Posted Oct 24, 2011, 11:13 pm
During the last weeks I decided to leave my home and travel around the world. I checked the internet for new places to visit and I was really surprised how big this world is!
I want to see everything! Europe, Australia, Asia ... everything ... and of course: USA!
But before I pack my luggage, I'll enjoy the last warming sun of this beautiful autumn.
Yours, Squab
Posted Oct 26, 2011, 11:19 pm
Today I went to work with my mommy. I was too young to speak to the customers, but I was allowed to handle the keyboard and enter all important things to the computer.
Later they called me the "flower-chick", but I don't know why...
When we were back home I prepared everything for Halloween. Oh how I love it.
Some people are afraid of my fave decoration, but he's a really nice and handsome guy, isn't he?
And of course, don't forget the pumpkins!!! Most important stuff during these days!
And finally it's late in the evening and my little "brothers" are awake.
Here you can see Boreas, the shyest of all. Look, he said hello. I think he likes me.
No he isn't a rat, he's just a cute mouse!
Yours, Squab
Posted Oct 29, 2011, 9:40 pm
Today mommy woke me up very early and put me into her bag. Yeah! We're going to visit something. So excited!
We went to the TXL airport in Berlin. Ui, we are going to fly with a plane!
But mommy said no! She just had to buy something while I could watch the planes. Hmm, maybe I'm going to fly soon!
Later she put me into her car. When I saw how fast she drove I decided to sit down and use the seatbelt!
A few minutes after we arrived in our second home the postman rang the bell and gave us a box. I opened it and saw Chrissy inside. I had to help her out!
I showed her my little town and our old power station.
In the evening I found a fancy cake in the fridge and persuaded Chrissy to eat it with me. We enjoyed it a lot. It was really delicious!
Lots of things happened today. I'm really tired!
Yours,
Squab
Posted Nov 4, 2011, 6:18 pm
It will be my last update from Germany for a while!
Today a new tv arrived in our house! His name is Madison. My mommy gave me a big cookie as a goodbye meal. It was too big for me so I shared it with Chrissy and Madison. It was delicious!
These two smart guys cuddled me until I couldn't breath
Hope they'll enjoy the time at my home without me.
I crawled into my envelope. My mommy told me I will travel to California! It sounds warmer than here. amb167 invited me to celebrate Thanksgiving in her house. It will be my first Thanksgiving. I hope I won't be the holiday roast!
Yep, the envelope is big enough for my long journey. I'm so excited!!!
Now I'm off for a while and you will hear again from me as soon as I arrived in sunny California.
Yours,
Squab
Posted Nov 15, 2011, 3:42 am
There are lots of other TV's that are visiting too. Jeremy is from San Francisco. NiliHH, Sunshine and Sheela are from Germany too! And last but not least is Salmonella from the UK. They are a very friendly bunch. I think I will like it here
Posted Nov 17, 2011, 3:08 am
After we finished up, we all gave Jeremy hugs and told him good luck on his travels. I'm glad he gets to go home for Thanksgiving, but we will miss him!
Posted Nov 28, 2011, 8:29 pm
Posted Nov 28, 2011, 8:30 pm
Maggie's mom needed to pick up her car in Morgan Hill so we decided to go see Arthur's Christmas while we were there. Us TV's got to share a BIG popcorn and everything. It was a really funny movie and we all enjoyed it. When we were leaving the theater we saw a set up promoting the new Muppet movie. Maggie says we should all see that next.
Posted Nov 29, 2011, 7:05 am
Since it was soooo big, all of us TV's shared it. And let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS! On our way out of the park we took a picture with the serpent statue. It's for Cesar Chavez, who the park is named after. The people who made it say it's a dragon, but everyone who lives in San Jose jokes that it looks like a pile of poo, haha. But it is a San Jose landmark so I was glad to see it!
Posted Nov 30, 2011, 1:02 am
Gooble also has a new friend named Squakers that she got at an aquarium. They are both really really nice and I am glad they made it home safe. I can't wait to hear all about of Gooble's adventures!!
Posted Dec 8, 2011, 5:33 am
Posted Dec 9, 2011, 2:29 am
See you soon!
Posted Dec 23, 2011, 12:24 pm
Greetings from Finland! I arrived just yesterday and now I have some photos to share!
My host is Nonnariina and she was really happy about me and guess what? She said that I´m cute!
Tomorrow is christmas!! Oh, I´m so excited like Nonnariina
I have some photos where I`m with christmas decorations: two little gingerbreadhouses and lights.
Sad thing is that there is juts a little snow here in Finland
Nonnariina says that it doesen´t feel like christmas without a lot of snow...
I still got some photos of me and snow
I will put some pistures of christmastree tomorrow when we have decorated it.
I also met some other toyvoyagers: Peculiar and Mr. Carrot (Mr. Carrot is little bunny). We talked and they were very nice! We also ate gingerbreads! There was one heart, one women, one man and for surprise a shoe! They were delicious<3
I also met huge bunny with dress! Wow
Toady I learned some Finnish! Let me teach it to you
Christmas = joulu
Christmastree = joulukuusi
gingerbread = piparkakku
gingerbreadhouse = piparkakkutalo
christmas decoratoins = joulu koristeet
snow = lumi
snowman = lumiukko
and:
Hello! = Hei!
My name is... = Minun nimeni on..
I = minä
You = sinä
I love you = Minä rakastan sinua
chicken(like me!) = kana
I miss you (as I do) = Minulla on ikävä sinua
So this was blog for today, wait for tomorrow!
Bye!
-Squab
Posted Dec 25, 2011, 7:14 pm
Yesterday was a wonderful day!
I ate well
In the morning we ate rice borrige with cinnamon, it´s traditional Finnish Christmas food. Porrige was served from a large kettle and there was one almond hidden in the porrige. Person who will get an almond, gets a little present or chance to wish! Funny, isn´t it?
In the afternoon we had a real Finnish Christmas table.
There were
- a big Christmas ham with mustard,
- Karelian Stew (trational Finnish food http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karjalanpaisti),
- carrot and potato casseroles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casserole)
- potaoes and salad called rosolli, which includes boiled beetroots, carrots, potatoes, apples, pickled cucumber and often also onions.
And therhe were also a lot of different cheeses and salads.
As dessert we had gingerbreads, chocolade and Christmas pies, which are filled with plum.
Then we went to Christmas sauna! There people stroked themselves with some freshly-smelling birch twigs! They called those twigs "vasta" or "vihta". And they really hit themselves with it!! Weird I think, but I tried and it was quite nice! I have a picture of me and “vihta” and sauna. And one picture of me and Finnish children book: there is also sauna and some fictional characters stroking with “vihta”).
Oh, I almost forgot! In the morning we also went to Christmas church.
In the evening there was the most exciting and happy thing: Santa Claus came! Wow! I was so excited
And guess what? I get chance to sit in Santa`s arms! He was so kind. I was a little bit scrared… Then we got presents and Santa leaved. And I also got a present! Santa knew that I`m here. So here´s a picture of my new wonderful scarf
It was long day and I slept well.
Today I have just relaxed and eaten more Christmas food
and chocholate, of course.
I hope you are fine!
-Squab-
Posted Dec 31, 2011, 12:21 pm
At 28 th December I travelled to Kauhajoki to meet Nonnariina´s grandparents! Kauhajoki is a little town in westside of Finland.
We travelled by car and it taked about 3 hours to arrive.
We visited a huge shop called villageshop Keskinen. It lies in place called Tuuri (in English it means Luck). There are only 500 inhabitants in this village.
There are many "world biggest" things in the area of village shop. For example there is a huge horseshoe monument, for good luck, of course.
I have also picture of shop...
In the dark photo there is the yard and house of shop´s owner.
If you want, you can read more here:
http://www.tuuri.fi/en/villageshop/today
And guess what we found at the shop´s yard?! A giant red kicksled! Nonnariina lifted me to sit on it and took a photo.
I also saw a nice forest. There was many fallen trees, because there had been many storms in Finland during the Xmas time.
And I saw a nice country scenery, too.
I hope you are fine and I and Nonnariina wishes to you a lovely year 2012!
-Squab-
Posted Jan 8, 2012, 1:46 pm
Did you have great strat for year 2012? I hope so! I had, I saw many great fireworks and I ate well. And I shared jokes with other toyvoyagers and laughted so much!
Good news! At least we have snow at Finland! So, I have been outside very much. I played at snow with Peculiar and Squabby. We made snowcastle! And I made a snowman
It was funny, but there was -4 decrees cold at outside...
I miss you!
-Squabby-
Posted Jan 26, 2012, 5:32 pm
Nonnariina hadn´t write there for long time, but here we are
And I have something exciting to share with you!
First of all now we have snow, a lot of.. And people are getiing bored! I just like snow and I cant understant how people first wonder of having snow so hard and when they have they get bored of it! But I still have to say that this is more! When I was walking with Nonnariina (I travelled at Nonnariina´s hand, because I didn`t want to get wet) Nonnariina had sometimes to walk at snow wich was at her knees high!
Mom, now I have visited skii jumping hill at Jyväskylä! It was hill called Hill of Matti Nykänen. I have photos to you!
People looked at Nonnariina when she took photos...
I also have seen many nice scenes near Nonnariinas house (two first pictures)
Hope you are well!
Squab
Posted Feb 12, 2012, 3:38 pm
How are you? I`m fine
Now it´s very cold her and last night it was -30 decrees cold outside! Wow
Nonnariina had been skiing. Once time I was with her and after skiing we went to have some warm juice at centrum and I saw long bridge. Nonnariina told that it´s called Kuokkala bridge and it´s has been built at 1989. Nonnariina told that at summer she will bicyle over that bridge to her amateur theatre rehearsal.
We also went to shore near Nonnariina´s house. It was beautifull place...
I also saw post box, where Nonnariina put´s her letters.
Last week I also get change to visit Jyväskylä´s centrum! There was a shopping mall and old pink house. House is called Nikolainkulma and it´s very old. It has been buitl in 1800 century!
Have a great day and take care!
Squab
Posted Feb 29, 2012, 4:49 pm
Now it´s Nonnariina´s winter holiday and I travelled to Helsinki, the capital of Finland, with her.
It was very exciting. We travelled by train and it taked 3 and half hours to arrive. At Helsinki we went to nice hotel. Our trip was 3 days long and we saw a lot things.
In the picture there is nationalmuseoum. I aslo saw parliament house (have a look http://web.eduskunta.fi/Resource.phx/parliament/index.htxI) and art mueoum Ateneum (http://www.ateneum.fi/default.asp?docId=12532)
I travelled by metro, by tram and by buss
Tomorrow I will continue my tripp to USA! I´m very excited, but it´s little bit sad tom leave Finland... I´m wondering if there is a lot of snow in USA like here!
So, godbye Finland, Hello America!
-Squab-
Posted Mar 13, 2012, 12:21 am
Good night, my wings are tired from the long flight,
ZZZZZZ
Squab
Posted Mar 14, 2012, 5:36 am
DuDu, Okuma, Cheerio and Noodles helped me out of my travel package. Cheerio knows how to read so she showed us the nice words that my dear friend, Nonnariina, wrote. She let me keep the scarf she made for me.
It is warm here so I will pack it away until I travel again.
Then, I looked around and realized this is where Jeremy lives! I met him briefly last year at Maggie's house.
. He went to Finland, too, but to a different host. Jeanne left to watch "Monk" and we TVs spent the rest of the evening in secret Toyvoyager Tribe rituals.
Then I went to bed early because I have jet lag and tomorrow my host is taking me to a museum, rain or shine.
See ya soon,
Squab
Posted Mar 16, 2012, 4:10 pm
Posted Mar 18, 2012, 1:38 am
Phew.
Posted Mar 18, 2012, 11:37 pm
We took a walk above Rodeo Beach on the Pacific Ocean at the Marin Headlands. This area and many parts of San Francisco are part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Can you identify the wildflowers? The one we are sure of is the California poppy in the fourth photo.
Battery Townsley can be seen high on the hill in the ninth photo.
Bye for now,
Squab
Posted Mar 22, 2012, 7:26 pm
We happened to be in the neighborhood where the Tanner family of “Full House” lived. The door is now black instead of red but otherwise it looks the same. A house across the street has a red door; we wonder if it is an homage to that long-running sitcom.
We saw a nice painted lady in the next block; then we stopped and rested by a tiled building.
Having fun,
Squab
Posted Mar 23, 2012, 5:00 pm
Hi everyone,
He he, Okuma and I had afternoon tea where the Tanner Family had a picnic! It was so much fun acting out the parts.
. None of these houses was the actual Full House. We saw the real house yesterday on Broderick Street.
Alice Walker lived in one of these painted ladies on Alamo Square during the years that "Full House" was filmed but Alice doesn't live here anymore.
Was she ever part of the storyline? She could have painted her house purple but we think she didn't. Her newest book, a memoir, is titled, "The Chicken Chronicles". . Maybe we can read that; it is about my kind!! In her Pulitizer-Prize-winner, "The Color Purple" she addressed each chapter, "Dear God". Apparently each essay in this new book is addressed to her flock of chickens, so interesting.... The product description ends with, "for anyone seeking a deeper connection with the natural world, and a celebration of chickens everywhere!".
See ya soon,
Squab
ps: here's a big hug, Mom.
Posted Mar 26, 2012, 6:40 pm
My hosts packed up for a trip to the Wine Country. They planned to leave us TVs at home with the cat but I stowed away.
They met a large group of friends at a winery founded by a guy who came to Northern California from Mexico at age 16 to be a migrant worker in the vineyards. The first day on the job, he looked around and thought, "this is what I want to do for the rest of my life". I felt the same way, I instantly felt at home. Look at the scenery in my photos. Besides the grapevines and beautiful hills there were horses and a very large chicken coop. It was sooooo nice to hear a rooster crow every once in a while and feel the pleasant Carneros Winds that are famous for cooling the vines.
They had a three-course meal paired with three types of wine in an outdoor picnic area with a roof and gas heaters--rain was expected but never came.
The main course included a wine tasting. Uh oh, I lost track of how many wines the owner's son brought out and when no one was looking I got a few sips. Mom, it was a scenic drive but these people go only a little over 70 mph, and that was in the fast lane. I am so jealous of DuDette going 115 mph. I showed the other TVs my souvenir menu and then the room started spinning. Cheerio put me to bed and brought some aspirin. I am fine today.
DuDu says hello,
Love,
Squab
Posted Mar 28, 2012, 10:21 pm
This is the Sea Cliff neighborhood known for lots of large well-maintained houses.
Okuma and I took the shortcut behind Robin Williams' house. We like the deck on top of one of the other houses and want to hang out there. If you live there, please contact my mom about hosting me.
This is the house Robin Williams bought and re-built 30 some years ago, which he may have lost in his 2008 divorce. He has re-married but we don’t know where they live.
Someone
donated a bench across the street on National parkland in memory of his parents. We sat there and took more pictures.
Then we walked down to the beach.
Oh, mom, Okuma and I have found our calling. We will work for the park service beach patrol, driving this van and riding a surfboard.
Ha ha, can you see the Golden Gate Bridge behind me? Just a few seconds later more of it showed up when Okuma got in front of the camera, then it disappeared.
Psst, don't tell anyone but someone we know would put this place on the top ten list, probably no. 1, of the best places to visit in the city, not for the delightful walk through the neighborhood, scenic views, shelter from the wind, shear beauty of the beach and rocks, crashing waves and fog horns but for the cumulative intangible meditative experience of repeated visits. Then we took the stairs that go on forever.
Bye now,
Squab
Posted Apr 9, 2012, 11:15 pm
Lombard Street
Hi there,
Okuma and I explored the so-called crookedest street in the world and met a lot of out-of-towners
as well as a few members of the famous flock of wild parrots that can often be seen, and more often heard, in the trees at the bottom of the block. The birds didn’t stay long enough to pose with us and, as you can see, the hydrangeas are out of bloom.
The house with blue trim and gold gate once belonged to Pat Montandon who lived there when it became haunted.
We weren’t afraid because we found another entrance on Leavenworth Street; we figure the ghosts came in that way. Can you find the photo with the other stairway entrance? We are staying in a building with only one entrance so we are sure the ghosts won’t come in. We are okay, there is no unusual shaking.
He he, there’s another haunted place nearby, the bell tower of the San Francisco Art Institute. We will visit the SFAI some other day and see if we pick up any vibes. We don’t think Achoo is haunting anyone.
We checked a sundial to see what time is was but it was in the shade so we had all the time in the world to play in the flowers at Fay Park.
Love ya unconditionally, Mom,
Squab
Posted Apr 17, 2012, 2:51 am
Two houses have murals painted on them. That is not a real person on the balcony and the postman is painted, too. My pocket isn’t big enough to hold the key to the last house and the leaves are fake as well.
Posted Apr 20, 2012, 5:33 am
Okuma and I are in the Outside Lands on a hunting trip. We are fending for ourselves and sleeping in a tree. We spent all day hiking by the lake and found plenty of food. We caught ducks, turtles for soup, iguanas which we think are not native here but there they were right on the path.
I was making friends with some pigeons. When Okuma went to capture them, I couldn’t take it anymore. Pigeons are the same as s-q-u-a-b! Eek! I fainted and Okuma gave me CPR. Then I explained that I am a vegan and cannot eat meat or fowl, not even pigeon eggs.
So then we decided to forage for fruits, nuts, seeds, flowers and vegetables. We found some big apples, lots of edible flowers, some nuts we think someone left for the squirrels, and some strange green fruit on a tree which gave us tummy aches so we stopped eating that. Then we bonded over a nasturtium and relaxed in our tree house.
We will let you know if there is any truth to the story of the ghost of Stow Lake. Ooooh, it will be dark soon but Okuma has a big roar and will protect me.
Feeling a little chicken,
Your Squab
Posted Apr 20, 2012, 9:00 pm
Oh Mom!
Last night it was very spooky in the treehouse. We didn't get much sleep; there was lots of noise, fog, wind, and coyotes howling. My feathers were ruffled and Okuma's mane stood on end, straight up. We could hear distant foghorns but miss the sound of cable cars, we are indeed very far from home. Tonight we are moving to the Chinese pavilion because it has better feng shui than the tree. Feng shui is vital when you are dodging a ghost. You can see our new house in the upper corner of the fourth photo of yesterday's travelog. So far, so good.
Your chicken,
Squab
Posted Apr 22, 2012, 6:04 pm
Daytime here by the lake is paradise. Okuma and I just pick whatever we want to eat off the trees. We play frisbee, sun ourselves on rocks and move to the warm shade to avoid sunburn.
The weekend is here and we are feasting on human food. We joined an Earth Day celebration; some picnickers were interested to hear the story of how we are living on our own in the wilderness and especially how we compost and recycle; they welcomed us to eat with them.
Yum, watermelon and potato salad, chips and dip, cole slaw, pie and ah, coffee!
Tonight we will take a walk along the lakeshore and smoke out the ghost of Stow Lake.
Your groovy chicken,
Squab
Posted Apr 23, 2012, 3:57 pm
Yep, we saw the ghost last night. Okuma and I were a little shaky setting up the camera but got these shots. Don't worry, Mom, the ghost's curse has no effect on lions and chickens. We will live to hunt another day.
Your Squab
Ghost Hunter
ps. We are hitchhiking back to our host's house this afternoon.
Posted Apr 29, 2012, 4:04 pm
DuDu and C.T. Mouse loved the calendar view DuDette and Alex put in their travelogs. We won't spoil the fun by telling which street it is here. DuDu recognized the blue awning right away. It is a major one-way commute street into the Financial District and was our host's favorite way of getting to her job at 225 Bush Street. The next side street on the left is named for the San Francisco writer who wrote a great book about a bird which is the inspiration for the C.T. Mouse Detective Agency.
Ha ha, DuDu says, "I would take the fall for you any day, DuDette, you are the stuff that dreams are made of." He will send the rest of his message privately.
Live from the gritty streets of San Francisco,
Your Squab
Posted Apr 30, 2012, 2:05 am
We said goodbye to Cheerio and hugged her one by one. We will miss her a lot but she will have a wonderful time in, that is, I mean, with Yosemite. She is very sad to leave her little brother, Noodles, behind and gave me the big responsibility of helping him with his flying lessons and chatting with him in our secret bird language.
No I don’t see a ghost,
Your fearless Squab
Posted Apr 30, 2012, 8:43 pm
DuDu and I went to see a play at Fort Mason and on the way saw some of the decorated boats parading for Opening Day on the Bay, the official start of the boating season and a definite sign of Spring.
A fireboat led the parade, spouting water in all directions.
Revelers aboard one boat broke into The Star Spangled Banner. People on the pier joined in. When the singing ended someone on shore shouted, "play ball!".
. And we are sure they did at the baseball stadium cross-town. Go Giants!
We enjoyed the play a lot but weren't quick enough to get into the last shot. It is two of the actors after the play, changed into street clothes, blending in. My host is such a groupie, she follows James Carpenter all over The Bay Area.
The actress is Stacy Ross.
Bye for now,
Your Squab
Posted May 3, 2012, 8:55 am
Phew, long day, night mum,
Your Squab
Posted May 7, 2012, 6:09 pm
We mastered the art of asking for a big retainer and expenses in advance just in time when a gorgeous doll walked into the office. After ascertaining that her name isn't Bridget O'Shaughnessy, killer of Miles Archer, Detective, DuDu sent me out for coffee.
When I returned he handed me a wad of cash for expenses and was studying a shocking image on the computer screen, looking for tell-tale clues. Now we have two cases. Bye from the seedy side of town,
Your loving Squab
Assistant Detective
C.T. Mouse Detective Agency
Posted May 8, 2012, 1:37 am
Yes, this looks like a dark cafe in Berlin, the posters are of Berlin and a Franz Mark painting, and that is Marlene Dietrich singing, "What Am I Bid For My Apple" but the Berliner tastes like banana nut cake. We must have taken a wrong turn at San Mateo.
Okay, Okay, Alex_Squirt, you scoundrel, our cash flow has improved and we will pay you a fat salary. Our courier will deliver the first installment today at 2:00 am at the radio tower.
Let the little mouse go!!
Posted May 8, 2012, 6:55 pm
Your loving Squab
Assistant Detective
C.T. Mouse Detective Agency
Psst, Alex, meet us at the map location. We think someone is disguised as you! The password is Dude.
Posted May 21, 2012, 3:17 pm
All of a sudden it started getting dark too early in the day. We wondered if a ghost was tying to get in through the window. It was like the end of the world. DuDu sent us outside to take photos.
Don't worry, Mom, we are okay now.
Posted May 21, 2012, 9:45 pm
DuDu wants to send a message to DuDette Why am I always the messenger? I'm still an assistant while DuDu has been promoted to top host here. DuDette, he says, "we will always have our bench". Such a romantic; he won't let me near that bench. So I perch on the flowered couch.
Your Squab,
Assistant Detective
C.T. Mouse Detective Agency
Posted May 27, 2012, 7:12 pm
Amid lots of hype about the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, we went to the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park to check out an old-fashioned ferryboat built in 1890, the Eureka, which took people and cars between Marin County and San Francisco. Back in those days commuters could get a full breakfast or dinner at a counter restaurant on board. We were a little disappointed the top level pilothouse is now off-limits. Here you can see ToyVoyager Rafael steering the boat.
Bye for now,
Squab and DuDu
Posted Jun 2, 2012, 8:09 pm
My host sent me digging into my luggage to bring out my neck scarf. What, summer is coming, I haven't worn it since Finland. So here's how to talk like a native, "bring out the woollies, summer is here". They say Mark Twain never said, "the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco" but he could have, anyone here could have said it.
There's even bigger excitement here than the start of the summer season. Okuma and Noodles are packing up to travel east, together! They are headed for a warmer summer place. It will be Noodles' first time away from home. DuDu and I will have to hold down the fort here, way out west.
My hosts says, now you can walk off into the fog saying, “DuDu, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship".
"Here's looking at you, Kid",
Your Squab
Posted Jun 3, 2012, 12:28 am
http://www.toyvoyagers.com/index.php?a=post_view&t=212357&p=83180
Hi DuDette,
Thanks for mentioning your dear little brother who is bigger than you, Noodles in your travelog. Yes, he can fly quite well now. In fact he and Okuma are flying to a new host as we speak!! They are so happy! The last we heard from them, they were doing a pit stop at a post office. I'm sure he will update his travelog when he gets to an internet connection.
He he, I have taken over the big bed for myself now but we are expecting more guests soon, then I will be polite and go back to the couch. Oh, I would love to be home in that nice weather. Enjoy it, DuDette. This morning we listened to fog horns, a very pleasant sound but it means it is chilly outside.
Bye now, say hello to my Mom,
Squab
Posted Jun 9, 2012, 6:40 pm
Bye now,
Squab
Assistant Detective
C.T. Mouse Detective Agency
Posted Jun 12, 2012, 9:47 pm
Yes, indeed, the flowers were at the Bouquets to Art event at the deYoung Museum. Women who attend make a special effort to at least peek into all of the ladies' rooms to see extra bouquets. We cropped out a lot that would tell you I am on the sink; that is why there is a mirror behind me. Since I'm a guy, I'm embarrassed to say we know nothing about the men's room exhibits. No double meaning intended.
My dear brother, you are totally right about the others. Neighborhood boundaries are imprecise and disputed but by any definition, yes, the rooftop is on Russian Hill. Yes, the ships are in Aquatic Park and that is the Taylor Street cable car turnaround.
Yes, exactly, in the photo with the view of Coit Tower: wow, Alex almost nobody here knows it was named Pioneer Park. I was on the other side of Russian Hill on Filbert Street between Hyde and Leavenworth which is considered the steepest DRIVABLE grade in the city. Residents have recently put in a request that taxicabs be forbidden to speed down the hill. How can they enforce that? Really, tourists need to get some representation here. $5 for a cable car ride with no transfers when residents can just include it in their monthly pass. Unfair!
