Grumpygirl Posted May 16, 2013, 7:37 pm |
May I introduce myself?
My name is Anna Pineapple and I'm very new to TV. My mom and me decided that I sat long enough on her couch. It's time to travel all around the world. My hobbies are cooking, reading, doing funny things and talk to the cat. See some pictures beyond. Who want's to be my first host? |
Grumpygirl Posted May 16, 2013, 9:20 pm |
Just a small update before I go to bed. This is was I made today. Write lots of postcards. Mom said, this was much fun . |
Grumpygirl Posted May 17, 2013, 8:44 am |
Good Morning!
How are you today? I'm fine. Mommy and me had a big adventure this morning, while she was going to work. The train stopped and did not drive to the destination we should go. So, Mom went out and sprinted to another one. But what happened? It was a one to the wrong direction. Mom got a bit nervous. But now, we are arrived safely in the office. Mom's boss has birthday today. He brought some cake *nomnom*. But first we need a coffee. Pictures: 1) Me on my way to work 2) Enjoying some cake 3) Coffee!!! While I was very busy on the PC, we got an email. Guess what? I'll do my first trip very soon . |
Grumpygirl Posted May 19, 2013, 4:47 pm |
Hello,
before I start my journey, Mom & me cleaned up the flat. We saw a mysterious bug, and hope that it was no vermin... I got some pictures for you. And I Mom said, that I start travelling on Tuesday. I'm so excited. Picture 1&2: Doing some housework Picture 3: Leaving the office for weekend... |
Grumpygirl Posted May 21, 2013, 2:33 pm |
Today, I started my first journey. It's a bit dark in the envelope, but I guess it is just for one or two days. Mom, told me that I will travel to beautiful Nortrhine-Westphalia. Unfortunately, she forgot to take the postcard, she wanted to send also with me and the envelope at home...
She also reminded me to be nice to the other travellers and my host mom. Hopefully, we'll se us again in a few days. Cheers, Anna |
olgamaus Posted May 23, 2013, 8:39 am |
Hello Mummy,
I arrived at my first host's home today. My host Katja and the ToyVoyagers nosyblue and Sean gave me a warm welcome. Unfortunately the weather is realy bad here, it's cold and drizzling. Ughhhh! I hope it will be better soon Bye Anna Pineapple |
olgamaus Posted May 25, 2013, 4:59 pm |
Hi Mummy,
we are still having rainy weather, so we spent our lunch break at Katja's work place. She brought bulgur with feta cheese and pepper pulp with her, her colleague brought bread roll with fish. Bye Anna Pineapple |
olgamaus Posted May 25, 2013, 5:19 pm |
Hi Mummy,
in the afternoon we took a walk to the nearby municipal park. We walked through a quater with lovely old houses. There is a large playground under these large trees, I'm not sure if you can see it. Before we reached the municipal park we came along a small park, just opposite of the police headquarter. In the municipal park we visited a pond first. Ducks and turtles are living here. The ducks are having babies - look at these cute ducklings! Here is a zoomed photo. These ducks were taking a walk outside the pond area The municipal park is mostly a landscape park with a l arge tree population. The rhododendron is blooming! Katja took a group photo. Later I found this dandelion growing through a bench. From here you have a good overview to the outskirts of both Remscheid and the neighbour city Wuppertal. This is the observatory, you can find it in the entrance area of the municipal park. On our way home we walked through the small park I've shown you before. Bye for now Anna Pineapple |
olgamaus Posted Jun 5, 2013, 1:58 pm |
Hi Mummy,
Katja's colleague is celebrating her birthday today. Look what she brought with her to treat the colleagues! Bye Anna Pineapple |
olgamaus Posted Jun 9, 2013, 9:19 pm |
Hi Mummy,
we took a walk in the rural surroundings of the district Luettringhausen today. The weather was not great, but at least it was not raining. We had to cross the motorway A1, it was terribly loud here. What a lovely landscape with the yellow rape field. There are some small hamlets, with both dwellings and farms. This water tower is even visible from the city centre of Remscheid, where I am living at the moment. Bye Anna Pineapple |
olgamaus Posted Jun 11, 2013, 4:59 pm |
Hi Mummy,
having fantastic weather we decided to take a walk in one of the suburbs of Remscheid, a housing area called Rath. Rath is also close to a valley, with nearby forests. These houses are decorated with green shutters, looking a bit like me To get home we had to walk uphill for about half an hour - very exhausting! Bye Anna Pineapple |
olgamaus Posted Jun 11, 2013, 5:07 pm |
Hi Mummy,
we managed to persuade Katja's son to go on a walk with us in the late afternoon. We went to a nearby forest where we found galloway cattle on a meadow. Almost every forest here in Remscheid is a nature protection area. Here is another meadow with more galloway cattle, but they were hiding somewhere on the vast meadow. Minutes later we found them We reached the district Kremenholl with its typical 1960's/1970's years building. After crossing the railway track we had to buy some things for dinner. Bye Anna Pineapple |
olgamaus Posted Jun 11, 2013, 5:10 pm |
Hi Mummy,
almost every Friday our host is meeting friends. Three or four ladies, all knitting maniacs. They usually enjoy a beer or sparkling wine than, but today we had mojitos. Cheers! Anna Pineapple |
olgamaus Posted Jun 11, 2013, 5:33 pm |
Hi Mummy,
Katja took me us on a walk along river Wupper today. River Wupper is rising in the Oberbergisches Land and later mouthing into river Rhine. It is marking the border beween Remscheid and the neighbour city Solingen, crossed by Germany's highest railway bridge. Katja promised that we would visit this bridge too. River Wupper is also dammed to more than 15 dams. We started our trip in Solingen-Unterburg close to this weir. We followed the river for some time, always walking in a pitoresque forest. This ear trumpet is intensifying the sound of the water which is pouring down the rocks. There were more rocks along the path ... ... until we crossed the river. On the opposite river bank we had to walk uphill. Katja showed us a famous medieval castle in the background, Schloss Burg. And yes, she promised that we would visit this castle too this summer. Finally we walked through the inner city of Unterburg (hahaha - only a few shops, restaurants and cafès ). This is "Kiepenkerl", a statue showing a worker carrying a pannier on his back, filled with pretzels. Katja explained that in ancient times due to the topographical situation it was only possible to carry goods from one place to another with such panniers. This is a creek, Eschbach, mouthing into river Wupper here in Unterburg. This was an interesting trip. Bye Anna Pineapple |
olgamaus Posted Jun 16, 2013, 4:20 pm |
Hi Mummy,
