Eshara nijhara1@hotmail.com Posted Jan 5, 2012, 10:28 pm |
Greetings!!!
Hello from Trinidad & Tobago! My name is GiGi Giraffe I am relaxing at home right now and awaiting new hosts! I am so excited to visit the world and take many many photos so that I can share my journeys with everyone else!!! |
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Eshara nijhara1@hotmail.com Posted Jun 8, 2013, 8:02 pm |
Yayyyy!!! I'm on my way to Switzerland to have adventures with Jasper!!!
I'm so excited to be on my very first trip! I know my mommy is excited too! I can't wait to show her all the fun things I will do! See you in Switzerland! |
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Jasper Posted Jun 27, 2013, 9:10 pm |
Hi mum,
Yesterday I arrived in Switzerland. The Postman rang twice but no one answered. He put me in my envelope at the door. A short time later I heard the door open. My envelope was packed and transported. I was jolted and shaken and finally the envelope was opened. Many curious faces looking at me. We introduced ourselves and I was warmly welcomed. So many new friends. I think I'll have lots of fun here. See you soon mum, GiGi |
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Jasper Posted Jul 2, 2013, 7:05 pm |
Hi mum,
Today we celebrated Shakespeare's birthday. Its 89th Birthday. Can you imagine that? At Wikipedia we read, the turtles have lived on the earth before the dinosaurs evolved. Shakespeare has held up well. We congratulated him and sang a song. He got a cake and a fishing rod. While we waited for the cake, he practiced fishing. Greetings from GiGi, who hopes the rainy season is almost over. |
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Jasper Posted Jul 3, 2013, 1:35 pm |
Hello mummy,
Jasper and I are a bit sad because we could not show you pictures from the outside until now. Since I arrived it rains most of the time. Jasper read in the newspaper: 20% fewer hours of sunlight in the first half year. A short time with sun - a really short time - I use for photos from the window. So you can see where I live now first. Once I tried the swing on the balcony and when it got too cold I snuggled with Runa, Japer's cat. She has such a beautiful coat. Nice weather for the weekend is announced. Keep your fingers crossed. I miss you - and the sun GiGi |
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Jasper Posted Jul 4, 2013, 2:52 pm |
Hi mom,
Today we said goodbye to Hase. She travels home to visit her mom. Therefore, we had a big party yesterday. Sweets as much as we wanted. We could bathe in it and had so much fun. There was a lot of laughter and stories and adventures were told. But today we had heavy heart. As Hase grabbed her things a few tears flowed. We all wished her a safe journey. Bye mom GiGi |
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Jasper Posted Jul 9, 2013, 1:00 pm |
Hello mummy,
weekend was the northeastern Swiss Yodel Festival in the neighboring town. It was a great event with 4000 participants and about 45,000 visitors. I'm not sure, do you know yodel? It is somewhat difficult to explain, it is something like the Tarzan yell for the mountains. But before I offend anyone here, look better in Wikipedia. I attended the parade on Sunday. 60 teams or choirs participated with festive floats. I saw many women, men and children in beautiful traditional costumes. Some distributed specialties from their home, others threw sweets into the audience. We had a lot to do with the pickup. flag Wavers musicians herding dogs old craft: Carriage maker. These carriages are used to transport the hay off of steep slopes. very old tractors Musicians on horses alphorns This is the yodel choir of the old Swissair. Swissair there is no more, the yodel choir already. This nice gentlemen distributed coffee with brandy. I was not allowed to drink. And that is something very special. It is called "Schelle Schöttle" (bells shaking) In Eastern Switzerland for the alp procession only the three leading cows wear huge bells made of welded sheet metal. The bells are valuable and on the way up, the herdsmen remove them from the cows in order to protect them. They are carried by the men on yokes over their shoulders. This tradition, documented first in 1838, may have led to the so-called bell-shaking, a musical practice which was observed first in the middle of the 19th century. The Appenzellers shake the bells for fun, much in the way that other play cards. But often the bells are moved forwards and backwards to accompany the improvised polyphonic yodel vocalising. Here you see me at the bus station on our way home. This is our prey. I had a wonderful day and learned a lot about Swiss traditions. Bye mum GiGi |
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Jasper Posted Jul 12, 2013, 12:56 pm |
Hello mummy,
I wish you all the best for your birthday. I've picked you a Edelweiss. (Not in the outdoors - never - this is strictly prohibited.) Jasper has Edelweiss on the balcony. I'll dry it and press it and bring you home. I send you a thousand kisses and hugs. Love you mummy GiGi |
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Jasper Posted Jul 12, 2013, 7:44 pm |
Hi mom,
Today we had some work to do. We - TV's - got new furniture. A new couch and a new chair. These new furniture we had to drag to the third floor. Very sweaty. But they are very comfortable. Fortunately, Jasper also bought a deck chair. On it I could relax after work. Tomorrow we travel to Lake Constance. But that's another story. See you mom your GiGi Giraffe |
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Jasper Posted Jul 15, 2013, 5:34 pm |
Hi mom,
Today we made a trip to Konstanz. Konstanz, English: Constance) is a university city with approximately 80,000 inhabitants Konstanz is situated on Lake Constance (the Bodensee in German). The Rhine river, which starts in the Swiss Alps, passes through Lake Constance and leaves it, considerably larger, by flowing under a bridge connecting the two parts of the city. North of the river lies the larger part of the city with residential areas, industrial estates, and the University of Konstanz; while south of the river is the old town which houses the administrative centre and shopping facilities in addition to the Hochschule or the University of Applied Sciences. Car ferries provide access across Lake Constance to Meersburg, and the Katamaran provides a shuttle service for pedestrians to Friedrichshafen. To the south, the old town borders onto the Swiss town of Kreuzlingen. This is the Munster We saw beautiful old houses. The casino - we wanted to play roulette or blackjack, but Jasper said no. So we admired the view, and talked with a swan. Behind us you can see the Steigenberger, a luxury hotel. On the way to the old town. This is the Town Hall The courtyard of the town hall. An art object - the inscription on the red table means: unbounded thinking Exactly what TV's make. Still a lovely old house called Graf Zeppelin. Here we are at the harbor. This is the Imperia The Imperia is a statue at the entrance of the harbour of Konstanz, Germany, commemorating the Council of Constance that took place there between 1414 and 1418. The concrete statue is 9 metres high, weighs 18 tonnes, and stands on a pedestal that rotates around its axis once every four minutes. The Imperia shows a woman holding two men on her hands. The two men represent Pope Martin V and Emperor Sigismund. Martin V was elected during the Council while Sigismund was the king who called the council. Both are naked except for the crown and papal tiara, respectively, that they wear as symbols of their power. Jasper suddenly saw a Zeppelin on the way home. Unfortunately, we were crossing a bridge and could not stop. And unfortunately he is not very good to see. The little dot next to the flag. Now I'm tired. Good night mum Gigi |
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Jasper Posted Jul 16, 2013, 4:37 pm |
Hi mom,
Sunday we took a trip into the history of Switzerland and walked a little on William Tell's footsteps. We visited the Central Switzerland and Lake Lucerne. On our way we saw many beautiful landscapes and of course lakes. The first lake was the Aegerisee in Canton Zug. From high above we could look at him. We drove along Lake Lucerne to Sisikon and hiked on the "Swiss Path" (The Swiss Path is the name given to a special national path in central Switzerland opened in 1991. It makes a loop around one arm of Lake Lucerne, starting in Rütli and passing through Bauen, Flüelen, Sisikon and Morschach, finishing at Brunnen. The total length is around 35 km (22 mi), taking 2 or 3 days to complete. The route recognises each of the cantons making up Switzerland, with markers announcing each canton along the route. The length of route for each canton is proportional to the population at the time of building, and the order is determined by the order in which the cantons joined the Swiss federation) to Tell chapel, the oldest chapel in Switzerland. It lies on the Tellsplatte, where according to legend, William Tell to have jumped from the boat of the provincial governor Gessler. Already in 1388 a chapel was built. In 1503 as a chapel Holy Hüslin is mentioned. A new or remodeling was 1590th The present chapel was built in 1879 / in 1880. It is adorned with four frescoes by Basel artist Ernst Stückelberg shows the Rütlischwur the apple shot, the death of Gessler and Tell's Leap.. Here you see Tell's leap. We drove on to Altdorf, the capital of the canton of Uri. Altdorf is best known as the place where, according to the legend, William Tell shot the apple from his son's head. This act by tradition happened on the market-place, where in 1895, at the foot of an old tower (with rude frescoes commemorating the feat), there was set up a fine bronze statue of Tell and his son. In 1899 a theatre was opened close to the town's center for the purpose of performing Schiller's play of Wilhelm Tell. Here you see me before Tell's Memorial. Continue along the lake and through many tunnels we drove towards Brünnigpass. The pass is nothing special but on the way one has a view of the Lungerensee. And that is something special. Looks like a post card. Hiking and driving made us very tired. The way home we slept. Bye mom, GiGi |
