vickyp Posted Jan 24, 2009, 11:48 am |
Hi all!
I live in Greece and I'd love to travel around the world! I can't wait to get in that envelope and visit you! |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 2, 2009, 5:51 pm |
I've arrived!!! My new host, Lucy, was so surprised to see a jiffy bag with me in it had squeezed through her letter box! Well, she just had to take a photograph of me with a lovely thank you card. And she promises to update my travellog each day as she goes about her day. Love from Atta! |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 2, 2009, 7:34 pm |
Well, here I am sitting on top of my host Lucy's fridge looking to her wonderful collection of magnets as she prepares dinner. She likes swapping magnets with others around the world. If you can add to her collection and would like a magnet from England of London icons such as a Red Routemaster Bus, Black Hackney Taxi or Red Telphone Box drop her a line. She would be very happy to hear from you! She maybe able to get magnets of other sights if you let her know. Love from Atta. |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 2, 2009, 8:59 pm |
Joined my host for dinner. Had quiche and potatoes. She is quite a good cook! Tomorrow, I am going to go with Lucy to work. Looking forward to it. Love from Atta. |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 3, 2009, 7:23 am |
Morning! Today I had a refreshing cup of English Breakfast tea before I go with Lucy to where she works. I am looking forward to it! Love from Atta. |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 3, 2009, 7:29 am |
Wow! I looked outside today and it had snowed overnight!!! Wow! I have never seen snow before. It is really cold though. Love from Atta. |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 3, 2009, 7:37 am |
Well, I am in Lucy's workbag now and I am going to the office with her today. I am looking forward to it. Love from Atta. |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 3, 2009, 7:21 pm |
Today, I visited Lucy's office and met the bear that keeps her company there. Her name is Rainbow Bear and is large and lovely. I think I will sit here for a while whilst Lucy works away. |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 3, 2009, 7:25 pm |
While Lucy was at lunch today, I checked out my travellog on her computer. She seems to be doing a good job of updating it. Love from Atta. |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 3, 2009, 7:28 pm |
Joined my host again for dinner. Had a yummy Pukka Pie of chicken and mushroom with potatoes and sweetcorn. I am full now! Love from Atta. |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 4, 2009, 7:54 pm |
Today my host Lucy had lots of boring meetings to attend to so I stayed at her home and spent the day chatting with her Big Brown Bear Barney! He is huge!!! Promised not to squash me though. We talk about all kinds of things and before we knew it Lucy was home and preparing dinner. Love from Atta. |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 4, 2009, 7:57 pm |
Well, dinner tonight was sauages and mash with baked beans. It was nice. Tomorrow, I am going to help my host Lucy tidy up her home. Love from Atta. |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 5, 2009, 5:21 pm |
Woke up early this morning and made sure the alarm went off for Lucy, my host, to wake up. The CD she had ready for today was Abba's single 'Dancing Queen'. It is one way to wake up!!! Love from Atta. |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 5, 2009, 6:30 pm |
Today, I have helped my host, Lucy, sort out her postcrossing postcards into some kind of order! She has over 200 and they are in alphabetical order now in a shoe box instead of being all muddled up! Lucy sent 3 postcrossing postcards today to the USA, Finland and Germany. She hopes that they will all arrive safely. However, she got none in the post as the mailman could not get to her home because the snow was very deep. We had a good time together though. The cleaning is waiting til tomorrow now.
Love from Atta. ![]() |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 6, 2009, 8:24 am |
It is a new day! Last night I had toad in the hole for dinner which Lucy, my host, cooked and then this morning, as it was cold, we had weetabix with warm milk. Yummy! Love from Atta. |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 6, 2009, 8:32 am |
Today we are going out to London as Lucy, my host, is meeting up with friends to help them celebrate a birthday. I am looking forward to getting some photographs taken of me with some of the famous sights of London! How exciting. So I this morning helped Lucy to find out on a map where she is going to. There will be an update on my travels on Monday evening! Love from Atta ![]() |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 9, 2009, 6:42 pm |
Hi! It is Monday night now and I am back in Milton Keynes and I am so tired! It was a very busy weekend in London. Whilst my host Lucy and her friends chatted I sat with Gus the Gorilla. He was very friendly. |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 9, 2009, 6:48 pm |
Well, this update will be a great big set of photographs from my time in London!!!
I helped my host Lucy to make a call to her friends that she was meeting in London, we waited for a bus (which came in the end!) and went to Buckingham Palace Road to have lunch with them. It was a lovely way to spend a Saturday with my host and her friends. |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 9, 2009, 6:52 pm |
On Sunday, I went with Lucy to Victoria to get some more postcards for her postcrossing hobby which she enjoys doing.