today we met Katja's friend Kerstin and took a walk with her and her dog. We went to Wuppertal, to Scharpenacken, a former army training area. This area was used for military purposes until 2004 A.D as a shooting range. Today there is a local recreation area with vast open areas, but also woodland. On these signs you can find information about this interesting area. It will be renatured in the coming years. I found the perfect place to rest for a while We made a side trip to a nearby country park, Vorwerk-Park. This park was built in early 20th century by the founder of a business company as a private park on his own estate, as a garden for his villa. Even a stone pit was comprised into the park, planted with rhododendrons. You can find some natural pools here, fed by a creek which is flowing in the valley. The villa itself and the oldest part of the park were already built in 1895. In 2001 the park was sanified and opened for the public. Steep stairs were leading to the upper parts of the park. Here you can see me high above the pond. Rhododendron is blooming everywhere. All these pink bushes are rhododendron. Here you can see the pond I showed you before. Back on the former army area ... A lot of people come here with their dogs to let them run and play. It seemed that all the dogs were playing somewhere else today Bye Anna Pineapple |
olgamaus Posted Jun 16, 2013, 4:35 pm |
today we visited Germany's highest railway bridge, Muengsten Bridge.
Katja told me that Germany's highes railway bridge is connecting Remscheid with the neighbour city Solingen. We went to the valley of the river Wupper to take a walk here. First we went into the forest. We found a lookout point with a fantastic view to the bridge. Katja told us there would be artwork along the path, mostly engraved rocks like this. In the meantime we went downhill and followed the river. We went down to the river bank and enjoyed the sun. What a lovely shady place under the trees! We crossed the river here. You can find maps and information boards along the path, telling you interesting facts about history and geography of this region. It was time for another rest We had to walk uphill than, can you see the river deep down in the valley? Finally we reached the leisure park underneath the bridge. Muengsten Bridge was built of steel, completed in 1907. It is about 480 m long and 107 m tall. There are extensive repair works going on in the last few years and they are taking place at the moment. The bridge will be closed until November. Some years ago a leisure park was built under the bridge. You can find lawns for relaxing here, a crazy golf course, playgrounds for the kids and restaurants. Can you see the outlook pavillion in the background? From here we had a first look at the bridge. Bye for now Anna Pineapple |
olgamaus Posted Jul 7, 2013, 9:07 pm |
Hi Mummy,
we took a walk today in the outskirts of Remscheid, in the district Lennep. When we parked the car I had a look at those skyscrapers, Katja told me that there were not many of them. From here we went through a rural area with different fields. Here is growing barley. It is used for brewing beer, Katja told me. We went into a forest than. The ground was very wet and muddy, soon our feet and shoes became really dirty. The branches of those larches were soft like fur. In a secluded hamlet we found this little church, it is called "Forest Church" (Waldkirche). Out path led us along Wupper dam, a large barrier lake. River Wupper is dammed to a large lake. On our way back to the car we walked along some more scenic hamlets. In another barley field red poppies were growing. Soon we reached the car and went back home. Bye for today Anna Pineapple |
olgamaus Posted Jul 27, 2013, 4:02 pm |
Hi Mummy,
today we took a walk in the area of Wupper dam, where I already have been. This time we started at a different place. The houses in the background belong to a larger housing area, they will be the last houses for some time. Linden trees are blooming here, it smells wonderful. Once again we walked along Wupper dam. We went though an historic housing area. Along river Wupper there was a lot of industry in the last 100 years, mostly cloth mills and dyeing factories. The factory owners built houses with flats for their workers because there were no housing districts nearby the factories. After walking through a rural area we returned to the car. Bye Anna Pineapple |
olgamaus Posted Jul 27, 2013, 6:26 pm |
Hi Mummy,
today we visited the historical district Lennep. My host's dauther is living there. Lennep is the second largest district of Remscheid with about 25.000 inhabitants. Lennep once was one of the most important cities of the region Bergisches Land. Lennep has an historical city core based on a medieval structure. There were several large city fires, the last one in the year 1746 which destroyed most of the city. It was rebuilt afterwards. Lennep received its town charter between the years 1259 and 1276- In 1929 Lennep was annexated to Remscheid. We started our trip at the remains of the city wall, parts of it remained after the last city fire. Katja showed us picturesque and narrow lanes with those lovely timber-framed houses. Here you can see an historical door knocker showing a lion, the heraldic animal of Remscheid. Klosterkirche (minster) is the oldest sacral building in Remscheid, built in the years 1677 until 1696. It is now a cultural centre, a restaurant is also situated in the building. Do you know Lennep's most famous former citizen? It was Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen who produced and detected x-rays. He was born in Lennep in 1845. Here is the Roentgen Museum. Katja took us further to show us his birth house. In this house he was born. We saw the loveliest houses everywhere. This is the market place, close to one of the churches. Later we visited my host's parents, they are living on the seventh floor - what a gorgeous overview! That's all for today Bye Anna Pineapple |
turtles Posted Jul 30, 2013, 5:44 pm |
Hello mum
today i arrived at my new host turtles. Olgamaus had wrapped some goodies for me in the envelope and the journey was quickly over. I haven't seen much till now, but the sofa is very cozy. The penguin, who cares for the guests is a little bit pushy but very friendly. Turtles told me to relax tomorrow, because at Thursday we will start a little journey...i'm agog... Bye, mom <3 |
olgamaus Posted Aug 2, 2013, 9:53 pm |
Hi Mummy,
I've packed my things and will leave today. Katja told me that my next would would be living in Northern Germany and that she would go on a holiday trip to Sweden. That sounds terrific! So I said good-bye to my friends here, wrote a postcanrd and packed some sweets. Bye Anna Pineapple |
turtles Posted Aug 6, 2013, 6:08 pm |
Hello guys
i had a wonderful weekend. On Thursday turtles picked me up after her night duty and we drove together with her husband to Hamburg Airport. We checked in our baggage and then they showed me our airplane: We will go to a postcrossing Meet-up in Helsinki! Yeah! What a great adventure. As you know, my mom is a postcrosser too, and now i will meet some other of these pleasent people. Turtles organised a window seat and i had a good sight: We reached Helsinki at the late afternoon, and turtles took a nap at the Hostel, while Mr. turtles and i explored the surrounding and bought some beverages.... |
turtles Posted Aug 6, 2013, 6:19 pm |
... after the breakfast, we went to the harbour of Helsinki. It wasn't far away from the Hostel and we went by foot.
