AbbeyV
Posted Sep 15, 2013, 3:43 am
|
Today was my first day out on the town! We went shopping for groceries, shopping for birthday gifts, and went to the post office. It was pretty exciting, but tomorrow there are bigger plans. Today I was just getting the feel of my wings while I was out and about. Tonight I'm going out to dinner at my parents favorite restaurant, Aladdins! Pictures to follow! 
|
AbbeyV
Posted Sep 15, 2013, 6:31 am
|
Well, I am STUFFED! Not literally, but I had SUCH a good dinner at Aladdins, my parents favorite restaurant. They have such good Mediterranean food, I always leave smelling like curry and spices and I LOVE that. I had arabic mint tea, halibut muniere, artichoke dip, and then they made me pay the bill. The food was well worth it though! Such a great night out!
|
AbbeyV
Posted Sep 15, 2013, 7:21 pm
|
I met my brothers and sister beagles tonight. Molly, Buckley and Hammie were very interested in playing with me. I got a little drooly, but I seem no worse for the wear.
|
AbbeyV
Posted Sep 18, 2013, 7:50 pm
|
I went to visit Airport Park. It was a clear day so I could see Denali, the tallest mountain in North America! 1 mountain down, 5 mountains to go. I wish I could see a mountain in Antarctica, but I don't think there are any hosts in Antarctica. From the other end of the park you can see my hometown of Anchorage! It's a great town. I love it here, but I can't wait to see the rest of the world!
I also found a letterbox that is owned by my parents! My parents dug it up so that I could say I have found a letterbox. If you want to learn about letterboxing, go to Atlas Quest! It is my parents other hobby. It's so much fun!!
|
AbbeyV
Posted Sep 18, 2013, 7:55 pm
|
I had to go with mom to take a trigonometry test today. Thankfully it wasn't too terrible. I think mom did okay. But, thankfully, I was in her pocket the whole time so I didn't have to think too hard about angles and sines and cosines.
|
AbbeyV
Posted Sep 21, 2013, 6:07 am
|
Today I went to Anatomy and Physiology class. It was learning about the heart physiology and circuitry today. It was terribly boring, even mom thought so. Up next, studying for the Anatomy and Physiology test on Monday.
|
AbbeyV
Posted Sep 23, 2013, 7:02 pm
|
Today was the first day it snowed where my mom lives. It is COLD and unusual that it snowed in September. But, it's winter now, so here we are. Mom also has an anatomy test today. She's not terribly excited about it, so this is a short update. Oh well.
|
AbbeyV
Posted Sep 25, 2013, 4:18 am
|
Well, today was Anatomy and Physiology lab. Friends are not allowed in anatomy lab so I wasn't allowed to take any pictures IN lab, but I took a picture outside my lab room. It's a very pretty, modern building. I was also looking at a model of a flower. Unfortunately, I'm not that kind of bird, so I'm not interested in pistils and pollen and stuff like that. But, it was cool to look at the inside of a flower anyway.
It was a really rough day for mom. She was not feeling well and very stressed out. So, generally when that happens, we stop at the local Dutch baker, The Flying Dutchman and get some delicious treats! Boy, they were delightful! If you're ever in Anchorage, Alaska, make sure you visit that bakery. It's as close as you come to European pastries. The baker is Dutch, so it works out.
|
AbbeyV
Posted Sep 28, 2013, 8:59 am
|
Today mom had to do her medication, so I helped her and held her hand while she had to do her infusions. Which I learned, means she had to put needles in and put medication in through tubes. But, she said it really helps her feel good, so I'm glad she's doing it. I am planning on leaving my home on Saturday. So, I think I'm on my way to Germany for a couple of months. I think I'll stay there through Christmas and then I'm headed to someone else's house, who really likes birds! That will be a real treat! I guess this will be my last update from Alaska, home, for awhile!
|
AbbeyV
Posted Oct 10, 2013, 7:02 am
|
I took off to Germany today! There are some goodies with me for my new host!
|
fam-united
Posted Nov 24, 2013, 5:44 pm
|
I just arrived in time to leave Bruchsal to drive to my host's aunt and uncle, who live in Mannheim. I'm curious to get to know this city or at least a part of it. Right now we still are in Bruchsal and this is the largest traffic roundabout here.
|
fam-united
Posted Nov 24, 2013, 6:11 pm
|
We didn't go out in Mannheim, but I hope, you will enjoy the photos anyway.
I loved the flowers on the balcony.
We were really high above the street, you see.
In the early evening it was time to say goodbye and drive home again.
I've seen the television tower.
Soon we are on the autobahn, the German freeway.
|
fam-united
Posted Nov 24, 2013, 7:51 pm
|
The next day we thought it would be a good idea, to go on another trip. The weather was nice, but we didn't think of the short holiday break many people had, so there was a lot of traffic on the road and we didn't get far within an hour. So the only thing we did was driving and standing in the traffic jam and taking a photo now and then. I really hope to see more of Stuttgart one day. Stuttgart is the main city of the federal state Baden-Württemberg.