The photos on this travel log show me outside Victoria train station and underground station as well as the information office which we went to when we got lost!!! Opps!!! I also had my photo taken outside the Victoria Apollo Theatre where one of Lucy's favourite musicals is being performed, Wicked! I was a lovely weekend! Love from Atta! |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 10, 2009, 7:32 pm |
Well, today in the mail, Lucy got a padded envelope. It was another ToyVoyager! Rocky is from JaymeC in America who rescued the little bear from Tokyo, Japan. I am looking forward to us having a tea party during the week. In the meantime, here is a photograph of me with Rocky! Love from Atta. |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 12, 2009, 7:23 am |
Today Rocky and I are travelling to Rugby to see my host's sister and her children for the weekend. We shared a cup of tea together before we set off on our train trip. Lucy has promised to take some photographs and will do an update on Monday night. Love from Atta! |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 16, 2009, 8:41 pm |
Hello!
On Thursday last week, Rocky and I travelled to Rugby to see Lucy's Mum and celebrate her 50th birthday. Lucy promised to take Krispy Kreme donuts. However, Lucy has a bit of a thing for eating them so Rocky and I had to guard them! We travelled by train, checking the train route, which only takes 22 mins, and we only had time to read a little bit of the newspaper before we arrived in Rugby. We did not get out as the weather was wet but Lucy did manage to get a postcard of the area and took mine and Rocky's photograph with it. I hope that you enjoying the updates on what I am doing whilst I am being hosted by Lucy. Love from Atta xxx |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 20, 2009, 5:30 pm |
Another package arrived today! Had to wait until my host Lucy arrived home before Rocky and I could see who had joined us. It turned out to be Elston the Echidna. He was in Germany with Katja and my host's ToyVoyager, Kelly Bear. He has been taught that ants are friends, not food so I should be safe and Lucy and Rocky have promised to keep me safe. I like Elston and I hope we can be friends, so long as he does not eat me! Love from Atta x |
Lucy156 Posted Feb 26, 2009, 6:56 pm |
Well, today we got a new toyvoyager in the mail. Nepomuk the Cat has been in Cardiff, Wales and is now here in Milton Keynes. Lucy, our host, took a photograph of us all!
Tomorrow, we all travel to London. Lucy has promised to take lots of photographs and will update my travel log on Monday. Love from Atta xxx |
Lucy156 Posted Mar 4, 2009, 8:06 pm |
Hi
Well, last week we all checked the map for where we were going to go to in London. I was very excited to be travelling to the English capital. We were travelling by train from Milton Keynes Central to Euston station and my host, Lucy, took my photo outside the railway station before we left and with all of us toyvoyagers together too. She also took a photograph of me when I arrived at the station in London. We all waited for a London Bus, sat on a bush together outside the Park Lane Hotel and at the Hard Rock Cafe too. Rocky is on a mssion to go to Hard Rock Cafes. We sat on top of a bus ticket machine and a postbox and were pictured in Piccadilly Circus. We all had a wonderful time and now we are safely back in Milton Keynes. Love from Atta xxx |
Lucy156 Posted Mar 4, 2009, 8:51 pm |
Tonight we played Scrabble together. It was a special Disney Scrabble set that my host Lucy has. It was a fun.
Love from Atta xxx |
Szandra Posted Mar 15, 2009, 3:46 pm |
Hello!!!
Mummy, I write you from Hungary! I'm having a nice time here! There are a lot of other ToyVoyagers here with me, so we have a lot of fun together! Today we had beautiful sunny weather, so we decided to visit the park of Miskolc-Tapolca. This part of the city where Szandra lives, so we didn't have to go far to see the park. ![]() ![]() With SillyWillyBlu ![]() ![]() Here in the backround you can see Mása, the little pug puppy! ![]() I'll write you soon again! Hugs, Atta |
Szandra Posted Apr 15, 2009, 9:18 pm |
Hello Mummy!
At first I would like to wish you Happy Easter! Hungarians say Kellemes Húsvétot! ![]() So sorry that I didn't write you earlier! We had very busy weeks here. But I promise, I'll update my travelog soon! Can you find me on the picture? ![]() ![]() Hugs, Atta |
pegger Posted May 3, 2009, 9:39 pm |
Hello!
I arrived here today and have found a new friend. Big Bird. He is also a TV. ![]() You can see him on the picture with my envelope. ![]() On this picture he help me to become free. I was to tired from my trip to get a long with him to entertain, but we will be sure find time the next day. That´s why I only say "Thanks" to him! ![]() bye and good night |
pegger Posted Jun 1, 2009, 12:53 pm |
Hey!
Sorry that you didn´t hear anything from for a while but Pegger was so busy with studies that it was no time to make anything. But last week Pegger and I have made together babysitting! ![]() On the picture you can see Lina - Zoé with me! she is a sweet little girl that just learning to crawl. ![]() And she is putting everything is her mouth. Me too. |
pegger Posted Jun 1, 2009, 12:58 pm |
Hey again!
I have helped Pegger with the birthdaycake for her flatmate. ![]() The pictures from the small party outside in the night are unfortunately become nothing. but it was a funny party for two. Hope that I can tell you more in some time. Until then, do it well. |
pegger Posted Jun 21, 2009, 4:17 pm |
Welcome back!
Today it was bad weather! Therefore we decided to stay inside and to sort all postcards from Pegger. That´s are very many cards... ![]() |
pegger Posted Jun 21, 2009, 4:25 pm |
In the last few days I had some insights into the refrigerator.
