Bobi, Bruchsal, Germany

AbbyB Posted Sep 14, 2010, 8:50 am	I am Bobi and I am travelling on the WTVT.  I was so eager to start my travels on the Worldwide trail, that I forgot to introduce myself before I left my home in Italy.  I am at my first destination in Canada and already I have met a lot of other ToyVoyagers, Hedgie, Roderich, Charlie Bear and Ewan E. Ewok.
AbbyB Posted Sep 28, 2010, 7:52 am	Today we are going to Eat! Fraser Valley, which is a show on local food. We bought these tickets, which enabled us to try all sorts of food.
AbbyB Posted Sep 28, 2010, 7:53 am	We met up with Smaug and his visiting TVs for coffee and to explore Chinatown.  This is the Millenium Gate, or the Gate of Thousands' Happiness.  It was built in 2002. This is the Sun Yat Sen Garden. We took a group picture here. This is a memorial commemorating those who served in Canadian wars, and those who worked on the railroads. This is the giant abacus.  The beads are made of jade.
AbbyB Posted Sep 28, 2010, 7:54 am	Ollie Kikabeer arrived today.
AbbyB Posted Oct 7, 2010, 7:10 pm	Abby took me to a very special event.  A PostSecret live event!  Frank Warren got on stage and told everyone stories and showed pictures of never-before seen secrets, then opened up the floor to people in the audience who wanted to tell their secrets. I did get my picture taken in the theatre, but it was so dark that you couldn't tell I was there, so instead I am showing you two pictures without me in them that are slightly better quality. After the event, I got to meet Frank!
AbbyB Posted Oct 11, 2010, 3:26 am	Today is Convocation at Abby's school, and I was there to see Abby's sister graduate. The ceremony is held in the aptly-named Convocation Mall. Before the ceremony, the graduands were piped in by SFU's six time world champion pipe band. There were a number of speeches during the event.  Abby was the designated photographer for her sister, so she was busy running around with a much better camera and did not have time to take more photos of me. After the ceremony there was a reception for a special few people.
AbbyB Posted Oct 11, 2010, 3:52 am	It's time to harvest the grapes in the garden.  We all came out to help. After playing for a while, Abby said that we were there to help, not supervise, and I was put to work. It took a while, but I think we did a good job.
AbbyB Posted Oct 15, 2010, 4:33 am	As you may know, Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October.  It's not really a huge deal here, but, as one of Abby's professors said, 'Thanksgiving is the only day of the year where every single Canadian eats the same thing for dinner.'  This is mostly true.  Usually there is a turkey, but they take forever to cook and nobody like turkey here anyway, so there was chicken, along with potatoes, brussel sprouts, stuffing and candied yams. I took some of everything.
AbbyB Posted Oct 18, 2010, 2:33 am	I am on my way to my next host on the WTVT!
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Nov 18, 2010, 8:29 pm	Hello mum! I would like to inform you that I`m in Moscow and the first place I visited - the office where my host`s boy-friend works. Oh I prefer to have fun - not to sit in office!
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Nov 21, 2010, 8:25 pm	Hey! Finally I have seen some nice places in Moscow. First we were at Arbat StreetIt was already dark  But I visited Moscow underground and saw.... one of the most popular Russian man - Lenin! Quote: Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (22 April 1870 – 21 January 1924), born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years (1917–1924), as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a socialist economic system. I`ll come back to you soon!
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Nov 29, 2010, 8:09 pm	Hello mummy! This time I`m not very lucky with host - she is always busy, we don`t have any fun!! So I decided to jump into her bag and see some places where she spends her time. This street is near Kremlin - Tverskaya Street. It is wide and there are many cars, hotels and shops.
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Dec 12, 2010, 5:04 pm	On Sunday I visited the museum of Vera Mukhina. She was Soviet sculptor who is famous for the sculpture of Worker and Kolkhoz Woman:. Quote: Worker and Kolkhoz Woman is a 24.5 meter (78 feet) high sculpture made from stainless steel by Vera Mukhina for the 1937 World's Fair in Paris, and subsequently moved to Moscow. The sculpture is an example of the socialist realistic style, as well as Art Deco style. The worker holds aloft a hammer and the kolkhoz woman a sickle to form the hammer and sickle symbol. Her museum is situated inside the pedestal on which the great sculpture is placed. The sculpture was originally created to crown the Soviet pavilion (architect: Boris Iofan) of the World's Fair. In the museum we saw some symbols of Soviet Union - for example placard of one of the most popular Soviet film.
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Dec 26, 2010, 3:53 pm	Hello dear mummy! I saw Russian countryside. I wanted to walk more but I met awful guy who scared me!!!! So I decided to stay at home.
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Jan 7, 2011, 4:49 pm	Hello dear mummy and Happy New Year! WE met New 2011 year in the countryside. I had a nice party with my TV-friends!
RikeH Posted Feb 1, 2011, 9:21 pm	Hi Mum, I arrived in Germany today. A nice bunny called Dicker Kumpel gave me a warm welcome. There is another guest here - he is called Archer. I arrived just in the right time, because we will make a nice trip this weekend. We visited a nice town called Nienburg. This is the townhall. There was a funny fountain. With aspargus. Can you see me? It was time to eat something delicious. But no aspargus. Then we continued our walk. What a nice tower. And a big church. How beautiful. I loved this statue in front of the church. The last building was a museum. We didn't went into it, because the weather was so great. Then we jumped into the car. Tomorrow we will see something great - RikeH told us, but we didn't know what. Love Bobi
RikeH Posted Feb 6, 2011, 7:31 pm	Hi Mum, We went to a Darts Tournament in Halle. Many great players were there. Here you can see Phil Taylor - the best of all, I think. Here were some of the other players - it was great to stay near to the players. So many people were here - but only one dog. It was so interesting. We had such a great day. Maybe I will become a Darts-Player. Love Bobi
RikeH Posted Feb 13, 2011, 5:16 pm	Hi Mum, we visited a Hanseatic city today - called Lübeck. It is a very nice city - and the City Centre is a Unesco Place. We started with the Holstentor. It is very famous in Germany - it was on one bill for many years here. Now you see it from the other side. There were nice buildings next to the river. And old storehouses. Then we went to the place next to the townhall. There was a skating rink. We wanted to try it - what they hadn't small shoes for us. So we continued our walk. The last photo shows the other side of the townhall - a very beautiful house. Love Bobi
RikeH Posted Feb 23, 2011, 8:48 pm	Hi Mum, today we made a nice walk around Sülfeld. Can you see me on this big tractor? Here I am! The weather wasn't so nice - but I see a lot of nice trees... ...and a nice lake in the distance. I run on this big field, but RikeH was not able to make a photo of me, because I was so fast! I took a rest after running around. The last photo shows a house, where riflemen were living. Fortunately no one was at home. Bye Bobi
RikeH Posted Feb 27, 2011, 7:10 pm	Hello Mum, Yesterday we went to Hamburg. Here you see me in front of the planetarium. We saw a great movie about the stars, I was so excited, that I fullfilled one of my life mission,  but RikeH told me, that it was not a cinema. Then we made a walk through the park. There was a big lake - with a little ice on it. Nice trees were next to the lake. Fortunately no one was in danger in the lake, so we made this photo. Later we went into the city center. Here you see the townhall. Near to it there is the Lake Alster - with nice buildings around. I loved the view - and the clouds were so beautiful. Archer left today - we gave him a big hug. Love Bobi
RikeH Posted Mar 9, 2011, 8:52 pm	Hi Mum today is an exciting day. First a new guest arrived - his name is Inuk and he seems to be a nice guy. But we only have an evening to talk, because I will leave tomorrow and go to Japan. So I said goodbye to Dicker Kumpel. He was such a good host. I am really excited and will write soon from Asia. Greetings Bobi
hanachan Posted Mar 26, 2011, 5:36 am	Hi Mum, Now I'm in Japan. The stricken area is far from here. The everyday life here is the same before even after it happened, though people always think about it. *** Here is the message to the world from Japan *** Thank you very much for all. We were really encouraged and comforted from all over the world. Japan never give up and come back again. Doumo Arigatou! Ganbatte, Nippon  Bobi
hanachan Posted Apr 6, 2011, 12:20 pm	Hi Mum, Sakura cherry blossoms start to bloom. This is Ritsurin Garden, one of the most beautiful and famous Gardens in Japan. It is located in the center of the city, among the modern buildings. Stepping inside it is like slipping into another world and another time. hoping you like it! bobi
hanachan Posted Apr 18, 2011, 5:02 am	Sakura
hanachan Posted Apr 30, 2011, 3:18 am	Hi mummy, Today I enjoyed picking strawberry. The price of picking strawberry includes 60 minutes at the farm, in which time you are allowed to eat as many strawberries as you can. I tried this big red one first. SWEEEET!