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Jasper Posted Jul 22, 2013, 4:54 pm |
Hi mum
Today we were on the river Thur. We wanted to swim and fish. Jasper had much to bear: some beach towels, sun deck, fishing rod, hammock and a parasol and of course us. Once at the river we looked for a suitable place. We found a small sand bar that had washed up the flood and made ourselves comfortable. Shakespeare threw his fishing rod but nothing wanted to bite. But the mosquitoes bite, and that us. We tried to make a fire but everything was still damp from the storm last night. It took some effort but we managed it. We all had a fun day. Love, GiGi |
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Jasper Posted Jul 22, 2013, 6:40 pm |
Hi mom,
Today is Sunday and we enjoy the day and the sun on the balcony. Too many people and mosquitoes at the Thur We lounged around all day. We drank a lot of water but not only. For dinner we had something special: prawns and focaccia. We celebrated Wolley's farewell. He travels to the French part of Switzerland and met his mother there. He is very happy. We laughed and talked until late into the night. Bye mum, GiGi |
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Jasper Posted Jul 22, 2013, 7:22 pm |
Hi mom,
when we woke up this morning, Wolley's bed was empty. We found a letter from him. Shakespeare read it to us. Wolley do not like goodbyes and tears longer, so he has sneaked in the morning. Goodbye friend, have a safe trip. Bye mom, your somewhat wistful GiGi |
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Jasper Posted Jul 25, 2013, 4:28 pm |
Hi mom,
may I introduce you to a new friend. This little seal is called Sally and belongs Jasper. She is very nice but terribly curious. Hugs and kisses GiGi |
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Jasper Posted Jul 27, 2013, 5:36 pm |
Hi mom,
Today I said goodbye to Sally. She started to her first trip. I hugged her and wished her a safe journey. Then for me there was only one thing: relax. At 35 ° in the shade you can not do much. Thank God we have a small pool to cool off. Hugs GiGi |
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Jasper Posted Jul 31, 2013, 10:25 am |
Hi mom,
Yesterday we started at 6 in the morning to Munich. Fairly early but we had to drive nearly 280 kilometers. The weather was nice but the time was long. Then finally - we saw our first destination. The Allianz Arena. Home of FC Bayern Munich. We marveled trophies, soccer stars and exhibits. Then we took a tour of the arena. Fan or not - it was very impressive. With the subway we went to the City. First stop: the famous Hofbräuhaus. The Hofbräuhaus am Platzl is a beer hall in the city center of Munich, Germany. The inn was originally built in 1598 by Bavarian Duke Maximilian I. It was built as an extension of the original Hofbräu brewery, but for Weissbier (wheat beer). The general public was admitted only in 1828 by then king Ludwig I. The building was completely remodeled in 1897 by Max Littmann, when the brewery moved to the suburbs. In the bombing of WW II, everything but the ground floor (Schwemme) was destroyed; it took until 1958 to be rebuilt. First we drank a beer - ooh so good - and ate a big pretzel. Then we tried a specialty: pork shank and dumplings. Yummy, yummy. Stuffed full, we needed some movement. We looked at the restaurant of a famous celebrity chef and tried his ice cream. Not bad. After looking at the beautiful old houses we went further to Viktualienmarkt. The Viktualienmarkt is a daily food market and a square in the center of Munich, Germany. The Viktualienmarkt developed from an original farmers' market to a popular market for gourmets. In an area covering 22,000 m2 (240,000 sq ft), 140 stalls and shops offer flowers, exotic fruit, game, poultry, spices, cheese, fish, juices and so on. The maypole at Viktualienmarkt. The tower of St. Peter church. The parish church of Saint Peter, whose tower is commonly known as "Alter Peter" - Old Peter - and which is emblematic of Munich, is the oldest recorded parish church in Munich and presumably the originating point for the whole city. Then was our interest in the Marienplatz with the "New Town Hall". It was built between 1867 and 1908 by Georg von Hauberrisser in a Gothic Revival architecture style. It covers an area of 9159 m² having 400 rooms. The 100 meters long main facade towards the Marienplatz is richly decorated. It shows the Guelph Duke Henry the Lion, and almost the entire line of the Wittelsbach dynasty in Bavaria and is the largest princely cycle in a German town hall. The central monument in the center of the main facade between the two phases at Marienplatz above the guard house, is an equestrian statue of Prince Regent Luitpold. The bay of the tower contains statues of the first four Bavarian kings. The main facade is placed toward the plaza, while the back side is adjacent to a small park (Marienhof). The basement is almost completely occupied by a large restaurant called Ratskeller. On the ground floor, some rooms are rented for small businesses. Also located in the ground floor is the major official tourist information. The first floor hosts a big balcony towards the Marienplatz which is used for large festivals such as football championships or for concerts during the Weihnachtsmarkt. Its main tower has a height of 85 m and is available for visitors with an elevator. On the top thrones the Münchner Kindl. The Rathaus-Glockenspiel, performed by an apparatus daily on 11am, 12pm and 5pm, is a tourist attraction. Not only we want to see this place. It was just time for the chimes. Next to the town hall tower you can see the towers of the Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady), another famous church of Munich. By Kaufingerstrasse (shopping street and pedestrian zone) we walked to the Frauenkirche. The picture looks a little funny but the church is being renovated. That was the only part which is not blocked by scaffolding. Jasper did her best. Slowly, it was time to think on the way home. At Stachus (Karlsplatz) we took the subway back to our car. Then drive for hours. We still enjoyed a beautiful sunset and then fell into bed tired but happy. kisses, GiGi |
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Jasper Posted Aug 3, 2013, 10:55 am |
Hi mom,
Thursday, 6 clock in the morning. We packed our suitcases once again. Our destination: Engelberg 9 am - We stopped at Lake Lucerne. Jasper showed us the Rütli on the other side of the lake. The Rütli, a meadow, is a historic site for the Swiss. 1291 here three brave men have made a covenant by oath against the Habsburgs (the evil taskmasters). This Rütli Oath is considered the founding of Switzerland and is on 1 August celebrated as a national holiday. Awesome we looked at the small meadow. (The small round lakeside lawn - right above my nose) Then we drove to Engelberg. Engelberg is the leading mountain resort (Urner Alps) in central Switzerland. In the Middle Ages, Engelberg was known for the educational accomplishments of its Benedictine monastery, the Engelberg Abbey, whose school was well-known and regarded throughout the country. From the 19th Century, Engelberg became internationally known as a resort and spa, but is today visited as much for skiing as for its clean air. With its combination of modern sports facilities and alpine location, Engelberg is a magnet for both summer and winter tourism. The closest large cities are Lucerne and Zurich. This was our hotel. After checking in, we went immediately on the way to the cable car and drove to Härzlisee (little heart lake) The mountains here are a paradise for paragliders. Because mountain air makes you hungry, we strengthened ourselves with specialties of the region and a glass of wine. Then we enjoyed the great view and the beautiful weather. On our way back we saw the monastery. We also had a look at the magnificent monastery church. The monks just celebrated their evening prayers. Out of respect we did not take pictures. Due to the National Day there was a great feast in the village. There was so much to see. Jasper wanted to photograph everything, but the masses of people made it impossible. Here are a few pictures of the parade. Mom, it's 9:30 pm and still as bright On the way to the hotel we saw far away on the mountainside a cross of torches. Exhausted, we fell into bed. Bye for today GiGi |
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Jasper Posted Aug 3, 2013, 4:26 pm |
Hello all my friends,
