a demon were waiting for me!!! - Hi!! My name is Qah!!! Q-I’ve brought some things with me, let me see… I showed the presents I brought from home and we took a photo of us And, as traditional here, Zero, the host here, wrote my name on his guestbook. Do you know, mom??? I’ve helped Zero to get one of his life missions!!! I’m his 10th guest!!!! Don’t worry about me, mom, I think I will have so much fun here I love you!!!!
SiniS Posted Oct 26, 2013, 7:11 pm	Hi mom!! Today we went to the swimming pool. We went to Can Sala Here we are, at the gate of the pool! These are the small and the medium pool (behind) And this is the big one, the one where we took the bath!! Oohhh!!! Some relax in the towel… … and a walk. We saw a mill and a tennis court. Then, Zero guided us to somewhere… Z – Hey guys, let me show you something… Z – Look. Here’s exactly the place where we met Vassily… Tomorrow will be the first anniversary of his arrival at our family He’s one of Zero and Mariposita’s brothers who became a TV too and got lost… I met him in another time; he was a good boy
SiniS Posted Oct 26, 2013, 8:04 pm	Woooww!!! Another TV!!!! We are all so excited! A white rabbit come out of the envelope!!! ?? - Hello!! My name is Madam Miff von Teacup, but you can call me Madam Miff. She comes from Germany and she brought some presents. Thanks!! Then, Madam Miff told us that she loves to sit in cups. Obviously, it is one of her life missions. So we asked hostmom to leave us a cup for her and she let us her favorite cup. At the same time, Zero improve one of his life missions!! Welcome Madam Miff!!!
SiniS Posted Feb 18, 2014, 12:25 pm	Hi mom!!! This year we go to the festivities of Sants. This neighborhood decorates its streets. The first street we found was this one decorated as a hell and it was a criticism about political corruption. The next street was a forest. This street was decorated as the house of Club Super 3. Club Super 3 is a TV program for children where we can see some different cartoons. Here, we met Son Goku and Vegeta and Shin Chan with his family. This TV program is also a club. Look!! This is my membership card!!!! And this hand is the mascot of the club. It’s a super hand!! Oh, oh!!! In another street we found an Alien spaceship!!! Waaahhh!!! A baby Alien attacks me!!! Better run… Ufff!!! We are safe now in this zouk And walking, we arrived to Venice!!! And in the last street we found a dragon. Can you see the knight at the left of the picture? This is the story of Sant Jordi (Saint George). The story tells that a dragon was frightening a whole village during a lot of time, eating its sheeps, cows… The people of the village decided to sacrifice a person per week to calm the dragon. But the random select the princess to be immolated!!! And when the princess was already in the cave of the dragon, a knight, Jordi, arrived and killed the dragon whit his sword. From the blood of the dragon, some red roses were born. The knight took one of them and gave it to the princess and returned her to the village. It’s a romantic story but poor dragon!!! I think he wasn’t as bad as people though, he only was hungry!!!
SiniS Posted Mar 17, 2014, 10:31 am	We go on holiday to Madrid!!!! Yeehaaaa!! As Zero is a postcrosser too, he has a friend in Madrid, and we all go to meet her I’m very nervous!!!! During our trip, we saw some interesting things: a bow situated in the same place where a meridian pass, some windmills and a bull, the mascot of Spanish trademark, Osborne. Look!!!! We arrived!!! This is our hotel We left our things at the room and we took the underground. We met Auri, Zero’s friend, in Madrid center. She’s a lady dragon We met in “El oso y el madroño” sculpture, a symbol of Madrid. Z-Auri!!!! Nice to meet you!!!!! She showed us some interesting places during the day. Km 0, the central point where all the roads starts. Plaza Mayor (yes, a relaxing cup of “café con leche” ) Calle Velazquez Teatro Real Catedral de la Almudena After a long way, we had something for dinner. And before to take the underground back to the hotel, we visit “La puerta del sol”, where people celebrates the end of the year eating grapes. Great day!! Thank you Auri!!
SiniS Posted Mar 17, 2014, 11:20 am	We went to Warner Bros Amusement Park, a temathic park with characters of Warner Bros Pictures and some superheroes. Here we are in the entrance of the Park Look! We saw el Oso Yogui! (Yogi Bear) We went in the Clark Kent's office and we saw a fountain with his special mark After, we went to Gotham city and we saw Batman and we ride on the Joker's bumper cars. We arrived at the far west and we go on a train an a horse carriage. And, finally, we arrived at Cartoon Village, where we visited Bugs Bunny's and Piolin (Tweety's) home. It was a funny day!