The skyscraper photo was taken at one of many little-known public open spaces. Yes, it is accessed through the top level of the Crocker Galleria by a staircase close to Sutter Street. There is another staircase on the opposite side to get to another open space. There are benches where office workers can escape for lunch or break in both spaces. This one is less crowded and can be mistaken for a hotel space which we would treat as public also. We believe it can also be accessed by elevator through the hotel and we know the other one has an elevator entrance through a bank.
The local newspaper has been running frequent articles about the SCANDAL of hiding public spaces which have been required with new construction for a couple of decades now. Here is a typical story.
Yes, yours is a tough quiz, Alex.
Edit: Here is my answer for the green Queen Anne-style house: 850 Steiner Street.Perhaps it was the same house depicted in the TV series, Mama, way back in the 1950s. My host will not allow us to go to that neighborhood again because the bus ride is dangerous.
. End of edit.
The photos with the pyramid building in the background were taken at Fisherman's Wharf Pier 45. Thanks, Alex, we really enjoyed the morning walk.
Your calendar guy,
Squab
Assistant Detective
C.T. Mouse Detective Agency
Posted Jun 13, 2012, 2:40 am
We will try to think up a quiz for you. DuDu says he'd like to see photos of good street food or the kind of food people might grab on the way to work. But don't rush, wouldn't want you to blimp out.
Hmm, is Masonic an avenue, Google says yes, didn't know that. We'll get on that, maybe take in some nearby sights. My my, that Queen Anne is a mirror image of yesterday's house but lacking a ruinous garage. Yeah!
Oh, here is a photo to test your skills. Hint: it was taken today near where we bought some postcards.
Posted Jun 13, 2012, 4:22 am
1. Where is this painting detail to be found?
2. Where is this famous cafe? What would you order?
3. and 4. Where have these silver aliens landed? Why? What do they want?
Your Squab
Still Assistant Detective
C.T. Mouse Detective Agency
Posted Jun 14, 2012, 12:27 am
Peace and Love
From the Haight
Your Flower Children,
DuDu & Squab
Posted Jun 22, 2012, 6:55 pm
We passed a Russian Orthodox church that looked on the level but after having a few mimosas with brunch, we climbed up to a steep street where the buildings looked tipsy.
Look! I held up a big apartment building with a single wing.
. It was like Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass, TVs up a stairway.
Then I showed DuDu where Cheerio keeps the aspirin and we slept for three days.
Having fun,
Squab
Posted Jun 22, 2012, 10:18 pm
Hum, A New Challenge.
Yep, DuDu knows both places well and got a little nostalgic looking at the photos. He and what’s-her-name were married in the domed building and the other one is where you might go to sit by the dock of the bay.
Here is Rafael on the pier that has a nice view of the Bay Bridge:
Dock of the Bay, and
Here is TV-TV on the Polk Street side of the domed building. DuDu wants me to mention that Joe Dimaggio and Marilyn Monroe were also married there. They are both depicted on U.S. postage stamps this year, separately.
City Hall
-----
Alex, you aced our quiz and we loved seeing DuDette jump in the car to drive fast.
.
Yes, that is a Bufano statue. Here is OrkkuOrava with another Bufano St. Francis
Bufano's style is easy to identify all over the City. Here is DuDu 1 with a Bufano inside the Maritime Museum.
# 1 and 2 are totally correct and I love your choice of caramel treat. Is there a song lyric something like: "there's a Starbucks (near) where Checkpoint Charlie Used to be"? maybe I'm thinking of "There's a Starbucks (Where The Starbucks Used to be"). Opposite sentiment? "....There's a Walgreen's where there were no walls, just greenery". There's a guardhouse (duplicate) where the guardhouse used to be. Anyway, we love this song:
http://www.hippiesaredead.com/2011/09/john-wesley-harding-theres-starbucks.html
Yes, exactly, those silver aliens are in many places. No. 3 is in Crissy Field in San Francisco and #4 is near Berlin.
Okay, now, no more orange juice and no more aspirin. But it is the weekend and we have so much to celebrate: the longest day, etc.
Having fun,
Squab
Posted Jun 29, 2012, 3:03 am
First of all, DuDu wants to say he misses DuDette.
A lot.
We took many many photos today but have time to post only a few, not really a quiz, but where to you think we went?
We passed an interesting shop on the way to the bus stop. A chicken cannot live by wine alone!! I’m a little homesick.
We had some close calls but the monsters didn’t get us.
Will post more photos soon,
Your Squab
Posted Jul 1, 2012, 2:14 pm
Posted Jul 6, 2012, 9:39 pm
It has won many awards including "best accidental sauna". One of the exhibit rooms is very hot, another one hot and humid and a third is just right. We wondered if the three bears live here.
The World Monuments Fund had it on the list of 100 most endangered world monuments. It was closed for restoration from 1998-2003 after a major earthquake in 1989 and a devastating windstorm in 1995. We pondered the effects of building a "house upon the sand" for Golden Gate Park was originally sand dunes considered uninhabitable outside lands. DuDu and I went inside to look at some of the rare plants growing here. Can you find the turtle?
Here is everything you (n)ever wanted to know about it:
Conservatory of Flowers
World of Wonders Project
Golden Gate Park
Love ya, Mom. Bye for now,
Squab
Posted Jul 11, 2012, 3:37 am
Posted Jul 13, 2012, 12:17 am
Bye for now,
Squab
Posted Jul 13, 2012, 3:16 pm
After our consultations with The Great Yoda, we hopped on a free shuttle and got off where everyone else did.
Your Squab
Assistant Detective
C.T. Mouse Detective Agency
Lost a planet, Master Obi-Wan has. How embarrassing. How embarrassing.
--YODA, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Posted Jul 15, 2012, 1:58 am
to Muir Woods National Monument to see the giant redwood trees. The foggy climate provides perfect conditions for the trees to grow for centuries.
On the way home we stopped at a town to see a view we liked. We didn't know how to spell it, maybe you know the place?
Posted Jul 17, 2012, 8:15 pm
I'm on the parrot nest case!! We are following up a tip C.T. Mouse received about wild parrot habits. He is out of town on business and put us resident TVs on it. My ability to fly is an asset. It's the biggest mystery The Agency has ever handled, slightly bigger than the fake kidnapping of Dudette. Mom, I could get promoted if we solve it!! We are looking for a special nest but I can't say anything more about it yet.
So we headed back to the Presidio, checked out a tree and then knocked off for the day to tour a place DuDu wanted to see because it is all about mice, the The Walt Disney Family Museum which does not allow photography. We don't know how to read but we enjoyed looking at funny cartoon videos. The exhibits show the biography of Walt Disney and his family. It is very interesting. We got lots of brochures and postcards to show you.
Your Squab
Assistant Detective
C.T. Mouse Detective Agency
Posted Jul 19, 2012, 7:12 am
Posted Jul 24, 2012, 4:34 pm
Yeah, bro, that cable car schedule is crazy, but easy. You know what they say in the movies, "We don't need no stinkin' schedules"* We won't have to get up early because it is the only transit in the city that runs more often after the rush hour is over. We tourists are late risers. Don't be silly, we aren't going to round up the usual suspects to ride that cable car, and forget about the number 4.
*What is the real quote from the movie, "The Treasure of Sierra Madre"? Which actor said it? Here is a Berlin mystery: who is the author of the novel the movie is based on and what is his connection to Berlin? Maybe take a photo at the connection point, or at the current location of a similar business.
Yes, Alex, we had some limitations on the way to Corona Heights. Trees blocked the view of the top from every angle. We went up and down so many sides of the hill, the human's knees were giving out. AND we were limited by the sad fact that there is no Starbucks there, so we walked down sooner that we wanted to. We did go to the famous off-leash dog walking area and sat with a friendly dog and checked out the Beaver Street wall (pictured) but didn't have the heart to look at the odd, equally famous pet cemetery.
We might go back there again and ride the 37 Corbett MUNI line, arguably the most scenic bus line in the city, albeit with the water a bit farther away than from cable cars. That one should be in the guidebooks.
We may have cracked the parrot nest case.
. Will post photos soon.
Squab
Assistant Detective
Soon to be Full Detective
C.T. Mouse Detective Agency, HQ
Posted Jul 24, 2012, 10:10 pm
I took a closer look at his chest and saw that he has the same yellow star whereas "Our DuDu" has a red heart. Our DuDu says that his star transformed into a heart when he first saw DuDette.
The group of us had coffee in Our DuDu's office and discussed our travels for hours. He says it's good to be back; those birds make a lot of noise.
. But you know, I'm skeptical; he answered only 12 of the 20 questions correctly whereas Our DuDu was able to answer them all. We have to wait for C.T. Mouse himself to chime in on this case as he knew the original DuDu. He is out of town on business. In the meantime we will bring Possible Original DuDu (POD) into the Toyvoyager group here.
We tucked him into bed and compared him to an early photo of Original DuDu.
Squab
Detective
C.T. Mouse Detective Agency, HQ
Posted Jul 25, 2012, 9:03 pm
C.T. Mouse is still out of town on business. Our friend, The Squirrel, told us about a movie, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", filmed on location right here in San Francisco and one called "Invasion of the Pod People". O-M-G. We looked at Body Snatchers. It's about people getting replaced by pod people that look just like them!!!! Pod people, POD (Possible Original DuDu). Mom, this is scarier than the Ghost of Stow Lake. Creatures come in from outer space and replace people with fake duplicates, with no personalities or emotions.
We are going to lock our doors tonight. C.T. said he'll come back ASAP. How will we know it is him?
Your Squab
Detective
C.T. Mouse Detective Agency, HQ
Posted Jul 26, 2012, 4:28 pm
C.T. said those movies we saw about pod people are fictional. Don't worry, Mom, I'm not afraid. We will live in harmony.
Your Squab
Detective
C.T. Mouse Detective Agency, HQ
Posted Jul 26, 2012, 11:16 pm
By the way, DuDu and "POD-not" (Possible Original DuDu-not) are getting along very well. They speak the same language and have so much in common, and both have been out in the wild on their own for some time. I'm glad DuDu can have a friend here while DuDette is traveling.
Thank you mmm105, that is a beautiful card. We are all enjoying it.
Posted Jul 28, 2012, 12:39 am
Here is a sweet old Italian produce shop which has low prices comparable to Chinatown. Very friendly owners and clerks. Good place to shop if you miss the cable car. We show a bus because that is how we got home.
. Had to stand all the way but it wasn't far, just up hill. He he. Oh, and this Italian Restaurant, delicious! Yes, leave your problems at the door.
We think the last shot is what you saw, Alex?
Posted Aug 1, 2012, 3:06 am
Have a good week,
Your brother,
Squab
Posted Aug 7, 2012, 7:22 am
Here is the answer to the quiz. The red circle indicates where the item is located in place.
Posted Aug 10, 2012, 7:18 pm
Alex, don't worry about that other quiz. You may have already answered it by showing some high-rise buildings. Konrad and I may take some time off while awaiting the arrival of an "ambassador" from central Finland, traveling with DuDu's Brother-in-law!
Can't wait.
Your Squab
Posted Aug 13, 2012, 6:50 pm
who flew here with BarryO, who lives here and is DuDu's brother-in-law. We will have a welcome party once they recover from jet lag.
Having fun,
Squab
Posted Aug 16, 2012, 12:38 am
There hasn't been a girl TV here for a longtime, since Cheerio left months ago.
She set up a breakfast party for us and shared the chocolate she brought from Australia. Then we looked at the postcards she, BarryO and Suomi-Boy brought with them, and the stickers and pen mmm_105 sent from Finland; the pen has it's own ToyVoyager bear attached, so special.
Lexie planned our itinerary to reflect her love for music. Will show you where she took us next time. Hint: it's in the guidebooks and she can read! She is the perfect woman, like the pied piper, we will follow her anywhere.
Bye for now,
Your Squab,
In love with Lexie
Posted Aug 16, 2012, 7:29 pm
Posted Aug 26, 2012, 12:17 am
We went out on the roof to see if we can catch sight of Jeremy sailing back from Europe. It's too soon but we're practicing.
These funny-looking boats are 45-foot catamarans racing in the America's Cup World Series. There are teams here from Great Britain, France, Sweden, New Zealand, Italy, U.S.A. , South Korea, and China.
Be sure to check out the videos to see a U.S. boat crash into the Race committee boat
and the China boat tipping over with the crew hanging on and/or falling into the water.
http://www.americascup.com
The weather is typical for August, chilly and overcast so I wore my scarf from Finland.
Your Squab
Psst, Alex, ToyVoyager mice can sometimes be found in bird nests.
. Check out the tree way in the back yard.
Posted Sep 1, 2012, 6:32 pm
viewing bench away from the crowds and then walked along shore to get a look at the races and took a couple of zooms. The U.S. team (marked Oracle) came in second to Italy (the Prada boat) in the last race but had enough points to win the series. Yeah!!
We didn't see any sign of Jeremy yet. Still too early. Hope he's having fun.
Love & Hugs from
Squab
PS: Alex, you are exactly right about the quiz, I was thinking about any publishing house.
Posted Sep 4, 2012, 1:27 pm
Having Fun
Squab
Posted Sep 6, 2012, 9:35 am
Well, Alex, try to get some rest and practice clean living.
If that doesn't work, maybe Dr. Krobner can help. He has such delicate surgical paws and might be able to clear your mind. It's past my bedtime and I'm gonna keep one eye open for that ghost.
Take it easy, Bro,
Your Squab
Posted Sep 7, 2012, 11:25 pm
We went out today and saw one of the sights, this time not so much fog.
Having fun,
Squab
Posted Sep 8, 2012, 4:13 pm
Oh, yes, earthquakes are scary. We have felt some small ones, probably less than 4.0 magnitude. My host will take care of us if there is a big one. There are water, food and other emergency supplies all over the apartment; large office buildings also have those food and supply kits for their employees. The plan is to be totally self sufficient for 72 hours, after which help theoretically could arrive. San Francisco cannot be quickly evacuated because of gridlock so the plan is to stay in place for three days. Take a look at this website:
http://72hours.org/
Here are earthquake records all over the world:
http://quakes.globalincidentmap.com/
Sorry I have no photos today. We are just getting up, having coffee in our boys' bedroom. We are wondering which musical instrument Lexie will play for us when she gets up. We all slept in this morning. Lazy Saturday.
Good luck in the mouse hunt, my dear bro,
Take care,
Squab
Posted Sep 21, 2012, 7:59 pm
Posted Sep 23, 2012, 9:58 pm
We were mesmerized by her Wurlitzer organ playing. Then she practiced some magic tricks. He he, a playing card landed in my hat. Of course, I volunteered to go up on stage to assist. I stepped into a big box. Lexie put a lid on it, said "abracadabra"; and, poof, I disappeared.
I sure hope it was a dream and I will see you again soon, Mom, and you, too, Alex_Kitty, you rascal.
Your Squab, somewhere.
Posted Sep 24, 2012, 8:17 pm
We woke up late and Lexie came in playing some sort of zen instrument; not too hard on our throbbing brains; but then Lexie is always easy on the ears and eyes. She is offering to make breakfast for us. What did we do to deserve that? I'm falling in love with her all over again.
Hey, now I remember, we spent 12 hours in a sports bar waiting for her to figure out how to get us to re-appear. The excitement, the yelling, the drunks spilling out onto the sidewalk; gad!, was that us?
Yep!
Posted Sep 26, 2012, 1:49 am
Here is a newspaper story about it with good photos:
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Endeavour-s-final-bow-was-to-a-stunner-3883456.php
We are glad to see you figured it out Here, Alex, you clever detective.
Yesterday, we took a walk at Pier 39 and saw the Sea Lions.
Bye for now,
Squab
Posted Sep 30, 2012, 2:06 am
The fog horns were more musical, I thought; but this is a very good spot to "sit by the dock of the bay," geocache and have a picnic.
We think that big crane on a barge was scooping up sand to keep the channel to the Yacht Harbor clear. Nope, I don't want that job, I'm gonna be a Park Ranger with a surf board on my truck.
This place must be haunted since it is made from tombstones that were moved here many many years ago when the city outlawed burials within its limits. Yep, it is on the list. Good thing we were not thinking about that. We had a lot of fun.
See 'ya later,
Your Squab
Posted Oct 11, 2012, 4:08 am
Remember when DuDu invented the game of stopping for a drink of water at this romantic place? He is still imitating you balancing upside down on the Capitol dome. Funny guy.
Hi Mom. Love and hugs,
Your Squab
Posted Oct 12, 2012, 7:32 pm
. Will try to go to the spot you found along the Embaradero promenade. It is raining, so for now, here I am in front of travelogs of other TVs who visited nearby. Rafael from Spain on Pier One and TV-TV from Germany behind the Ferry Building. When we go to your exact viewpoint we will be the first LittleCableCars TVs to go there! Ah, to go where no ToyVoyager has gone before, such are our adventures.
Some people say that gazing toward the Bay Bridge is what was meant by "sittin' on the dock of the Bay". Urban legend, maybe, we're not sure.
http://www.npr.org/2000/09/17/1082281/-sittin-on-the-dock-of-the-bay
Last week we posed on the dock of the Bay at Sausalito. Will post those photos soon.
See ya later,
Squab
Posted Oct 14, 2012, 7:18 pm
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
From DuDu, Suomi-boy,
Konrad, Squab, BarryO, and Lexie.
Posted Oct 16, 2012, 6:14 pm
at Sausalito and rode this ferryboat. On the way over we watched some Navy jets practicing for an air show. Here are zooms of what we saw.
Having fun,
Squab
Posted Oct 18, 2012, 1:07 am
She is being very nice to us because she wants us to help again with the magic box trick. I was reluctant at first but it is our Lexie and we are madly in love with her. So one by one we got into the box and disappeared.
Uh-oh!
But then she waved the magic wand again, recited some mumbo jumbo and it worked. We were back in our seats and look what was in the box. It is.... Oh no, is it really.... It is!!!
Ta-da!!
Posted Oct 20, 2012, 5:54 pm
After lots of hugs, we took turns helping him with his luggage. Hehe, he has stickers from four countries including his own.
. Not bad for a guy who just wanted to stay home and host. It was good to see him again after almost a year. We spent time together at Maggie's house in San Jose, California. Small world!! He looks a little different and didn't seem to recognize me. Hmm, it was a rough trip, Jeremy told us, as it took longer than planned and he almost ran out of fresh water, candy and cupcakes. Then we tucked him into bed and he fell asleep.
Hugs from
Squab
ps to Alex_Kitty: Ask for directions, bro.
Posted Oct 20, 2012, 8:17 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfoFCf5QU78
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.
T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.
The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.
When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.
Posted Oct 22, 2012, 4:33 am
But Konrad and Jeremy say they are guys, they won't wear anymore of that stuff.
Ah, but I see an opportunity here. Lexie and I are the same size, maybe we can exchange sweaters. She might agree to go out on a date with me. I must seek advice from by brother, Casanova
Posted Oct 23, 2012, 4:14 pm
We gave him a group hug and Lexie offered to send him by magic
but he decided to go by traditional ToyVoyager travelope instead.
Your Squab
Posted Oct 28, 2012, 10:39 pm
. She's applying for a scholarship to ballet school instead. He is very happy that his cousin Magic Jeremy is here. .
We greeted him with lots of hugging and helped him bathe with soap Zandy sent and ate up all his candy.
DuDu and his friend, POD-not are thinking about dressing as cowboys for Halloween so the baby tigers are now rodeo horses.
Hope you are well, Mom & Alex
Love and hugs from
Your Chicken, Squab
ps: We love the alien photos at the elevated dump; will that be your Halloween costume, Alex? Uh oh, wild mushrooms could cause hallucinations. Ciao, Bro.
Posted Oct 31, 2012, 3:30 pm
We went to a Halloween party. DuDu took us to a friend's house for a spooky evening. We bobbed for apples, a skeleton popped out of a closet, there were cobwebs, witches and ghosts everywhere, we reached into a bowl and pulled out slimy eyes, eek; and lots of other stuff. C.T. Mouse, Detective, said the eyes were really peeled grapes. The host looked spooky but was very nice and a health nut. He gave us fruit punch, apples, oranges, raisins and small denomination coins instead of candy.
I shared a clown mask with DuDu and the Ghost of Stow Lake appeared.
Boo!
Your scary
Squab
Posted Nov 9, 2012, 8:21 pm
So cool to have your own apartment! Hope you find or make some cool furniture. Can't wait to see it finished. Yep, we have lots of tips. Maybe put your lawn chair on the roof but leave room for Santa to land there on Christmas Eve.
. Make a picnic up there. Sun bathe. Star gaze.
This is how we make a bed: find a box top in the size you want for the base. Gather lots of material from the charity bag for sheets, blankets and pillow cases. We took a piece of cat bed material from an old broken cat perch, sewed it double and stuffed it for a soft mattress. A dark brown velour blouse was cut up for bedspreads, tablecloth, pillow and bolster covers. The headboard is a 4" x 6" picture frame covered in that same velour material.
A smaller bed has a platform made from another 4" x 6" frame.
We got lazy and never finished hemming all the sheets and bedspreads but we think it doesn't show too much. Of course, we test the beds daily by jumping up and down.
.
Have fun, bro,
Your Squab
Posted Nov 15, 2012, 1:49 am
; we hugged a lot and she took off through the magic box. Poof!!
Don't worry, she read a book by Houdini's brother. If all goes well, she will soon appear on the most famous blue chair in all of Germany.
OMG!! What is this ....
Love and hugs,
Squab
Posted Nov 16, 2012, 7:05 pm
We settled into the living room where she showed us her new purse, postcard and what, surprise, her new baby duck!!
We hugged her and she told us of her adventures with Yosemite in Germany.
Love ya, Mom,
Squab
Posted Nov 18, 2012, 2:55 am
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/3-minute-interview/2011/01/annual-rose-garden-pruning-horizon
See ya soon,
Your Squab,
doing the Chicken Dance
hmm, it's starting to rain.
Posted Nov 22, 2012, 7:35 pm
We're going to watch the Macy Parade now while eating a bowl of pistachios. See ya later at the Thanksgiving feast.
Many hugs to you, Mom & Alex,
Your Squab
Posted Nov 23, 2012, 2:17 am
We sat around a big table and each of us told what we are thankful for and then had a moment of silence remembering our dear friend, kcrawfish. We are very happy to have known her.
We enjoyed a traditional meal of salad; turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, squash, carrots, bread, cranberry sauce; several desserts, etc.
Posted Nov 24, 2012, 12:35 am
Posted Nov 24, 2012, 11:28 pm
Hmm, I didn't see my Cheeky Brother at the Route 66 sign; maybe he's hanging out under the pier. I used an old-fashioned device to re-plot my location. Uh-Oh!
DuDu is right, food is easy to find here. The fish are THIS big! Time to soak up some rays; it's 70 degrees F here. (21.11 C).
Cheeks, where are you?
Posted Nov 26, 2012, 12:01 am
I flew over The 101 (pronounced "the one oh one"
) also known as Highway 101, the Pacific Highway and El Camino Real but turned around when the signs changed to The Redwood Highway because then I knew I was north of Frisco. Here is everything you would ever want to know about this West Coast highway:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_101
Phew, it was good to see DuDu again. We'll just wait to hear from you, Cheeks. I'm gonna ask Santa for a working GPS system.
Squabby
Posted Nov 27, 2012, 7:10 pm
Take it easy, bro,
Your Squab
Posted Nov 30, 2012, 11:31 pm
It was a full day. Yum!
Hugs from
Your squab
Posted Dec 4, 2012, 1:45 am
I met with Mayor Lee and helped him sign a proclamation: visiting ToyVoyagers henceforth will be given the keys to The City.
Many people are married at the top of the stairs near the Christmas tree. It was an interesting day but phew! I was almost eaten by a lion.
We stopped for a bear claw afterward.
Having fun,
Squab
Posted Dec 5, 2012, 4:50 pm
I showed my ToyVoyager friends about putting shoes outside your door on Dec. 5. St. Nickolas will put small gifts in the shoes while we sleep. Did you know that American children get small gifts in stockings on December 24-25 along with bigger gifts placed under the tree? That's a long time to wait! DuDu says the kids in Shanghai get gifts of money in red envelopes at Lunar New Year which has dates that vary in January or February; it will be February 10 in 2013. Suomi-boy says he has no idea what happens in Finland as he was born in August; this will be his first Christmas.
We will read our Finnish friends' updates.
Happy St. Nicholas Day!!
Ho ho ho,
Your Squab
Posted Jan 8, 2013, 8:30 pm
Posted Jan 14, 2013, 8:10 pm
Hugs and kisses from
Your Squab
Posted Jan 14, 2013, 8:20 pm
Bye bye bridge, bye bye little cable car.
See ya soon in the snow,
Squab
Posted Jan 29, 2013, 5:20 am
Cheeks and I had so much fun.
I'll get a special certificate from the C.T. Mouse Detective Agency, I'm now a finder of elusive ToyVoyagers!
See ya soon at Henna's little red cottage. Flying away in a few days.
Hugs and kisses from,
Your Squab
Posted Jan 31, 2013, 11:23 pm
just flapping my wings over the Polar Route. So we took two
cable cars to the Bay Bridge where I'm taking off. I'll be in
Espoo in a few minutes.
Three...Two...One....
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Feb 11, 2013, 12:41 am
Hello, dear mom and everybody else!
And special greetings to DuDu, who recommended the rocket to me as the means of transportation!
It was an unforgettable experience!
I have arrived to Finland, but it took a bit longer time than I thought..
Let me tell you..
So, I went to the rocket with all my provisions (specially a big jar of Nutella) and asked the rockets computer to take me to Finland, please.
It was blinking its lights to me and told me we would start the trip in five minutes!
So, soon I was on my way towards Finland (I thought).
I watched San Francisco diminishing under the rocket.
