QuamQuam Posted Oct 21, 2011, 9:07 pm |
This is me riding on QuamQuam, the cute guineapig of my owner. I love riding QuamQuam. |
QuamQuam Posted Oct 21, 2011, 9:12 pm |
This is me reading the newspaper. I'm a very intelligent Kiwi |
QuamQuam Posted Oct 21, 2011, 10:08 pm |
I'm a very hungry Kiwi. My owner saw me raiding the fridge and took a photo of me |
QuamQuam Posted Oct 22, 2011, 12:39 pm |
This is my owner Marie. She gave me my crazy name and takes care of me till I start my journey. I can't wait!!!
The other picture shows the view from the balcony. It's very nice, isn't it? |
QuamQuam Posted Oct 22, 2011, 6:05 pm |
YEAH!! Finally Marie has found a host for me: Mathilde. In 2 or 3 days I'll start my journey to Wiesbaden. I'm already prepared for it. OH, I'M SOOOO EXCITED!! I WANNA GO RIGHT NOW!! |
QuamQuam Posted Oct 24, 2011, 5:05 pm |
I'm on my way and nothing can stop me. MUHAHAHAHA!!! |
Mathilde Posted Oct 25, 2011, 12:33 pm |
wow look at that, that was a very short trip... Thank God though! This envelope is a little small, even for my size
Anyway, I've arrived at Wiesbaden. Look who lives here... that one is a lot bigger than the pets I'm used to... A liiiiittle scary... But maybe some day I'll get a chance to ride him too =) |
Mathilde Posted Oct 26, 2011, 2:28 pm |
I had to get up early today.... To accompany Mathilde to University... Boooring!
But she promised me tomorrow is going to be more fun, we going to check out the city. |
Mathilde Posted Oct 29, 2011, 6:12 pm |
Hi again
It's been raining for days so wie didn't get the chance to go sightseeing yet... After a few days I noticed Mathilde isn't really of any use until she has had her morning coffee. I have to admit I'm getting used to it too! Yesterday we went to ballet class, that was a lot of fun!!! Today I had to help Mathilde study for next week |
Mathilde Posted Nov 1, 2011, 4:53 pm |
Hi Mum!
I hope the weather back home is better than over here... Look at that! I was afraid we might drive right off the road! After this very stressful drive I enjoyed some store-bought Christmas cookies. We're planning to bake some ourselves at the weekend. And I will get my sight seeing tour, can't wait |
Mathilde Posted Nov 3, 2011, 5:38 pm |
wow... I'm really tired! Last night Mathildes friend came over and they had a little girls-night-in. They really do talk a lot...
In the meantime I was watching the movie, it wasn't half bad. |
Mathilde Posted Nov 5, 2011, 3:22 pm |
Today we went for a little walk. We saw "Biebricher Schloß", which used to be the summer house from some royal people... it's nice!
Right across the street is a really big river, the Rhein! |
Mathilde Posted Nov 5, 2011, 4:48 pm |
We went for another walk today along the river. Look what we found!
|
Mathilde Posted Nov 6, 2011, 6:33 pm |
We finally did some sight seeing today. The weather was awesome, as you can see.
This is "Kurhaus" it's really beautiful. And you can see the really big BAMBI on the lawn. We also saw the Landtag. This is the oldest building in the city!! Today it's the registry office. And this is the "Marktkirche" you can see they started putting up the lights for the Christmas market. |
QuamQuam Posted Jan 4, 2012, 6:04 pm |
Hi,
unfortunately the first HömpfMömpf didn't come back . Now I am the new one. Contrary to the original HömpfMömpf I'm not green but I hope this is no problem . This is me: Tomorrow I'll travel to Koblenz; I'm so excited!! |
FraJ Posted Jan 7, 2012, 12:17 pm |
Hello from the rhine -again!
Today I arrived at my host in Lahnstein and we visited the small town directly (first picture shows me and behind castle Solzenfels). We walked along the rhine but that's not longer possible because the flood water saison starts now. And look at the picture, I've seen a lot of seagulls As we walked through the city FraJ showed me the old town hall and the Evangelical Church... On the way home we saw a beautiful sunset There are still some things to see! I'm excited And greetings to my mum! |
FraJ Posted Jan 8, 2012, 5:19 pm |
Hey hey!
Today we took the bike in the World Cultural Heritage "Upper Middle Rhine Valley" which stretches from Koblenz to Bingen. But we only drove from Lahnstein (next to Koblenz) to Osterspai... The first picture shows me in front of the old castle of Lahnstein (there's another one on the mountain but first we visit all from the rhine valley). The second image is in Braubach and you can see well that you can't walk anywhere by the flood (which will be even worse)... On the next picture is the famous Marksburg and before the war memorial of Braubach. But the Marksburg is such a typical German castle that the Japanese have them copied by his original size! Next one shows me and the flood again (everywhere is this brown water!). Then you see me in Osterspai. Fraj has said that the impact of the high water looks better even if a comparison picture of the summer is inserted. Because usually there is a small island with a little beach ... Finally again the dirty bike and I and a picture with the vineyards in the background which are quite famous because the "Bopparder Hamm" is a good Rhine wine I'm happy when I visit the mountains but first we have to visit Koblenz! Cya soon! |
FraJ Posted Jan 14, 2012, 10:30 pm |
Hello from Koblenz!
Today is Friday the 13th ... But so far nothing bad happened. Luckily. Fraj and I were making just a few errands in Koblenz. I've seen a few churches but Fraj promised that I can still see the German Corner and the fortress Ehrenbreitstein! Once enough for today! |
FraJ Posted Jan 14, 2012, 10:48 pm |
Today I visited a few nice places!
We were -as promised- on the mountains and the view is great! Castles are everywhere! On the fourth and sixth picture you can also see the second castle in Lahnstein. It's a haunted place! There is a story about the castle Lahneck that the castle be haunted by a young english lady... The monastery which I have seen of the Near got his own mood too. But overall it's very nice here, so enjoy the pictures mommy! Greetings! |
FraJ Posted Jan 27, 2012, 8:29 pm |
Hello!
We visited Coblenz again and we went to the plants along the Rhine. We started from Lahnstein but the picture shows us on the bridge facing the German Corner, our destination for today. On the way we passed the Empress-Augusta-Memorial. Her full name is Marie Louise Augusta Catherine Princess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach and she was a German empress of 1871 - 1888. She and her husband, Emperor William I., settled down in 1849 in Koblenz. Here you can see the fortress Ehrenbreitstein. Built in 1828 by the Prussian King Frederick III (immediately after the Congress of Vienna). The fortress was never involved in combat operations and soon had no strategic significance. Today it's open to all and very nice (but today we had too little time). And here's the back of the Castle of Coblenz (but the front is also shown yet). Also very interesting is the Federal Ministry of Defense Technology and Procurement: Here again a picture with the fortress in the background. And here is the Emperor Wilhelm the First! He looks down onto German Corner Here finally coalesce Moselle and Rhine. What masses of water! Here, the Mosel and a piece of the old town of Coblenz! Upstream also very very nice places. And here's the front of the castle of Coblenz! Unfortunately, just work, but in summer it should look very nice ... ... Here just the view from the rhine plants... Finally one of a myriad of churches in Coblenz and the country's Supreme Court... And on the way home... Over the bridge again I was very brave! So, let's see what the last days here bring so! Greetings! |
FraJ Posted Jan 30, 2012, 10:35 pm |
Hey guys!
We were this afternoon in Bad Ems. A resort with a spa. In 17./18. century Bad Ems was considered one of the most famous seaside resorts in Germany. Its heyday was in the 19th century as place of a "world spa" and it was the summer residence of many monarchs and European artists, including Kaiser Wilhelm I, the Tsar Nicholas I, Alexander II of Russia and Richard Wagner... FraJ told me that the publication of the Ems Dispatch contributed to the outbreak of the Franco-German war in 1870-71, which led to the founding of the German Empire. She knows a lot about history On the right side are also the Kurhaus, the Casino and the Kursaal: Here the Casino of Bad Ems from close: And the Park: Here you can see the house of the four towers, resided by the Tsar Alexander II of Russia... Very impressive... Tomorrow my last update will follow for Rhineland-Palatinate. Now I've go to sleep Bye! |
FraJ Posted Jan 30, 2012, 10:55 pm |
Hello for the last time from Lahnstein!