BlackCat Posted Jun 21, 2011, 4:51 pm	Hey, today I arrived in Essen and BlackCat decided to show me the river Ruhr at first. The weather was fantastic and we really enjoyed our walk. Love, Bobi
BlackCat Posted Jun 21, 2011, 4:57 pm	Hey out there, Today we visited Gelsenkirchen. It has a reason. Last weekend FC Schalke 04, the favourite soccer club of BlackCat and her boyfriend, won the DFB cup. We all watched the game and were so happy. So today we wanted to visit some places that are important for the FC Schalke 04, and so we did. Look at the pictures. This is right next to the so called "Kampfbahn" - the place where the story of FC Schalke 04 started. There is still a soccer field, but it is just used by the little players of Schalke now. The fanshop has a lot of nice stuff to buy. That's the headquarter. They even have cars with their emblem on it. A fountain in front of the headquarter. And finally we even saw the stadion: The VELTINS Arena. Lots of love, Bobi
BlackCat Posted Jun 21, 2011, 5:12 pm	Hey, Today we said Goodbye to Landroval, who will fly to a new place now. We were all really sad, as you can see on the photos. Goodbye Landroval! Have a nice travel! Love, Bobi
BlackCat Posted Jun 25, 2011, 2:16 am	Hello everyone, today we made a walk through the part of the city where BlackCat is living. It is called "Kray". First we saw the town hall of Kray: And then we went to the former coal mine Bonifacius. It was a really nice walk ! Hope we will see some nice places again soon! Love, Bobi
BlackCat Posted Jun 25, 2011, 2:46 am	Hey mummy, today we visited a part of the former coal mine Consolidation. The part is called Oberschuir. It has really nice old houses and looks so totally different to the former coal mines BlackCat visited until now. Only the tower is the same kind. But see yourself! There were houses next to it which were a part of the coal mine some years ago as well. "Glück auf" - the pitman greeting. Really nice there, or? We loved it a lot. Love, Bobi
BlackCat Posted Jun 25, 2011, 3:07 am	Hey , after the visit at the former coal mine, BlackCat wanted to see something she likes. So we went to castle Berge in Gelsenkirchen. We didn't went inside, but we visited a part of the garden and decided to come back when it is not so late (it was past 9pm already when we walked there). So, have fun looking at the pictures. That's lake Berger. It is just over the street from castle Berge. Love, Bobi
BlackCat Posted Jun 25, 2011, 3:09 am	Heyho, today we said Goodbye to Marty the Moose. He is going home again. So we said Goodbye and made some last photos. Now he is gone. Have a great travel dear Marty!!!! Bobi
BlackCat Posted Jun 25, 2011, 3:18 am	Hey, right after we said Goodbye to Marty, a new Toy arrived here. His name is Ceryni and he said he comes from Hamburg, which is not soooo far away. First he was a little shy to come out of the envelope. But then it was okay and we made a group photo. Love, Bobi
BlackCat Posted Jun 30, 2011, 11:49 pm	Hey ! One of my Life Missions was "Go for a walk under the rain". And that was what we did today. ! I am so proud to show you the rain photos of me. You can't see that it is raining (at least not good), but you can see that everything is wet. Hope that counts as well? There you can see the heaven... I hope you like the rain photos ! I really enjoyed jumping around in the rain. Love, Bobi
BlackCat Posted Jul 1, 2011, 12:07 am	Hey out there!!!! Today we went on a fun fair. It was a lot of fun and we saw a lot of things, so I have some photos to share now. We won’t comment them all, if you want to know something, you can ask BlackCat. She said she isn’t able to write to all the attractions something in English and the others comment themselves. Hope, you don’t mind! Have fun looking at the photos. That was a long day. I was so tired, when we came home, that I slept right away. Love, Bobi
BlackCat Posted Jul 1, 2011, 12:12 am	Hey, my last day here. I wanted to fulfil another Life Mission today. I met 2 other TV dogs while being here at BlackCats house. dotdog and Scathatch. Here is a group picture of us: Love, Bobi
BlackCat Posted Jul 1, 2011, 12:14 am	Today dotdog and I left BlackCats house. So we said Goodbye to the others. I am on my way to my next host. Hope to write soon! Love, Bobi
miapearl Posted Jul 18, 2011, 10:57 pm	HELLO..... Let me out of here..... Hello everyone, my name is Bobi
miapearl Posted Jul 29, 2011, 3:14 pm	Hello Mum, Today is a beautiful day and we've come to the local agricultural show just outside Caernarfon. The first place we visited was the poultry tent. They had many chickens on display... There were even ducks and geese, and racing pigeons. They also had pets... Best pet in show - a snail! Afterwards, we check out the crafts tent. Look at these yummy jellies and things. And these sweet things... Outside, there were some old tractors. I can't reach the steering wheel. They also had different kinds of livestock. This piggie is hot. Baa!
miapearl Posted Jul 29, 2011, 6:24 pm	Hi Mum, Today my host was dropped off in Chester (her husband, son and son's friend went to an outdoor adventure park). The traffic was bad because it was race day. Chester hosts horseracing on the flat. The first race is underway. The horses are racing and just coming round the corner into the home straight. My host didn't come to Chester for the races (she didn't know it was on). We went for a walk around the city walls. Chester lies on the River Dee. This part of the wall was home to the Round Tower.... near the Old Dee Bridge. The stone weir was built in the 11th century, providing water power. we see boats taking people on river trips. The weir looks quite impressive. Chester was around in Roman times. This is the Roman gardens. This is perhaps the most recognised place in Chester, the Eastgate Clock. Down below, there are the shops. The city is busy today. Further round the wall, we come to the bit overlooking the canal. Another gate. Can you see the fountains on the roundabout? We've finished our tour of the city walls and have come back to the racecourse. A race will be starting soon and the horses are going down to the start. Here they come racing... Who is going to win? A horse with 4 legs and a jockey on board! The black and white buildings are another character of Chester. Can you see a bit of Chester's cathedral? There's the clock again.. And it is time to make our way to the meeting point to get picked up and taken home!
miapearl Posted Aug 3, 2011, 1:29 pm	Hi Mum, Today, my host and her husband decided to go for a walk along some of the Anglesey coastal path. We are on the north side of the island. This is the old brickworks at Porth Wen, and made silica bricks for the steel industry. We didn't go further down, but my host's husband did. This is an old lookout at Dinas Gynfor. Can you see the path on the hill over there? That's the route we'll be taking. This is Porth Llanlleiana, another relic of Anglesey's industrial past. A long way down and then a long way up the other hill! Taking a breather! This is the church of Saint Badrig. A panorama. This is a nice beach, Porth Badrig. Nearly at the end of the walk. Pleasant day out, apart from my little legs aching!
miapearl Posted Aug 3, 2011, 2:05 pm	Hi Mum, Last week, my host took us into town. Look what we saw in the Castle... It looks like a Tardis... We didn't have time to go to the castle that day.... But today, we do have time... Can you see it? The Doctor Who television series is made (produced) in Wales. The Tardis is visiting some historic places in Wales. Time for a look round the castle. Up to one of the towers we came.. The river is the Seiont and comes from Padarn Lake (that's in Llanberis). That's the dais where Prince Charles was crowned the Prince of Wales in 1969. Another tower climbed... Back at ground level for a rest.. The Queen's Tower.. Spiral staircase at the bottom of one of the towers but our little leggies are tired . Time for a rest! Cannons! And then back to the Tardis for one last look before heading home...
miapearl Posted Aug 3, 2011, 2:43 pm	We have come to my host's mum's house! There are lots of ants in the garden. This book says that ants don't like crossing chalk! There's an ant... It still is in the same section... Hmm, it has escaped. The ants we've watched seem quite happy to cross the chalk. Back to the drawing board.
miapearl Posted Aug 3, 2011, 3:04 pm	Hi Mum, Do you know where I am? I am lost in the maze in maize. There is a quiz sheet and questions but the answerboards are hidden throughout the maze. On the board there is a letter. When all the answers have been found, these letters make up the answer to another question. My host has obscured the letters. The theme of this maze is the rainforest. With questions about the rainforest. Including its creatures... There's another bridge so we can look across the ma(i)ze. And a bench at the eye to rest... Anaconda is the answer, I can't remember what the question was...
miapearl Posted Aug 10, 2011, 3:22 pm	Today there is a little country fayre at Whaplode Drove, a few miles from where we are staying. There are vintage cars on show. And other vintage things. Not so vintage is this jelly! These jellies will be thrown and hopefully caught! The reason for all that Jelly - the World Jelly-Throwing Championship
miapearl Posted Aug 10, 2011, 5:16 pm	Hi Mum, On our way back home to Wales, we stopped off in Nottingham. A shop my host wanted to go to was closed, and the caves her husband wanted to see were also closed. Instead, we had a brief wander around. Could that be Robin Hood? Back in the centre, there was something unexpected. A beach! They also had a mini funfair, and a permanent water feature. They also have trams.
miapearl Posted Aug 25, 2011, 12:52 pm	The weather hasn't been all that great so we've stayed indoors. Tomorrow, the weather may be good enough to go out somewhere
miapearl Posted Aug 25, 2011, 1:18 pm	Hi Mum, We've come out today to Spaceport, in Seacombe on the Wirral. Here, I am learning about our planet Earth. This is a model of Beagle 2, the mission to Mars that unfortunately got lost. There was a table with Star Wars replicas. Yoda I met. And R2D2. Upstairs, they had a Wallace and Gromit exhibition. This rocket is from A Grand Day Out. Curse of the Were-Rabbit. A Close Shave An Aardman rocket. We could get our hands on modelling clay. What is that? What are these we've created? I'm learning about satellites. I've had a grand day out!
miapearl Posted Sep 17, 2011, 12:14 pm	Hi Mum, After going to Spaceport, we went for a drive on the Wirral. We came to West Kirby. The tide was out and we started walking to the little islands. I'm at the little island looking back towards the mainland. The view to another island. This is the middle island. Can you see the mainland through the gap? It seems a long way out. That building is on the third island, Hilbre but we didn't make it that far. It was getting late and we had a long walk back to the mainland.
miapearl Posted Sep 23, 2011, 9:29 pm	Hello Mum, Today, we went to the Sea Zoo on the Isle of Anglesey. These fish swim too fast to get photographed clearly. This is a flatfish. More fish! These are sunstar starfish Sea anemones and things. Sea anemones can be quite pretty. A happy fish? There are seahorses somewhere in the picture. This is a board for visitors to draw their favourite sea creatures. The big aquarium has spiny crabs, and more fish.
miapearl Posted Sep 23, 2011, 9:32 pm	What have we here in this box? Hello Jellybean
miapearl Posted Oct 3, 2011, 11:17 am	Hello Mum, My host took us out for a bus ride or two. We sat on the top deck at the front of the bus. The weather looks a bit grim. It is a bit of a bumpy ride.
miapearl Posted Oct 3, 2011, 11:34 am	Hello Mum, Today, we went to the allotment. My host has a new pond on her plot. What is my host going to do with those pumpkins? Doesn't this green broccoli/calabrese look yummy?
miapearl Posted Oct 11, 2011, 4:17 pm	Hello! To celebrate Clyde's arrival and also to wish some of us who are travelling to pastures new we shared a doughnut!
miapearl Posted Oct 11, 2011, 4:18 pm	Hello! I am off travelling to pastures new! Be in touch soon, when I arrive!