We came past the Porsche Museum.
|
fam-united
Posted Mar 16, 2014, 6:02 pm
|
Today we were allowed to travel with our host and her husband. We were really curious, because we didn't know the destination. We had a nice place in the car, though, so we had been able to take a look at the surrounding area.
|
fam-united
Posted Mar 16, 2014, 6:34 pm
|
It was a really nice day with beautiful weather, so we decided to stop in Calw and take a walk there and also visit the Herrmann Hesse Museum.
Calw is located in the northern Black Forest and is approximately 18 kilometers south of Pforzheim and 33 kilometers west of Stuttgart. It was first mentioned in records in 1075.
There are many nice halftimbered houses as you can see in our photos.
We saw parts of the original fortifications constructed before 1500 - it was really a small part of it.
This is a part of the market place. Some of the photos we already showed above.
Then we visited the museum. Hermann Hesse (German: [ˈhɛɐ̯man ˈhɛsə]; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game, each of which explores an individual's search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature.
|
fam-united
Posted Mar 16, 2014, 6:52 pm
|
Then we drove on and soon we arrived in our hotel in Herrenberg, where we planned to stay over night.
|
fam-united
Posted Mar 16, 2014, 7:35 pm
|
The sun was still shining and it wasn't too cold, so we decided to go on another walk through another town.
Herrenberg is a town in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, about 30 km south of Stuttgart and 20 km from Tübingen.
Herrenberg is situated on the western edge of the Schönbuch forest and is a central town within the Gäu region. It was founded in the 13th century. In 1278, Herrenberg was first documentated, although Pfalzgraf Rudolf von Tübingen already wrote in 1228 "castrum nostrum herrenberc" into a certificate. From 1276, the church building was started, which at the time, had two towers.
The symbol of the town, the traditional church "Stiftskirche", with its Glockenmuseum (bell museum) in the tower, as well as the "Herrenberger Rathaus" (town hall) and the historical ruins of the castle "Schlossberg", are an attrictive destination for tourists of all over the world. There are guided tours (some in English) as well through the historical buildings of the town. Large sections of the old city wall are still standing (or have been rebuilt) and numerous timber-framed houses fill the "Old Town" surrounding the "Marktplatz" (market place)
view to "Stiftskirche"
I'm standing on the stairs, which lead to the church.
Here we're standing in front of the church looking down on the town.
The half timbered houses of Herrenberg are even more beautiful than those in Calw. I loved them and would have liked to stay for a longer time.
Then we walked back to the hotel, because we attended a Musical Krimi Dinner there.
|
fam-united
Posted Mar 16, 2014, 8:31 pm
|
On our way home we drove to Stuttgart and visited the Mercedes Benz Museum. It was the best thing to do with this rainy weather.
The Mercedes-Benz Museum is an automobile museum in Stuttgart, Germany. It covers the history of the Mercedes-Benz brand and the brands associated with it. Stuttgart is home to the Mercedes-Benz brand and the international headquarters of Daimler AG.
I've seen something of which my host told me, that it really was a car.
With this bus I would have been able to invite a lot of guests and carry them around.
We took a look out of the window. It was raining heavily.
Team touring coach 1974
After hours in this museum we really were tired and drove home again. It was a great weekend.
Greetings,
Yeil and friends
|
fam-united
Posted Mar 30, 2014, 8:49 am
|
Today we were invited to a birthday party. We had some delicious dishes as you can see.
Later we enjoyed the view down on Bruchsal.
|
fam-united
Posted Mar 30, 2014, 9:01 am
|
For Christmas we had the same meal as every year in this family:
chicken fricassee, pie-crust and corn salad.
Later we celebrated the birth of Jesus, our Christkind.
|
fam-united
Posted Apr 19, 2014, 6:06 pm
|
We went on a walk and passed the church St. Peter. It is a beautiful baroque church, which is located next to the graveyard.
On the opposite of the church you can see these statues.
The Saalbach is a river, that flows through Bruchsal. Last year it had really high water, but this year had been too less rain, so it is lower than 30 cm.
I asked my host to take this nice photo of me. You can see the baroque church St. Peter in the far. My hosts live close to this church.
We walked over the Nepumuk bridge.
|
fam-united
Posted Apr 19, 2014, 6:29 pm
|
On 6th January each year my hosts celebrate Epiphany, what the call "Heilige drei Könige" - holy three kings. On two days children walk from house to house dressed as three kings and star carrier. They sing and ask for money for poor children. They don't only receive money, but also a lot of sweets. The sweets are for the children, who walk as star singers, that's what these three kings and star carrier are called. They bring the money and sweets to the parish hall. There they give the money away to the man, who takes care for the donation.
After dinner on the second evening the star singers receive a bag full of sweets. You can see the bags here.
Oh, I forgot: There are also bags for donation to the children's home and market, where poor people can buy things they need.
|
fam-united
Posted Apr 19, 2014, 7:09 pm
|
In the evening we sat next to the small crib under the Christmas tree. It is the crib with which one can play. There is another drib, a wooden crib, but it is forbidden to play with this one. Did our host really think, that we would play with the figures? She didn't let us even close to the other crib.
