_Mishuta_, Essen, Germany

Katusha Posted Apr 24, 2011, 9:25 pm	Hi! I'm _Mishuta_ It's my first day on TV. It's very exciting for me and for my Mom! I want to know everything and like a lot of things, such as walking, listening to music, reading old children's books, eating, watching how laundry washer works haha Also I love to receive letters and postcards. Just today I've received a funny card from Moscow! And I like animals and not only bears This is my friend - Yasha. Yasha is a turtle. She lives with us and she is a very cheerful person. Although it maybe doesn't always look like that!  Yasha came from Central Asia. And she told me a lot marvelous stories about her wanderings. That's why my dream now is to see and to show my Mom many beautiful places all over the world! And maybe then we will visite these places again together. Can't waiting for my journey!
Katusha Posted May 1, 2011, 9:33 pm	Hi, guys! Today was a great sunny weather and we went to the park. It is not far from our house. There are several lakes in this park, where live a lot of ducks! I have never seen a real duck yet! And today we tried to steal up to them as close as possible And we did it!!! It was excellent! Ducks are very clever and elegant birds. And their family instincts are very touching It was wonderful walk. And I even wasn't tired... May be a little...  Oh! I fogot to tell about blooming trees! They are everywhere! And it's so beautiful sight! And aroma... Wonderful! I think I understand bees That was my day. Bye-bye!
Katusha Posted May 4, 2011, 9:13 pm	Hurray!!!! Today I started my journey! I'm going to England, baby!!!!!  Mum put me and some presents into a cozy soft envelope and tomorrow I will fly by airplane!!!! I even don't know how an airplane looks like but I feel it's cool!!! That's all, I need a sound sleep, as mummy said, because it will be a long way. But everything will be ok, i know
Gizalba Posted May 13, 2011, 7:39 pm	Hi Mommy! The plane was awsome, sadly I couldn't see anything because of the package, but I felt the sensation of lift off in my tummy! It was rather bizarre but also thrilling. So, when I arrived it was very quite, but I could sense that there were other toys in the room. Then my padded envelope started to tear and suddenly I could see two faces peering in at me. I later found out that these were Tiger the erm, Tiger, and Albus Star the puppy. They pulled me out and then chanting erupted in the room. 'Mish-u-ta Mish-u-ta' - It took me a few seconds to take it in, then I realised; they were chanting my name! Tiger and Albus took me over to look and the source of the chanting was a line of bears who were holding a sign saying 'Welcome Mishuta' I was rather flattered, but also nervous. My host was very pleased with the postcard and chocolates you sent her, but then Quackers the duck spotted them and there was a bit of a fight as he tried to steal them. I got scared and tried to find shelter, but I nearly ran head first into a pair of gigantic paws! I looked up and to my relief I saw a big friendly old brown bear. He told me his name was 'Coco', and he took me under his paw We went over in time to see Albus dragging Quackers out of the presents bag! Finally all was calm again and Miss Becca, my host, took a picture of me and the postcard. She says that over the weekend we will go on my first trip in England. Until then, bye bye for now mummy! I will update again soon.
Gizalba Posted May 16, 2011, 6:12 pm	Mummy! I am having lots of fun with my new friends, although I do miss you a bit too It is strange being in a new country but I think I like it Today when we woke up it was raining again. However my host was optimistic that we would force the rain away so we jumped in the car and off we went. Albus, Tiger and I watched the rain through the car window and we were worried about getting wet. First of all we had to travel somewhere for my host to see a solicitor (she said this stuff is too complicated for us TVs to understand), but to get there we had to go through a long tunnel which went below the river Mersey!  When my host was finished with her task we then travelled to Albert Dock near the centre of Liverpool. And guess what?! The rain had stopped  It was very windy though so I couldn't explore properly or climb much. Miss Becca said we may come again when it is sunny, perhaps with some other TVs when they arrive. Anyway, I did manage to get a few pictures. I had a bit of a rest outside the Beatles museum which was more protected from the wind. We didn't go inside but we went to the cafe and on the wall there was a massive Beatles postage stamp! We then went outside again, wandering around the Dock and buying some postcards. I wanted to get a nice picture of the pretty buildings in the background; I tried really hard to block out the ugly new modern buildings with my head but they still ruined the view Haha, that mad face really doesn't suit me. Can you imagine my little smiley face ever getting mad?! I then found a statue which looked interesting; The man is Billy Fury, a successful English popstar from the 1960's.
Gizalba Posted May 20, 2011, 7:42 pm	Hello mummy, we haven't been able to get out much yet because of the rain, but here is a mini indoor update The other day I met Gizmo the real life cat! He is very fluffy and I wanted to stroke his belly but it seemed a bit dangerous. He is usually sleeping, I don't think I have seen him open his eyes yet. Well, at least he seemed unaware that a little bear was by his side Today my host went to the charity shop and came back with two new friends; a grey sailor bear and a baby giraffe. They were deep in nervous conversation when I came to introduce myself, but I made them feel at home I love the little giraffe, I think we will be good friends. My host says he is going to become a Toy voyager too so we will be able to keep in contact via our travel blogs. Ooh, other news! There are more small bears on their way to my hosts home, including a purple bear with white and yellow flowers on her fur, called Edelweiss. I had a look at her blog and she looks very pretty. I can't wait to meet her
Gizalba Posted May 25, 2011, 6:07 pm	Today Albus Star Mirembe and I went to Walton Gardens. The first picture is of us waiting for our hosts mum to get the ticket in the carpark. If you look closely you can see a squirrel in the background, but he wouldn't let us get any closer.  We then found the mini zoo and saw a magnificent Peacock parading around like he owned the place. I also met a goat who was grinning at me rather smugly. I hope he didn't want to eat me! Then Albus spotted a play area and wanted to investigate. I sunbathed while the other two annoyed the pretend horse; he didn't look too pleased to be sat on. Later we went tree climbing! We had a nice view from up there   Afterwards I found some flowers and took a picture like the one you took of me at home mummy! Except this time I am with pink flowers Then we went for a walk and Mirembe found a tree bench with a bird picture on. We all had a good look before going back to the car. I had a great day out and even though it was cloudy at first, the sun came out to greet us.
Gizalba Posted May 26, 2011, 10:06 pm	Yay mum, Edelweiss arrived today!!! Here are some pictures of us welcoming her. I love the flowers on her belly.
Gizalba Posted May 30, 2011, 9:32 pm	Today we went to a shopping centre in Manchester, a 20 minute drive from where I'm staying. It was very crowded and rather scary for a small TV like me. However Mirembe, Edelweiss and I percevered At the entrance there was a line of Lion statues so we got a picture of one of those, then went inside. In the main orient the ceiling is beautiful, painted like the sky outside, with stars also... I don't quite understand how it is daytime and nighttime at the same time but anyway... There is what looks like a mini swimming pool on the bottom floor. I'm not sure what that's all about either, but oh well, it looks nice We visited the LOUD arcade where there was a cool game where you win giant cupcakes! I wanted a cupcake but I wasn't allowed as my host said it would make my travelling package massive We also visited China town where we saw a Dragon, and we went outside to see some more statues on the roof. Hope you are well mummy, Love Misha xxx
Gizalba Posted Jun 7, 2011, 10:36 pm	Hello mum! Over the weekend my host took Edelweiss, PinkyHH and I to visit Durham city where she used to go to university. This uni has a collegiate system so each student belongs to one of 16 colleges. My host lived in the college of St Hild and St Bede, and you can see the grounds in the first few pictures. On the second one the white building is Hild Gymnasium. (Oops my host has loaded them up in slightly the wrong order, so the first college picture is actually at the end!) After visiting the college we went down to the river and saw the Prince Bishop sight-seeing boat cruising along. We walked into the centre of town then went to view the iconic Cathedral. It was very big! My host said the cloisters were used for a few scenes in the first and second Harry Potter films (she is a BIG harry potter fan! ). Sorry the second cloister pic isn't very good as I think the flash was on! At the other side of Palace Green there is a Castle, which along with the Cathedral is a UNESCO world heritage site. The Castle is home to the students of University College who have formal dinners with gowns twice a week in their great hall. My host said that when you see them wandering around in their black gowns they really do look like they've stepped out of Harry Potter! We then made our way down the Bailey to the river where we could get a fantastic view of the cathedral. As we were enjoying the view a man who was also taking photos requested to see the photo of me my host had just took on her camera! I was very flattered We also spotted a Heron! It is very tiny on this photo, I don't know if you can see it? At the end of the day we made our way back up to college. We were very tired from all the hill climbing so us TVs insisted on having a sunbathe in the grounds.
Gizalba Posted Jun 11, 2011, 2:39 pm	Today was a very sad day because my host had to part with her first visiter TV; me! She was sad but also happy to see that I was excited about going to my next destination. I went outside to take some breathes of fresh air before climbing into my envelope (My host says sorry about the state of the grass on that picture!). The other TVs gathered round to give hugs and wish me luck. I will especially miss Edelweiss, but we will keep in touch via watching each others travelogs They helped me into my envelope and then it was time to leave... See you when I get to my next host mummy! xxx
Leslee Posted Jun 14, 2011, 6:58 am	I have arrived in York! There are three other Toyvoyagers here.  There is Karlie, Blinchick and Phillip and they are all very friendly. I brought some candies and a postcard for them all from Gizalba. It was a quiet first weekend because everyone was tired and it was rainy. They all did crafts while I watched I was in charge of some of the candies this is what we made it is a board game. I met lots of friends here already The Tiemi angel Mom and her two little devils the monchhichi and their friends the Mothercare bears Blinchick and I had lots of bear conversations with them My favourites were the dolls I have chosen my place on the rainbow shelves for while I am resting. There wasn't a brown shelf, but I felt the most comfortable on the yellow shelf and they all made me feel very welcome. I miss my other Toyvoyager friends but thankfully all these friends here will keep me distracted. Bye, love Mishuta
Leslee Posted Jun 19, 2011, 8:37 pm	Hi Mum! The boy who lives here took my photo in the mini photo studio.  I liked being his model. I met some of Leslee's dolls.  There were only 3 missing from this photo.  The other toy voyagers were there with me and we were all so tired that everyone had an extra hour in bed the nest day with coffee and magazines. So...I didn't get to visit anywhere.  We had to saty in all day to make a fathers day present for Leslees Dad. There wasn't anything wlse to do so I watched a bit. She made a door stop in the shape of a camera. xx
Leslee Posted Jun 19, 2011, 8:52 pm	My first official outing here, to the car boot sale. At a car boot sale people can buy and sell old things.  It is a good place to find something unusual or snap up a bargain. It got a bit rainy and the people started putting thier things away so Leslee and her family started shopping faster and this is the only photo we got. Here is me with a little toy bike basket I found for Leslee's bike. I am sitting on a chair at Grandma and Grandad's house. xx
Leslee Posted Jun 19, 2011, 8:57 pm	This afternoon I did a little gardening.  Leslee has a shared garden. I helped to prune the little Acer tree Phillip and I found some lovely yellow flowers and I loved smelling this pink pom pom poppy
Leslee Posted Jun 25, 2011, 7:04 pm	Hi! I am wanting to go and see the city very soon and Leslee says it will be soon. She is babysitting today and had to turn down an offer for us to all go to see an air show at the coast.  When the child leaves tomorrow we might go into the town. I watched root mash being cooked in a slow cooker.  Lesley doesn't have a stove but is learning how to use this slow cooker.  This root mash has carrots, sweet potato, potato, parsnip and cauliflower but lesley says that she makes it different every time. This is the first time she has had root mash since she gave the broken stove to the rag&bone man. I met Mr Pepper bear and Mrs Salt bear as we added seasoning and some mint leaves. Leslee got a better bag for me and my ToyVoyager friends to travel in so that we don't all jiggle together so much. It is much more comfy than the monster bag. I hope I can show you the town soon Love from Mishuta
Leslee Posted Jun 26, 2011, 9:57 pm	Yay!  We did go out. The boy here couldn't find any clothes he would wear and then some of his friends came round but Leslee said "enough is enough" , sent the friends home and took us ToyVoyagers all out  for almost two hours and left the boy at home (he is a big boy). It was so hot here today!  The hottest day of the year so far. I went in the new bag with the other ToyVoyagers in Leslee's bike panniers.  It took about ten minutes to get there. Here is where  Leslee parked the bike.  There is a big medieval wall around the city.  We cycled under Monk Bar to get into the town. The Bars are gates. The big arch is big enough for bikes and there is a bigger one to the right for cars (just one at a time - controlled by traffic lights) Behind me is another arch but you can't see it very well, just a bit at the top.  Under that arch is a popular model shop, oh I should have photographed it.  Next time I will because I want a better look. Anyway, it was that little dark passageway that I was interested in today. Here I am half way up... and this is what it looks like up there We all walked along the wall to the next gate.  I got photos but I will save them for another day because there were so many and the other Toyvoyagers are waiting for the PC. They know it was exciting for me because it was my first visit to the city.  Leslee says we will do the rest of the walls if we have time. Bye Mishuta
Leslee Posted Jul 3, 2011, 2:06 pm	Hi, Finally I can tell you about the rest of my walk on the walls. straight away, from the walls I could see this painted advert on a house wall. It has been there for over 60 years and repainted since too. I could see the Minster from the walls and some lovely gardens Some parts of the wall look like castle because it was a defensive wall It was interesting to peer down into people's gardens This is nearl at the end of this wall This is inside the gate (at the top) and this is under the bar.  You can see the gate from the underneath. From the top of the bar I could see the Art Gallery I went to get a closer look at this tour bus The fountain was very refreshing This is William Etty,  Leslee says he was an artist painter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Etty This is the theatre that I saw next This is an old church just near the Monster.  People like to get married here and get their wedding photos taken at the Minster. Phillip showed me the York Minster Here is me at the Minster You can see the famous Rose Window (the round one) which got destroyed in a fire after being stuck by lightening when Leslee was a girl.  It has been restored. I posed with Constantine.  I had to wait quite a while to get this photo because everyone wants to take a photo of themselves with Constantine. (There were Romans living in York and Vikings - I am going to try and get a photograph with a real Viking one day!) Constantine is scratching my ear heh heh heh!  I wanted to get closer but the other TV's said that he had smelly feet. xx Bye
Leslee Posted Jul 3, 2011, 2:22 pm	Leslee nipped out today to get clothes for Owen so I came along to get a better look at the model shop under Monk bar. It is such a great shop and sells lots of models, and kits. I liked this train set the best. Here is another part of the wall we saw on the way to the supermarket on the way home. This was behind some appartments so tourists don't usually see this part. You can see a big chimney from here too.  It is very old so it can't be knocked down.  This is right outside the supermarket we were heading to. xx By Mom
Leslee Posted Jul 8, 2011, 5:35 pm	Hi Mom, I went to the swimming baths on Sunday.  It is not far away, just 5 minutes to walk. (I didn't go in though - she said it wasn't a good idea.)
Leslee Posted Jul 8, 2011, 5:40 pm	Hi, on Tuesday I went with Owen and Leslee to Grandma's house for tea. We ate braised liver.  Mmmm I enjoyed playing on the piano.  This little cat makes a lot of noise when anyone makes him jump so I played the piano very loudly and he was a very noisey cat! Everyone played on this Eeyore I like Grandma's house.