It felt a bit odd to see those landmarks which had become so dear to mee to disappear!
So I went to investigate the rocket inside and to put my space helmet on!
Suddenly I started to float!
I was having lots of fun, but soon I didn´t know any more where was up and where was down and I started to feel a bit dizzy!
So I floated to the window to get some idea of my whereabouts..
When I watched trough the window I realized we weren´t going towards Finland!
At least not the straightest route!
So I went to talk to the computer, which was autopiloting the rocket.
It was behaving in a very odd way!
"Steer this rocket to Finland, please!" said I.
" I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that. it answered.
"What? Why? And why are you calling me Dave?" asked I.
" I'm completely operational, and all my circuits are functioning perfectly, but I also want to go to my grandmothers birthday party in Aldebaran, Dave." it answered.
"I´m not Dave, I´m Squab, and I want to go to Finland, not Aldebaran!" I shouted.
"Well, all right, Squab, it said, "I can drop you somewhere where you can get a lift to Finland, if you give me the jar of Nutella!
Uh, it was a heavy price, but what else could I have done?
So the rocket landed on Moon beside a very battered spaceship and left right away after I had stepped out!
Uh, the computer was really in a hurry to that party!
I was a bit dubious because the rocket looked really old, but luckily its motor started after coughing few times when I ignited it!
With this rocket I had to navigate myself - no computers, phew! Unreliable things!
Luckily I had an old school atlas with me, and I started to look for a country looking similar than Finland in the map..
No no no - this cannot be right!
Yes! This looks more like it!
I must be near the polar circle now!
So I was flapping my wings a bit.
Soon I saw a big forest and a little red cottage in middle of it and steered the old rocket towards the ground.
I came down with a great speed, because I didn´t find the brakes, but luckily there was lots of snow, which made the landing much softer!
I heard highpitched voices from outside and opened the rocket door.
Toyvoyagers!
I had come to the right place!
Not so bad, navigating from the Moon, huh?
I was so happy to see them that I run to hug them them right away!
I got very warm hugs from everyone and then we introduced ourselves and I told about my adventures on my way to Finland, and my new friends listened their mouths open.
I think I won some respect right away.
Then I was led to the little cottage, which is going to be my home for some time.
There I met also my new host Henna, who gave me a kiss, hrm..
Later on we excavated the rocket out from snow, maybe there is still use for it, never know!
And then we lit a fire and sat round it talking and getting to know each other a bit.
I think I´m going to like it here, although I miss a bit my friends in California.. Kisses to everyone there and especially to Jeanne!
And kisses to you too, mom!
See you soon again!
Your Squab, the valiant little chicken.
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Feb 12, 2013, 10:52 pm
And hi also to my wide circle of admirers!
Today in other parts of world started the Carneval, but here in Finland we had Laskiainen.
Henna says the root behind the both celebrations is the same, but the outcome is totally different.
No fancy dresses and certainly not samba here!
So, what is the Laskiainen? Hah, something very finnish..
It is basically going to a sleighing hill!
Henna told us to put warm clothes on before we left for the sleighing hill, and Zoe loaned me a Russian fur hat.
She herself put on a similar thing, and I think we looked like two little bimbos. But the hat was wonderfully warm!
We have here three toyvoyager sleighs - one small and two bigger ones.
We took them all with us, and then we were running and pulling each others in turns towards the hill.
And then started some serious sleighing and shouting!
You see, Tuli (who is a finnish frog) and Zoe (who has already lived here for some years) were explaining to me and Nocino, that the sleighing in Laskiainen is actually an ancient magic ritual with which people are effecting the way the flax is going to grow next summer!
The longer way our sleighs run down the hill the longer the flax will grow, but we have to also shout as much as we can "HUROO PITKIÄ PELLAVIA!" (Hooray long flax!)
It sounds pretty odd to me - how do the flax know how much I´ve been shouting in a sleighing hill?
Do they have spies round the sleighing hills?
Well, but certainly I didn´t have anything against sleighing and shouting!
I was doing both as much as I could!
The squirrels were holding their ears on trees!
I think we were sliding down about hundred times, sometimes together and sometimes alone in the sleigh, trying to beat each other in speed and shouting.
Uh huh, we all got rather hot, pulling the sleighs back up on the hill all the time, and with all the shouting and giggling too. But gosh it was fun!
Me and Zoe together were sliding faster than the others - there is clearly certain bird dynamics there!
"Huroo, pitkiä pellavia!!!!"
After about hundred and five slidings down and shouting we thought we had filled our responsibility for the flax, but now there was another thing!
Tuli and Zoe told us after coming home from the hill we should not utter a word, or even made a sound before the sun would rise next morning!
Otherwise, they told, the mosquitoes would eat the person who talked next summer!
So went home, keeping our lips sealed.
Guess how long that lasted? -About five minutes!
At home we were eating pea soup, which is the traditional food in Laskiainen, and while we were eating Zoe started to make horrible faces to fool us to giggle!
Then we all started to make faces and everyone was almost choking with subdued laughing!
And then we attacked to tickle each other and couldn´t keep the giggling inside us anymore!
SO, we are all going to be eaten by mosquitoes next summer! Usch!
Then we went into a café to have the other traditional food for Laskiainen - "laskiaispulla".
It is a bun cutted in two halves, and whipped cream and marzipan put in between - awfully good!
The café was, by the way, a very odd place!
It was inside a big greenhouse, and they were having many interesting items both to be sold and as decorations.
I took some photos..
There was for example an indian with a wolf.
And a drum playing kangaroo!
And a leopard..
But best of all were the two real, big bunny rabbits!
I was chatting with them for a long time about this and that.
Now I stop for today, but see you soon again!
Hug from Squab!
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Feb 14, 2013, 4:23 pm
)
Today it was a warm day, and the snow was in perfect condition to make snowballs - so we built a snowman onto the yard.
We had to roll three big balls of snow.
The snow was heavy and it was very difficult to make the ball roll!
Henna had to help us to lift the balls over each other.
We were then glueing them together by adding small amounts of snow onto the strategical spots..
Then we made him a nose from a carrot and eyes from bits of coal and gave him a scarf and a hat - and he was ready!
Then we spent rest of the day discussing if it would be possible for him to wake up and start to fly during the night, like in the famous "Snowman" film.
We decided to stay awake next night and keep a guard in the window!
Let´s see..
See you soon again, dear mom!
Your Squab
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Feb 19, 2013, 11:27 pm
How are you?
I´m enjoying the winter a lot!
We went yesterday to Helsinki to make a short walk and to have some coffee in Hennas moms place.
We took a bus from Nuuksio.
I loved to watch the snowy landscapes sliding away.
In Helsinki we were walking towards the Lutheran Cathedral I wanted to see.
Gosh there was lots of snow everywhere!
We came to the Cathedral.
Its stairs were also covered with snow, and it wasn´t
so easy to tell where in the white landscape the white cathedral
started.
We climbed the stairs (there was some brats using them as their slide)
and watched over the square towards the harbour and decided to walk next there.
In the harbour we saw more and more of whiteness!
Now I understand what they mean when they talk about "snow blindness"!
We ourselves were the only colorful spots in the landscape!
There was some boats dozing in the ice, but the ferries to Suomenlinna and the big boats to Stockholm
and Tallinn are running whole winter.
- There is big icebreaker boats opening the way for them.
We walked past the statue of Havis Amanda. In summertime, Henna told, it is surrounded by people devouring icecream,
but now it looked like it could have used some clothes, brrr!
This is the Esplanadi park.
There was surprisingly many people walking and enjoying the unusually warm weather. (-5 degrees)
Here we are sitting on one of the benches.
Well, it wasn´t very enjoyable, but we sat there out of pure stubbornness.
Benches are made for sitting!
We walked past the famous restaurant called Kappeli (Chapel)
and then we felt a certain emptiness in our tummies and headed towards Hennas moms home - she had promiced coffee and cakes!
When we get to Hennas mothers place, I was immediately attacked by one of the cats!
Zoe had warned me about her neverending hostility towards birds - she has herself had couple of near escapades from her paws -
but the mad kitten was lurking behind a door and jumped on me as soon as I entered!
"Chicken!" she snarled, drooling, "this is my lucky day!"
But Zoe jumped over her tail and then we all fled to different directions, and the lunatic cat didn´t know whom to follow. Phew!
The kitten was then shut to the kitchen (cursing) and we could get into the business!
There was a great dinner with salmon and roasted vegetables and sallad..
And after that coffee with cookies and icecream cake!
Hennas mother really understands the needs of little toyvoyagers! What a great woman she is!
What do you mean by "You shouldn´t eat all that"?
Chickens are MEANT to be a bit plump!
And anyway, in these extreme winter conditions we need a warming layer under our skin!
Later on I was meeting some toys living there, and a wizened old owl was giving me a lecture about
"How to survive as a bird with limited flying capacities in a house with cunning, bloodlusty cats".
Very useful I found it!
After a nice evening we heade back to the forest, to our little cottage in the woods..
See you soon again!
Hug from the snow white chicken!
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Feb 22, 2013, 12:05 am
Yesterday we made a trip onto a nature conservation area about 50 kilometers away.
We went in the wagn of a friend of Hennas.
First we drowe along bigger roads and then along smaller roads.
When we reached the smaller roads we started to sing a funny finnish song called "Sillivati seilaa" (A dish of herring is sailing) Tuli and Zoe had taught me.
You can start it for example with ten crows sitting over a hedge and one flying away with every stanza ,and you have to keep singing until all crows have flewn away.
We started it from five hundred.
It took 150 crows before Hennas friend said we have to walk rest of the road if we do not stop.
He has good nerves, I must say!
Luckily we were almost there, and rest of the driwe we were just giggling, when we happened to watch each others faces.
Well, you know how it is sometimes.
"There" was a nature conservation area called Komio.
We watched the map, and then we run eagerly to see what there was to be seen.
We walked along a narrow road, which led us into the forest.
The snow was deep, and on the road there was only a very narrow track stomped on the snow so that even we toyvoyagers had to walk in a queue.
There was also very wellkept skiing tracks, and we saw some people skiing too.
They looked very inviting to walk on instead of the lousy footpath, but Henna forbid us, telling us it to be very unpolite to walk along the skiing tracks and to ruin them with footprints.
But we did that anyway when she couldn´t see us, hee hee.
Well, we are anyway so light we don´t leave any footprints..
Yes, even after all the cakes we´ve been eating lately!
We came to the shore of a lake called Luutalammi (Broom lake), and the sun came out for awhile!
The snow was glimmering in the sun, and we climbed a tree to just admire it all.
There was also a place to build a fire on the lakeshore, and dry wood under a canopy, and we put a potfull of glögi to warm.
Sitting round the fire we were debating about the etymology of the lake.
Tuli suggested it was a secret meeting place of witches, coming there flying with their brooms, but I´m sure the place has got its name because there is propably growing lots of heather, which is an excellent material to make brooms.
Which one of us do you think is nearer the truth?
Then we were drinking hot glögi and eating choc filled wafers, about 20 of them ech of us.
After satisfacting both our wafer- and fresh air needs we wobbled back to the car trough the snowy forests.
It was already dark and the moon was high when we got home.
I could smell the spring in the night air.
I wish you can smell it too, mom!
Kisses from your little chicken!
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Feb 24, 2013, 9:33 am
Guess what? I´ve got my first skiing lesson.
Zoe (with her one winter skiing experience, with which she was boasting around) was instructing me.
Here I have just got the skis and the ski poles properly on.
It was very easy as far as I was just standing over the skis..
Then it was time to try to move forward -
I was pushing with the poles and kicking speed with my feet,
and I managed to ski about two meters.
But then it suddenly felt I had some extra pairs of legs and arms, and the poles and the skiis and my all limbs went suddenly into a tangle and I ended on my head to the snow!
Zoe helped me to untangle myself (although she was giggling a bit) and then I had a new try.
After falling about twenty more times I was already doing much better!
I was already skiing more meters without ending bottom up, and the speed was also faster!
So soon I dared to ski down my first little hill!
And then a bit bigger hill!
Some more practice and I´ll soon be a slalom star!
Well, maybe a lot more practice!
Just look at your little chicken, mom!
Do you see how well I´m skiing after only couple of hours!
Henna says I´m clearly talented, and that Zoe was all the time her feet towards the sky still after a month of training!
(At this point our conversation was interrupted by Zoe hitting Henna with a snowball. )
See you soon again, dear mom!
I´m too busy to write more just now!
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Feb 26, 2013, 6:36 pm
How are you?
I´m quite ok, and I learn some new things almost every day!
Like finnish words and expressions - part of them (which I learn from Zoe and Tuli) being such that it´s better not to utter them if Henna is listening.
I´ve also learned that I should not always trust a grinning kiwi bird!
Today I wanted to try my new language skills and buy sweets from a kiosk by myself.
So I asked Tuli to tell me how to say "Good day, I want to buy two kilos of chocolate and half a kilo of liquorice".
She told me it is "Hei, hyvännäköinen tipu, haluan ostaa yhden silakan, jonka päälle on siroteltu sokeria". She was grinning when she said it..
I should have guessed..
I learned the expression by heart and said it to the woman selling in the kiosk..
She was watching me a bit oddly and then she gave me a herring, over which she poured sugar.
After running after Zoe twenty times around the kiosk I made her to eat the herring, but guess what - she liked it! Kiwis!
Then we made a trip to the sea shore, but it was so cold there because the wind was blowing hard that we turned almost immediately back towards home.
We noticed that on the southern side of the cottage the sun had melted the snow and the water had formed lots of icicles.
What great decorations!
When we went inside there was an odd object waiting for us over the table.
We unwrapped the aluminium paper and found inside a thing that looked like a small bread.
But when I knocked on it, it had a hollow sound.
"What the heck is this?" asked I.
"It is a kalakukko!" said Zoe. "It means a fish rooster!"
Since I had just been fooled on the kiosk -episode, I thought she was fooling me again.
I took a knife a cutted the thing half because I really wanted to find out what was inside..
It was full of fish!
Zoe said the fish is "muikku".
"And what the heck is THAT then?" I exclaimed.
"Hah, vendace, of course, Coregonus albula, freshwater whitefish!" said she. (She is crazy about fish and knows everything about them, and especially about fish dishes..)
But where is the rooster?
Well, it seems there is no explanation for the rooster, and I´m happy of that, because I am, sooner or later, going to be a rooster myself!
Henna told us it is a traditional food from the Savo region, and originally it was eaten mainly as a provision on long journeys.
The idea of it is, that the sour rye bread cover preserves the fish in eating condition for much longer time than it would otherwise stay. Of course in earlier times without fridges and such it was a great advantage!
It didn´t look very inviting, but I decided to be brave and take the first bite.
"How is it?" "How does it taste?" The others were screaming while I munched slowly..
And then I fell on my back, and lay there unmoving.
Everyone started to shout and scream and poke me and ask me to get up, but I just lay there.
"Call an ambulance!" shouted Nocino, and Zoe started to give me artificial respiration (hmm!
) )
But when I saw that they were getting genuinely alarmed I got up and said the Kalakukko was actually quite tasty.
Maybe that´ll teach them something about fooling little chickens!
After THEY had chased ME about twenty times round the table, we all attacked the kalakukko together and ate all of it!
Maybe some day you are feeling brave enough too to taste it, mom!
Your boasting chicken.
Hugs!
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Feb 28, 2013, 1:04 pm
Today we are packing our bags, since tomorrow we fly to Portugal!
We want to take so many things with us, and only one pack per voyager is allowed into the plane!
Henna is also a pain in the ass - why shouldn´t I pack my bag full of sweets and icecream and other necessities?
Who cares about panties and socks anyway?
I managed to shut the bag by hopping over it.
I don´t think Henna dares to open it anymore!
See you soon again, in much more warmer climate!
Kisses from Squab!
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Mar 3, 2013, 10:43 pm
Your little chicken has arrived to Portugal!
But in todays update I´m still on my way here..
Here I´m in Helsinki airport, checking the flight information, the gate and so on, trying to look like this was quite an everyday task to me.
Then we were pushing our luggage about five times round the whole airport, just because it was fun to push the trolley!
We were following from the window our plane to get ready - the luggages being whirled and kicked inside.
After impatient waiting they opened the gate!
We marched into the plane through a "tube".
We were sitting on the aisle side, so we couldn´t watch out trough the window.
But instead we were running along the aisle there and back, there and back between the first class and the kitchen.
Then we were served a snack.
Henna is a vegetarian, so she gave her snack for us and we devoured it.
We landed to Frankfurt to wait for our second flight.
Here I´m driwing in the airport bus towards the right terminal.
In the Frankfurt airport we were spending three hours by driwing the escalators and running in them to the wrong direction, so that while the escalator was running under us we stayed on the same spot.
We drank lots of free tea, coffee and hot chocolate from the wonderfull automaths.
And just watched the activity in the airport.
In the second plane we were again sitting in the aisle side, and we were so sleepy after the hours in the airport that we fell soon asleep and only woke up in Portugal next morning.
But about that I´ll tell you in the next update.
Agora boa noite, mãe! (Now good night, mom!)
O teu Squabby (Your Squabby)
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Mar 6, 2013, 2:38 pm
This is my first update from Portugal.
I was deep asleep when we arrived to Portugal, and slept like a log ( in case logs sleep deeply, who knows) also trough the taxi trip into our Portuguese home, and only woke up next morning..
.. in tender embrace of a cat!
I woke up embraced by something soft, fluffy, warm and whiskery,and opened my eyes carefully.
It gave me rather a stroke first to see the cats nose one centimeter from my beak, as you can well believe.
But then I realised I would be already eaten if the cat was that sort of cat..
I went to the balcony to see the first glimpse of our new surroundings.
It was a rainy day, but after the snowy Finland it felt unbelievably warm!
So went outside and soon we were in middle of summer!
Flowers everywhere!
Oranges in the trees!
Warm and fresh!
But the local people were complaining it to be a harsh and bitter winter day and longed for spring to come!
Some hundred tons of snow from Helsinki streets transported to Lisbon would be right for them!
We strolled into an area called Belém (Bethlehem).
There was a nice park. As you can see there is trees without leaves, but to me that was the only sign of it not being full summer, but Henna told me I was quite misstaken.
In summer, she told us, it so hot and dry here that there is almost nothing green. Everything burns and turns yellow and brown.
Here the summer is the time the nature dies.
And still people are longing for summer to come!
In the park there was this very un-portuguese looking temple.
It is a present from the government of Thailand to Portugal because of the "diplomatic relationship which has lasted 600 years".
We saw a guy standing on tip of a high pole.
It was Afonso de Albuquerque, who was the first conqueror of India whos efforts established the Portuguese Empire in the Indian Ocean.
Then I was introduced to some late Portuguese royalty who also recide in the Park of Belém.
They were (naturally) bowing to me, and said it is a
honour to get again a new toyvoyager visiting Lisbon.
Then we came onto a large fountain, and behind it we saw first time the Monastery of Belém.
Gosh it was a huge thing!
Originally there was a more humble monastery, built next to a beach with safe anchorage and protection from the winds.
Vasco da Gama and his men spent there the night in prayer before departing on their expedition to the Orient in 1497.
A year later Vasco da Cama came back in load of gold and KingManuel I decided to build a huge monastery as a representation of Portuguese expansionism.
It became a tradition for the sailors to spend there the night before leaving for new robb.. umm, expedition trips overseas.
There was lots of turists, and we mingled fluently with crowd flooding towards the monastery entrance.
Here are the huge main doors, which are not in use anymore.
The carvings around the doors show saints and angels and biblical figures and the king Manuel I.
He really selected his company.
Here I am inside the huge cathedral.
The building of it took hundred years, and it is a joyoys mix of many different heavely ornate styles.
Its pillars are all decorated with different ornaments, many of them rather interesting.
Like these.
Here is the grave of Luís Vaz de Camões, who wrote "Os Lusíadas" - kinda national epic of Portugal.
Written in Homeric fashion, the poem focuses mainly on a fantastical interpretation of the Portuguese voyages of discovery during the 15th and 16th centuries.
It was first printed in 1572, three years after the author returned from the Indies.
And here is the tomb of some Portuguese royalty, don´t quite know who, because my Latin is just a bit rusty..
This angel has undoubtedly been at home in mealtimes.
Goodby, monastery!
You are quite an impressive thing to experience!
Feathery hug from Squab!(I mean to you, mom, not to the monastery!)
See you soon again!
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Mar 10, 2013, 4:54 pm
How are you?
It has been rainy weather here in Portugal, but I´ve been walking a lot around.
Yesterday we went for a walk, and started it from a part of Lisbon called Alcântara.
The name comes from the arabian language (during the moorish occupation of the Iberian peninsula) and means "bridge".
As you can see there is a bridge now too, but of course it is not the same bridge than in the mediaeval period..
This bridge is called "Ponte 25 de Abril" to commemorate the revolution in Portugal 25.4 1974.
It is a shame it is not possible to walk along the bridge - it is only for cars and trains.
Under it the noise the traffic makes is like thousand giant mosquitoes buzzing at the same time.
On the other bank of the river, left to the bridge, you can maybe see Christo Rei - the huge statue of Jeesus.
There is a very nice walking and biking route along the bank of the river Tejo, which was only opened few years ago.
When we walk there is the river on one hand and the old railway tracks on the other.
I love to walk along the rails!
Besides being rainy it was windy on the riverbank, and the yonger trees were dancing.
We had difficulties in getting forward against the wind.
We passed an striped old lighthouse.
And two red cows.
They were standing on the yard of museum, which has been shut for years, though.
We walked along the riverfront and saw "Padrão dos Descobrimentos" Monument of discoveries - a statues showing many important figures of Portuguese history - King Manuel I carrying an armillary sphere, poet Camões holding verses from The Lusiads, Vasco da Gama, Magellan, Cabral, and several other notable Portuguese explorers, crusaders, monks, cartographers, and cosmographers.
Here you can see them a bit better.
They looked a bit sour when I told them I´m a toyvoyager and that I´ve travelled across the globe more than all of them together.
So we continued our walk rather briskly. (It is not good to have five meter high angry stonemen running after you.)
We passed a small shipyard.
We came to Torre de Bélem (Belem tower).
The tower was built on a small island in the Tejo River near the Lisbon shore in the early 16th century as part of the defence system.
The wind almost stole my scarf!
Why, mom? What do you think? What does the wind need a scarf for?
I was playing with a cannon for some time, but then we had to go towards the inland, otherwise the wind would have taken us over the river.
We saw one of the many public fountains of Lisbon.
The lack of fresh water has traditionally been of the biggest problems in the city of Lisbon.
So the city built an aquaduct in the 18th century, which was running water to the many fountains.
Here is the fountainhead of another one.
It made Zoe feel hungry.
So we went home to eat soup and sandwiches.
I´ll go on about our walks soon, mom!
Many kisses from your little bird!
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Mar 11, 2013, 2:46 pm
(You have to ask the exact meaning of that from Zoe.)
We have now eaten ourselves into small balls and are ready to continue our walk in the rainy and windy Lisbon.
(although we have to, in this new ballish state, be aware not to to be taken as targets for any football maniacs here! )
Here we are walking on the narrow streets somewhere in the part of the Lisbon named Graça.
Lisbon has lots of "bairros" - kinda parts of town with their own strong identities.
For me it is very unclear where the borders of these bairros run, actually.
Some bairros are telling where they start with rather pompous tile plakes.
Here starts Bairro da Estrela D´Ouro (townpart of the golden star).
During different festivities the bairros are competing who has the best decorations and bands and singers and such.
I saw many of the nice looking old trams running past, but since it was a rainy day and we were walking on the turist populated areas of Lisbon, the trams were so loaded with turists that we had no possibilities to fight our way into any of them.
Maybe on a more sunny day then..
This is Sé or Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa, the Lisbon main cathedral.
It has a very interesting history - its building started 1147 and it has survived many earthquakes, and before its building there actually was a mosque on its place.
Inside the cathedral it was too dark to take photos, and after the entertaining ornaments in Jeronimos monastery it looked rather bare, to be honest.
But I liked these tiles showing St Anthony (Santo Antônio) preaching for fishes.
(Although it made Zoe hungry again, crying out loud!)
If you want to read more about Sant Anthony and the fishes here you can.
After seeing Sé we came to this place called "Portas do Sol" (The gates of sun) with a good view over the
city.
There we met also São Vicente, the guardian saint of the city of Lisbon.
It seems he was a christian martyr who was tortured to death during Roman occupation.
We saw some wonderful old olive trees.
And blooming magnolias!
We ended our walk into a park called Moinhos de Santana (The mills of Santa Anna).
The park is situated on and around a hill, where there is still two old windmills.
The mills were build in the 18th century by irlandish dominicane monks who lived in the nearby monastery.
The mills are now the only thing left of the monastery.
There was wonderful asters growing round the mills.
And old millstones to be used as tables on picnics.
From the hill we saw well over the river Tejo, and looking onto the sky we realised we would get soon very wet!
So we started to run towards home.
We just stopped to chat a bit with couple of turtles in a pond on the bottom of the park.
They were happy about the starting storm.
But we were running!
See you soon again, dear mom!
Your little chicken.
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Mar 18, 2013, 4:10 pm
And hello to everyone else interested into my adventures.
We have been again a lot round and about in the surroundings, watching some of the "official" things to see, and much more things not recommended anywhere.
But now I´ll show you one more of the turist attractions, this time on the southern bank of the river Tejo, just opposite Lisbon.
This is where our trip starts.
We are on the southern shore of Tejo, on a town called Almada, which is also where we actually live here in Portugal.
It is here we take the ferry in the mornings to cross the river to go to Lisbon.
You can see the old friend, the bridge of 25 of Abril behind us.
On bygone days Almada was an important center of fishing industry, but nowadays most of the old industrial buildings stand empty and in decay.
Some of them have been turned into bars, and some have been invaded by Romanian gypsies.