Leslie Posted Oct 29, 2011, 6:34 pm	Hi mum! Guess what! I'm in Chile! I was welcomed by many smiley faces, they were Timothy III., Fiona Yenien, Petunia, Sweet Mimi and Chrissi Chrissi was with me in Wales and came to Chile just a few days before I did, how cool is that!  I gave Leslie the postcard I brought her, she liked it very much! I can't wait to start exploring around! Kisses Bobi
Leslie Posted Nov 2, 2011, 9:38 pm	Ciao mum! We came to relax to Leslie's summerhouse for the long weekend!  It's in a small fishing village called Queule which is surrounded by beautiful hills and beaches! This is the view from the balcony! Very nice isn't it? You can see the whole river mouth of Queule river and back there is the ocean! In the garden there were many plants, but I'd never seen this one! It's called nalca (Chilean rhubarb) and it's very big! Leslie told me that some people eat their stems with salt! But she didn't let me try it, she said she wouldn´t break her plants' stems.  The nalca was surrounded by some very nice forget-me-nots. These are the flowers of a plant called chilco. They're the hummingbirds' favourite meal! Then after lunch we decided to go to the beach! To get there you have to walk for about 40 minutes up and down the hill! So we started walking! Can you guess the name of this rock? A clue, it's the king of the jungle  ...king of the jungle with some trees on his back! This is the beach we were walking to! It's called Ronca beach. The word ronca means "snore" and the beach is called like that because of the loud sound of its waves! They really do sound loud! We went down to beach and walked next to the sea foam and the waves  I smelled this big seaweed from faw away so we came to see it! It's called cochayuyo and guess what, it's edible! Although it didn't smell very inviting to say the less...  Then I found a perfect shelter to rest for a while I did some decoration around and it looked like a perfect house for me! What do you think? Look what the wind has done to the trees in front of the sea!!  Leslie told me there was a fire in this forest some years ago... but as you can see nature is recovering nicely  There are many burnt tree trunks still standing. It was a very nice day! See you! Bobi
Leslie Posted Nov 7, 2011, 5:28 am	Hola a todos!  Today after lunch we went down to the waterfront to see the old docks and the fishing boats from closer! Then we went to a view point called "el tope" from where you can see the whole peninsula and see the vultures flying right in front of your nose! Behind me is Los pinos island. The beach is called La herradura (the horseshoe) because of its shape and it's 9 kilometers long!  That's almost all Queule! It's a very small town, see? Nice and quiet When we started walking to the beach through the hills, a trumbril just passed next to us!!  After about half an hour of walking up and down the hills we got to "agua de las niñas" beach, which means "water of the girls" in Spanish, what a funny name! I think its called like that because of the shallow depth of the ocean here, which makes it very safe for kids. There was a big rock full of holes everywhere! Do you know what might have caused them? Maybe the aliens! ...or just the erosion.  A little later we moved to one of the hills nearby to eat some of our halloween treats watching the beautiful view! Quite perfect!  And later on we walked back to the summerhouse. What a nice day! See you! Bobi
Leslie Posted Nov 17, 2011, 8:16 pm	Hello! Today I visited the most important hill in Temuco, Ñielol hill. By the way, I like the way the "Ñ" letter sounds, it's somewhat between N and I Some people say that Ñielol hill is an extinct volcano I hope it isn't, because I would not like to see it in action since it's right next to the city! We went up (by car - we were feeling a little lazy) to the main viewpoint from where we could see a big part of Temuco! A little close there were this four very tall Mapuche totems!  They are called "chemamulls" In the middle there is a "canelo" tree, a sacred tree for Mapuche people.  Near there was a fallen one, he was too old and was kind of rotten  poor guy. Then we moved to a lower viewpoint from where we could see a little more of the city to the west. Do you see the closest roof? That's a small natural museum In the museum there was an embalmed condor! It is the national bird of Chile and also the largest flying bird in the world!! It has a wingspan of about 3.2 m (10.5 ft) and can live up to 100 years! What an amazing bird! This is a south american rodent called Coipo, it's like a mix between a beaver and a rat, a giant rat This is a map of the 9th region of Chile, "La Araucanía" which where I am now. I learned that just in La Araucanía there are 7 volcanoes! And in Chile, more than 2,900!!! which is the 15% of all the volcanoes in the world Here I am inside of a "piñón" which contains hundreds of seeds of Araucaria tree (monkey puzzle), the national tree of Chile  And some ugly vulture... I hope you're having a good time! See you mum! Your Bobi
Leslie Posted Nov 24, 2011, 2:25 pm	Hi everybody! Today when I came to the site I found a great surprise... I'm the toyvoyager of the week! There's a resume of all my exciting adventures so far! Thanks to all my hosts! Many kisses, Bobi
Leslie Posted Nov 25, 2011, 12:37 pm	Hi mum! How are you? We came to a city 6 hours south called Puerto Montt, but for a very short time and even though Leslie didn't have much free time to take us out, we managed to go on a little tour through the waterfront from the centre to the famous Angelmó port This very big and famous monument is called "sentados frente al mar" (sitting by the sea). They even have their own song!! This is Angelmó, an international port where turists from all over the world rive in their fancy cruises to taste typical chilean sea food and fishermen and big ships come and go In the restaurant galleries and could see panoramic views of the harbour This sea lion seemed almost trained! He didn't stop posing and swimming around for us! There were some very old looking fishing boats! Right there in the Angelmó port there is a big craft market I'd like to have one of these beanies in my size I wonder how would I look? These three guys weren't so handsome but they were friendly enough to let me take a photo with them! I found these mysterious Moais from Easter Island on a shelf! These jewels are made of a rare semi precious stone called Lapislazuli that is only found in Chile and Afghanistan This nice couple lent me a woollen beanie How do I look?? Late at night we went up to a viewpoint to see the light of the city! Very nice!  ...And the next day we came back to Temuco. A big hug to you! Bobi
Leslie Posted Dec 8, 2011, 4:50 am	Hi mum! I know it's been a long time... sorry about that! We were on a trip, a very nice trip! But you'll see photos of that later, now I want to show you a trip we made to the Andes mountain range and a small town called Lonquimay the other day On the drive we stopped more than a few times to admire the beautiful landscapes by the road, so we took quite long to get to the mountain range But that's what trips are for, aren't they? This bridge is very very old! But don't worry, I didn't cross it! I'm standing here on a new bridge built next to the old one I really like these high mountains as a background! Look mum! A suspension bridge! And I was brave enough to cross it! Aren't you proud? It moved a lot and it was somewhat scary, but I'm sure it wasn't me the one who moved it the most! After all I'm quite fit and my weight isn't enough to move such a thing! I think it was Leslie who did little earthquakes in every step This is beautiful waterfall is called "princess' waterfall" I think it's amazing how so much water falls and falls and doesn't run out! I would like to swim here, but the water was really freezing! ...Another river... As you can see there are a lot of rivers coming from the mountain range to the ocean in this zone... a lot. There were thousands of lupines by the road! Some were pink, purple, yellow and even blue! Here we started going up the Andes mountain range! Even though it's spring, up here it still seemed like winter! The view was amazing! And I should mention as well that it was rather freezing! We kept going up and up until we found snow! Snow in spring! So we went to play!! But just for a short time... none of us wanted to catch a cold! Everytime Leslie stopped to take pictures we would run back to the snow The guys built me an igloo! We found what looked like a baby Araucaria and went running to climb it, but Leslie said that this one must be about 50 years old or more! So I guess these must be about a thousand years old! After crossing a part of the mountain range we got to Lonquimay! There was nothing interesting as it a small town, but in the main square I found these two nice sculptures of Mapuche people We were very close to the border with Argentina! These signs say Argentina to the left and Chile to the right! I would have liked to turn left and take a sneak peek in Argentina, but for that we would have to cross the entire Andes mountain range... so we just turned right and started returning home. On the road back to Temuco we crossed the longest tunnel in South America! Túnel las Raices - The Roots Tunnel. It's 4,527 meters long! There was a moment when we could see nothing at all! The entrance had already dissapeared and we still couldn't see the end! It was a very nice day! Hugs from the sunny Chile, Chrissi
Leslie Posted Dec 14, 2011, 2:37 pm	Ciao mamma mia! Days here have been sunny and the temperatures raising quite fast, bordering the 30ºC these last days. I hope you are not freezing yourself back at home mum! I would like to send you some chilean warmth if I could! On one of those very rare cloudy days we went to a small town called Puerto Domínguez on the shore of Lake Budi, the only salt water lake in South America! There were big sculptures of mapuche people, like this guy riding a horse... Back there, behind the big fisherman, you can see the lake! This is it! Lake Budi, the only salt water lake in South America There was a lovely family of black necked swans swimming around! They had 7 babies, but most of them were resting under their parents' warm wings A little later we went up to a small cemetery with a nice view to the lake Many many old and not so old tombs had one of Leslie's lastnames written (she has 2), she told me it is because she's descendant of the Spanish guys who came to conquer this area back in the colonial times Now the sun is shining outside so me and the others are going to go out to play Many kisses for you! Bobi