Leslee Posted Jul 10, 2011, 2:11 pm	HI Mom.  Another rainy weekend.  There were three thunderstorms on Friday night! On Saturday I watched Leslee make Haggis with cabbage and mashed potato. When it aws made it looked so good that I forgot to photograph mine before I ate it! Sorry. Then I watched Leslee make a Monchhichi.  He is not finished yet. xx Bye
Leslee Posted Jul 11, 2011, 9:50 pm	Hi, Karlie made the family tea today! He went out with Leslee to pull up some carrots but aparently they forgot to do it anyway.  Instead, they went shopping and brought food home. The other ToyVoyagers and I came to have a look at all the food. Uh oh!  My bow keeps coming undone!  Leslee is very good at tying bows and keeps helping me with it.  She asked me if I wanted her to put a little stitch in it but I told her that she should ask you first. Then he made coleslaw with the carrots he bought and served it with tuna, potatos and garlic bread. We all came and had a good taste. xx Bye (You can see more abuot Karlies shopping and cooking in his travelog)
Leslee Posted Jul 14, 2011, 10:25 pm	Hi Mom. I went out Geocacheing! Walked for quite a while until we found this one.  It was the first one that Leslee and Owen have ever found! It was very interesting. While we were out and about I did a bit of foraging! Because Leslee doesn't have a car, she uses the cycle track a lot.  The cycle track used to be a traintrack past the chocolate factory and also was used to transport blackberries and fruits to markets. I found: Raspberries Lots and lots of brambles that were not ripe yet.  This one had a cute little sheild bug on it! one ripe bramble cherry plums geese and a dog (black labradore) The dog wanted to come home with us! Oh oh oh and here is that chimney that I saw before but this time I had time to take a photo.  It is called the destructor. TV Phillip is waiting for the computer so I must go  <3 <3  xx Mishuta
Leslee Posted Jul 18, 2011, 7:05 pm	I went to an Indian resaurant for Philips leaving do. Here we all are.  We got dressed up. I made friends with the waiter.  The waiter insisted on holding my hand for a photograph. The food was a bit spicy and made me very thirsty. After the meal we all went out side and had our photograph taken together The photo was taken at Whip Ma Whop Ma Gate.  It is shortest street with the longest name! We walked along a another part of the bar walls We saw an old thing on the floor, I don't know what it is! we found a geocache near here and we spotted an old ice house We went by the river again on the way home and I saw even more geese And I got chance to show the other toyvoyagers how to look for berries. Phew, what an evening!! Bye Love from Mishuta
Leslee Posted Jul 24, 2011, 3:43 pm	I went to the Museum gardens yesterday.  Just a quick visit.  I'll try to take more photos of other parts of it next time like the huge trees, squirrels medieval hospitium, Roman fortress, observatory and Museum. This is St Mary's Abbey inside the gardens. This abbey was built in 1088 but in the 1530s King Henry the 8th banned monasteries and got rid of the monks and used the ABbey for himself when he was passing by this way!  Then it fell to ruin.  That is what Leslee told me anyway. We just came here for a little rest because we all had tired feet. We did some puzzles. The gardens are just here in the middle of town and a great place for people to come to rest or eat their lunches. Then we went to Leslee's friends house to babysit.
Leslee Posted Aug 2, 2011, 12:00 pm	Hi, I went to a park called Homestead park  It was given to the people by Joseph Rowntree, a man who owned the chocolate factory here and did lots of charity work. I played in the play park until I needed a rest The I walked home by the river and met some geese Mmmm, McDonalds for tea on the way home!!
Leslee Posted Aug 3, 2011, 8:19 am	Hi, I am so excited that I am going to the seaside! It was a last minute decision to go for the afternoon.  I went to meet grandma and grandad first and got to see their tomatos and their plums I tried and orange tomato and it was lovely and sweet, but I didn't try a plum because they are not ready yet. Then off I go to the car...
Leslee Posted Aug 7, 2011, 9:20 am	It is Sunday the 7th today but I am going to tell you about the trip to the seaside I had last week on the 3 of August. We are all going camping tomorrow for a week so I have to tell you about the seaside quickly and then I'll be able to tell you all about the camping in the lake distric when I get back. In Bridlington, there were lots of shops like this that sold buckets and spades, mats, balls, kites, raincoats, sunglasses and lots of fun things. Here is the beach at one side of the harbour.  The weather isn't great and it looks a bit dull but it was lovely and refreshing. I walked on the beach for a bit. Owen was looking in the pools between the rocks and the wall.  He found a little fish but it was too fast to photograph. All this seaweed was on the wall.path I was walking on! Look at all the seaweed on here! Little waves splashed up Here is a little fairground for young children There were lots of boats in the harbour.  Mostly fishing boats. This man had been painting his boat ans was having a rest while it dried. I found lobster pots on the fishing peir and anchors Here is the town I made a popple friend in a charity shop We went to McDonalds for lunch and met a smurf and had donuts for pudding Pirate trip anyone? This side of the beach is covered in lovely pebbles People like to make pictures and words out of the pebbles This man was writing a message for his girlfriend. We came here to find a Geocache So next time I update, I can tell you about the lakes here xx Bye
Leslee Posted Aug 7, 2011, 11:12 am	Oh, and I forgot to tell you I went into town on Thursday.  It was raining so I didn't get many photos, but I will show you three. I found the bear shop.  Leslee said it is good for bacon sandwiches and coffee as well as bears.  The bears cost lots of money! This is the Peter Rabbit shop, Beatrix Potter And it rained so much that Leslee went to a hairdressers.  You don't need an appointment here, and she wasn't worried about getting the new hair wet because she doesn't like to pay the £15 for blow drying anyway.  She doesn't feel so silly walking home with damp hair when it is raining.
Leslee Posted Aug 16, 2011, 11:55 am	I went to the Lake distric in a camper van!!! Here I am and the other ToyVoyagers in the van on our way there. I liked looking out of the window As we drove it got hillier and hillier and we even saw a few lakes. We didn't take any photos at the campsite straight away because the ground was very wet and we took a long time to get the tent up and make food. I did take photos the next morning when I woke up very early but I will show you those later xx Bye Mishuta
Leslee Posted Aug 16, 2011, 11:55 pm	I woke up very early at the campsite.  It was very quite but the sun was rising and quite bright.  I was too excited to go back to sleep so I watched the sun rising. It was so lovely I showed it to the other ToyVoyagers and then we went to look over the stone wall to say good morning to the cows. Leslee wanted to climb a very big hill but there wasn't much room in her backpack for ToyVoyagers to rest in, so the others stayed at the camp site watching the cows, sheep and chickens.
Leslee Posted Aug 17, 2011, 12:13 am	Here we had just started top climb Catbells and I looked behind me to see that there were lots of people climbing too. To the side I could see the lake Derwent Water Up and up Eventually I got to the top of the first peak.  I thought I was there already but there was more! From here I could see the valley at the other side Off I went again and after a while I looked back and could see the first peak below me If you were to fly in that direction, you would get to Scotland.  If you look very carefully with the photo big, you might even be able to see Scotland(behing the wind turbines). And here I am!!! I made it to the top of Catbells. I could see so much from up here Phew! I needed some energy replacing after all that! Mmmm, Snickers bar!
Leslee Posted Aug 19, 2011, 7:34 pm	After I climbed Catbells, I had to walk back down again.  It was much quieter climbing down.  All those other people when a different way. This way was pretty, I liked the ferns. Almost back at the campsite, the sky was pretty and there was nearly a full moon. These sheep belong to the farmer who runs the campsite.  There are lots of sheep in the lake district.
Leslee Posted Aug 25, 2011, 10:21 am	I want to show you what I spent a lot of time doing in the campervan while it was raining. Here is Yewlee and me helping Leslee make mini sock monkeys for peoples' Christmas presents. and I walked out into the drizzle to see the cows going for milking. Then it was time to go out in the campervan.  We stopped at a very green place.  It was raining a bit but everyone has good waterproof clothes now. First we met some sheep.  Lots of them.  They all moved when we walked by. These sheep are not kept for profit because they are endangered and are only found in this area.  The grey ones are adults and the black ones are lambs. I could still see big hills I walked into the wood and eventually came to a beautiful and very noisy waterfall. I walked along the river for a while too I got really wet though, so we went to Keswick town. I bought sausage and chips with curry sauce from the chip shop there.  Mmmm.  It was a bit too much for me so Leslee helped me out with the rest. I chose some chocolate to take back to the campervan for the evening.  More Mmmmm.
Leslee Posted Aug 25, 2011, 4:56 pm	When I got to Wastwater in the campervan it wasn't raining so I got out for a good look. It was really lovely but Leslee was rubbish with the camera!!
Leslee Posted Aug 25, 2011, 5:00 pm	I also popped in to St Bees to see what it was like. It is a little seaside town. I got out of the van at the beach to stretch my legs a bit.
Leslee Posted Aug 26, 2011, 3:43 pm	This is Allonby It is a tiny sea side town with this cute river running through it. I found this little place in a church hall to have a scone I had to walk across grassy dunes to get to the beach I loved these blue thistles There were pebbles all over! It was just windy enough to try some kite flying.  If you look carefully you can see it.  It is very high! The others where here too and we played on this bit of wood for a long time. and us bears did some good scavenging and found a feather and a mermaids purse.
Leslee Posted Aug 26, 2011, 5:43 pm	This is my last night camping here.  It still keeps raining here and the groung is sopping wet, but the evening sky is pretty. Tomorrow I go back to Leslee's house but hopefully I should have some fun on the way home too.
Leslee Posted Aug 28, 2011, 11:26 am	Just round the corner from the campsite, is this magical place!  I can't believe it took me until the last day to visit it!! This is Castlerigg, a magical stone circle. It is similar to Stone henge but smaller. I spent a lot of time here trying to imagine why these were built and sharing my theories with the other toyvoyagers.
Leslee Posted Aug 29, 2011, 11:02 am	This place was a pretty suprise. I only realy came here for a drink and a snack and a little walk around. It was a lovely place but my favourite part was watching the sparrows feeding. Cute!
Leslee Posted Aug 29, 2011, 12:09 pm	Hee, look Mum.  I have been meeting animals! I am glad to be back in York and also glad that it is not raining any more!
Leslee Posted Aug 29, 2011, 12:44 pm	I had a lovely walk by the river this morning.  Cody came too.
Leslee Posted Aug 29, 2011, 1:28 pm	Today was fantastic! I went to see a big pond full of Koi carp. This pond has a very big collection of waterlillies.  There are lots of diferent kinds and they are all labeled.  I watched the fish being fed. and then I had a look in the museum, It was a lovely garden with a rockery, victorian garden, aviary, a little wood... and a picnick area :OD I was just here for a little while, and it rainy.  Leslee calls this sort of rain drizzle.  It is not like real rain but you still get very wet. I soon went back to the car to go somewhere else.
Leslee Posted Sep 16, 2011, 7:48 am	Oh, finally I got on the computer!  She ran out of internet because of all the photos this summer but now I can come and tell you about Scarborough. This is where I went after Burnby Hall. It was drizzly but not too cold. I stared off by having a bacon sandwich at the clock cafe. I could see the castle on the hill from here I had a good look in thse rock pools for crabs but I couldn't find any. I got to meet the lifeguards! So I decided to go and see thier big boat. and I left a donation in their money box. I had a look around and went to see the lighthouse but it was really cold so I though it would be a good idea to have tea. I had fish and chips for tea in a restaurant which had a boat for me to play on! The I went to the arcade to play some games. It was a lovely day but I was glad to get home where it was warm and have a cosy game of Risk,
MamiTig Posted Oct 19, 2011, 5:13 am	Mishuta was happy to be out of the envelope and at the new host family's home in Kansas!
MamiTig Posted Oct 20, 2011, 4:21 am	Mishuta enjoyed watching the sun rise over Strickler's Dairy. The cows seemed so peaceful!
MamiTig Posted Oct 21, 2011, 1:18 pm	Haircut day! Mishuta admired S's beautiful, long hair... and her cute, new hair cut!
MamiTig Posted Oct 21, 2011, 1:39 pm	Mishuta and the other TVs visited the Garnett caboose today! It was so fun to explore!
MamiTig Posted Oct 24, 2011, 4:39 am	Mishuta and host mom noticed how lovely the autumn leaves looked on their morning walk today!
MamiTig Posted Oct 25, 2011, 4:25 am	Host mom took a side trip down a country lane on the way to work this morning, to show Mishuta how beautiful it is when the sun rises through the autumn mists!
Leslee Posted Oct 26, 2011, 2:06 pm	I had a lovely snuggle with Leslee's cat visitor
Leslee Posted Oct 26, 2011, 2:12 pm	I was in town again with Leslee shopping and I saw a Roman!  Leslee was really pleased because she wanted me to meet a Viking before I left but there were no Vikings. This Roman man was very friendly and happy to meet me. Now I will have a little rest and then it is time to say good bye to Lesley , Karlie and Blinchick and then I go to Kansas! Byeee
MamiTig Posted Oct 27, 2011, 3:56 am	Mishuta explored in host mom's office today!
MamiTig Posted Oct 28, 2011, 5:56 am	Host mom took Mishuta down to the Neosho River today to show how lovely it looks in the autumn!
MamiTig Posted Oct 29, 2011, 5:50 am	Mishuta made the acquaintance of three pretty princesses on their way to a Halloween ball!
MamiTig Posted Oct 31, 2011, 3:27 am	Mishuta really enjoyed dining at Sweet Tomatoes restaurant The salad bar is fantastic, and the big, orange greeters outside were really nice!
MamiTig Posted Oct 31, 2011, 3:32 am	Mishuta was excited to visit PetsMart, to see the animals! Mishuta met a parakeet, fish, and some little firebelly toads!
MamiTig Posted Nov 1, 2011, 3:16 am	Mishuta wasn't sure whether to be excited or scared with all the Halloween spooktacular things going on!
MamiTig Posted Nov 2, 2011, 3:58 am	Mishuta met the chinchillas today! They were so cute!
MamiTig Posted Nov 3, 2011, 4:31 am	Mishuta thought the waiting room at the dentist's office was very comfortable
MamiTig Posted Nov 6, 2011, 4:09 am	Mishuta had fun exploring Diebolt lumber while host mom ordered supplies for building a new fence.
MamiTig Posted Nov 7, 2011, 1:05 am	Mishuta visited the SDA youth group in Thayer, KS. He enjoyed doing crafts with the kids and exploring the building!
MamiTig Posted Nov 7, 2011, 4:38 am	The weather was lovely today, with a cool late fall crispness in the air. Mishuta and the host family went for a drive in the countryside to enjoy the afternoon.
MamiTig Posted Nov 8, 2011, 3:06 am	Today was cold and rainy.
MamiTig Posted Nov 10, 2011, 3:33 am	Mishuta joined host mom for an early morning cup of stout coffee!
MamiTig Posted Nov 11, 2011, 2:07 am	Mishuta enjoyed the chilly morning at Garnett's south lake!
MamiTig Posted Nov 12, 2011, 6:05 am	Mishuta helped unpack the costumes for the Christmas play. The halos were beautiful!
MamiTig Posted Nov 13, 2011, 1:54 am	Mishuta went to Sabbath school today!
MamiTig Posted Nov 14, 2011, 12:01 am	Mishuta tried some really delicious food at El Charro's! Mishuta really likes Mexican food!
MamiTig Posted Nov 15, 2011, 2:07 am	Mishuta visited Garnett today and enjoyed the lovely architectural details!
MamiTig Posted Nov 17, 2011, 4:02 am	Mishuta went to the post office with host mom today. She needed to get postcard stamps and a box to mail grandma's Christmas presents.
MamiTig Posted Nov 18, 2011, 3:24 am	Host mom noticed how pretty the frost looked on the back porch this morning! She gathered up Mishuta and the other TVs to take a quick photo shoot at the park, to see the frost and the river, before work!
MamiTig Posted Nov 20, 2011, 6:43 pm	The host family got very excited about "National Adoption Day."! They got in the car and drove 2-1/2 hours to Exploration Place. They played and played, then went to see the judge! Paperwork was signed and everyone was even more excited, so they played and played some more. What a fabulous day!
MamiTig Posted Nov 22, 2011, 5:30 am	Mishuta enjoyed the RiverTree Chilli Cookoff and Wii Bowling Tournament!
MamiTig Posted Nov 23, 2011, 4:18 am	Mishuta met the snowmen that host mom and the kids created!
MamiTig Posted Nov 24, 2011, 2:42 am	Host mom took Mishuta and the other TVs to the town square to see the Santa house! Mishuta peeked in the window but Santa wasn't there yet. It's looking a lot like Christmas!
MamiTig Posted Nov 24, 2011, 5:11 pm	Host mom was cooking delicious things this morning and asked Mishuta to help with the chocolate pie! Mishuta got to add the pudding mix. Host mom said that today is Thanksgiving, when Americans gather with loved ones to share a feast and reflect on the things they are grateful for. Host mom told him that one thing she is really grateful for the seven little blessings that call her mom.
MamiTig Posted Nov 25, 2011, 5:47 am	After a delicious Thanksgiving meal, host mom and some of the kids went for a hike, to find a cemetery that is about 200 years old. They had to climb over barbed wire fences and through a forest of thorny trees. But, they saw beautiful scenery along the way!
MamiTig Posted Nov 26, 2011, 5:15 am	Mishuta went arm chair traveling today, looking through the postcards that host mom has gotten from participating in postcrossings!
MamiTig Posted Nov 27, 2011, 2:13 am	Mishuta went to meet someone very exciting today... Santa!