At the harbour we met some tortoises, which were "working": We strolled from the harbour to the city center and bought some postcards for the meeting. After that we decided to do a harbour tour. Look at these beautiful sight of Helsinki Cathedral: But the weather wasn't fine and i froze a little bit, so i skipped in turtles' backpack for the rest of the harbour tour. At the afternoon the weather was better and we had a look around: At the harbour we saw a lot of beautiful classic cars, and i fell in love with a handsome guy: We went back to the Hostel and waited for the big international postcrossing meet-up.... |
turtles Posted Aug 7, 2013, 9:43 am |
... today is the day!
We met at the at the railway station square by Aleksis Kivi statue at 10 AM and on our way to the meeting point we took some photos at the beautiful cathedral: At the meeting point i helped Cicus searching for turtles name-badge. It was difficult, because turtles is called "Kroete" at the forum A lot of postcrossers! We split into two groups for sightseeing and shopping postcards. Of course i helped turtles with the shopping... ...and with the Helsinki Bingo But i still had time to ride a reindeer: After lunch we went to the island Suomenlinna by ferry: Safely at Suomenlinna... ...we started our "expedition" of Suomenlinna, which is an inhabited sea fortress built on six islands. Tourists and locals enjoy this beautiful site, and me too. It was a perfect day, with sunshine, a soft wind from the ocean and we watched this great cruiser, navigate through the narrow cannel: Yeah! Good job! But then we went to the Café Icecellar. We had to sign millions of postcards.... After that i was pretty tired and went into turtles backpack. It was a long day and I slept before we reached the port and took the ferry back to Helsinki.... |
turtles Posted Aug 27, 2013, 7:56 am |
Dear mom <3
let me tell you my latest adventures. I received a E-Mail from Tommi last week, who told me, that he plans the first international Toy Voyager Meeting in the Lüneburger Heide (=Lueneburg Heath). Of course i want to join in - especially because i have known, that turtles wants to visit the Heath too. We both started towards Soltau. I had a save place in turtles backpack as always. In Soltau turtles met a lot of those crazy people called postcrosser and i waited impatiently for the other travelling toys... First we visited Soltau and bought - you guess right - postcards: This is the oldest house in Soltau: But then we changed the location and the party started. We gave the postcrossers a lot of postcards to sign and were undisturbed for talking and look around Look and decide: Who had more fun? This is the blooming heath behind me: Me, Tommy and Annika: And here we did a little walk and searched some sheeps, which are living in the heath: Heidschnucken. But we didn't find some.... That was a great day with a lot of new friends. Tommi told a lot of the United States, and i hope, i could visit the USA one day too |
turtles Posted Aug 27, 2013, 4:26 pm |
Dear Mom
The weather this Sunday was so good, that turtles and i decided to drive to the beach. But first i started with a good breakfast: . We went to Ostermade, a nice little campsite near Heiligenhafen, where turtles friend Petra has a weekend cottage. Close to the house i could hear the surf. And then i saw my first Beach: The german roofed wicker beach chairs looked very cosy! And i loved the noises of the sea gulls and the surf. After a walk, we went back to Petras house and had a cup of coffee. I met this nice sea gull named Augusta: Petra wanted to collect some seabuckthorn and so we drove to Heiligenhafen: . At the beach of Graswarder we saw a lot of kite surfers and at the background of the picture you can see the Fehmarn Sound Bridge, which connects the German island of Fehmarn with the German mainland. Of course i helped Petra collecting seabuckthorn. Now i know, why it is named seabuckthorn - Outch I enjoy this day very much and turtles promised, that we will do more excursions to other beaches at the Baltic Sea in future. |
turtles Posted Sep 6, 2013, 7:22 pm |
Hi Mom <3
this morning the sky was so blue and the air so smooth that i lent turtles' bicycle and went to Lübeck. A wonderful day for sightseeing and shopping. I started at the most known building of Lübeck - the Holsten Gate. At the left side of picture you can see the first of the six salt storehouses, built in the 16th–18th centuries. Look at these great storehouses! At the Trave River i had a short rest and talked to these friendly duck: And here are all salt storehouses together (behind them you see the towers of the Holsten Gate): Of course i looked for some new clothes ... i'm a girl Maybe a new scarf? And which fabric suits better? The left or the right? Time for the next break with a tasty Chai Latte: At a street cafe is always a lot to see - and i saw these nice guys over the way: On the way to my bicycle i came by more beautiful old brick buildings: And then i visited Niederegger, a famous producer of marzipan and sweets in Lübeck. I've never seen so much marzipan! These looked very delicious: I enjoyed Lübeck very much and hope to do a second look at it.... |
turtles Posted Sep 30, 2013, 8:46 pm |
Moin Moin mom <3
today i visited a city, where the people say this all day instead of 'Hello': Hamburg. Turtles wanted to show me the port of Hamburg and we took our bicycles and went to Hamburg by train. We started our trip at the warehouse district (Speicherstadt), which was built from 1883 to 1927. This is a look from the Poggenmühlen-bridge to the rivers in the warehouse district, which are called: Fleete. The custum-canal splits the old city center from the warehouse district. In the background you can see the Elbe Philharmonic Hall under construction Wow! The Elbe Philharmonic Hall looks great. The Elphi is built on top of an old warehouse and no one knows, when it will be ready...and how much it will be cost On our way to the St. Pauli Landing Stages we met some beautiful old ships: Then we took the Old Elbe Tunnel to the other side of the Elbe: Lifts on either side of the tunnel moves pedestrians, cyclists and cars: We had a great view to Hamburg from this side of the Elbe: Then we cycled through the port towards Köhlbrand Bridge: Unfortunately, no cyclists are allowed on the Köhlbrand Bridge, so we have to stop in front of it.... But we had a good look at it from the harbour ferry pier "Neuhof" : After this turtles and i cycled back to the north side of the Elbe and met Nicole and her twins Larissa and Louis We walked along the Elbe and enjoyed the sunshine. Larissa collected a lot of chestnuts and i helped her: This was a wonderful autumn day and i'm curious, what we will do next.... bye, mom <3 |