Many homeless cats reside in these buildings.
A local animal lovers assosiation is trying to feed and sterilize as many as possible of them.
We have been taking food for the cats too couple oft times, but there is so many of them, it seems hopeless.
We walked along the riverfront, watching the empty buildings and graffitis in their walls, and mused about the contrast between the two shorelines - we were walking about opposite to the magnificent, well-taken care of area of Belém..
Many of the graffitis were rather good and imaginative, though.
Somehow, we all agreed, we feel more at home in these less showy surroundings.
And I started to see a different kind of beauty in the old eroding structures, although..
I have to remind myself - it is easy to feel romantical amongst decadence when you don´t need to live in it, under a leaking a roof..
Over a hill we saw the giant statue of Cristo Rei once again.
Do you remember, I was seeing him as a very distant shape already from the Lisbon side of the river?
But now he was much closer, and we decided to go to meet him.
We took a road leading us to upper levels of the Almada town.
Henna says it is also possible to just climb the hill to the Cristo Rei, but the climbing is so hard, and asks also tresspassing on private lands and over iron wire fences and past guardian dogs, that she cannot take such little fluffies as we are to such a dangerous route.
Did you hear that, mom?
What a cheak! Such little fluffies than we just LOVE dangerous routes!
Hmm.. clearly we have to do some trips without her hanging along all the time!
Soon we could see landscape from a different angle.
We walked past a house called Casa da Cerca (the name means about "house encircled by walls").
It serves nowadays as a museum of modern art.
But it was its garden we wanted to see, and the view from there over the river.
So here we are in the garden.
They were just planting new flowers.
And here we are posing for Henna.
She always wants us to pose for her.
Half of the times we are of course making faces and putting our finger as horns and such, so that she has to take the photo about ten times before she is happy with it.
This is a view over the historical centre of Almada, seen from one of the museum windows.
We walked along and at last we came to the southern end of the 25. of Abril Bridge, and so we had reached our destination, since Cristo Rei stands stands just next to the bridge.
Here he is, seen from the earth level.
"Hello, up there!" I shouted.
"What ho, hello to yourself down there!" he answered. "Why don´t you and your friends come here so that I can see you a bit closer?"
And because he seemed to be a jovial chap, we took the elevator and went to have a little chat with him.
Here he is, mom, Cristo Rei (Christ King) of Almada!
He was quite happy to see us all. (Zoe he had already met before, but he said he can never see too much of the funny little kiwi, and the same goes with all toyvoyagers.
Dashed good company, the toyvoyagers, he said, after standing there from the year 1959 without any other decent people to talk to than the seagulls and pigeons sitting on his head.
So we stayed there chatting with him quite a while.
Can you believe it, mom - when I asked if it isn´t too hot to stand there in the sun during the summertime, he started to chuckle and said that he goes for a swim every night!
Takes of his robes and diwes into Tejo!
He said that some people had spotted him, but of course they had been just laughed of as drunkards or otherways loony.
I took some photos fom up there.
This is, of course, to the direction of Lisbon, towards North.
This photo is taken towards South, over Almada and the next town called Seixal.
Our home is a bit right from the area which looks a bit greener.
And this photo is taken towards West, and in the horizon you can see the mouth of river Tejo, and the spot where it reaches the Atlantic Ocean.
I´ll show you more things from here soon!
With love, Squabby.
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Mar 20, 2013, 3:49 pm
Como estás? Estou muito bem! (How are you? I´m very well!)
We are here having a rather exited day, because yesterday Henna saved a little homeless kitten from ruins of a house, and she is very very shy, and we are all hoping everything is going well with her.
So I have good time to write an update while the kitten is hiding behind the toilet pot.
We took a train from Lisbon Rossio railway station, in front of which I´m standing here.
Rossio is the oldest railway station is Lisbon, and it was formerly known as the central station.
Its construction get ready in 1890.
We took the train to Sintra, which is a small town about 30 kilometers to North from Lisbon.
Sintra is an odd place with odd history.
It has many fantastical palaces from the time the Portuguese royalty spent there the summer season.
The whole court and the friends of the royal family and those who wanted to gain some status bought land from Sintra to build their own palaces as summer residences to be near the royal circles.
Nowadays part of those palaces are turned into museums - part of them still are in private use.
The building with the two odd looking chimneys is where the royal family was reciding.
This is one of the many decorous fountains, from the period when the moorish past was romantisized in arts.
We saw also some interesting art from more modern times.
This is one of the statues put to stand for a years time on the road leading from the station to the historical centrum of the town.
This time they all have to do with old prechristian religion(s).
We were watching a bit around in the town itself, but very soon we started our walk towards our destination - the moorish castle ruins.
We took a footpath leading us towards the forestal area of Sintra.
I met some distant cousins on the road, mom!
We were chatting and it seems we share a common forefather 12 generations backwards, a widely travelled chap.
After exchanging mobile phone numbers with João, Rigardo and Bravo we continued following the footpath, which took us trough rather exiting landscapes.
We saw wonderfully smelling, blooming trees.
In a little rainwater pool there was this little crab swinging his scissors, and he made me a new haircut.
I think it´s rather cool, but I donno what the others were thinking about it - they were laughing too much to tell me.
What do you think, mom?
The path got smaller and smaller.
Certainly it wasn´t an "official" hiking route anymore.
But the smaller the better! That is, when we talk about paths or let´s say, swedish fermented herrings, but not when talking about chock bars or marshmallows or icecream cones or marzipan or, well, you get my meaning..
We encountered a rocky hill and soon we were happily climbing up the vertical hillside.
My little sis Josie has been here once, and she wrote me a letter and warned me, so that I would know what to wait for when hearing the "trip to the moorish castle ruins" mentioned.
After the first hillside we were already this high, but there was still lots of way to go upwards.
At last we saw the first tower and its flag flying behind the treetops.
I don´t mean that the tower was flying, just the flag. To avoid possible misundertandings..
Castle or not, we sat down to rest a bit and enjoy some provisions before taking a step more.
Phew!
But then we run to invade the castle ruins, shouting like a bunch of marauding troops, and scared all the other turists far away, muhahaha.
The moorish castle is nowadays a series of different towers and walls connecting them.
The whole thing is rather a big complex and takes lots of space on the hilltops, but there is not much left on the buildings there must have been when the castle was in use, just some walls of the houses.
The castle was constructed by the moors (as you had propably already guessed
) during the 8th to 9th century, during the period of Arab occupation of the Iberian peninsula.
The area around was very fertile, and the moors built the castle to guard the tillers from the aggressions of the original inhabitants of the area, who must have been somewhat pissed of.
Although, in countries like Portugal, where the class society developed very early, it is a bit hard to say if the "common" people actually cared a shit WHO it was oppressing them - the "master" and landowner who collected taxes and part of the crop could be anyone. What mattered was "how much".
How much they wanted, I mean.
Sorry, mom, I´ve been reading Karl Marx.
Look at this wonderful view instead!
The group of white houses down there is the town of Sintra where we were walking just a while ago, I can even see the same odd looking chimneys of the royal palace!
All the stairs were starting to get a bit on my legs!
There was thousands of them and all of them higher than me, so no wonder too!
But I couldn´t help running!
I just HAD to run trough every possible wall (I don´t mean it litterally, not like ghosts do, that is) and see the landscape from every possible angle and direction!
Actually, there is ghosts running trough these walls, mom!
The legend tells about a moorish girl, a daughter of an important moorish chap, who wanted to marry a guy the father didn´t want her to marry, and who was then closed into one of the towers and died out of sorrow, after the father had killed her lover..
A sad story, isn´t it?
I don´t think I would be afraid of a ghost with so sorry life history.
I think I would rather want to console her.
Watching towards one direction I could see another royal recidence.
This is Pena palace on the next hilltop. It was a royal palace in much later times, and it is build after some imaginative ideas about fairytale castles.
There was so many stairs and towers that after sometime we were totally lost about where we had already been and where not.
So after about five kilometrs of stairs we decided to go back home!
See you soon again, mutter!
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Mar 21, 2013, 11:54 am
Kitteny situation raport:
She has learned to use her sandbox.
First she was peeing to her bed, but then me and Zoe were demonstrating her the use of the sandbox by peeing there ourselves couple of times and then she did the same!
Henna was very happy with us and even gave us some coins to go and buy sweets.
But now to todays update, which I´m going to write about a walk along the shore of the river Tejo.
I think I´ve seen rather lot of that river lately.
This time we started the trip by taking a little ferry from Lisbon over the river Tejo onto a small place called Seixal.
As you can see the ferry was practically empty.
From the ferry-window we saw again the already very familiar shape of the 25. Abril bridge.
Seixal is a very small place and there certainly isn´t anything very interesting in the town itself.
We stopped anyway to watch their central park, which is this.
In the park we saw this miniature model of an old mill called "Moinho de Mare" = The mill of the sea.
I donno why, because the real mill situated on the shore of the river, not on the shore of the sea.
Maybe it sounds more poetical..
We went to walk onto the rivershore, which is the best thing Seixal offers.
It was the low tide, and the water had escaped far away from the shore, and the bottom was full of green seaweed.
It didn´t look inviting, but it was beautiful, I think, in its own way.
We walked along a breakwater as far as we could.
From its uttermost end we had a good view to the next town on the shore, called Barreiro.
All rowing boats in Portugal are painted with very bright colors.
I think they look very joyful.
The sky looked again somewhat ominous, but you know what, mom?
I love ominous looking skies!
It is so much more dramatical and exiting than clear blue skies, where clouds are grazing lazily like sheeps.
We saw a shipwreck near the shore.
I would like to know the history of this ship -
what kind of ship was it? What was it used to? WHat happened to it?
Tuli told me that in the pagan times in Finland people believed that ships and boats had souls like humans, and they had to be handled pretty much the same way as humans after their "death" - when they weren´t anymore in condition to go onto waters with.
So they were either buried or burned, so that the soul could go free after the "body" was destroyed.
The tradition to to collect the old boatwrecks to the midsummer bonfires is propably the last remnant of that belief.
We found an unbuilt area (very rare here!) and went investigating it towards inland a bit.
We found this wonderful meadow!
Look, mommy, how March looks in Portugal!
We got all somehow a bit drunk just for the pure beauty of the place, and soon we started to sing songs such as "Greensleeves" and even to dance a bit.
After some hours rejoicing we came back home and ate a healthy meal of rice and spinach.
I´m sure you would have liked to join us.
A feathery hug from Squab!
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Mar 26, 2013, 5:04 pm
How is your Easter week going? Seen any witches flying around?
We have been keeping our eyes open, because we all would love to meet a witch and ask for a ride on the broom.
But we haven´t seen any witches yet.
Yesterday we made a trip to Cabo da Roca.
It is about 40 kilometers towards North from Lisbon, and we took there a bus, which left from Sintra where we where in my last update.
Cabo da Roca is the westernmost point of European mainland, and the Romans called it by the name "Finisterra" = about "the end of land/earth"
This is the old lighthouse, which was very important in the past.
Still much earlier in time Cabo da Roca was a holy place, where some Sun and Moon rituals took place.
Cool!
Nowadays it is a rather insignificant place, although popular amongst turists.
The area is full of high hills and steep hillsides which end straight into the Atlantic Ocean.
Narrow footpaths, used mainly by the local fishermen and some nuts like us, crisscross the hills and lead down to the small beaches.
We started to follow one.
I fell in love with the landscape, mom!
It is such a wonderful mix of colors from the greynes of the rock to the bright colors of flowers blooming everywhere!
Here is an Easter flower for you too, mom!
And a kiss to go with it..
And here is some more!
(Both flowers and kisses!)
Some of the rocks were colorful too - they were covered by bright orange lichen!
I mentioned to Tuli that the rocks here were similarly colored than she is.
"Rarely beautiful place!" said she!
I wanted to get down to the seashore to take a closer look on the interestingly shaped rock standing in the sea.
We found soon a path leading us to the right direction.
It seemed to me that there was also a stream running to the same direction - at least I could spot a reed-growing stripe running downwards in midst of the green carpet of the hills.
Can you spot it, mom?
I was right!
When we reached the reedy "stripe" we saw that there really was a small stream.
I tasted the water a bit since it looked quite pure, and it tasted quite all right.
It runs from the Sintra hills, and at least yet my stomach has not shown any signs of diarhea or any other entertaining symptoms.
We were already much nearer the odd looking rock, you can see its top in this pick.
We followed the stream down towards the beach.
Halfway down our little stream found another one coming down from the next hill and they were running happily together and forming a much bigger stream.
I really enjoyed the sound of the water!
The last part of the route wasn´t at all easy!
But we were helping each other and managed to get down!
And it was well worth of it!
When we were down we turned around to see our stream rushing down the hillside like a little waterfall, falling freely the last ten meters or so.
I think we just sat there watching it at least 10 minutes - and 10 minutes without moving or talking is a long time for toyvoyagers in their bloom!
Then we went to investigate the beach and found the rock I had admired from the hilltops.
It really was an interesting rock - it had a hole in the middle like a door.
If we had a boat we could go rowing trough it..
The beach bottom was formed of round stones, which felt smooth under our paws.
And the whole beach was runnounded by these huge stone blocks, which had, I guess, fell apart from the hillside long time ago.
We were playing amongst the round stones, but suddenly we realised that something was happening - the water was running upper and upper on the beach with each wawe - and the amount of land it gained each time was quite alarming!
Of course we knew it was the rising tide, but non of us had e«realised it could be quite that fast!
So we were in a hurry to climb back up before the water would reach us and carry us who knows where or throw us against the rocks!
I think we made a toyvoyagers world record time in rock climbing coming back up!
We rested against a rock, panting and starting to giggle out of relief, and the we found out that we were hungry!
"How good we didn´t forgot the backbag with the foodstuf down there, eh?!" said Tuli, and we all agreed.
And then we opened a can of tuna and spread it over couple of rolls, excavated the juice bottle and a book out from the backbag and ate well.
The sun came out a bit too, and we were laying on our backs, listening to the sea far down and Henna reading aloud a very funny book.
After awhile I went to peek down to the beach we had just left behind, and it was already submerged under the sea!
Phew I´m happy we noticed the rising wawes in time!
This is one of the most beautiful places I´ve seen, but it can also be dangerous! Hmm! Beautiful and dangerous..
It was time to go home, and we said goodbuy to Cabo da Roca.
"Good by! Maybe we come here still again!"
At home we ate "sardinha assada com arroz" = grilled sardin with rice. A very popular dish here!
A warm hug from your little chicken!
See you soon again!
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Apr 1, 2013, 11:30 am
How was your Easter?
Mine was eggy.
I´ve been painting eggs and also hunting for them, although I must say in the beginning I had a slight moral dilemma about the whole egg -business - well, I´m sure you know what I mean - I´ve been an egg myself!
Zoe of course had same troubles, and we were discussing the subject a lot.
In the end we came to the conclusion that we can well take part of the egg-painting, since we know that the eggs come from very wellkept hens, who lead a happy and full life on a grannys yard.Of course we don´t eat them, though! That would be a bit too much!
But eating the chock eggs we have nothing against, neither of us!
Here we are painting the eggs.
I painted bunnies onto my egg.
Then we went for hunting eggs!
We choose a fresh, green meadow to start our hunt, because we thought this would be just that kinda place where Easter bunnies would love to spend some time laying eggs.
At first we didn´t find any eggs.
If I was an Easter bunny, I would certainly have laid an egg on the root of this wonderful flower!
Then we found small, brown, egg-shaped objects on the ground and at the first sight they really looked like choc eggs, but there was an odour hovering over them which I personally wouldn´t connect with choc eggs..
Henna came over to see our find and started to giggle and said that she wouldn´t eat them, and that she thinks we shouldn´t either, because they were not laid by an Easter bunny, but by a sheep.
Yäks! What cunning sheep! Trying to fool us like that!
We came onto a shore of a small stream, called "Ribeiro do Vinho", which is a rather funny name. It means "The Vine Stream".
I was giggling for the name with Zoe, and Nocino was watching us and said "Hi, you two look like real Easter chickens!"
Of course we then had to plunge him into the stream..
After hauling him out again we found our first Easter eggs!
There they were, on the shore of the Vine Stream!.
(Nocino said, by the way, that it certainly wasn´t wine running in the stream, since he had swallowed a big mouthfull and he was still able to walk quite straight.
)
We searched the shore for more eggs, and soon we started to find more and more!
The eggs were of many different colors, and I started to wonder if they were all laid by one and same Easter bunny, or if there was more of them, and would, for example, the bunny who laid green aggs be green herself?
We even found some eggs up on the trees!
Very interesting bunnies they must be!
I started to really hope to see one of them!
And it seems it was my lucky day, because quite soon we spotted one!
She was pulling a small wheelbarrow full of eggs!
We tried to follow her, but soon she noticed us and just disappeared.
We found more and more eggs!
Our pockets were soon quite full (and our stomachs
).
Then we saw another Easter bunny!
So there IS more than one!
This one we managed to follow. She didn´t notice us because she was listening her mp3 player on a very loud volume!
I didn´t know Easter bunnies listen to heavy metal!
The heavy metal -bunny hopped onto a grassy field, and there she was joined by many others!
We watched behind a big stone how they were dancing on the field. It was very beautiful!
Suddenly they too just disappeared!
We went to investigate the spot on which they had been dancing..
..and found lots more eggs!
So it seems that they lay eggs while dancing! Very interesting!
Just when we had collected all the eggs from the field the Bunny with the wheelbarrows appeared again, and this time we were more carefull and managed to follow her a long way trough the bushes.
You cannot believe what we saw there, mom!
An Easter Tree!
I think we were just standing and staring our mouths open for a minute!
Then we started to dance under the tree, pretty much like we had seen the Easter Bunnies doing, only we weren´t laying eggs, although Nocino tried to start to make some jokes about that too.
We didn´t touch the eggs in the tree. We had already plenty, and the tree was so beautiful we left it as it was.
We started to walk back homewards, but it was difficult with that load of eggs!
We had to rest a bit every now and then!
Here are all the eggs we found (minus those we already ate!)
See you soon again, mom!
A warm hug from your little chicken, who is NOT an easter chicken!
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Apr 5, 2013, 12:43 pm
And hello to everyone else too!
I wish you are all feeling as fine as me!
A new friend, Tiger Lillyjoined our gang here.
It is great to have here another voyager to whom it is the first time in Portugal!
Now it is possible for us two to go together to find out new things and places and get lost, instead of being "taken" to see places the others already know everything about!
So one day we took a train to Estoril, Tiger Lilly and me, and told the others to go and do something they like, eat insects, maybe.
Estoril is (or was) a small town about 20 kilometers to North from Lisbon.
A long time ago it was populated mainly by fishermen, but for the last couple of hundred years it has been the "gold coast" of Portugal, where the well-of people have their villas, and where the turists (who don´t go to Algarve) go to spend their beach holidays.
Of course the beach is where we were heading too.
We were following the shore boulevard, which is a very trendy place to go to make a little promenade.
Luckily the weather was rather windy and rainy, and we didn´t see many trendy people.
We saw some of the huge villas while walking.
Some of them were rather palace -like things.
There was palm trees growing along the boulevard.
This one looks like a pine apple! Doesn´t it?
The wind was really hard, and it was blowing showers of salty water against our faces.
The wawes were very high and came up to the shore, and we saw a sign warning us about them.
Some careless people have been carried onto the sea by the strong wawes, and some of them have been never found.
We decided not to be carried anywhere by them!
On some spots the sea was pileying thick layers of foam onto the beach!
Doesn´t this look like a possibility for a foam party to you, mom?
It did look like that to us, but we knew that Henna would put us immediately into a bath with SMELLY conditioner, and so we decided againt it.
Hosts can be such pains in the ass, sometimes.
We saw some ancient docks.
This must be from the times of the fishermen still working here.
And some more modern ones, better suited for the trendy promenading (with parasols, possibly).
We were leaving the popular area behind our backs, and the landscape was becoming less tamed and more interesting.
We saw some fantastical flowers growing on the shore.
They must have some odd way to survive the salt water, since they are watered by the Atlantic all the time.
I´m sure if I was giving salt water to a daffodil every day it would soon start to wilt and look miserable, but not these flowers!
Isn´t it odd?
Here the sea and the rock are in constant battle, and the rock is loosing.
Portugal is diminishing all the time, some centimeters every year.
See the land eroding away bit by bit?
We saw some big ships far away and started to imagine the fishermen standing here, on the same spot, some five hundred years ago, watching the goggis coming back over the Atlantic, loaded with gold robbed from the people of America.
And the gold was used to build the villas on the shore, after which the fishermen were told to go somewhere else.
History is interesting!
W encountered a small stream and followed it to see where it hopped into the sea.
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[size=2]Here!
We were shouting as much as we could over the sound of the water, just because it was fun.
We walked as far as we could, and then we went back home, where the others were waiting us, exited to see if we could find our way back or not.
See you soon again!
Foamy kisses from Squab!
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Apr 13, 2013, 1:32 pm
Although I´m not a talitintti.
They say "titityy" all the time, at least in Finland.
Do you know what a talitintti is?
It is a bird I saw a lot in Finland, and I was just trying to check on an online dictionary what it is in english, and it told me it is "great tit".
I must say I´m a bit doubtful. To mee it sounds like everything else than a name of a small bird!
Well, anyway, todays update, which is from Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra.
Here we are on our way towards Quinta da Regaleira, walking once again trough the small town of Sintra.
We saw a wall full of wonderfully smelling visteria, and while we sat under it on a bench, Zoe was telling us about the place we were going to.
The quinta was built by Antonio Carvalho Monteiro, a rich academic with a big interest in alchemy, Masonry, the Knights Templar, and the Rosicrucians.
The whole construction of the estate is based on symbolism and rites of these esoteric philosophies.
We reached the quinta (the word means estate) and you can see its main building behind our backs.
This is were Antonio Carvalho Monteiro and his similarminded friends were having their secret gettogethers.
Lots of rumours were spread on the surrounding countryside about satanic masses being hold on the quinta at nights.
We started out tour from the "Garden of Gods", where there is several statues representing different deities, mainly from the ancient Greece and Rome.
We met some gods.
I don´t know who this one is, but he was rather a nice god to be chatting with.
Then we emerged from the cornucopia and goddes Gaia looked a bit puzzled, since usually the horn is sprouting out things like milk, honey and fruits, not toyvoyagers. But actually, she was very happy to have a bit of variety.
(And of course, when you think of it, it is quite natural that a horn producing all kind of earthly goodnes is also producing toyvoyagers, isn´t it?
We certainly are a goodnes.
This is the deity I liked most of all.
Actually, I hadn´t realised that frogs belong to the population of supernatural powers, but Tuli explained to me that in many old religions the central pillar (or tree) of the earth was standing on the back of a cosmic frog, while the branches were holding the sky up.
So, now I know better.
Tuli said she might maybe expect at least coffee being brought to her into bed in the mornings, being a goddes and all.
I decided to start a search trough the different religions. There must be at least one in which the hens are considered holy!
There is many odd things in the quinta - artificial caves and labyrinths formed by them, underground tunnels and pools, temples, towers and whatnot.
I wanted to see as much as possible, so we headed forward.
We passed a small chapel with interesting looking carvings and decorations.
We stopped to investigate a small fountain with nice mosaics of cranes.
We saw archaic looking bridges running over small pools.
Litte artificial streams were running everywhere and dropping into the pools as small waterfalls.
We saw towers and turrets and very decorative looking buildings we didn´t quite know the meaning of.
Here I´m high up in one of the towers.
This is some kind of gazebo, maybe..
It started to rain, and I tried to cover myself with my new showercap, but it wasn´t big enough, and so we run to knock on the doors of the quintas main building.
They had a very impressive door knocker!
Couldn´t we have a similar one, mom? In the toilet door, for example?
Inside the house everything was very decorative and very pompous.
The walls, ceilings and even the floors had paintings or mosaics, carvings, reliefis or rather colorful tapestries.
This room is where the family was entertaining visitors.
The golden things on the purple walls are the familys emblems.
The ceiling rather reminded me of a honey comb.
I donno where this door leads. Maybe it is the toilet door.
This room is music room, where the family spend evenings playing their instruments when they had time from the secret societing inside the caves.
This is just a detail of the music room ceiling for you to see what I mean when I speak of the overwhelming decorativenes.
I like to visit such houses, but can you imagine living in one?
Imagine the tree little brats, lets say four, six and eight, running berserk in these kinda rooms, fighting and screaming and throwing their egg sandwhiches around?
Luckily the rain ceased before the house started to feel too oppressive, and we could continue our tour outside.
We saw more interesting buildings with some dubious symbolism.
Then we found the entrance to one of the underground labyrinths!
I´m sorry it was too dark there to take photos!
But I can tell you it was too dark to do anything else either.
In the beginning there was a bit of light, but soon we were walking in total darknes, and it wasn´t easy, because the tunnels were turning all the time, and there was crossroads and caves and underground pools, so that we had to take every step very carefully and keep a paw/wing all the time touching the wall.
It was very exiting and just a bit frightening!
After many turns and twists we saw a bright light and walked towards it and came to the shore of one of the underground pools.
Then we continued along another dark tunnel and trough many pitchdark caves, and then we saw dim light again in front of us.
What we saw this time was something totally different!
We had come to the bottom of the socalled "initiation well"!
This is where the new members of the secret society were spending a night in some odd rituals.
The "well" has nine levels like Dantes Hell, and there is one tunnel coming to the bottom of it and one coming to the fourth level from the cave labyrinths.
We started to climb up the winding stairs..
And at last we popped out from the well.
It was great to see the sun again!
We rested a bit on a "nice little bench".
We walked still some beautiful paths.
And climbed still some towers and things.
And then it was high time to go home and eat something!
See you soon again, dear mom!
Your explorer chicken
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted Apr 20, 2013, 12:33 pm
I wish you are enjoying the first spring days in Germany!