MamiTig Posted Nov 27, 2011, 4:25 am	Mishuta liked the fabric host mom chose... wonder what she is making?!
MamiTig Posted Nov 27, 2011, 3:35 pm	Mishuta helped decorate the Christmas tree. The TVs all thought it turned out great!
MamiTig Posted Nov 29, 2011, 5:26 am	Mishuta enjoyed watching host mom's sewing projects take shape. Host mom says she has two more of the dresses to make!
MamiTig Posted Dec 1, 2011, 3:23 am	Mishuta waited patiently in the car while host mom went grocery shopping at Wal-mart. Then he helped pack the groceries into the trunk
MamiTig Posted Dec 2, 2011, 1:56 am	Host mom took Mishuta and the other TVs to see the Canada geese at the south lake in Garnett. She said the geese winter here, and in a couple of months, there will be goslings!
MamiTig Posted Dec 3, 2011, 6:51 pm	Oh goody, a road trip! Mishuta was excited!
MamiTig Posted Dec 3, 2011, 6:56 pm	Mishuta was excited to arrive at the Arkansas Anime Festival... he helped unpack and then ate at Waffle House, then goofed around!
MamiTig Posted Dec 4, 2011, 4:59 am	Mishuta had even more fun at Arkansas Anime Festival today!
MamiTig Posted Dec 5, 2011, 3:21 am	On the way home from the Arkansas Anime Festival, the host family stopped to take the TVs to the Precious Moments Chapel. It is a beautiful place, and very peaceful there.
MamiTig Posted Dec 6, 2011, 5:25 am	Mishuta and the other TVs crowded in to get a look at host mom's new project!
MamiTig Posted Dec 7, 2011, 2:03 am	Mishuta was excited to see the new snow! There wasn't much, but it sure was pretty (and cold)!
MamiTig Posted Dec 9, 2011, 3:56 am	Mishuta got to see the ethanol plant in Garnett today. They distill corn to make ethanol fuel, as well as a very high protein cattle feed. It always smells like delicious yeast around the ethanol plant.
MamiTig Posted Dec 10, 2011, 4:17 am	Host mom took Mishuta to the Neosho River, near the dam, to see the river and the trees. There sure aren't any autumn leaves left, and the water is low.
MamiTig Posted Dec 11, 2011, 7:27 am	Mishuta visited Chanute today and got to see the cement plant.
MamiTig Posted Dec 12, 2011, 4:17 am	Mishuta was happy to see host mom's project turn into Imp Midna from Twilight Princess Zelda.
MamiTig Posted Dec 13, 2011, 4:12 am	Mmmmm! Mishuta couldn't wait to try host mom's nacho casserole!
MamiTig Posted Dec 14, 2011, 5:25 am	Mishuta went to the middle school Christmas concert today!
MamiTig Posted Dec 15, 2011, 4:00 am	Mishuta got to attend host mom's Iola office Christmas party today. It was so much fun! Mishuta explored the Christmas tree, then enjoyed the yummy feast!
MamiTig Posted Dec 17, 2011, 4:09 am	Mishuta wondered if this giant sushi would be edible... but soon found that it turned into a wiggly fish!
MamiTig Posted Dec 18, 2011, 4:52 am	Mishuta and the other TVs visited the Strawberry Hill Museum in Kansas City, Kansas! They were all disappointed that there were no pictures allowed inside because it was so amazing, with all the cultural displays- especially the Ukrainian one. They did get some of the outside!
MamiTig Posted Dec 18, 2011, 4:54 am	Mishuta decided that he loves Mongolian BBQ. Watching the cooks work on that huge, hot grill was really fascinating!
MamiTig Posted Dec 20, 2011, 5:22 am	After a long day of shopping, the host family took Mishuta out to China Star!
MamiTig Posted Dec 20, 2011, 5:23 am	Mishuta had a wonderful time at the Classique dance studio Christmas party. He learned about line dancing and got to be in an indoor "snowball" fight!
MamiTig Posted Dec 21, 2011, 4:52 am	Mishuta enjoyed the elementary school's Christmas program! The theme was peace on earth.
MamiTig Posted Dec 23, 2011, 4:14 am	Mishuta met the dwarf rats and the rat terrier!
MamiTig Posted Dec 23, 2011, 4:15 am	Mishuta went to host mom's Garnett office Christmas party. He got to help with preparing fry bread!
MamiTig Posted Dec 24, 2011, 6:31 am	Mishuta enjoyed having lunch at Pizza Hut today!
MamiTig Posted Dec 25, 2011, 5:59 am	Mishuta  went to church with the host family, for a special Christmas eve service. There were traditional songs, Christmas themed stories, and a Nativity play!
MamiTig Posted Dec 25, 2011, 6:01 am	Mishuta's host family took a friend back to Garnett in the afternoon, then stopped off at the South Lake to enjoy the sunshine before heading home. Mishuta found a lost red mitten!
MamiTig Posted Dec 26, 2011, 3:23 am	Mishuta was so excited to see what was in all those Christmas packages!
MamiTig Posted Dec 29, 2011, 2:43 am	Mishuta played with the boys today, while host mom was at work.
MamiTig Posted Dec 30, 2011, 4:07 am	Mishuta hung out with the kids again today! They went to the elementary school playground. The school just got a new fort, which was made and donated by one of the janitors! The kids said he must love them!
MamiTig Posted Dec 31, 2011, 5:39 am	Host mom painted her daughter's fingernails!
MamiTig Posted Dec 31, 2011, 10:31 pm	Mishuta helped make the last breakfast of the year! It was a delicious sandwich made with slices of granny smith apple, peanut butter, and toasted raisin bread!
MamiTig Posted Jan 1, 2012, 6:34 am	Mishuta met ferrets today!
MamiTig Posted Jan 1, 2012, 10:07 pm	Mishuta liked the costume host mom finished today... she said it's called Whismur!
MamiTig Posted Jan 3, 2012, 3:22 am	Mishuta went to Aquarium Wholesale and watched the saltwater fish today. He noticed a very tiny starfish on the glass- it was so cute!
MamiTig Posted Jan 5, 2012, 3:33 am	Host mom took Mishuta to Wal-mart today. He marveled at all of the lovely Valentine's candy!
MamiTig Posted Jan 6, 2012, 4:45 am	Mishuta helped host mom run errands on the town square in Garnett today. The huge brick building is the city hall.
MamiTig Posted Jan 7, 2012, 3:30 am	Mishuta wondered what the strange purple thing taking shape on the kitchen counter might be!
MamiTig Posted Jan 7, 2012, 11:38 pm	One of the TVs in our group has a life goal of visiting cemeteries, so host mom took us to see the old Iola cemetery. Some of the headstones date back to the 1800s. Some of them are quite elaborate, while others are quite plain!
MamiTig Posted Jan 8, 2012, 6:36 pm	Mishuta helped host mom figure out how to use her new Christmas present. It made yummy little cupcakes!
MamiTig Posted Jan 8, 2012, 6:39 pm	Mishuta went to youth group with the host family. They had a fantastic time, with all the songs, crafts, and good food!
MamiTig Posted Jan 11, 2012, 1:51 am	Host mom said that this strange thing is called "Exploud" and it's a Pokemon!
MamiTig Posted Jan 11, 2012, 1:53 am	Host mom is working on some very unusual boots!
MamiTig Posted Jan 12, 2012, 2:52 am	Host mom said she's making progress. The boots look to be turning rather purple...
MamiTig Posted Jan 13, 2012, 1:29 am	Mishuta was eager to help with snow removal!
MamiTig Posted Jan 15, 2012, 12:56 am	Today we went to a magical kingdom... full of duckies! It was a wonderful place to play!
MamiTig Posted Jan 16, 2012, 5:41 am	Mishuta went to the Kansas City Reptile Expo today. There were soooo many things to see! Some were cute and some were rather creepy crawly... and some were just a bit scary!
MamiTig Posted Jan 18, 2012, 3:31 am	Mishuta and the other TVs were quite curious about the strange projects host mom was working on. She said they're coming along, but they aren't finished yet.
MamiTig Posted Jan 21, 2012, 4:20 am	Host mom says she still isn't finished, but she's making good progress...
MamiTig Posted Jan 22, 2012, 3:51 am	Mishuta played with the dwarf rats today. They are so cute!
MamiTig Posted Jan 23, 2012, 4:20 am	Mishuta enjoyed looking at the children's art projects, and decided this one was today's favorite!
MamiTig Posted Jan 26, 2012, 4:59 am	Host mom took the TVs to her favorite place at the Neosho River today. Usually it's iced over and covered in snow this time of year, but this year- just low water and naked trees.
MamiTig Posted Jan 28, 2012, 3:41 am	Mishuta enjoyed dining on doughnuts for breakfast!
MamiTig Posted Jan 29, 2012, 3:24 am	Mishuta went to Sabbath school and church supper today. Afterward there were goats in the parking lot!
MamiTig Posted Jan 30, 2012, 4:20 am	Mishuta keeps having a strange feeling that the zombie apocalypse has begun...
MamiTig Posted Jan 31, 2012, 4:34 am	Today we ate lunch at a Mexican food restaurant in Topeka. The food looked yummy, but it didn't taste nearly as good as the food at our favorite local restaurant, El Charro.
MamiTig Posted Feb 2, 2012, 1:26 pm	Mishuta helped host mom make dinner tonight!
MamiTig Posted Feb 3, 2012, 5:10 am	Mishuta went with host mom and one of the host daughters to an orthopedic clinic appointment at Children's Mercy Hospital.
MamiTig Posted Feb 3, 2012, 5:12 am	Mmmmmm... Indian food at Korma Sutra for lunch!
MamiTig Posted Feb 3, 2012, 5:15 am	Today was a 13th birthday celebration!
MamiTig Posted Feb 5, 2012, 6:40 am	Mishuta helped host mom make lunch today. She called it "pasta with hit the pan salsa." It was simple and soooo delicious!
MamiTig Posted Feb 5, 2012, 6:43 am	Mishuta had so much fun, visiting the Thayer SDA youth group again!
MamiTig Posted Feb 6, 2012, 3:22 am	Mishuta and the other TVs crowded around to see Anastaysia's new dress that host mom made for her!
MamiTig Posted Feb 8, 2012, 5:22 am	Yummmm.... host mom made something really delicious for dinner!
MamiTig Posted Feb 13, 2012, 5:47 am	Mishuta was very excited to go to Naka-Kon, a big anime convention! The first night was just checking in and checking out the hotel. He also got to go to a discussion about "lolita fashion."
MamiTig Posted Feb 13, 2012, 5:48 am	Mishuta enjoyed relaxing in the hotel room between events. The host family was so happy to win an award in the cosplay contest!
MamiTig Posted Feb 14, 2012, 4:53 am	It was the last day of Naka-Kon. So sad to say goodbye. We went and took one last look at the dealer's room!
MamiTig Posted Feb 14, 2012, 4:56 am	We had to stop through Topeka on the way home, so we stopped to eat dinner at Red Robin.
MamiTig Posted Feb 15, 2012, 4:37 am	Mishuta was happy to get outside and play in the snow that finally arrived!
MamiTig Posted Feb 15, 2012, 4:40 am	Mishuta enjoyed looking through the children's Valentines!
MamiTig Posted Feb 17, 2012, 5:23 am	Mishuta poked through host mom's stack of current favorite CDs to find something good to listen to
MamiTig Posted Feb 18, 2012, 5:09 am	Host mom and her daughter finished sewing a skirt for the daughter (that matches Anastaysia's dress), so we tried it on!
MamiTig Posted Feb 20, 2012, 5:14 am	It was lovely outside, so the host family took Mishuta and the other TVs for a ride in the countryside! It isn't quite spring yet, but there are signs that it will be here soon!
MamiTig Posted Feb 21, 2012, 3:49 am	Mishuta couldn't resist trying on the dress that host mom made for her littlest daughter. Host mom says she has one more to make, so that the girls can be matching dark angels in a play they are practicing for.
MamiTig Posted Feb 22, 2012, 4:06 am	Host mom was sewing again today... all the TVs gathered around to see what she'd done to this black hoodie. Hiding in the pockets were little zombies, whose pocket homes on the hoodie make them toys who will do a lot of traveling!
MamiTig Posted Feb 24, 2012, 2:55 am	It was beautiful this morning, like springtime, so host mom took Mishuta to the Neosho River to see if the trees had any signs of leaves yet. They didn't, but it was still lovely to stretch out in the sunshine!
MamiTig Posted Feb 25, 2012, 4:28 am	Host mom started a new sewing project today! It sure has a lot of pieces and a lot of fabric!
MamiTig Posted Feb 27, 2012, 5:06 am	We stopped at the arboretum in Lawrence to stretch our legs today. It doesn't look like much today, but host mom says that in a few months it will be green, filled with flowers, and gorgeous!
MamiTig Posted Feb 27, 2012, 5:07 am	The water tower in Topeka is HUGE!
MamiTig Posted Feb 27, 2012, 5:08 am	CiCi's Pizza sure tasted good after a long day of voyaging!
MamiTig Posted Feb 28, 2012, 2:50 am	Host mom had just a little extra time this morning, so she took us to a place called Twin Trestles on the way to work. The railroads used to come through here, but they don't any more. The local teenagers use this as a party hangout in the summer, and when it rains in the spring, it floods and the road is impassible. It is said to be haunted. Host mom said she'll bring us back here some time when there's more time to explore and look at all the graffiti.
MamiTig Posted Feb 29, 2012, 3:46 am	Mishuta met a beautiful little dark angel today. She was a little scary at first, but hugged him so sweetly!
MamiTig Posted Mar 1, 2012, 2:47 am	Host mom showed me one of the Iola water towers, so we could see how much smaller it is than the Topeka water tower. She said there are a variety of interesting water towers all over Kansas, and I might get to see more in the future!
MamiTig Posted Mar 2, 2012, 5:43 am	Host mom took us on a road trip today and stopped for gas at Love's Truck Stop! She complained at the price of gas, but said she stopped here because it's more than ten cents per gallon cheaper than anywhere else in the area!
MamiTig Posted Mar 3, 2012, 2:20 am	Host mom took me for a walk down the back alley during her lunch hour, to look for signs of spring! This is what we found.
MamiTig Posted Mar 3, 2012, 10:49 pm	Host mom promised to take us back to Twin Trestles for more pictures when she had more time, and she did! I played with the kids and had a wonderful time exploring!
MamiTig Posted Mar 5, 2012, 4:53 am	Host mom took us to see another water tower, in Gas City. It's called Gas (or Gas City) because there was a lot of natural gas mined here in the late 1800s. The water tower is painted to look like a giant gas can!
MamiTig Posted Mar 6, 2012, 4:25 am	Host mom took me outside to get some fresh air, and told me a little about the house next door. The kids say that it is haunted. It belonged to a little old man, who was about 95 years old when his children decided that he needed more care and he moved in, across town, with his daughter. The house had fallen into considerable disrepair, but was purchased last summer and it's in the beginning stages of renovation. They cleared away what seemed like an entire forest of trees and weeds, and put on a new roof. We can't wait to see what they do next!
MamiTig Posted Mar 7, 2012, 4:50 am	Mishuta went exploring in the critter room today. Mishuta said hello to Steve the lizard (he sure is good at hiding... he's just to the right of the middle of the photo!) and played with baby hedgehogs
MamiTig Posted Mar 8, 2012, 2:58 am	Host mom didn't have much time today, but I wanted to go outside, so she took me out to the back alley to see what I could see on this windy, windy day!
MamiTig Posted Mar 9, 2012, 3:03 am	Host mom took me to work today. I found the "Books are Fun" bin and I just had to explore! Books are Fun is a company that brings books and things to the workplace so people can look and then order what they like at a discounted price.
MamiTig Posted Mar 10, 2012, 5:55 am	Mishuta helped the youth group kids make birthday cards for Elwin, who turns 91 tomorrow!
MamiTig Posted Mar 12, 2012, 1:51 am	Mishuta enjoyed Sabbath school, and luncheon afterward! It was nice to wish Elwin a happy 91st birthday, but Mishuta forgot to get his picture with the lovely cake.
MamiTig Posted Mar 12, 2012, 2:36 am	Mishuta  was so happy that it was time for Thayer SDA youth group again It was so fun to sing, make calendars, and eat!
MamiTig Posted Mar 12, 2012, 2:43 am	Host mom grumbled about how gas prices are going up again... and this is the cheapest gas in the area
MamiTig Posted Mar 12, 2012, 4:31 am	One of the TVs in our group has a life goal of visiting cemeteries, so we stopped at Foster Cemetery while in Topeka today!