Next day - next fun. We all awoke early in the morning. On the balcony we had a good view of Engelberg. The wonderful fresh air and the sun awakened the thirst for action within us. Quickly host dad thrown out of the bed and then for breakfast. Strengthened for the adventure of the day we were waiting in the lounge, while host dad paid the bill. The angel of the hotel. These angels sculptures standing throughout Engelberg (Engelberg - Angel Mountain) and are painted individually. And because our hotel was named "Edelweiss" , this angel is painted with Edelweiss. So, our destination today: Mount Titlis On this panel you can see what heights we will move today. The first look at the summit. The first view from the summit. Speechless, we admired the mountains. The transmission system. Cooling in the snow. And now the Cliff Walk! The test of courage. Not for us, for Jasper. Europe's highest suspension bridge. Only 140 meters long but 500 meter abyss below. It swayed and wobbled and it was absolutely great. Because Jasper thought she need to sit down, we decided to take the Ice Flyer - the glacier chairlift. Haha, we had to stay in Jasper's pocket. Minimum size of 1:20 meters. One after another was allowed to come out of pocket for a picture. Jasper was afraid we might fall and forever disappear into a crevasse. Perhaps we would show up after years or decades as a TV glacier mummy again. An interesting idea. After a short break on the glacier we took the cable car down to our next destination. Trübsee, a small mountain lake on a high plateau below the Titlis. We walked around the lake and marveled again and again the mountain scenery and the plants. Then it was finally time for the journey home. The cable car took us back to Engelberg. Here you can imagine how steep it is. We had much to talk about on the way home but at some point we fell asleep and dreamed of Cliff Walk. We had two great days. See you soon GiGi |
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Jasper Posted Aug 9, 2013, 5:37 pm |
Hi mommy,
yesterday we celebrated DottiScottis 1 Birthday. She got a big cake with a candle. We played music and sang Happy Birthday. Dotti blew out the candle and cut the cake. Then we all enjoyed a large piece. It tasted wonderful. She also got a gift. 3 wishes. Whatever she want - if Jasper can fulfill it, she will do it. Love you mommy GiGi |
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Jasper Posted Aug 10, 2013, 4:14 pm |
Hi mum,
do you remember the three wishes that Dotti got for her birthday? One of them she used for a farewell pizza party for Shakespeare and me. So last night we sat together one last time, talked a lot and enjoyed our pizza. Then we packed our stuff and said goodbye. My path leads me to Austria. After a big hug and lots of good wishes, I crawled into my envelope. Goodbye my friends, bye bye Jasper and host dad, bye bye Switzerland. Until then, mum - next time from Austria. GiGi |
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FrRossi Posted Oct 20, 2013, 11:08 am |
Hello at home,
sorry that you didn´t hear from me earlier, but I was soooo tired after my last trip, you can´t imagine: First I arrived in Feldbach, Austria After few days we had to prepare to a tour through London. We had only short time, but had to visit a lot in that short time. Nearly mission impossible. Arrived in London, we packed our bag, map and umbrella necessary, and then - where is the underground? We also went by bus, to have a better view over London. We visited the Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Tower Bridge and also the Tower of London. Not to forget the Buckingham Palace, Houses of Parlament and the Horse Guards. We also had a little shopping trip: First at HardRock Cafe and then at Harrod´s: I also met some swans in Hyde Park. We fed them with bread and so they came very close! Maybe to close: This was a very exciting week in London. Some more impressions: Now, I´m on the way to Italy! Hope to see you soon mum! Bye and kisses Gigi |
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Pablo Posted Nov 19, 2013, 6:37 pm |
Hi Mom,
today I arrived at my new host in Italy. It was a long journey, but I was welcomed warmly by the other TVs During the first day we played together and took a lot of pictures. My host will upload some of them within the next days. Have a nice evening.. yours Gigi |
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Pablo Posted Nov 26, 2013, 8:02 pm |
Hi Mom,
today we played LUDO ( Mensch ärgere dich nicht ). Of course I won and Pauli was angry and he knocked down all the pieces. Tomorrow Hemming is going to leave us. He will travel to the Netherlands. I will still stay here for a while with my new friends. We are having lots of fun together. I hope it's going to snow soon so we can go outside to build a snowman Yours Gigi! |
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Pablo Posted Dec 4, 2013, 8:34 pm |
Today i opened the forth window of my hosts Advent calendar. They have a Milka calendar as you can see. I picked a fir-cone of chocalate. Tommorow it´s Raulis turn I have decided to stay here for two more weeks after that time i will travel to my next destination.
Your´s Gigi |
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Pablo Posted Dec 4, 2013, 8:36 pm |
sleeping time........ | ||
Pablo Posted Dec 7, 2013, 5:19 pm |
Yesterday was the day of the holy Nikolaus. He brings presents to the good children and to us Tv´s. To the bad children and Tv´s comes the Krampus. We waited the whole day and in the evening surprisingly we found many sweets on the table. They were all for us. There was also a Nikolaus made of chocolate....he didn´t survive
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Pablo Posted Dec 20, 2013, 7:55 pm |
Hi Mom.
Today I helped my host to bake christmas cookies called coconut macaroons :-) And of course afterwards I had to decorate them with melted chocolate. They are very tasty. After spending christmas here I will travel to my next host. Yours Gigi. |
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Pablo Posted Dec 26, 2013, 5:47 pm |
Hi Mom. Today I went to Sterzing to the Christmas Market. There we saw all kinds of Christmas decorations, cribs and crib figures. There were also stands with mulled wine and food. | ||
Pablo Posted Dec 26, 2013, 6:04 pm |
Its Christmas today My host allowed us TV´s to prepare and decorate the christmas tree. First we had to bring the tree upstairs. That was very exhausting but fortunately my host helped us a little. Afterwards we decorated the tree with Christmas baubles, stars and fairy lights. Merry Christmas to you and here are the pictures. | ||
Pablo Posted Jan 6, 2014, 3:00 pm |
Hi Mom. This is my last day here in Italy. I am leaving this place with good memories. Today we went for a short walk outside. We hoped to can build a snowman but there was not enough snow. It snowed very little this winter here in Southtirol. Tomorrow my host will bring me to the postoffice and i will travel to my next destination.
Your´s Gigi |
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sneakysnail Posted Feb 15, 2014, 8:45 am |
Hello Mum!
I arrived in England today with new hostmum! I hopped out of my envelope and the other TV's who are staying here welcomed me. There is NiliHH, Spotty and Dotty Wot, Nathalie and Little T.B.! Everyone piled on top of me and gave me a huge hug before I had time to unpack. Then I brought out my postcard for hostmum and some sweeties for all my new friends. There was just the right amount for one each! New hostmum gave me a different sweet because I was hungry too! I think I will enjoy it here at Sneakysnail's house. Bye for now, Gigi |
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sneakysnail Posted Feb 20, 2014, 1:18 pm |
Hi mummy!
I went to London today! There was a treasure trail, where you had to solve a pretend murder, that hostmum took us on. We first had to get there by train. It took two trains to get to the beginning of the trail and when we got there I saw a nice water feature. It was right next to the station and I went to take a look. Some ducks were swimming amongst the water fountains. Then the trail began and we walked down near the Thames river. The over head trains were right by us and every time one went past, the whole world rumbled! Or that's what it seemed anyway. We soon came to a place with a nice view of The Shard. It's the big pointy building and it is very new. Next we came across a wheel sculpture, and then a big mosaic chimney. Interesting things to have in a street! Soon there was another nice view, this time of the O2. It is round with big yellow spikes and lots of music events, shows and exhibitions are held there. Further along the road there was a big red flower which was good to use as a slide! The trail then finished and the murder was solved! We hopped onto another train and then onto yet another train. When we finally got off of the train, we were at The Tower of London, a very famous and important castle. The crown jewels are kept there! Sadly, I didn't get to go inside but I had a look at it from the outside. Next we walked over to Tower Bridge where NiliHH completed one of her life missions. Once NiliHH was done on the bridge, we headed home. I didn't make it home before falling asleep. We were all very tired after such a busy and fun day out. Hostmum left us to sleep on her chair and then took a nap herself! Bye for Now, Gigi Giraffe |
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sneakysnail Posted Feb 21, 2014, 4:34 pm |
Hello mum.