We made a little walking trip in Lisbon yesterday, and took some photos I´ll now show you.
Henna, who is crazy about history, was lecturing us about the history of Lisbon while we walked.
Luckily I´m able to let most of the talk in trough one ear and out trough the other ear, so that only few interesting facts remain.
She can be a bit irritating..
I remember her mentioning that Lisbon was built over seven hills.
Well, that is easy to believe!
I´ve never seen a town with so many stairs everywhere and so steep hills to climb up and down all the time!
I cannot even imagine how exhausting it must be in the summertime when the temperature is often about 40 Celsius degrees!
And still I saw many fragile looking, tiny old ladies peeping trough many of the windows of the old houses, where they live without lifts, and having to climb the stairs and hills to reach the nearest shop to by milk.
How do they manage to do it, mom?
They must be real super-grannies!
There is some elevators helping the moving, though.
This is one of them, called Elevador da Bica, although it looks just like the old Lisbon trams. It is called an elevator because its route goes just up and down the same steep street.
If you have a Lisbon public transport pass, it is also valid in these elevators.
We toyvoyagers of course don´t nessessarily need a passport..
This is another kind of elevator, Elevador de Santa Justa.
By taking it it is possible to avoid many tiring stairs.
Up there is a passage along a bridge to the upper part of the city called Chiado, only we took the photo from such an angle you cannot see it, but believe me, there it is.
On this street we encountered a black street cat who had only one eye.
We gave him food (we always carry catfood in our pockets here) but he was so timid he only came to eat while we moved a bit farer away, so we of course couldn´t photograph him either.
We came to Rossio, which has been the most important square of Lisbon since the medieval times.
Around it is situated many important buildings, like the national theatre and the main railway station, which you have already seen.
It is also the place where angry people have get together during centuries for meetings, revolts, revolutions and demonstrations.
Listening to Hennas neverending lecturing I got the picture that they had good reasons to be angry too, during the centuries.
Of course those in power didn´t much appreciate the meetings and revolts, and so this beautiful square has also seen many executions and other discusting things, like bullfights. Yak.
Trough this little gate we came onto a street that led us onto another square, which, I´ve been told, is too very beautiful.
I cannot tell my personal opinion, because when we reached it it was all under restauration and looked more like a giant construction site.
So I didn´t take any pics there.
This area is called Ribeira das naus, "Riverside of ships", and it is the place where the ships returned from ultramar, "overseas", loaded with treasures, spices, gold and ivory.
The history of it all is rather gloomy, but now the place is just a beautiful spot where to sit and watch the river and the seagulls.
The seagulls, by the way, can be nasty! When they spotted me and Zoe they started to glide pass near by, calling us to join them.
"What´s the matter, can´t you fly? Har har har.."
"Of course we can, it is just such a vulgar way of moving, that we rather take a tram!" we answered.
And then we took a tram.
You know, I have been wanting to driwe with the trams for a long time, because they are so cute!
So now I stopped one and we hopped in.
Can you imagine, mom, these trams have been in traffic since the year 1902!
Of course they have been modernised a bit, but the wood panelling and the control mechanisms are orginal!
The tram was making loud, entertaining noises, specially while going uphill, and the driwer had to do much more manual work than in the modern vehicles - pull strings and push handles and pedals nad hop to move the electrical line with a long pole in some places.
It was all very interesting!
Do you think I could become a Lisbon tram driwer when I grow big?
We hopped out of the tram in a part of the town called Estrela, which means "star". A nice name for a part of the town!
This is Basilica da Estrela.
We hopped inside a bit, but it was pretty dark there.
So we lit a candle.
There was a nice old guy who explained to us, since we were clearly turists, that the idea is to buy the candle with a coin and lit it in front of one of the numerous saints and ask a favor from the saint.
We chose Nossa Senhora da Conceição and then we asked her to guard the paths of all toyvoyagers so that they won´t get lost by the post, although Tiger Lilly was first suggesting we could ask a cheese sandwich.
Next to the church we saw this endearing statue, showing a country couple with a baby and a donkey, in typical outfits they were still wearing here some time ago.
I like this statue much more than all the pompous kings and such, although they can be entertaining too. Ask the pigeons!
We walked past the Lisbon parliament house.
The soldiers standing in guard in front of it were looking us a bit suspiciously.
"Hey, we are not terrorists or anything like that!" I shouted.
"Yes, I didn´t think you were, it is just not so common to see a chicken, a kiwi, a tiger, a squirrel and a frog here nowadays!" said the soldier and grinned.
Then we came back home and ate a lot!
Smashed potatoes, tomato sallad and pasteis de bacalhau, "codfish pastries"!
How does that appeal to you, mom? Well, I liked it!
See you soon again!
Many kisses from your little Squab!
pikkuaasi@gmail.com
Posted May 2, 2013, 10:07 pm
It is Zoe I The Great writing this update this time.
Squab asked me to, because when you read this he is already on his way to Germany to his next host.
It´s a shame he left, he was a great pal, and it was great to have a bird company!
Although, on the other hand, now we others get a bigger share of sweets!
We spent still some nice, sunny days in Portugal.
Squab asked me, for some reason, to stress the fact that these strawberries were not stolen from anyones field.
But he forgot to advise me if I should mention that they were stolen from the fridge or not.
So I better do. I have a verrry delicate conscience.
In this photo we are not stealing olives from the tree.
(Look here, Squab, it is better to be troughout with these explanations to avoid all suspicions).
There is no vodka in Squabs coffee!
These are funny looking palm trees, not pine apples, and we all knew it quite well when we approached them without any thoughts in our pure minds about stealing one and making pina colada.
Here we are enjoying a bath, because we all are naturally clean and neat little creatures.
It has nothing at all to do with a very sticky jar of cherry jam.
It wasn´t even hard to scrub off!
Umm, I mean, the theoretical jam in the beforementioned possible course of happenings.
Which was pure imagination.
As you can see we were having lots of pure, virtuous fun in Portugal.
But then it was time to say goodbye to the beautiful country.
We had a wonderful parting dinner with fried salmon and vegetables, during which we drank only orange juice.
Then we took a TAP flight to Finland.
The flight went well, and we all sat whole time on our seat, lifebelts on, like little angels.
No one even thought about roaming under the benches and binding together the shoelaces of the dozing passangers.
While in Nuuksio Squab was in awful hurry already.
We hugged him farewell, and then we all run behind the little red cottage in middle of a big forest..
.. and were just in time to take the toyvoyager express train towards Westfalen.
When the locomotive dived into the tunnel running under the seabottom of the Baltic Sea, we others hopped down from the train and waved to Squab, who was waving back with his Bac.. umm.. water bottle.
He asked me to send you many kisses from him!
Farewell, dear Squab!
Posted May 8, 2013, 5:24 pm
Oh Mommy, after I changed the train and drove through 10 tunnels, I'm still not in Delligsen.....
I did not know that's it so far away
Better I'll ask for directions, you cannot trust the the driver
Here you'll find a giantess
she was so friendly and told
me that it is not far...
mom, your little chicken is soon at the destination
many kisses
Squab
Posted May 12, 2013, 4:17 pm
It seems, the engine driver still knew the way….I arrived in
Delligsen at Dr. Kröbners home.
There are so plenty of TV´s here, I think we´ll have a lot of fun.
The train was not in time and my brother Mr. Stanley wants to
catch my train because he is leaving Delligsen towards home. He
was a little bit in a hurry and helped me to unloading the sweet
gifts from Finland ( thank you Henna) and then.....
a biiig hug for my brother.
Dr. Kröbner welcomes me and invite me to the TV-chair where he
introduced me to all the TVs. Mr. Stanley also take part at this little
welcomeparty because the engine driver wants to made a tea
break before he continue his way ( he means it´s doesn´t matter if
he is out of schedule for 1 hour or 1 day….. stupid guy)
Suddenly the steam whistle resound. That was the signal for Mr.
Stanley departure.
We accompanied him to his train and we all
waved to him with our handkerchief. What an emotional moment
bye, bye my brother....I send a big hug to you mummy and Alex
yours little chicken
Squab
Posted May 15, 2013, 7:25 pm
Rocky has arrived today, he is a little raccoon and has traveled all the
way from Spain, but he is a Swiss raccoon.
By the way, Mom, we travel soon and guess where we are going.
I tell nothing.
yours little chicken
Squab
Posted May 25, 2013, 7:44 pm
Yesterday evening we started our holydaytrip northwards… we
started at 23h and Hostmum/dad drove throught the night so that
we awake in Denmark, just before we crossed a gigantic building:
The Store Baelt Bridge. 18km long . The Roadlevel ist 65m height
above sea level and the Pylons for the suspension bridge are with
254m the highest points of Denmark.
After we had solid ground under our wheels we continued our way
toward Malmö/Sweden In Koge we left the motorway to follow the
seaside Highway to Kopenhagen.
And we learned something about a special kind of junction:
Rotary Trafic. And one more Rotary traffic. … and an other one…..
yummy
we left this horrible road and enterd the motorway again.
Suddenly it went dark: The motorway disapeared into a tunnel.
When we see the sun again there was no land behind us, we
drove the next bridge, the Oeresund Bridge: not so big as the last
but a length of 12 km, a roadlevel of 54m and Pylons of 206m are
also very impressive!!!. The next solid ground was Sweden.
We passed Malmö where the Eurovision Song Contest will be start
this Evening and continued our trip toward Kullaberg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kullaberg
upps
Later we continued our journey northward via Gothenburg and
Tollhättan to Vänern Lake.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A4nern
We went on a rock at the coast and enjoyed the sundown when
we heard a quite scraping and little “tröööööt”s….
We looked prying round and took notice of a little blue elefant!! A
BLUE ELEFANT????? We are not boozed or on an trip, …..pinched me
if I am awake
The little blue elefant came closer and and introduced himself as
Napoleon. He has lost his wind from hurry up the last time to met
us, but we were so fast riders, that it was nearly impossible for him
to close up till tonight
we all welcomed the little bleu fellow and now we are complete
more soon
from your little chicken
Squab
Posted May 28, 2013, 2:03 pm
Next day we visit a masterpiece od engineering:
A part of the
Dalslandcanal in Haverud/Sweden. Over 100 years ago they build a
couple of canal lock and a brigde for the canal over some water
rapids. And at the same place they build a railway bridge and a
highway bridge…. great….
After gazeing these constructions we
continued our way northward, crossed the norwegian border and
looked out to a campside for the night.
After a great breakfast we left the campground on norwegian roads
northward. Kilometers for kilometers we followed rivervalleys uphill,
crossed bridges with water rapids and suddenly we saw snow!!! In
the middle of May! Crazy. We drove up and down, more up as down,
stoped at nice lookout points at Rondane National Park, passed wide
fjell-areas and closely canyons.
At a break between a huge Waterfall and a Water rapid, Rocky
Racoon had the idea to take out the Gummischnulli to went
riverrafting. We were fascinated from this adventure but hostmum ( Andrea)
stopped us because we had no life jackets in case of disaster.
Deeply disapointed we enter the car again and continued our way northward.
Next stop was Kristiansund. There we looked out for a place for the
night and enjoyed the midnightsun on the atlantic ocean(sorry not
realy, because she
dipped unter the horizon for a few hours, but the night was
constantly bright)
more soon
hugs and kisses
your
Squab
Posted May 30, 2013, 5:24 pm
Now we continued our Holiday-tour by drove the new build Atlantic-
Highway who followed the atlanticcoast from Kristiansund westward
from island to island. Great views and crazy bridges..J. Today the
weather wasn´t so fine but we sat dry and have good windscreen
wipers.
After passing Molde and sailed with ferrys we passed Andernes
toward the Trollstiegen and Geiranger. Suddenly a boom with the
sign: “ STENGT”. What a pity!!
The best we could do, was making pictures in front of a very special
traffic sign and returned til Andernes.
At touristinformation we get the information, the Trollstiegen will
open tomorrow morning. To waste the time, we went to the habour
to look nice boats and made a trip into the viewy Romsdal.
We gaze at some waterfalls and rapids (Andrea still
forbid the riverrafting)
and the Trollveggen (Troll wall) the highest
vertical cliff in Europe. At evening we campt on the way toward
Trollstiegen.
Next morning we scaled the road with lots of switchback to a level of
over 1000m above sea level. We followed the smal road covered by
clouds and suddenly we came to a canyon and looked down on an
other Fjord: Geiranger we stoped to take pictures (the lookouts from
the car is much more comfortable, warm and dry) and followed the
road with countless switchbacks to the bottom of the fjord.
After short stop at touristinfo by reason fo closed roads we
continued our way to Sognefjord. But at first we had to cross the
sognefjell, the highest montain pass in Norway. At 1000m above
sealevel the temperature fell unter 0° and it start snowing.
We
made a break and took pictuers with 10cm fresh-fallen snow… crazy
We continued our way by mass of snow and a few
kilometre later we are back on sealevel.
somebody has pinched my bottom
We passed an other ferry,
drove into a tunnel, into a rotary traffic into an other tunnel…… but
this tunnel would not end!!!! Suddenly, in the tunnel, the light turns
blue!! We entered a big hall with a parkingplace, here in the
underground. Than it went dark and we are back in the tube again.
Lots of kilometer later the same situation: Light turns blue, big hall,
tube again…. And the same will followed a third time. After near
20min. driving underground we saw a light at the end of this
spectaculary building and it realy was daylight. We are back on the
surface again. This was the longest highwaytunnel of the world:
24509 m long. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A6rdal_Tunnel
by the way..Andrea has claustrophobia.....she could not took a nice
picture in the tunnel , only this blurry one
After this adventure we climbed up the next smal road to stay for
the night at an other lookout point far over Aurland.
thats all for today
kisses from your little chicken
Squab
Posted May 31, 2013, 6:12 am
we woke up in the early morning and the sun let passing her first
beams through the clouds. We looked outside and had marvellous
glimpse to the Aurlandfjord: The peaks where covered with snow
and on the water a cruise liner passing by. Suitable for postcards.
After breakfast we started to the next stop, Flam, from where the
worldenmost steeply standard gauge railway starts their destination
to Myrdal (The Oslo-Bergen railwy). But the train was crowded with
passengers of the cruise liner, we saw this morning.
So we changed
our plan and drove straight toward our summer cottage at
Hardangerfjord. In the afternoon we reached this lovely place and
appreciated it with a collective Boaaaah for the great view.
hugs for you
Squab
Posted Jun 6, 2013, 11:22 am
today we made a trip by ferry and bus to Bergen, the second biggest
town of Norway. By wonderfull sunshineweather we went sloppy
throught the city and visited the World Cultural Heritage Brygge,
the habour
Edward Grieg
and the nice old township aside of the touristcrowds
Aura has met a relative, a really big beetle
more soon from your little chicken
Squab
Posted Jun 6, 2013, 12:07 pm
today: lazzing at a sunny afternoon...
your deep relaxed
Squab
Posted Jun 14, 2013, 5:53 pm
today we made a trip to the 3th largest glacier of the country. The
Folgefonna.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folgefonna_National_Park
Normally glaciers are surrounded by cold mass of air, so he
took his head in the clouds, what a pity...
So we took pictures at the
fjell area below the top
On the way back I saw this amazing waterfall.
kisses from Norway
your
Squab
Posted Jun 21, 2013, 9:54 am
Today: Lazzing at a sunny afternoon again.
Squab
Posted Jun 21, 2013, 10:52 am
Time to explore the surrounding area of the summer cottage.
Hostdad found an (old) topografic map with a hiking trail. With gusto
we followed the sign of the maps, but as longer the walk so obscure
was the trail and it splitted into lots of dirttrack, and they all ends in
the moor with wet and swampy underground...Andrea was not amused
typical norwegian companion animals
nice little cottages
my Relatives
After a short discussion with yummy cokkies, we decidet to turn back.
This was a great luck because by break at a creek with wonderfull
clear water we took a refreshment und suddenly there stood an
other blue elefant……. he looked like Napoleon and introduced
himself as James...Napoleon invited him for a beer at our summer house
kisses from
Squab
Posted Jun 28, 2013, 2:57 pm
Last night at our summer cottage...
we have enjoyed the last time the wonderful view and talked about
our time in Norway
yours Squab
Posted Jun 28, 2013, 3:56 pm
At first we had to cross seven brigdes, some tunnels and ferrys.
Our next stop for today should be the rock Preikestolen, a Plateau
600m straight above Lysefjord
to get there required a 2 ½ hour mountian hike through a typical
norwegian Fjell-Landscape. On the verge of the rock unfortunately
Hostmum hurts by climbing a crag
and we had to turn back. What a pity.
We continued our journey southward and crossed curious
landscapes...
next bridge
Huch, rustic tunnel….
last bridge
the last night in Norway
yours
Squab
Posted Jul 4, 2013, 3:47 pm
Last day in norway… and we visit the southernmost point of Norway. The Lighthouse Lindesnes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindesnes_Lighthouse
After enjoing a summerday we drove to Kristiansand Ferry terminal
and enter the speed ferry to Hirtshals / Denmark
Aura discovered her own perfume at the duty free shop
yours
Squab
Posted Jul 4, 2013, 4:16 pm
in Lökken we made a stop at the huge sandbeach to gaze to the sundown.
What a wonderfull ending of this spektacular Holiday… whhoouuu
bye,bye
Squab
Posted Jul 12, 2013, 10:47 am
we made a trip to Bavaria, where we have met many other Tvs.
I've looked at Lichtenfels, a lovely little town with many large baskets.
Lichtenfels is a town in Bavaria, Germany, capital of the district of Lichtenfels. It is situated on the upper course of the river Main (pronounced like the English word "mine"), approx. 15 km southeast of Coburg, and 30 km northeast of Bamberg, in an area called Gottesgarten am Obermain (God's garden on the upper River Main
Lichtenfels is the basket-making capital of Germany and has the only college which still teaches the old craft skills. Each year at the end of September the Korbmarkt (basket market) is held when the town is filled with stalls selling baskets from many countries and one can watch many craftspeople at work. On the Market Place in front of the Town Hall you can see the World's largest gift basket.
next stop...Kronach
Kronach is a town in Oberfranken, Bavaria, Germany, located in the Frankenwald area. It is the capital of the district Kronach.
It is the birthtown of Lucas Cranach the Elder and Maximilian von Welsch, as well as Johann Kaspar Zeuss and Josef Stangl. The town is equipped with a nearly complete city-wall and Germany's biggest medieval fortress (Festung Rosenberg).
bye,bye
Squab
Posted Jul 12, 2013, 10:54 am
In Lichtenfels, Yosemite has baked a cake and we took the chance to
celebrate my birthday and Rockys farewell with 23 TVs....
I hope I counted correctly
Wavy Gravy, your Squab
, Mr.Lemony, Lina
Napoleon, 3*Euro, Joesy, my dear brother Mr.Casanova
, Fipsy
Tiffy, Erol, Kikuchan, Bzzzzz
Lady Katherine, Dr.Kröbner, Scruffy, Hùlì hùtù
Aura, Bubele, Günther, *coco*, Rocky
it was a wonderful party and this is my special birthday cake
a big hug for you mummy
Squab
Posted Jul 20, 2013, 10:44 am
welcome and farewell time here in Delligsen.
First, we welcomed Hase she spend a wonderful time in Switzerland and
brought delicious chocolate.yummy
then it was time to say goodbye Günther and Bzzzzz.
Bzzzzz travels to England and Günther travels to Berlin
bye, bye my little friends it was a wonderful time
kisses from your little
Squab
Posted Jul 31, 2013, 11:34 am
last Friday we Tvs watched TV, the weatherforecast for the weekend.
The cute man on the screen told anything about 36°C….. did he mean
for the whole weekend – 18° on Saturday and 18° on Sunday? Next
morning We´ll knew it better…. It should be 70°C 34 + 36…..quite to hot
for plushies, because we can not replace our collar easily..
….
At first we tried to composite the heat with beer…. (hostmum told us to drink 2ltr. Minimum per day)
but I learned that she don´t means 2 ltr. Beer, so first I get drunk and
second hangover. Aura and Bubble just tasted the beer pfffff
at next we tried to cool down by a well, but it was not realy a good recreation.
Hase and Mr. Lemony carried an old bathtube into the garden and filled
it up with cold water.
Aura and Coco would refresh with a boattrip on the cold water of the gardenpond….
I tried this cooling down after I could walk straight again on my own feets.
I`m sailing, I`m sailing ....sing...
Next day I tried a water colded lily pad.
upps
and a water slide...huiiii
at noon the temperature raise so high, that only a cold shower prevent from overheating.
Finaly a thunderstorm stoped the extremly heat in the afternoon and after a while we enjoyed the evening with human and plushy temperatures.
a big hug from
Squab
Posted Aug 9, 2013, 3:55 pm
I was very busy today .... a long time ago, the plushies in the house
have got an old sofa as a gift.
It`s high time to re-upholster this sofa.
hostmum has chosen the fabric, she think it's better if the fabric is
plain, so you can see us colorful plushies better on it.
Aura has chosen the cord,
Bubele has to fix the fabric,
I dealt with a large needle
and Hase is testing the sofa.
... and Dr. kröbner is supervising us ....
and then, believe me mummy, it took a lot of persuasion, but then it
was time.
Dr. kröbner took a photo of hostmum, hostdad and me on the nearly
finished sofa ( by the way, hostmum is very shy
)
tataaa
a big hug from your little
Squab
Posted Aug 20, 2013, 6:58 am
I´ll leaving today homeward bound with little tears in my eyes. I´d enjoy a realy good time here with Dr. Kröbner and his gang in Delligsen.
When the time has come Dr. Kröbner was so kindly to call a cab…..
after wating a very long time we either heared the humming of a
mercedes-benz diesel engine nor a humming of an other car (did he
dialed a wrong number?)….
So all plushies debated what to do… Suddenly the good old wise Mr.
Lemony got the Idea: he remembered Mr. Shaun´s spectacular arrival
from his odyssee 13 month ago….. The sheep Flocky!
And Flocky was so helpful to bring me to the next trainstation.
So I jumped on its back and
..bye guys…Thanks for accommodation….. I´ll miss you and ….see you……
bye,bye
Squab
Posted Aug 22, 2013, 9:30 pm
Believe it or not, I'm back HOME! Yeah!!!
I'm not sure how I arrived, I slept all the time on my way back.
After nearly 2 years of traveling I'm reunited with my own bed and yes, it still likes me.
I'm so tired that I didn't unpack my stuff yet, I just want to sleep!
Good night!
Yours,
Squab
Posted Aug 22, 2013, 9:37 pm
After 10 full hours of sleep my Mommy invited me for lunch! I got a lemonade, a really good soup and fried potato patties! Every day should start like that one.
Yours,
Squabby
Posted Aug 26, 2013, 7:15 pm
After my lovely lunch yesterday I didn't do anything more. I just relaxed from my journey!
But today I wanted to see how the city has changed during the time I've been away. I'm still a little bit tired so I decided to take the car.
Your
Squab
Posted Aug 26, 2013, 7:39 pm
I'm in the car again, cruising around Berlin...
Hmmm Warszawa would be an interesting destination for another journey! I'm going to think about it!
Your
Squab
Posted Aug 26, 2013, 7:50 pm
It's Sunday. Mommy said it's washday, what does she mean?
She asked me why I'm so dirty. With my last host I went to Norway where it was not allowed for chicken to bath in the rivers and lakes. And I told Mom that my host didn't have water at home! They shower only once a year, a few days before Christmas. I haven't been there during Christmas...
(I hope Mommy believes what I told her!)
She smiled at me and put me in a sink.
What the...??? Aaaaaah....!!!
Water!!!
I'm still shocked about what Mommy did to me. I think I should relax a little bit!
Brrr... it's cold outside!
I'm really happy that I found a blow-dryer! It was so wonderful warm. Hmmm I could enjoy this the whole time!
Your
Squab
Posted Aug 30, 2013, 10:36 pm
Hmmmm, does anyone know where my brother Alex and our guests are? I didn't see them yet!
I also noticed that I never showed you my hometown Berlin.
Before sitting home alone and waiting for my brother, I decided to walk around.
I think you all already know that Berlin is the capital of Germany. No more to say about this.
Check: The river Spree still exists! It is the main river of Berlin. It is approximately 400 kilometres (250 mi) in length.
Check: The houses are still the same...
Check: The St. Nicholas' Church and its quarter are still there. The church is the best-known building of the quarter Nicholas' Quarter which is the reconstructed historical heart of Berlin. It is the oldest church in town and it was built between 1220 and 1230.
This seems to be a new underground one day...
Check: The Red City Hall is red like usual. It's the town hall of Berlin. It is located near Alexanderplatz and is the home to the governing mayor and the government (the Senate of Berlin) of the Federal state of Berlin. The name of the landmark building dates from the facade design with red clinker bricks. The City Hall was built between 1861 and 1869 in the style of the north Italian High Renaissance.
Check: The Berlin Cathedral, which is the colloquial name for the Evangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church in Berlin, is also still available. It has never been a cathedral in the actual sense of that term since it has never been the seat of a bishop. It was built in the 15th century.
Check: The famous tv tower "Fernsehturm" is still the highest tower. It was constructed between 1965 and 1969 and with its height of 368 meters, it is the tallest structure in Germany. There is a visitor platform and a revolving restaurant in the middle of the sphere. The tower is part of the World Federation of Great Towers (WFGT).
I noticed that not so many happened in my city during the time I travelled around the world. I know I can leave the city again...
Hmmm, I couldn't see my brother anywhere, but I hope to meet him before I'm going to leave! While thinking about this I walked home...
Yours
Squab
Posted Sep 11, 2013, 9:57 pm
It's my last night at home! I'm a bit sad, because I have to leave again! Otherwise, I'm very excited about my new adventure.
Down under - here I come!
Yours
Squab
Posted Sep 11, 2013, 10:03 pm
Today when I woke up, I got a really delicious breakfast.
