Travelog for: Travel Ted

After more than nine years as a Toy Voyager, imagine Travel Ted’s excitement when he finally completed his mission to party in Barcelona!

Upon arrival, he asked the advice of some friendly little donut men at the Boldu patisserie. Although it was already late in the evening, he followed their recommendation to skip along a bustling boulevard to see two very cool buildings designed by Anton Gaudi: La Pedera and Casa Batllo.

Travel Ted woke up bright and early, and decided to take a closer look at Casa Batllo. It cost a lot of pocket money to go inside, but Travel Ted was pleased he’d forked out. All the art nouveau colours and shapes were fantastic!

Next door to Casa Batllo, Travel Ted met a duelling knight and dragon, who paused their battle for just long enough to recommend a good place for lunch. Fully sated on a healthy salad and smoothie, Travel Ted continued his tour along Las Ramblas. He passed some grand old buildings, paused for a rest in the lovely Place Reial, and finally arrived at the harbour.

On Travel Ted’s second morning in Barcelona, he decided to visit another Gaudi masterpiece: the famous Sagrada Familia. It was stupendous! The closer he got to it, the bigger it seemed! Travel Ted was amazed to learn that it had already taken more than 100 years to build, and still wasn’t finished.

It was a lovely sunny afternoon, so Travel Ted decided to spend the rest of the day relaxing at Parc Guell. Perched at the top of a hill, it offered some lovely views of the city and the sea. It even had some more things made by Senor Gaudi. What a busy chap he must have been!

Travel Ted made the most of his last morning in Barcelona with a visit to Parc de la Ciutadella. Upon arrival, he was awed by the grandeur of the Arc de Triomf, which once welcomed visitors to the city’s Universal Exhibition back in 1888. At the end of a beautiful palm-lined walkway he found some gorgeous old hothouses containing lots of other exotic plants and trees. Later on, he met a woolly mammoth who told him he mustn’t miss seeing the Cascada Fountain. The fountain was designed by Josep Fontseré, helped out by a young Anton Gaudi. This guy got everywhere, thought Travel Ted!

After Parc de la Ciutadella there was just enough time left for a trip to the beach, where Travel Ted marvelled at a great big metal fish, which had been designed by another very famous architect: Frank Gehry. As Travel Ted did a final happy dance on the sand, he reflected on how lucky he was to have had another lovely holiday.

Travel Ted was SO excited to be in Prague again. His second trip, but his first as a Toy Voyager. Under the circumstances, the cold weather didn’t matter.

Darkness fell quickly, but visiting Prague’s famous astronomical clock was a necessary adventure. Installed in 1410, it’s one of the oldest in the world, and watching the figures come out to do their little thing at 8pm was very awesome indeed.

It was a short trip, which meant Travel Ted had a busy day ahead of him. Where better to start than the river, which (rather thrillingly) he could see from his hotel window? As always, Travel Ted enjoyed watching the boats go by every bit as much as he admired the historic buildings and stunning panoramas.

Travel Ted also loved castles. He eagerly crossed the river for a closer look. He saw lots of interesting things, but was especially touched by all the padlocks lovers had attached to some railings by a pretty stretch of water.

This is the square where Travel Ted almost got lost after climbing out of Deborah’s bag when she wasn’t looking. Deborah was very cross with him indeed, but only because she loved him and was so worried. She gave him a great big hug and then everything was alright again.

After such an eventful day, Travel Ted felt very tired, and was glad to make his way back to the hotel, although not before taking the obligatory walk across the famous Charles Bridge. He finished the evening with a little tipple of a strange local beverage, which made him rather woozy – although he was careful not to drink too much in case he made Deborah cross again.

Travel Ted was delighted to revisit to Germany and to have the chance to explore Berlin for the first time. On the downside, Deborah had to work, so he didn’t have many pictures taken. On the upside, although the weather was chilly and gloomy there wasn’t any rain or snow to make his fine fur coat soggy.

Travel Ted began his tour at the famous Brandenburg Gate, which dates back to the late 18th century. He read up about it on wikipedia, which said, “Throughout its existence, the Brandenburg Gate was often a site for major historical events and is today considered a symbol of the tumultuous history of Europe and Germany, but also of European unity and peace.” Travel Ted considered the Internet to be very useful.

The Second World War and its legacy had a big impact on Berlin, as it had on many other European cities. Travel Ted’s next stop was the Holocaust Memorial (officially known as Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe), where he paused to pay quiet tribute.