MamiTig Posted Mar 12, 2012, 5:03 am	After a long day of voyaging, we were hungry!! Host mom took us to CiCi's Pizza in Lawrence again, yum!
MamiTig Posted Mar 13, 2012, 3:05 am	It was so lovely outside this evening that host mom grabbed a few of the kids and the TVs, and walked down to Hillbrant House to see what's blooming! Mishuta will be leaving soon, and heading to China, so it will be very different there.
MamiTig Posted Mar 14, 2012, 3:40 am	Today, host mom took me walking in the opposite direction, where she said there was a lovely Bradford pear tree that she wanted to photograph me with. Then we walked over to the Cottonwood Garden where we found one bush blooming with dainty, white flowers. On the way home, she showed me one of her favorite houses. She said it was built in the late 1800s! Host mom said that she is very excited for me, that by Friday at the latest, I will be on my way to China!
MamiTig Posted Mar 15, 2012, 3:37 am	Mishuta is on his way to China!
qball Posted Mar 24, 2012, 3:43 pm	After several days of travel, I finally arrived at Beijing! My new host looked very happy. She said she had been waiting for me for nearly one week. Today, I met some new friends: a tiger and a dragon. They are not only toys, but related to Chinese animal zodiac. In China, there is a group of twelve animals representing a circle of twelve years. To be brief, every year is assigned an animal name according to a repeating cycle. And it is the year of the dragon now. Er, can you guess the meaning of the tiger? The answer is my host was born in a tiger year! It is so interesting.
qball Posted Mar 26, 2012, 3:21 pm	Hey! I will go to Shanghai, another big city in China, tomorrow. I'm so exciting. Waiting for my photos. (My host won't take her laptop in this trip, so please wait until firday or saturday when we come back.)
qball Posted Apr 1, 2012, 3:23 am	From Beijing to Shanghai: I went to Beijing Capital International Airport by subway this morning. There are more than10 subway lines in the city. It is very convenient. I took some photoes there and also in the airport. After 2 hours flight, we arrived in Shanghai. The hotel is so great, big, clean and comfortable. There is a huge thermometer like a chimney which was built for the world EXPO in 2010. I also passed by the EXPO China national pavilion. Er, it is a unique building that looks like a red crowm. It is closed now, a little pity, so I only took a photo outside it.
qball Posted Apr 2, 2012, 3:10 pm	My host addent meetings for the whole day, and I waited her in the garden of the hotel. The flowers there are very beautifull. We tried some local food in the evening. They call it "shengjian" which means pan-fried bun stuffed with pork. It is delicious! I like it very much. And I used chopsticks for the first time, a little difficult for me. Haha.
qball Posted Apr 2, 2012, 4:00 pm	We went back to Beijing today. It's a little pity that we had no enough time to visit the most famous place in Shanghai. It was rainy when we reached Shanghai airport. But when the airplane rose to a certain height, blue sky appeared. And the most important, I saw sunset in the sky! So lucky!
qball Posted Apr 8, 2012, 12:27 pm	Spring is coming, and flowers are blooming! Today I went to the Ming Dynasty city wall relics park. The city wall left there are only part of the whole city wall in Ming Dynasty. It has a history of more than 580 years, and it was the only section of the Beijing's inner wall remaining.
qball Posted Apr 16, 2012, 2:55 pm	Today I watched an opera called "The flying dutchman" in the national centre for the performing arts. It's a story about a ghost ship that can never make port, doomed to sail the oceans forever until true love arrives. The building looks like a bright pearl. There are opera house, concert hall, theatre, and multi-functional theatre in it. People come here for opera, music, dance, drama or only to visit it.
qball Posted Apr 16, 2012, 3:56 pm	We went boating today. I saw some pavilions, and I met ducks and gooses in the lake. After boating, we lay on the lawm, watching the petals falling. A wonderful day in spring!
qball Posted Apr 25, 2012, 4:22 pm	My friend Longlong, a cute panda, took me to see real pandas in Beijing zoo. When we got there, a panda was sleeping. It is a 20 years male one, whose name is Dadi means ground. Pandas can live more than 30 years under captive breeding. We also saw other animals like qiraffes, tigers, and golden monkeys.
qball Posted Apr 30, 2012, 3:07 pm	We went to 2012 Beijing international automotive exhibition today. The exhibition, organized every two years, lasts for one week. Many visitors came to see new cars this weekend. Very interesting.
qball Posted May 9, 2012, 4:04 pm	There are some glass bottles, and We tried paint on them. My host said the gouache had not been used for about 6 years. So we first checked it. Fortunately, only 4 of 12 color can't be used any more. Then we started our work. We drew sky, grass, tree and buildings. It is successful in general, although the picture looks a little dark. Maybe  we can make a better one next time.
qball Posted May 14, 2012, 3:49 pm	We went to Tian'anmen Square, which is one of the largest city squares in the world. It is situated in the heart of Beijing. Tian'anmen was built in 1417 and was the entrance gate to the Forbidden City. The museum of Chinese History is also located in the square. Countdown clocks will be on the museum's white wall when major event coming (for example: 2008 Olympic Games). We also visited the Imperial Ancestral Temple. It is nearby the Forbidden City. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, sacrificial ceremonies were held here on the most important festival occasions in honor of the imperial family's ancestors.
qball Posted May 14, 2012, 3:56 pm	First built in the 10th century, Beihai Park was an imperial garden. It contains numerous historically important structures, palaces and temples. There is a special place called Nine dragon wall. It is made of glaze bricks of seven colors. Nine complete dragons playing in the clouds decorate both sides of the wall. We also saw people dancing and excercising in park.
qball Posted May 20, 2012, 2:43 pm	Panda, donkey, and I went to the temple of heaven. Donkey is a new friend of us. He is a toyvoyager from Germany. And this is his first travel. We are so happy to meet each other. The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420. In old days, emperor came here to worship heaven for good harvests. Circular Mound Altar is also a important building in the temple. We had a photo there, on a stone called heavenly centre stone. When we talked on the special stone, our voice sounded particularly resonant and sonorous. It is magical.
qball Posted May 20, 2012, 2:47 pm	There are lots of paintings in national art museum of China. We spent nearly a whole day there. After that, we had meals in a restaurant. It is very delicious. When we got home, my host told me I would go to England for a new trip tomorrow. It is exciting.
qball Posted May 20, 2012, 2:50 pm	I'm so happy these days in China. Maybe, I will be back to see other beautiful places in this county someday. Now I'm already on my way to England. It will take about 10-15 days.
Snamoen Posted Jun 1, 2012, 9:23 pm	Hi Mum! I've arrived safely in Hexham and was greeted by many TVs.  Here I am with Flummi, Sheela, Huhn, Paula Hip and Lizzy Lizard. We went for a walk - this is the view right outside of hostmum's house. We went to something called the 'Brunton Turret'.  I wan't sure what it was. Apparently the turrent is part of Hadrian’s Wall, which, in its heyday, was a wall that was 200km long and 10m high in some places!  It was built under the command of the Roman Emperor, Hadrian, in AD122.  It completely divided England from Scotland and served to protect the Roman Empire from the Scots. Here I am, can you see me? A close-up of me on the wall. On the way back to hostmum's house, some sheep came and said hello! Then when we got back to hostmum's house, I met Snoopy, her cat.  She's very sweet! That's two more animals that I've had a picture with!! Bye, Mishuta
Snamoen Posted Jun 4, 2012, 3:14 pm	Hi Mum, You'll never guess what!!!  Today we all went to Durham, because that's where hostmum goes to university.  We went to one of the colleges there to visit one of hostmum's friends.  Guess who the friend was?!  It was Gizalba, my first ever host! It was so nice to see her again - we had a lot of catching up to do.  I also met Edelweiss and Tapsi, who she is currently hosting. We spent the day at her college, exploring the college grounds.  Here we all are by the pond (which needs a good clean by the looks of it!). Then we saw this war memorial, which is dedicated to those brave soldiers that lost their lives in the first World War. Here I am with the war memorial and Durham Cathedral in the background. And look - I saw a rainbow, isn't it pretty? It started to get a little bit chilly, so we all posed together one last time with the Cathedral in the background. Then we went inside and had a game of Monopoly on the machine in the bar.  I got a few questions right, but unfortunately lost the game! Then, to finish off the day, I had a very yummy cocktail.  But don't worry Mum, I was very sensible and only had a little bit! Bye, Mishuta
Snamoen Posted Jun 8, 2012, 6:52 pm	Hi Mum! What a special day today was!  Hostmum's college at university threw an Alice in Wonderland themed party, it was so much fun! First we watched the Disney movie.  It was great - the Mad Hatter is absolutely crazy...  Then we went outside and were met with quite a sight.  Giant games and decorations everywhere!  Here I am with a mushroom - I feel so small... Then we went bowling.  Unfortunately, my team didn't win.  It was a lot of fun though. Next, we played checkers.  Look how big it is!  I felt like Alice did, after she had drank the magic potion that made her shrink.  Everything was so big!! It was a lot of fun, even though we lost again. We also played four in a row, which was a lot of fun. This time, my team won!  We were yellow, can you spot the four in a row? It was such a great day Mum, it felt really magical, like we really had gone down a rabbit hole and ended up in Wonderland.  Amazing! Bye, Mishuta
Snamoen Posted Jun 16, 2012, 10:43 am	Hi Mum! Today a package arrived, I wonder who could be inside it? Not one, but two Toyvoyagers!  It's Niiskuneiti and HelgaHH. We made sure to make them feel very welcome. Since they had been travelling for so long, we thought it would be nice to have a relaxing evening, so we decided to play Disney's version of Trivial Pursuit. I decided to be brown. The game lasted for quite a while! We didn't want to make the game too easy though.  So when someone landed on the square to get a cheese, we asked them a question from the normal Trivial Pursuit.  In this picture, the question I asked was 'Which Shakespeare title-character had a Mum called Gertrude'?  Do you know the answer? The answer is Hamlet! Unfortunately, I didn't win, but it was still a fun game. Bye, Mishuta
Snamoen Posted Jun 16, 2012, 4:50 pm	Hi Mum, I saw the Olympic Torch today! We went early and made sure we had a good view.  We sat and waited for quite a while. There were quite a lot of police around. And then... we saw it, the Olympic Torch. It was pretty neat to see it! Bye, Mishuta
Snamoen Posted Jun 28, 2012, 6:47 pm	Hi Mum! Today we went to Derwent Resevoir. The resevoir is just under 5km wide and can hold up to 11 million gallons of water, and provides water for almost half of the North East of England.  The coastline around it runs for about 7km. I went exploring and saw lots of animals!  Here I am with an 'Oystercatcher' in the background. Here I am with a couple of horses. And here I am with a pheasent. Bye, Mishuta
Snamoen Posted Jul 8, 2012, 2:31 pm	Hi Mum, I've been in Essex this past week.  Essex is where hostmum's Grandparents live.  Because hostmum's Nana has just been released from hospital, hostmum went down to help out around the house.  This means that I haven't had a chance to go out and explore - but that's okay, I've been having a lot of fun with all the animals that live at hostmum's Grandparents' house! Can you believe it - they have FIVE animals!  This means that I'm 5 steps closer to completing one of my life missions! Here I am with Summer.  She's such a cutie.  She's only 1 1/2 years old, so really she's just a big puppy.  I love playing with her, and she is very gentle with me.  I think she realises that I'm not one of her toys.  I'm having a lot of fun with her! Next, we have Honey.  Honey is very mischevious and is always wanting to play.  I could be stroking her one minute, and the next minute she's caught me in her paws and is licking me.  She nibbles on me a bit, but again, she's very gentle.  You can see in this picture that she doesn't really want her picture taken - she wants to play! This fluffy gentleman is Tosca.  He loves nothing more than to be stroked and cuddled.  He loves to jump up into hostmum's arms while she's busy in the kitchen.  I think hostmum appreciated that I was giving him lots of attention, because it meant that she could get on with work. And here is Jessie.  She's 15 years old, so is quite an old lady.  Hostmum says that in her heyday she was also really mischevious, like Honey.  But old age has mellowed her out, and now she keeps an eye on the other three to make sure they don't cause too much mischief.  She likes nothing more than having a nap in the sun, and having her belly rubbed. Lastly, this is Mr. Pickles.  He's a tortoise and loves scurrying around the kitchen floor.  For some reason, he likes feet a lot, so hostmum had to be careful when walking around in case she accidentaly kicked him.  And I discovered something really funny - he has a ticklish spot on the end of his shell! So as you can see, I'm having a great time with all the animals here!  Bye, Mishuta
Snamoen Posted Jul 10, 2012, 7:30 pm	Hi Mum, I'm leaving for my next destination today.  I'm quite excited!  But first I had to say bye to all the TV friends I met whilst staying here.  It was quite an emotional day! First I said goodbye to HelgaHH. Then I said bye to Niiskuneiti. Next was Lizzy Lizard. Followed by Sheela. Then I said goodbye to Flummi. Then Paula Hip wished me a pleasent journey. And lastly, Huhn and I said goodbye to each other.  Huhn is leaving today as well. Once I had said my goodbyes, it was time to write a thank you card for my new host. And now... now I'm waiting for hostmum to drive to the post office so Huhn and I can be on our way.  I've had a great time here and have made many new friends, and met some old friends as well.  I'm sad to be leaving, but I can't wait to continue my adventure. Oops - better go, hostmum is saying she's ready to drive us to the post office. Bye! Mishuta
QuamQuam Posted Jul 21, 2012, 5:25 pm	Hello Mummy, now I'm in Berlin, the capital of Germany . I was friendly welcomed by my host Marie and she showed me round her flat. Then I met two other tv's!! Their names are Tiplitaps from Germany and Kuromi-chan from Singapore. I was also welcomed by Klea, Marie's cute guinea pig. I'm really happy to be here. You'll hear from me Greetings Mishuta
QuamQuam Posted Jul 30, 2012, 2:59 pm	Oh Mummy, we saw soooo many sights today! Marie started with us at the "Weltzeituhr" (world clock). As the name already says, it shows the time around the world. It is also a famous meeting point. We went on to the "Fernsehturm" (television tower). With its 365 meters it is the second highest television tower although I can't imagine that there is something higher than this . Anyway, the next sight we saw was the "Marienkirche" (Church of Our Lady). It is one of the oldest churches in Berlin. Right next to it was the "Neptunbrunnen" (Neptune Fountain). It looked very impressive. If we turned around we could see the "Rotes Rathaus" (Red Townhall). The "Berliner Dom" (Berlin Dome) and the "Spree" right opposite to it also looked beautiful. The last and the coolest sight we saw was the "Brandenburger Tor" (Brandenburg Gate). It marks the border between east- and west Berlin. I love to learn new things. That's what toyvoyagers is all about, or not? Greetings Mishuta
QuamQuam Posted Jul 30, 2012, 3:51 pm	Tiplitaps left us today . But fortunately Kuromi-chan is still here .
QuamQuam Posted Aug 1, 2012, 1:47 pm	A new tv arrived: Stoker from Germany! He is a very nice guy and he likes Kuromi-chan and me, too .
QuamQuam Posted Aug 12, 2012, 4:48 pm	LIGHT, CAMERA, ACTION! We spent a great day at the Filmpark in Babelsberg. There were many things to see. At first we went to a restaurant which looked very medieval. We could even sit on a throne! Then we had a look at a cowboy town and watched a stunt show. We also visited "Panama", a place which is described in a children's book by Janosch. It was so nice there . Now I know why the tiger and the bear in this book wanted to find this place . Overall in the Filmpark there were statues of filmscenes. We saw the for example "Münchhausen". You can read something about him on the last picture. I love you, Mummy. Mishuta
QuamQuam Posted Aug 16, 2012, 6:06 pm	Hello Mum, today Stoker, Kuromi-chan and I visited the zoo in Leipzig. After one and a half our by train we finally arrived at the central railway station. From there we took the tram to the zoo. We saw different animals like monkeys, zebras, meerkats, turtles, elephants and many more as you can see. We also visited "Gondwanaland", a big Tropical Hall. Inside I felt like I was in a real rainforest! Doesn't it look great? Greetings Mishuta
QuamQuam Posted Aug 27, 2012, 1:37 pm	Hi Mummy, Stoker and I visited a Trümmerberg (mountain of rubble) together with Marie and her family. It is called like this because it consists of debris from World War II. Now everything is covered with plants and we took a little walk. On our way we collected many elderberries, you can see them on the fifth photo. At home we made soup out of them, I liked it very much . I miss you, Mum Mishuta
QuamQuam Posted Sep 1, 2012, 11:26 am	Today is our last day together because tomorrow Kuromi-chan and I will travel to our next hosts. So we made a little farewell dinner: "Crostini"- slices of baguette with tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, basil and olive oil. At first we cut the baguette. Then we cut the tomatoes and mixed them with the other ingredients. When we were ready we put the mixture on the baguette slices. The dinner was sooo good . Greetings Mishuta
QuamQuam Posted Sep 1, 2012, 11:29 am	BYE, MUMMY! SEE YOU AT THE NEXT HOST!