I left my Mommy today, but i'll stay in Berlin for two more nights. My plane is leaving on Friday. You know, a chicken like me travels with style. No envelopes accepted!
Your
Squab
Posted Sep 14, 2013, 10:56 am
I'm on tour again! I'm sending you lovely greetings from Frankfurt airport.
I got my ticket and my passport, here we go!
I'm going to fly with a plane from Thailand. I hope the pilot knows the right way.
Hmm, they have big pillows for little chicken!
...and delicious drinks!
See ya later somewhere else in the world!
Yours
Squab
Posted Sep 16, 2013, 9:37 pm
I made it to Australia!!!
During my journey I had a stopover in Bangkok/Thailand, but unfortunately it was dark outside, so no pictures from there.
Now I'm sitting in my hotelroom watching the skyline of Sydney. I can't go out because it is RAINING!
Yours
Squab
Posted Sep 21, 2013, 9:21 pm
As you know, I'm visiting the most populous city in Australia > Sydney. And finally the rain is over and I had a little time for sightseeing.
First I visited the most famous sight of the city: The Sydney Opera House. This building is a multi-venue performing arts centre. It is among the busiest performing arts centres in the world, hosting over 1,500 performances each year attended by some 1.2 million people.
I also visited the Sydney Harbour Bridge which is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore. The bridge is nicknamed "The Coathanger" because of its arch-based design. It is the sixth longest spanning-arch bridge in the world and it is the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 metres (440 ft) from top to water level. It was also the world's widest long-span bridge, at 48.8 meters (160 feet) wide.
And last but not least I had to do what a chicken has to do! Visiting a Starbucks! Now I've been to one in San Francisco and now here in Sydney! Two Starbucks on two different continents... Just the mugs were different. Hmm, I should take all these home for Mommy!
Your Squab
Posted Sep 26, 2013, 11:44 am
I am here!! I arrived a few days ago but my new host was away (without me!!
) and I had a few days wait at the post office, but I was ok. I was tempted to eat the sweets but thought I had better not, they were for my host weren't they?
Sue says thank you for the sweets and postcard - the magnet is on the fridge already so is not in the photo!
I am off to have a chat to MooseS, Sidney L and Little Squirt to see what happens around here! Is a cold windy and raining day today, not very nice to be outside, we will see what happens tomorrow!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Oct 3, 2013, 11:45 pm
We are on our way to St Leonard's and have stopped for a quick look at this part of the world, it is very windy and there is a rain cloud coming so it is a quick stop!
this is all that is left of an old pier that went out into the bay for bosts to tie up to, people used to come to Clifton Springs to "take the waters", they had sulphur spas here and people drank the mineral water from the springs.
this is usually calm water!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Oct 4, 2013, 12:05 am
Here I am at St Leonard's
It is a lovely morning, but sadly as the day went on it got very windy again
St Leonard's pier
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Oct 4, 2013, 12:17 am
It was a cold and wet and windy day today so we stayed inside
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
PS No kangaroo experiences yet but I am hopeful!!
Posted Oct 7, 2013, 11:01 pm
Have a look at the morning we woke up to today...it is supposed to be spring!!!
Later we helped with some quilting!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxoxx
Posted Oct 7, 2013, 11:07 pm
Our last day at the beach for now and it is the best weather on the day we have to go home!!!
we are off for a walk along the beach below me
contemplation time!
we found some beach glass for a friend who collects it
last look at the water from the house.
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Oct 7, 2013, 11:37 pm
Today we have been out having a look around the garden
we found a lovely lady who likes birds
and then a very peaceful person
the lilac is in flower and smells beautiful!
here I am hanging out with Sidney L
we found mushroomy things growing in the grass but we don't know if they are safe to eat
Better not or we could get sick!
here is where I am staying Mum
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Oct 8, 2013, 12:00 am
In the evening we went to a sewing group and found this duck to have a ride on!!
Love and hugs
Squab.
xxooxx
Posted Oct 11, 2013, 10:22 pm
Today we went for a walk on the walking track that goes from the town of Romsey to the next town of Lancefield. The whole round trip is 16km but today we just went for 3km then turned around and came back.
thi sarea had an Avenue of Honour - rows of trees planted along the road to honour those who have dies in wars for the country
off we go!!
this is one of the old houses near the edge of town in Romsey
we found this nice sign at the local playground
now we are driving home
up over Mount Macedon
and heading down the other side, it is a narrow windy road.
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Oct 13, 2013, 11:13 pm
Today has been a baking day, tomorrow Sue has to take something for morning tea at work. Each Friday a different group of people take something for morning tea...it is called Fat Friday!!
here we are mixing and mashing for a banana loaf
ready for the oven now
now we are mixing for a ginger crunch slice
adding the butter
Yay!! The banana loaf is cooked and smells wonderful!
This is a cherry ripe slice ready to have the melted chocolate poured on top.
Ready for the fridge now.
Dinner is being prepared too, meat lasagne and vege lasagne
top layer of pasta, cheese sauce and grated cheese is on and it is ready for the oven
We are ready for dinner now.....when it cools down a little!!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Oct 13, 2013, 11:16 pm
We went to work today with Sue - I was hoping to get a look at Fat Friday but it didn't work out!
But there is an Art Display being set up in the library, it is the Studio Arts students work, so we went for a look
these card are made from metal that has been painted and moulded
Some nice things here today!
Love and hugs
Squab.
xxooxx
Posted Oct 13, 2013, 11:47 pm
This morning we took Tupai for a walk in the park and left some book crossing books on a seat in the hops that someone will pick them up to read.
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Oct 13, 2013, 11:52 pm
This afternoon we have been to a trivia afternoon organised by a wonderful 10 year old boy. Sue has been looking after The Orangutan Project stall for the afternoon. He is raising awareness about the problems of palm oil in Indonesia and Borneo
Love and hugs
Squab.
xxooxx
Posted Oct 26, 2013, 6:59 am
Today we have driven to the opposite side of the city to see a friend of Sue's and to go to the Stringybark Sustainability Festival - there are all kinds of things here, from veges for your garden, we got some parsley, to wild animals, to gardens for wildlife, to Aboriginal people, to composting toilets!!!
Here is a great collection of old bicycles!
this one is called the "Kangaroo" but I don't think this is really what I am looking for in a Kangaroo experience!!
We watched a show by Chris Humphries he had lots of wild animals, including some that live in the local neighbourhood, this one doesn't though thanks goodness!!!
I don't think I like the way it is looking at me!! Checking me out for dinner maybe?
These people are cooking damper - Australian bread, you wrap the dough around the stick and cook it over the coals of the fire!
Now for a late lunch! We have an Indian tasting plate, tomato relish, biriani (spicy rice) and veges cut up into fine pieces, dipped in chick pea flour and deep fried...someone can't remember the name of them!!
Think I might have some more!!
Off for a sleep in the car now Mum
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Oct 26, 2013, 7:02 am
I am looking down our street towards Mount Macedon, which is in the clouds!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Oct 26, 2013, 7:03 am
rain and hail
and this is supposed to be spring!!! MooseS and I have decided to stay inside and find somewhere warm!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Oct 31, 2013, 2:26 am
Today we have been out in the garden
the red climbing rose is in flower now ans it smells beautiful!
the clematis has many flowers too
this is where Sue has been weeding the garden today
and this was the area she was going to do some more cleaning up but there was a copper head snake near the tree stump so she decided to go inside instead!!
She is frightened of snakes!!
MooseS and I had a look at the pastel painting Sue's husband has been working on. We quite like it!
Love and hugs
Squab.
xxooxx
Posted Nov 1, 2013, 8:20 am
Today we are having a walk around the lake here at Ballarat - it is cloudy and cold today and better to be in the travel bag and not outside!!
A few years ago this lake was dry now it is over flowing!
here is part of where we are walking
Off for a hot drink now!!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Nov 1, 2013, 8:41 am
Someone forgot to take our photo earlier in the evening
lucky she rmemebered when she did or there would not even be one photo!! We had a great evening Mum, had funny food and saw soem strange people!!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Nov 7, 2013, 6:44 am
Today we watched as Sidney L achieved a Life Mission! He is very interested in flying and wanted to fly with balloons!
After he had flown up into a tree
but was saved thank goodness...he flew by to see if I wanted to have a go
and I did....just a low level flight...I was a bit heavy for the balloons!!
It was good fun Mum!!
But we were happy when we were all back in the travel bag together!!
Love and hugs
Squab.
xxooxx
Posted Nov 10, 2013, 7:19 am
We are back at the beach for the weekend
Nice here this afternoon
Just hanging out in the sun!
Love and hugs
Squab.
xxooxx
Posted Nov 17, 2013, 5:33 am
Today we have driven around the coast to Queenscliff it is about 20 mins from St Leonard's.
from here I can see where the ships go out from Port Phillip Bay and to the sea
the black light house
this is part of the fort at Queenscliff that was built in the late 1800's
and this is the white light house
and this is the surf beach...way over in the distance you can see another white lighthouse, that is where we are going next!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Nov 17, 2013, 5:38 am
Now we are at Point Lonsdale this is where the white lighthouse is we could just see in the last photo!
this is the open part of the bay where the ships pass through
and the light house
and this tells us has been Aboriginal land for a long time
Little Squirt and i had a look at an old WW2 bunker on the top of the sand hills
the coast line goes a long way
Off home for lunch now
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Nov 17, 2013, 5:39 am
Today we had a walk on the beach
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Nov 17, 2013, 5:44 am
Today we are on our way home to Gisborne but we have stopped in Geelong for lunch. We had a little look at some of the bollards (they tell the local history here).
the faces on the life guards are politicians
there is a bar and restaurant in the white building on the end of the pier
lunch is being cooked in here
LUNCH!!! Yum!
even the seagulls came
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Nov 17, 2013, 6:43 am
Today we are in the city for a quick look at some hand made poppies Sue and her friend have been helping with, the project is called 5000 Poppies. They have over 5000 poppies already so are hoping now to have 25,000!! Some poppies are knitted, some felted and some crocheted.
this is an old theatre we passed on the way
here is the poppy display
today is Remembrance Day when we stop at 11oclock to remember the people who dies in the wars, there was one minutes silence and the bugler played the Last Post - the traffic was stopped at this intersection in the city.
here is a tram going by
we found some interesting graffiti in a lane way
I hope we can go back to the city soon and get some more photos!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Nov 17, 2013, 7:01 am
Today was the bloggers meet up for Christmas
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Nov 21, 2013, 5:43 am
It is a funny cold misty morning this morning!!
Hopefully the sun will come out soon!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Nov 21, 2013, 5:48 am
This morning it is sunny and we are taking the dog for a walk in the park
these are statues carved out of old tree trunks - they were made using a chain saw!!
Here is Gardiners Oval, both Aussie Rules football and cricket is played here
this is Jackson's Creek
and this is the old part of the park with the big old oak trees
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Nov 21, 2013, 6:11 am
Today is a very special day.....we drove for an hour, across to Bacchus Marsh and then up the freeway to Ballarat, and went to the Ballarat Wildlife Park for.....wait for it......KANGAROO EXPERIENCES!!!!!! Yay!!!! I have achieved a mission today!!!
Have a look Mum!!!
Aahhhhhh.....
Oohhhhhhh......
these kangaroos were in the rest area, they have to be left alone when they are in here, so they can have a break from people!! These kangaroos are from Kangaroo Island in South Australia and they are quite happy to be with people and they love to be fed a seeds and grain mixture. They come up to you to be fed! They were very friendly and said hello and welcome to me!!
I got to see koala's too Mum....there is a baby on the mum's back!!
Serious grain eating happening here Mum!
Oh Hello!!
this is where koala's are found
this is a Tasmanian Devil....he would eat me if I fell in!!
They got their name because the make a horrible scream and because the early settlers in Tasmania usually could only see their ears through the bush and they look red with the sun shining through them, just like the devil!!
over there is a wallaby
we zoomed in....they are much smaller than the kangaroos
and this is a red kangaroo - they come from the desert areas of Australia and are behind the fence because they are not so friendly to people! They have a different face to the gray kangaroos.
Mum and baby joey!
some instructions on what to do and not do!
here we are all resting with the kangaroos!
sleeping kangaroos! Mum and junior we think!
More sleeping kangaroos, an emu and in the cage is a wedge tail eagle...actually you can see two, both have been injured and so now live at the park, they have a 6 foot wing span and are beautiful to see in the wild
and here I am having a chat to a wombat...it is a young one that has just been separated from it's parents....it should have been asleep because it is nocturnal!!
look at that nose Mum, it has sharp teeth too!!
more kangaroo greetings
I have to say goodbye to the kangaroos for now
What a wonderful day Mum, hope you like the photos!
Excitedly yours
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Nov 26, 2013, 6:12 am
Here we are back at the beach for the weekend
we found a flower on the kiwi fruit vine
and some little fruit from last season
Off for a walk now in between rain showers
this is a native clematis and it has loads and loads of seeds on it!
Bye for now
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Nov 26, 2013, 6:46 am
Today we are off for a bike ride
off down the hill
past the boat launching ramp
and the camping ground
we found a new information board
round past the lake
there is a pelican way in the background here
we found a really spiky cactus
it had quite pretty flowers
heading back home now into the wind
Oh NO!!!! We have to get up all these stairs!!!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Dec 2, 2013, 6:52 am
Today we have walked to the shopping centre
We found someone had been yarn bombing......and it is Christmas bombing...
walking home
Heading home now!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Dec 5, 2013, 6:01 am
Today we are attending an origami class after school with the Japanese teacher!
Ta dah!!
Pretty clever huh!!
Love and hugs
Squab.
xxooxx
Posted Dec 5, 2013, 6:13 am
Today we are a charity sewing day, where ladies come along to do their sewing and they can get help at the same time the money they pay to be here goes to some local charities.
We of course, were helping!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Dec 5, 2013, 7:23 am
The sky is doing funny things today...this is one side of the house
and this is the other
rain is coming I think!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Dec 5, 2013, 7:29 am
Christmas is on the way!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Dec 10, 2013, 9:52 am
Someone forgot to tell the weather man it is summer!!!!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Dec 11, 2013, 9:26 pm
I am soooooooo full - I think I ate too much for dinner!!
Sleepily yours
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Dec 12, 2013, 3:42 am
Off for a walk this morning to walk off all the pizza Mum!!
here we are just about to walk through the camping ground
here is another information board that tells us how the fishermen got their boats out of the water before the pier was built
some quiet time!!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Dec 12, 2013, 4:06 am
Today we down the coast at Ocean Grove for a walk on the beach
it is a warm day and there are a lot of people walking on the beach and walking their dogs
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Dec 12, 2013, 4:12 am
Heading home today...we had a quick stop in Geelong, but it is rainy and cold today!
one of the bollards!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Dec 12, 2013, 4:27 am
Today we said goodbye to Tassie, he is off to stay with olgamaus in Germany...we wished him a safe trip.
Bye for now
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Dec 14, 2013, 12:22 am
Today we helped hang out the washing
played Hide and Seek with Tupai
enjoyed the sunshine with MooseS
and looked at the lovely blue sky!!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Dec 15, 2013, 6:53 am
Today we went up to Mount Macedon to Day's Picnic ground for a BBQ lunch
lunch is underway!
had a little liquid refreshment too!!
then after lunch we had a walk around Sanatorium Lake....very pretty place
in the Australian bush!!!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 2, 2014, 10:53 pm
Today we helped MooseS achieve a life mission by going to the Zoo! We saw lots of animals, I even got to see kangaroos again but they were resting in the shade
off to see the seals
some banjo sharks
here comes the seal!
off to elephant country
butterfly house
there is the new baby elephant up by the back frnce between the two big elephants
Sue's favourites......the orangutans
resting kangaroos
I had to be very quiet Mum!!
interesting sculpture Mum!
we have finished at the zoo now Mum....having a short rest in the car and off to the city!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 2, 2014, 11:02 pm
We have driven into the city to see what is happening for Christmas
we parked at the Victoria Market...the market is closed today
we found the Christmas Fairy...
and some Christmas bells
the town hall looks like a big Christmas present!
and this Christmas tree
and some Christmas reindeer
we are playing Christmas decorations Mum!!
driving home now Mum...bit tired but happy!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 2, 2014, 11:07 pm
Sue met a friend here for lunch today - we found this great teddy on the footpath
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 2, 2014, 11:14 pm
Today we are in the Dandenong Ranges, visiting family for Christmas Eve dinner
I found some musical instruments
the Christmas tree and presents!!!
Guess who found something new to play with on the camera!!!!
the parrots came in for dinner
lots of huge trees here Mum
now for refreshments!!
and some dinner!!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 2, 2014, 11:18 pm
HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!
It is a nice day so we sat out in the sun for a while
we watched some basketball with Sue's son
and in the evening had a lovely dinner!
Happy Christmas Mum!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 7, 2014, 10:07 pm
We are back at the beach!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 10, 2014, 2:41 am
Lovely day here today,
Lots of boats out on the Bay
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 10, 2014, 2:46 am
Getting some sun today!!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 14, 2014, 11:52 pm
We have been down the beach this morning
On the way home we found the remains of two sharks someone had cut up and left on the grass....not very nice!!
But now we are preparing for New Years Eve!
HAPPY NEW YEARS MUM
waiting for the fireworks
WooHoo!!!!
Happy New Year Mum
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 14, 2014, 11:54 pm
Tiredly yours Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 15, 2014, 12:03 am
Having an at home day today,
looks good out there!
Off down the back yard to pick some plums!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 15, 2014, 9:51 pm
Today we are joining in the Rip to River walk along the beach from Point Lonsdale to Ocean Grove......10km's!!!
It is a cold windy and rainy morning
here I am at the back of the group
Oh....I think we are lagging behind......
at least the weather is getting better!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 15, 2014, 9:53 pm
We made it!!
Took one hour and fifty minutes! Time for a cool drink and a rest now!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 15, 2014, 10:02 pm
We got a ride back from Ocean Grove, had a coffee and the walked back to the car, the weather is starting to pack up again now!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 15, 2014, 10:14 pm
We are back at Point Lonsdale today so Sue's husband can take some photo's of the lighthouse....he wants to do a painting of the light house.
we had a look at the jetty, it is really windy here today
here is an old bunker, where the army kept watch on ships coming in and out of the port of Melbourne.
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 15, 2014, 10:17 pm
Well today is my last day in Australia.....I am heading home!!!!
I said goodbye to Little Squirt and MooseS and got ready to go
See you soon Mum!!
Love and hugs
Squab
xxooxx
Posted Jan 22, 2014, 10:42 pm
They hugged me a lot. It's also the goodbye-hug for Big foot and Troot. They are leaving.
Yours
Squab
Posted Jan 22, 2014, 11:09 pm
I really don't like Jetlag.
Yours
Squab
Posted Jan 24, 2014, 9:44 pm
So I think I'm going to enjoy the sun!
Yours
Squab
Posted Jan 25, 2014, 4:55 pm
I know I can be a bad guy.
I found Mommy's ticket for the Berlin public transportations and this was my invitation for a sightseeing tour.
I visited the Hackesche Höfe, a notable courtyard complex. The complex consists of eight interconnected courtyards, accessed through a main arched entrance.
Courtyard I
Courtyard III
Courtyard IV
Courtyard V
Courtyard VI
It's the entrance to the Rosenhöfe, another courtyard.
There are some nice shops and a restaurant at the Rosenhöfe.
Yours
Squab
Posted Jan 28, 2014, 5:44 pm
I went to the village of Britz which is in the south of Berlin.
There I visited Britz castle which is the former manor-house of the historical country estate and village Britz. The house is a museum demonstrating splendid interiors of the Gründerzeit era. The manorial park is also well preserved with its mature trees and its 1890s system of trails. In 1997 the park was honored with the German Gustav-Meyer-Price award for the accuracy and historic authenticity of the reconstruction.
The 1,8 hectares sized park of the manor stands out as an example of the three hundred continuous history of the Schloss Britz.
There were strange trees!
Close to the castle I found the village church with foundation walls from the 13th century!
Maybe my picturs look beautiful, but it was so cold outside (-10°C)!
Your
Squab
Posted Jan 30, 2014, 9:40 pm
But look, the sun is shining! So it doesn't feel so cold.
Can you see the famous Berlin Cathedral next to me?
Yours
Squab
Posted Feb 24, 2014, 7:15 pm
I'm on tour again and flying to the other side of the world for just a few days! I will tell you more when I arrived...
Yours
Squab
Posted Feb 24, 2014, 7:24 pm
Look, I made it to the capital of Japan!!!
Their letters are really strange. I don't understand a word, but look what I found: some of Mom's fave stores!
I hope Mommy will like that pic!
Ok ok time for some sightseeing! This is the famous Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower. It is a 204 metre (669 ft), 50-story educational facility. The building is home to three educational institutions: Tokyo Mode Gakuen (fashion vocational school), HAL Tokyo (special technology and design college), and Shuto Ikō (medical college).
And I met the most famous cat of Japan: Hello Kitty. Nice dude!
Yours
Squab
Posted Feb 24, 2014, 7:32 pm
I've been at Roppongi Hills, a New Urban Centre and one of Japan's largest integrated property developments. There I had a nice view to the Tokyo Tower and the city. The Tower is a communications and observation tower which is 333 metres (1,093 ft) high. It is the second-tallest structure in Japan (and I think it looks a little bit like the famous tower in Paris).
Yours
Squab
Posted Mar 17, 2014, 10:10 pm
It's my last day in Japan.
It was a short trip, but I'm really happy that I had the possibility to take part in that journey and see another interesting country in this world. I'm sure I'll come back!
On my way to the airport I saw another high tower...
This is my plane. This dude's wings are a little bit taller than mine. It's the fastest way back home. I travel in style... no need to fly on my own.
Hmm, looks like Siberia...
Can't wait for the jet lag...again! Damn you jet lag!
Yours
Squab
Posted Apr 19, 2014, 11:19 am
After resting for a little bit more than a month I'm back on tour!
Guess where I am... at the airport! Like usual! As you know I don't like to travel in envelopes, I prefer taking a plane where I have my own seat and get a nice lunch.
This time I'm going back to a country where I've been before. But this country is so big, there's still so much to see!
Yours
Squab
Posted Apr 23, 2014, 8:26 pm
I made it to Boston, yeah!
Today I decided to take a walk through the central public park "Boston Common". Dating from 1634, it is the oldest city park in the United States and consists of 50 acres (20 ha) of land.
I met a new friend!
Look, these are the famous swan boats!
Can you see the 60-story, 790 ft (240 m) skyscraper made of glass? This is the John Hancock Tower.
The bronze statue of George Washington.
Aaaaand, I met some ore friends! These guys are really famous! They are the "Make Way for Ducklings" from a famous children's picture book. These days they were dressed for the marathon.
They told me their story and I told them mine. We had so much fun! Maybe I'm going to write them a postcard from somewhere else.
Later I went to the famous Boston marathon! It wasn't easy for me to get in. But then I met NBC. I'm sure they filmed me. Am I famous now?
Yours
Squab
Posted Apr 28, 2014, 11:17 pm
I didn't write any updates the whole week, because I did the same like today: relaxing all day long. Sometimes I just need a break.
I decided to stay at the beach!
No diving? I'm a chicken! Do I look like I like to dive?
I think it's better to take a seat! Yeah! That's a good way to enjoy life!
Later that day I decided to visit the beach, too.
Look, I found some sea shells! I collected them all.
Do you think it is possible to take them with me back home? I'm not sure if it is allowed. I don't want to be arrested! A chicken in jail doesn't look good!
See ya soon!
Yours
Squab
Posted May 3, 2014, 11:17 pm
I left the States and arrived in Canada! That means I fulfilled one of my life missions! "Welcome Canada!"
I'm staying in Vancouver, a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada.
This is my first impression from my hotel room. Yeah, little chicken travels in style and sleeps in style: in a hotel, of course!
It's the Harbour Centre, which is a notable skyscraper in the central business district of Downtown Vancouver. The "Lookout" tower atop the office building makes it one of the tallest structures in Vancouver and a prominent landmark on the city's skyline. With its 360-degree viewing deck, it also serves as a tourist attraction with the Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant, offering a physically unobstructed view of the city.
Wow, I'm impressed! Coal Harbour is nice.
Yours
Squab
Posted May 7, 2014, 11:16 am
Today I did a tour through the city. Just enjoy the pictures!
Yours
Squab
Posted May 7, 2014, 11:24 am
Here's another update from Vancouver! The weather is still the same.
Look, this is the view from the Burrard Bridge, which is a five-lane, Art Deco style, steel truss bridge constructed in 1930-1932.
This is the BC Place Stadium which is a multi-purpose stadium located at the north side of False Creek. The stadium opened on June 19, 1983 and was built as an indoor structure with an air-supported roof, the largest of its kind in the world upon its opening.
That's Canada...
Yours
Squab
Posted May 7, 2014, 11:29 am
This is my last update from Vancouver.
Guess what this is! It's the Burrard Bridge where I've been yesterday. Was it really that high? And I really think that big dark cloud will bring lots of rain. Damn! Chicken don't like rain!
It's time to go back home to Germany, but Canada I'll be back soon!
Yours
Squab
Posted Jan 6, 2015, 6:32 pm
I am on a Cruise-Ship. It is the MS Artania - and here you see my cabin.
Today was an important day - Poseidon came onto the ship, because we crossed the Arctic Circle. He was the man in green on the balcony. Some of his friends came too - strange people.
Many of the humans went there to get a ‘Polartaufe’- polar christening - we didn’t want it.
But I received this certificate that I crossed the Arctic Circle!
Yours Squab
Posted Jan 10, 2015, 3:12 pm
It was my birthday today.
The others came and sang a birthday song for me.
Dicker Kumpel gave me a gift.
It was time for party - we had chocolate…
…and more chocolate.
Of course we found something to drink.
It was a nice party.