First I would like to show that there are not only gorgeous landscapes here. Industry is also located here. Immediately remove from historic buildings: And the Königsbacher brewery is also represented, so you will in the carnival-loving Rhineland-Palatinate never sit on the dry But in Lahnstein the river Lahn flows into the Rhine. Maybe a smaller "German Corner"? Upstream has the river Lahn some very idyllic locations. But today we stayed in Lahnstein. Next time I will see this small river in Weilburg, Hesse... Now I'll pack my things and then I make myself on the way to Schleswig-Holstein! I am so happy! See you soon love and greetings from Lahnstein! |
RikeH Posted Feb 3, 2012, 7:03 pm |
Hello Mum,
today I arrived in Sülfeld - now I am in Schleswig-Holstein - in the North of Germany. I met Dicker Kumpel. He is a friendly bunny and he will be my host here. Then he introduced me to his other guests. After talking with to other TVs I had a look around the room. This guy was really funny! This bird told me that I will see some of his relatives soon. And I loved this friendly sheep. I think that I will have a nice time here. yours HömpfMömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 6, 2012, 9:00 pm |
Hi Mum,
today I went outside. Look - it was winter here. Sülfeld is in the North of Germany - so the children used this 'mountain' for their sledges. This is the old school of Sülfeld. Here you can see the emblem of the village. I liked this old door. This is the old church... ... it was not open - but we saw photos on a sign. On the other side of the street is the old pharmacy. Bye Hömpfmömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 9, 2012, 9:39 pm |
Hi Mum,
Today a new ToyVoyager arrived. She is called Clairchen and visits Dicker Kumpel for the second time. She wants to come with us on a holiday. We will go to Amrum tomorrow. But first we said Hello to Clairchen. It will be an adventurous trip tomorrow. Can you see what we read in the web? Here you can see it better – there is so much ice on the North Sea that not all ferries will be in use – and we cannot take the car with us. RikeH is very sad and disappointed, but we will cheer her up! Keep your fingers crossed for us that we will reach Amrum! yours HömpfMömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 11, 2012, 6:35 pm |
Hi Mum,
Great News – we were allowed to go on this ferry! And we went to Amrum. Look – there was a lot of ice on the North Sea. Maybe they didn’t know the way and we were on the way to the North Pole. We had fun in the restaurant and learnt that they say Moin Moin here, instead of Hello. Love Hömpfmömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 12, 2012, 5:00 pm |
Hello Mum,
Yesterday we arrived in Wittdün. This morning we went onto our balcony and had a look around. Well – normally there is water – but now there was ice. Then we relaxed in the sunshine. Later we went to the dunes near to Norddorf. Look – there was snow in the dunes. We climbed up a very high dune and had a nice view. We went to the water – well – water? We saw some water – but more sheets of ice. I loved to sit on the wall of another look-out. Yours HömpfMömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 13, 2012, 8:52 am |
Hello Mum,
Another sunny day on the Amrum Island. We made another walk – this time around Wittdün. We were on the way to a small harbour – you can see it behind me. This was the view to the the big port, where the ferries stop. These funny colorful houses were next to the small harbour. Can you understand this phrase? There were more ships behind us. Ahoi from the North Sea. HömpfMömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 14, 2012, 3:45 pm |
Moin Mum,
Today we visited a lake for birds. But we didn't saw birds. Maybe it was too cold? So I decided to enjoy the view of the lake. Behind me you can see the way we came. This was the other direction. We talked a lot in the sunshine. Then we crossed a high dune and had this nice view. Can you find me? Here I am! Yours Hömpfmömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 14, 2012, 4:13 pm |
|
RikeH Posted Feb 15, 2012, 12:09 pm |
Hi Mum,
We went to another village today – it is called Nebel. Behind me you can see the church of Nebel. We went inside. It is a nice old church. We made a walk and went to the Coast. There was a lot of ice. There are meadows next to the water. And you can see the church again. This is one of the oldest houses in Nebel. Here is the wonderful windmill. Another wonderful house. It was a great day in Nebel. Love HömpfMömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 15, 2012, 7:03 pm |
Hello Mum,
We had a sunny day again and wanted to visit the lighthouse. We had to climb up 295 steps – it was exhausting, but we had a wonderful view. Can you see the shadow of the lighthouse next to me? I really love the North Sea and Amrum – we should visit it together, Mum. Look, here are some facts about the lighthouse. I want to show you our living-room. Can you see me? I like this boat and would love to sail it in the summertime. These stones were funny! And here you see the chair of us ToyVoyagers! It is great! Love HömpfMömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 16, 2012, 2:20 pm |
Hello again,
Yesterday we visited the big lighthouse of Amrum – today we made a walk to another lighthouse. It was a smaller one called Quermarkenfeuer. It was a long walk – but then we saw it. It was not easy to take photos, because the sun was behind the lighthouse. We saw the North Sea and the Dunes. And you can see the way we came. We had a little picnic. Here I am in front of a nice aerial view of the lighthouse. On our way back we saw some deer. Love HömpfMömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 19, 2012, 10:05 am |
Hello Mum,
We moved to another place - now we are living in a nice house. We have our own big chair again. This is our living-room. Here you see the view from our patio. We relaxed in the sun on our own bench. Love HömpfMömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 22, 2012, 8:54 am |
Hello Mum,
we still have a nice time here on Amrum. But we saw so many things in the first week that RikeH didn''t find many new places. But today we went to the Biake-Brennen on Amrum. many greetings HömpfMömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 23, 2012, 5:39 pm |
Hello Mum,
Today we went to Nebel again. We found a big sign with a map of Amrum. Then we went to a cemetery. It was made for unknown dead men, who were found on the beaches or in the Sea. We walked through the village and saw nice old houses. Bye HömpfMömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 24, 2012, 4:20 pm |
Hello Mum,
I want to show you some decorations in our holiday flat. There is a really big sea shell. And some fishes – they can swim during the nighttime, because they have lights. This man is so tall. This fish – without lights – is very tall, too. Or maybe I am so small? Then we went upstairs. Two birds showed their view out of the window. I saw Foehr Island from another window. We have funny wallpapers here – one is with sailing ships… …and the other one with lighthouses. Yours HömpfMömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 25, 2012, 5:03 pm |
Hello Mum,
We made a walk along the East Coast of Amrum today. It was sunny and I enjoyed the sunshine. Look – this was a nice windmill. It is not working anymore, someone is living in it. Yours HömpfMömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 27, 2012, 7:43 pm |
Hello Mum,
This evening Dicker Kumpel came to our place with two bottles. It was time to party, because we will leave Amrum tomorrow. We all get our glasses. Three of us had a white drink, two a black one. Look Mum, I had a white one! It was yummy – I loved it! We had a great evening, Mum! Love HömpfMömpf |
RikeH Posted Feb 28, 2012, 7:57 pm |
Hello Mum,
It is my last day in Sülfeld. Tomorrow I will jump to another host – called ScillyHH. She is the Mum of Clairchen – and Clairchen will go home, too. As a big surprise Dicker Kumpel will come with us, too, because we all will go on a holiday for one week together. We said goodbye to Germanya and Phillip. They gave us a big hug. I had a nice time with RikeH. But now it is time for new adventures! Love HömpfMömpf |
ScillyHH Posted Feb 29, 2012, 9:00 pm |
Hi mum,
I arrived safely at Scillys home. Dicker Kumpel, Clairchen and I sat in the bag and looked out. Our host and Clairchens best friend LewisHH welcomed us. We clambered out of the bag. Time to explore the home of LewisHH and Clairchen. We saw this funny woolen flower and scaled it. Look, this is a reception bell. I can handle the bell with my beak. Then I saw this nice boat. Dicker Kumpel and I we both were the skipper. Scilly said that we should use the time to prepare our trip to Madeira. So we got this travel guide. I am looking forward for a great time :-) All the very best HömpfMömpf |