turtles Posted Oct 5, 2013, 2:55 pm |
Hi Mom <3
Today is Day of German Unity and turtles and her husband invited me to a trip towards the danish border... We crossed the Kiel Canal and arrived at Glücksburg. The town and the same-named castle are situated on the Flensburg Firth. The castle is a wonderful white Renaissance building and one of the most known sights of Schleswig-Holstein. Of course turtles made millions of photos from me and the castle but i love this one most: It shows the south side of the castle. During she took the photo, turtles lay on the ground and her husband rolled one's eyes....good, that she couldn't see that... We looked around the castle and strolled through the park: Near the castle is a beautiful rosarium (=rose garden) with a lot of plants. I love this nice hydrangea, the color is very interesting: And i can't describe the smell of this yellow rose - it was heady: Then we made a side trip to the peninsula Holnis: It was very windy, and i was happy, that turtles hold me! Look at the leaves of the tree - they pend nearly horizontal. At the tip of Holnis were a lot of stones and little water snails... ...and behind me was Denmark: On our way back, the wind came from the other side...as you can see. A nice excursion - but i learned: Schleswig-Holstein is a windy state Love, Anna |
Duesseljin Posted Nov 28, 2013, 12:34 pm |
Hi Mom,
I visited the 4th International Postcrossing Meeting in Bielefeld to meet more than 50 fellow Postcrossers! And I met two other Toyvoyagers, the bears Kuma-chan (left) and Henri (right), too. After the meeting I will go with Kuma-chan and Duesseljin to Düsseldorf! I’m sad to leave Turtles, but I'm also excited to see another place. In the morning we walked through Teutoburg Forest to visit Olderdissen Animal Park, home to about 450 animals. I liked these birds very much. And this goat. On the way back I saw this cute mushrooms, but I have no idea what they are. Because we Toyvoyagers were bored later on we sneaked over to the lottery table to have a peek. Each Postcrosser had brought a present which will be raffled later today. Oh, nice things in here, I’d like them myself, but as not to spoil the surprise I won’t tell what I saw. There were a special postcard sale in the afternoon and as all the Postcrossers Duesseljin bought a lot of postcards. These are my favorite ones, I hope we can try the recipes some time. After all the exciting events this weekend I need to go to bed. |
Duesseljin Posted Nov 28, 2013, 12:39 pm |
Hi Mom,
today Duesseljin was very busy packing a suitcase. Where is she going? When she was finished, I was asked if I want to come along to a sunny and warm place. Of course I want! |
Duesseljin Posted Nov 28, 2013, 12:53 pm |
Hi Mom,
it turned out that we went to Cyprus! So there is the chance that I can visit a beach or two, three, four,..... Today we went to see the archaeology park here in Pafos, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here you can see me admiring one of the beautiful mosaics in the House of Dionysos, which has been build in the 3rd century. This place has only been discovered in the 1950s. Kuma-chan joined this trip, too!! Love, Anna |
Duesseljin Posted Nov 28, 2013, 1:10 pm |
Mom, Mom,
I'm so EXCITED! Today we went to a BEACH!! Here you can see me sitting at Lara Bay Beach. There is no village around here, also no hotels, because this beach is protected so that sea turtles can hatch here. But unfortunately it is not the right time of year to see turtles. These are my footprints on the sand: I also found some shells and the cuttlebone of a cuttlefish. There's a hut on the beach with photos explaining about turtles. This picture shows the egg laying. And this a hatchling trying to reach the sea. I also had a look at what plants grow around here. What a great day! |
Duesseljin Posted Nov 28, 2013, 1:23 pm |
Hi Mom,
today was a lazy day, we just hang around the hotel pool... ... and the hotel room together with Kuma-chan doing some logic puzzles Greetings from Cyprus, Anna |
Duesseljin Posted Nov 28, 2013, 1:42 pm |
Mom, Mom,
today we went to another beach!! This bay is famous for the 'Petra tou Romiou', the 'Rock of the Romans' featured on many postcards. But according to a legend 'Romiou' doesn't mean 'Romans' but 'Greek' (they named themselves 'Romiou' as descendants of the East Romans). Another legend says that the goddess Aphrodite emerged from the sea at this place. From the beach we went to a restaurant uphill with a great view where I shared lamb chops with Kuma-chan. Anna |
Duesseljin Posted Nov 28, 2013, 1:53 pm |
Hi Mom,
today we went to the Akamas Penisula. The first place I visited is a spring, which is said to have been the bath of the goodess Aphrodite. Of course, I also visited the beach around here, although it is quite stony. For lunch I shared a great seafoot platter with Kuma-chan. Bye, Anna |
Duesseljin Posted Nov 28, 2013, 2:45 pm |
Hi Mom,