Leslie Posted Dec 20, 2011, 2:59 am	Ciao! Today we went to the main craftmarket of Temuco to see some Mapuche handicrafts. There were many strange musical instruments, clothes and souvenirs... I liked these "kultrún", mapuche drums This instrument is made out of a cow's horn! These are "trapelakuchas", jewel pieces made of silver worn only by mapuche women who have important ranges in their community. They are very heavy! There were also many lovely mapuche dolls Then we went to a shopping centre and saw a magnificent giant christmas tree! The whole place had christmas decoration and they were playing christmas carols, it was a lovely atmosphere! When we came back home we sat in front of the christmas tree to admire the lights listening to christmas carols It's really nice! I hope you're having a good christmas season mum! Love, Bobi
Leslie Posted Dec 23, 2011, 6:42 pm	Hohoho! Today we were at home doing nothing productive... Chrissi and Sweet Mimi were reading a book while Fiona, Petunia and I were folding origami animals ...When we heard someone coming! It was Pato wearing a Santa costume and bringing something! It was a christmas tree and a bag of presents! But he didn't bring any decoration for the tree... So Petunia, Fiona and Chrissi went to the big tree to stea... I mean borrow some In the meantime Mimi, Pato and I started helping with the tree When the others were back they brought a big load of bells and other things We hung the decorations on the tree while Pato was singing christmas carols to cheer us When we were done, we added just a little details. Fiona hung a bell on the wall, Leslie gave us a little manger to place under the tree, and Chrissi found a Santa figure that Zandy sent us! And here it is!! Our own christmas tree! I can't wait until christmas! And I wonder what's inside Pato's bag! Bobi
Leslie Posted Dec 28, 2011, 4:01 pm	Hohoho! Merry Christmas from a 30ºC christmas day! On Christmas eve, in the afternoon we had a lovely dinner with the family, the sun was still shining outside as you can see, since it's one of the longest days in the year! Then, when we were done eating, we went to check our tree to see if Santa had passed, and yes! There were presents under our tree! We euphorically opened them...! There were candies and chocolate for everyone! And we enjoyed them until we could eat no more! I hope you had a beautiful christmas too mum! Hugs! Bobi
Leslie Posted Jan 4, 2012, 2:11 pm	HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL THE TOYVOYAGERS AND THEIR FAMILIES and of couse, my mum ! We came to celebrate to the beautiful fishing village of Queule once again On the evening of the 31st we made a BBQ with longanizas Yummy yummy longanizas! At midnight it was time for "3... 2... 1...!!" As you can see we had a very good time and we stayed up late in the deck watching little fireworks and people playing with sparklers. Our neighbors had good loud music, so we also danced a little The next day when we woke up (which wasn't precisely early...) the sun was shining and the sky was all blue so Pato and I went to the valcony to see the nice view and breathe some fresh sea breeze The plants in the garden were green and nice, and there were lots of flowers! Later after lunch we walked to one of the beaches nearby, well, not so near, about 40 minutes walking up and down the hills But I have no problem with walking, it's good excersise to prepare my muscles for the beach season  In the beach I found this little dunes, which looked like ruins from an old civilization! They inspired us all to build a sand castle and play! Mimi, Chrissi and Petunia were the trapped ladies locked by a dragon while brave Fiona and I came to rescue them crossing the dangerous suspension bridge! It was a very fun day! I wish you a very happy 2012 mum! And as they say in spanish... FELÍZ AÑO NUEVO!
Leslie Posted Jan 10, 2012, 6:11 pm	Hello mum and dear audience! We started a journey to northern lands We slept on a bus for 8 hours and woke up in Santiago, the capital of Chile! But we didn't see anything there because we got off the bus and inmediately got into another one to keep going north Another 7 hours north! Here we are leaving Santiago at 8 am... The hills near Santiago have different vegetation than back south in Temuco... it starts getting more desertic, there is less vegetation here and you can even see some cactus on the hills! Then, after about 4 hours on the second bus we started seeing the sea! The bus made a stop to stretch everyone's legs in a little Town called Los Vilos. There was literally nothing to see there but one single cactus, so Leslie, desperate to get me good photos, made me sit on it and pose!!! With my butt full of little red dots we went back to the bus and it started moving again... By the road there was an enormous eolic park with thousands of giantic eolic windmills spinning, some fast, some slow. They were really nice to watch! And after a total of 15 hours on buses, we got to La Serena! Mum, don't surprised if you find my butt a little flat when I come back home... This is why. But traveling is never a pain, so as soon as we got there we left our baggage in the hostal and started walking a long long street that leads to the bech There were many monuments along, but I specially found this one interesting, they are 2 condors (the national bird, remember?) hunting a poor rabbit! I hope Sweet Mimi didn't see it Then there were no more sculptures but road, just many blocks of road to the beach... surrounded by nice palm trees And then, finally, after walking about 18 blocks we got to the beach! we were starting to feel tired but as soon as we saw the sea, it took all our tiredness away! The first thing you see when you get to the beach is a nice lighthouse which is the most known icon of La Serena We stayed here the whole afternoon relaxing after so much traveling and walking... You'll see more La Serena soon mum, and so will I Take care Love, Bobi
Leslie Posted Jan 18, 2012, 3:13 pm	Hi mum! Another sunny day here in La Serena! In fact most of the days are sunny here and fantastically it only rains a few days a year! In the morning ("morning" in holidays never means earlier than 9 am here ...) we went walking to the centre, wich is just a few block away from our hostal and we found this beautiful church called Santo Domingo which was built in the year 1700 and something... It has a very beautiful dome, doesn't it?! Inside it was cold and they had nice music playing which gave a nice and calm feeling Outside the church there was a garden with beautiful flowers! Just across the street we found the main square, it's rather small but nice, and it was under some reparations, you can see white fences back there... Petunia and I climbed this tree of trumpet flowers (floripondio), I just wanted to look at them, but Petunia wanted to try them! so Leslie told her not to because they have very very stong drug effects and can be easily deadly when boiled as tea. I think avoid tasting it was the best desition. Next to the square there was this big cathedral, Catedral de la Serena. It was built around the 1800s and it's the biggest and main cathedral of the city. ...We went in, and were lucky to find it almost empty because there was a big "no photos" sign I didn't mean to be disrespectful but such a nice construction must be photographed, right? Next to us there was another tourist with his camera under his jacket, taking photos whenever he thought no one was looking! of course he never imagined there was a little toyvoyager dog watching him from between the big pillars! haha! In the walls there were many images of saints and other religious people who, to be honest, I don't know who they are... Then we went out to the street again... Haven't I told you mum that in La Serena most of the constructions keep a colonial style? In the centre, for example, they can't build anything bigger than 4 floors height, and most of the contructions have tile roofs Anyway, we were walking in the street and found quite a nice building, but it belonged to some court or something like that so we were just trying to sneak near the door, but a nice guard found us and invited us inside to take photos! Inside the building there was a beautiful patio! Then out in the street again we found this cool tile bench where we sat to rest for a while I was distracted looking around and talking with the others when Leslie got us all into a cab... ...And somehow we ended up in a little gym watching an Easter Island dance! Which was a little like this What a day! Love from the sunny Chile Your Bobi
Leslie Posted Jan 30, 2012, 6:18 am	Hi mum! how are you?? Today we went to visit the japanese garden of La Serena! We were so lucky... when we arrived there was no one but us! So no weird looks or staring people who always seem surpsised to see toyvoyagers running around the place I mean, no one but us and some animals The first birds I saw were these black necked swans and one just black. Then we all climbed this sculpture, which looked like a building with toyvoyager-sized flats! What a nice view from up here! And time for some culture in the end! Have a nice day! Bye
Leslie Posted Feb 14, 2012, 7:40 pm	Ciao ciao! The photos you're going to see now mum are from the day we went to Coquimbo, a city next to La Serena, literally, only 10 minutes away When we walked there we walked for a while through the coast where all the fishing boats were... back there you can see the desertic hills! Then we went up to the highest point in the city. Here I am at the feet of the Third Millenium Cross, a giant monuent - view point inagurated by John Paul II in 2000 Do you see the little windows in the "arms" of the cross?? Well that is the viewpoint! We went up by an elevator... And this is the wonderful view from up there!! You can see the whole city of Coquimbo and its gulf The Pacific Ocean... Back there you can see La Serena city! Under the cross there was a small cathedral and a religious museum but we weren't allowed to take pictures inside grrr... I saw some of John Paul's belongings, like clothes, chairs and other things... And I saw Michelangelo's La Pietà! And this I was allowed to take a photo with! I'm so proud to be italian! After the Cross, we went to a fortress used to fight the pirates back in the day! Look mum! A cactus with a flower!! I could imagine the battles against the pirate ships firing those big cannions! I'll write again soon! Bye bye