Today I woke up and knew something was about to happen. I could just sense it in the air. I noticed I was the only one still in bed and got up and hurried over to find the others. They were saying goodbye to NiliHH and Mrs Fleece who are both off on adventures. I said my goodbyes too and we watched them settle into their packages. It was weird looking at the two envelopes sitting on the table because I knew my friends were in them. I hope we meet again someday. Yours Gigi |
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sneakysnail Posted Feb 24, 2014, 5:27 pm |
Hi mum,
All I seem to do at the moment is say goodbye to friends leaving on adventures! This time it was Dotty and Spotty Wot who have left. I said goodbye and waved as they climbed into their cosy package. Spring is slowly arriving here and pretty flowers are blooming all around. I will show you some photos soon. Yours Gigi |
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sneakysnail Posted Mar 1, 2014, 10:54 am |
Hi mum,
Today we spent some time outside looking at the signs of Spring. First there were some tiny buds on an acer tree, they will soon become amazing colourful leaves. Then we saw a flurry of snow! No wait... it was the white blossom from the plum tree! It is pretty to watch it float down in the wind. I went to look at it closer and saw it is individual flowers on there. Next I went to look at some huge pinecones on a spiky tree. Hostmum says they are mini pinecones but to me they're not! There weren't many Spring things in hostmums garden so she took us to her friends garden. Her friend does lots of gardening and had lots of flowers. There were daffodils and violets which were very nice. Then I saw a patch of snowdrops, they are very small and delicate looking. Right near them, there were some nice pansies in a tub. As we were heading in, we spotted a pink flower in a wall box. Hostmum cannot remember its name though! Inside I made some new friends. Chimp (the chimp), George (small meerkat) and Mike (big meerkat). I told them about my adventures and they got a little jealous! Soon we had to leave but maybe we'll come back and see them again. Bye for now, Gigi |
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sneakysnail Posted Mar 9, 2014, 5:26 pm |
Hello mum.
There is not much going on here because hostmum has been busy for a while. She has been redecorating her bedroom and yesterday the curtains arrived! So, today we helped her put them up! We first unpacked them and took a look at the design. I like the shiny parts best! Then I checked if hostmum had got out all of the tools and equipment we would need. She had and so we began by pleating the curtains. I held onto a string whilst hostmum pulled fabric along. Next we measured the curtain rail and slid the hoops onto it. I counted them all to make sure there were enough. Then it was time to hang them on the wall. We hopped onto the stepping stool but none of us could reach. We decided to make a tower of toys! I was on top but I still could not reach past the window ledge! We had to leave it to hostmum to put them up and when they were done, I thought they looked lovely. Bye for now, Gigi |
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sneakysnail Posted Mar 17, 2014, 7:19 pm |
Hi mum,
Last night we spent in a tent, outside in hostmums garden. It was surprisingly warm, comfy and fun! Hostmum gave us two blankets, a tent, some food supplies and a campfire with matches. She set us off and said she would collect us again in the morning! First we had to find a suitable place and set the tent up. I was not much use at tent building, mostly I got stuck on top of it! Once built, we all popped inside and tested the comfort of it. I was surprised at how cosy and comfy it was. Next, we had a picnic. Hostmum gave us some elephant shaped crisps, some sweeties and a biscuit each! Whilst we were eating, a furry creature approached us. Little T.B. said it was a lion but I'm sure it was just hostmums cat. It tried to steal some of our snacks and so, we selected Little T.B. to be a guard. Although he did a good job of protecting the food from the cat, he did not do so well at protecting it from himself! He'd eaten most of our breakfast supplies already! We were a little bit annoyed but soon we were all chatting again and I sunbathed for a while. As darkness fell, we gathered around the fire and told scary stories. I was a bit scared but the others looked after me and told me that none of the stories were true. The warmth from the fire soon made me tired and we went into the tent to sleep. I fell asleep right away and did not wake until the morning sun shone into the tent. During the night, our lovely fire had gone out. At least it was warm now with the sun beating down on us. Up above the sky was soooo blue and there was not a cloud in sight. I spent some time looking at it before hostmum came out and took us inside. I'm not sure camping is for me but I'm glad I have it a try. Some parts were more fun than others. love from Gigi. |
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sneakysnail Posted Mar 21, 2014, 6:50 pm |
Hi mum,
Hostmum took us to her local library today so we could read some books. There was a rather nice dinosaur book holder and I found a good book on it. My book was about lots of animals and I found a page about giraffes. I liked the drawing a lot. In the library I saw many chairs. Our favourite two were a tiny one and an odd rounded one. The round one was comfy but hostmum struggled to squeeze inside! In the library there was also a very nice mural of a lake on the wall. We took a closer look. Then we went back to reading and found a big book of animals. Inside there was a page about snails which hostmum loved. After we'd had enough reading, we headed for the exit. On the way, we came across an interesting section about countries. There was not much time to look at those books though. Bye for now, Gigi |
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sneakysnail Posted Mar 27, 2014, 3:54 pm |
Mummy mummy mummy!!!
Today I completed a life mission at Colchester Zoo! I met a real giraffe and took some photos! Hostmum went to the zoo with some friends today and she smuggled me into her bag! Unfortunately my pals could not come because there was not enough room. We went over to the giraffe house where we saw the giraffes from a distance. I was surprised how big they were in comparison to tiny me! Did you know that giraffes and humans have the same number of bones in their necks? I learnt that from a sign. I was shocked because giraffe necks are sooooo much longer than people necks. There are only seven big bones in there though! Looking at the signs, one of them said you could feed a giraffe! I asked hostmum if I could feed one and so we joined the queue. The zookeeper gave us a piece of lettuce to give to the giraffe when it came towards us, and I had to be patient for it to walk down to me. When it came, I gave it my piece of lettuce and it came really close! Hostmum says it was trying to eat me but I don't think a giraffe would eat another giraffe. Especially when there was tasty lettuce on offer. I can't believe how close the beautiful giraffe came to me and I'm so happy. My life mission is COMPLETE!!! Yours Gigi |
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sneakysnail Posted Mar 27, 2014, 4:19 pm |
Hi there,
After my wonderful adventures at the zoo and my other visits with Sneakysnail, it is time for me to move on. I am on my way to Germany now, hostmum posted me today. I said goodbye to Little T.B. and to Nathalie and they helped me into my envelope. I wiggled around a bit and got comfy before hostmum sealed the package. See you soon, new host!! Gigi |
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BlackCat Posted Apr 3, 2014, 4:26 pm |
Hey,
today I arrived at BlackCats house. Marmalade (ANOTHER TV GIRAFFE!!!! I got one of my life missions solved), MiaoMiao, Crabs and Suny were there to welcome me. Love, GiGi |
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BlackCat Posted Apr 3, 2014, 4:33 pm |
Hey,
today we joined BlackCat for computer class and then saw the Bear near her school. It is standing on the "Berliner Platz" and as "Ber" is spoken as "Bär" - which means bear - in German they have a bear standing there. Love, GiGi |
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BlackCat Posted Apr 3, 2014, 4:49 pm |
Hey,
today we joined BlackCat on her walk to the bus stop from school. First we saw the 'Weststadthalle' which is also home of a music school and a youth centre. Then we turned to take a photo with her school. The Colloseum Theater is the place for musicals in Essen, BlackCat loves it. You probably know Ikea, right? The big shopping centre is called Limbecker Platz and is maybe 4 years old. The big tower is from University, the offices are in there. We saw an advertising for Rio 2 and then the University itself, with all the building stuff going on in front of it. At the end we looked at the schedule of the bus and waited. We saw the town hall and a church from the bus stop in the distance. Love, GiGi |
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BlackCat Posted Jan 8, 2015, 8:28 pm |
Hey,
today we went to the city centre of Essen and saw the carillon. Sadly it wasn't playing when we were there as it was too late for that. But it was still nice to look at. Love GiGi |
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BlackCat Posted Jan 8, 2015, 8:32 pm |
Hey,
today we were really hungry so BlackCat decided to make a cake. We made a Cheese Cream Cake (it's the translation from German to English) and it was so delicious and fun. Love GiGi |
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BlackCat Posted Jan 8, 2015, 8:35 pm |
Hey,
today we said goodbye to MiaoMiao and then had a walk to the mailbox to send her off. It was a really nice walk and we took some photos to show you the neighborhood of BlackCat. It is nice here. Love GiGi |
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BlackCat Posted Jan 8, 2015, 8:39 pm |
Hey,