today we went to Coral Bay, another beach!!! But unfortunately it was very cloudy and windy, so we didn't stay on the beach. Instead we went exploring the surroundings. There are many plantations around this area, bananas, citrus fruits, etc. for export. Here I passed a banana plantation. The bananas are covered with blue sheets for protection. Luckily, I found some uncovered bananas for a closer look. Here I am hanging around in an olive tree. I also found a fig tree. There are also citrus plantations around. Well, you can't see the fruits, but these bushes crop pomegranates. Well, this was the last day on Cyprus, heading back to Germany tomorrow. Love, Anna |
Duesseljin Posted Dec 20, 2013, 12:06 pm |
Hi Mom,
today it was time to say goodbye to Duesseljin and Kuma-chan. I'm a bit sad to leave them, because we had such a great time together, especially in Bielefeld and Cyprus. But I'm also looking forward to my new host. Who will it be? Duesseljin didn't tell Bye Mom, will let you know where I am soon. Love, Anna |
sannah Posted Jan 3, 2014, 10:26 pm |
Hi Mom! I have arrived at my new host and you know her because she is a postcrosser, too! As my first adventure, sannah took me on a ride with a light rail in her former university city Halle (Saale). We went downtown and passed some old factory buildings ... .. as well as a big hospital called Bergmannstrost. But then we arrived at Halle's main station. But our journey did not end there - stay tuned for more! All the best, Anna |
sannah Posted Jan 3, 2014, 11:13 pm |
Hi there! From Halle main station, sannah and I went to Leipzig by train to visit a good friend of hers (her male maid of honor, to be precise). It was already around sunset when we started our walk around the beautiful city center of Leipzig. At the south side of the Ring (the former city walls), the beautiful New Town Hall (das Neue Rathaus) is a real eye catcher! That is the back side of this very large building: The Commerzbank building was erected approximately at the same time, meaning around 1900. It is beautiful as well! Leipzig has some wonderful churches in its downtown area. But the best known one among them surely is St. Thomas (die Thomaskirche): One of Germany's most famous composers, J. S. Bach worked here nearly three centuries ago presiding one of the most famous boy choirs of the world until today - the Thomaner choir. sannah had the chance to listen to them in this church about ten years ago. As you can see, Leipzig is full of old buildings. But since there's a New Town Hall, there also has to be an old one - the Old Town Hall. Fun fact: The tower divides the two parts of the town hall in the golden ratio! Besides Bach, another well-known German is closely connected to Leipzig: J. W. von Goethe! He studied in Leipzig, therefore his monument on the Naschmarkt in front of the Alte Börse shows him as a student: After strolling through town, we were glad to sit down for a beer in the Barfussgässchen (literally: barefoot alley) and let the afternoon pass by. And yes, we sat outside, next to a patio heater! I really liked Leipzig. If you haven't been here yet, Mom, you should definitely come! Goethe called Leipzig "Little Paris", he loved the city, too! All the best, Anna |
sannah Posted Jan 6, 2014, 9:55 pm |
Hi there!
sannah took me with her far far away - to the United States! She currently lives in the Upper Midwest, Southeast Minnesota to be precise. And it is sooo cold here that it is the best to stay inside and warm at the moment. Therefore my view is limited to what I see when I look out of the window ... The Zumbro River is beautiful especially in the soft colors at dusk ... I am looking forward to exploring more of the city, but right now it is best to stay warm! All the best and happy new year! Yours, Anna |
sannah Posted Jan 19, 2014, 1:20 am |
Hi there!
While I have been told that the winter in Europe is very mild so far, Minnesota is currently experiencing a winter wonderland. A noticeable amount of snow fell over night and in the early morning hours and then the sun came out for a gorgeous winter day! A perfect day to take a walk! But watch out, there are lots of snow! The walkways haven’t been cleared, so it was really exhausting to walk. Luckily sannah carried me around all the time. All I had to do was to enjoy the surrounding! We were only a few steps away from a main street, but it was so silent and calm … Let’s call it the power of the snow! Between the brownish looking grass you would usually look on the Zumbro River, but now it is completely covered under ice and snow. The view is really nice, though, and yes – there is a large swing next to the river. A nice place to sit down, but maybe not in these conditions. We were crossing the river over a bridge made of wood and metal. I swear it shrieked when we crossed it! A lot of Canada Geese were trying to stay warm close to the very small portion of the river that was not frozen. Here the Cascade Creek meets the Zumbro River – but everything was covered under ice and snow again. What about you? Would you like to be part of winter wonderland or do you prefer milder weather? All the best, Anna |
sannah Posted Feb 3, 2014, 11:49 pm |
Hi Mom! It still is very cold here in Minnesota and we have a lot of snow! While sannah has been living here for more than a year now, she never made it to Minnesotas capital city St. Paul. And so we went there for the weekend! There was a winterfest in the southwest corner of downtown St. Paul at Rice Park. A few booths were selling hot beverages or snacks, but people were mostly strolling around to look at the beautiful ice sculptures. You can see the Landmark Center in the background partly hidden by the trees and some of the sculptures from a distance in this picture: This guy is surfing ... And there also was a forest made of ice - inclusing fairies and an owl! On our way back to the hotel (it was really cold and we needed to get warm again), we saw two historic landmarks from a distance. First the Minnesota state capitol building upon a hill overlooking the city: And - also in viewing distance - a really old looking church, which is something special here in the US: the Cathedral of St. Paul: But sannah promised me we would have a closer look later on. Bye so far, Anna |
sannah Posted Feb 4, 2014, 12:47 am |
Hi there!