Leslie Posted Feb 18, 2012, 7:34 pm	Bongiorno mamma mia! Today I'm going to show you photos of the day we went to the Elqui Valley (valle del elqui). It is the place with the clearest sky in the world! That's why there are many obstervatories around these hills Actually this was already a while ago but I haven't had many time to do updates because we've been traveling quite a lot The valley is crossed along by a river, and can you believe there is a whole town under it!? One day in 1996 the inhabitants of Gualliguaica town were told they had to leave their houses to build a dam and the next day their whole town was under water! It was rebuilt nearby but there are still people sad about it, specially old people who lived all their lives in their original town...  I feel sorry for them. After about one hour going into the valley we got to its first town, Vicuña This is the main church right by the main square. And this is the old city hall used around 1800 by the mayor and other politicians Now the main room is a museum where you can see pictures of the important guys who used to attend meetings there. I wonder how was this place when they were alive? how were their lives...? I bet they were very different to the traveler life I know so far Then we took another bus to go deeper into the valley to a small town called Pisco Elqui As we went further into the valley it became nicer and nicer! The mountanis were bigger and the fields greener! Mum, this is the place with the clearest sky in the world!! - Astronomers: envy me! What great hills are on the sides of the valley! I would love to climb to the top! And we got to Pisco Elqui! Even though there wasn't much to see there it was a nice place, very in touch with nature... small streets, small houses, many of them made of clay! This is the main church. This is it in the inside Then we went to have lunch to a nice open air restaurant, it was very late for lunch, but when we are traveling we use to forget about eating until we suddenly realize we are starving! hehe There's so much to see that one doesn't really care about trivial stuff like that, right? And guess what ... Leslie made me sit on a cactus again! She said her excuse this time was the funny name of this cactus... although I think that's a pretty lame excuse! One of these days I'll put a cactus branch on her seat... let's see if she likes it! Anyway, this is called "mother in law's cushion" (cojín de la suegra) I'm pretty sure that name was made by a mean man! Then we took the bus back to La Serena I loved the valley! did you like it? I'll write again soon! Bye! Your Bobi PS: my bum still hurts
Leslie Posted Feb 20, 2012, 3:48 am	Hola mamá! Our days in La Serena came to end, but before we left I climbed a tree to pack some cherries for our 15 hour trip There were plenty of them in our hostel backyard! There were some birds standing on the higher branches staring at me with a face of saying "hey! don't steal our fruits!" but I just ignored them and kept picking There was also a thornless cactus which I liked very much Back in the south we did not stay in Temuco but came to Queule right away to navigate! As you can see the sky wasn't blue but it feels nice to cool down after so many days in the desertic north! The boat had a cool name! And after hours rowing through the river and the sea we were hungry so went to have our meal. At home they were waiting for us with some yummy goldenberry jam Kisses from your sailor little dog Bobi
Leslie Posted Mar 1, 2012, 4:26 pm	Hola mum! This is your adventurer dog reporting from Bolivia! Yay! After more than 50 hours traveling, we got to the highest city in the world, Potosí! Here we are outside the customs office in the middle of the andean plateau at 3.695 m.a.s.l waiting for our turn... At this height you can already feel the lack of oxygen and it was cold and windy but we were all very happy to be there! After we crossed the border we kept going through the plateau... For hours the landscape outside the window was like this... There's an unbelievable amount of volcanoes up there!! I had never seen so many and so close to eachother! And then for some more hours the landscape turned more montainous, and we could see some aborigins' houses made of rocks from time to time And after many many hours, we arrived to Potosí! the highest city in the world at 4060 m.a.s.l! As soon as we got to our hotel we dropped our baggage and went out running to explore! Of course, we only run a few meters and realized how much oxygen we were missing and how super tired and extremely exhausted we were feeling, so we just walked from that moment on, which is somewhat awkward for us who are all used to be running and jumping around I learned new things, so I want to teach them to you The first thing we saw was this old church called "Nuestra Señora de la Merced" and it was built in 1555 when the spanish conquered Bolivia and forced the natives to build churches for a God they didn't even believe in... And this is San Lorenzo church The natives were forced to build and build as slaves, and they were so angry to be building churches to God that they decided to add some of their beliefs' elements to the contrsuctions, even if it costed them their lives. Here you can see a sun and a moon in the corners, they represent the sun and moon deities that they worshipped. I admire how brave they were to add these details even if they knew the spanish would kill them for doing it! Then we went back to out hotel to recover some oxygen! Tomorrow, city tour Stay tuned! Love from the highest city in the world! Your explorer dog, Bobi
Leslie Posted Mar 5, 2012, 3:41 pm	Hola mum! This is your adventurer doggie reporting from Bolivia! Yay! After more than 50 hours traveling, we got to the highest city in the world, Potosí! Here we are outside the customs office in the middle of the andean plateau at 3.695 m.a.s.l waiting for our turn... At this height you can already feel the lack of oxygen and it was cold and windy but we were all very happy to be there! After we crossed the border we kept going through the plateau... For hours the landscape outside the window was like this. There's an unbelievable amount of volcanoes up there!! I had never seen so many and so close to eachother! And then for some more hours the landscape turned more montainous, and we could glance some aborigin houses made of rocks from time to time! And after many many hours, we arrived to Potosí! the highest city in the world at 4060 m.a.s.l! As soon as we got to our hotel we dropped our baggage and went out running to explore! Of course, we only run a few meters and realized how much oxygen we were missing and how super tired and extremely exhausted we were feeling, so we just walked from that moment on, which is somewhat awkward for us who are all used to be running and jumping around I learned new things, so I want to teach them to you The first thing we saw was this old church called "Nuestra Señora de la Merced" and it was built in 1555 when the spanish conquered Bolivia and forced the natives to build churches for a God they didn't even believe in... And this is San Lorenzo church The natives were forced to build and build as slaves, and they were so angry to be building churches to God that they decided to add some of their beliefs' elements to the contrsuctions, even if it costed them their lives. Here you can see a sun and a moon in the corners, they represent the sun and moon deities that they worshipped. I admire how brave they were to add these details even if they knew the spanish would kill them for doing it! Then we went back to out hotel to recover some oxygen! The next day we walked through the city with a tour guide lady We walked next to this big cathedral! very nice, isn't it!? All the streets in Potosí are very narrow because they were made for tumbrils! Now it's difficult for the cars to go through these streets!! Then we made a little stop at the post office and Leslie kept talking about postcards and stamps but I was paying more attention to the old construction After that we went to rest a little to this viewpoint where we could see a part of the city... Hey! don't think we are lazy! walking at this height is very tiring! Back there is "cerro rico" (rich hill) that one day contained the mines with most silver in the world! But it was all taken to Europe and the city was left very poor with no silver left... now they extract some other less important minerals from the hill... Then we kept walking and went to Santa Terera church What a bell tower! And last but not least we went to see the most famous icon of Potosí, that rather ugly face behing me. This is the patio of the goverment palace and that face belongs to a guard that many years ago discovered some fraud going on with the city's money. Do you see how much I've learned mum! I hope you liked Potosí, at least I did very much! Bolivian love for you! Your explorer, Bobi
Leslie Posted Mar 16, 2012, 6:49 pm	Hola a todos! I know it's been a long time since I updated here... but it's all Leslie's fault! she keps saying she's busy with her studies and all sort of excuses to not help me! But today we hid her books and won't give them back until she helps us update! These photos are from the wonderful, glorious day we visited the biggest salt flat in the world! After our stay in Potosí we took a bus to the town of Uyuni, and the next day we took our so awaited tour! First they took us to the "train cemetery", a place in the middle of nowhere with many many abandoned old trains! ...And then... They took us to the Uyuni salt flat! The world's largest salt flat at 10,582 Km²! We were all so excited to be there! This place is so amazing... and salty We are all very lucky guys, aren't we? Look mum! It's all salt! This is how they extract the salt! First they make these cones and then load them on tracks. Aghh the camera made me look all blurry! Then we had to say good bye to the salt flat, but when we were going back to the Uyuni town we passed through a very small town called Colchani. The houses were all made of rocks and mud! This is so different to everything I had ever seen before, mum! And well, then we returned to Uyuni town and washed all the salt away It was a very amazing day!! Love from Bolivia! Bobi
Leslie Posted Mar 23, 2012, 6:51 pm	Ciao mum! Ater our stay in Bolivia we came back to Chile through the Atacama desert and started heading to a little town in the middle of it! For hours all we saw out the window was sand... Did you know mum that this is the driest desert in the world!?? And here I am! This is San Pedro de Atacama, the little town in the middle of the desert that I told you about! And of course, it's very very hot here! We went into a little shop to see some local handicrafts, I liked these guys! Then we started hearing some music from not far away, so we started following it... and it took us back to the church where some dancers wearing carnival costumes had arrived!! They told me that there was a carnival about to start! Fiona and I found some masks ready to be worn by the dancers! This one is really scary! Then some louder music started and many dancers appeared on the street! It was the carnival of "la virgen de la Candelaria" Look at that amazing costume! wow! Mum, we didn't even know about it and we got here on perfect time! It was an amazing and unexpected day! Did you like the costumes? Hugs Bobi