Thomisa Posted Sep 8, 2012, 11:36 am	Hi Mum! Well, here I am back in the UK! I'm very excited to be here again, as it's a great place.  I had lots of fun at my last host though and was sad to leave. I have lots of great memories though. Here's me getting out of the box I travelled in: And this is me with Krumelknirps. He's another ToyVoyager who's from Germany. I'm sure we will have a great time together. Anyway, I'd better go as I'm very tired after all that travelling. Will write again soon. Love, Mishuta xxx
Thomisa Posted Sep 8, 2012, 11:42 am	Hi Mum, I slept really well last night and woke up ready for a day exploring my new host's house! This is a kitchen cupboard: Mmm, I spotted Nutella! This is me looking out into the garden: Look at that climbing frame! It looks like so much fun! I can't wait to play on it with my host brother and sister. And here I am going upstairs... More later. I'm off to do some playing! Love you, Mishuta xxx
Thomisa Posted Sep 8, 2012, 11:45 am	Hello Mum! Just thought I'd show you some photos of me playing today. My host brother and sister made a rocket in the garden. We went right up to the moon! And then I had a ride with Noddy. We went pretty fast, but I held on tightly. My host mum said I can help cook dinner tomorrow  Bye for now, Mishuta xxx
Thomisa Posted Sep 8, 2012, 11:50 am	Hi Mum, Today I went into the garden and picked some runnerbeans for dinner. Here I am climbing up to reach them: And I saw a spider too! Then we went inside and prepared them: We were so hungry, we forgot to take a photo of the actual meal  but never mind. Host mum loves cooking and she said I can help her prepare lots more meals. This time we had sausages, runnerbeans, carrots, mashed potato and cauliflower from my host mum's parents' allotment. Oh and onion gravy too. It was very yummy! I'm really excited as we're going to the zoo at the weekend. I can't wait to see all the animals. I've seen so many animals on my travels, it's been amazing. Lots of love, Mishuta xxx
Thomisa Posted Sep 10, 2012, 5:07 pm	Hi Mum, Well, I've had such a fun but exhausting day at Colchester Zoo! It was soooo hot We saw lots and lots of animals. Here we are at an enclosure with the zebras, rhinos, giraffes and ostriches. It's a good photo of Krumelknirps and I, but the zebra and rhino didn't come out too well! The ostriches were really big and the giraffes kept coming over to us eating the leaves. I also watched a sealion show which was lots of fun. They were called Milan and Atlanta but I can't remember the third one's name. I had a look through these binoculars as well. We tried to spot some birds and butterflies, but I couldn't see any... And we also measured ourselves against an elephant footprint! Look, they're huge! We had a picnic too and played on an adventure playground. We went on a train as well. Host mum wanted to take more photos but she was very busy running after my host brother and sister! Bye for now. Love Mishuta xxx
Thomisa Posted Sep 15, 2012, 1:01 pm	Hi Mum! I helped to make a cake today. It was a coffee cake and was so delicious that I managed to get into the fridge when no-one was looking... When hostmum found me I was soooo cold  she wrapped me up in a warm towel: This is the cake here: I helped wash up as well and was exhausted by the end of it! I'm glad I got to help make and eat a cake  Lots of love, Mishuta xxx
Thomisa Posted Sep 15, 2012, 2:05 pm	Hi Mum! Just a quick update to show you where I hid during a game of hide and seek... My host brother and sister didn't find me for 3 hours! I think I should have found somewhere easier for them to reach  M x
Thomisa Posted Sep 19, 2012, 11:35 am	Hey Mom! Today I helped to make dinner again. This is me with the ingredients for sticky chicken: You need 4tbsp of sweet chilli sauce, 2 tsp of soy sauce, zest of 1 lime, 8 chicken drumsticks and 1 tsp of grated fresh root ginger (but we didn't have any this time). I did some measuring... And some grating... This is me putting the chicken in the marinade: Then we left it in the fridge for a couple of hours before putting in the oven on 190 degrees for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes I poured the rest of the marinade over the chicken and cooked it for another 5 minutes. And here I am about to eat it! It was delicious! You should definitely try and make it Mom! Bye for now, Mishuta xxx
Thomisa Posted Sep 26, 2012, 10:43 am	Hi Mum, Just thought I'd show you how I spent my Saturday... Host mum did some tutoring in the morning, so we all sat and watched and learnt lots of interesting things! I can't remember if I told you that a new TV, Kathy, arrived the other day? We all get on very well  Then we had some lunch: These were really nice! If you want to make them, then just put a slice of ham in a wrap, add some grated cheese and some roasted  peppers from a jar, roll up in silverfoil and put in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes on 180 degrees C. I'm definitely going to make them again! In the afternoon, Host dad went to collect a VW campervan. We haven't had a chance to explore it yet, but we're going to soon and I'll show you some photos. Tomorrow we're going to a craft fair. I'm very excited! Bye for now, Lots of love, Mishuta xxx
Thomisa Posted Sep 27, 2012, 10:49 am	Hi Mum! Well, today we went to a Christmas craft fair at Alexandra Palace. This is a very impressive building, built in 1873. It's the place where the first television service was broadcast by the BBC: I had an amazing view across London! In the background you can see St. Paul's Cathedral, the Shard and the Gherkin: This is all of us in the car driving up to the Palace. We were going to get the train but it wasn't working. You can see the mast: And here I am inside: There were lots of stalls. Host mum and host nan bought some things to help them make Christmas cards and other crafty items: You can also see the famous organ in the background. It's called the Willis Organ and has been there since 1875! We had a great day, but I was exhausted by the end  Bye for now, Mishuta xxx
Thomisa Posted Oct 3, 2012, 10:44 am	Hi Mum, Well today we got to explore the new campervan! Here we all are in the front: And this is us all on the back seat: I decided to help hostdad fix the front seats. He asked me to find him a spanner... While I was in the front garden, I thought I'd take a break and relax amongst the plants: Bye for now, Love Mishuta xxx
Thomisa Posted Oct 10, 2012, 10:50 am	Hi Mum, I just realised I put the wrong date in my travelog for my campervan entry. Whoops. October 29th hasn't even happened yet  We said goodbye to Krummelnirps... It was very sad, but hopefully we'll meet again one day. Love, Mishuta xx
Thomisa Posted Oct 22, 2012, 11:38 am	Hi Mum, Well, it was my host brother's 5th birthday the other day. We had lots of preparations to do for his party, so here we are buying some more sweets: And then Kathy and I helped to put up a banner: I was feeling a bit nosy and wanted to see what was in the party bags. This was one of the girls' ones: Then Kathy said she really wanted some sweets, so we climbed up... This is one of the boys' party bags. Then hostmum came along...  But it was OK as she just laughed at us!
Thomisa Posted Oct 22, 2012, 11:45 am	Hi Mum, Well, this is my last day here in the UK. We had a bit of a celebration and went to the circus! Here it is: I was so excited  Here I am inside waiting for the show: And eating some popcorn which was really yummy! Me watching the show: I saw acrobats and clowns and girls with lots of hula hoops! It was so much fun! Hostmum said she remembers when she was little she went to the circus and saw animals! They don't have animals anymore as it's cruel to keep them in small cages. I saw animals at the zoo though, where they have lots more space. It was a fun way to spend my last day here. I shall be sad to go, but am looking forward to meeting my next family. Bye for now, Mishuta xxx
lapoussine35 Posted Nov 16, 2012, 4:26 pm	Bonjour de France! Hello from France!  I made it across the Channel and am getting used to a new language and new surroundings!  To begin with the mailboxes are no longer red but yellow!  I'm so glad to have climbed out of this one and to see the sun again!  Elise picked me up and we rode home on the bike together.  I was a little tired and thirsty when we arrived.  Tea seemed like a nice option so I started looking around the house.  Luckily, my new host family is as addicted to tea as I am...or at least I thought they were until I started looking at the tins.  Sugar, flour, coffee....no tea!  It turns out the tea tin is used all the time so Erin keeps it apart from the rest of the set.  After a drink, I was ready to explore a bit more.  I was feeling a bit cramped after all the time in the envelope and I wanted to walk the kinks out.  We walked down to the river via a corn field.  Brittany is one of the last regions in France to harvest their feed corn every year.  The stalks were still standing tall when we walked by!  I couldn't resist playing hide-and-go-seek.  Can you find me? Finally we got down near the river and started to walk along the waterfront.  I barely had time to get a glimpse of the Rance (the river's name) and we had to rush back to pick up Laura from school.  I promise to show you more soon but for now, just a glimpse of it with me and the dingies. PS My new host Mom is still trying to figure out the photo-thing here.  She promises to try and improve the sizing issue as she goes along!
lapoussine35 Posted Dec 3, 2012, 12:51 pm	It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas here!  The streets are decked out, the lights are up and it's time to start thinking about Christmas chocolates and other goodies!  Here in France, the Bûche de Noël is a traditional Christmas dessert.  While my host Mom is planning a giant one for Christmas, she couldn't resist this miniature one at the store!  The Yule Log, if you want to call it by its English name, is a rolled cake designed to look like a log.  If you want to try making one at home, there's a recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/buche-de-noel/ The one I tried was a coffee buttercream flavored one!  Yummy!
lapoussine35 Posted Dec 6, 2012, 9:48 am	I love Guernsey!  There I’ve said it!  The island, the people, the food, the complete and total change that comes from leaving France, French and Euros behind for a taste of English, (Guernsey) Pounds, and the island touch!  The Channel Islands are made up of two distinct political entities–the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey (including Herm, Sark and Alderney).  Today, both bailiwicks are self-governing British Crown Dependencies with their own governments, post, and money.  While Jersey is closer to us, I got to go to Guernsey for my first foray into the Channel! Like here in Brittany, the better part of the coast is lined with pedestrian trails perfect for walking and exploring.  We ended up getting out near Fort Saumarez, just across from Lihou Island.  The island is covered in military history.  Fort Saumarez has been a strategic a spot centuries and traces of human existence there go back even further.  As we walked up to the see the tower firsthand, a small sign for “Le Creux és Faies” passage tomb caught our attention.  The Megalithic passage tomb dates to the 3-2,500 BC!  Judging by the massive stones that form its walls, it will still be standing centuries from now!  I actually felt tall walking into it.  While I didn’t have to duck, it’s clear that the first people using the tomb were more like me in size than today’s “average” population.  The spot’s long-lasting strategic importance is also clear–the Germans simply built their observation tower on top of the older Victorian Martello tower.  When you look at the tower, you can see where stone gives way to concrete casing.  If you stare out to see, you can look at the house on Lihou Island.  As it was high tide, we couldn’t walk over but simply wonder who would want to live in such splendid isolation.  We headed south from the tower our eyes on the horizon.  We took a leisurely pace as we wandered from l’Eree Bay to Rocquaine Bay, Fort Grey beckoning us on.  The sandy beaches were mainly deserted, we passed a few people walking their dogs but otherwise we were alone.  I can imagine them in summer covered with sunbathers and swimmers instead of decaying seaweed. Fort Grey, otherwise known as the Château Rocquaine, houses a shipwreck museum.  Like the majority of the tourist sites on the island, it was closed.  To be honest, I didn’t miss the “must-see sites.”  The beauty of the coast more than made up for a lack of museums to explore.  (In all fairness, there were a couple of sites open but we chose to focus our morning on a part of the coastal scenery.)  Fort Grey, built-in 1804, is another Martello tower.  At this point, I was a bit tired, so I decided to relax and curl up for a nap while my hosts headed out for lunch and more sight-seeing!
lapoussine35 Posted Dec 12, 2012, 7:35 pm	Laura took me to Rennes today to visit the Christmas market in front of the town hall.  The market is open every day from 10am to 8pm.  It was rather cold when we arrived around lunchtime and I wouldn't want to come back in the evening--I would freeze!  The first thing we saw as we arrived was a giant crèche or manager.  I'm standing where Baby Jesus would be--he's not there yet.  You can just see the manger where he'll be on Christmas. Right next to the manger scene, I saw a huge mailbox just for letters to Santa Claus or Père Noël in French.  The French Post guarantees that every child who rides to Santa (by December 20th I believe) will get a reply.  Laura mailed her letter a few days ago but just had to go over and look at this mailbox.  If you want to write to Santa without using a mailbox, you can use their website here: http://www.laposte.fr/pere-noel/ We started walking through the market, checking out all the stands.  Laura and I couldn't help but be attracted to all the Santas.  Did you know that Santa plays the saxophone?  After the Santas, we went and got some hot chocolate to share. I ended my time at the Christmas market with a ride on the merry-go-round.  Can you see me on the saddle?  I started to fall off but Laura pushed me up again.  I loved the old-fashioned carved animals.  I think Laura and I would have been willing to ride all day.  Unfortunately, it was a bit expensive; 2€ for one single ride!  I'm going to wait for the free merry-go-round next week to really enjoy myself! On the way out, we came by a man selling Christmas trees.  I love the smell of fresh cut pine!  It smells like Christmas to me!  I think we're going to look for a tree this weekend closer to home.  I can't wait to help decorate it too!
lapoussine35 Posted Dec 12, 2012, 7:44 pm	I love this sign--I think it sums up one of the essential parts of wandering around exploring around the holidays ie the need to have a hot drink in your hands!  Christmas tea--1.80€, mulled wine 2€, hot chocolate 2€! What would you choose?
lapoussine35 Posted Feb 12, 2013, 10:44 am	Mishuta left today for England!  Have a safe trip!
NerdBird Posted Feb 24, 2013, 2:10 pm	Hello! I've just arrived in the UK and I'm already going on a trip! Right now I'm in the British Airways lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5, where I'm looking at planes. If the pictures are a bit blurry, it's because the champagne in the lounge is free... Nah, just kidding, neither my host nor I drink, it's more that it's darned difficult to hold me and take a picture on a smartphone at the same time. Plus, my host forgot to turn the flash on. She promises the next pictures will be much better. Anyway, this is me enjoying the view of the planes. Not really a planespotter, am I, but I did notice that one of the BA planes have the right pattern but seems to be gold instead of blue and read. That's because it's one of the Dove planes, painted like that in honour of the London 2012 Olympics. More here: Nerdy article for planespotters :-)
NerdBird Posted Feb 24, 2013, 2:13 pm	I met a large, posh cousin of mine!
NerdBird Posted Feb 24, 2013, 2:21 pm	And... here's the plane pic
NerdBird Posted Feb 24, 2013, 2:22 pm	Me and big cousin! He works as a mascot for Harrods...
NerdBird Posted Feb 27, 2013, 2:50 pm	So, I've been in Denmark a couple of days now, and it's been a bit dull... I've spent the days in the office, looking at my host and all her colleagues. But I've met some new friends, which I'll introduce in my next log. Here's what else happened in Heathrow... I took a look at some bottles in the lounge: From the lounge, you can almost look down at the security scanning  : I saw a model of an airplane: Then I had a rest in a postcard rack in W H Smith! And played hide and seek in the tax free shop! Met some very sporty cousins: And finally, I boarded BA820 to Copenhagen. I didn't get my own seat, though:
NerdBird Posted Feb 27, 2013, 2:53 pm	My host is here for mostly business meetings. It's been a bit dull, but I found some Danish friends:
NerdBird Posted Aug 21, 2013, 10:43 am	I'm so sorry I've been a bit quiet. I have been on some adventures within the last months. I went to visit the BBC Broadcasting House in London: This are the live TV studios, you can see from the audience café. I was part of the audience for a radio recording, but wasn't allowed to have my photo taken inside the radio studio. I also saw the real TARDIS from Doctor Who! Who-woo-hoo! It was very, very exciting!
NerdBird Posted Aug 21, 2013, 10:46 am	This is Buffy, a very friendly neighbourhood cat! I was a bit scared it would steal me, but it lost interested when it realised I couldn't pet it. Buffy is a very cuddly cat!