Usually the Christmas tree is in the living room from23rd or 24th December until 6th January (including) or latest until Maria Lichtmess, which is celebrated on 2nd February. Many people put the tree up sooner now, but that isn't really a German tradition.
|
fam-united
Posted Apr 19, 2014, 7:22 pm
|
It was the second day of star singers and in the evening all three children of our hosts came home with a bag full of sweets. They like to sort them on the floor and exchange those they like and don't like, so that everyone has more things they like. Of course they eat those sweets not in one or two months. They sometimes need nearly a whole year, although they sometimes give away some sweets too.
Today isn't only Epiphany, but also my host's husband birthday. So we had guests in the evening, who enjoyed a tasty potatoe soup.
|
fam-united
Posted Apr 19, 2014, 7:41 pm
|
Today we wanted to take some nice photos, but when we climbed out of the car, we had to realize, that it was a too cold wind. Maybe you can see it in my face.
So we only took this one photo of the church in Stettfeld, Baden-Württemberg.
|
fam-united
Posted Apr 21, 2014, 1:08 pm
|
I don't know, what my hosts did during the last four weeks, but they did nothing together with me. Today they decided to go on a walk and they took me with them.
|
fam-united
Posted Apr 21, 2014, 2:12 pm
|
Today we were invited to go on a trip with our host and her friend. They wanted to walk the way, that they planned to walk together with their teacher colleagues. We needed two hours for the walk along the river Rhine. The Rhine is the twelth longerst river in Europe and the longest river in Germany. The part, where we walked, belongs to the Upper Rhine. The "Upper Rhine" is one of four sections (High Rhine, Upper Rhine, Middle Rhine, Lower Rhine) of the river between Lake Constance and the North Sea. The largest cities along the river are Basel, Mulhouse, Strasbourg, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Mainz. The Upper Rhine was straightened between 1817 and 1876, but you still can see the arms of the old river.
We were still on the right side of the river, but you already can see the towers of the Speyer cathedral.
|
fam-united
Posted Apr 21, 2014, 9:08 pm
|
Speyer (formerly known as Spires in English) is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants.
Speyer is dominated by the Speyer Cathedral, a number of churches and the Altpörtel (old gate). In the cathedral, beneath the high altar, are the tombs of eight Holy Roman emperors and German kings.
|
fam-united
Posted May 11, 2014, 1:06 pm
|
Together with my host and toyvoyager friends I drove to Bad Wildbad to attend a further training in English communication. It was really fun and we all learnt a lot - even I did.
It was a bit sad, that my host had a sore throat and so she didn't want to go on long walks through the town.
|
fam-united
Posted May 11, 2014, 1:29 pm
|
The next day we attented a lesson about Michelle Obama's life and helped to write down all the numbers we've heard, while our trainer read the text. On the photo you see our trainer's little helper, the white teddy, but I forgot his name.
|
fam-united
Posted May 17, 2014, 2:24 pm
|
The Belvedere on the edge of the "Stadtgarten" was built by Leonhard Stahl in 1756 as a hunting lodge for Prince Bishop Franz Christoph von Hutten. The location was chosen so that the lodge would command an unspoiled view of the palace, town and Rhine rift valley beyond.
Especially worthy of note are the two towers, each of which has a viewing platform topped with a Chinese-style baldachin – an example of the fashion for chinoiserie prevalent at that time. Today, the Belvedere is used as a venue for concerts and theatre productions.
In the background you see a grammar school, which is in the building of the former reservoir.
Then we walked down to the baroque palace and passed by the county court and its nice fountain, which is called Amalienbrunnen or snail fountain.
|
fam-united
Posted May 31, 2014, 7:01 am
|
We passed the Damianstor (Damian's gate). Nowadays it houses art exhibitions.
Then we walked into the front garden of the baroque palace and took a photo standing in front of the back entrance of the church. You can see the county court, the prison tower and the Damianstor.
Just enjoy the photos around the palace. We think it is one of the most beautiful baroque palaces at least in Germany.
There are statues of the four seasons. This is summer.
And there are four statues, which show the four elements: water, fire, earth and air. This statue is water.
Close to the palace garden you still can find some of Bruchsal's oldest houses.
This street is close to the citizen park. There are also some beautiful old houses here. About 80% of Bruchsal was destroyed during World War II and so was the biggest part of the palace too. The palace was rebuilt during the 70th. So we really were happy to see, that there are still some of the old houses.
Next to the tower of the ancient castle they built the citizen centre and park.
|
fam-united
Posted May 31, 2014, 7:34 am
|
Today we were invited to join our host and some of her teacher colleagues at a trip to Hauenstein. They stayed there over night, because they wanted to hike through the wood there. The weather seemed like, hm - will it rain or not???
Later that day we had a really good view over the Palatinate Mountains.
We also took some group photos there.
We had to walk along narrow and steep paths.
|
fam-united
Posted May 31, 2014, 8:47 am
|
Our farewell photos at the Paddelweiher with Zottel, the headmaster.
|