ScillyHH Posted Mar 2, 2012, 8:58 pm |
Hi mum,
tomorrow we will fly to Madeira. And so we had to pack the baggage. Scilly came home. Who is that? A TV in Scillys bag! We gave him a warm welcome. His name is Erol the Pirat and he will come with us to Madeira. We had to hurry packing the suitcase with all the important things like a cup, a plate, a candle holder etc. etc. But Scilly did not like what we have done And she had a surprise for us. We got a parcel from Spencer. He ist a TV brother of Clairchen and Lewis. He join the big German Round Robin at the moment. We were very curious. So we opend the parcel. We found Spencers carnival costume, a dictionary for Hessian, some postcards and some sweets for us This is a funny postcard. All the very best HömpfMömpf |
ScillyHH Posted Mar 11, 2012, 12:19 pm |
Hi mum,
today our holdidays began. After packing the suitcase yesterday we were ready to fly this morning. See me waiting in the airport building in front of our airplane. We had a great fly. See me sitting in my own seat! I got the full service with coffee, water and a sandwich. But to sit alone is very boring. So my friends Dicker Kumpel, Erol, Clairchen and Lewis came and we had a nice chat. So we began to read the travel guide. Now we are well prepared for our stay on the isle of Madeira. Then we took a look out. But there was nothing but some clouds and the sun. After landing we took the Aerobus to Funchal and met our rentlady. She showed us our holiday apartment. The weather is really great: 20 degrees and sun, sun, sun. We took a first look from our 2 balconies. Now we are very tiered. But I am sure we will have a great time on Madeira. All the very best. HömpfMömpf |
ScillyHH Posted Mar 11, 2012, 1:01 pm |
Hi mum
Yesterday 7 degrees in Hamburg, today 21 degrees and no clouds in the sky! I love Madeira! First we discovered the market hall. Today on sunday it is not open. But tomorrow we will take a look at all the exotic plants, fruits, vegetables and fish. See me in front of the market hall. I had a life mission to see palm trees. I am glad to tell you I fullfilled this lifmission today. See me in front of a palm tree. It is a baby palm tree. On our walk trough Funchal we found this little church. How picturesque! This is an old castle by the see. A liked the yellow. See me in front of the marina of Funchal. Which boat for me??? All the very best HömpfMömpf |
ScillyHH Posted Mar 11, 2012, 1:49 pm |
Hi mum,
as I told you yesterday we went to the market hall this morning. So many colorful fruits, vegetables, fish and flowers to see. See me with an overview of the market. Here are some localy grown tomatoes. Take a look at all these exotic fruits! We were able to taste some of them. Yummy.... Madeira is well known as the flower island. See me in front of a lovely flower stall. There is also a separat fish hall. Look at me in front of the catch of the day. On the way out we saw two cruise ships in the harbour, the AIDAsol and the Thomson Destiny. Back at home we took a look at the exotic fruits we bought this morning. The green long thing in the middle is a ananas banana, the big green round thing is a soft mushy apple and the small rounds are different kinds of maracuja. It is a shame we can’t share the beautiful smell with you. All the very best HömpfMömpf |
ScillyHH Posted Mar 11, 2012, 3:11 pm |
Hi mum
Today is Scillys birthday. We TV’s helped Richy to decorate the table. It is nice, isn’t it? Dicker Kumpel, Clairchen and I had a nice birthday card for Scilly which we found on Amrum. Thank you RikeH for helping us choose the card. To celebrate the birthday Richy invited us to a traditional english tea time in the Reids Pallace Hotel. We sat down on the terrace and had a lovely view over Funchal and the sea. We had sandwiches, scones and little cakes and of course tea. Yummi... Sorry mum, but the photograph was to blurred to post. After eating so much we walked back into town. First we passed the casino of Funchal. We took a quick picture but we are not allowed inside, minimum age 18! Then we passed through some gardens. See me with some really great palmtrees and cactuses. See me in front of a lovely old villa. From this terrace weh had a view of the marina of Funchal. All the very best HömpfMömpf |
ScillyHH Posted Mar 12, 2012, 7:17 pm |
Hi mum
today we went on a trip to Monte. That`s a village 600 m above Funchal. We didn’t want to walk up so we took the cable car. What great fun. See me and my friends riding the cable car. Monte is well known for its basket cars. Two people sit down in the wicker baskt and ride down the streets into Funchal driven by two pushers. It works without snow! Crazy! There is also a well known church in Monte, the Nossa Senhora do Monte. The last austrian Empror lies here. See me in front of the church. As Madeira is world famous for its plants and flowers we visited the garden „Jardim Tropical Monte Palace“. Here you can find many plants and flowers. See me in front of some really nice ones. There also some sculptures in the garden. This is the worlds biggest vase which was made by hand. It has a height of 5 m. I measured it with my beak Oh look, this is called Rheinschlösschen. A former owner of the gardens was impressed by the upper Rhein region and build this house acordingly. It was used as hotel. They also had a part which they called the Japanese Garden. See me in front of an asian gate. Portugal is very famous for its portugese tiles calls Azulejos. See me in front of one typical tiled picture. All the very best HömpfMömpf |
ScillyHH Posted Mar 13, 2012, 8:15 pm |
Hi mum
Today we went on a trip to Santana. Santana ist he biggest city in the north of the island. We took the bus. It was quiet an adventures ride over mountains and through valleys. See me and some of my friends sitting on the bus. Santana is well known for its triangular houses with thatched roofs. See me and my friends in front of some Santana houses. We sat down in an old chair and enjoied the sunshine. Then a lady in the traditional outfit came and put us on her knee. The town also has a nice little church. So we took a picture. Back at home I wrote this postcard. All the very best HömpfMömpf |
ScillyHH Posted Mar 14, 2012, 7:54 pm |
Hi mum,
Today is our last day on Madeira. We went on a trip to Camara de Lobos. It is a small fishermen village in the south of Madeira. See me with all the colorful boates. Wow, this is stockfish. Have you ever seen it before? We enjoyed the sun on a fishing boat. After a short walk we had this fantastic view back to the village. In the afternoon we visited a cellar with old madeira vines. All the very best HömpfMömpf |
ScillyHH Posted Mar 15, 2012, 7:50 pm |
Hi mum,
this is our last morning in Funchal. In the afternonn we will fly home to Hamburg. But before we have to leave I would like to show you the town hall of Funchal. This church is a former abbey and belongs now to the university of Funchal. Oh look, so many flowers over a beck in middle of town. It's very nice, isn't it! Then we had to go to the airport. See me on the terrace of the airport building in front of a TAP plane. Can see the Air Berlin plane which was landed a few minutes ago? Time to fly home! All the very best HömpfMömpf |
ScillyHH Posted Mar 18, 2012, 9:42 am |
Hi mum,
today we had to say good bye to my dear friend Dicker Kumpel. Time to have a good bye party Dicker Kumpel and I organized some sweets. Clairchen and Dicker Kumpel searched for some alcoholic drinks. They chose white port for the gentlemen and a chocolate liqueur for the ladies. All TV's had to help to transport the bottles. Everything was ready then. We had glasses, drinks, sweets and some paper streamers. Let's have party! See us having a lot of fun. We were a little bit drunk. But then it was time to say good bye to Dicker Kumpel. He, Clairchen and I had two wonderful holidays on the isle of Amrum and on Madeira. I will really miss him. I gave Dicker Kumpel a good bye kiss. All the very best HömpfMömpf |
ScillyHH Posted Mar 18, 2012, 10:46 am |
Hi mum,
today Scilly and Richy showed us the city centre of Hamburg. See me in front of the Alsterlake in middle of town. I like the white Alster boats. Behind me you can see the Alsterarkaden. It is a small lane with some shops and cafés next to a canal. Can you see the canoists on the canal? This is the town hall of Hamburg. It's nearly a palace, isn't it. This lion guards the courtyard of the town hall. But it is a very friendly lion. Erol and I chat a little bit with him and had a short break. This is the courtyard of the town hall. Very nice with a lovely old well in the middle. One sculpture has a sailing ship in its hand. Erol invited me to a short sailing trip See me in front of a topless double decker bus. It is a bus for tourists to explore Hamburg. Then we went home. See me sitting in the rapid transit line. I had my own seat. All the very best HömpfMömpf |