![]() And so I had taste several meals... ![]() alphabet soup with egg ![]() shandy (a beer with limonade) ![]() apple puree ![]() icecream |
pegger Posted Jun 21, 2009, 4:31 pm |
Hello again!
On the picture you can see the statue of Carl Friedrich Gauss Young people make a fun out there to stuck always jars, cans or something like that in his hand. ![]() ![]() Gauss was a fantastic scientist! That's it from me! I hope we hear from each other again! |
pegger Posted Aug 18, 2009, 5:35 pm |
Hey!
I have made a long car trip today!!! We drove to Oberwiesenthal. It´s near the czech border. But it was to late as we arrive, so we make our room and play some funny drinkinggames. The bed was great ![]() ![]() ![]() Oh here I am with the flag of Kazhstan ![]() And here in the little bathroom ![]() ![]() And in the end of the day we played two nice games ![]() ![]() |
pegger Posted Aug 18, 2009, 5:48 pm |
Today I was outside the hole day.
![]() We have visited a skijumping. That was a small one, called Fis cup. But it was nice there. Some pictures from there, but without skijumpers. They were all to shy ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
pegger Posted Aug 18, 2009, 5:56 pm |
Hey!
I was in Czech republic today! Only some minutes but Oberwiesenthal and Loucna are neighbours and so we walk over the border! Here are the pictures from my little trip ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
pegger Posted Aug 18, 2009, 5:59 pm |
Back in Oberwiesenthal we recognize the traffic light males ![]() They are from the former DDR. ![]() ![]() |
pegger Posted Aug 18, 2009, 8:38 pm |
Hey again!
On my tour I have met two other toyvoyagers ![]() Sweetsy and Mister Snow On the pictures you can see us, while driving through east germany in car. ![]() here we took the wrong way and stand suddenly in a garden with car ![]() ![]() ![]() |
pegger Posted Aug 18, 2009, 8:53 pm |
Today we start a Three-Skijumpinghills-Tour ![]() Here the skijumping hill from Oberwiesenthal. It´s the biggest one there. ![]() Here are some facts from Oberwiesenthal: Oberwiesenthal is a town and a ski resort in the district of Erzgebirgskreis in Saxony in Germany. It is situated in the Erzgebirge mountains, on the border with the Czech Republic, 19 km south of Annaberg-Buchholz, and 23 km northeast of Karlovy Vary. At 914 metres (3,000 ft), it is the highest town in Germany. |
pegger Posted Aug 18, 2009, 8:59 pm |
The second station on our tour was Klingenthal.
![]() Here are some facts: Klingenthal is a town in the Vogtlandkreis district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated directly on the border with the Czech Republic opposite the Czech town of Kraslice, 29 km southeast of Plauen, and 33 km northwest of Karlovy Vary. The Aschberg ( "cinder mountain" ) towers above the town at 936 m. The extremely elongated town, 10.5 km from end to end, is surrounded by numerous woods of firs. The town is bisected by the Döbra and Zwota rivers. These two rivers unite at the Czech-German border to form the Svatava river, which in turn flows into the Ohře river at Sokolov. |
pegger Posted Aug 18, 2009, 9:04 pm |
Third Station was Oberhof.
![]() ![]() Here are some facts: Oberhof is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district of Thuringia, Germany. It is a winter sports center and health resort. It is visited by tenfold as many tourists every year. The town got its official city status in 1985. From the early 1900s, Oberhof became a center for winter sports, with luge, nordic skiing and ski jumping taking place in the town's regularly updated sports facilities. In recent years the town has also seen the construction of lift-equipped alpine skiing slopes and an international competition standard biathlon stadium. Their bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track has hosted many world and European championships in luge. |
pegger Posted Aug 18, 2009, 9:09 pm |
Hello!
And now I am on my way to Austria ![]() Hope I will have a nice trip. Bye Atta |
marcie08 Posted Aug 25, 2009, 2:59 pm |
Hi Mom!
I have just arrived here in Austria and was welcomed by some TVs: LittleWestiePup, Mr. S and Sambu. We had a lazy first evening and played scrabble. That was so much fun. Lucky though that I had just arrived from Germany because we played the German version of scrabble. It was really great to meet so many TVs here! |
marcie08 Posted Aug 30, 2009, 3:32 pm |
Hi Mom!
I'm a bit sad today... I had to say goodbye to my friend Sambu.... we had a great time together, though we haven't been together that long! I wish him a great time in Germany! To sweeten this sour day ![]() Here you see Sambu boarding his aircraft! |
marcie08 Posted Sep 6, 2009, 6:26 pm |
Hi Mom!
We had a really great weather for the last few days- it was almost to warm to do something... So we went to my host-moms uncle, who has a garden with a lot of trees and a lot of shadow... We also harvested a lot of damsons and ate tons of it! |
marcie08 Posted Sep 6, 2009, 6:36 pm |
Hi Mom!