today we visited BlackCat's best friend. Her village is really cute. It has one grocery store - but three furniture stores. Isn't that crazy? It is really nice there though and you can see that on the photos I am sending you. Love GiGi |
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BlackCat Posted Jan 8, 2015, 8:41 pm |
Hey,
today we went to Münster to see the castle. The castle is used by the university for classes and administration. 3 times a year there is a fair in front of it and 1 time a year a big music festival. It is a really nice place. Love GiGi |
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BlackCat Posted Jan 8, 2015, 8:44 pm |
Hey,
today we went to a postcrossing meeting in Münster. There was another woman with toys as well, sadly we forgot their names. But it was a lot of fun and I hope you can see that. Münster is a really beautiful city. Love GiGi |
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BlackCat Posted Jan 8, 2015, 8:46 pm |
Hey,
today we were allowed to join BlackCat at work. We had some fun climbing around on her desk and after that we went to the shopping centre, where they forgot some Christmas stuff that is still hanging. Love GiGi |
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BlackCat Posted Jan 14, 2015, 11:22 pm |
Hey mum,
I just heard that I will travel together with Crabs to our next destination, yay. So the goodbye today wasn't just for Suny and Crabs, it was for me as well. We will start our travel tomorrow. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 21, 2015, 5:04 am |
Hey mum,
How are you? I arrived in Beijing with Crabs! Ummm..Blackcat let us took some sweets to our new host. She was so excited and gave us a big hug. Here we also made some new friends. Gretel is a lovely girl, she told me his brother Hansel just left to travel himself. I guess maybe I could meet him somewhere in the future. Oh and Pinocchio, he was a bit shy but really curious, asked me a lot of questions. Little Lar Hylo suggested us to take a group picture, he is not little at all...sweets time! Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 23, 2015, 2:40 pm |
Hey mum,
Look what we found! A perfect place to enjoy the sunset. Actually it was Dolly who first found this place, Crabs was at somewhere else not far from us, I called him to join us. You see I got a pink scarf to keep warm. I love pink! Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 24, 2015, 1:35 am |
Hey mum,
I was wandering at the park and suddenly I found myself in a bamboo forest! It's winter but they are still green like in summer, and they are so...high. I decided to climb on the top to see further but I had a problem...no no..an emergency! HELP! I can't move I got stuck! Someone help me! Then Crabs came, but he forgot he is so scared of high, he also got stuck and he was shaking. Anyway thanks to him I finally got rid of the bamboo, let me help you Crabs! Dolly noticed us and she finally saved us. Here we had a rest on the bench, breathe again. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 24, 2015, 3:51 pm |
Hey mum,
After the accident in bamboo forest, Dolly just gave us a short speech. Ummmm..or a lesson, I did learn a lot about keeping safe in wild world. And then Crabs suggested to play some games. We decided to play hide and seek, but thought about the last hour we had, I'd better ask Dolly first. Yay she said yes with smile on her face. I found some pine cones on the grass when I was seeking Crabs. Oh it was my turn to hide, but Crabs found me in few minutes! I knew it, my scarf is so pink! Let's go find Dolly I said. She was on a pine tree! It was more excited playing games on a pine tree. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 24, 2015, 4:01 pm |
Hey mum,
Here is a photo of me and Crabs when we were on an amazing pine tree. We are friends forever! Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 25, 2015, 2:31 am |
Hey mum,
I took subway with Crabs and Dolly today. It was my first time to stay on a train with so many people. I was really excited! Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 25, 2015, 2:37 am |
Hey mum,
This is a photo of me and the subway map. I'm on the line 6, the brown one. Ready to get off the train now. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 25, 2015, 2:05 pm |
Dear mum,
Here I arrived at Gulou, or the Drum Tower. It is a really red building. Gulou was originally built in the 1270s by the Yuan Dynasty during the reign of Kublai Khan. Relocated and reconstructed in the 1420s by the Ming Dynasty. Move a little bit to the north it's Zhonglou, or Bell Tower. Smaller than Gulou and the basic color of it is grey. Sorry mum we are walking in a rush to join the pub quiz near by, gonna be late! Talk to you soon GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 26, 2015, 6:57 am |
Hey mum,
We got an invitation to join the pub quiz on Jan 24! I'm sure I can find the way to get there, there is a map on the ticket. And Dolly will also come with us, oh yes she is a very lovely sheep from South Carolina, America. She has been there before. So don't worry...ummm..and I won't drink any alcohol I promise. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 26, 2015, 12:30 pm |
Hi mum,
How are you? Here are some photos we took before the pub quiz. There were some interesting questions, and we can't use cellphone during the quiz, we also played some games to get more points. Like use chopsticks to build a chips tower....oh mum, trust me it's not that simple as it sounds. And we also needed to use chopsticks to pass a ping pang ball! We can only use our left hand! Ummm..I like the decoration there, I mean the furnitures, the tables are made by old gates, they look like real antiques, maybe they are! You know the bar is located in a historic area and they are removing some houses around here. Mia said the government decided to build a square. Aha, the last photo is Dolly and our answer sheet, our team name was 'Dolly the Destroyer'! Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 27, 2015, 3:31 am |
Hello mum,
I just heard that I will visit Poland after the journey in China, wow I'm so excited but there are so many awesom placese I haven't been to yet, and I really want to spend my time here during the Chinese Lunar New Year. So I might probably go there in March. So...this is another photo we took at pub quiz night. The girl who was holding us is Eline, she is a teacher from England, a very creative girl. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 27, 2015, 12:52 pm |
Hi mum,
I've heard Arn became a voyager today so I can't wait to congrats to him. Although he is a tiger, I'm not afraid of him at all. Haha I gave him a warm hug and Carbs came to join us, we finally took a group photo. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 27, 2015, 2:14 pm |
Dear mum,
After the small celebration we had on balcony, we decided to do some reading, the sunshine was so warm. Arn found a dictionary on book shelf, it has five different languages, haha sounds fantastic, doesn't it? We started at the word family. Crabs is from Germany so he knows how to say most of the words from that dictionary in German, he said there still are a lot of new German words for him to learn. Arn loves football so much, we stayed at the football page for almost 20mins! Then we moved on to the words about swimming. Honestly me and Arn can't swim. Carbs gave us some tips about swimming, sounds really interesting, I'll definetely learn how to swim in the future. Ummmm..my favorite part of the reading was about space, I mean our Milky Way is fabulous! But they just have some basic info in dictionary, I'll do some study online then. Aha, I found the word giraffe. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 29, 2015, 12:16 am |
Hello mum,
We went out for a walk after a late lunch. Trust me, we've never eaten lunch on time since the beginning of Mia's winter holiday. On the pics below you can see an office building which is quite tall, if you get off the Wanshou Lu subway station via exit C, you'll definitely see it. And then the crossroads between Wanshou Lu and Fuxing Lu. Fuxing Lu is the west part of Changan Ave, means if you drive through Fuxing Lu to the east, you will see Fuxingmen,Xidan and then the Tiananmen Square. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 29, 2015, 3:39 pm |
Hello mum,
You know I was really afraid of lion, all of the giraffes are afraid of lion, but today I met two pretty lions, they are so friendly. Aha they even let us tried the sword they've been holding. I admit that the sword is much heavier than I thought, tell you what I can just hold it for few seconds. In the end I gave it to Crabs. He is such a strong crab! Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 29, 2015, 11:45 pm |
Dear mum,
We went to a local postoffice today to send my friends Arn Wes Wilde and Gretel off. It's just so soon...I really hope they can stay longer with me. Anyway safe trip my friends. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Jan 31, 2015, 11:37 am |
Hi mum,
Today we went to a building which was mentioned in a magazine! It is an architecture magazine. And the building was introduced as a renovation project located along the extension line of West Changan Ave. The article said: It is a reconstruction of a nine-story office building with a frame structure built in the early 1990s. The project improved the building's functionality, interior space and appearance while retaining the original structure, function and facilities. Emmmm..interesting. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 1, 2015, 12:06 pm |
Hello mum,
We are going to visit Badachu Park! It is a historic buddhist site located on the western mountain of Beijing. So we arrived at the bus stop early this morning, I just can't wait to get there! Oh yes a new friend will come with us, his name is Simão III, an orangutan. Ummmm..let us check how many stops in total. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 1, 2015, 12:12 pm |
Yay! We finally made it to the gate of Badachu Park.