ScillyHH Posted Mar 22, 2012, 8:26 pm |
Hi mum,
this morning Erol and I secretly jumped into Scillys bag. The sun was shining and we walked around the lake Binnenalster. The spring is coming, the trees are blossom. Erol and I sat on a sculpure and enjoyed the sun. Look, there are nice street lamps in Hamburg. We heard some voices and then we saw some other TV's! Unbelievable Dicker Kumpel, Ceylon, B.o.B. and Germanya sat in the sun. They also wanted to enjoy the weather in the lunch break. What a great surprise! We had a little chat. See me with Ceylon! He is joining the Big Germany-RR like me. Dicker Kumpel is her host now. Then we had to go back to Scillys office. On our way we saw a police boat on the alsterlake. On the Jungfernstieg we saw this two white Alster boats. This building I know from the last weekend. It is the town hall. See me in front of the Alsterarkaden. This is the Thalia theatre near the Alster lake. This was a great lunch break. All the very best HömpfMömpf |
RikeH Posted Mar 31, 2012, 4:37 pm |
Hello Mum,
After having a great time with ScillyHH I decided to leave her home and travel to my next host, HoBi. Because I am an intelligent ToyVoyager I made a plan on the map. I am here in the middle – RikeH lives in the North – I should not go that way. This direction is the right one- I must follow my nose. Well – I started in the night – but I am sure that a bird like me will find the right direction. Hours later I stopped in a nice garden. I had the strange feeling that I knew this place. Who should I ask? Then I saw a bird lady sitting next to some flowers. I went to her and sat down. I asked her, where she comes from – and where she is going to. Well Mum, it was strange – she told me about her next host – he is called Dicker Kumpel. I know him. But what is he doing here in the South of Hamburg? We looked around and saw Dicker Kumpel and his guests sitting in the sunshine. We went nearer. I was so happy to see him. To tell the truth – I was not sure, if I flew in the right direction. Dicker Kumpel told me that I missed my way – but we all were so happy that I stopped here. We celebrated my arrival and the arrival of Pink Charmin. We all chose the sweets we like most. I had these chocolates. I will take a rest over the weekend – and continue my trip on Monday. But we decided that I will travel inside an envelope then. Love HömpfMömpf |
RikeH Posted Apr 2, 2012, 8:35 pm |
Hello Mum,
It was time to say goodbye to Dicker Kumpel again. Maybe we will meet again – who knows? Then I got a hug by the others. I will travel to Murph – the best friend of Dicker Kumpel – and I will travel inside an envelope this time. Love HömpfMömpf |
HoBi Posted Apr 8, 2012, 1:34 pm |
Hello Mum,
I arrived safely in lower Saxony. Travelling inside an envelope is better for me, I guess. I brought an Easter Surprise with me. It was for Murph from his best friend Dicker Kumpel. We opened the gift right away. Imagine this Mum – Murph knows the forest where the Easter bunny is living. We went there – this is the place, where he lives. Let’s see, if I find something. The first Easter eggs! Murph was right! And there – can you see it – an Easter bunny! Much more! Everything was for me! On the tree was something – but how can I go there? I did it! This was exhausting – so Murph and I made a break before we went home with our baskets. There were so many sweets for both of us. I am sure that it was the forest, where the Easter bunny lives! I wish you and all the others a wonderful Easter time. Love HömpfMömpf |
HoBi Posted Apr 15, 2012, 7:32 pm |
Hello Mum,
Today I made a walk through the city, where I live at the moment. Here you can see the emblem of Bad Salzdetfurth. It is a small city with many old houses. Can you see this old door – I really liked it. In the past they produced salt here. There is a mining museum. Near to the museum I found this old pit wheel. In front of the museum there was a big sign with the explanation, how they produced salt in the Past. There were many timbered old houses. We visited a spa garden. There was a Summstein. It was so funny. If you sit in the stone and you buzz, it tickles! There were two big salines in the spa garden. Here the people produced the salt. Today many people sit in front of the salines and enjoy the healthy air. I tried it out, too. On my way back I saw another nice house. It is a really beautiful city! Many greetings HömpfMömpf |
HoBi Posted Apr 18, 2012, 8:53 pm |
Hello Mum,
today I saw the horse of Lower Saxony fort he first time. It was at a gate to the monastery garden of Lamspringe. The monastery was really big. You can see a sign with a map of the garden. In this garden the Lamme starts. It is a small river – that flows through Bad Salzdetfurth. This was the old mill of the monastery. They restore the water wheel at the moment. But look – this looked nice –the cat enjoyed the sunshine at a place, where normally the water flows. There was a wonderful small lake in the garden. At the wall of the monastery I found this interesting thing. In the Past bad people got this ring around their necks. Then they were in the pillory. This is a photo of the church of the monastery. The last photo was from the exit of the garden. This was art. Can you explain it to me? I don’t understand it! Many greetings HömpfMömpf |
HoBi Posted Apr 28, 2012, 6:42 pm |
Hello Mum,
imagine that – Murph found a treasure map in Bad Salzdetfurth. He thought that we could find the treasure in Sülfeld. We were so excited and puzzled about the map. Where can the treasure be? Dicker Kumpel and Murph had a plan. At first we went outside. Great – I found the blue car. Where should we go next – we looked at the map. This should be the right direction. We continued our search. Then we met these friendly boys and asked for the way. They suggested asking the bugs, because they fly and know the garden. We met the bugs, but they never saw the treasure. Maybe between the flowers? Unfortunately there was no treasure. But there on the wood was a chest. We had to go there. Uff, we did it – everybody was on the top. It really looks like a treasure chest! What will be in the chest? We were so curious! Will it be the treasure? Dicker Kumpel and Murph opened the chest. Wow, this was great – a lot of gold and jewelry! We found the treasure! We went back to the blue chair. All was for us! Look – this wonderful necklace – it is so beautiful. I want to have it. I look great with it, don’t you think so? What an exciting day! Mum, do you have hidden treasure maps at home? Searching treasures was so much fun! Many greetings HömpfMömpf |
HoBi Posted Apr 28, 2012, 6:47 pm |
Hello Mum,
Today Dicker Kumpel showed us Bad Oldesloe. It was a beautiful city with many small rivers. This was the fountain in front of the town hall. Isn’t it beautiful here? I forgot to ask Dicker Kumpel, what this funny sculpture shows. Then we found a water wheel. Unfortunately we didn’t have the time for wine tasting. What a pity! The church of Bad Oldesloe. There were some other old houses in the city. The last photo was a group photo with all of us. Love HömpfMömpf |
HoBi Posted May 2, 2012, 7:04 pm |
Hello Mum,
It was my last day in Lower Saxony and I went into the forest with Murph. We wanted to search mushrooms. First we found Maiporlinge. Then Murph showed me the wild arum. It is very poisonous. The scaly polypore is eatable. But we didn’t search it. Look, mum. There were wild orchids. Very beautiful flowers! Later we found the mushrooms that we wanted to find – yellow morels. They are very rare and so yummy! At home it was time to say goodbye to Murph. I had a wonderful time with him here in Lower Saxony. Now I look forward to my adventures in Hessen. Many greetings HömpfMömpf |
Noisy Posted May 11, 2012, 6:58 pm |
[img]null[/img]Yesterday I have reached Noisy's home.
I got a warm welcome, but all the other TV's told me, that Noisy is much busy this days So maybe we have to play alone often. But there is a lot to explore. Uuuuuoooohhh... I have to say a big Thanks to HoBi for the very nice postcard!!!! Noisy has put it on her pinboard... |
Noisy Posted May 13, 2012, 7:46 pm |
Happy Motherday! |
Noisy Posted Jun 9, 2012, 4:38 pm |
Today some boys and me went to the football field to kick a ball, when suddenly Noisy called Mooky. Somebody should come home to pick up our new guest. We all have waited for him quite a long time.