beelicious Posted Mar 27, 2012, 2:08 pm	Hello mummy! Finally I arrived in Germany! After my trip, I waited few days at the customs office in Schweinfurt till my new host mother picked me up. At home I was friendly welcome of Misha (Latvia), Tobbi, Philly (both Germany) and Troot (Finland). So, I'm fine. You too? I kiss you, Bobi
beelicious Posted Mar 28, 2012, 4:05 pm	Hi mum! Today we have bought purple pansies and forget-me-not. Together we have planted some flower boxes. As first the soil ... in the flower box. Now plant the pansy. Everyone has helped! Then we have planted forget-me-not. Done! Can you see me? I'm sitting on the middle window! That was fun! Bye, Bobi
beelicious Posted Mar 29, 2012, 3:28 pm	Ciao mummy! Today was my creative day! Everyone was allowed to paint an Easter egg! First I make two holes in the egg ... ... then blow out the interior of the egg. Everything is ready! Here we go! First green on top ... ... then red below. Now I sign the egg. Well, do you recognize it? Exactly! The Italian colors! Buona Pasqua! (Happy Easter in Italian) I hope you like it! Looks great! I kiss you! Bobi
beelicious Posted Mar 30, 2012, 12:27 pm	Hello mum! Today we've helped in the garden. We have sown sunflower. First soil in the pot ... ... then 3-4 sunflower seeds  into it. Hey! What are you doing to me? Don't plant me! That's not funny .... Well, it looks a little funny! So many sunflowers we planted! Lots of love, Bobi
beelicious Posted Mar 30, 2012, 4:02 pm	Hi! This afternoon was another envelope in the mailbox. Yet another TV? It's getting crowded here ... From Switzerland! Open up! What's this? Misha dares to open the thing ... Look! It's Buddy! He's not from Switzerland but from Australia! There are about 15,000 km to go there! We welcomed him very friendly. A neighbor's dog came to say  "Hello!". Bye, Bobi
beelicious Posted Mar 31, 2012, 6:02 pm	Dear Mum! Guess what was in the mailbox today... Yes, an envelope. Again! We are very curious ... Look! It is Uilina! Finally a girl with us guys! Who has the best chance for her? Best regards, Bobi
beelicious Posted Apr 3, 2012, 8:12 am	Dear Mummy! Today we're in the beautiful city of Bayreuth. We're in the Lohengrin-thermalbaths. Do you know for what event is Bayreuth world-famous? Exactly!The Richard-Wagner-Festival. The festival is every year in August and you have to wait about 10 years for a ticket! This is really long  ! This is the festival hall. The flowers in front are very nice. This is the building of a health insurance company. I find the figures funny! On the way home we're stop short in Bamberg. This is the cathedral. This is called "Little Venice". It looks beautiful! I wish I could shown you more photos, but there were so many people and cars there, it hasn't been fun ... My hosts have promised that we go to Bamberg again. Look what I've done at home ...  Take care! Bobi
Leslie Posted Apr 7, 2012, 9:08 pm	Hi dear mummy and audience! So, where was I? Oh I remember, San Pedro de Atacama! This was actually quite a while ago, but due to Leslie's laziness (she calls it "studies"...) I'm showing you these photos just now. Here I am in the very middle of the Atacama desert! We took a very cool tour and they made us walk under the hottest sun I've ever felt! But don't worry, I was wearing lots and lots of some powerful sunscreen We walked some meters and got to a high place where we could see the "Death Valley" Can you guess why it's called like that? I certainly would not like to be lost down there... Then they took us in the tour van (which had cooled air, thank goodnes for that!) to another part of the desert, called "Moon Valley", why?, because it looks like the moon! There were some very strange formations on the rocks! Walking through the shadow felt very nice Then we crossed a cave! Mum! I'm in a cave in the Atacama desert! Could you possibly think of a more exotic place to be? The tour guide said we were going to go watch the sun set soon, but first we had to visit one of the most famous spots of the desert! This is it! The "Three Marys". They are called like that because they look like three women praying... well... that's what they say, but to me they just look like fingers, or sausages The tour guide told us that the left one was bigger, but some years ago a tourist climbed on it and broke it! Since then it's forbidden to touch them Then it was time to watch the sunset, so they took us to another part of the Moon Valley! ...The sun setting in the desert! It was really beautiful, all of us were so happy to be there enjoying the view together! What a day, mum! I'm so happy to have added the desert to my list of visited places! I really liked it! Many hugs and kisses! Love, Bobi
beelicious Posted Apr 14, 2012, 9:59 am	Hi! We  made a little tour around Oberaurach at Easter... We met sheep. A beautifully decorated Easter-Fountain. They are not cute? Bye, Bobi
beelicious Posted Apr 17, 2012, 9:46 am	Hello! Today we were at a party. Ismael, the godson of my hosts had first holy communion (a Catholic ceremony). The other guest had never heard of TV ... We have told so much about it that we didn't have much photos  ... But we had a lot of fun  ! Love and kisses, Bobi
beelicious Posted Apr 30, 2012, 12:47 pm	Hello mummy! How are you? I'm doing very well! Today we had together a lot of fun outside! First, we have looked up our sunflowers. Look how they have grown! The tulips are blooming beautifully. The daisies are so pretty ... that I've pick them and ... make a chain from it. How do I look? Look, I make rainbow-bubbles! That is fun! I hope you have fun as I did! Hugs, Bobi
beelicious Posted May 12, 2012, 12:52 pm	Hi mummy! This week left us: Tobbi, Misha, Troot and... few days latter Philly and Uilina. My hostmum says that we get new TV-guest soon. Anyhow we had  a lot of fun: We baked raspberry-muffins with white chocolate. We make the dough. I cut the chocolate and... the raspberries. The muffins are determined delicious! Finally! The muffins are done! As the smells! Yummy! Bye, Bobi
beelicious Posted May 14, 2012, 11:04 am	Hello! A new TV??? Yes, Tokki arrived from Finland, but his home ist very far away - Canada! We welcome him warmly! We have defined a good time together! Ciao, Bobi
beelicious Posted May 18, 2012, 4:02 pm	Hello mum! I had a great day - adventure day! The wheater was wonderful, not too cold, not too hot, so we take a little trip around my hosthome. We are ready! First we were on the river "Main"  at a lock. Look, just driving a boat through it! Then we were in a large meadow. Do you see me? Like in the jungle! At a lake we made a break. Isn't it beautifil here? Look, behind me are geese! Here it is comfortable - on the belly of my host-dad. Then we were on the "Altenburg". It isn't really  a castle, only a tower. I meet sheep! The view is fantastic! Then we drive to the Main again. Look, a big ship comes! It is so wonderful here! I'm brave and climb on trees. Buddy, Tokki and I are very brave guys! Can you see us? Here we are: Puh, after this test of courage I need a reward. How about an ice cream? What do I take? Yummi! I take a Bounty-Cup with Coconut. On the way home we see this. It looks realy cool! Back at home we made a little barbecue. Yummie! Sausage with pumkin. So, this was my day. I hope you like it! I kiss you! Bobi
beelicious Posted May 21, 2012, 3:05 pm	Hello mummy! Today the postman gave us a big envelope. Look! It's Batty! He was in the USA but his home is in Germany. My hostmum says that we go to a beautiful city tomorrow. I'm so excited! Bye, Bobi
beelicious Posted May 24, 2012, 1:16 pm	Hi! Today we made a little trip  to Wuerzburg. This is the "Residenz" and.... the "Franconia fountain". Behind me the fortress "Marienburg". This is the pilgrimage church "Maria Heimsuchung" but all say "Kaeppele" (little church). Then we went to the "Steinburg". From there I have a fantastic view over Wuerzburg. When we were at home again there was an envelope. A new TV? Who's inside? Look! It's Leooo! He looks very nice and a little bit crazy. He is from the netherlands. Kind regards, Bobi
beelicious Posted Jun 2, 2012, 6:17 am	Dear Mummy! Today there was an envelope in the mailbox ... All TV's are curious who's comes... Look! It's Kasimir Kashmir! We welcome him very friendly - group hug! Kind regards, Bobi
beelicious Posted Jun 2, 2012, 6:18 am	Dear Mummy! Today there was an envelope in the mailbox ... All TV's are curious who's comes... Look! It's Kasimir Kashmir! We welcome him very friendly - group hug! Kind regards, Bobi
beelicious Posted Jun 9, 2012, 8:07 am	Hey mum! Today we made a short trip to Bamberg. On the way to Bamberg we met sheep. On the hunter seat we keep on lookout for forest animals. Isn't that a beautiful poppy field? This is the "Altenburg". The highest point in Bamberg. It's starts to rain.... Because the rain was very strong we returned home... Bye, Bobi
beelicious Posted Jun 9, 2012, 8:36 am	Hello! A new envelope? Who might be inside? We're very excited! Look! It's Hippy from England! We give him a warmly welcome! But today we not only say "welcome",  we say "goodbye" too. Buddy is leaving us. He travels back to Switzerland. Good luck Buddy! Kiss, Bobi
beelicious Posted Jun 12, 2012, 11:57 am	Ciao! Today is the day: The soccer European championship begins! I print a couple of flags.... cut them out.... and make small flags. Ready! My hostmum made for us TV a little Fan-sofa. Now it can start! Bye, Bobi
beelicious Posted Jun 13, 2012, 9:29 am	Today I watch the game between Italy and Spain.... Goal for Italy!!!! Spain made a goal too... Final result 1:1... Kiss, Bobi
beelicious Posted Jun 18, 2012, 9:38 am	Ciao! Today we've looked the match between Germany and the Netherlands on the TV. The Dutch fans are very funny! The German too. The German TV's sing the National Anthem. They are not the best singer ... Leooo sings the Dutch national anthem. He sings very nice.... Good luck and fair play! Goal for Germay! Goal for Germany again! Now goal for the Netherlands! Final result  2:1. Germany wins! Bye, Bobi
beelicious Posted Jun 19, 2012, 3:49 pm	Hi mum! This afternoon we made a spontaneous trip to the  "Brombachsee". It isn't a natural lake but it's still very nice there! It was too late for a boat trip... On the way home we've stopped in Bamberg and went to a beergarden. The people in Upper Franconia called it "Keller". Kind regards, Bobi
beelicious Posted Jun 26, 2012, 8:16 am	Hi! Today Hippy and Tokki (our both rabbits) have whispered and made something. After a few minutes we knew what was going on. They want to see real rabbits! Hippy and Tokki  demonstrated until our host said "Ok! We drive to real rabbits!". So we went to Schweinfurt to the "Oaks", a little park with animals. I can't read the sundial but it's time to go back at home  . Bye, Bobi
beelicious Posted Jul 2, 2012, 9:10 am	Today I baked cheesecake muffins. Yummy!
