Travelog for: Nathalie

Hi Mum!

Happy New Year  !

Today the weather was fine and it wasn’t even too cold (-15C  ), hence smaug decided that it was a good idea to have a walk in the forest to try burning some of the excessive food eaten over the last couple of weeks. So we TVs went too, working as ballast in the rucksack  . We spent most of the day under tree cover and it was a bit too dark to take photos, but we still found a couple of points where we could take a few decent shots  .

Hi Mum!

Today we were all a bit sad as three TVs are leaving Calgary. Ronnie and Lysander are going back home in Spain and UK, while Henry-Bo is moving to his next host in Hong Kong.
So we all gathered together to wish them a safe journey .

Hi Mum!

Over the last couple of days temperatures here in Calgary crept over freezing point for the first time in weeks, it was really nice and warm ! To take advantage of this unexpected spell of summerish weather, today we went for a hike around Lake Minnewanka...where temperatures were not that summerish at all  .
On the way to the lake we met again the elks.



Since they are often at this spot along the road, we decided that they are probably paid by the park tourist board to attract tourists , but they are cute, aren’t they?




As you can see the lake was nicely frozen...



...and the path wasn’t in much better condition.



At one point we had to cross this frozen stream that looked quite slippery...



...and the little bridge crossing it didn’t give us much more confidence.



But somehow we got across, and ended up at this junction where we found this sign: grizzly bears  !!!!



Smaug said that we were not entering that area today and, anyway, all the bears were likely to be asleep for winter. I hoped he was right. Eventually we reached our destination, a bend in the lake about 10km from the parking lot.
Here you can see the “beach” behind me,



The lake looking upstream...



...and downstream.



Everything was frozen or covered with snow. On the way back it was getting a bit darker so we didn’t take any more photos and, luckily, we didn’t meet any grizzly.

Hi Mum!

Today is my last day here in Calgary. When smaug told me that it was time to move to my next host I thought that you were sending me to migrate and pass the winter somewhere nice and warm , but I was very excited to know that I am actually going to Russia . This afternoon all the TVs here gathered around me to wish me a safe journey .



And sammino gave me a big goodbye hug .



I had a great time in here in Canada, but now I can’t wait to meet my new host: next update from Russia  .

Hello mummy!
Finally I`m in Russia! I thought I would never go out of my package, Maria told me that she even had forgotten that I should come. So I`m a pleasant surprise 
I brought postcard from Canada with me and everyone said thank to smaug!
I met here three more TVs Pocket, apanda and Etwas, I didn`t talk with them too much, bacuse as you can see at the photo I`m very tired.
There is an aquarium with golden fishes so I can have a rest near it and dream about some pond.
Good night mummy!

Hello mummy!
Today I supposed to have my first adventure in Moscow, but the weather was nasty and awful. We had hard wet snow and very strong wind. So I decided to check Moscow  café  first. I tasted cake and it was good
Hope the weather will improve soon and I`ll have my first excursion around Moscow.
Good night, mummy!

Hello mummy!
Today I went to the city in the evening. I`ve made some photos but they are dark and you`ll not see great church I wanted to show you 
But I hope you`ll enjoy some photos from Moscow underground! It`s very crowdy but interesting.

Hello mummy!
As you can see I` in my travel bag with my TV-friends!
Tomorrow we are going to Amstedam! I`ll write to you note from there! Wish me luck

Hello mummy!
I`m in Amsterdam!!!!
Here you can see my photos from airplane! It was interesting - I`m a duck and I like flying But I had to help Maria to calm down because she was scared!
Photos about my adventures in Amsterdam are coming soon

Hello mummy!
Today was my day with Amsterdam and Maria. And I was ridding bicycle! We went to the Amsterdam`s area and we used ferryboat. I saw real ducks
In the countryside we saw ancient windmill!

Quote:

A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind to rotational motion by means of adjustable vanes called sails. The main use is for a grinding mill powered by the wind, reducing a solid or coarse substance into pulp or minute grains, by crushing, grinding, or pressing. Windmills have also provided energy to sawmills, paper mills, hammermills, and windpumps for obtaining fresh water from underground or for drainage (especially of land below sea level).

Look at the photo mummy - I could hardly keep my feet on that bush - the wind was very strong.
Then we had a lunch-break and continued our way.
Now I`m so tired and going to my bed.
Good night mum.

Hello mummy!
Today I had a bus excursion through Barcelona.
First we had Spanish breakfast with small tea-pot and two cakes. Not too much for one ducky? 
The weather was awful: wind, snow and rain together!
I`ll show you some photos of Barcelona, but they will not show you my main impression from today! See next update and find out why

The main aim of our trip today was visit to Aquarium!
Europe's largest aquarium, containing 8,000 fish and 11 sharks contained in 22 basins filled with 6 million litres of sea water.
I made photos with the most interesting fishes! At some photos you can hardly see me, but I wanted you to see these fishes!
After seeing all fishes I became friends with very big frog!
As I told you mummy weather is not so fine and I didn`t want to spend much time outside, it is better to look at it through the window.

Hello mummy!
I`m in Paris!
Today was perfect day! I used Paris metro for the first time, tasted delicious French cookies and had very pleasant walk.
We went to Cite - part of Paris where Notre-Dame de Paris is situated!
I was inside of cathedral (it is so great inside!!!) and then we climbed by stairs on the top (400 footsteps mummy!). There are very ugly figures there and I found even one bird.
I enjoyed view of Paris from  Notre-Dame!

P.S.And tomorrow we are flying to Moscow!

You would be surprised mummy, but I`m about a month with Maria, but yesterday I had my first walk in Moscow!!! I have seen Amsterdam, Barcelona and Paris, but have not seen Moscow (where I came).
So Maria took me to the heart of Moscow - Red Square.

Quote:

Red Square (Russian: Krásnaya plóshchad’ is a city square in Moscow. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod. As major streets of Moscow radiate from here in all directions, being promoted to major highways outside the city, Red Square is often considered the central square of Moscow and all of Russia.

I hope it is not the last I`ve seen in Moscow

Hello mummy!
Today we have seen many interesting thins!
For example, old Russian car and old courtyards.
Then we went to Alexander Garden:

Quote:

Alexander Garden was one of the first public parks in Moscow. It occupies all the length of the western Kremlin wall in front of the Moscow Manege. After the Neglinnaya River was encapsulated in an underground pipe, they decided to turn the former riverbed into a public park. It was laid out in 1819-1823 to a design by Osip Bove and named after the reigning emperor. The park comprises three separate gardens, which stretch along the western Kremlin wall for 865 meters. The park's most prominent feature is the outlying Kutafya Tower of the Moscow Kremlin. A ruined grotto was constructed to Bove's design underneath the Middle Arsenal Tower in 1841. The garden's cast iron gate and grille were designed to commemorate the Russian victories over Napoleon. In 1914, a year after the tercentenary of the Romanov dynasty was being celebrated, they erected an obelisk in the Upper Garden. Four years later, it was reconstructed by the Bolsheviks into a monument to the socialist and communist thinkers. In 1967, they constructed the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an eternal flame brought from the Field of Mars in Leningrad. The Post Number One, where the sentinels stand on guard, used to be located in front of Lenin's Mausoleum, but was moved to the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier in the 1990s.

May be you are wonder mummy why I made photo with horse monument from the back side? All people in Moscow are wondering the same - for the strange reason all people who comes to Moscow make photo with the back of these horses! So I did the same 

The last photo shows you the main Russian Cathedral! I liked it - it is very beautiful!