3*Euro has find his way to us. So we sent Minimax back home. When the two little guys came back to the sports field again, we all welcomed 3*Euro and we played a match. |
Noisy Posted Jun 9, 2012, 8:13 pm |
It is cool to have so many friends.
We boys played soccer today again and when we came home, the girls invited us to a yummi pasta salad and sausages. |
Noisy Posted Jun 24, 2012, 1:59 pm |
Today Lina and I were allowed to visit a primary school. Each tuesday Noisy is helping some children with their homework.
I looked around in the classroom and found a little teddy sitting there. He told me that the pupil sometimes are very loud and that he's glad when the school is over in the noon at 3:15 pm. But he told me, too, that he has learned a lot of interesting things since he lives in this classroom. There were posters at the wall showing what to eat in the break, what happens in the nature in June, and much more. And I looked at the nice pictures and the calender. |
Noisy Posted Jun 24, 2012, 2:15 pm |
I looked around, where I am. And I found some interesting things :-) |
Noisy Posted Jun 24, 2012, 2:25 pm |
Just a short trip to Limburg!
the third picture shows a view over Gaudernbach, the village Noisy lives. |
iloveletters Posted Jun 27, 2012, 1:53 pm |
Hello mommy!
I arrived in Thuringia and was welcomed by Claire Tamias and YoYo! |
iloveletters Posted Jul 1, 2012, 4:45 pm |
Hello from Eisenach!
This town is about 15km from the village and my host goes there quite often. Today she showed me a little of the town famous for Luther and Bach. We started at the Bach House, a museum today. You can see the old part where Johann Sebastian Bach was supposedly born. A new house was added some time ago. Then we went to the Luther House, where Martin Luther lived when he was a school child. It is a museum today, too. We carried on and went to the market square with the Georgen Church. And this is me in front of the town hall. Last but not least I saw the smallest house in Eisenach. It has a width of only 2,05m and is about 250 years old. It is the smallest half timbered house in Germany that people still live in! On our way back to the car we came across this fellow. |
iloveletters Posted Jul 1, 2012, 4:51 pm |
Tonight we went to Eisenach theatre.
Pupils of Abbe School performed songs and plays. This is me before the show because during it was too dark for pictures..... |
iloveletters Posted Jul 1, 2012, 4:55 pm |
It is sooo hot here so we went to the Altenberger Lake to cool down a little.
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iloveletters Posted Jul 8, 2012, 9:50 am |
We visted the farm fair in the next village today.
There was an exhibition of animals and farm vehicles. And, well, stuffed animals.... For lunch I had suckling pig - yummy! We also visited the biogas plant that belongs to the farm. |
iloveletters Posted Jul 16, 2012, 7:27 pm |
This sunday we went to the little zoopark in Gotha.
Look at all the animals that we saw: Ohm common', don't just show me your backside.... |
iloveletters Posted Jul 18, 2012, 5:58 pm |
It is only 3 more days at school before the summer holidays start. So my host took us to her school to show us the great grounds.
Then we went to the school library and I helped my host to list new books on the system. Puh, what a huge pile to work on .... |
iloveletters Posted Aug 8, 2012, 9:24 am |
We are on our way to holidays in France. But because the way is so long we took a first stop in west Germany, in Aachen.
The town hall and the market square We also visited the cathedral which is a UNESCO world heritage site. |
iloveletters Posted Aug 8, 2012, 9:25 am |
Then we made our way to France via Belgium. Claire Tamias and YoYo came with us!
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iloveletters Posted Aug 8, 2012, 9:28 am |
Our first stop in France was Epernay in the region of Champagne.
We took a walk through the streets, saw the town hall and walked along Avenue de Champagne with all the wine cellars. And of course we visited a cellar and tasted Champaign. So many bottles! |
iloveletters Posted Aug 8, 2012, 9:29 am |
Next stop: Bayeaux in Normandy.
When we arrived in the evening the cathedral was illuminated in great colours. |
iloveletters Posted Aug 8, 2012, 9:31 am |
Did you know that Jules Verne was born in Nantes but lived in Amiens for a long time?
We visited his house in Amiens with all the history about his novels like 'Around the world in 80 days'. |
iloveletters Posted Aug 8, 2012, 9:34 am |
We spent some days in Normandy and visited a lot of places related to the 2nd world war and D-Day.
Arromanches for example with the D-Day museum and you can still see leftovers of the embarkment. German Bunkers along the coast And then we visited Omaha Beach. Nowadays a lovely place for swimming and sun bathing. Only some information boards and the monument remind us of the war time. |
iloveletters Posted Aug 8, 2012, 9:45 am |
The journey lead us to Brittany the next days. First we stayed in the north in the lovely sea side town St. Pol de Leon. We relaxed on the beach, though the water was very cold with only 16°C, brrrr. We went for walks in the mudd at low tide and went on a boat trip. |
iloveletters Posted Aug 8, 2012, 9:47 am |
On our way southwards we stopped at a prehistoric site in Carnac with thousand of menhirs!
Standing stones wherever you look, big, small, thin... People are still not sure why their ancestors put them there: religious reasons, military reasons.... no idea. |
iloveletters Posted Aug 8, 2012, 9:50 am |
Near Nantes we visted the castle in Clisson and the house La Garenne Lemot. Unfortunately it was a very rainy and foggy day
Our next stops was the Chateau de Goulaine. We visited the castle and there was also a butterfly pavillion. And most surprisingly the biscuit company LU shows their ads and pictures in an exhibition there. |
iloveletters Posted Aug 8, 2012, 9:52 am |
We enjoyed a lovely sunny day in La Rochelle. La Rochelle's landmark are the two towers in the old harbour. |
iloveletters Posted Aug 8, 2012, 9:54 am |
There are many lovely castles in the Loire Valley.
We went to Amboise. It is interesting that Leonardo da Vinci also lived here for 3 years. He was invited to move here from Italy and lived in the Chateau du Clos Lucé before he died. I love the exhibition on his models of flying machines, military machines and so on. |
iloveletters Posted Aug 8, 2012, 9:56 am |
Our last stop in France was Nancy. My favourite was the Place Stanislas with the town hall.
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iloveletters Posted Aug 8, 2012, 9:57 am |
Now we have been back at Mechterstädt for 3 days.
And it is already time for me to move on again. I will visit my next host in Bavaria. CU, mommy! |
Pandamao Posted Sep 6, 2012, 10:30 pm |
I have arrived - Munich here I come |
Pandamao Posted Sep 6, 2012, 10:33 pm |
I did the first walks just around the corner. It is a nice part of the city where I stay, Gärtnerplatzviertel. Just around the corner is the opera house of Gärtnerplatz, very nice. People sit in the middle of the square enjoying the nice summer evenings. |
Pandamao Posted Sep 6, 2012, 10:37 pm |
Every morning I accompany my host for a walk with the dog. and we usually pass a bridge where we can take a look at the German Museum - it s well-known as a museum for nature and science. |
Pandamao Posted Sep 6, 2012, 10:45 pm |
It is very nice to walk along the Isar river. These days it is very hot during the day, so I really enjoy a walk in the morning along the Isar river. |
Pandamao Posted Sep 7, 2012, 4:47 pm |
The weathing being nice and sunny (nearly too hot for me) I spend a lot of time in the little garden of my host. I love to see and smell the beautiful flowers. |
Pandamao Posted Sep 7, 2012, 4:49 pm |
The tomatoes start to ripen and we could harvest nice veggies. |
Pandamao Posted Sep 7, 2012, 9:33 pm |
I helped to make new seeds from the tomatoes so my host can grow them again next year. First I selected ripe tomatoes, then I cut them in halves and squeezed the seeds into an empty marmalade glass. The seeds now have to sit in the closed glass for about 4 days until it's fermenting. The fermentaton process will remove the layer of tissue that's coverng the seed - this cover prevents that the seed will start to germinate inside the tomatoe.