Sunday really pampered us with sunshine! Of course, it was still cold, and I was glad that sannah kept me warm during our walk. We wanted to get closer to the State Capitol Building. And aren’t those colors amazing, the oh-so-blue sky and the white snow? From what we could see under the snow (which wasn’t much), there are a lot of veteran memorials in a park at the bottom of the capitol. This one honors the veterans of the Korean War. Since the capitol building was erected on a hill, we had a nice view over downtown St. Paul. Getting even closer, I noticed the gold-leafed Quadriga on the roof. Did you know that the unsupported marble dome is the second largest in the world, after Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome? The statue on the right side remembers John Albert Johnson. He was the 16th Governor of Minnesota from 1905 until his death in 1909. And turning around, I discovered that the view of downtown St. Paul was even nicer from the stairs of the capitol. But our timing was bad; there was no public tour scheduled at the time we were there. Bummer! Afterwards, we continued our walk to the Cathedral of St. Paul along John Ireland Blvd. Unfortunately, we did not dare to get closer for two reasons: The ongoing construction work and the fact that we did not want to disturb mass since it was Sunday. We took a vitual tour instead. It was time for lunch then and afterwards sannah attended an opera (Macbeth by Verdi) with sannah-man. I was only allowed to listen from inside her purse … But nevertheless, I had a great day – winter and sunshine go together pretty well! All the best, Anna |
sannah Posted Feb 16, 2014, 12:54 am |
Hi there!
In order to have lunch with her hubby on Valentine’s Day, sannah went to downtown Rochester after she was done working. Rochester is home of the Mayo Clinic, a world famous non-profit hospital organization. About one third of the city’s population work there and so does sannah-man. This is the official main entrance: This was the New Mayo Clinic Building when it was opened in 1928. Nowadays, human resources have their offices in here. It is now called Plummer Building and named after the architect who designed it who also was a doctor at Mayo Clinic. Isn’t that building beautiful? Without a doubt, it is a lot classier than the other Mayo Buildings. Yes, they are all part of the hospital system: patient care, research, administration. You name it! Between all those buildings downtown, the Peace Plaza is the closest thing to a pedestrian zone that Rochester has to offer. But only a few people were outside, the majority takes the subway (underground tunnels) or skywalks. Both connect buildings downtown and you don’t have to step into the cold if you want lunch. Here you can see one. This friendly goose was waiting for visitors. I said hello! Its coat shows supposedly typical Minnesota scenery. Oh, can you see the tower of the Plummer Building reflected in the Wells Fargo Building? We went back to sannah-man’s work through the skyway because we were freezing. Therefore we are looking down upon both more typical downtown buildings (instead of high rises) … … and the Old City Hall which is nowadays an apartment complex. Once a year, Santa Clause is landing on the roof when he is coming to town. Now you know where I stay. Do you like it? All the best, Anna |
sannah Posted Feb 22, 2014, 10:50 pm |
Hi Mom!
Yesterday and today work was canceled for sannah because of an upcoming Blizzard. At first, there was snow and then lots of wind, close to storm (at around 80km/h). And that is the result: In the afternoon, the wind had calmed down a little and sannah took us for a walk in order to get fresh air after having been locked up for nearly two days (which is the most reasonable thing to do). It was beautiful in this hour shortly before sunset. But it will certainly take some time before somebody can sit on this bench again: The geese were gathering on what usually is a parking lot. But now they own it. With the blue sky and the still fresh snow, the atmosphere was extraordinary calm. I loved it! Isn't mother nature's work amazing? From the south end of Silver Lake on 7th St NE you have a nice look over downtown Rochester with its highest building (Broadway Suites and Apartments) in the middle of this picture. This scenery is pretty romantic, isn't it? The two stone bridges ... It's hard to believe you are in the middle of a city with a population of more than 108,000! Or just this single one. The path leading to it was blocked by too much snow. Another view of downtown from the northeast Silver Lake with the RPU Power Plant in front. Those small mountains of snow were caused by the storm - blowing snow is a serious traffic danger! Even for those who were walking, because the mostly cleared path was blocked by snow drifts. One last look at the romantic sunset ... ... and then we headed back home. Without the sunshine, it was freezing cold! All the best to you! And don't worry, we are staying warm! Yours, Anna |
sannah Posted Mar 9, 2014, 3:07 am |
Hi there!