beelicious Posted Jul 2, 2012, 10:13 am	Today  was an envelope in the mail. Maybe a new friend? We're so excited! Look! It's Cherry Lola, a real california girl! We gave her a warmly welcome!
beelicious Posted Jul 2, 2012, 10:36 am	Hi mum! Last night was a terrible storm! Thankfully I wasn't alone! This morning we saw the damage. Twigs and branches everywhere on the streets ... broken trees ... and the tomatoes are a little bent... But don't worry! I'm fine  ! Greetings, Bobi
beelicious Posted Jul 10, 2012, 8:28 am	Hello mummy! Today we were in the beautiful city of Bamberg. We wanted to the cathedral but unfortunately there were all the roads blocked ... A view of St. Michael. We are then in the historic Old Town. They is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is "Little Venice." The river is the "Regnitz". It is not beautiful? This is the "Old Town Hall". It's really magical here! Best regards, Bobi
beelicious Posted Jul 12, 2012, 1:37 pm	Hi! Today we got a parcel!. Yeah! A new TV! We're very excited! Look! It's Wolley from Guinea!  We welcome him friendly! We also said "Goodbye!" to Kasimir Kashmir. He travels to England! Good luck, Kasimir! In the evening we visited a friend of my hosts. The boys are Ismael and Ilias. Bye, Bobi
beelicious Posted Jul 26, 2012, 7:15 am	Hello! Today was Cherry Lolas birthday. We made a little birthday-party for her! We sang "Happy birthday!" She blow out the birthday candle. I hug her. Then we ate birthday cake and... drank Cherry Cola. We had a lot of fun together! Bye, Bobi
beelicious Posted Aug 3, 2012, 8:17 am	Hey Mum! Today is the day - It's time to travel again! I was over 3 month here... Can you remember of the sunflowers that I planted? Behind me you see them.  They are over 3 meters (10 feed) high! So beautiful! I talk to  Hippy and he travels too! I ask him where he travels and he say "Offenbach in Germany". Me too! Oh that's so great! I don't have travel alone! On the PC we inform us. There are about 280 km to Offenbach. I write into the guestbook. A last picture with the another TV's. Goodbye my friends! Take care! Bye! See you soon! Bobi
Fin07Fay09 Posted Aug 13, 2012, 9:35 pm	Hi Mommy... Hippy and I were really excited. After a long journey (we slept a lot after we left beelicious) we heard some noises... Hippy told me, that there must be rabbits somewhere because she understand what they were saying, and then the envelope was opened. She did a skip forward and sounds very happy. Then I also had the courage to step out and what did I see... there were JellyBelly and Queenie. All in all I saw 3 rabbits and i trust them from first sight! After we introduce ourself, we eat the gum, which were inside the envelope and enjoy the nice evening.
Fin07Fay09 Posted Aug 14, 2012, 9:18 pm	Hi Mommy, today afternoon we went outside in the garden. Hostmoms children loan us their sandtoys, so we could build a small sandcastle.... First we put all the sand in the mold and then we hammered it out, but Hippy, she was jumping on it and that was really funny  Queenie and JellyBelly turned the mold very fast around and Hippy and I looked under the mold if everything go the right way... After lifting we saw a really nice castle. I wanted to jump on the balustrade for a better view, but unfortunatly I slide down... but nothing happened, just the castle gets an old touch by this.  Later we all laying down in the grass and enjoy the sun...
Fin07Fay09 Posted Aug 14, 2012, 9:48 pm	Yesterday hostmum told us about a surprise visit... but didn't tell more details... We all were really excited and waked up very early. After breakfast we walked (ok, we had the luck to sit on the top of the buggy) to the S-Bahn Station and waited. We thought over what it could be and were so bemused, that we didn't recognized we were still there... in the ZOO of Frankfurt.... We saw a lot of animals and here are some special pictures I want to show you... - the apes, which had a lot of little baby-apes hanging on their belly (I think his works different with dogs, or?) - flamingos, which had their first babys since 13 years in Frankfurt - an animal named "Double-wattled Cassowary", that looks really strange - and the giraffes... also with a baby. Just 1 Month old but sooooo tall... We had so much luck with the nice weather and enjoyed also all the other animals, like hippopotamus, okapis, meerkats, african wild dogs, tigers and lions...
fam-united Posted Dec 24, 2012, 9:30 am	Hi Mum, today I arrived at Bruchsal. My host welcomed me as a very special guest for Christmas. She is so happy to have me with her for the holidays. And I met many other toyvoyagers already. We had some fun exchanging our stories. I will post some photos of it soon. Bye, Bobi
fam-united Posted Jan 30, 2013, 7:30 am	It is Sunday, the fourth of advent. So nobody did think, that the doorbell would ring and the postman would come and bring a package. But suddenly we heard a bell ringing and we were shaken back and forth. Of course we were very excited, especially because it was the day before Holy Eve. So we all sat in our package and waited. In the meantime this happened outside the package: What a big surprise for us! There were so many new toyvoyagers outside the package: Kari, Robby, Fiona, Hömpfmömpf, Madam Miff, Chalon, Kara and Mysterio. So the house got crowded They told us to walk out of the package, so we could introduce each other and exchange adventures. We had a nice chat.
fam-united Posted Jan 30, 2013, 8:00 am	Our hosts received a present: An Anastatica. Anastatica is found in arid areas in the Middle East and Sahara Desert, including parts of North Africa and regions of Iran, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, and Pakistan . After the rainy season, the plant dries up, dropping leaves and curling branches into a tight ball, and "hibernates". Within the ball, the fruits remain attached and closed, protecting the seeds and preventing them from being dispersed prematurely. The seeds are very hardy and can remain dormant for years. Wetted again in a later rainy season, the ball uncurls and the plant wakes up from its dormant state, which causes the capsular fruits open (dehisce) to disperse the seeds. Then we finished some other cookies called Staenglein. They are very yummy. On Holy Eve we had the family's traditional dinner: chicken fricassee in pasty with lamb's lettuce. Later we sat around the plate with cookies and sang Christmas carols under the Christmas tree. sorry, it was so dark, so the photos aren't that good and somehow the flashlight didn't work.
fam-united Posted Feb 17, 2013, 1:47 pm	It's the last day of the year and it's not raining. So we decided to go out on a sightseeing tour in Bruchsal. At first we walked through the so called Bürgerpark, citizens' park. It was created in end of 1980something. There are two memorials of National Socialism victims and a third memorial as sign for understanding between different people of the world. Here you see the medieval tower and a part of the community centre. The tower was built in 1358 and is the oldest building of Bruchsal. It belonged to the old castle. Bruchsal has about 42 000 inhabitants, if you also count those in the five suburbs, which are Heidelsheim, Helmsheim, Untergrombach, Obergrombach and Büchenau. It was first mentioned in 796 A.D., but there had been an older settlement. 80 % of Bruchsal had been destroyed during World War II. on 1rst of March 1945. So you hardly find really old places. Schloss Bruchsal is one of the most beautiful Baroque palaces in Germany and the only episcopal Baroque residence on the Upper Rhine. The foundation stone was laid in 1722 by Cardinal Damian Hugo von Schönborn, Prince Bishop of Speyer, who made the palace the centre of his absolutist dominion. After being almost completely destroyed in the final days of World War II, the main tract was painstakingly reconstructed according to the original design and work was completed in 1975, including the magnificent dome, Marble Hall and Prince's Hall. The staircase designed by Balthasar Neumann is considered to be an architectural tour-de-force and has been described as the "finest staircase in the world". We're now standing in front of one of the three entrances to the palace church called St. Damian and Hugo. From here you can see the county court, the Damian Gate and the tower of the jailhouse. The building on the left side,m which of course is the right part of the building,  houses the chamber music hall. Inside the church you can see these plates, which show the palace during the years. In the top photo you can see, how it looked like after World War II. In the last photo we were standing just in the corner, which you see in the middle of this top photo, between main building and church. The church wasn't rebuilt in baroque style. It is really modern. Somehow that's sad, but the costs were just too high. Here we are at the backside of the church. You see, that the tower isn't directly next to the church. This is the backside of the palace. In summer there are weeks, when they play open air theatre and in winter there is a second Christmas market since a few years. Next to the main way through the palace garden you find a lot of statues. At one crossing you see in each corner one statue of the four elements: fire, water, earth and air. Here you see the statue earth. The statues in the next crossing's corners show the four seasons: winter, spring, summer, autumn. Here you see winter. At one small gate you come to this street with really old houses. Here you see the mainbuilding of the palace. Just turning around on our heels we saw the county court building and the Amalie fountain. The Amalienbrunnen is called Schnecklesbrunnen ( in Bruchsal dialect), which means snail fountain. This is the gate called Damianstor. It is the entrance to the palace area. In the Damian Gate you can visit art exhibitions. We walked to the Stadtgarten, another park. This fountain is called Ferdinand Keller Brunnen. Behind the fountain you can see a part of a grammer school called Schönborn-Gymnasium. 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. At top of the Andreasstaffel, high stairs, you have a great view over Bruchsal. The houses below belong to the oldest part of Bruchsal. You also can see the tower of the ancient castle and of two churches (from left). The houses, which are in one line right in front of us, belong to the Huttenstraße. Here you see the baroque church St. Peter in the far. If you take a look right to the edge to the wood, you can see a big house. This house is called Sancta Maria. It is a school for social education and it is still home for Franciscan nuns. The buildings right in front of us and the white building in the far on the left side are all part of the old people's home. The big grey building behind the white is another grammer school called St. Paulusheim. We also walked a bit down the Andreasstaffel and had a few to the top from there. You see that small house. It is called Wingerthäusle. Maybe you can read about it in the next photo, it might be a bit small. We saw a beautiful house next to the Stadtgarten. If you plan to stay in Bruchsal for a holiday, you can rent this house for a while. It belongs to a hotel and restaurant. Finally we walked back home again. We came to the baroque church St. Peter, which is only a few hundred feet from our host's place. THe church is still baroque inside. It is located at the edge to the graveyard.[img]null[/img]
fam-united Posted Feb 17, 2013, 5:33 pm	Finally it is time to welcome the New Year 2013. We watched the fireworks and our host's children made a special firework with sparklers for us. Then we went to bed, really tired.