SiniS Posted Mar 17, 2014, 11:56 am	Today we meet Auri again. She will show us more places in Madrid. First we visited Plaza España and we saw a monument to Cervantes (the one who's sitting) with his two most famous characters, Don Quijote y Sancho Panza. Then we went to Templo de Debod, an egyptian temple dating from 2200 years ago, which was devoted to the cult of the gods Amun and Isis. It was donated to Spain by the Egyptian government in 1968, as a token of Egypt's gratitude for the aid provided in rescuing temples of Abu Simbel, in Nubia. We were hungry so we ate some typical food in Madrid: bocata de calamares (calamari sandwich) After lunch, we visited Calle Alcalá where we saw Edificio Metropolis... ... and La Cibeles, where the fans of Real Madrid celebrates when they team wins. And the, we went to visit Plaza Colon, where is situated a monument to Cristobal Colon. To do a snack in the afternoon, we ate another typical food: chocolate con churros. Now is time to say goodbye... We have to come back to Barcelona, so we give a very big hug to Auri. She has been a perfect guide!!! We will miss you, Auri, we will be in contact!!!!
jinxed Posted Apr 18, 2014, 2:09 pm	Hello I was examining a hollow stump of a tree, when I suddenly heard someone talking. The voices belonged to other toys, who had came for a walk to the forest. It turned out that they are toyvoyagers, too. Gozer, Emil, Hanne Hü and Mr. Moose. They invited me to join them and that's what I did. It's spring in Finland, too. Look at these flowers. They're growing here and there in small groups among all the old, fallen leaves. Beautiful. Huge old tree had snapped in two and the upper part had fallen down. The damage seemed to be quite recent, although the tree is very old and hollow. Perhaps the tree had finally gotten tired of standing still. Unfortunately it started to rain and we had to rush back to jinxed's before getting soaked. Best wishes, Qah
jinxed Posted Apr 18, 2014, 2:15 pm	Happy Easter for those who celebrate it and happy spring for everyone. Qah
jinxed Posted Apr 23, 2014, 4:35 pm	Hello It's one of the warmest days of this spring and sun is shining, so we decided to go to the riverbank for a walk. There are very nice walking routes following Aurajoki (joki = river). The river on this photo is Vähäjoki, a smaller river that flows into Aurajoki. It looks like we're on the countryside, but actually we walked only a couple of kilometers away from the town center. Soon after crossing that bridge we arrived to Koroistenniemi. Here's a sign telling something about the area. This is a historically notable area: an old trading post and a church, where the diocese of Finland was located before Turku Cathedral was built. The diocese was then moved to the Cathedral on year 1300 or so. A view towards Vähäjoki. And a view of Koroistennimi. The white cross marks the place, where the church and the diocese were located. The river on this photo is Aurajoki and you can almost see the place, where Vähäjoki joins it. If you look carefully, you can see the tower of Turku Cathedral, too. There isn't much left of the buildings anymore. You can seen some remains here and there, though. Mr. Moose and Teddy arrived later and we gathered on a big stone that's probably been one of the foundation stones of the church. We talked a lot, enjoyed the nice weather and had fun, but nothing lasts forever and soon it was time to say good bye. It's time for Gozer to continue his journey. Best wishes, Qah
jinxed Posted May 5, 2014, 4:03 pm	Hello Tomorrow is the first of May, which in Finland is called vappu and we're going to celebrate it. The celebrations start tonight, even the shops are closed earlier than usually and tomorrow is a national holiday. The roots of vappu can be found from pagan spring celebrations and later it became the worker's holiday. Whatever the reasons for celebrating are now, the Finns gather their friends and/or families and do something fun. Like going out for a picnic and probably getting drunk, too. Silly costumes are a part of vappu, too. Unfortunately we didn't have any, so we took some silly photos instead. The weather isn't that nice, so we decided that jinxed's balcony is a good enough place for our picnic. So, that's where we went with our balloons and serpentine. Teddy brought us some traditional vappu snacks: crisps, funnel cake, doughnuts and mead. We ate and drank a lot, maybe a little too much. But who cares, we had fun. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted May 7, 2014, 5:46 pm	Hi there Samppalinnanmäki (mäki = hill) is one of the seven hills of Turku and there's a nice park, too. That's where we went for a walk today. This old cannon is a memorial for the cannoneers, who were in the Winter and Continuation Wars on 1939 - 1945. Hey, look. It's another memorial. This one is for all the veterans of Winter and Continuation Wars. This statue is a memorial for G.A. Petrelius, whoever he was. Here are some nice views to the town center. The building here is restaurant Samppalinna. This one's for the independence of Finland. Here you can see a small part of Aurajoki (joki = river). The red building is Pharmacy Museum and Qwensel House. It's the oldest surviving bourgeois home in Turku, dating back to the early 18th century. Turku is a bilingual town and Åbo is its name in Swedish. Here's a view from Aurasilta (silta = bridge). The nearest building is the town hall. There's a nice cafe in Qwensel House and we decided to go there. Then it was time to say goodbye. Emil won't return to jinxed's with us, he'll start his journey towards new adventures instead. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted May 11, 2014, 12:56 pm	Hello Today it was time for some flowery fun - a trip to the Botanical Garden. First we went to the greenhouses. So many plants to see there. I really loved all the wonderful flowers. Then we went for a walk to the garden outside of the greenhouses. Of course it's still spring, so most plants haven't reached their full glory yet. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted May 14, 2014, 6:00 pm	Hello It's a nice and sunny day, spent outside at riverbank. This time we walked towards the sea. Here's a view towards the town center. The building is theater and there's Samppalinnanmäki behind it. Seems to be a bit greener than last week. Another view, but to the different direction. Here you can see the windmill. The building in the front of it is the Museum of Wäinö Aaltonen. He was a Finnish artist and sculptor, who lived on 1894 - 1966. If you're following the Aurajoki (joki = river) towards the sea, Martinsilta (silta = bridge) is the last bridge that crosses the river. Here's a view from the bridge. Here's Ukkopekka, a steamboat that makes day and evening cruises to the archipelago on summertime. This boat is Rudolfina, she makes dinner cruises to the archipelago too, but I think her cruises are shorter than those of Ukkopekka. The bow on the right belongs to Esposito, one of the many restaurant boats that you can find in Turku. The orange ferry is called Föri and she transports people over the river for free. Between Rudolfina and Föri, we had wandered off to Kakolanmäki. I think it's better to write about that on another post, otherwise this one's going to be horribly long. Anyway, here's Sigyn, one of the museum ships that are docked near Forum Marinum. the Maritime Center, where you can find the national special maritime museum and the Finnish Navy Museum. Sigyn is the last of her kind, the only remaining wooden-hulled barque which has transported cargo in ocean traffic. She was built in 1887. Here you can see Suomen Joutsen (Swan of Finland). She's one of the museum ships, too. Suomen Joutsen was built on 1902. This one is Keihässalmi, a museum ship, too, although not as old as Sigyn and Suomen Joutsen. She's a minelayer / minesweeper and was built in 1957. This ship is Bore. She isn't a museum, but serves as a hostel, a restaurant and a cafe. From here we continued our way to Linnanpuisto (linna = castle puisto = park), but that's another story, too. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted May 15, 2014, 5:26 pm	Hello While walking on the riverbank, we decided to go to explore Kakolanmäki (mäki = hill), too. Again, it's one of the seven hills of Turku. Here we are climbing up the hill. On this side of the hill, it's only a serpentine road going between trees, grass and walls, heading towards the gates of Kakola. The building on top of the hill is an old prison, which is known as Kakola. It was known for holding the worst criminals. Kakola was built on the mid 19th century and was in use until 2007, when the prisoners were moved to the new prison located in Saramäki. The reason to build a new prison was that the old buildings of Kakola became too small, too old fashioned and they also are in need of renovation. After the prisoners left, there were some sightseeing tours in Kakola on a few summers. It was also a filming location for a reality TV-show, where teens that were in a risk to become criminals were put there to try a life in a prison. Now, the buildings just are there and it seems that no one really knows what to do with them. The old buildings are protected, so they can't be demolished either. We didn't go to the other side of the hill, because there seemed to be somekind of a worksite. They're building new apartments nearby. If the prison was still in use, some of these areas that we visited now, would've been out of bounds for us. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted May 15, 2014, 7:02 pm	Hello again When you've followed Aurajoki as far as we did today, you'll be near the place where the river flows into the sea. You can't walk on the riverbank further than Bore, so from here it's only natural to continue walking to Linnanpuisto. Look at this old tree. I wonder how old it is. And here's the reason for the park's name. Turun Linna (Turku Castle) towers over the area. Here's the main entrance to the castle. Turku Castle is one of the most notable historical buildings in Finland and it's also the oldest surviving medieval building in Finland. The castle was founded in the late 13th century and it's located near the mouth of Aurajoki and the Port of Turku. Originally the castle was built on an island, but the ground has ascended during the centuries so much that the island is fully connected to the mainland. The castle has been through a lot during it's long history. It's been built, burnt, rebuilt and extended many times. The latest major damage was caused by an incendiary bomb that hit the Medieval keep on 1941, when Soviet Union was air raiding Turku during the Continuation War. After that the castle has been renovated and restored to its 16th century glory. Now the castle is one of the most popular museums in Finland. It's also a popular place for weddings. The castle can be divided into two parts: the Renaissance bailey and the Medieval keep. Here we are on the outer courtyard, the white part of the castle is the bailey. Here's an old well. Maybe there's still water in it? Here you can see the eastern tower of the Medieval keep and the smaller entrance tower in the front