After almost 1 hour's trip on bus, I suggested to take a few minutes rest first. We found a comfy place and we can also chat with the lion and her baby lion. |
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goomymia Posted Feb 1, 2015, 2:37 pm |
Dear mum, I saw a huge statue when I was walking through the gate of Badachu Park. Mia said that smiling man is Maitreya Buddha, he looks really happy, I wish I can be happy like him everyday. And then I arrived at the Golden-fish Pond but the lake's frozen, I can't see any fish. It must be more beautiful here in spring. When we came to a long bridge. I saw some gaint footprints on the bridge which are decorated by some unique symbols. I just found Mia's mum in the last pic. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 2, 2015, 1:28 am |
When we passed through the long bridge I noticed there were so many white spots down there, then I relized they were all sheeps! Right or called goats. The sheep year is comming, that's why there are many decorations about sheep at park. Did you see the tower in first photo? It is a Relic Stupa, which holds Buddha's relic. The picture is not that clear, I will come closer to have a look at the tower. Then the last 2 photos are me standing in front of a big Chinese character 'Chun', which means spring. I think after the Spring Festival I'll leave for Poland.
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goomymia Posted Feb 2, 2015, 8:33 am |
I have no word to describe this pavilion,
It is just too beautiful! |
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goomymia Posted Feb 2, 2015, 9:37 am |
Hi mum,
Here we arrived at the hall of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, all of us have no idea who he is. Mia said she just heard about him. We decided to collect some info online after we come back home. The third photo is a statue of the god of longevity who always goes to celebrate people's birthdays. I think he might likes fruits that way he is holding a big pink peach, lovely! Did you see the animals on the green roof? Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 3, 2015, 7:14 am |
Dear mum,
We're still at Badachu Park. This time I saw very vivid relief, kind of sculpture, but trust me the people on the wall seems like they are going to blink their eyes and jump on the ground. The relief describes the 24 filial piety stories which are part of traditional culture in China. Some of the stories are really impressive. I want to tell you I love you mum. Yours GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 3, 2015, 2:38 pm |
Hi mum,
Here we got to the hall of god of wealth, a god who can make you rich. And I saw a lady praying in there. Something caught my eyes when we were just about to leave, it was a fish tail, yes a stone fish tail upon the red wall. After we walked into a small garden, we finally found an animal coiled around a tree. Yes a stone animal, a sculpture. I was just going to say it's a deer, because I saw antlers on its head, at least I bet it is not a giraffe. Dolly told us it is a dragon. Emmmm..a dragon without wings. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 3, 2015, 3:02 pm |
Yay, we are so close to the Relic Stupa!
Hold on, let me check these two lions. Can you tell which is female lion? |
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goomymia Posted Feb 4, 2015, 12:16 am |
Now we arrived at a family hall for worshipping Buddha.
The sign on the wall indicates that we can't go inside without invitation. Never mind, here we got many ice-sugar gourds. They are a kind of snack made of fruits like hawthorns, sometimes even mandarins. |
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goomymia Posted Feb 4, 2015, 12:57 am |
Hey mum,
We finally got to the Relic Stupa!It's actually a tower which holds Buddha's teeth. Ummmm...believe me it sounds much better than fingers. It's...cough cough...sorry...it's cough...too much smog. Let's get out of here. Cough... GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 4, 2015, 1:13 am |
On my way to the top of the mountain.
The Relic Stupa is just turning to be a little wee thing behind us. You see these goats, they are everywhere around the park. |
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goomymia Posted Feb 4, 2015, 2:12 am |
Here we come to the Great Mercy Temple of Badachu Park.
That is a sculpture of one of the god, he is holding a pipa but still a bit scary. |
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goomymia Posted Feb 4, 2015, 2:19 am |
The color for today is BLUE! Lovely! | ||
goomymia Posted Feb 4, 2015, 2:44 am |
Hey mum,
As we are all so tired, we decided to take a break at tea house. I can hardly move my feet but Crabs is slower! Hurry up Crabs, we are almost there! And then I saw a big black dog, a very very big dog, a huge dog! He loves branch. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 4, 2015, 3:03 am |
We also met a little lovely girl. | ||
goomymia Posted Feb 4, 2015, 3:22 am |
On the way down the hill we saw a beautiful sculpture of another god.
And a big Chinese character 'Fu' which means blessing. Wow can we buy some oranges? |
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goomymia Posted Feb 4, 2015, 3:36 am |
Dear mum,
Today we went to a local shopping mall. Still has some decorations for New Year and there was a small exhibition in the hall. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 4, 2015, 9:22 am |
Left the shopping mall, we went for a walk along Changan Ave. | ||
goomymia Posted Feb 4, 2015, 4:14 pm |
I was exploring my host's home and found these four little creatures. | ||
goomymia Posted Feb 4, 2015, 4:20 pm |
And these turtles, the smallest one is called Shaoye, he is a little bit shy.
My host's mum is a big turtle fan, she loves turtle very much. I heard a voyager Slowly-Slowly is coming, that's fantastic! |
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goomymia Posted Feb 5, 2015, 12:42 am |
Our breakfast:
Local dessert, yogurt, an orange, chips and tremella lotus wolfberry soup! |
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goomymia Posted Feb 5, 2015, 9:17 am |
Hi mum,
Today Mia took me to a language school. The class was so boring...I almost fell asleep. When I was about to have fun with Crabs, Mia reminded us to keep quiet. I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE! At the moment I was just going to break down, the class was over. Yay! Game time! Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 5, 2015, 1:23 pm |
Hi mum,
We just came back home, Simão III said he got a package. It seems heavy, we can't wait to open it. We saw a tail came out frist, someone inside said something and then a pair of big ears came out. After 10 minutes, Eliott showed up! He is the most lovely elephant baby I've ever seen. One important thing is he is super polite, I guess that's somehow related to where is he from, he is a British elephant. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 6, 2015, 12:14 am |
Here we arrived at a local university. | ||
goomymia Posted Feb 6, 2015, 12:31 am |
This one looks like a dorm building, not finished yet. | ||
goomymia Posted Feb 10, 2015, 1:47 am |
I heard there was a voyager would come visit us.
Haha he arrived here today! His name is MooseS from Finland. He said Finland's already turned to be a white world. I was wandering if Beijing could snowing this year.... |
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goomymia Posted Feb 10, 2015, 12:30 pm |
Here we come to a bike parking station.
Hey Dolly do you know which is our bike? |
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goomymia Posted Feb 10, 2015, 1:09 pm |
Dear mum,
Crabs finally agreed to ride bike with us, and we went to a shopping mall to taste snacks. I can tell this kind of snack which is called Takoyaki is quite popular because we needed to wait in line to order. I also learned a Japanese phrase which is 'i ta da ki ma su'! Hmmmm..yummy. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 11, 2015, 5:06 am |
A new voyager arrived today.