I have put a little label on the glass so that later I still know what variety of tomate should come out of the seed. |
Pandamao Posted Sep 7, 2012, 9:36 pm |
Finally visited the Marienplatz and saw the mayor's house, in the background is Frauenkirche. It is very crowded. these days lots of tourists are in town. |
Pandamao Posted Sep 7, 2012, 9:43 pm |
A Bavarian band was playing at Marienplatz. |
Pandamao Posted Sep 7, 2012, 9:48 pm |
went shopping on the Victuals Market. you can get all kind of food there, also plants, flowers. |
Pandamao Posted Sep 7, 2012, 9:55 pm |
Now some days have been gone since I put the tomatoe seeds to ferment. Today I took them out, rinsed them thoroughly and now they are sitting on a saucer to dry for about 10 days. then they are ready to be put in a small paper bag. |
Pandamao Posted Sep 7, 2012, 10:06 pm |
Saw the Isartor today, a former town gate. It is just around the corner. |
Pandamao Posted Sep 7, 2012, 10:07 pm |
I walked through some little alley-ways in the city center. |
Pandamao Posted Sep 7, 2012, 10:11 pm |
And when I got out of the alley-way I was right in front of the Hofbräuhaus |
Pandamao Posted Sep 7, 2012, 10:18 pm |
Walked along the German Museum - wow, there are hug turbines standing in front of the entry. |
Pandamao Posted Sep 11, 2012, 11:11 pm |
Shoppiiiiing! One of Germany's largest shopping areas/streets - the Neuhauser and Kaufinger Street.
Soon I have to leave so I wanted a last stroll through the city. |
Pandamao Posted Sep 14, 2012, 1:44 pm |
Ah, my time in Munich is over now. I'm crawling into my envelope and say good-bye |
fam-united Posted Sep 19, 2012, 1:49 pm |
I arrived in Bruchsal a few days ago. I met a rather sad host here, because she has such problems with her shoulder. She told me to tell you, that she will do her best to get photos taken with me as soon as possible. But she also asked me to tell you, that it might take some time until she writes the updates.
I hope to write soon again Bye, HömpfMömpf |
fam-united Posted Nov 29, 2012, 9:16 pm |
Bruchsal has about 42 000 inhabitants, if you also count those in the five suburbs, which are Heidelsheim, Helmsheim, Untergrombach, Obergrombach and Büchenau. It was first mentioned in 796 A.D., but there had been an older settlement. 80 % of Bruchsal had been destroyed during World War II. on 1rst of March 1945. So you hardly find really old places.
Schloss Bruchsal is one of the most beautiful Baroque palaces in Germany and the only episcopal Baroque residence on the Upper Rhine. The foundation stone was laid in 1722 by Cardinal Damian Hugo von Schönborn, Prince Bishop of Speyer, who made the palace the centre of his absolutist dominion. After being almost completely destroyed in the final days of World War II, the main tract was painstakingly reconstructed according to the original design and work was completed in 1975, including the magnificent dome, Marble Hall and Prince's Hall. The staircase designed by Balthasar Neumann is considered to be an architectural tour-de-force and has been described as the "finest staircase in the world". Here we are in the palace garden. There is a nice pond with ducks. There are many statues in the palace garden. Four of them show the four seasons. This one is autumn. There are also the four elements fire, water, air and earth. This one is air. We had a great view back to the palace and then walked closer to it again and took a photo of me and a halberd. I've seen the backside of the building without and with fountain. On the left and the right side you can walk through a gate to the front part. Before we walked through the gate on the left, we passed a sundial, which is fixed to the wall of one of the palace buildings. I hope you can see it on the photo. When we came through the gate we could see the county court building. It is the one with the little tower. This is the gate called Damianstor. It is the entrance to the palace area. Here is the county court of Bruchsal. In front of the county court you find the Amalienbrunnen, a fountain with snails. Then we turned around a took a look back to the mainbuilding. We crossed the street again and had a got a last photo taken with the county court and the main building, standing at almost the same place while taking the photos. Then we walked to the other gate next to the mainbuilding. Before we walked through it, we took a photo of the view back to the county court, the gate Damianstor and if you take a closer look, you also can spot the tower of the prison between Damianstor and the tree. Here you see the tower of the church St. Damian and Hugo, which sadly isn't baroque anymore. Then we walked into the palace garden again, took a photo of the terrace and some nice flowers and at last a photo with leaves and chestnuts. Here you see the tower of the old part of Bruchsal's hospital. In the building you find different doctors. The hospital is in a newer part. Just turning on your heels you can see the interesting building of Bruchsal's prison. The prison, constructed ca. 1848, is nicknamed the Cafe with Eight Corners or "Cafe Achteck". Today it is a high security institution and predominantly houses individuals convicted of violent crimes and convicted terrorists, such as members of the Red Army Faction. The Belvedere on the edge of the "Stadtgarten" was built by Leonhard Stahl in 1756 as a hunting lodge for Prince Bishop Franz Christoph von Hutten. The location was chosen so that the lodge would command an unspoiled view of the palace, town and Rhine rift valley beyond. Especially worthy of note are the two towers, each of which has a viewing platform topped with a Chinese-style baldachin – an example of the fashion for chinoiserie prevalent at that time. Today, the Belvedere is used as a venue for concerts and theatre productions. At top of the Andreasstaffel, high stairs, you have a great view over Bruchsal. The houses below belong to the oldest part of Bruchsal. You also can see the tower of the ancient castle and of two churches (from left). The flat roofs belong to the older peoples house. In the far you can see the church St. Peter, a really nice baroque church. All the houses with flat roofs and the white house on the left below this grey building with little tower belong to the older peoples house. The grey building is a private catholic grammar school. We also walked a bit down the Andreasstaffel and had a few to the top from there. You see that small house. It is called Wingerthäusle. You can read about it in one of the photos. |
fam-united Posted Dec 2, 2012, 7:31 pm |
I'm on a trip with my host's pupils and her. We are on a farm in Schotten called Oberwaider Hof with many horses and I learnt a lot about them and about other animals as there are pigs, rabbits, ducks and geese and a mother cow herd.
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fam-united Posted Jan 13, 2013, 9:52 pm |
Today we drove to Ulm and took some photos on the way. It was a bit difficult to take sharp photos, because it was too dark. The photos by night are from Stuttgart. We've seen the big wheel, but it is also a blurry photo. And you can see the small bridge, that leads you to the Wilhelma.
Here we are close to Geisslingen. We've seen the Cathedral of Ulm in the far. On our way home it was getting darker and darker, so there are only a few photos, which are a bit better. Nevertheless it is what we've seen, when we drove and drove and drove. Here's the blurry photo with the big wheel in Stuttgart. Stuttgart is the main city of Baden-Württemberg. And here is the small bridge. |
fam-united Posted Jan 14, 2013, 4:27 pm |
Today is a sad day. We received the news, that a good toyvoyager friend died of cancer. We went to the church St. Peter and prayed for her and her family. So here aren't many words, but only photos.
Street Petersgasse with old houses Street Engelsgasse Then we walked over the graveyard, which is next to the church. Here are graves of men, who died during World War I. This is the Jewish part of the graveyard. Then we walked back home again. Here we see the backside of the house called Santa Maria. The graveyard is rather steep, so difficult to walk for older people. The institute Santa Maria was opened in 1908. At first it was a church-social institution. Since 1981 it became a private school for social pedagogy. |
fam-united Posted Jan 14, 2013, 5:18 pm |
I had been allowed to join Petra on her trip with her colleagues. She still thinks, that it is somehow funny, when she takes photos of toyvoyagers - that's what she says. Can you believe it? I can't. Here we are in front of the castle. Bergzabern Schloss is a landmark in the town of Bad Bergzabern, located in the old town centre. Formerly the residence of the Dukes of Pfalz-Zweibrücken, it now houses the administrative functions of the local government of Bad Bergzabern.