of it. A view from the entrance tower to the courtyard. Look how thick the walls are. Entrance to the castle and to the inner courtyard. That's where you go, if you want to take a tour in the castle. We didn't go there this time, not much to see beyond that door without buying a ticket. Maybe we'll go there one day, who knows. Here's the coat of arms of House Sture. Sten Sture the Elder was a castellan here on the 15th century. Here we are on the inner courtyard. You can see the western tower of the Medieval keep, too. Here we're going back towards the entrance. Back in the park again. Here's the only round tower of Turku Castle. Here it's easy to see the two different parts of the castle. It's forbidden to climb on the walls, but we did it anyway. And here's the western tower again. This is the part of the castle that you see most often in postcards and other pictures. It's also known as a symbol of Turku. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 13, 2015, 2:53 pm	Hello The weather was nice and sunny, so I went outside to enjoy the spring. It was fun to climb the trees, the flowers are so beautiful. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 13, 2015, 3:33 pm	Hello! It's another beautiful day and another walk in a park. This time we went to Puolalanmäki (Puolala Hill), which is one of the seven hills of Turku, again. On top of the hill are Art Museum and Puolalanpuisto (puisto = park). Puolalanmäki is located in the town center, only a short walk from Kauppatori (marketplace) which is the heart of the center. Here's a view towards Kauppatori. Here we are in the front of the Art Museum. It's one of the many old buildings in Turku. We decided to sit down for a while and enjoy the sunshine. Here's an interesting looking building near the park. A view from the top of the hill. This is statue is for the friendship between Turku and Leningrad. Yes, Leningrad is Saint Petersburg now, the statue is obviously old. I like these swans and the fountain, too. We decided to sit for a while here, too, before walking back to Kauppatori. One more picture of the Art Museum after walking around the park. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 14, 2015, 3:05 pm	Hi! Yet another beautiful summer day spent outside. This time we decided to go for a short trip to Ruissalo, it's one of those islands that belong to Turku. Here's a view towards the Port of Turku. Ruissalo is a protected area and belongs to Natura 2000. Besides beautiful forests, fields and beaches, there's camping area, botanical gardens, spa and golf course. We didn't go to any of those places, we just enjoyed walking on the promenade. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 22, 2015, 4:36 pm	Hello! Today Hanne Hü and I wanted to go for a walk to one of the nearby forests. This time we got to climb some huge and high rocks, too. After a longish climb we wanted to rest for a moment, so we sat on a rock and enjoyed the sunshine. Then it was time to continue forward. I climbed to a tree, too. It was fun. After a while we left the rocks behind and the forest became greener again. Then the path became rockier again, but we decided to follow it anyway. There seemed to be something interesting on top of the highest hill of this forest. It's the old and abandoned aerial beacon, which was built on 1930's when the airport of Turku was located in Artukainen. On 1950's the airport was relocated to it's current place. After that, the old airport served as a racetrack and now it's a location for HK-areena (also known as Turkuhalli) and the Fair and Congress Center. HK-areena is known as the home of TPS, the ice hockey team of Turku, it has also hosted the world championships of ice hockey and various other events. The aerial beacon is sealed, probably for safety reasons. Here you can see the rooftops of HK-areena and the Fair and Congress Center. Look, how beautiful flowers I found. We chose a different path to follow, when we left the forest. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 22, 2015, 9:38 pm	Hello! There's Medieval Market at the Old Great Square (Vanha Suurtori) on this weekend and Hanne Hü and I wanted to go there. Mr. Moose decided to join us. Old Great Square is located near the Turku Cathedral and it's the old town center. First, we met another toyvoyager on the bank on Aurajoki (joki = river) near the Old Great Square. ZeeZee Zebra had arrived to Finland only a few days ago. The red building is Katedralskolan (Katedraalikoulu in Finnish, Cathedral School in English). It was the first school in Finland and was established by Catholic monks in the Middle Ages. Of course the building itself isn't that old, it was built after the Great Fire on 1827. In the Middle Ages Katedralskolan was mostly for educating priests, now it's upper secondary school for those who speak Swedish. (Finland is bilingual country with Finnish and Swedish as official languages.) A quick view towards Aurajoki and the Handicrafts Market on the other side, before we went to explore the Medieval Market. Here we are at the Old Great Square. Merchants are selling their "medieval" products - different handicrafts, paintings, ointments, food, etc. Then there are actors - mostly amateurs and hobbyists - dressed up as medieval people. They have a partly trained and partly improvised show going on for the duration of the market. Although the actors aren't the only ones who have dressed up, some regular market-goers and hobbyists do that too. This building is the Brinkkala Mansion. It has a long history, beginning on the 16th century. The building was badly burnt on