He is a little bear from Germany, his name is Anton. |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 12:21 am |
Hi mum,
We were about to explore Tiananmen today. Checking the map carefully I found there is a stop named Tianmen West station on line 1. With no doubt, we got to that station in about 18 mins. I walked through exit C and there was an entrance to the National Center for the Performing Arts! A short visit would be nice. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 12:25 am |
Hi mum,
Here I got to the hall of NCPA which is National Center for the Performing Arts. It's such a long name I even can't type them all into the 'Place'. Right, I prefer to call it National Theater. Mia told us we are about to meet Amy who will join us for today. But 20 mins' ve passsed, we still haven't seen her yet. We found a place to have a seat and play some games to kill time. Honesly it was quite boring. So we finally decided to take a look at the National Theater. Haha Dolly calls it the Egg. I can't understand before but after the short visit I know what does she mean. The Nationl Theater is indeed a giant egg. We moved to the east of the Egg and found that there is no different between each sides, any direction we take photos the building would looks like the same egg. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 12:38 am |
Dear mum,
The photo below is us sitting in front of the Great Hall of the People. I've heard we can always see that building on CCTV News 7:00pm every day night. It's a place where holds important meetings inside. All the leaders from other countries like Argentina, America, France...of course Trinidad and Tobago, they would come here if they visit China. Our prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar came here on February 25 last year. Haha here we come! Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 12:45 am |
Hey mum,
The traditional architecture below is a gate called Zhengyangmen, men is gate in chinese. It used to be a gate in Beijing's historic city wall and was built in 1419 during the Ming Dynasty. We will move closer to have a look at it later. The building which looks like a box in the second photo is Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. Mia said it used to be a gate of the Forbidden City at that location long times ago. Let us keep moving... Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 12:47 am |
Hello mum,
After a long underpass we finally arrived at the Tiananmen Square. You see the Zhengyangmen over there? If we walk through that gate to south we will be on the Qianmen Street which is a quite famous commercial street in history, it still is right now. And then are the monument to the people's heroes and Tiananmen building. The last photo is National Museum. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 12:49 am |
Hi mum,
Something isn't going that well today. We were about to visit the National Museum but when we got to the entrance of the museum, our companion Amy suddenly realized that she forgot her ID at home. Ummmmm...that's not good news. The guard won't let us get inside without ID card. So we can just change the former plan. At least we captured these dragon heads. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 12:55 am |
Dear mum,
Our next stop is the Tiananmen tower. It took us a while to cross the Changan Ave, sure we walked through the underpass again and we needed to wait in line to pass the security check. But it's worth waiting after all. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 12:57 am |
Hey mum,
We can't visit the National Museum today, so we decided to go for a walk outside the Forbidden City and have a look at a corner tower. The first photo is the National Theater we visited a few hours before. Do you think it looks like a giant metal egg? Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 1:01 am |
Hi mum,
Walked through Changan Ave and then turned right to the Beichangjie (jie means street in Chinese) we saw this gorgeous building at the east side of the street! The tablet on the wall indicates that this is a very valuable historic site. Unfortunately we can't visit inside, it's not open to the public. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 1:02 am |
Hello mum,
I took the photo below when I was waiting for the traffic lights. The white tower behind me is White Dagoba on Qionghua Island in Beihai Park. It's a buddhist building which was built to honour the visit of the 5th Dalai Lama in 1651. Maybe I could move closer to have a look at it next time. Now we have to keep moving. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 1:05 am |
Dear mum,
We finally made it to the corner tower! Mia said it is the northwest corner tower of the Forbidden City. There are four of them in total. I took a photo with Crabs, haha we love that photo. Here are some info I found online:
Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 1:08 am |
Hi mum,
After the corner tower we went to the northern gate of the Forbidden City. There is a hill nearby the gate. If we get to the top of the hill, the official name is Jingshan Park, we could have a birds' eye view to see further of inner Beijing. But we were going to catch a bus to get to the Gulou, so we could climb that hill next time. Some info about the Gate of Divine Might:
Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 1:10 am |
Hey mum,
We took a very quick snapshot with a lovely newsstand before we got on the bus. There were an awful lot of passengers on bus No. 5. Seriously I can hardly breath! Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 1:11 am |
Dear mum,
Walked along Gulou west street and then turned left, I found myself in a Hutong area. The red sign on the wall indicates here is Dashibei Hutong, there is a Xiaoshibei Hutong nearby. These two hutongs used to be a whole one called Shibei Hutong and they were separated at the beginning of 1900s. The longer one's turned to be Dashibei Hutong since then. Ummmm...interesting Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 1:14 am |
Dear mum,
Here we arrived at Shichahai area. Hai is the sea in Chinese, but it is actually a big lake consisting of three lakes to the north of the Forbidden City, another historic site on the top of must visit in Beijing list. Mia said she usually go skating here in winter when the lake is frozen. It would be a lot of fun! I heard my heart break when I saw the lake. It's not frozen yet or it started unfreezing. Ok it's true that the winter here is quite warm. You see today is up to 12c, spring is coming! It means green, bees and tons and tons of flowers. I can actually take more colorful photos, you know winter is a bit pale. Actually I will be with Anna in Poland then. The second photo is me on Yinding Bridge. It's almost 6:00 pm, the sun is in a rush to go home, it's time for us to go home too. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 16, 2015, 11:54 pm |
Happy birthday Eliott! | ||
goomymia Posted Feb 17, 2015, 12:03 am |
We ordered a bowl of soup for starter. | ||
goomymia Posted Feb 19, 2015, 4:29 am |
Hi mum,
I'm at Simão IV's home. He invited me to visit him during the Chinese Lunar New Year! Haha me and Crabs were riding a pottery horse. It was funny. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 19, 2015, 11:12 am |
Dolly said Simão's grand is preparing for New Year's eve feast.
Eliott and I can't wait to take a look at kitchen. |
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goomymia Posted Feb 20, 2015, 5:47 am |
It was almost 8:00pm.
We watched the Spring Festival Gala together. |
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goomymia Posted Feb 25, 2015, 4:56 am |
Hi mum,
After the Spring Festival Gala, I saw very gorgeous fireworks. But it was not easy to capture the most beautiful moments. Hope these photos are not too bad Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 25, 2015, 4:59 am |
Hey mum,
Simão IV's grand woke me up this morning..She said they were about to make dumplings! Honestly I really hope I could get more sleep but making dumpling sounds interesting. Then I got up as fast as I can...ummm...it's still a bit dark outside. ... I'm only half awake...I should..yawn... Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 25, 2015, 5:01 am |
Wow! | ||
goomymia Posted Feb 25, 2015, 5:04 am |
Dear mum,
I looked outside through the window this morning. It was snowing! I was really excited and can't wait to build a snowman! Wow, that's the building where I'm staying at right now, it's higher than I thought. Umm...this slide seems nice. We played a couple of rounds on slide then we moved to a seesaw. Eliott decided to sit in the middle to balance the seesaw. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 25, 2015, 5:06 am |
Look at this blue car we found! | ||
goomymia Posted Feb 25, 2015, 5:12 am |
Dear mum,
I followed Crabs to climb on a tree, then I got bird's eye view and discovered a perfect place to build a snowman. When we reached the ground, we can't help ourselves making snow angels! The snow was really soft It was so much fun! The snow fight began with Crabs' hat. Literally Crabs made a snow ball and threw it right on Dancing Dolly's head and he said 'look Dolly, I made a snow hat for you.' Then the snow war started... Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 25, 2015, 5:16 am |
What a wonderful day I have!
A group photo is necessary for today. |
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goomymia Posted Feb 28, 2015, 2:06 am |
Hi mum,
I'm still at Simão's home, I saw very beautiful flowers today. Look at how gorgeous they are! Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 28, 2015, 2:11 am |
We were looking for the interesting book to read.
I saw almost the whole collection of Tintin, Simão must loves comics very much. |
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goomymia Posted Feb 28, 2015, 2:28 am |
Dear mum,
So sad this is my last day at Simão IV's home, we are going to leave after lunch. You know I will go visit Anna in Poland. Well, so we decided to do some morning reading. Dancing Dolly found a book about America on shelf. The title of the book is 'Greetings from the 50 States, How They Got Their Names.' So lovely! It's about Dolly's homeland and we also found her home state: South Carolina on the map. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 28, 2015, 2:36 am |
Hi mum,
Today I said goodbye to my friends. We went to Meishi Jie to meet Amy and had a farewell meal together. Dolly will go to Xian with Amy and I'll keep traveling to Poland. We ordered 'Tofu with Preserved Eggs', Mia loves that dish so much, every time we went to a restaurant together, she would definitely have one if they serve it. We also ordered 'Beijing Noodles with Soybean Paste'. Humm..very tasty. See you in Poland GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 28, 2015, 2:40 am |
I will miss you Eliott Dancing Dolly MooseS Anton Bär Crabs and my good friend Mia. | ||
goomymia Posted Feb 28, 2015, 2:48 am |
Hi mum,
Here I came to a street named Yandaixiejie, we found an unique Postoffice. It has a real mail box and a statue of a boy in Qing Dynasty at the entrance. It looks like a historic site, I will go inside to take a look. Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Feb 28, 2015, 2:55 am |
Hey mum,
Here I got to the postoffice which is called Daqing Postoffice. It's actually a retro site looks like the postoffice more than 100 years ago. I saw some unique stamp marks people used to use before in Qing Dynasty. I heard we are about to go visit a secret voyager and spend Chinese New Year together. That will be a lot of fun! Love GiGi |
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goomymia Posted Mar 2, 2015, 3:09 am |
Anna, Poland I'm coming! | ||
aniaiola Posted Mar 31, 2015, 3:21 pm |
Hi :-0
So I m here in Poland :-0 It was really long journey. My new friends Jump and Shorn said hi to me and we were talking. I told them about my wonderful memories from China. After that we went outside because they wanted to show me some flowers in the garden. Can you imagine- last days it was so cloudy, rainy and windy here . So it was today, but in this moment weather changed and we finally saw beautiful sun. Here are some my pictures :-) |
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aniaiola Posted Apr 3, 2015, 9:50 pm |
Today snow in Jelenia Gora ! It s really spring? ;-)
Of course we went outside and we were playing, but it was too cold. Actually Anna wanted to show us Chojnik castle today, but this weather just didn t let us go to see Chojnik. This castle is on the mountain and it isn t easy road. Maybe next time... Now we are eating some cookies witch we made before. Very delicious :-) |
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aniaiola Posted Apr 7, 2015, 12:53 pm |
I saw very nice building today :-) The palace in Cieplice (previously: Bad Warmbrunn) was erected between 1784 and 1788 as a residence of the Schaffgotsch family. Now the palace in Cieplice is in very good condition. Some of the original, Classicist elements (floor, paneling, plafond) have survived to this day in some of the chambers on the first floor. The palace right now is used as an Off-campus Educational Unit. The inside of the palace may be visited by prior arrangement with the University authorities, but it is not generally open to tourists. One can also attend an academic event or an exhibition mounted in the palace.