NerdBird Posted Aug 21, 2013, 10:59 am	Well, I had to fly back from Denmark, didn't I? So here am I in Copenhagen Airport: It was a bit dark, but I was about to fly on the BA plane you can see the tail of. I met The Little Mermaid! Well, I met a copy of her in the airport. Not quite the same, but more approachable! Me looking out on the shopping airport from the stairs to the business lounge!
NerdBird Posted Aug 21, 2013, 11:06 am	My host went on holiday to Hadrian's Wall - the wall the Romans built across Britain to keep the Scots out :-) It's very impressive, even though it's mostly ruins. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, by the way. Here I am at Corbridge Roman Town (or Coria in Latin), looking at what's left of the town - it was huge!
NerdBird Posted Aug 21, 2013, 11:19 am	I'm soon travelling home, but before I leave, I need to say goodbye to two friends I made here: This is Marie, she's a 7½ year old houserabbit. She and her mate Archie have free run of the flat whenever my host is home, but they still love to sleep in their big cage. This is Archie. He's 7 years old. He loves cuddles - show him a brush, and he'll lie down with his eyes closed expectantly before you even start touching him.
Katusha Posted Aug 28, 2013, 10:40 am	Hi! Just arrived to Kiev. Now I'm home with Mom and friends. Think it's time to rest a bit of travelling. Seeya!
Katusha Posted Feb 22, 2014, 9:33 pm	Hiya! Today we've received a lot of stamps from different countries. Like Bulgaria, New Zealand, Australia and the United States. And spent our day just looking at them, organizing them and all that sort of things people usually do with their stamps treasures. Maybe sounds not very fun. But actually it was. While Mom was not looking at, me and Buzz tried to find the most cute stamp and somehow mixed up all of them. It was funny. Probably the same feeling, when somebody has a lot of money and can just spend time scattering them everywhere! It was something like that - rain of stamps!  Although Mom was not very excited about our idea, hehehe Seeya!
Katusha Posted Jun 16, 2015, 10:36 am	We visited Crimea again. I like when we come back here once or twice a year. It is always a great place to be.
Katusha Posted Jun 16, 2015, 10:40 am	More of the Crimean views.  Mom and I are thinking about continuing my travelling at the moment. And searching for a new host to have me. It would be really nice to feel this adventure spirit again!
Katusha Posted Jul 4, 2015, 10:52 am	Hey! As we found a new host for me, we're getting ready for my travel to Germany. And I asked Mom to make something new and cool for me. Because my old bow was too shabby and because, as any decent bear, I want to look good! ) So Mom sewed a nice t-shirt for me. I think it's just what I needed!
Katusha Posted Jul 4, 2015, 11:04 am	Yesterday we were thinking that I lack for something.. And then decided to make a jeans overall for me! Because even though I am a bear and normally I don't need any clothes at all, but we thought it would be quite a practical thing for my journeys, you know, to stay clean and nice. So that's it! When I put it on, I thought it looked really not bad. And Mom of course was like "Oh, you're so cuuuuute! Look beautiful! Such a cutie!" She can be very emotional sometimes hehehe Then we prepared some presents for my host and yeah, now I'm absolutely ready, I think
Katusha Posted Jul 4, 2015, 11:15 am	Hiya! I'm already on my way to Germany! Right in this little yellow box. One of my favourite colours! Reminds me of sun and summer and honey, of course! heheh
olgamaus Posted Jul 13, 2015, 8:48 pm	Dear Mum, I arrived at my new host's home today. I am in the German state North Rhine-Westphalia now, in Wuppertal. My new host Katja and ToyVoyager MrBear gave me a warm welcome. First I handed over my presents for my host: A lovely necklace, a cat magnet and a pretty postcard. Katja was very pleased and sayed "Thank you" She immediately fixed the magnet to the fridge, to all the other souvenir magnets. The weather outside is ugly, it is raining all the time. So a short look from the balcony will do. The weather is supposed to become better within the next two weeks. Then we will do lots of sightseeing. Love Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Jul 15, 2015, 8:49 pm	Hi Mum, today we went to town. My current host is living in the district Elberfeld, in the vicinity of the central station, so we took a first picture here. The area beween the station and the main street in the city is a giant building site, from last summer until summer 2017. The whole area will be renewed and created completely different from what it was built in the 1960s years. Next stop was the historic concert hall, a fine piece of turn-of-the-century architecture with outstanding acoustics - also with a building site in front of it! A bridge for pedestrians is built across the main street, you have a great overview from here. And of course you can see Wuppertal's main attraction from here: The Schwebebahn (suspension railway), which is built from Wuppertal-Vohwinkel in the West of the municipal area to Oberbarmen in the East. Most of the route it is following river Wupper, partly crossing streets. I will tell you more interesting facts about this public transportation later. In the background of the next picture you can see one of the stations of the Schwebebahn, mostly made of glass. We walked along the shopping streets. In the background you can see the city hall. Here you can see the city hall, a farmers market is located on the large space in front of it every day. We reached Luisenviertel than, a quarter with lots of lovely old houses, quasi the old town of Elberfeld. You can find lots of bars and restaurants here, two churches and pretty narrow streets. Wuppertal means "Valley of River Wupper", there are rather steep slopes in the city, you can find hundreds of stairs to make it easier for pedestrians to reach the high-lying parts of the city. When I will come home one day, I will have muscles like a heavy athlete  On the next photo you can see what I mean. Here is one of many parks in the city, with a playground for smaller kids and a not working fountain. We walked along the river on a special path, the walls of the nearby bulding are decorated with painted koi carps. This is one of 20 Schwebebahn stations, one of the most frequented ones. At the end of today's walk we went to Katja's favourite pet shop to buy treats for the ... ??? ... for the pets. Katja promised that I will meet them soon. From tomorrow our neighbour's dog will spend a few days at our home, so we will have to take lots of walks  Bye for today Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Jul 16, 2015, 1:02 pm	Hi Mum, another TV arrived today, Taylor, a cute monkey from Germany. We took the dog out later and of course we went with Katja. The first picture was taken at the top of nearby stairs (here is even an elevator) with a good overview across the city. The skeleton of the Schwebebahn is also lying underneath our position. This is the Schwebebahn station which Katja often uses. This is the famous playhouse. We strolled around the city for a while, walking towards the court centre. Here you can see the Schwebebahn station "Landgericht", rebuilt in its original historic style some years ago. You can find the local court, the district court, prosecution and the local labour court here. This is the main street along the valley axis. When we walked back home, Katja took a zoomed picture from a higher point with a great overview. Almost home ... Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Jul 18, 2015, 1:49 pm	Hi Mum, I met the pets today. I head something splashing ... and saw the ferrets playing in the living room. Four ferret girls are living here. Shiva and Zaehnchen are already old ladies, 6,5 and 7 years old, and Molly and Lotte are much younger, almost 2 years old. Lotte and Molly are the ones who like to plash in the water (really soon there is NO water in the little basin)      The ferrets picked some treats from us. This is Zaehnchen, the oldest ferret. Molly's bottom ... Lotte is playing in a cardboard box. Katja told me that all ferrets love to play and hide in those boxes. This is cute Lotte... ... and Zaehnchen again, resting on the sofa for a while. As it was rather hot today, we took the dog out later in the evening. We took a bus to some point on the Northern slope of the valley and walked home from there. First stop were two of the most important landmarks of Wuppertal, a water tower and a telecommunications tower. This is the water tower, visible from many places in the city because of its location on top of the Northern slope. It was built in 1927 and is 43 m tall. People are calling it "Atadoesken". It reminded people of the packing of a formerly well known abrasive powder which was called "Ata". Next stop was the communications tower in the vicinity of the water tower. We walked through a housing area and entered a forest. The forest led into a lovely landscape park. From here we had to walk downhill for more than 6 km and came back home in the late evening. Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Jul 22, 2015, 12:19 pm	Hi Mum, today we met one of Katja's friends and her dog and took a walk together. We also took our neighbour's dog Jule with us. We went to Scharpenacken, a former army training area. This area was used for military purposes until 2004 A.D as a shooting range. Today there is a local recreation area with vast open areas. These are the dogs, Pepe on the left and Jule on the right side. They are really good friends. All those green spaces need a bit maintenance. Here you can see the living lawn mowers A sheepherder is keeping his herd of sheep here. Every day they are wrangled to another lawn to keep the grass short. We also found this lawn with fruit trees, probably most them apple trees. This was another lovely trip Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Jul 23, 2015, 6:41 am	Hi Mum, we visited the Botanical Garden today. It is located on a ridge in the bottom of Wupper valley. You can reach it from the city centre within a few minutes walking, also from my current home. This ridge is called "Hardt", it contains a lovely landscape park, the Botanical Garden, severeal playgrounds and an open air theatre. We went through the park first. Soon the entrance area of the Botanical garden was reached. The garden dates to 1890 when a botanical school garden was first created on a smaller terrain. Between 1908-1910 it relocated to today's site, the Villa of a textile manufactor named Eller, a former country house which contained a villa (built 1820), orangery, residential and farm buildings. Elise Tower was built in 1838 A.D. as the garden's focal point. This is the villa, containing a nice café, and Elise Tower. I saw a pond with water plants. These are Angel's trumpets, originally from South America. Angel's trumpets are beautiful flowers, but extremely poisonous. This is a bog garden with carnivorous plants. Elise Tower has a twin - an insect hotel built in the same style. Blooming flowers everywhere! Here the villa once more. The villa is decorated with lots of beautiful mosaic. You can also find greenhouses with different kinds of plants here. It was too warm to have a look inside. Maybe another time, Katja promised. On some days you can climb to the outlook platform of Elise Tower. There is even a wedding chamber, marrying on Elise Tower is very popular here in Wuppertal. Katja had planned to meet a former colleague and friend in the city, so we set out on our way back. We stopped once more at an outlook point with a good view across the city in the valley. This is a church close to the park. Katja even showed us a part of the large building site in the city. Cheers! Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Jul 23, 2015, 5:21 pm	Hi Mum, Katja was invited to accompany a friend to Essen, to take a walk around Lake Baldeney. Essen is a city in the central part of the Ruhr Area, about 40 minutes to drive from Wuppertal. In Essen river Ruhr forms the Lake Baldeney reservoir. There are six reservoirs along river Ruhr, Lake Baldeney is the largest one of those six. The reservoir was built in the 1930s years. Many kinds of water sports are performed here like sailing, rowing and canoeing, motorboats are allowed and windsurfing. The length of the lake is 7,8 km, which means we had to walk almost 16 km to circle it. Here we crossed the lake. We saw ducks, swans and moorhen everywhere. There is a mansion in the background of my last picture. It is Villa Huegel. This mansion was built by the Krupp family of industrialists  in 1873 as a residence. Nowadays you can find an art gallery and the historical archive of the Krupp family and company there. Here is a zoomed photo. We reached the opposite end of the reservoir with a large weir and sluice. This is river Ruhr, much smaller beyond the weir. A ship was coming towards the sluice, but if would have lasted at least half an hour to see it getting through, so we went back to the car instead. I am soooo tired now! Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Jul 26, 2015, 5:32 pm	Hi Mum, today we went to Wuppertal-Barmen by Schwebebahn to take a walk on the Nordbahntrasse, a former railway track. In Germany lots of no longer used railway tracks are re-built to lanes for pedestrians and cyclists. This one here was closed 1999. Here you can see me inside the station. A train was coming in on the opposite side. Soon we reached Barmen, the second largest district of Wuppertal. Here we had to walk a few minutes to reach the former railway track, uphill of course  From a larger bridge you have a stunning overview across the valley. When the weather is as nice as today, usually lots of people are using this lane. There also tunnels along the track. Most of the railway tracks were removed, one stayed for handcar trips. We found information boards at a former station. There were pictures of the different states of use of this railway track. We found fondly created gardens along the route. We saw many different districts, some of the older parts and also "newer" housing areas. We left the track at this station in the Northern part of the city centre. A city festival is held this weekend. Yesterday Katja wanted to go out with a friend, having a cocktail or two. Due to a heavy storm lots of events were cancelled within whole North Rhine-Westphalia, also the city festival here was closed at the late afternoon. Today everything is fine again. We walked through "Nordstadt", a district with lots of preserved historic buildings. Urban gardening in the surroundings of a church  In the city centre Katja showed me a large fountain on the space in front of the city hall - a copy of a similar fountain in Trient, Italy. It was donated to the city in 1895. The festival is called "Elberfelder Cocktail" - cocktails everywhere  There also several stages, here a rock band was playing. We enjoyed a cocktail (yes, in broad daylight) and walked home. Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Aug 4, 2015, 10:04 pm	Hi Mum, today I accompanied Katja to her workplace in Wuppertal-Vohwinkel, the most Western district. Katja is working in an IP law firm. We went there by Schwebebahn. School holidays are still going on, so the station was nearly empty. The Schwebebahn was established in 1901. The tracks are 8 m above the streets and 12 m above the Wupper River. Here you can see one of 20 stations along the 13,3 km long route. It is called Ohligsmuehle. Getting to Vohwinkel took us about 15 minutes. In the afternoon, after work, we took a short walk in Vohwinkel. The building with the tower is the city hall. One of the two terminal stops of the Schwebebahn is in Vohwinkel. The trains are changing their direction here and also can be detoured in a special garage for repair or maintenance works. In Vohwinkel the Schwebebahn is not following river Wupper, but the main street. We walked through some side streets then. Most houses are much smaller than those in Elberfeld, where I am living currently. Back on the main street. From here you can also see that there are lots of woodland areas surrounding the city. We went back to the Schwebebahn here, at the last station before the motorway is crossed. Katja told me that we would visit a friend in the evening, she is living in Remscheid, where Katja also lived until last year.