Today arrived a new toyvoyager! It's Sandi Rose, a very cute grey bear! She was a bit tired, so we just welcomed her and talked about our travel experiences! |
marcie08 Posted Sep 6, 2009, 8:51 pm |
Hi Mom!
Today arrived a new TV here in Graz! His name is Michel, he comes from Germany. My host-mom had a great day today - she got lots of cards from postcrossing. Then we helped her writing her cards for postcrossing and we found some great cards. I've learned that there are no kangoroos in Austria! ![]() Bye for today! |
marcie08 Posted Sep 10, 2009, 8:39 pm |
Hi Mom!
Puh, the last days were quite exciting! My poor host-mom's laptop kind of died...and with him lots of data... ![]() ![]() So we said goodbye to the old computer and went shopping for a new one. And I can tell you that this was no easy decision! We TVs were of course really helpfull! ![]() And on one picture you can see the new computer! And we finally have access to the world again ![]() While we were searching for a new computer we used my host mom's dad's computer. But of course we couldn't occupy it for the whole day, so we helped our host mom scrapbooking. You can see us with the photos and souvenirs! Ok, here are the pictures now! Bye for today! |
marcie08 Posted Sep 15, 2009, 8:30 pm |
Hi Mom!
Today we had to say goodbye to LittleWestiePup, who is continuing his journey! It was nnice meeting him! Bye! |
marcie08 Posted Sep 15, 2009, 8:53 pm |
Hi Mom!
We wanted to do some sightseeing today and started with the Opera House. But then it started to rain cats and dogs ![]() ![]() |
marcie08 Posted Sep 18, 2009, 3:09 pm |
Hi Mom!
What a surprise! When we opened the mailbox today, we found a card from Michel's mom! That was such a lovely surprise! We TVs were of course really curious about the card and so we all sat in a circle while Michel showed us the card and told us about Hamburg and all the sight you can see on this card! His stories about Hamburg were great for yet another rainy day in Graz! |
marcie08 Posted Sep 21, 2009, 5:31 pm |
Hi Mom!
Today we went to the western parts of Styria, to a city called Bärnbach. The city was famous for its coal mining in former days. That's why you see me on some coals and the wagon! We visited the (catholic) church of St. Barbara there. The church is named after St. Barbara because she is the patroness of miners. This church is quite famous as is was redesigned by the famous Austrian painter and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser. He designed many buildings for example the Hundertwasser-House in Vienna, the KunstHaus in Vienna, a thermal spa in Bad Blumau, the oncology ward of the University Hospital in Graz, to just name a few. The inside of the church is mostly the same as it has been before the redecoration, there were just a few alterations made to the altar. The outside of the church is very colorful with mosaics and nothing is really geometric. Everything is a bit different, no straight lines. Therefore my post today is also really colorful! ![]() There is a walkway around the church and the path is uneven, made of different stones, bricks, tarmac... You pass through many archways, which all stand for a different religion with symbols of this specific religion on the archway. And then there is one without any symbols. For all people who don't believe or have a different view of life. My host mom decided it would be best to photograph me under the "naked" archway as not to offend any of her guest's parents! You can also see that the pathway has been decoreted with an autumn theme! We were given an extended tour through the church and its history and then it was time for some meal! No pics of that though. We then went on to another city. I'll tell you more about that soon! |
marcie08 Posted Sep 27, 2009, 3:19 pm |
Hi Mom!
After we had visited the church, we continued our travel to Piber. We went by car and were of course all buckled up! We went to Piber, to the Federal Stud, which is part of the Vienna Spanish Riding School. You can see the Lippizan horses there. They are born there and stay on there until they are old and/or good enough to go to Vienna. Just the best horses get a chance to go there, the others stay at Piber and you even can buy them there (prices start at € 3.000,--). There is so much to learn about the horses, so we took a guided tour. I can't write down everything I learned that day, but you can find tons of information her: click me. The horses that aren't white yet are the young ones. They are really curious and come to the fences looking for some sugar cubes! But you have to be careful as they try to taste anything that is near... ![]() The big white horse you can see on one picture is a stallion. He has of course his own quarters! But he got really excited in his paddock, as the mares were there in the morning! ![]() I also took a picture of some information about the stallion stables! That was really a great day! |
marcie08 Posted Sep 29, 2009, 7:30 pm |
Hi Mom!