the Great Fire and then it was renovated to become the Town Hall. Now the Town Hall is located on the bank of Aurajoki near Auransilta and Brinkkala Mansion is best known for the traditional proclamation of Christmas peace, which is proclaimed from the balcony on Christmas Eve at noon. Porthaninpuisto (Porthan park) is right next to the Old Great Square and the masters of medieval crafts are showing their skills there. There were some sheep in the park, too. Then it was time for a break. We went back to the river bank with some traditional confections and the program. Mr. Moose translated it for us, so we found out what's going on and where. Then we went to explore the market again and watched a part of the show, too. Later we went to watch a tournament by Rohan Stables. It was probably the most exciting part of the day. After the tournament it was time to leave the Middle Ages and return to our own time. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 24, 2015, 3:19 pm	Hello! Guess what? Our medieval adventure continues. During the market weekend there's usually a medieval day at the castle too. Of course the castle is medieval all the time and you can go there whenever the museum is open, but the medieval day is a bit different. There's more activity and medieval people than usually and it's also possible to go to some places which are normally closed. First we went to the inner courtyard and found out that this door was open. Now we can see a room that's usually closed. It's the oldest room where people have lived in the castle. After that we decided to enter the Medieval Keep. On a way there, we met the gatekeeper's bear. Inside we sat down for a moment and admired the thick walls and big windows. In the gatekeeper's chamber we saw paintings from the 16th century. There was also an old saddle, which seems to be quite small and possibly very uncomfortable. In this room you can see scale models of the different building phases that the castle has gone through during it's long history. This room is the Nun's Chapel. Katarzyna Jagiellonka - wife of Johan III, who lived in the castle on the 16th century when Johan was the Duke of Finland - used this room for her prayers. This picture is from the scribe's chamber. These stairs lead to the top of the western tower. The uppermost floor is usually closed, but not today. The stairs are very steep with high and worn steps, not the easiest thing to walk on. Here we are, on the top of the western tower. We wanted to take a photo in the front of an open hatch because the view is beautiful, but there were too many people and we didn't want to risk falling down either. These hatches are built for cannons, so no window glass there. Here we are on the Renaissance floor, it's the uppermost floor of the castle, if you ignore the towers. This floor was built on the 16th century for Johan III and Katarzyna Jagiellonka. The chambers where they lived are located here. Then we continued the tour to the Renaissance Bailey. Here we are in the prison of Erik XIV. Erik was Johan's brother and the king of Sweden (at that time Finland was a part of Sweden, too). He was held as a prisoner here after he lost his sanity and Johan became the king. It's said that Erik spent so much time watching out of the window that his elbows left marks on the windowsills. We're sitting around one of those marks on these photos. The paintings on the wall show Erik XIV and probably his wife Karin Månsdotter. Later the castle served as a prison too. The last convicts were moved out of the castle on 1891, when the building of Kakola was completed. We had a great day in the castle. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 24, 2015, 6:24 pm	Hello! We spent a couple of weeks at the cottage enjoying the sunny, warm and lazy summer days on the countryside. It was fun, quiet and very relaxing. Best wishes, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 24, 2015, 7:05 pm	Hi! After relaxing at the cottage it's time for a trip to eastern Finland. Our destination is Eno. It's a village in Pohjois-Karjala (North Karelia) that has been a part of the town of Joensuu since 2009. Here we are on the road, somewhere near Pieksämäki. In Finland the distances can be long and the roads are built in a way that you don't need to drive through towns and villages. So, it's possible to drive hours without seeing anything but forests, lakes and occasional farms. These photos are taken at Ylämylly, when we had a short break at this lay-by. A beautiful place with a very popular beach. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 24, 2015, 7:43 pm	Hello! Today it was sunny and hot day, so we spent most of it in the garden. The kids here like us a lot and we played with them for a while, we even got a ride around the house on a kicksled. Kicksleds are usually used on winter, but it seemd to work well enough on grass, too. Then we climbed on a blackcurrant bush... ... and sat on a huge rhubarb leaf. Later we went to sauna. This is an old sauna. First you have to carry the water inside and then boil some in the big cauldron by burning wood under it. The sauna stove is heated by burning wood, too. There's no showers either. You're supposed to wash yourself in the sauna by mixing boiling and cold water in a wash basin. I think this kind of sauna is more atmospheric than the modern ones. You can see a part of the sauna stove in the corner and a part of the big cauldron in the front of it. Then we sang karaoke. It was fun. After that it was time for us to go to sleep. Good night, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 24, 2015, 8:24 pm	Hello! Today we drove about 50 kilometers to Ilomantsi. Just for fun and a little sightseeing, too. We saw lots of forests again. Ilomantsi is the easternmost municipality in Finland and also the continental part of European Union. So you can't go much further east without crossing the border to Russia. First we went to the water tower, which is now known as Hermannin viinitorni (Hermanni's Winetower). There's a coffee bar at the top, where you can also get some local wines. Beautiful views from the top of the tower. I wonder if we could see all the way to Russia, too. Then we ate apple pie with vanilla sauce and juice. It was yummy. After we left the tower, we went to see the Orthodox church. This Prophet Elijah's Church is the largest Orthodox church in Finland. It's very beautiful, too. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 26, 2015, 9:38 pm	Hello! After a hot and sunny day spent shopping in Joensuu, we went to the beach. Pielinen is the biggest lake of Pohjois-Karjala and this body of water here is Pielisjoki, a river that begins at the southern end of Pielinen and flows through Eno and all the way to Joensuu. Joensuu actually means river mouth, a logical name for a town that's located at the mouth of Pielisjoki. We noticed something interesting nearby. These huge stones are a part of Suomen Salpa (Finland's Bolt) which is also known as Salpalinja (Salpa Line, Bolt-line). Salpalinja is 1200 kilometers long bunker line that goes from the Gulf of Finland to Petsamo in northern Finland, although Petsamo is now known as Pechenga and it belongs to Russia. Salpalinja is also one of the most notable fortifications of the World War II. Now it's possible to do some sightseeing along Salpalinja and there are several museums on the way. Salpalinja was built on the eastern border of Finland during the Interim Peace between the Winter and Continuation Wars. It was meant to be a defence line against the Soviet Union and these huge stones were meant to stop tanks. In the end the Soviet Army was stopped before it reached Salpalinja. Anyway, it was a beautiful evening and we really enjoyed our time at the beach. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 26, 2015, 10:09 pm	Hi! Today it was time to travel back to Turku. This time we had a short break in Central Finland, more precisely in Vaajakoski, which is a part of Jyväskylä. We chose to stop there because of Panda, which is a candy factory that produces licorice and chocolate. They have a factory outlet there and that's where we went. The mascot is kinda cute, so we wanted to pose with it. About 600 kilometers and 7-8 hours in car on a hot summer day... We were very tired and happy, when we finally reached Turku. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 29, 2015, 5:16 pm	Hello! Yet another warm and beautiful summer day. This time we decided to spend it on the cliffs of Kuuvannokka, Ruissalo. We found a little bit of history again. This sign is a memorial for the Finnish War in 1808 - 1809 at sea. This war was fought between the Kingdom of Sweden and Russian Empire. Until that war Finland was a part of Sweden and after the war it became the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire. More specifically the sign is a memorial for the Battle of Punkinsaari (saari = island) on 4th July 1808. It shows the positions of Swedish and Russian ships between the islands (from left to right: Ruissalo, Pukinsaari, Hirvensalo). During the Finnish War Russians built some artillery batteries in Ruissalo and this is the location of one of those and that's why the memorial sign has been located here. Of course the artillery is long gone, but the mark on the cliff still stays. It was fun to sit on the cliff, watch the sea and enjoy the sunshine. This little pine tree has found an interesting place to grow. There was a small bay between the cliffs. The beach there was covered by small rocks. I also found a feather, most likely a seagull's. Hey look, there are flowers, too. One more look towards the sea before going back to jinxed's. It's been very fun day. Best wishes, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 29, 2015, 8:37 pm	Hello! Winter in southern Finland can be very changeable, like this winter has been so far. Temperature bounces around 0°C, on one day it snows and the next it rains. Last night it snowed again and it's a bit below 0°C, so ZeeZee and I decided to go for a walk to a forest. We climbed a tree, just for fun... ... and followed a path over a fallen tree. We had to walk quite carefully, because there was only a thin layer of snow and a lot of ice underneath. It was very slippery. There were blueberry twigs growing almost everywhere. These were on top of a huge stone. We climbed a tree again. A huge branch had fallen from an old oak. It kinda looks like a dragon or something. Maybe we're dragon riders now. We found some big and beautiful icicles. Then we found an old house - or what's left of it, not much more than the foundation. I wonder who lived here and what happened to the house before nature has taken over. Looks like there's still water in the well, frozen and covered by snow. This brook was frozen, too. I liked this old stump of a tree. Another frozen brook. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 30, 2015, 1:30 pm	Hello! Today it was a bit above 0°C again and it was sleeting the whole morning. When it stopped, we decided to go to the forest again while there's still some snow left. We found squirrel tracks. Looks like someone's had a campfire on this small clearing. We thought it'd be fun to play in snow for a while and that's what we did. We built a snowman, it was fun. Time to continue our walk, but not without climbing rocks and trees. Best wishes, Qah