olgamaus Posted Aug 4, 2015, 10:14 pm	In the evening we went to the neighbour city Remscheid by bus and walked to Katja's friend. She is living in the city centre. Landmarks in the city centre are the water tower ... and the nearby city hall. There is a large open space in front of the city hall. Here you can find a tall pile with a lion on it, the heraldic animal of both Remscheid and Wuppertal. I found a funny sculpture: A boy with an umbrella (because it is raining very often here) and two dogs (one of them peeing  ). Our way led us through the shopping street and the main entrance of the shopping mall. We bought some ice cream and reached our friend's house soon. Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Aug 4, 2015, 10:31 pm	Hi Mum, today we started the day really comfortably and were picked up by a friend to take a longer walk in the surroundings. The first picture was taken after 10 minutes walking, still close to the railway track. This was looking much better, those woodlands in the background  Soon we reached the forest. Once more we had to walk uphill and were rewarded by a great overview across the city in the valley. Later we changed from the previous path to another one, also a former railwaytrack. This one is leading across the zoo. We walked on a bridge across the tigers enclosure. Unfortunately we did not see one of them. We left this lane in the so called "Zoo Quarter", a housing area with lots of lovely mansions and villas (one of the most costly residental areas in Wuppertal). Do you know hollyhocks in Ukraine? We came along an interesting building - the Stadion am Zoo, a stadium which was opened in 1924, it is under monument protection. This is the main entrance of the stadium. From here we went home by Schwebebahn. Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Sep 20, 2015, 11:35 am	Hi Mum, today my host visited a flea market in the district Barmen. Of couse we got there by Schwebebahn. Barmen is the second largest district of Wuppertal, also located in the valley. We walked through the pedestrian area towards the city hall, behind it was the flea market taking place. Wuppertal has nine twin cities in England, France, Israel, Slowakia, Poland, Nicaragua, Russia and Berlin-Schöneberg and Schwerin in the former German Democratic Republic - you can find them on this sign in front of the city hall. A beach party was taking place here! On the flea market it was too crowded to take pictures. Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Sep 20, 2015, 11:37 am	Good morning, Mum! Look, a beautiful sunrise this morning. Looks like it's goint to be a lovely day. Love Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Sep 20, 2015, 11:46 am	Hi Mum, today we took a long walk in the early evening. As almost always we took our neighbour's dog Jule with us, she also loves long walks. From my current home we have to walk uphill for some time to reach the forest. First we crossed a small park. Next stop was the company building of a local insurance company, an interesting building with a stunning overview across the city. Just opposite of the building we went into the forest. This forest is not really large, so soon we left it. Next we crossed an allotment garden area which is located above the university. Another garden area ... Here you can find hiking paths going through these allotment gardens, so they are open for everyone to walk through. We crossed another lovely park, than we had to walk back home along the streets. Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Sep 20, 2015, 11:53 am	Hi Mum, today I met a lot of ToyVoyagers and their current hosts Strunki and BlackCat. We took a group photo close to the Schwebebahn station Zoo / Stadion. What an impressive bunch of ToyVoyagers Zoo?! Yes, we visited the Zoo. The zoo was founded in 1879. The sea lions were fed when visited their enclosure. A nice young man explained a lot around the sea lions. There even was a baby which was born this summer (the one in the foreground). What a cutie The beavers were also having babies, cfour ute cuddly brown furry balls, but unfortunately only inside their house. But at least some of the adults were outside. These are the emperor penguins, they are living here in the second largest enclosure within Europe. We also visited a house for birds with a specially designed hall, where freely flying birds can be observed. This beautiful bird was really curius, it came closer and closer towards us. Do you know these animals? They are maras, large relatives of guinea pigs, also from South America. (I know you can only see brown spots ) Katja is especially fond of meerkats, she just loves them. Unfortunately they were hiding somewhere in their enclosure, only one of them came by for a moment. A lot of animals was asleep because it was rather hot outside. This reindeer thankfully was awake We all were hungry and managed to find a restaurant. Afterwards the zoo was closing soon and we had to leave. Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Sep 20, 2015, 12:12 pm	Hi Mum, we took the dog out to a nice park, called "Freytag's Park" due of its founder. Later we went to Katja's favourite DYO-store to buy new flowers for the flower-boxes on the balcony. The summer flowers were withered now. Look, we were really successful Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Sep 20, 2015, 12:42 pm	Hi Mum, today we went to Remscheid-Lennep. My host lived in Remscheid since late summer 2014, and she grew up in the district Lennep. Lennep is the second largest district of Remscheid with about 25.000 inhabitants. Lennep once was one of the most important cities of the region Bergisches Land. Lennep has an historical city core based on a medieval structure. There were several large city fires, the last one in the year 1746 which destroyed most of the city. It was rebuilt afterwards. Lennep received its town charter between the years 1259 and 1276- In 1929 Lennep was annexated to Remscheid. Katja's parents are still living here; her father in his appartment, her Mum in a nursing home. First she showed us the school she attended. Next we went to the historic old town. Most houses are framework houses or they are (partly) covered with slate, traditionally with green shutters and a green door. This church once belonged to a convent, nowadays it is used as a place of cultural interest, there is also a well-known restaurant. Isn't this a lovely view, all those picturesque houses? Here you can see Anton Bär and me sitting on the remains of the original city wall. It was used until about 1790, than the population were growing too large for the small city core. The city had to be enlarged and parts of the city wall were pulled down. We found this fountain showing the heraldic animal of Remscheid, the lion. We strolled through the old town and its narrow lanes. Here we came closer to the market place, you can also find one of two churches here. This is a cozy place, it seems to invite you to sit down and order coffee But it is a private house, so no coffee is offered A famous person was born in Lennep. Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, who produced and detected what is nowadays known as x-rays in 1895, was born in 1845 in Lennep. His birth house is still existent, but it was under construction and respectively hidden under a scaffolding. But they have a museum here dedicated to Roentgen. The museum has a large new annex with a large ... ... X in front of it. The  building on the right side was an indoor swimming pool once, it was re-built to a youth center in the late 1970 years. When Katja moved to Lennep with her family in 1971, it was still a swimming pool, later she liked the youth center We went to a nice park then. As we had still enough time to spend until Katja could visit her Mum in the nursing home, she even took us to the outside of the city core. Here the houses were completely different, of course due to their later origin. Soon we reached the end of the outskirt. Behind those houses there just was green landscape waiting for us Back to civilization. Then it was time for Katja to meet her Mum and even later we met Katja's daughter who is living in Lennep with her boyfriend. That was a really exhausting day Love Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Oct 25, 2015, 3:56 pm	Hi Mum, we took off today for a short vacation in Northern Germany. We will stay in Owschlag for a few days. Owschlag is a small town in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein. We will live in the house of Katja's friend's parents. We arrived here in the afternoon and took a walk. There are lots of lakes in the surroundings, from our house we can see the so-called Heideteich. The lake on the next photos is from a gravel plant. Back home Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Oct 25, 2015, 4:09 pm	Hi Mum, today we visited Eckernförde, a city on the coast of the Baltic Sea, exactly at the Eckernförde Bay. First we took a walk along the promenade to the harbour and later into the city centre. In the spa gardens I found this sculpture. There were lovely ships in the marina. This is the market place. Behind this building the church is hidden. Then it was time for a walk along the shore! We drove to a parking lot just at the end of the city. We had to walk through the forest for a few minutes to reach the sea. Here in this region there are forests close to the shore. Forests gave way for meadows. Katja and her friend enjoyed a beer in a bar on a nearby camping ground. Afterwards we had to walk the same way back to the car. There were large rocks along the beach which made it difficult and exhausting to walk there. Everyone was tired then. Bye _Mishuta_
olgamaus Posted Oct 25, 2015, 4:27 pm	Hi Mum, today we made a day trip to Sylt. We went by train to Germany's northernmost island, located in the North Sea. In 1927 a dam was built Sylt is connected to the German mainland by the Hindenburgdamm, a causeway with a railway line on top. We left the train in Keitum. Keitum is located on the Wadden Sea side of the island. Houses like this are traditional in Nordfriesland. This is the Wadden sea side of the island, the eastern coast. The Wadden Sea is famous for its rich flora and fauna, especially birds. In many areas you can even find seals. The Eastern coast of the island is partly rather flat. We found a map of Sylt. We rested for a while in a  Strandkorb. You can find them everywhere along the German coast. In the dunes there were lots of roses bushes, all with rosehips now. We reached another interesting area, heathlands this time. Wooden paths were leading through this area, you were not allowed to leave them. It must be a lovely view when all the heather is blooming. We reached the town Kampen then. Here we crossed to island to get to the opposite coast, the western coast. We saw broad dunes here, with lovely houses hidden in them. We walked towards the beach then (through dunes forever, it seemed to me). Finally the sea came into sight. Here we found a broad sandy beach and a beautiful cliff line. We decided to rest for a while in the beach bar you can see in the background. Cheers! We walked further towards Westerland, the most famous town on this island. In Westerland a special event was taking place - the Windsurf World Cup Sylt 2015. The award ceremony was going on when we reached th is place. The promenade was crowded with people, it was a bit difficult to get through. I found this statue on the promenade of Westerland. My host and her friend were starving, so they only thought of getting something to eat Bye _Mishuta_
olgamaus Posted Nov 21, 2015, 5:27 pm	Hi Mum, we made a trip to Wuppertal-Barmen today, the second largest district of Wuppertal. Of course we went there by Schwebebahn. Here you can find the "Historic centre" with the house where Friedrich Engels grew up, a social scientist and journalist, one of "Marx and Engels", founder of Marxist Theory. He lived from 1820 till 1895. Nowadays the Museum for early industrialism is also located here, with an adjoining park along the main street. This is old man Friedrich Engels. We went to the city then and saw the opera house. This is the central Schwebebahn station in Barmen. Can you see the bridge in the background? Katja told me that this bridge belongs to "Nordbahntrasse", which I already visited in summer. Nextwe visited the city hall of Barmen and the farmer's market which is held every Saturday on a space behind it. The christmas market is waiting to be opened. This is the farmer's market. Afterwards we went to the Nordbahntrasse because Jasper wanted to see the city from above. We walked just a few minutes there, then we strolled around a district called Rott, with lots of lovely old houses. We also found an architectural feature here, a residental area called "Waldhof", completed in 1928 with arcades and houses like "towers", nearly destroyed in World War II and re-built later. This is one of several hospitals, having a lovely old building and lots of annex including a high-rise building. Another highlight - the Lego Bridge! The Lego Bridge is a concrete beam bridge of the Nordbahntrasse which crosses over the Schwesterstraße. In 2011, the bridge was repainted by a graffiti and street artist. The work was awarded the Deutscher Fassadenpreis Advancement Prize in 2012. It looks incredibly real  From here we took the chance to visit a special market in Schwesterstraße, a mixture between flea market and farmer's market, mostly run by immigrants. We bought lots of vegetables here. Bye for today _Mishuta_
olgamaus Posted Dec 1, 2015, 6:19 pm	Hi Mum, outside it is raining cats and dogs, so Katja just went shopping. She bought a few things for preparing christmas presents. She bought a large piece of ginger, untreated lemons and a bottle of vodka. We prepared lemon-ginger-liqueur. We had to remove a really thin layer of lemon peel, the lemons were pressed, a large piece of ginger was also peeled and cut into slices. Lemon peel, lemon juice, ginger and sugar had to cook for 10 minutes. This mixture had to cool down then and was filled into a large jar and finally the vodka were also added. Now the mixture has to rest for two weeks and will be re-filled in smaller bottles then. Katja said that this stuff was just wonderful! Bye _Mishuta_
olgamaus Posted Feb 21, 2016, 1:55 pm	Hi Mum, in two days we will go on a holiday trip! We will go to Tenerife. Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands. We will stay in Puerto de la Cruz, a city and municipality in the northern part of the island. Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Feb 24, 2016, 9:04 pm	Hi Mum, Greetings from Tenerife! Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Mar 27, 2016, 1:56 pm	Hi Mum, today we visited Schleswig, a town in the northeastern part of Schleswig-Holstein. The city lies at the western end of the Schlei Förde.The town history of Schleswig goes back to the year 804 when it was mentioned first. We walked along the water and saw the cathedral. We visited Holm, a historic quater where fishermen once lived and worked. The small houses were lovely. Church and churchyard in the centre of the quarter. Next stop was the cathedral. There is an outlook platform in the tower, about 55 m high. Katja took me and Anton Bär up there. Ah... the harbour! Later we strolled through the city for a while. Water from a higher located pond was flowing downhill over this water wheel. Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Mar 27, 2016, 2:07 pm	Hi Mum, today is the last day of our trip to the Baltic Sea. Tomorrow we will have to go home. So today Katja and her friend wanted to take a walk along the coast outside the Eckernförde Bay. We drove to Schwedeneck, a small place at the coast. Sailing boats were lying on the beach. It was rather stormy, the sea churning. We had to leave the beach and had to walk on the cliff through the forest instead. Back on the beach ... Back on the cliff because the waves were overflowing the beach. Here we left the coastline and walked towards the inland. We walked through a small village which was surrounded by farmland. Later we walked back to the beach and then back to the car. Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Mar 27, 2016, 2:32 pm	Hi Mum, today we visited Nordpark, a large landscape park in the district Barmen. They have fallow deer in an enclosure there and you can feed the animals. We bought food and waited for the deer to come. We did not have to wait too long. Yummy! Isn't he beautiful? Good-bye, deer! Then we took a walk in the large park. The overview across Barmen is fantastic. Here you can find an area with a soccer field and playgrounds for kids. Strunki was with us, her guests are also saying Hello! Wait until you see what a great Halloween party we are having tonight!
olgamaus Posted Mar 27, 2016, 2:42 pm	Welcome to my Helloween-Party! I have a fantastic costume - I am the "Mummy in the soup bowl". I invited Strunki's guest to visit me this evening to enjoy lots of nasty looking delicacies, while spiders, bugs and cockroaches were crawling around the table. Look - bloody eyes in pus sauce - Yuck!!! Stabbed mice and coloured skulls. Rat brains, also in pug sauce. This is Helmut. My guests are also looking great  Uuuuhhhh .... too scary! (Please turn the light on!!!) Everyone was enjoying the ugly food. Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Mar 27, 2016, 2:51 pm	Hi Mum, in the afternoon we took a long walk with dog Jule. We went to a nearby hill, called "Kiesberg". On our way there we walked along a lovely house, it belonged to a facitry owner once. We had a good view to the university area. The university was built in the 1970s years and is constantly enlarged. Almost everytime you can find a building site there. The city was lying underneath the hill then. Jasper and I enjoyed the lovely weather. Later we walked along a memorial grove, dedicated to the dead of World War I. Bye for today Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Jul 27, 2016, 5:54 pm	Hi Mum, we travelled to Tenerife yesterday. Tenerife is one of the Canary Islands, the largest one of seven islands. Tenerife is a rugged and volcanic island sculpted by successive eruptions throughout its history. The island is located in the Atlantic ocean, about 300 km from the African coast, and approximately 1,000 km  from the Spanish mainland. We stayed in Puerto de la Cruz, a vivid city in the North-West of Tenerife. You can find lots of large hotel complexes here, but also a lovely old town with typical narrow streets and plazas. Our hotel is situated at Playa de Martiánez, with a fantastic view across the beach and towards Orotava valley. Can you see the yellow spot? It is marking our balcony. Today we started a long walking trip in the Orotava valley. First we had to walk uphill to leave the city area. The coasts of Tenerife are typically rugged and steep here in the North of the island, so you cannot just walk along the beaches. Agriculture is centred on the northern slopes, tomatoes and bananas are cultivated, usually in plastic enclosures. In Orotava valley you can walk though banana plantations for hours. There are overlook points everywhere, official ones are called "Mirador". The view across the coastline is always a spectecular one. The North and South of Tenerife similarly have different climatic characteristics. While the South is mostly sunny, you have more rain in the North, due to the topography of the island. Today the weather was changing constantly, sunny on the last picture and a bit later the sky was full of clouds. Our walking route took us high above the valley. Later in the evening we took a walk in the city of Puerto de la Cruz. Some houses are painted in vivid colors. Katja enjoyed barbequed mussels. In the evening we walked back to the Hotel, along the promenade with lots of historical buildings. Bye for today Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Jul 27, 2016, 6:05 pm	Hi Mum, today we visited the Botanical Garden in Puerto de la Cruz. We saw the most insteresting plants here, like this fig tree for example. The figs are growing directly from the trunk. This beautiful flower is called Bird of Paradise. These trees are like a forest full of airial roots. Tenerife is well known for its dragon trees. This is one of them. They can become hundreds of years old. These are banana plants. This tree is covered by lichen- Later we walked to another park in the city. Again we had to walk steep uphill to get there. Our next destination was Playa Jardin, one of the few sandy beaches. All the sand is black due to its volcanic origin. It is looking fantastic! Around Playa Jardin a park with palm trees and cactus is created. Tomorrow a hiking tour in the mountains is planned. Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Jul 27, 2016, 6:16 pm	Hi Mum, today's trip started in Aguamansa, in the mountains above Orotava Valley. We walked through lovely pine forests. Here we also found trees which were covered by lichen. This seems to be a kind of elderberry. Can you see that there are fruits and blooms at the same time? And here .... a wonderful look at Pico del Teide, covered with snow. The higher we climbed, the more fantastic the landscape became. Look at these lava formation. We were at a level of about 1.500 m than, the vegetation changing. Eukalyptus trees were growing there. Isn't this a great view, those snowy mountains? Above the clouds the weather was much better, of course. After returning home to Puerto de la Cruz we were really tired. Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Jul 27, 2016, 6:29 pm	Hi Mum, today we made a hiking tour along the coastline, towards the Western parts of Puerto de la Cruz, about 8 km towards Los Realejos and back. Once more we walked through the lovely old town. We found a beautiful mosaic at a house wall, the large red island on the left side is Tenerife. Close to the coast we found this lovely outlook pavilion. We walked along the shore, with this fantastic view towards Playa Jardin and Punta Brava, another historical district of Puerto de la Cruz. Over the years a large field with cairns (human-made piles of stones) was created by people.These cairns are nowadays mostly used as trail markers. In the meantime we left Puerto de la Cruz behind, following the trail. These are palm fruits. The coastline became more and more cliffy. This ruin was a water pumping station once. Duck your head  From here we walked back. This time we made a side trip to the narrow lanes of Punta Brava. The breakers are nearly crashing into the houses. Bye for today Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Jul 27, 2016, 6:41 pm	28.373 -16.674 Hi Mum, today we went to Garachico, also located at the North-Western coast of Tenerife. Garachico is an old town which was almost completely destroyed by an eruption in May 1706. Most of the town and the whole harbor were destroyed. There is no beach but natural rock bassins, remnants of the lava which came down the valley in 1706. These are the rock bassins. Tomorrow we will have to return home  Bye Mishuta
olgamaus Posted Jul 27, 2016, 6:43 pm	Good-bye Tenerife!