Today we made a trip to the Southern Styria, the part which is located near the Slovenian border. This part is very famous for its vineyards. They grow for example Welschriesling, Weißburgunder, Chardonnay (here called Morillon) and Sauvignon Blanc. We first went to a "Buschenschank". Wikipedia translates it with "inn"... well, thats a kind of restaurant, where the wine farmers serve cold meals which have must contain just products that are homemade. In former days they weren't allowed to buy products and serve them and they also weren't allowed to serve hot meals. Now the rules aren't that strictly any more, but mostly you still find cold meals. We were sitting on the balcony there, looking over the hills and the vineyards. We had a "Brettljause", kind of a Ploughman's lunch. Well, it's a wooden board (in the traditional version) or a plate (in the modern version) with different kinds of ham, bacon, cheese, pickles and so on. And a glass of white wine, of course! ![]() Then we went for a little walk, through the hills and vineyards, up to a small plateau. We rested on a bench there, because it was a little bit steep climbing this hill... And then we saw this really strange thing...it looked like a windmill, but it makes a strange sound when its windy... My host mom told me that's a very common thing here and called "Klapotetz". And there's a reason for its sound: It was built in the vineyards to scare away the birds who were eating the grapes! Later we had roasted chestnuts, which are always made here in the vineyards when the grape harvest starts in autumn. And then they drink a special drink here called "Sturm" (translated storm). That's a wine in fermentation stage and it's only available for a short time every year. After this day I was really tired because I have eaten soooo much! ![]() |
marcie08 Posted Sep 29, 2009, 8:06 pm |
Hi Mom!
Today we had to say Goodbye to Michel! He continued his travel! I will miss him and hope that he will have a great time with his new host! |
marcie08 Posted Oct 19, 2009, 1:36 pm |
Hi Mom!
Sorry for not updating any sooner but my host mum had a tummy bug and was housebound for a lot of days.... But now she's up and good again, so we can update what Ive been up to in the meantime. We went up to the Schlossberg one day and had absolutely great weather! First we had a cup of coffee and enjoyed the sun, before we did the actual sightseeing! The Schlossberg is a small mountain in the city center and up there is the clock tower, the town's landmark! You can see me looking down to the city, which is divided by a river, the Mur. On the next picture you see me looking at the Mariahilferplatz (square) and the Mariahilfer-Church. Then you see me looking at the Kunsthaus- that's this strange blue building you can see in the background. It has a very unusual form and is also called "the friendly alien". It has strange things on the surface- those tubes are calles nozzles and they all look in the same direction. All nozzles? No, there is one that looks directly at the clock tower! ![]() That's what you see on the next picture! The clock tower! That's a pretty interesting clock because the hands are swapped- normally the big one is for the minutes, the small one for the hours, but here it's the other way around! Thats because in former days people were just interested in the hour and not the exact time. Therefore they just needed one hand that could be seen from far away! Later they added the second hand, which had to be different from the first hand! Bye! |
marcie08 Posted Oct 19, 2009, 1:50 pm |
Hi Mom!
I had a baking lesson today! We made some blueberry muffins- mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmhhhhhhhhhhhh ![]() I helped measuring the ingredients and putting the dough in the muffin tins! Then I had to wait patiently for them to bake... when they came out of the oven I had to wait again- you are not supposed to eat them as long as they are so hot... But then finally! |
marcie08 Posted Oct 29, 2009, 4:26 pm |
Hi Mom!
Here are some pictures from a very nice football (soccer) evening last week! We were watching a Europe League Game on TV and were dressed with scarfs from our host mom's favorite team, SK Puntigamer Sturm Graz. They were playing Panathinaikos Athens, so I wasn't sure for which team I should cheer.... Anyway, it was fun! We had Pizza and some other fast food! |
marcie08 Posted Nov 4, 2009, 10:59 am |
Hi Mom!
We made another sightseeing trip through the city of Graz and we were lucky because it was such a beautiful autumn day! ![]() First we went to the Murinsel, an artificial island in the river Mur. It was built when Graz was Cultural Capital of Europe in 2003. You can see different views of the island. From one of the bridges over the river you also have a great view up on the Schlossberg and you can see the Uhrturm! There are many ways to go up the Schlossberg, for example the staircase and also the funicular railway. When you look between the trees you see the two red cars going up and down. We then went over one of the bridges again onto the other side of the Mur and went along the river. We came to Mariahilfer-Place with the white Mariahilfer-Church and went on to the Kunsthaus. That's the Museum for art and photography and it looks quite funny. It was also built for the Cultural Capital of Europe 2003. Parts of the building are old, from the 19th century and the other part, including the blue bubble are new. The building is also called "the friendly alien" for its unusual form. There are lights on the bubble, kind of illuminated rings and they can display lots of different patterns in the evening (you can see a photo of that if you follow this link). At the end of our tour we went to the Franziskanerplatz and looked at the Franziskaner-Church. I hope you like the pictures! |
marcie08 Posted Nov 11, 2009, 12:52 pm |
Hi Mom!
Brrrr....it's getting winter here! The days are getting shorter and it is also getting dark earlier. We enjoy our time inside where it is warm and snuggle up with a cup of tea and a blanket! And one day, we even had the first snow this autumn/winter. It was quite heavy and for a few minutes everything was white. But soon the snow melted away. I'm waitng for the first big snow here so we can have a snowball fight or build a snowman! |
marcie08 Posted Nov 23, 2009, 12:48 pm |
Hi Mom!