jinxed Posted Jan 31, 2015, 11:31 am	Hello again, Teddy had found small Runeberg's tortes, so he shared them with us. Of course we had tea, too. These tortes are usually avaible only around the 5th of February, which is known as Runeberg's day. Johan Ludwig Runeberg (5th February 1804 - 6th May 1877), was a writer and a poet, he's also the national poet of Finland. He wrote in Swedish and his best known writing is Fänrik Ståls sägner (Vänrikki Stoolin tarinat / Vänrikki Stålin tarinat in Finnish, The Tales of Ensign Stål in English), which is an epic poem that describes the events of the Finnish War (1808 - 1809). The first chaper of the poem became the national anthem of Finland (Maamme in Finnish, Vårt land in Swedsh, Our land in English). Anyway, the tortes are named after J.L. Runeberg because it's said that he liked to eat them on breakfast. It's also said that the recipe is made by his wife Fredrika Runeberg, although it may be a variation of a recipe made by confectioner Lars Astenius on 1840's. Today it's time to say goodbye to ZeeZee because he will countinue his journey towards new adventures. Perhaps we will meet again, someday, somewhere. Who knows. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Feb 16, 2015, 9:59 pm	Hello! It snowed again and I wanted to go for a walk, while the forest is still snowy and beautiful. I found a small pond, surrounded by trees. It was quite shadowy under the spruces and there wasn't much snow either. I decided to sit down for a while, because it was such a nice place. A moment later I was already back on the path and continued walking. The bridge crossing this muddy brook was nothing more than a few planks, very snowy and also a bit slippery. I made it to the other side without any problems - of course. I climbed a tree and suddenly something happened. The clouds parted and I could see blue sky. That's something I hadn't seen for weeks. I couldn't resist climbing this huge rock. Seems that the amount of snow is too much for some trees and they bend under the weight. Looks like the spurces are guarding this clearing. Perhaps they really are. Who knows. Look, a faint reflection of light on water. Perhaps the sun is coming back from its holiday or perhaps it just teases us. Who knows. It was a nice walk in the forest. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Mar 1, 2015, 6:01 pm	Hi! Mr. Moose found Teddy's sled and of course we wanted to go to test it, but snow's mostly melted - again. After thinking for a while, Mr. Moose got an idea. We could go to the cottage, it's usually takes longer for snow to melt there. That's what we did and look how much snow there still is. Teddy was lazy and decided to stay at home. Time to go to sledding, then. It was so fun. We walked around for a while before driving back to Turku. Best wishes, Qah
jinxed Posted Mar 11, 2015, 9:36 pm	Hello It seems that spring has arrived here, although it's still quite early. The weather was so sunny and nice that I didn't want to stay inside. So, I went to Katariinanlaakso (laakso = valley, dale) for a walk in a forest. It's a protected area, just like Ruissalo, but it's located on mainland. It's said that Katariinanlaakso may be named after Lady Katarina who was the wife of chief justice Simon Lilliegren, they lived in the nearby Ispoinen Mansion on 18th century. Then again, it's possible that the name is older and comes from Katarina Hansdotter, who was the lover of Johan III, the duke of Finland and later the king of Sweden on the 16th century. According to a third story, possibly most popular one, Katariinanlaakso is named after the Polish princess and wife of Johan III, Katarzyna Jagiellonka. It's said that she came here with her knights, companions and servants to have picnics on this huge, flat boulder, which is now known as Katariinankivi (Katariina's stone). (Katarzyna = Katariina in Finnish) Here's a nice view to the sea and Hirvensalo, which is one of those islands that belong to Turku. There's still some ice left on the water, it seems. I wanted to go deeper into the forest and chose to follow the path up the hill. It turned out to be longish climb. Katariinanlaakso is a protected area, so the fallen trees are mostly left as they are - unless they are somehow dangerous or block the paths. I wonder if there's some animal living under that huge boulder. I took a short break at the top of the hill. It was nice to sit there for a moment and watch the sea. After coming out of the forest I decided to go for a short walk to the beach too. The ground there was very wet and muddy, but I didn't need to worry about that because of these duckboards. I ended up to a place called Ruskeakallio (Brown Rock). It was a wonderful place to sit for a while before heading back to jinxed's. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Mar 15, 2015, 5:13 pm	Hello Here I am at Halistenkoski (koski = rapids) and that's where I started today's walk on the riverbank. I was just wandering around when I noticed this sign. It says that this is the archeological site of Virnamäki. People have lived here on the Iron Age. This sign says that here is a burial site from the Iron Age. Without these signs it'd be easy to just walk past without knowing, there's nothing visible on the ground. Then I wandered closer to the river, to enjoy the view and sunshine. A little further away I found this broken sign that tells about sacrificial stones and the cups that are carved on them. People brought food and other little items and left them in these cups for gods, spirits and whoever they were worshiping. They also collected rainwater from the cups and used it for healing purposes. Actually, these sacrificial stones with their cups are the only visible relics here and it's very easy to walk past them without noticing. Greetings, Qah