olgamaus Posted Jul 27, 2016, 6:54 pm	Hi Mum, today we met Strunki and went to Cologne to meet another TV-host from Germany, fam-united. We had planned to visit the Botanical Garden ("Flora") here. It was created in late 19th century. Incredible! Real palm trees in winter in a German city! These are monkey puzzles from South America, i.e. Chile. This looks like spring is on its way to Germany  They are having a special camelia exhibition here in a greenhouse, camelia are blooming in winter. Camelia in all colors and variations. This is the beautiful glass palace. The weather became more and more ugly, so we decided to "escape" to Düsseldorf, hopefully the weather would be better there!
olgamaus Posted Jul 27, 2016, 7:03 pm	After a 30 km trip to the North we parked the car in the old town of Düsseldorf. Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state North Rhine-Westphalia and, like Cologne, located at river Rhine. The old town is well-known for its many bars, restaurants and pubs, by tourists as well as the locals. We walked towards river Rhine through the old town. This is the so-called "Burgplatz" close to the river. A lot of events are taking place here and it is a favourite place to meet other people. River Rhine! In the background you can see Media Harbor and the Television Tower. Back to the city centre, we found this old inner harbor. Duesseldorf is well known for its unique beer, "Altbier". In summer this place is crowded with people. Because it is not summer, we went inside the pub. Cheers! A whole crowd of ToyVoyagers  Back in the city we had a look at the historical city hall. In the old town you can find hundreds of bars and restaurants, that's why Duesseldorf is called "The longest bar in the world". Unfortunately we had to leave then. Bye Mishuta
tuiaway Posted Aug 6, 2016, 7:32 am	Hi! I arrived in Finland with a cool postcard of the suspension train of Wuppertal - and a bag of matching sweets. My new host is busy with moving apartments but she said I will get to visit her workplace this weekend. We will send more photos then. Everything is well and fine here in Seaside town of Kotka! Love, Mishuta
tuiaway Posted Aug 7, 2016, 5:10 pm	Hello Mum! Today I had quite an outing. Host mom took me and my new friend Walla to her workplace - at an adventure park! We went into a room full of strange equipment. What are these things?? It seemed you are supposed to wear them. Those helmets I understand well enough but what about the other stuff? Host mom demonstrated: So it is a harness! And you wear them and then climb up on a track built on trees! Does that not sound a little bit crazy? I wondered if it is safe and was assured that it is indeed very safe. Once you are properly attached on a safety wire, you can not fall. But these are human size stuff. Look at me! This helmet was way too big for me. It made a nice swing, though...  But we bears are so skilled at climbing trees I had no need to have a helmet. So, into the forest and up on the track we went and this is what we saw: All kinds of wobbly swings, spiderweb replicas and wires to balance on. Looks fun but also like a good exercise... We even took a slide on a zipline among the spruces! Such speed and excitement! A fun ride that was, especially as host mom was holding tightly onto us. After the last zipline we landed safely and took a stroll in the woods on ground level. It felt great having solid ground under my paws again. I climbed up a big rock covered in moss and it felt so tiny after looking down from five meters up! This was a nice, fresh day. I hope you have had a lovely Sunday as well! Love from Mishuta
tuiaway Posted Dec 1, 2016, 7:57 am	Hi Mom! It has been a looong time since we updated my log but I have some things to show you. Here is the first one. Anyway! We moved up north to Kiiminki which is a town that belong to the city of Oulu by the Bothnian Bay. My host's parents live here. On this lovely day we made lingonberry juice from berries we picked all by ourselves. We also took a stroll in the garden which was full of flowers and different berry bushes and other growing things: Gooseberry, Sea Buckthorn, carrots... Love, Mishuta
tuiaway Posted Dec 9, 2016, 12:08 pm	I visited a town called Nivala which is two hours south from Kiiminki. My host Tuija and two other toys, Prajna and Walla joined me. In Nivala we got to collect red currants! We used a big garden rake as a ladder and got plenty of berries. They were sweet and tangy, very delicious. Wonderful for making juice and pies. I also spotted a pretty butterfly up in the bushes. It was a fun day...
tuiaway Posted May 17, 2017, 9:03 pm	Hi Mommy! Would you believe if I told you that we found a few photos all the way from last August? Memories of summer in the southeast... We thought we had lost these photos and were happily surprised when browsing through a laptop computer here back north. Without further ado, here we go: (These photos were taken on August 16th) Photos from a pretty little natural reserve area just a few miles from the city. There was a fast-rolling rapid, and gorgeous seaside style (full figured) pine trees. I climbed very carefully on a thin but durable fence to take a look at the river flowing towards the Baltic Sea. Langinkoski was a place full of history, too; the area featured an imperial fishing lodge built in 1889 for the Russian emperor Alexander the Third. I still remember that day like it was yesterday... Love, Mishuta
tuiaway Posted May 17, 2017, 9:27 pm	Memories... (uploaded in May, 2017) On an early winter's day... A walk in the woods in sunshine was a refreshing experience. I was expecting to see reindeer or something else equally magical, but host mom told that reindeer don't come quite here. But in the next town one hour to northeast one can already see them... Hugs from your dear Mishuta!
tuiaway Posted May 17, 2017, 9:43 pm	Well, Mommy, you will get some last minute updates from me before I return home! I am excited to tell that I got to sail on a ship a few weeks ago. We started out on a trip overseas and I insisted to be photographed in front of the open sea. My wish was granted. The southwestern Finnish archipelago offered a gorgeous view. ~ Mishuta
tuiaway Posted May 17, 2017, 10:08 pm	Hiya Mom! Look where we ended up to after traveling far and wide! In the city of Palm Springs in hot and spicy south where lots of actors from Hollywood would locate in the olden days... You know how this came to be? Back then, when the celebs made contracts for the film studios instead of single movies, they could be called to work anytime. Therefore, they weren't allowed to live any further than one hundred miles away form L.A. - and Palm Springs is just about 98 miles out! We visited the local art museum where a fantastic, talkative gift shop clerk told us all about this, and much more that I wish I had written down somewhere. Unfortunately we did not run into any famous people. That didn't make a great difference anyway, for we were getting ready to hike on the hills surrounding the area, which made my heart race much faster than spotting celebrities The hiking trail began right at the back of the museum parking lot and was very rocky - plus, the weather was hot, at least 30 degrees celsius. So we had to take it pretty slow; but it was good exercise, great fun and a cool way to get a look over the city. Here are some photos for you to enjoy... With a smile, Mishuta
tuiaway Posted May 25, 2017, 4:00 pm	Hello! Summer is finally on its way to north. I got to marvel at crocuses before packing up and hopping in the envelope. Look at these beauties... See you back home in Ukraine! Love, Mishuta
Katusha Posted Oct 1, 2017, 9:41 pm	I came back home. Now I'm having a little break and resting. But very soon we're going to the next trip: me, MokoMoko and mom
Katusha Posted Jun 28, 2018, 4:52 pm	Hello! As we are in Ireland now Mom usually is more busy with MokoMoko's travelog. But we thought that even though technically I'm not traavelling alone right now, I still have something interesting to show... Dublin, for example
Katusha Posted Jun 28, 2018, 5:00 pm	Today we all went to Skerries. A lovely town to the north of Dublin. I liked all nice little local shops and houses with bright doors, and a beautiful peaceful beach.
Katusha Posted Jun 28, 2018, 5:08 pm	Balbriggan trip. Sunny day. A pretty hot weather. Weekend. It's all you need to go there. And a train, of course. It was a great short one day trip to enjoy the sun, beach, sea and a small sleepy town.
Katusha Posted Jun 28, 2018, 5:17 pm	Today we went to the pier for a short walk. I like looking at different ships, and the lighthouse, and the Eye of Ireland isle, which is so close to us, and we always visit Georgie (actually only his footprints, he was a King, and I'm not sure he would be pleased to know that I call him just Georgie, not George the IV) and to say him hi, then back home passing nice restaurants and the pier that gets all silent before sleep...
Katusha Posted Apr 5, 2020, 3:21 pm	Me, Mom and MokoMoko had a bus trip to Connemara National Park. It's a few hours away from Dublin. So we crossed all country from the very east to the western part of it. And it was pretty interesting to see all those small towns and places on our way there. And the trip itself had a lot of gems
Katusha Posted Apr 6, 2020, 11:11 pm	Hey, how are you doing at this strange time? I hope all is fine and you and your loved ones are taking care of yourselves and being at home. We are looking through our photos as we have some time now. And trying to update our travelogs. So today I'm going to show some Galway pics, my buddy MokoMoko has already told about this trip a little and I have a few photos  to show too On a bus leaving Dublin. Very nice ruins in Kong village. I love all these details! Ashford castle. Atlantic ocean view. Got to Galway! [/url] And back to Dublin city later that day.
Katusha Posted Apr 11, 2020, 11:24 pm	St. Petersburg. We visited it just for a few days on our way to Vologda, our home town. Even though it's famous for its rainy moody days all year long, the weather was lovely. And we were lucky to enjoy the city at this time.
Katusha Posted Apr 11, 2020, 11:38 pm	Vologda. Nice little town that we always love to visit. Because it's quiet and green. And because it's where mom was born. This time we went to one of the city's museums to see the exhibition of old toys! That was really intersting!
Katusha Posted Apr 11, 2020, 11:47 pm	Back to St.Petersburg and then returning back home!
Katusha Posted Apr 11, 2020, 11:56 pm	Me and MokoMoko had a great chance to visit Scotland again. Mom took us with her but made us promise to behave  because sometimes we get so overwhelmed that we easily get lost. I love Scotland with all my teddy heart!
Katusha Posted Apr 16, 2020, 7:56 pm	We arrived to Wales! It was a long Easter weekend and we travelled all the way from Dublin to Cardiff to see mom's favourite band playing and to celebrate our friend’s birthday. None of us has ever been to Wales before. And it is so beautiful and full of its own unique spirit! One of the interesting things in Wales was that public transport is free on weekends. I guess it's how they motivate people to go out, to have some short trips, to walk and explore beautiful nature and to stay active. Not sure if I am right. But it's my guess. So we took a bus from Cardiff to the Brecon Beacons National Park. And it was a great adventure!
Katusha Posted Apr 26, 2020, 9:28 pm	Today we had a little walk as our exercise. Ballymacool park was pretty quiet. We saw some cows. And a lot of blooming trees and bushes. Had a little break on the top and returned back home.
Katusha Posted May 6, 2020, 10:48 pm	Today we were busy with gardening. We had checked how our strawberry pots were doing. Even found some of them blooming! And also took a few photos with tulips. We planted them in February and now they look so lovely! I like the dark ones very much!
Katusha Posted Jun 14, 2020, 2:20 pm	Today we had a drive to Dunfanaghy. It's a little seaside town not far from Letterkenny. The beach there is just perfect for evening walks! It was our first little trip after a long long time of the lockdown. And it was amazing to see the sea again!
Katusha Posted Jun 14, 2020, 2:24 pm	In the evening we were driving around the town and stopped by the St. Eunan's Cathedral. It looked a little mysterious at night.
Katusha Posted Jun 27, 2020, 9:14 pm	Hey! We had a drive to the Horn Head. It's a really picturesque place not far from Dunfanaghy village. You can get there on your car, there's a nice parking space and then you can take a path through the heather fields and hills and get to the very end of the Head where you can see a whole ocean! Really it's exactly the feeling you have being there. Space, magnificence and a certain tranquility. That's what you find coming there. I loved it!
Katusha Posted Jul 6, 2020, 9:01 pm	This time we visited the most northerly point of Ireland - Malin Head. The weather was a bit rough but it was still warm enough for a cliff walk. It's a very special place. It's beautiful, windy, with lots of spectacular views from the green tops of the cliffs at the powerful ocean around!
Katusha Posted Jul 27, 2020, 5:34 pm	We continued to discover the northern part of the Wild Atlantic Way. This time we followed it going from Letterkenny to Fanad Head. The road goes to Ramelton, then to Rathmullan, Protsalon and ends in Fanad. Just near the coast. So you can enjoy beautiful views of hills, mountains and valleys, small villages and cute little towns. And the ocean of course. Even though the roads can get very narrow and winding at times it's a lovely drive.
Katusha Posted Aug 4, 2020, 5:22 pm	Today we visited Derry. It was good to walk its streets, most of the shops were already closed cause it was a bit too late, but many bars and pubs were open. Twice we saw news teams recording their news, first it was BBC news and then we saw RTE news guys. I think they like the central city locations because they are very beautiful and easily recognisable. We ended our walk near the Derry girls mural. We like these tv series. And the mural looks really cool.
Katusha Posted Sep 7, 2020, 1:26 pm	It was all grey and rainy that day but we thought we would have a wee drive to the east coast and visit Killybegs, the largest fishing port in Ireland, and then go to the Malin Beg village famous for its beautiful beach, the Silver Strand. The port was really big. I liked the ships. Seafood Shack is now my favourite fish and chips place. Really! Everything tasted so good and fresh! I wish I could visit them more often. The seafood box was 10 out of 10! We really liked the place. And going to return there when the weather is a bit sunnier. In the end we didn't get to the Malin Beg because it was getting a bit late.
Katusha Posted Sep 7, 2020, 1:44 pm	Muckros Head is a small peninsula 10km away from Killybegs. It has two beaches and sea-cliffs popular among climbers.
Katusha Posted Oct 12, 2020, 4:57 pm	It was a sunny bright day and we had a nice drive to Malin Beg and then to the Slieve League mountain. Was a wonderful trip!
Katusha Posted Dec 11, 2020, 10:03 pm	It was the first day when we were allowed to travel around our county again! It was so good to have a little adventure at last! We went to the Horn Head to see the ocean. Even though it was stormy that day, very rainy, freezing and windy, it was soooo good to be outside for a little bit.
Katusha Posted Dec 22, 2020, 12:48 am	Today we thought we still haven't had a single gingerbread this year! So we decided to change the situation as soon as possible and opened our little cook book. Then we found a few cutters, but mainly we used a little unicorn, because it's so cute, and the result was not so bad looking, and actually tasted very nice!
Katusha Posted Jan 2, 2021, 6:01 pm	It's 2021 now! New Year, new adventures! And today we had a little walk, not somewhere far because the new lockdown here has just started, so it was just a walk around our neighbourhood.
Katusha Posted Jan 9, 2021, 8:33 pm	Today was a very important day for me because I'm going to my new host to Germany! Wow, it's been a while since the last time I've traveled alone. I'm a bit nervous but very excited. I'm planning to stay with my new host for a whole year! That's a lot of time. Hope everything will be fine. I said bye to my best buddy Mokomoko and we had a little walk  to pick a few things to surprise my new host before heading to the post office. Me and Mokomoko View of Letterkenny. Swilly the river. The new mural. I think this coo is very cute. Now all is ready and I'm going on my adventure! See you soon!
BlackCat Posted Feb 2, 2021, 10:33 pm	Hello world, hello Germany, greetings back to Ireland, today BlackCat went to the post office to pick up a package that wasn't delivered on Saturday. It was an order with stickers from Aliexpress. But when she came to the post office the man behind the counter told her, that there were two envelopes for her. One a little ripped and the other one with her order. She was first confused what the ripped envelope could be, but then she saw me already looking out of it. I finally made it. My smile was the biggest smile in the world when I realized who was picking me up at the post office. As it was raining on our way back she kept me safe in her backpack and unpacked me here at home. It was a long trip and a long day, so we only took one photo and will go to sleep soon. Let's hope this will be an adventure. Have a good day. Love Mishuta
BlackCat Posted Feb 4, 2021, 10:04 pm	Hello everyone, today BlackCat had to go to her po box after work, so I joined in as the sun was shining and she said it will be a nice walk from home. We chatted a bit about Essen and what she wants to show me in the future - which sounds so exciting. I will try my best to take lots of beautiful photos with her. As BlackCat loves mail a lot, she decided to show me the mailbox where she usually drops off her letters. It gets emptied every day except Sundays. Monday to Friday at 5 pm and Saturdays at 12:30. So her mail is quite fast going from there. She dropped of Sanny here on her way to the po box as well. Well, we went past the people waiting to get into the post office and got all of them pretty angry. But with the key we are allowed to go inside no matter how many people are already inside of the post office, cause we go somewhere else than everyone waiting for the post office counter. We went straight into the room for the po boxes. BlackCat gave me the key and helped me open her po box so I could look inside of it. She got a bit of mail - a stamp order and some letter paper for example. And it was all really exciting. After that we slowly walked back home to enjoy the sunshine some more. I hope we'll have more nice days like this in the future. I hope you are okay. Sending a small hug from Germany, Mishuta

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