Today we went shopping. My host mom is a bit unlucky with electronical things lately, first the computer, now the cell phone. So we went to the city center and looked for a new phone. We finally agreed on a phone and when we returned home, we toyvoyagers had to explain the phone to our host mom... she is not really friends with her new phone yet ![]() ![]() We also bought some baby clothes because a friend of our host mom just had a baby boy. We tried the clothes on and we found out that we are even smaller than newborns! That was fun. Maybe I'll get such a cap and some gloves for Christmas! ![]() |
marcie08 Posted Nov 28, 2009, 8:11 pm |
Hi Mom!
In preparation for the upcoming Christmas Time - here in Austria they call this time "Advent" - we did some cleaning! First we loaded the washing machine, put in some washing powder or more a liquid. We even wanted a turn in the machine, but our host mom told us that it would be too dangerous for us... So we just sat there and watched the clothes turning! Then we went in the kitchen to load and unload the dish washer. After having cleaned the kitchen we went on to the living room and used a glass cleaner to clean the glass table there and last but not least we took a tour on the hoover! When everything was clean we did a little nap on the couch! I think we were good TVs today, kind of Santa's little helper ![]() |
marcie08 Posted Nov 28, 2009, 8:37 pm |
Hi Mom!
We met another TV today. It's a travelling polar bear. His name is Papelbon. We were really happy about the arrival of a new friend and he told us about his adventures and we had a chat about the different countries we have visited and the different host parents. In the afternoon we did some baking. My host mom loves to bake, so we helped and tried a new recipe. It was for an Italian cake, called Panettone. It's made of a yeast-dough and takes a lot of time as it has to rise two times before baking! But it was worth waiting... the small cakes were really delicious! Most of the cakes were a present for my host-mom's step-mom, but there were enough left for us TVs too. Yummi ![]() |
marcie08 Posted Dec 2, 2009, 3:09 pm |
Hi Mom!
It was such a nice day today, so we decided to go to the Stadtpark. That's a huge park in the city with lots of old trees and benches where you can relax, where kids and also older kids ![]() Now there are small mountains of leaves everywhere and we really wanted to jump right in. But there were the gardeners there and I'm sure they wouldn't have appreciated it. And there's something else in this park: There are so many squirrels jumping around there, searching for nuts! They are called "Hansi" here in Graz. I don't know why and my host mom doesn't either. But she told me, that they have always been called that and nobody really know why anymore.... You have to look carefully at the pictures so you can see the sqirrels there. I marked them in a few pictures (the pics are black and white and the squirrel is colored.) They were sooooo cute ![]() |
marcie08 Posted Dec 6, 2009, 7:59 pm |
Hi Mom!
Another TV arrived today! It's a Canadian eagle- he even has a maple-leaf on his foot! He brought us chocolate and a cute TV-calendar-postcard! He arrived just in time for some decorating for Christmas! Here in Austria they have a tradition: They have a special wreath here, called Advent-Kranz in German. It has 4 candles on it, one for each Advent-Sonntag (Advent-Sundays)- that are the Sundays before Christmas! You can see me decorating! We put the candles on the wreath and then some bows- they have moose on it! That was fun! |
marcie08 Posted Dec 9, 2009, 8:13 pm |
Hi Mom!
We started baking cookies today! First we made a shortcrust dough! It had to rest then for a while. After resting we took the rolling pin to make the dough really thin. With a cookie cutter we made some small boots- these will be some delicious cookies! While they were in the oven we made the dough for some macaroons. It was really tasty! We were even allowed to try it! We also made other cookies called "Florentiner". I guess they are named after the city of Florence, Italy. They are made of dried and candied fruit, with almonds and honey. Then you dry it in the oven. Phew- it was really hard work! |
marcie08 Posted Dec 14, 2009, 8:16 pm |
Hi Mom!
Today we continued with the baking! We wanted to frost some of the cookies, so we had to cut the chocolate first and let it melt over a bowl filled with hot water. When the chocolate was molten, we let it cool a bit and then dipped the cookies in the chocolate. We let it dry on a baking sheet. We then made two kinds of macaroons: with chocolate and with chocolate and almonds. The chocolate ones were sprinkled with cocoa, those with almonds drizzled with molten chocolate and almond slivers. We went on with decorating the small boots we had baked two days ago: We frosted them with white and red icing. Finally we took the Linzer cookies and filled them with apricot jam! I cant wait to taste them! ![]() |
marcie08 Posted Dec 19, 2009, 3:18 pm |
Hi Mom!
Today my host mom's and host dad's families were invited for an afternoon of cookies and tea! Because it was also the 6th of december, we have been visited by St. Nicholas who puts presents in the boots of good children. Sometimes he also comes personally, especially to small kids, with a huge bag full of presents and his huge golden book, where he can find all the information about a special child for exampel that it has been good in school or that it doesn't follow all the rules... then the kids promise to do better next year and get the presents. In the old days they were given oranges and tangerines, apples, dried fruit and peanuts. Today it's also chocolate, toys... Very traditional presents are also underwear and socks, but kids don't like to get practical stuff! Kids that havent been good are visited by the Krampus, a very unkind creature with lots of fur and some birch and some chains...see here for more information on the Krampus. Of course we all have been good, so we found some goodies in our host mom's boots. There were also present for our host dad: some traditional boxers ![]() |
marcie08 Posted Dec 21, 2009, 9:51 pm |
Hi Mom!