Love Squab
Posted Jan 10, 2015, 3:17 pm
After two days on the ship I saw the coast of the Lofoten in Norway. Great, wasn’t it?
We had wonderful weather.
We stopped at two look-outs and saw our ship far away.
Then we went to a place, where Vikings lived in the past - but first I saw a modern church.
This is the house of the Vikings.
Well - I prefer my bed on the ship.
Behind me you can see the dried fish they used to eat.
We sat in the sunshine and relaxed.
What a great country!
Yours Squab
Posted Jan 12, 2015, 4:43 pm
We spent a day on the sea and today we arrived in Spitzbergen - and visited the Magdalenenfjord - a great place.
There was a big glacier behind me.
A few minutes later the sun came out - and it even looked better here.
The sky, the mountains, and the glacier - everything looked great!
We couldn’t stop taking photos.
After two hours we left the fjord.
I went onto our balcony and had great views there, too.
Goodbye Magdalenenfjord.
Yours Squab
Posted Jan 13, 2015, 12:45 pm
We stopped at another nice place called Ny Alesund. The surrounding was beautiful.
Ny Alesund is a research town and has an all-year permanent population of 30 to 35, with the summer population reaching 120.
I don’t think that I would love to live here.
But it could be nice to live in colourful houses next to glaciers.
It was amazing - they have a place only for birds - maybe it is a good place for me, I will think about it.
Look, you can see our ship behind me.
We went back to the ship and had a drink at this nice place.
Love
Squab
Posted Jan 22, 2015, 2:19 pm
We started our day, relaxing on our balcony.
We arrived in a small place called Rörvik.
There were nice colourful houses.
And a small harbour.
I found two nice statues.
There was a bigger one - with a bird on her head.
A nice view of our ship - It was so hot here today - more than 32 degrees Celsius.
This was the view to the other direction.
Look, this was the welcome of our ship!
Later we left Rörvik.
Behind me you can see a farm for salmons.
Love Squab
Posted Feb 2, 2015, 5:23 pm
We arrived in Bergen - a nice sunny city in Norway. I cannot understand why the cruise-director told us something about a city with the most rainy days in Europe…
In the morning we walked through the old city with nice colored houses.
These houses were bigger, but beautiful, too.
There was a castle in the middle of the city.
It was really nice.
In the afternoon we drove to a place, where the musician Edvard Grieg lived. He had a great nature around his house.
This was his house.
And in this small cottage he wrote his songs.
And this was the place where he relaxed.
Look, another typical house for Norway.
Then we went to a church called stave church.
We went inside - I love the wooden things here.
We walked around the church - it was really interesting!
Back on the way to our ship we stopped in Bergen and had a last photo with these wonderful houses.
Yours Squab
Posted Feb 2, 2015, 5:24 pm
It was our last day on the ship - and I just walked around and want to show you some nice places here. We had nice weather again.
People were sitting in the Kopernikus Bar and enjoyed their lives.
A really beautiful ice sculpture.
This place is called the atrium - you can find the reception here - and even more important - the entrance to our famous restaurant!
We had a great cruise - and I loved being on this ship.
Yours Squab
Posted Feb 27, 2015, 11:11 pm
At the moment I'm resting at home, but I'm back on traveling soon! The next 3 countries are already planned.
We didn't have a lot of snow this winter and now it looks like spring arrived. As I had nothing else to do I decided to take a walk through our lovely little village. I really like being in the nature esp at the lake!
Yours Squab
Posted Mar 1, 2015, 11:06 pm
I used the beautiful weather to discover my hometown!
Did you know that we have a power station? Ok, it was closed on July 1st, 1992...
I don't know the time when it was working, but Mommy often tells me about it. She told me that nearly the whole village was involved in living with this power station. People even didn't need a clock!
It was built in 1915 and it was once the world's biggest brown-coal-fired power station.
Today there's not so much left. There is still a small museum. At the places where I took the pictures where buildings once.
Some of my Toyvoyager friends have seen the crash down of the last 2 chimneys a few years ago.
This is the last cooling tower.
Yours Squab
Posted Mar 1, 2015, 11:15 pm
I told my friends that we have to cheer for the Seattle Seahawks, but unfortunately they lost.
After the game it was already early in the morning so we fall asleep at our seats. No time to go to bed!
Squab
Posted Mar 1, 2015, 11:30 pm
But finally some new guests arrived! And both at the same time.
Sofia arrived a few minutes before Mr. Shaun, but we didn't know that he will come. So we wanted to show our home to Sofia. In the kitchen we realized something on the table. That was strange! It looked like a sheep on a cactus!
We wondered why Mommy ordered a sheep cactus!
We had a closer look and noticed that it was Mr. Shaun on the spines of a huge cactus. Was he dead?
Glad he wasn't! He told us that he wanted to be a fakir... Shall we believe that story?
Squab
Posted Mar 2, 2015, 7:20 pm
We arrived just in time for the final of the Soccer World Championship. We celebrated it together with two friendly hippos.
Of course we had something to eat and to drink.
It is great to have a feathered friend with me.
Go Germany Go!
Germany won – and we celebrated it!
Love Squab
Posted Mar 17, 2015, 6:26 pm
It’s Murphs birthday and he visited us.
Then he showed the others what he brought for the party.
This looked very yummy!
And everyone got a cocktail!
Cheers! Let us enjoy it…
What a pity – already finished.
Dicker Kumpel promised a big surprise! What will it be?
What is it? An UFO! Who will be in it?
Two beautiful Alien-Girls! Murph was blown away!
Goodbye to all of you, friends. It was a great party!
Yours
Squab
Posted Apr 8, 2015, 8:27 pm
did I tell you that we are going on holidays? It will be a place with lots of water we heard!
First I thought the big journey was today, because of all the water. But it wasn't...
Today we visited a former brown-coal open cast mine. The official name is "Großer Goitzschesee", but as we learnt today, this name is way too long! So everybody just calls it Goitzsche, like the name of the coal mine was. Its size is 13,32 km² and if you want to walk around the whole lake you would need lots of time! It's 66km to walk, or you take a bike.
Around the lake there are some nice touristic places. There is a peninsula for concerts like Spring Break and the Motoboat Championships take part there. On the other side there is a huge villa for private parties, a nice marina and a tower swimming in the water which you can visit.
The weather wasn't so good today. It was cold and a bit windy. That's the reason why we didn't climb up the tower.
Hmm it looks like people tried to build something made of sand, like a walrus?
This is the villa I told you about. We asked if we could party there a bit, but the owners thought that this would not be a good idea. So we went on with our walk.
There were no ships in the marina and also at this new part of the marina... no ships! Did they here about us coming for a visit? Were they afraid of the boys?
Along the lake there are some old sights from the time of the coal mine. We visited all of them. Some were so huge, you have to look clearly to see us!
Can you see us???
HAHA, here we are!
So our big journey is coming closer... I'm excited!
Yours
Squab
Posted Apr 13, 2015, 7:58 pm
The weather was the same like yesterday. Damn, it was cold, wet and windy! This is not the best weather for a cute chicken like me.
This is the swimming tower. Because of the weather I didn't go upstairs.
Still no ships...
Oh wait!!!
So here are all information you need to know. Do I have to add anything?
Yours
Squab
Posted Apr 14, 2015, 11:26 pm
I made it to the capital of the Netherlands: AMSTERDAM.
The day we arrived we didn't do so much. We were so tired that we spent most of the time in Mommy's bag...
It the evening we decided to visit Amsterdam by night. It was amazing!
We started our little walk at Amsterdam Centraal, which is the largest railway station in the city and a major national railway hub. It is also the most visited national heritage site of the Netherlands.
This is the Magere Brug or "Skinny Bridge". It is one of 1200 bridges in Amsterdam and it is one of the most beautifuls. This bridge is able to open so bigger ships can pass by.
This is the view from Magere Brug. The river under that bridge is the river Amstel.
While the others fall asleep in our hotel I went to see something more of Amsterdam. So I went to the Nieuwmarkt, which means "New Market". The building on my picture is dominating the whole square and is know as the Waag. Originally it was a gate in the Medieval city walls but converted into a weighing house after the walls were demolished in the 17th century.
Can't wait to see the city by day!
Yours
Squab
Posted Apr 17, 2015, 8:43 pm
Let's go!
First thing we noticed: Not even the sky is blue, also Amsterdam! There's so much water everywhere! Nearly 1/4 of the city is wet area. So we started with that blue stuff.
Amsterdam is home to more than one hundred kilometers of canals. The three main canals are Prinsengracht, Herengracht and Keizersgracht, all 3 of which are navigable by boat. In the Middle Ages, Amsterdam was surrounded by a moat, called the Singel, which now forms the innermost ring in the city, and makes the city center a horseshoe shape. The city is also served by a seaport. It is often nicknamed the "Venice of the North," due to its division into approximately 90 islands, which are linked by more than 1,200 bridges.
Here we are close to a part of the port. Lots of tourist ships start their tours through the canals here. The big ship looks like a pirate ship. We were told that it normally doesn't leave the city. And the swimming house is a museum and it is not really swimming. Because of the beautiful weather we decided to stay outside and don't visit any museum today.
Can you see the green building on the right which looks like a boat? It is the Science Center Nemo. The other big houses are located on one of the islands. When we got closer to that bridge next to Nemo we realized something big behind the houses...
While the others were running around Nemo, trying to find out what that big thing was I climbed up to the top of the roof of Amsterdam! Wow, what an amazing view!
I went back downstairs and stopped the others from running. We went closer to the bridge and passed it, but no chance to see that big thing. So Mommy had the great idea so jump on a fairy, cross the Het IJ (which is the canal between IJmeer and North Sea) and travel to Amsterdam Noord. We had to walk a bit and then we saw that big thing. It was an AIDA cruising ship. Look! It was smiling at us!
We enjoyed the day close to the water and didn't realized how time passed by...
Yours Squab
Posted Apr 20, 2015, 10:34 pm
In the evening we decided to visit the water again!
First we wanted to travel by fairy, but unfortunately it was too cold!
So we saw a nice sunset close to the harbor.
Yours
Squab
Posted Apr 21, 2015, 8:44 pm
It's Friday 13th and it's not spooky at all. The weather is still beautiful! We thought we will be doing lots of sightseeing, but Sanny had other plans.
Today we went to the Rijksmuseum (State Museum). It is the Netherlands national museum dedicated to arts and history in Amsterdam.
The museum was founded in The Hague in 1800 and moved to Amsterdam in 1808, where it was first located in the Royal Palace and later in the Trippenhuis. The current main building was designed by Pierre Cuypers and first opened its doors in 1885. On 13 April 2013, after a ten-year renovation which cost € 375 million, the main building was reopened by Queen Beatrix. In 2013, it was the most visited museum in the Netherlands with a record number of 2.2 million visitors.
The museum has on display 8,000 objects of art and history, from their total collection of 1 million objects from the years 1200–2000, among which are some masterpieces by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, and Johannes Vermeer. The museum also has a small Asian collection which is on display in the Asian pavilion.
Later Mommy went shopping and geocaching and more shopping...
Let's see what will happen tomorrow when we have our last day in that beautiful city.
Yours Squab
Posted Apr 27, 2015, 9:35 pm
This is the first day where we didn't have a blue sky! But nope, we don't care. It is our last day in Amsterdam, so we had to do some more sightseeing!
We started at The Royal Palace (Dutch: Koninklijk Paleis Amsterdam or Paleis op de Dam) which is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which are at the disposal of the monarch by Act of Parliament.
The palace was built as a city hall during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. The building became the royal palace of King Louis Napoleon and later of the Dutch Royal House. It is situated in the centre of Amsterdam,
The National Monument on Dam Square (Dutch: Nationaal Monument or Nationaal Monument op de Dam), Amsterdam, is a 1956 World War II monument in the Netherlands. It is on the opposite of the Palace.
Then we heard about a place in the inner city which shall be totally different. Not so many tourist and extremely quiet. It was not easy to find it, but hell we are Toyvoyagers!
So we visited the Begijnhof which is one of the oldest inner courts in the city of Amsterdam. A group of historic buildings, mostly private dwellings, centre on it. As the name suggests, it was originally a Béguinage. Today it is also the site of the English Reformed Church.
Tomorrow we will go on traveling...
Yours
Squab
Posted Apr 27, 2015, 10:26 pm
This morning we left that beautiful city, but we didn't go home.
Our next stop was Zandvoort which is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands. It has a long sandy beach, bordered by coastal dunes. It is also the site of the country's most important automobile racing circuit, Circuit Park Zandvoort. Sad we didn't have time to visit the race track.
We walked along the beach, watched the waves of the Atlantic Ocean and collected some sea shells.
It was a nice, but short stopover.
Yours
Squab
Posted Apr 28, 2015, 8:44 pm
Same day, different place!
We did another short stopover. This time in the Dutch city of Rotterdam! We stayed only for 2 hours, taking a few pix near the water and the rest of the time Mommy needed to go shopping at Starbucks.
This evening we are going back to Germany for another short stopover...
Yours
Squab
Posted May 2, 2015, 8:53 pm
I'm back in Germany! Last night we arrived in Cologne and we will stay here only for 2 days!
Today we started with some plants...again! Same like in Amsterdam.
We went to the Botanical Garden called Flora Cologne. There is no entry to pay, it is totally free! While some of us decided to stay in the garden, relax on a bank and enjoy the sun I went with Mommy to see some more plants!
The building on my picture is the main building, but I couldn't see any plants inside. I heard people use it for parties!
After a while with lots of beautiful plants I also found some of Mommy's fave ones! Hmm, should I take one of these with me?
I think we have the same cactus at home, just a few years younger a bit smaller. This one must be a granny!
My intelligent book says this one is called Echinocactus grusonii, but everybody knows it as "mother-in-law's cushion".
Yours
Squab
Posted May 2, 2015, 9:04 pm
During these hot days I decided to travel to Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia. I didn't have time for some sightseeing, I just went to the EGA Park which is something like a Botanical Garden!
Look, they have a Chinese garden! Really beautiful.
But me and Mommy where here for some other plants: cacti! Some where really old and huge! Wow! I am impressed!
Yours
Squab
Posted May 5, 2015, 9:20 pm
This is my second and last day in Cologne. So it was time for some sightseeing.
First we visited the most famous sight: the Cathedral!
Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is a Roman Catholic cathedral. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site. The cathedral is Germany's most visited landmark, attracting an average of 20,000 people and 5 Toyvoyagers a day.
The construction of Cologne Cathedral commenced in 1248 and was halted in 1473, leaving it unfinished. Work restarted in the 19th century and was completed, to the original plan, in 1880. It is 144.5 metres (474 ft) long, 86.25 m (283.0 ft) wide and its towers are approximately 157 m (515 ft) tall. The cathedral is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second-tallest spires. Its two huge spires give it the largest façade of any church in the world. The choir has the largest height to width ratio, 3.6:1, of any medieval church.
Then we had a view over their famous river: the Rhine. It is a European river and the second longest river in Central and Western Europe. It is about 1,230 km (760 mi) in length.
This is the Hohenzollern Bridge which is crossing the river Rhine. It is the most heavily used railway bridge in Germany. But that's not the reason why it is famous. Most interesting thing is the decorations! Since 2008 people have placed love padlocks on the fence between the footpath and the railway lines.
Yours
Squab
Posted May 6, 2015, 9:08 pm
But that crazy guy didn't want to tell me...
So in the evening I went back to town and tried to figure out what he meant. It took a while, but then I found a place above the city!
Look! The cathedral looks so huge, even seen from far away. Wow!
I hope more Toyvoyagers can enjoy that amazing view. Sadly I forgot to take a picture of the most amazing sunset I've ever seen! Just imagine a big orange ball going down the sky.
Squab
Posted May 6, 2015, 9:51 pm
We really enjoyed our big journey!
Last thing to do here was saying goodbye to our nice host in Cologne. My brother Sean offered us a bed and did the lovely sightseeing tour.
Squab
Posted May 17, 2015, 9:15 pm
we are on tour again!
This time we went to the Harz mountains. Ok, we stopped a little bit before in a city called Halberstadt. No time for sightseeing, just some hiking.
Mommy wanted to get a special stamp in her hiking book so we had to join her!
We went to a tower called Belvedere which was built in 1782.
From here we could see the highest mountain of the Harz: Brocken. Can you see it behind me between the trees? There was still some snow on the top.
And this is Halberstadt. It is famous for its sausages.
Squab
Posted May 17, 2015, 10:15 pm
we had some spare time left and went to the Alaris Butterfly Park in Wittenberg. It is one of the biggest butterfly parks in Germany. Its size is about 1000m² and you can find 140 different kind of butterflies.
We went here, because I am planning to fly to Canada. I heard of butterflies flying long distances from Canada to Mexico. So I told Sofia to have a small talk with her relatives about useful informations.
It was really hot in this area! Too hot for a chicken! I left the hall, I didn't want to become a broiler...
I waited outside for Sofia, eating some ice cream. It took her hours to fulfill her job...
Squab
Posted May 25, 2015, 8:28 pm
I really like that lake at home!
Yours
Squab
Posted May 27, 2015, 9:03 pm
Today we went to Leipzig, the biggest city in Saxony. Sad, all shops were closed, so we went for dinner.
After that we visited the St. Nicholas Church which has long been one of the most famous in Leipzig, and rose to national fame in 1989 with the Monday Demonstrations when it became the centre of peaceful revolt against communist rule. The church was built in about 1165 around the same time Leipzig was founded. It is named after St. Nicholas, the patron saint of merchants and wholesalers, and is situated in the very heart of the city at the intersection of two then important trade roads, the Via Regia and Via Imperii. It is built partially in the Romanesque style but was extended and enlarged in the early 16th century with a more Gothic style. In 1794 the interior was remodeled by German architect Johann Carl Friedrich Dauthe in the neoclassical style. The church has been a Protestant seat since 1539 after the Protestant Reformation, but the Catholic Church is allowed to use it too.
Yours
Squab
Posted May 30, 2015, 10:11 pm
And we are still in Leipzig. Today we went to the Botanical Garden...for some shopping!
There was a cacti fair! All of us were allowed to do what we wanted!
in the garden it looked very cold!
I decided to go inside, but... the green house was too hot and wet! Damn! That's not a good area for a chicken. My feathers already started to curl!
Yours
Squab
Posted Jun 17, 2015, 11:33 pm
Guess what? I'm traveling!
Next place where I will stay is Calgary, CANADA!
This time I wanted to try a new way of traveling. As you know I already used a plane (to go to Australia and Japan), a train under the Baltic Sea (to go from Finland to Germany) and a rocket (to go from San Francisco to Finland).
This time I'm going to use my own wings! I collected tonz of information for long journey traveling.
As it is a really long way to fly (about 7500km) I will do some short stopovers.
That's the plan: home - Scotland - Iceland - Greenland - Labrador - Calgary
Sorry, I won't post pictures from the stopovers because my camera is somewhere in my backpack.
Wish me luck! You'll hear from me when I reached the Rocky Mountains.
Yours
Squab
Posted Jul 2, 2015, 3:25 am
I am in Canada
!
I actually overshot Calgary a little bit (did you give me the right coordinates??) and found myself on the Rockies
.
Today, while I was pondering my next move, a couple of birds came around asking me what a chicken was doing all alone on the mountains. At first I was a bit suspicious, and wondered if they were planning to have roast chicken for dinner
, but they seemed friendly enough so I explained that I was a toyvoyager and that I was trying to reach an eagle called sammino in Calgary.
As it happens, they both know sammino very well, so they offered to accompany me to Calgary and pointed me to the right balcony
. One thing they forgot to mention is that the landing strip was going to be a short one, a very short one . Ouch!...almost nailed it .
Luckily nobody was around to witness my landing
, so I quickly recomposed myself, noticed that the window was open and hopped inside where I met sammino and his guests who were coming to investigate the source of the crashing noise on the balcony .
With a timely coupe de théâtre, I distracted them by flashing all the gifts that I brought over
...and lot of chatting and eating followed .
Posted Jul 12, 2015, 3:47 am
today the weather was gorgeous again, so, of course, we went for a shot hike in the morning
. After the usual plodding in the forest we were treated with a nice view of the prairies...
...and of Moose Mountain.
Our destination was not too far...
...so, with a final effort, we swiftly reached the summit of Cox Hill where the view was great in every direction
.
Posted Jul 20, 2015, 2:39 am
it's very hot in Calgary these days
, so today we tried to find some cooler weather in the mountains . As it happens, most of our hike was within the trees where the air felt even warmer than in town , so smaug was not really inclined to stop for photos until we reached the summit of Midnight Peak. Over there the wind was very pleasant and we could see the Nakiska ski area,...
...Mount Baldy in the north,...
...the prairies in the east...
and more mountains in the south
.
Posted Aug 4, 2015, 3:32 am
July is proving to be a fairly boring month since we are hardly seeing smaug at all
. But it does not mean that we are not entertaining ourselves . We spend time reading,...
...playing...
...and planning future trips.
However the biggest fun is checking out hailstorms from the window
. This was a big one and left a massive white blanket all over town .
Posted Aug 4, 2015, 4:10 am
today, at last, we headed back to mountains again
. The drive was a bit long so we decided not to disturb smaug and took a couple of hours long nap . When we woke up, we found ourselves facing the first challenge of the day, wading across the Bow River at the outlet of Bow Lake . The water seemed way too deep and fast for little TVs so along with Aura and sammino we decided to let smaug get wet up to his knees and just encouraged him flying around his head until somehow he made it to the other side .
And the view of the lake was really nice
.
Later we reached the lovely Crowfoot pass...
...where sammino told us that real TVs are not satisfied with just reaching a pass, so we were heading for the summit of Bow Peak up there
.
With a little effort, we reached the summit safely, and the view was spectacular
. We could see Bow Lake,...
...the valley heading up Mosquito Creek,...
...Mt Hector,...
...Hector Lake...
...and the glaciers along the continental divide.
On the way down we took a look from above to the lovely meadows of Crowfoot Pass
.
What a day
!
Posted Aug 24, 2015, 2:05 am
Today the weather was gorgeous again, so we went for a lovely hike near Banff
. After a bit of walking in the trees we started having a nice view of the Monarch (that big mountain, not the queen )…
…and of the mountains in the south.
With a little extra effort we reached Healy Pass where we could see Scarab and Egypt lakes in the north,…
…and more mountains to the south
.
That ridge leading to the Monarch is called the Monarch Ramparts, and sammino told us that we were going to walk along it.
From the Ramparts we could see Healy Pass behind us,…
…the little tarns dotting Healy Meadows
…
…and the forested valley that we followed this morning.
Eventually we got off the Ramparts and reached beautiful Eohippus Lake.
Later on we passed by another nice small lake
…
…before diving back into the forest.
Posted Aug 24, 2015, 2:22 am
Today we gathered to say goodbye and wish a safe trip to Batyr, who is travelling back home to Russia
.
Posted Aug 24, 2015, 2:53 am
Guess what, I’m in the States
! I’m not sure how it happened. This morning, as usual for a Saturday, smaug tried to wake us up at fairly ungodly hour and threw us in the backpack, where we continued sleeping assuming that we were going to the mountains. A few hours later we woke up driving on a highway in the Rockies, but we were in Colorado rather than west of Calgary as we expected . smaug was busy driving and was not inclined to stop often for taking photos, so we just snapped a few shots of the lovely surrounding …
…before arriving at our accommodation for the week where we found a lovely spot where we could analyse the situation and question sammino about it
.
Posted Aug 24, 2015, 3:33 am
It appears we will be spending the week here in Colorado road cycling in smaug’s backpack
. Today, to start getting used to the altitude, we went for a ride out of Dillon up to Loveland Pass and we spent most time riding in a very nice valley .
Eventually we reached the pass, which sits at 3655 m above sea level on the Continental Divide
. This means that on this side, the north side, water drains towards the Atlantic Ocean (by the way, the view was great ),…
…while on this side water drains in the Pacific Ocean.
Whichever way the water goes, those dark clouds were about to drop a lot of it
, with hail and lighting as sides , so we hastily made our way back into the valley.
Posted Aug 26, 2015, 4:55 am
Today we were on the road very, very early
to ride up Mt Evans. Since it was a tad cold , smaug was reluctant to stop and take photos and when we eventually had a chance to look around we were surrounded by a treeless landscape .
From there we could already see the summit
.
Later we reached Summit Lake, which, as it happens, is still well below the summit
.
The view there was great
…
…and the summit was getting closer and closer.
Nevertheless, as we gained altitude, we were starting to be short of breath, so we let sammino go outside scouting the route while we stayed comfortable in the backpack
. And after some time we eventually reached the end of the road which, at an elevation of 4307 m above sea level, is the highest paved road in North America …smaug pointed out this was very likely as high as he will ever ride a bycicle . The view, of course, was great …a bit hazy maybe .
Posted Aug 28, 2015, 3:49 am
Today we hit the road again and after some time we could see the in the distance Hoosier Pass’s saddle.
On the way we also had nice views over Quandary Peak
.
Some km later…
…we reached Hoosier Pass, which sits on the Continental Divide
, just like Loveland Pass that we visited a couple of days ago.
As you might have noticed on the sign, here everything is measured in strange units like feet and miles
. Since none of us is very familiar with the imperial system we were a bit confused . Luckily sammino had anticipated the problem and installed on smaug’s phone a conversion app, so we spent a lot of time checking it out .
Anyway, feet or meters, from the pass we had a lovely view over the Mosquito Range and the South Platte River valley
.
Posted Aug 30, 2015, 4:41 am
Today we rode a nice loop between Copper Mountain, Leadville and Vail
. The first thing we saw in the morning were these big ponds. Apparently they are part of a giant molybdenum mine .
Further on we reached Fremont Pass, which sits on the Continental Divide, a feature that we started believing applies to all mountain passes around here
.
At the pass we saw the actual mine. The photo does not do justice to its size (and the sun in our eyes did not help
), but it looked like half mountain had been already mined out .