I like it very much. And look what we saw after visiting palace in Cieplice. What a funny pictures :-0 Today we also have to say " Bye" to Shorn. He s going to visit another place. Hope we will meet someday again :-) We ate together very delicious dessert and we went to the Post Office. Have a wonderful time in Portugal Shorn ! We will miss you ! |
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aniaiola Posted Apr 11, 2015, 7:19 pm |
Today very sunny here. We are spending very nice weekend.
I saw very beautiful house. Gerhart Hauptmann lived here in this house . He was a winner of the of the Nobel Prize for Literature on 1912 and spent a great amount of his creative life here. I like this big house. Anna told me that it is museum right now. |
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aniaiola Posted Apr 18, 2015, 1:24 pm |
Today we have visited Szklarska Poreba. This town is located very near to Karkonosze mountains, so we were able to see very beautiful views. There s snow yet in mountains :-)
We saw also chairlift :-) It was very funny, because in Jelenia Gora we haven t snow and we can see lot s of flowers. But in Szklarska Poreba there s really lot s of snow. Here are my pictures. |
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aniaiola Posted Apr 20, 2015, 8:36 am |
Yesterday we saw canoeing championships.
It wasn t easy to take pictures because they were very fast, but we have some nice pictures. |
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aniaiola Posted Apr 25, 2015, 7:26 pm |
What a nice landscapes :-) I just love climbing :-) | ||
aniaiola Posted Apr 27, 2015, 5:07 pm |
We have new friend with us :-) It s very nice, little moose - Yuma from Switzerland.
We saw beautiful postcard with butterfly. |
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aniaiola Posted May 2, 2015, 1:32 pm |
Today we finally were able to visit Chojnik castle :-)
It is a castle located on the hill above the town of Jelenia Gora. Today the semi-ruined stronghold is a major tourist attraction . The castle dates back to the thirteenth century. On August 1675 the castle was struck by lighting and the ensuingfire consumed building. Castle was never rebuild. The irony of this is that Chojnik, owing ti its location, was the only castle in Lower Silesia never to be taken.....:-) That was really great to visit this place. Amazing, but a little bit difficult road through the forrest. Look at our pictures :-) |
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aniaiola Posted May 12, 2015, 8:25 pm |
Sorry I didn t write anything last days. Anna was VERY BUSY and she was unable to take pictures.
Here are some our pictures from last week. We were at school and we had so much fun :-) We were playing with lego. Look at that :-) Last days we said goodbye to Jump. He is comming back home. I really hope we will meet someday. |
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aniaiola Posted May 29, 2015, 8:58 pm |
Some flowers :-))
Tomorrow will be more pictures :-) |
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aniaiola Posted Jun 15, 2015, 8:04 pm |
Hi :-)
Today we enjoyed school picnic with Anna. It was really great and lot s of fun. I liked colourful balloons :-) We saw also some karate ;-0 I liked it very much, but I think it s not the best sport for me. Anyway...we have very nice day :-) |
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aniaiola Posted Jun 15, 2015, 8:04 pm |
Today we visited Harrachov ( Czech Republic ).
I was very happy to see this place. It s very near the border to Poland (border checkpoint Harrachov – Jakuszyce) and it is one of the most visited ski resorts in the Czech Republic. Harrachov is known because of an important venue of international ski jumping. The well known ski jumping area is located directly above Harrachov, on Certova Hora („Devil's Mountain“) . Ski jumping competitions of the World championship in ski jumping take place on the biggest one. I saw it and it s really, really beautiful :-) I was so happy- so I asked Anna to take me so many pictures there :-) I can t say witch one is the best, so I put here all of them ;-) |
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aniaiola Posted Jul 5, 2015, 4:34 pm |
Today I have a picture with princess :-) I think she is really beautiful :-)
And look how many roses in Anna s garden ! Next week I will go to my next host in Germany :-) I m so happy :-) |
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Salvia Posted Aug 29, 2015, 10:21 am |
Hello,
today I arrived save at Elisabeth's place. Another Toyvoyager was already there, Rocky the Raccoon. After the long journey I really had to have something to eat. And maybe some more Now we are really full and sleepy. Best wishes Gigi |
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Salvia Posted Oct 12, 2015, 2:35 pm |
Hello,
today Rocky and I played hide and seek in the garden. We had so much fun. By accident we met this huge eagle and he was kind enough to give us a ride. All the best Gigi |
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Salvia Posted Oct 12, 2015, 2:49 pm |
Hi,
today was a very sunny day, again. To keep us entertained we played a bit in the sandbox. Best wishes Gigi |
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Salvia Posted Oct 12, 2015, 3:01 pm |
Hello,
today we visited the Beatles Museum. They had tons of Beatles stuff. They organized the exhibit from the birth of the Beatles through today. There were a lot of photos and merchandising. Some things were amazing, like this Beatles dress. And how do you like me as the fifth Beatle? Not far from the museum was this pretty fountain. It is called "Eselsbrunnen" (donkey fountain) because of the figure with the donkey. It was a great day. Gigi |
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Salvia Posted Oct 12, 2015, 3:09 pm |
Hello,
today Rocky Raccoon left for his home. I will miss him. I am lucky that I will not be alone, because my host has such a lot of other toys here. The good thing was that we visited the zoo. My host's son was home because he had a bit of fever and to entertain him, we were at the zoo. But because the little one is really a handful, we only managed to take one photo. What a shame! But here I am at the elephants: The zoo in Halle is located at a hill, which means it has some really steep paths. We also saw the penguins, lions, exotic birds, monkeys and a lot of other animals. Best wishes Gigi |
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Salvia Posted Oct 13, 2015, 10:34 am |
Hello,
today we were at the Bashkirian playground with my host's son. The playground is named like that, because Halle is the partner city of Ufa. Ufa is a city in Russia in Bashkiria. My host told me, that she visited there some years ago. There were also these interesting figures made of wood. Bye Gigi |
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Salvia Posted Oct 13, 2015, 10:38 am |
Hello,
today we went shopping. Best wishes Gigi |
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Salvia Posted Oct 13, 2015, 10:40 am |
Mommy, it was not me! I promise!
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Salvia Posted Oct 14, 2015, 8:13 pm |
Hello,
this weekend we visited my host's parents, to celebrate a birthday. They live in Freiberg in Saxony. We had something to eat in the evening and slept in a hotel. And we were at the Tierpark (tiny zoo). There we could see many local (and some non-local) animals and I even got to ride a donkey. Okay, the donkey was not real, but hey. We had a very nice day! Even the weather was much better than expected. Best wishes Gigi |
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Salvia Posted Oct 16, 2015, 12:19 pm |
Hello,
it is very rainy and cold outside the last few days. So I have to entertain myself inside. First I had to discover what was inside this package my host got from her Toyvoyager. So many things! What a shame that these socks are way to big. I really could need them. Then I explored the bookshelf. I found this interesting book "Good Night Gorilla". There even is a giraffe inside. I hope the weather will be a bit better soon, so we can some more things outside. Bye Gigi |