Look at all the holiday decorations: A huge moose - that's so cute! And of course a mistletoe above the door! And some Christmas ornaments in a huge glass. Then we did something really traditional during the wintertime in Austria: We watched skiing! Skiing is really popular here and the Austrians have a really good ski-team ![]() In the late afternoon we went to the city center and looked at the decorations and the Christmas markets there! I'm enjoying this Christmas time here! |
marcie08 Posted Dec 24, 2009, 8:53 pm |
Hi Mom!
Today we are celebrating Christmas! So my fellow TV-friends and I wanted to wish you a very Happy Christmas (though it is for you the day after tomorrow if I'm right?). Here in Austria they wish "Frohe Weihnachten" ![]() The presents are brought here by the Christkind, which is kind of an angel who flies up in the sky! You have to write a letter with your wishes to the Christkind and put it at the window in december. The Christkind gets the letter while you are sleeping and it brings the presents to the good children (the younger and older ones) in the afternoon on Dec. 24th. It also brings the Christmas tree. Normally it rings a small bell as soon as it has finished decorating the tree. Then you are allowed to enter the room. But of course, the Christmas is no longer in the room but has flown on to the other children! We looked at the tree with the candles and then we had a delicious meal. And of course we got presents! Oh, and do not worry Mom, I'm still more than welcome here and I can stay as long as I want to! |
marcie08 Posted Dec 26, 2009, 8:48 pm |
Hi Mom!
Today my host mom surprised us and told us that we were going to Schladming, a town in Upper Styria, in the mountains. So we packed our bags and skis and the skigear and went to Schladming. It was pretty cold there - -15°C - but a beautiful snowy landscape! My host mom tooks us with her to the skislopes and we went up the mountains with a cable car and some chair-lifts! We lookes at the map to decide which slope to take! We also went to a skihut-restaurant to warm ourselves up and eat something. Usually it's "Gröstl", that's a dish made of roasted potatoes and noodles, sometimes also with dumplings and sausages, or meat. (See picture here.) In the evening we watched a ski race held by the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation. It was a realty tv show, where Austrian celebrities learned how to race. The celebrities raced together in a team with a former Austrian professional skier, like Franz Klammer, Stephan Eberharter or Fritz Strobl. Skiing was really fun! |
marcie08 Posted Jan 7, 2010, 3:40 pm |
Hi Mom!
We flew to London to celebrate the New Year there! We took the Heathrow Express from the airport to the city center and then traveled on to our hotel, which was right next to St. Paul's Cathedral. In the afternoon we went to the London Eye. Unfortunately is was raining cats and dogs, a really typical British weather and it was pretty cold, too! The pictures were unfortunately too dark, so you can't see me inside the Eye. ![]() My host-mom bought a London-Eye-bear and we TVs chatted with him. He won't become a TV but will stay with my host-mom's stepmom. Puh, what a day! Time to go to bed! Tomorrow is new year's eve and we want to celebrate! |
marcie08 Posted Jan 7, 2010, 4:36 pm |
Hi Mom!
After a quick coffee and a pain au chocolat we started our sightseeing-tour! We first went to a monument for the big fire in London in the past and walked through the streets of London. We saw a traditional English pub. Then we went to the Tower and the Tower Bridge. It was pretty cold again today, but despite the cold there were so many people out there sightseeing! Of course we also did a little shopping at Harrod's! Then we prepared for the evening ahead! We walked to the Thames and the fireworks viewing areas there. There were so many people, but we managed to get a nice place on a bridge. Then we had to wait for the Big Ben to strike midnight. To keep ourselves warm, we danced to the music. Finally we heard the clock strike and then everybody started counting: 10, 9, 8,, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, HAPPY NEW YEAR! People started wishing each other a happy new year and started ooohing and aahhing over the fireworks. They really were great. Maybe you have seen them on tv? And then all the English speaking started singing: \"Auld Lang Syne\". My host mom knew the song as there is also a German version, but she didn't know the English words. But she said that she has regognized the song from "Happy new year, Charlie Brown". When the fireworks had ended, we went back to the hotel and had a drink in the bar there! Hope you had a great New Year's Eve, too! |
marcie08 Posted Jan 8, 2010, 12:26 pm |
Hi Mom!
Today we started with a lazy breakfast in bed - delivered by the roomservice! And we were quite hungry from all the oohhhing and aahhing yesterday ![]() While having breakfast we wtached the Vienna New Year's Concert which is broadcastet from Vienna to many many countries all over the world. My host mom told me that it's very traditional in Austria to watch the New Year's Concert on tv while having a late breakfast! As Mom also missed the Viennese Waltz at midnight - which is another very traditional thing to do in Austria - we waltzed together when the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra played a waltz. But, no photos of that...I guess my feet aren't made for dancing... We then took the underground to the Houses of Parliament and walked around in that area. We also went to the Buckingham Palace, but we haven't seen HM the Queen. But we saw one of her guards, with his cool felt-hat! In the afternoon we went back to our hotel and then visited St. Paul's Cathedral! We went up so many stairs which have been old and uneven and kind of slippery sometimes but finally we had reached the platform and were able to have a look over the city! I have to say, I really liked London. Maybe I'll come back for a visit some day.... |
marcie08 Posted Jan 8, 2010, 12:49 pm |
Hi Mom!