jinxed Posted Apr 25, 2015, 5:35 pm	Hello! Today I decided to visit Turku Cathedral. It's located near the Old Great Square at the center of the town. The Cathedral is also one of the most notable historical buildings in Finland and one of the best-known sights in Turku. It's the only medieval basilica in Finland and together with Turku Castle it's the oldest building still in use here. Here you can see the Cathedral and its surroundings in 1756. The Cathedral was originally built out of wood in the 13th century. The wooden church was replaced by a new church built out of stone at the end of the 13th century. After that the Cathedral has been built, burnt and rebuilt several times in the course of its long history. The latest major damage was caused by the Great Fire in 1827. Here's the statue of Mikael Agricola (1510 - 1557). He was a bishop of Turku and also the first person who translated the Bible in Finnish. He also wrote and translated the first books that were printed in Finnish. His work created the foundation of written Finnish, so he is known as the Father of written Finnish. Turku Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, the central church of the Archdiocese of Turku and the seat of the Archbishop of Finland. Here's the main aisle of the Cathedral. And the main altar. There are probably thousands of people buried in, under and around the Cathedral. Some of them have some kind of memorials, but most don't. Here's the grave of Karin Månsdotter, the wife of Erik XIV. She's one of the most notable persons buried here. I think this little detail is actually very cute. A cat has left his/her pawprints on the floor tiles a long time ago. Greetings, Qah
Pablo Posted Aug 9, 2015, 4:41 pm	Hi Mom. Finally I have arrived at my host in Italy. The travel lasted too long but finally i could crawl out of my envelope. There were other Tv´s and other stuffed animals who welcomed me. There was also Simao, another Monkey from China. We talked about our travels and became friends. Greetings from SouthTirol
BlackCat Posted Aug 13, 2015, 6:34 pm	Hello, today we arrived at BlackCat's house and were welcomed by Jonathan, Nayeli, Batty the bat and Pookee. Let's have some fun, Qah
BlackCat Posted Aug 13, 2015, 6:42 pm	Hey, today we had a short walk and guess what we found? A boat in a garden. We were so surprised. And we don't know if it is decoration, or if the people forgot that they had a boat in their garden. We also got to smell some flowers, which was really nice as well. Love Qah
BlackCat Posted Aug 13, 2015, 6:52 pm	Hey, today we had a bbq all together. It was really nice. We had a grilled sausage and talked a lot. Love Qah
BlackCat Posted Aug 13, 2015, 8:51 pm	Hey, so today we all watched the Eurovision Song Contest together. It's a song competition Europe has every single year. This year they had a guest country - Australia. We had snacks and watched it for a while but then were tired. The winner is this video here (CLICK). A really great song from Sweden. Love Qah
Pablo Posted Aug 19, 2015, 6:35 pm	Hi Mom Enjoying the View with my new friend Simao at the balkony and we saw a wonderful rainbow. It looked amazing an I am very happy to be here with Simao. He speaks my language I have a surprise for you Mom. Next week Simao and I will go to Prague with our host parents. I am looking forward to our travel. Bye and  many kisses. Your´s Qah
Pablo Posted Sep 4, 2015, 6:18 pm	Hi Mom. Finally I am back at home and today I want to tell you about my journey to Prague. We went there by train and it was a very long travel. We visited so many places and saw interesting things. Most I liked the Zoo There where so many animals. I can´t find words so I must show you the pictures. Also we visited the Torture Museum, a big Market, the Prague Castle, a big Musik Store and many other things. The food was excellent and also we visited a "Absinth Bar" and ate "Karlsbader Oblatsky" I partly completed one of my life missions going to the Zoo Miss you Mom, hugs Qah
Pablo Posted Sep 22, 2015, 6:20 pm	Hi Mom. Today we made traditional Tiramisu. It´s an italian dessert with many good ingredients Simao an I are the chefs and responsible for the dessert. Our host mom gave us instructions to make it perfect. Well, look at the pictures
Pablo Posted Oct 31, 2015, 10:33 am	Heya Mom. I am alive and still ok It´s Helloween today. My Host Parents goining to a Party today. I will post pictures tomorrow Love you and miss you Your´s Qah
Pablo Posted Nov 1, 2015, 6:21 pm	Hi Mom, today I went to Lienz in Austria. My host parents were invited to a Halloween party and my Toyvoyager-friends an me celebrated too. We sat around the fire place, told us scary stories and ate sweet popcorn.  It was very spooky    My host mum baked a cake looking like a mummy and we masquerated  It was so fun. Yours Qah
Pablo Posted Nov 15, 2015, 3:46 pm	Hi Mom. This is my last day here in Italy. Today we went outside to the old Castle nearby. The weather was nice and a very interesting walk. Next week I will start my travel to the US. I am happy and sad together to leave this place. One mor thing. Today i read a brochure and i saw myself inside. I miss you. Your´s Qah

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