It is slowly, very slowly, getting warmer! And therefore, it is finally warm enough to go out again without freezing instantly. Yay! But of course, there are still lots of snow around. Last time downtown I had forgotten to give you an impression of Historic 3rd Street with all its antiques stores and taverns. Here it is: sannah also wanted me to show you the Government Center for the city of Rochester and Olmsted County. On this picture you can see a memorial of the brothers Mayo in front of the Mayo Civic Center, the local center of Performing Arts. Today, the local high school basketball teams are competing in there in order to qualify for the state finals. Maybe that is why one of these typical yellow school buses was parked not far away from there. I have never seen one of them before. sannah confided that riding one of them is quite uncomfortable if you’re taller than 1,80m (which she is). Walking along the Zumbro River back home, we had a nice look upon Downtown Rochester. We had nearly arrived at sannah’s place when a bunch of Canadian Geese was waiting for us on the sidewalk. They waddled a little away when we came closer. Since I have seen these wild geese several times, but never came that close like today (less than two meters!), I would say that I have fulfilled one of my life missions! One of them obviously wanted to make friends with me! In a few months, when their goslings have hatched, they are much more hostile towards humans, sannah told me. They would most likely eat pineapples then. I hope your day was as wonderful and exciting as mine! All the best to you, Anna |
sannah Posted Mar 25, 2014, 9:17 pm |
Hi Mom!
Snow is thawing, but unlike Germany, spring hasn't really arrived in Minnesota yet. Nevertheless, we went to see the mighty Mississippi River, still partly frozen. At first we went to Lake City ... And then Dille and I continued our trip in the car. The road runs between the river at one side and the bluffs at the other. We saw more of the Mississippi at our final stop for the day. All the best, Anna |
sannah Posted Mar 26, 2014, 10:36 pm |
Hi there!
After our ride along the mighty Mississippi River, we stopped in Winona, MN, a small college town on Minnesota’s east border with Wisconsin. If you cross the bridge in the background, you already are in Wisconsin, the river is the border. Can you see to what extend the Mississippi is still frozen? Interesting to see what happens when freezing and thawing alternates ... We really had a great time at the River Promenade. It must be more crowded in summer. When we finally drove home, it was already sunset. I hope to show you some spring soon! All the best, Anna |
sannah Posted Apr 12, 2014, 5:58 am |
Hi there!
I just wanted to check in real quick ... Spring has finally arrived and as you can see, the snow has completely melted now. So I joined sannah on a bike ride on the cleared trails. sannah and sannah-man are looking forward to making a big trip next weekend. Stay tuned! All the best, Anna |
sannah Posted Apr 24, 2014, 12:06 am |
Hi Mom!
Together with sannah and her husband, Dille and I traveled to the Capital of the United States of America for Easter: Hello, Washington DC! For better orientation, we started at the Old Post Office Tower. The whole building should have been demolished in the 1970s, but was preserved for its architectural value. And doesn’t it look beautiful? National Park Service is in charge of access to the tower. We had to pass a security check and then took the elevator to the 9th floor. While waiting in line, I studied an information sheet together with sannah-man. Another elevator would have taken us up to the 12th floor where the observation deck is. But we decided to take 130 stairs instead and passed the bells of the tower on our way up. Then we finally arrived at the observation deck and had a nice view over the city with all the important buildings. Unfortunately, the White House is hidden behind another, not so white building in this picture. Consider the large green area being its front yard. Hard to miss in this picture is the Washington Monument, the obelisk in the center of the National Mall. In the distance on the right, at the end of the National Mall is the Lincoln Memorial. Not much to see on this picture … The dome should belong to one of the world famous Smithsonian Museums. sannah definitely needs to come back to see them – she walked by, but did not enter although admission is always free! But the weather was way too good to spend time indoors! Our last look was east towards the US State Capitol Building – it is even impressive from the distance! On our way back down, we went through a small exhibit advertising the tower and its history. Since I have a first impression now, it is time to explore the city! More to follow soon, Mom! All the best, Anna |
sannah Posted Apr 27, 2014, 12:42 am |
Hi Mom!
Out of the Post Office, we wanted to get closer to the impressive US state capitol building. So we went along National Mall and crossed the Sculpture Garden. There we saw an interesting piece by Miró. The big building in the back is the National Art Gallery. Something else to explore another time … Just a few minutes later, we stood at the front of a big pool right in front of the United States Capitol, the legendary home of the U.S. legislature. We had to head back to our hotel after enjoying the view for a while. On our way along Pennsylvania Avenue, we passed a tiny little park with the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial in the center. But I must admit I liked the tulips more … Haven’t seen flowers for a while in snowy Minnesota! All the best, Anna |
sannah Posted Apr 27, 2014, 12:50 am |
Hi Mom,
this is only part 1! On Easter Sunday, sannah took us on a walk along Massachusetts Avenue from Dupont Circle to the United States Naval Observatory. This part of the street is nicknamed Embassy Row because of the high density of – well – embassies of countries all over the world. Some of them are situated in nice city houses which were built around 1900, but sannah didn’t want to take a picture of all of them … Click here if you want to see more. Not an embassy, but another both international and impressive building (and most likely serving a lot of the diplomats living nearby, for example for Turkey or Oman) is The Islamic Center. I have never seen a minaret in the United States before! Massachusetts Avenue then passes Rock Creek. The British Embassy’s ground was huge! They had their Union Jack on public display … … and Winston Churchill was greeting everybody walking by with the Victory sign. At the St. Alban’s School for boys, we had almost reached our destination for today ... stay tuned! |
sannah Posted Apr 27, 2014, 12:56 am |
part 2 ...
Located on a hill at the corner of Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenue, the Washington National Cathedral was a perfect destination for Easter Day. At first sight, it was hiding behind the trees … … but then we stepped out of the umbrage and had a second look. Still, it looks a smaller version of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, don’t you think? Or maybe it is just the Neo-Gothic design, I don’t know. Its official name is Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, but let’s use Washington National Cathedral for the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in the United States, instead. The foundation stone was set in 1907 with President Roosevelt present, the last one in the presence of President George H. Bush in 1990. But in 2011 an earthquake hit Washington DC and parts of the tower fell off. Therefore, reconstruction work was ongoing and access partly restricted. Nevertheless, we walked around the church and found this nice building nearby, the church’s library is in there. An Easter afternoon service was just about to start and sannah and sannah-man decided to attend it (making it their first Episcopal service ever). I had to stay in sannah’s purse for that time, but when we left, I had one last look back. That was my Easter Sunday! How was yours? All the best, Anna |
sannah Posted May 15, 2014, 10:15 pm |
Hi there!