I'm a little sad right now as I had to say goodbye to 2 of my new friends....Landroval and Papelbon will leave for Germany respectively Belarus. Here you see us saying goodbye first to Landroval, and then to Papelbon. I hope they'll have much fun and great adventures with their new hosts! Maybe our paths will cross again in the future! |
MorgenSter Posted Jan 15, 2010, 8:16 pm |
Hello Mummy !!! I'm writting to let you know I arrived safely in Wassenaar, where my new host lives.
She is a 23 year old brazilian girl who has been living in the Netherlands now for 6 months. she keeps saying this country is beautifull and i'll enjoy it a lot. The snow here is melting slowly and i was hoping to go ice skating tomorrow... As she worked a lot today, she couldn't take me anywhere yet, but tomorrow is saturday... and Im really excited with I can get to see here. We will be going to The Hague, a city known for its diplomatic history. Here is me!!! The first picture in the country of the bikes!!! ![]() [img] ![]() And here a picture of me with Bombus, my host's TV ( soon going to Belarus) [img] ![]() Bye and "tot straks" |
MorgenSter Posted Feb 2, 2010, 9:25 am |
Hey! The snow came once more, but my host had a terrible cof and throatache the whole time. But, we still got to go to the centrum of Den Haag, a city full of international atmosphere and cultural life.
First, a picture of the house I'm staying now ![]() Me and Dottie Mouse playing the Wii with our host the boy she looks after. ![]() Me in front of the old royal home in Den Haag ![]() And here is a view of the Buitenhof ![]() ![]() Hope to write soon !! bye Bye |
MorgenSter Posted Feb 13, 2010, 5:35 pm |
Hi!!!
One of the most curious and tipically dutch things you can find here is the bakfiets!!! There is no translation for this name, but once you see what it is, you get a picure of what it was designed for... The bakfiets is a bike, not a regular bike... It has space for you to take children in it, so for an example, you can bike your kids to school. My host told me that once she managed to put 6 children sitting in it!!! It was heavy, but it was very funny and everyone kept looking at them. Me and Dottie Mouse on the bakfiets ![]() Tomorrow our host is going to have us celebrate valentine's day together... but I still don't know what she is planning to do... but ... let's see ![]() Doei |
MorgenSter Posted Feb 21, 2010, 7:35 pm |
Hiiii!!!
So saturday came and brought us sun and a nice weather. It wasn't all that warm, but after weeks of snow, it felt nice to go outside and feel the warmth that will come with spring. So our host took us to the Gemeente Museum and we also enjoyed a walk around town. Me at the bus ![]() With Dottie Mouse in front of the Museum ![]() At the Museum ![]() ![]() This clothing store is very famous here due to its building. ![]() ![]() Next week we will all be going to Amsterdam ![]() ![]() |
MorgenSter Posted Mar 4, 2010, 8:20 pm |
Hello Mom!!!
My host was really happy to read from you through a PM. She is also happy that you are enjoying my trip. I know i am. We did go to Amsterdam but I'll get to that later... First, MorgenSter took me to a chinese restaurant where I had the chance to taste a lot of different cuisine. Her friends were happy and pleased that I joined and I heard them saying they will consider joining this in the future. No, I wasn't the meal!!! ![]() Laying in bed after a busy day ![]() On my way to Amsterdam ![]() In Amsterdam we joined a witches party. It had music and a lot of cool dressed people. ![]() A famous Book of Shadows ![]() We walked around in Amsterdam, but it was rianing a lot and so windy that my host thought she herself was going to fly with the wind if she didn't hold on to anything! So we didn't get to see much of the outside... but we will go back ! ![]() The front of the house is being rebuilt... ![]() We attended my hosts dutch class ![]() ![]() Ready to study some dutch ! ![]() Us with Morris at the playground ![]() Bye Bye and see you all soon here ![]() |
MorgenSter Posted Mar 16, 2010, 8:52 am |
Hello!!! Here I am again ![]() So last weekend we had lots of fun ![]() ![]() We also watched kids practicing hockeu and it was really funny! ![]() We also attended MauritsHuis museum, where we saw " Girl with the pearl earring" ![]() ![]() ![]() I hope you enjoy the photos, though they weren't many... |
MorgenSter Posted Apr 18, 2010, 6:56 pm |
Hello Mom!!!
I can't wait to see you !!! I'm really glad I came to The Netherlands to get to know this amazing country. I had lots of fun with my hostie MorgenSter and many different Tvs I met around here. Me and the gang saying our goodbyes! ![]() Me getting ready ![]() ![]() ByeBye House ![]() Me and my hostie!!! Appearing here for the first time ![]() ![]() Mommy!!! See you soon ![]() |