We walked a while and then came through this small village with these beautiful half-timbered houses. We've also visited a shop, but we haven't bought anything. |
fam-united Posted Jan 14, 2013, 5:38 pm |
Today some of us were allowed to join Petra and her sister, when they drove to Stuttgart, which is the main town of Baden-Württemberg. They went on a concert, which was the final of a hit show, which a famous German radio station (SWR1) had organized a few weeks before.
Here I stay in front of the Mercedes Benz Arena, but the concert was in a hall called Schleyerhalle. So let's see, where we will sit - or dance? |
fam-united Posted Jan 14, 2013, 6:16 pm |
My host's son started to study in Ulm and so he needs a room, where he can sleep. Because it was so difficult to find a place, my host decided to drive to Ulm and stay there for two nights to help him. She had the car, so it was easier to drive from house to house.
We had a nice, but most of the time foggy view to the Ulm Minster - cathedral. Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. Ulm was founded around 850, is rich in history and traditions as a former Free Imperial City (German: freie Reichsstadt). Today, it is an economic centre due to its varied industries, and it is the seat of a university (University of Ulm, founded in 1967). |
fam-united Posted Jan 14, 2013, 6:18 pm |
In the afternoon we had time for a sightseeing tour. This is a Lutheran church called Pauluskirche. At first we thought, that it is a gate. The church was built between 1908 and 1910, so it is younger than we thought it is.
Inside the church it is rather dark, so it was really difficult to take nice photos - they are just terribly dark. |
fam-united Posted Jan 16, 2013, 8:13 am |
Then we visited the catholic church Saint George. I really liked the colours and paintings.
We walked through Herrenkellergasse. At the corner to Rabengasse we found these nice old houses and had a nice view to the steeple of the Minster. Internationally, Ulm is primarily known for having the church with the tallest steeple in the world (161.53 m (529.95 ft) high and 768 steps)., the Gothic minster (Ulm Minster, German: Ulmer Münster) built 1377-1891. The Rathaus (Town Hall) was built in 1370, featuring some brilliantly-coloured murals dating from the mid-16th century. On the gable is an astronomical clock dating from 1520. Restored after serious damage in 1944. The old Fischerviertel (fishermen's quarter) on the River Blau, with half-timbered houses, cobblestone streets, and picturesque footbridges is fascinating. An interesting sight here is the Schiefes Haus(crooked house), a 16th-century house today used as a hotel. According to legend, construction of the spire of the Ulm Munster was halted while only halfway completed when a wagon carrying a large wooden beam - loaded sideways - arrived at the narrow city gate. After contemplating how best to proceed, the mayor of Ulm gave the order to tear down part of the city wall, but before the order was carried our, a sparrow-like bird was observed maneuvering a long twig into its nest - lengthwise! Following the lead of the sparrow, the beam was turned, the wagon passed through the narrow gate, work was resumed, the cathedral was completed, and the legend of the Ulmer Spätze was born. At last we walked down to the river Danube and enjoyed the sunset. |
fam-united Posted Jan 28, 2013, 7:05 pm |
This is the last view out of our room, short before we drove home again. This morning we have a nice view to the Ulm Minster.
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fam-united Posted Jan 28, 2013, 7:23 pm |
It's just one month since my last update, but we had a really terrible weather and my host was very busy. Today we watched the snow falling to the ground. If it will stay there for a while?
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fam-united Posted Jan 28, 2013, 7:33 pm |
In the evening we heard some loud noise outside. We saw it was a firework in a park and tried to take photos of it with us. It was quite difficult, so the photo is rather blurry. You can see the curtain in the door of my host's room.
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fam-united Posted Jan 29, 2013, 8:38 pm |
Our host was way too busy during the last weeks. And we sat there and waited for things to happen. Today finally she decided, that Christmas without Christmas cookies isn't Christmas. So she sorted our the recipes of the cookies, she wanted to bake. At first we baked the Zigeunerschnitten, a sort of gingerbread. It is my host's favourite.
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fam-united Posted Jan 29, 2013, 8:54 pm |
It is Sunday, the fourth of advent. So nobody did think, that the doorbell would ring and the postman would come and bring a package. But suddenly we heard a bell ringing and when we went to the door we found a big package in the hands of the postman. Of course we were very excited, especially because it was the day before Holy Eve. So we all sat around the package and waited until Kari and Robby had opened it.
What a big surprise for us! There were so many new toyvoyagers guests in the package: Michel, nosyblue, Bobi, Hippy and Queenie and Robbi. So the house got crowded We told them to walk out of the package, so we could introduce each other and exchange adventures. We had a nice chat. |
fam-united Posted Jan 31, 2013, 2:54 pm |
Our hosts received a present: An Anastatica. Anastatica is found in arid areas in the Middle East and Sahara Desert, including parts of North Africa and regions of Iran, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, and Pakistan .
After the rainy season, the plant dries up, dropping leaves and curling branches into a tight ball, and "hibernates". Within the ball, the fruits remain attached and closed, protecting the seeds and preventing them from being dispersed prematurely. The seeds are very hardy and can remain dormant for years. Wetted again in a later rainy season, the ball uncurls and the plant wakes up from its dormant state, which causes the capsular fruits open (dehisce) to disperse the seeds. Then we finished some other cookies called Staenglein. They are very yummy. On Holy Eve we had the family's traditional dinner: chicken fricassee in pasty with lamb's lettuce. Later we sat around the plate with cookies and sang Christmas carols under the Christmas tree. sorry, it was so dark, so the photos aren't that good and somehow the flashlight didn't work. |
fam-united Posted Feb 17, 2013, 4:28 pm |
We have our Silvester Dinner now. It's fondue with minced meat and different sauces and some other little food like cornichons and more. It way yummy.
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fam-united Posted Feb 17, 2013, 5:55 pm |
Finally it is time to welcome the New Year 2013. We watched the fireworks and our host's children made a special firework with sparklers for us. Then we went to bed, really tired.
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fam-united Posted Feb 17, 2013, 6:32 pm |
On January 6th is Epiphany. Children go out as the three kings and collect money for church and special needs. Many people offer them sweets. That's why they also carry bags with them to put the sweets, chocolate and other things like apricots and appels in it. Here you see some of the sweets the sons and daughter of our host brought home on 5th January. (This year they went on 4th and 5th). Maybe they will share them with us, who knows.
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fam-united Posted Feb 18, 2013, 4:34 pm |
Finally we have some snow, so we decided to go on a walk around the Kreuzbergsee in Tiefenbach. The lake was contured as recreational area in 1974 and it's magnitude is about 200.000 m². It is about 340 m long and 70 m broad.
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fam-united Posted Mar 29, 2013, 4:03 pm |
The weather was so grey, that we had not really a chance to go out and see other places. It had snowed during the night - everything is white now. At least it isn't so dark outside now.
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fam-united Posted Mar 29, 2013, 4:28 pm |
Today I joined my host on a trip to Blaustein. Her son studies at the university of Ulm and she visited him over the weekend. He has a nice view out of the window and today we had been really lucky, because the sun was shining.
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fam-united Posted Mar 29, 2013, 4:57 pm |
Blaustein is a municipality in the district of Alb-Donau Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is situated on the Blau River, 6 km west of Ulm and has about 15,000 inhabitants.
It was created in 1968 after the union of Ehrenstein and Klingenstein and some more municipalities joined. It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps UNESCO World Heritage Site. View to Löwenfelsen in Ehrenstein The river Blau really shimmers blue sometimes. The name comes from the celtic name Blava. The blue colour comes from light scattering due to the high chalky spring water. River Blau is a left tributary to the Danube. It was so so cold, that we hurried home again after these two photos. |
fam-united Posted Mar 29, 2013, 5:40 pm |
The next day we joined our host's son and her on the way to the university and after we said goodbye to him, we walked back home. The way was rather steep and I had a lot of fun on the icy way. But you can see, that the sky was grey again.
Back in Blaustein we walked through the Szeklertor, which is a present of the partner city Cernat in Romania. The Székelys derive their name from a Hungarian expression meaning "frontier guards" and were regarded as the finest warriors of medieval Transylvania, but it isn't completely proven. |
fam-united Posted Jun 2, 2013, 9:34 am |
Today I watched tv, because it was a special day. We followed the flight of former Pope Benedict XVI. out of the Vatican.