One of the most touristy spots of DC where a lot of people take pictures or selfies is definitely the Lincoln Memorial. But well, the view over the Reflection Pool to the Washington Monument really is spectacular, especially on sunny days. Don’t you agree? Not less people took a picture of the huge sitting Lincoln. I am no exemption. And this shows the whole memorial from its side. It is time to leave DC, but one last stop ... All the best, Anna |
sannah Posted May 16, 2014, 2:35 am |
Hi there!
This place is a very special one for those US-Americans who support their troops. A lot of soldiers, whether they lost their life while fighting for their country or as veterans later in life, are buried here at Arlington National Cemetery. We only crossed the Potamac River, but are in the state of Virginia now. The atmosphere is hard to describe, it is very calm, a hallow ground - but on the other hand there are a lot of visitors. The gravesites are arranged neatly. Most visitors pay tribute at the burial place of John F. Kennedy. An eternal flame is burning there. You can see the place in the front of this photo (where the people gathered). The background shows our look back over Washington DC across the Potomac River (can you see the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, or the State Capitol Building?) - we headed to the airport by Metro after our visit at the cemetery. All the best, Anna |
sannah Posted May 21, 2014, 5:58 am |
Hi there!
Another road trip, this time leading up north to the shores of Lake Superior. Yes, it looks like the beach of an ocean (the ones I saw on cyprus), but it is only a lake, the largest freshwater lake of the world (by surface). This is the lighthouse marking the harbor entry of Two Harbors where we stopped for a picknick lunch. More to follow soon! Anna |
sannah Posted May 21, 2014, 6:01 am |
Hi there!
Our first stop after having checked into our hotel rooms was at Tettegouche State Park, the largest of all Minnesota State Parks at the North Shore. To literally get an overview, we first stopped at Palisade Head, a cliff rising up about 40 meters high at the coast. I did not dare to get very close to the edge, it was too high to still feel comfortable! Afterwards, we followed one of the trails. First we went down to the mouth of Baptism River. The trail leading towards Shovel Point was mostly made of wooden stairs. Lots of stairs! I could hear sannah groan towards the end … must have been too many! But the view was definitely worth it! Don’t you agree? Palisade Head is in the background here. And I love the rugged coastline. Can you spot the underground caves? It was a wonderful day, but all the fresh air really made me tired! Best wishes to you, Anna |
sannah Posted May 25, 2014, 12:11 am |
Hi Mom! Today I packed my things and left the USA, heading back to Germany for more adventures with Fram. sannah has met her and ensured me that a nice person is expecting me. I hope the travel won't take too long! See you soon?! Love, Anna |
sannah Posted May 26, 2014, 1:04 am |
Hi there!
Sunday was Mother’s Day, so I did – of course – think of you! We drove up further north to Grand Marais, MN, the last larger town before the US-Canadian border – that would have been just another hour to drive (50km or so)! We first stopped on our way there because the bay looked so nice and calm. Another beach for my life missions, although it was mostly a rocky and not a very sandy beach. After having a late, but very yummy breakfast Grand Marais we went to explore the harbor area. Grand Marais itself even has a small "city beach", see for yourself! But the coastline itself is very rugged. Volcanic rocks, leftovers of earth’s history. We had to climb up and down in order to reach thelighthouse of Grand Marais – can you spot it in the distance? But it really was fun to climb over all those rocks! I enjoyed it a lot, so did sannah. And finally we made it to the lighthouse. Yay us! We had to take the same way back to our car. And then we had a last look over Grand Marais Harbor. There surely are a lot of more boats in the summer, but now the season has yet to start. I liked this teeny tiny town a lot! What about you? More to follow soon! Anna |
sannah Posted May 26, 2014, 1:28 am |
Hi there! On our way back from Grand Marais, we stopped at another State Park, named after the stream running through it: Temperance River. Here it is: The most advertised part of this park is very close to the parking lot: The Hidden Falls. Can you spot them despite their name? We then followed the river upstream. It really was amazing to see how it has carved its way through the rock over thousands and thousands of years. I was rendered speechless. What about you? All the best from Minnesota! Anna |
sannah Posted May 31, 2014, 10:44 pm |
Hi Mom!
You have seen so many snowy pictures from Rochester, so I wanted to prove that spring had actually arrived in Minnesota before my departure back to Germany. And what better way to do so and say goodbye to Rochester than with a bike ride? As you can see, the grass is almost supernaturally green along Bear Creek. We got a glimpse over Downtown Rochester in the distance. Our bike ride brought us to Quarry Hill Park. Then we passed this nice little lake close to the University Center at the east side of town. And completed the circle in Slatterly Park. The trees were still blossoming a bit. I really enjoyed my stay here with sannah. She took me to so many beautiful places. What was your favorite one? I cannot decide … Looking forward to being in Germany soon! Love, Anna |
Fram Posted Oct 30, 2017, 6:40 pm |
Hei,
more than 4 weeks I've been arrested at an envelope together with some sweets. Today it seems like I have arrived somewhere, so hopefully I'll be freed from the envelope, soon .... Ah, there is someone. I can see someone, but who is it? O.K there seems to be another toyvoyager that welcomes me. It's Quacky-King .... He told me that there are many toys living at his family, but he is the only toyvoyager with a blog. Some others travel with him when he is on tour with his family. So I'm so exited what adventures are waiting for me .... |