fam-united Posted Feb 17, 2013, 6:38 pm	On January 6th is Epiphany. Children go out as the three kings and collect money for church and special needs. Many people offer them sweets. That's why they also carry bags with them to put the sweets, chocolate and other things like apricots and appels in it. Here you see some of the sweets the sons and daughter of our host brought home on 5th January. (This year they went on 4th and 5th). Maybe they will share them with us, who knows.
fam-united Posted Feb 17, 2013, 7:41 pm	Finally we have some snow, so we decided to go on a walk around the Kreuzbergsee in Tiefenbach. The lake was contured as recreational area in 1974 and it's magnitude is about 200.000 m². It is about 340 m long and 70 m broad.
fam-united Posted Mar 29, 2013, 3:56 pm	The weather was so grey, that we had not really a chance to go out and see other places. It had snowed during the night - everything is white now. At least it isn't so dark outside now.
fam-united Posted Mar 29, 2013, 4:24 pm	Today I joined my host on a trip to Blaustein. Her son studies at the university of Ulm and she visited him over the weekend. He has a nice view out of the window and today we had been really lucky, because the sun was shining.
fam-united Posted Mar 29, 2013, 4:53 pm	Blaustein is a municipality in the district of Alb-Donau Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is situated on the Blau River, 6 km west of Ulm and has about 15,000 inhabitants. It was created in 1968 after the union of Ehrenstein and Klingenstein and some more municipalities joined. It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps UNESCO World Heritage Site. View to Löwenfelsen in Ehrenstein The river Blau really shimmers blue sometimes. The name comes from the celtic name Blava. The blue colour comes from light scattering due to the high chalky spring water. River Blau is a left tributary to the Danube. It was so so cold, that we hurried home again after these two photos.
fam-united Posted Mar 29, 2013, 5:34 pm	The next day we joined our host's son and her on the way to the university and after we said goodbye to him, we walked back home. The way was rather steep and I had a lot of fun on the icy way. But you can see, that the sky was grey again. Back in Blaustein we walked through the Szeklertor, which is a present of the partner city Cernat in Romania. The Székelys derive their name from a Hungarian expression meaning "frontier guards" and were regarded as the finest warriors of medieval Transylvania, but it isn't completely proven.
fam-united Posted Jun 2, 2013, 9:31 am	Today I watched tv, because it was a special day. We followed the flight of former Pope Benedict XVI. out of the Vatican.
fam-united Posted Jun 2, 2013, 2:47 pm	Wow! We have another sunny day! I really had no chance to see the flowers in the garden behind the house until now, because the weather was that bad. I can't remember, that we had springweather like this before. All flowers are blooming at the same time and the trees got leaves within minutes it seems.
fam-united Posted Jul 21, 2013, 9:06 pm	Today we decided to bake a rhubarb cake. Our host allowed us to do it all alone without her help. So please take a look at the recipe. We explain it step by step: At first we had to find a place - we are quite a few Of course we aren't all traveling. Some of us are here as active toyvoyagers, but many of us are guests, who decided to stay here as long as the owners don't find time to get in contact with our host. And of course some of us live here, but we all have one thing in common - we are toyvoyagers. At next we had to get the eggs. We need six eggs for the cake. It was Sausi Karl's job to beat the eggs. Then one of us - don't know who - added 50g sugar for each egg, so it was 300 g sugar. It's quite a lot, we know. Madam Miff added one packet of vanilla sugar to the dough. Of course we had to beat the dough again, but we couldn't handle the camera while beating the dough. Matcha and Ted added 300g flour and one packet of baking powder. Then we had to stir the dough again until it was fluffy. Melek helped and Nathalie Then Matcha prepared the dish for the dough. We baked without bottom on a foil. Nathalie was still busy stiring the dough. And the she filled it in the dish. Then we all were sitting there and waiting for the cake to get baken in the oven. Man it was boring at first. But we didn't expect, that half an hour can be such a short time, when so many tvs are together. After this break we had to prepare the rhubarb, because we wanted to fill the cake with rhubarb cream. Little Dragon helped to skin it. And Matcha helped to cut it in pieces. Billy helped Matcha to stay on the pot during cutting the rhubarb pieces. Then we had to prepare some ingrediences for the cream. We needed two packets of vanilly pudding powder, one egg white and one yolk. We had to stir the egg white. Before adding the stirred egg white, we had to add the pudding powder. We had added a little bit of water to it and shook it until it was smooth. Then we added the pudding powder to the cooked rhubarb. We also added the yolk. Then Louis the Rat added the stirred egg white and gently folded it in. Finally we cut the cake in two layers and filled the cream on the first and then on the second layer and put the last layer on top of it.
fam-united Posted Aug 25, 2013, 12:45 pm	Today we drove to Ulm. Ulm is a city in Baden-Württemberg,  located at the border of Swabian Jura to Bavaria and was founded around 850, but the oldest traceable settlement of the Ulm area began in the early Neolithic period, around 5000 BC. . Ulm lies at the point where the rivers Blau and Iller join the Danube. Internationally, Ulm is primarily known for having the church with the tallest steeple in the world, the Gothic minster (Ulm Minster, German: Ulmer Münster) and as the birthplace of Albert Einstein. The Minster is a Lutheran church. Although sometimes referred to as Ulm Cathedral because of its great size, the church is not a cathedral as it has never been the seat of a bishop. It is the tallest church in the world, and the 4th tallest structure built before the 20th century, with a steeple measuring 161.5 metres (530 ft) and containing 768 steps. From the top level at 143 m (469 ft) there is a panoramic view of Ulm in Baden-Württemberg and Neu-Ulm in Bavaria and, in clear weather, a vista of the Alps from Säntis to the Zugspitze. The final stairwell to the top (known as the third Gallery) is a tall, spiraling staircase that has barely enough room for one person. We had a wonderful view around, but the weather was not as nice as we would have liked it. It even started to drop. (wikipedia) Here you see the river Danube. The houses in my back belong to the so called Fischerviertel (fishermen's quarter), where we will go later. The houses on the other side of the river belong to the Bavarian city Neu-Ulm.
fam-united Posted Aug 25, 2013, 2:28 pm	Today we drove to Blaubeuren. Blaubeuren has about 12 000 inhabitants. At first we visited the Blaubeuren Abbey, which was a house of the Benedictine Order. The monastery was founded in 1085. I love the halbtimbered houses. I'm sorry, but there was only a bit of battery left in my host's camera, so we had to safe it for the next place and couldn't take a photo inside the abbey. I'm also sorry, but there is no photo with me and the second halftimbered house - it was too blurry. Nevertheless I wanted to show you this beautiful house, that's why there is one with Tsukumo.
fam-united Posted Aug 25, 2013, 2:53 pm	The Blautopf (German for Blue Pot; "blau" means blue, "topf" means pot) is a spring that serves as the source of the river Blau in the karst landscape on the Swabian Jura's southern edge. Numerous legends and folk tales refer to the Blautopf. Its characteristic colour was explained by the account that every day someone would pour a vat of ink into the Blautopf. Another myth stated that every time someone tried to measure the Blautopf's depth with a leaden sounding line, a water nix stole the sounding line. Therefore, it was not possible to determine the depth of the Blautopf. The entry to the Blauhöhle lies at a depth of about 18 metres (approximately 60 ft). Therefore, access is restricted to experienced and well-trained divers. The size of the Blautopf depends greatly on the level of rainfall, though it never entirely dries out. The Blautopf is the second largest spring in Germany, after the Aachtopf. he water's blue color is the result of chemical properties of limestone densely distributed in the water. We only could take one "bunch" photo due to the battery problem and because it started to rain.
fam-united Posted Aug 25, 2013, 5:15 pm	Geislingen an der Steige is a town in the district of Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The name relates to its location "on the climb" (an der steige) of a trade route over the Swabian Jura mountain range. Helfenstein Castle represents the remnants of the fortified castle (burg) Helfenstein of the counts of Helfenstein. During the peak of their power the Helfenstein family ruled Heidenheim, Blaubeuren, Wiesensteig and Sigmaringen. We really enjoyed the view over Geislingen and the hills. View from the castle to Ödenturm. Here am I in front of the Ödenturm. From here we had a nice view to Helfenstein castle.
fam-united Posted Feb 20, 2015, 6:19 pm	There will be a big event in this family this year: the wedding of one of the sons. Petra is happy, that she is allowed to bake the wedding cake. It will be a cake with strawberries and maybe some marzipan. She still doesn't know the other ingredients, so she has to try some cakes and find out the best version. And of course we are part of this. Here's the first cake - I can't remember the ingredients anymore, I'm sorry.

Back