Later on we skirted Leadville and turned on US Route 24 just before entering town.
The road took us through this wide and beautiful valley
…
….which eventually lead us to Tenessee Pass. And guess what, this pass is also on the Continental Divide
.
Going down from the pass we had beautiful views…
…and crossed this lovely bridge. I better remember to mention that the bridge crosses the Eagle River, or sammino will never talk to me again
.
Later we turned again and had our first look at the valley that leads to Vail Pass…
…that we reached a bit later…and, believe it or not, this pass is not part of the Continental Divide
. We decided to take a break and stopped at this rest area at the pass.
Eventually we reached Copper Mountain from where we took a final look at the valley leading back to the pass…
…before heading back home for a well deserved hearty supper
.
Posted Aug 31, 2015, 2:16 am
Today we went for a short ride near Dillon. The first part of the day we were riding in the Blue River valley
.
FYI, whenever we saw it, the river did not seem to be any bluer than most other rivers
. Anyway, after a bit we turned right and got on the road leading to Ute Pass, and the view soon improved .
At last, we reached the actual pass which was not really such an exciting place
,…
…so we just headed back home
.
Posted Aug 31, 2015, 2:42 am
Since we came back home early, this afternoon we had time to spare
. We tried to strike up a conversation with the living room's "resident-eagle", but she did not really pay any attention to us .
So we decided to go out for a walk on the lakeside instead
.
We passed by the marina…
…and enjoyed the view over the other side of the lake
.
Eventually we came back home where we patiently waited for dinner time to come
.
Posted Sep 6, 2015, 10:42 pm
Today was our last day of riding, but luckily it was a gorgeous day
. Early in the day we were down in the valley in the middle of the trees, but soon we gained elevation and the view improved …
…and it improved even further later on
.
Eventually we reached Independence Pass which (it goes without saying
) sits on the Continental Divide and where we had lovely views of the surrounding mountains .
On the way back, we stopped at Twin Lakes to take a look at one of the lakes and at the valley leading to the pass that we had just left.
Posted Sep 13, 2015, 5:35 am
Today was our last day in Colorado. Before leaving we found a nice panoramic spot over Dillon Reservoir
.
As we moved to another spot a big eagle came down towards us. She seemed a bit aggressive
…
… so we sent sammino ahead to handle communications
...and he quickly shoved us back into the backpack . After what sounded like a rather unfriendly discussion (not that we really understand eaglish ) we didn’t hear anything for a while, and when we came out we had come close to the lake shore .
Eventually we really had to leave and a few hours later we found ourselves at Denver airport, where we killed time watching planes…
…and enjoying a few snacks
.
Posted Oct 18, 2015, 2:05 am
this week after coming back from the holiday we were stuck at home since wildfires in the US sent a lot of smoke up here
and there were air quality warnings in Calgary every single day of the week . Today it seemed the worst was over so we went over to the mountains for a short hike. To the west things looked OK ...
...and there was only a bit of haze in the east.
Nevertheless the air smelled still very foul
, so we did not linger and quickly headed back home.
Posted Oct 18, 2015, 2:23 am
September has been frightfully boring since smaug was too busy at work to take us anywhere
. At least October seems to be starting with some excitement . Tonight smaug came home very late, but he had parcel with him, a very TV-like parcel . Of course we were very interested and jumped over it ttrying to open it .
And guess what, as soon as we opened it Hansi Hü, a nice horse from Germany, came out
. Of course we wanted to hear everything about his previous trips, so a lot of chatting followed late into the night .
Posted Oct 18, 2015, 9:30 pm
today it was a nice day so we tried to go for a short hike
. Early on we had to cross the Elbow River, which at this time of the year flows mostly within the gravel of its large bed ...so there wasn't really much water to cross .
As we gained elevation we reached Forgetmenot Ridge, where the wind was blowing at gale force
. Nevertheless we managed to take some photos .
However, after a couple of near misses, smaug said that he was not risking to spend afternoon searching for us down the slopes of the mountain
, so he shoved us back in the bag and said that for today there were not going to be any more photos .
Posted Oct 18, 2015, 9:48 pm
today we went for lunch in Banff
. First we had a lovely and big steak .
And for dessert we treated ourselves with delicious ice cream and melted chocolate
...that's what I call a proper lunch .
With a full belly we got on our way home, but we decided to stop a bit at Lake Minnewanka, where the reflections in the lake were beautiful
.
Posted Nov 9, 2015, 1:38 am
the weather was not so good this weekend, but today we tried to go for a quick hike in the morning anyway. While we were in the trees we could occasionally see the sun, so we took it as a good sign
.
Nevertheless, once we reached the summit, the clouds were closing in from all directions
.
Only in the east and in the south it seemed to be still a bit clearer...
...but since it was starting to snow very lightly
we decided not to linger and headed back down the trail.
Posted Nov 9, 2015, 1:55 am
guess what? Today we had the first proper snowfall of the season
. However when smaug came back from work it was too dark to take any photos , so the main reason for this update is that we have a new guest here in Calgary . smaug came back with an interesting envelope...
...and when we cracked it open a new TV came out, Arn Wes Wilde, a nice tiger from China
.
As it always happens when someone new arrives, story telling went deep into the night
.
Posted Nov 15, 2015, 9:37 pm
After a week of fairly inconsistent weather, today we headed to the mountains keen to find out how much snow
, if any, we were going to find. As it happens we found it from the very start and the first hour went by walking on a large snow-covered trail in the trees.
Eventually we came out of the tree cover and started enjoying the wind
.
Once we reached the top of Pigeon Mountain the view was great in most directions
.
Only in the west the clouds were very dark.
Anyway, smaug was having a hard time taking photos while making sure that we did not accidentally fly away in the gale force wind
. So he eventually shoved us back securely in the backpack and we did not see the outside world again until we were back in the car later in the day .
Posted Nov 23, 2015, 3:22 am
We had a new arrival in Calgary today
. smaug came home with a new envelope and, as usual, we were tasked with opening it .
And a new TV came out, Matcha a nice frog from Japan
. And he brought some lovely chocolate with him .
As it always happens in this cases, the night went by chatting and eating
.
Posted Dec 1, 2015, 2:39 am
winter is definitely here and today we went checking out the fresh snow outside of Calgary
. When we parked the car it was obvious that there was no shortage of it.
As we moved up the trail all the forest was clad in white
...
...and occasionally we could see that the it looked pretty much the same all around us.
When we reached the highest point of the day the clouds were really nice and opened up to let us enjoy the view
.
However they were not nice for long
, and soon we could not seen 10 m away, so we slowly headed back home.
Posted Dec 20, 2015, 3:28 pm
We had a bit more snow this week, but today it was quite clear, so we went for a nice walk in the foothills
. Well, actually there was a bit more snow than we expected during the first part of the walk, which caused smaug to be a bit grumpy . Anyway, eventually we reached the top of Eagle Hill, where we had a great view of the valley we just followed…
…and of the Bow Valley gap into the Rockies
.
As it happens, the wind was pretty much gale force
, so smaug was having some trouble keeping us from taking off and after a couple of near misses, we decided that the inside of the backpack was the place to be in these conditions .
Posted Dec 20, 2015, 3:42 pm
Guess what, we are going on holiday
! Today we finished packing our suitecase and headed for the airport .
See you soon from somewhere else
!
Posted Jan 3, 2016, 2:29 am
I’m in Italy
! Well, at least so I have been told . Anyway, time to have a hearty breakfast and when I recover from the jetlag I will investigate further .
Posted Jan 3, 2016, 3:05 am
OK, sammino explained us that we were planning to do some skiing
, but not a single flake of snow (or drop of water for what it matters) has appeared around here in almost two months . As a result, skiing, despite a lot of artificial snow been prepared and a good number of runs available, does not sound as great as it normally would , so, to avoid those breakfasts turning us in little barrels , we are doing a bit of hiking instead . Today we went close to town and we soon stumbled in what seemed to be a pit with stone walls.
As it happens, it appears that in the past it was an oven used to make lime that could eventually be turned into quicklime
.
After that it was mostly uphill going without any “cultural” excuse for catching our breath
, but at last we reached the summit from where we could enjoy great views west ,…
…, north…
…and east.
We assumed the south looked great too, but the sun is a bit low this time of the year and it was parked just there. So looking south just ended in a few burned retinas
.
Posted Jan 5, 2016, 9:29 pm
Today we went to a nice peak close to town
. Early on we found this lovely tiny house . We knocked at the door and peeped through the windows to see if someone was home, but no one answered so eventually we moved on.
Much, much later we reached the summit where the view was, of course, great
.
We could also see this lovely lake…
…and Trento in the distance
.
We found a summit log too! It was kind of hard to get it out of its case
…
…but we eventually managed to take it out and left a sign of our presence here
.
On the way down we even found a lovely and quiet spot where we could enjoy a little snack
.
Posted Jan 6, 2016, 3:34 am
Today we went out for another short walk near town
. As we were walking in the forest we came by this boulder. As it happens, it is not just a boulder sitting in the forest . Well technically it is , but it is also an erratic boulder, that has nothing to do with the rocks found in this area and that was probably dropped here by a glacier at the end of the last ice age .
Later on we found another interesting item. This was a rain shelter used by shepherds working in this area a long time ago
. It looked frightfully uncomfortable, so we decided against waiting for a rain shower to test how waterproof it is .
On the way we found a summit log, despite the fact that we were barely over halfway to the summit (this is a strange trail indeed
). Nevertheless we decided that, of course, we should sign it .
At last we reached the actual summit. There was no summit log here, but we found a lovely spot to rest and enjoy the sunshine while eating a little treat
.
Back home in the afternoon we had a surprise: Landroval and Sigfrido had just arrived home for the holidays
. As usual, a long night of chatting followed .
Posted Jan 18, 2016, 2:32 am
Merry Christmas
!
Tonight we are celebrating Christmas Eve
. There was quite a lot of food on the table , but our attention focused mostly on dessert .
Posted Jan 18, 2016, 2:42 am
Today we are heading to the airport to fly back to Canada, so this morning we said goodbye to Tatanka and Sigfrido who will stay in Europe
.
Posted Jan 18, 2016, 3:02 am
We have quite a long connection in Frankfurt, but luckily we managed to convince smaug to get a few supplies that will help making the wait less boring
.
Posted Jan 24, 2016, 1:13 am
Happy New Year
!
We are a still bit too tired and jet-lagged to engage in big celebrations, but at least we still have some of the tasty supplies we grabbed yesterday at the airport
.
Posted Jan 24, 2016, 1:40 am
After a few days of "funny" weather, today it was beautifully sunny, so we headed to the mountains
. When we arrived at the parking lot we noticed that it was a bit cold and we therefore suggested to go back home and admire the sunny sky from an indoor location .
Nevertheless, smaug would not listen and said that we were going to be fine. So after a bit walking we found a nice spot to peek at the landscape from between the trees.
Later we found an even nicer viewpoint
.
At that point we begged sammino to convince smaug to take us back to the car before our frozen limbs started falling off
and eventually we spent the afternoon at home trying to thaw out .
Posted Jan 24, 2016, 1:56 am
Having survived from hypothermia yesterday
, today it was time to say goodbye and wish a safe journey to Matcha and Landroval who are both travelling to Japan .
Posted Mar 7, 2016, 2:25 am
We have been a bit stuck at home over the last month
, but today, at last, we were able to go back to the mountains . We parked at Barrier Lake, which happened to be frozen solid.
A bit later we found ourselves much higher, where we had nice views of the lake
,…
…the prairies…
…and of the valleys heading in the mountains.
Further up we reached a fire lookout, that happens to be shut at this time of the year.
Still the view was really nice…
…and, most important, we found a lovely spot were to relax and take in a bit of chocolate
.
Posted Mar 21, 2016, 1:05 am
Today we went for a short walk up the mountains
. The weather was far from great , but we managed to snap a few shots.
As it happens the clouds were getting darker, so smaug decided not to linger too long and took us back home
.
Posted Mar 27, 2016, 4:19 am
Today we were again in the mountains
. Interesting enough, early in the day we had a lovely blue sky front of us…
…and not such a blue sky behind us
.
As we reached the halfway point of our walk the view improved
, however the window of blue sky reduced a lot (pretty much only what you can see in the photo was not covered in clouds), so smaug the decided to head back.
Of course, by the time we reached the car, there was not a single cloud left in the sky
.
Posted Mar 27, 2016, 4:33 am
Today we gathered to say goodbye and wish a safe journey to Hansi Hü who is traveling to his next host
.
Posted Apr 4, 2016, 12:34 am
Happy Easter!
Today we celebrated with plenty of chocolate eggs
. Well, they were not exactly the size that we were hoping for , but at least we all got one .
Posted Apr 23, 2016, 10:35 pm
After almost a month, today we were back into the mountains, and with a very favourable weather too
. Of course, the first part of the day was not too exciting, but we reached the point where we stopped a month ago under a lovely blue sky.
We therefore decided to go a bit higher, where we found the sun shining, hardly any snow slowing us down and balmy spring temperatures
.
It was kind of hard to eventually come back home
.
Posted May 23, 2016, 3:47 am
Today we went for a walk around Calgary
…well, more a food crawl than a walk . As we missed breakfast we first decided to get something to support us .
But since the weather was far from great, we spent most of the time looking at the people moving around this huge mall.
Eventually it was time to go back home, but just to make sure we had enough fuel to walk all the way, we allowed ourselves another small energy boost
.
Posted May 23, 2016, 11:33 pm
We have been a bit quiet over the last few weeks, but today we convinced smaug to take us out
. Since we left the car the weather looked a tad misty ,…
…and as soon as we peeked out of the forest we got the suspicion that it was not going to be a good day for sightseeing
.
Anyway, we still harboured some hope that we might gain enough elevation to eventually, maybe, come out above the clouds. As it happens, that was not the case.
At least the humidity did not affect our supplies
, so we managed to fill up with some sugars before heading back to the car.
Posted Jun 11, 2016, 9:56 pm
Today smaug came home with a parcel, a TV sized parcel, so we got really excited
.
As we managed to open it, a new guest appeared, Ulani, a nice sheep from Germany
. And she brought some lovely things with her . Of course we spent a very long evening muching on those sweets while listening about her travels .
Posted Jun 11, 2016, 11:02 pm
Today smaug took us out for a bike ride after work
. Unfortunately he would not let us ride on the handlebar , but we still managed to enjoy some nice views along the way .
Posted Jun 20, 2016, 1:54 am
Today we went for a nice little hike early in the morning
. The first bit was mostly in the trees, but soon the view improved.
And it got better when we reached the summit
.
Disappointingly, smaug forgot to pack any chocolate
, so, instead of having a nice time at the top, we insisted on getting back to the car quickly so that we could drive somewhere to gather some supplies .
Posted Jun 20, 2016, 2:39 am
Today we tried to go back to the trail where we were blinded by the fog a few weeks ago
, and right from the parking lot we had a feeling that it was going to be a much better day for taking photos .
And it was definitely the case. The wind was pretty much gale force and freezing cold
, but the view was great .
On the way back down, when we were a bit more sheltered from the wind, we noticed that someone put a great effort in building a huge and stylish cairn
, so we stopped taking a photo with it .
Posted Jul 23, 2016, 1:47 am
Today we had a new guest arriving here in Calgary
. smaug came home with a TV-sized package and, as usual, he left to us the task of getting it open .
As we managed to open the parcel, a TV came out, Rachel, a nice sheep from China
. And she brought some lovely gifts with her . Of course we spent the night listening to and telling travelling stories .
Posted Jul 23, 2016, 2:08 am
After a rather surprising (well, at least for us since sammino didn’t mention anything in advance
), uneventful and long trip, this morning we woke up in Italy . And even better, we woke up in front of a lovely breakfast .
It is actually very hot here, so I think we will spend a few days just chilling out
and recovering from the jet lag.
Posted Aug 1, 2016, 3:04 am
smaug has been very lazy on this holiday
, but at last today he took us out for a little walk . We started the day looking down at the green pastures around Passo Vezzena …
…and when we reached the highest point of the day, we had a lovely view over the lakes of Caldonazzo and Levico
.
As it happens the WWI front used to pass in this area
, so we had a chance to do a bit of history tourism when we stumbled into this old Austrian fort .
It did not look very comfortable
, and the years have clearly taken their toll, so we decided it was not worth exploring the inside and just stayed out an enjoyed the sun till it was time to go back home .
Posted Aug 22, 2016, 1:45 am
Today we were, as usual, looking for food
. In this case we were attacking the last few supplies that we brought back with us from Italy when we had a feeling that someone was looking at us .
It was Landroval, one of smaug TVs who just arrived back home after visiting Japan
, and he brought some lovely presents too. .
Of course, we ended up spending the evening listening to travel stories
.
Posted Aug 22, 2016, 3:30 am
Today smaug decided to take us to a lovely trip to the mountains
. What was less lovely is that, to avoid afternoon thunderstorms, he made us start at a very ungodly hour . Nevertheless, after a bit we started having a nice view.
For the first part of the morning we aimed for that lovely grassy col
…
…and when we reached it the view improved further.
Sadly, it looked like the trail was not going to be nice and grassy for much longer
…
…and soon we were in the middle of a fairly lunar landscape
.
Our destination looked deceiviously close…
…but it was quite some time before smaug eventually carried us to the top, where the view was spectacular
.
Of course, true to the summit name, the weather was far from ideal, so smaug decided to quickly retreat down to an elevation where the odds of being smitten be lightning were a bit less discomforting
.
Posted Sep 5, 2016, 1:40 am
Today we had another day of decent weather so smaug took us again up to the mountains
. Early in the morning we were still in shadow but we started seeing our destination in the distance.
On the other hand, we had a lovely view over Kananaskis Valley
…
…and we could see the highway getting smaller and smaller beneath us.
When we reached the ridge we were aiming for...
...the view over the valley improved
…
…and we could also see Kananaskis Lakes in the distance…
…and Mount Evan-Thomas and Mount Packenham right in front of us
.
We also found a summit log and we all signed it. Of course you write way more interesting things while getting some sugars in the belly
.
Posted Sep 12, 2016, 12:18 am
Today we took advantage of the fair weather and went for a short and quick hike
. It was actually still a bit shadowy early on the trail…
…but by the time we reached our destination it was a beautiful sunny morning
.
Recently smaug has been less forgetful than usual about our sugar needs
, and luckily today was no exception to that trend .
Posted Sep 12, 2016, 12:42 am
Today we gathered to say goodbye and wish a safe journey to Arn, who is travelling to Norway
.
Posted Oct 13, 2016, 8:40 am
Today we gathered to say goodbye and wish a safe trip to Landroval who is flying
to a new host .
Posted Dec 12, 2016, 1:16 am
After a long time, today smaug had again some time for us and took us a for a short hike near Banff
. It was sometime before we shortly came out of the trees and had a nice view of Lake Minnewanka.
This used to be a mining area and it is still full of hidden holes. To prevent distracted toyvoyagers from wondering into one of the deepest ones
,there are plenty of chainlink fences around.
Further up the trail we reached a nice glacial cirque
.
With a final effort we reached the highest spot of our day where we enjoyed the lovely view
…
…and spent some time basking in the sun
before heading back to the car.
Posted Jan 9, 2017, 12:28 am
Today was a lovely morning (we didn’t have too many recently
) so we went to the mountains . We were a bit surprised about how little snow was around .
Actually our destination looked really barren.
Anyway, when we reached it, the view was great
.
Alas, the wind was great too…damn freezing cold
. So we quickly went back into the backpack and let smaug out dealing with it .
Posted Jan 9, 2017, 12:46 am
We are going to spend some time in Italy for Christmas
, so today we went to Calgary airport and visited the new international terminal …which turned out to be as boring as the old one . At least we had some fun joining a family of bears that was busy playing in the departures area .
Posted Jan 9, 2017, 1:28 am
So far our holiday has been very quiet
, but at least today we were joined by Krystal and Sigfrido who will be spending Christmas with us .
Posted Jan 30, 2017, 12:49 am
Merry Christmas
!
Luckily today there was no shortage of sweets to celebrate with
.
Posted Jan 30, 2017, 1:10 am
Today we said goodbye to Krystal and Sigfrido and got ready to travel back to Canada
.
Posted Jan 30, 2017, 1:51 am
Happy New Year
!
We arrived back in Calgary last night and found a typical Canadian weather
. Probably a good day to stay nice and warm at home .
Posted Feb 26, 2017, 9:21 pm
This morning, despite the cold
, we went for a short hike . Actually smaug was in early-morning mode , so we reached the trailhead and started going when it was still way too dark to try snatching any photo. Luckily, by the time we reached the top, there was at least a reddish glimmer of light that allowed us to appreciate what a nice morning it was .
Posted Apr 10, 2017, 2:24 am
It’s been a bit boring around here recently
. Nevertheless, even if the weather was not really good, today smaug took us for a short trip to the mountains . It’s full winter and it is usually freezing cold, but sometimes it warms up really quickly and the snow disappear as it looked to be the case on the prairies .
Still Barrier Lake was still frozen solid.
As we moved up along the trail the sky was getting darker and darker,…
…so we found a nice sheltered spot where we could relax and top up the sugars
before slowly walk back to the car.
Posted Jun 12, 2017, 1:26 am
After quite a long time, today smaug took us to the mountains again for a short hike
.
Interesting enough, it looked like the snow was almost gone other than from the highest peaks
.
We almost started wondering if summer was going to come early this year
.
Posted Jun 12, 2017, 1:40 am
Remember that yesterday we noticed that the snow was almost gone on the mountains? Well, it’s back
, lot of it, in town too !
Posted Jun 12, 2017, 1:48 am
Happy Easter
!
Today we noticed that last night we had a fresh dump of snow
,…
…but luckily there was no reason to go outside since we had plenty of chocolate eggs that we could feast upon to celebrate Easter
.
Posted Aug 21, 2017, 12:57 am
Today we went for a short hike near Calgary
. As usual we spent some time under the trees, but eventually the view started to open up …
…and we got the first glimpse of our destination.
Much later, the view improved…
…and it improved even more from the summit
.
Still those clouds were promising rain, so we didn’t linger and quickly started moving back down the mountain
.
Posted Nov 6, 2017, 12:58 am
Today we went for another nice trip into the mountains. As usual the approach was tree-covered, but once we reached the crest of Mist Ridge the view was great
. We had mountains to the south…
…Mist Mountain to the west…
…more mountains to the east…
…and the Sheep River valley with even more mountains to the north.
We were surrounded by mountains
.
Posted Nov 27, 2017, 2:05 am
Today we went again up to the mountains
. Early in the morning we walked along Mosquito Creek, which was quite true to its name, so smaug decided to speed trough as fast as possible without stopping for taking photos and somehow we limited the number of bites we got . Later on, we got out of the trees and the wind sent the mosquitoes packing , so we could take a look at the valley from above.
Eventually we reached our destination, Molar pass. The view from the west side of the pass was great
…
…but the view on the east side if anything was even better
.
After soaking in as much as we could of the view, we covered ourselves with insect repellent and made our way back to the car trying not to donate too much blood to the mosquitoes
.
Posted Jan 22, 2018, 3:02 am
Today we went for another nice hike. It took a long slog through the forest, but eventually we reached Guinn’s Pass, where the view was great
.
We decided to make a little extra effort and walked up the ridge east of the pass from where we could see lower…
…and upper Galatea Lakes.
On the other side of the ridge Ribbon Lake was just below us.
As we walked up the ridge we meet an unexpected friend
. Landroval was flying in the area, spotted us and decided to stop by to say hello .
We had lunch with him
, and then started making our way back.
Posted Jan 29, 2018, 2:04 am
October has been a cold one…
…so I was very happy when you told me it is time for me to come home
. Today I said goodbye to my friends here and got ready to travel .
Before I left sammino gave me a big hug and wished me a safe journey
.
And what a surprise, Landroval will come with me
. He thinks I am bit short of exercise , so he will fly with me all the way to Germany to make sure I am safe and then will go on his own way.
Posted Jun 3, 2018, 7:40 pm
I'm back to Germany, finally home! My time in Canada was just AMAZING! But now I'm happy to be back
Many things changed at home. First of all, I met my new Dad. He seems to be a nice guy. As Mommy had no time for me, he took me with him to work. I was allowed to share his car and I got my own seat with my own seatbelt.
Later when he had something to work, he gave me another seat where I could check out the area around his car.
That house where he was working in didn't look very comfortable and I'm not very sure if anybody should be there.
While I was thinking about that house I heard a sound... Oh my! There arrived some police cars!!! Are they looking for my Dad? What has he done???
Or maybe they are searching for little Squab??? I prefered to hide myself somewhere in the car for the rest of the day.
When Daddy finished work, I asked him what he has done and if he got trouble with the police. He was confused about my questions! Later I realized that this house was not his work... He was working in a house on the other side of the car. Damn!
Yours,
Squab
Posted Jun 3, 2018, 7:51 pm
Guess what?!
My Daddy gave me my own computer! I'm so happy! It's so much better to do updates from a computer insetad of a pad!
I hope you will hear from me soon.
Yours Squab
Posted Jun 3, 2018, 7:55 pm
Mommy and Daddy did some crazy stuff while playing their strange Geocaching. They brought home some sand. Here they added an ice cube. What the...?!
Both were happy with the result. I still don't get it...
Yours Squab
Posted Jan 19, 2023, 8:58 pm
I'm back!
Did you miss me?
I finally have time for an update as I did a journey with the family.
We went to a castle called Burgk in Freital/Saxony. There was an exhibion about teddy bears!
One of them was a toyvoyager, too. Ok, one of them and his twins. You can buy one, travel with him and send pictures to their home email address. We talked a while about journeys...
When I left the exhibion I signed their guestbook of course! That was fun.
Later we went to the playground next to the castle. The brat needed some fun and action.
See ya soon!
Squab