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fam-united Posted Jun 2, 2013, 2:46 pm |
Wow! We have another sunny day! I really had no chance to see the flowers in the garden behind the house until now, because the weather was that bad. I can't remember, that we had springweather like this before. All flowers are blooming at the same time and the trees got leaves within minutes it seems.
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fam-united Posted Jul 21, 2013, 7:22 pm |
The weather is really nice, if you don't count the heavy clouds, so we decided to go on a drive to two of Bruchsal's suburbs: Untergrombach and Obergrombach. At first we wanted to visit the chapel on Michaelsberg, a small hill which belongs to Untergrombach. It was too crowded there, because there was a wedding.
So we only took a photo of the small hills of Kraichgau. |
fam-united Posted Jul 21, 2013, 8:09 pm |
Then we drove to Obergrombach.
At first we enjoyed the nice view over the vineyards to Obergrombach. Our plan was to take more photos, but it started raining again. So here's only one more photo of Obergrombach with a beautiful half timbered house. |
fam-united Posted Jul 21, 2013, 9:11 pm |
Today we decided to bake a rhubarb cake. Our host allowed us to do it all alone without her help. So please take a look at the recipe. We explain it step by step:
At first we had to find a place - we are quite a few Of course we aren't all traveling. Some of us are here as active toyvoyagers, but many of us are guests, who decided to stay here as long as the owners don't find time to get in contact with our host. And of course some of us live here, but we all have one thing in common - we are toyvoyagers. At next we had to get the eggs. We need six eggs for the cake. It was Sausi Karl's job to beat the eggs. Then one of us - don't know who - added 50g sugar for each egg, so it was 300 g sugar. It's quite a lot, we know. Madam Miff added one packet of vanilla sugar to the dough. Of course we had to beat the dough again, but we couldn't handle the camera while beating the dough. Matcha and Ted added 300g flour and one packet of baking powder. Then we had to stir the dough again until it was fluffy. Melek helped and Nathalie Then Matcha prepared the dish for the dough. We baked without bottom on a foil. Nathalie was still busy stiring the dough. And the she filled it in the dish. Then we all were sitting there and waiting for the cake to get baken in the oven. Man it was boring at first. But we didn't expect, that half an hour can be such a short time, when so many tvs are together. After this break we had to prepare the rhubarb, because we wanted to fill the cake with rhubarb cream. Little Dragon helped to skin it. And Matcha helped to cut it in pieces. Billy helped Matcha to stay on the pot during cutting the rhubarb pieces. Then we had to prepare some ingrediences for the cream. We needed two packets of vanilly pudding powder, one egg white and one yolk. We had to stir the egg white. Before adding the stirred egg white, we had to add the pudding powder. We had added a little bit of water to it and shook it until it was smooth. Then we added the pudding powder to the cooked rhubarb. We also added the yolk. Then Louis the Rat added the stirred egg white and gently folded it in. Finally we cut the cake in two layers and filled the cream on the first and then on the second layer and put the last layer on top of it. |
Grumpygirl Posted Jul 30, 2013, 7:23 pm |
Hello Mum,
look where I am. Today, I reached my new hosts home. She was really happy to found the envelope in her mailbox. I was happy too, because it was very parochial in the envelope, and I was happy to get out. There was also a nice postcard in the envelope . So, it is evening here, and we just decided to cook some Pelmeni and look TV today. Grumpygirl said, we will to some adventures and trips while I stay here. I also met the cat of Grumpy. She's huge, but friendly. She said "Meow, meow!" what means, "Hello, how are you? What's your name!" Mummy, I'll write you soon . |
Grumpygirl Posted Aug 10, 2013, 9:52 am |
Hey Mom,
yesterday my host started her vacation. After we visited a flat (because she's moving in October), we went to a nice bar and have a drink and some Pizza to eat. Also, my hosts sister went with us. I flirted a bit with her ;-). We had a lot of fun. I'll write again soon. |
fam-united Posted Aug 24, 2013, 12:14 pm |
I had the chance to go to school today and learn more about the federal state Baden-Württemberg. Bruchsal is a town in Baden-Württemberg.
Parts of river Rhine flow through Baden-Württemberg. It is the longest river in Germany with about 1,232 kilometres (766 miles). There are also parts of Limes. A limes was a border defence or delimiting system of Ancient Rome. It marked the boundaries of the Roman Empire. There are many people in Baden-Württemberg, who love Sports. Some of them even took part in Olympic Games. On pupil told us more about them. Schwetzingen is a German town situated in the northwest of Baden-Württemberg, around 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Heidelberg and 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Mannheim. It was mentioned as "Suezzingen" for the first time in 766, recorded in the late twelfth-century Codex Aureus of Lorsch, but there are already traces of settlement from the Stone Age. Schwetzingen Castle is the city's most famous landmark. Its gardens are also notable, as there are elements of French Baroque and the English garden style. Ulm is situated on the River Danube and was founded around 850. Ulm is primarily known for having the church with the tallest steeple in the world, the Gothic minster (Ulm Minster, German: Ulmer Münster) and as the birthplace of Albert Einstein. Bruchsal is situated at the border to the hilly region of Kraichgau and Rhineland Planes. Of course we can't forget the Black Forest, when we talk about Baden-Württemberg. There are the Southern and Northern Black Forest. In the south part you find the highest mountain of Baden-Württemberg is Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft). Typical for the Black Forest are the Black Forest Houses. Mannheim is situated at the rivers Rhine and Neckar. It is the second or third largest city of Baden-Württemberg. Mannheim is unusual among German cities in that its streets and avenues are laid out in a grid pattern, leading to its nickname "die Quadratestadt" ("city of the squares"). The eighteenth century Mannheim Palace, former home of the Prince-elector of the Palatinate, now houses the University of Mannheim. The civic symbol of Mannheim is der Wasserturm, a water tower just east of the city centre. Mannheim is the starting and finishing point of the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Lake Constance (German: Bodensee) is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee ("upper lake"), the Untersee ("lower lake"), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein. The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps. Specifically, its shorelines lie in the German federal states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg One girl even needed two posters to show so many interesting places of Swabian Jura. It is a low mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending 220 km (140 mi) from southwest to northeast and 40 to 70 km (25 to 43 mi) in width. It is named after the region of Swabia. Stuttgart is the main city of Baden-Württemberg and the largest city, too, with a population of 613,392. (2011) Stuttgart is spread across a variety of hills (some of them vineyards), valleys and parks – unusual for a German city and often a source of surprise to visitors who primarily associate the city with its industrial reputation as the 'cradle of the automobile'. |
Grumpygirl Posted Aug 31, 2013, 10:11 am |
Hey mommy,
today was my hosts birthday. Her family and she decided to went to an adventure park. We had a lots of food with us and so much fun. There were some animal too. Like deers. Their was a train, which drove us through the whole park. Also, I did the summer tubbogan run two times, which was real exciting. Before we drove to the park, my host and me had to go by train to her hometown. This was funny, too. Unfortunately it rained, so I can not come out to often. |
Grumpygirl Posted Sep 14, 2013, 2:45 pm |
Hi Mum,
sorry for writing so late again, but my host is moving next week and so, we have not so much time for doing nice things. This week Chou arrived here. I like her she's a really nice Toyvoyager. Mum, at the moment I help my host a lot with packing boxes and moving stuff from one flat to the other. I'll write you soon and I miss you. |
Grumpygirl Posted Nov 12, 2013, 10:58 am |
Mummy,
We visited the book fair, it was fun but really overcrowed so Chou and me just came out of the hosts bag for a short time. The most time we watched the event from safe distance in the bag of the host. There was so much to see mom. Many different kind of books, and people which were funny dressed. My host said, this is named cosplaying. We took some photos of good costumes. First we want to visit the cosplay-championship also, but the host walked to slow and so we came not in . I'm on my way home mom. Can't wait seeing you again. |