Travelog for: Commodore Quack

We've come to Gullivers Kingdom in Matlock Bath.

Mummy took me on the lazy river ride.

I didn't fancy going on this rollercoaster, though my bro went on it.

Mummy went on this ship ride.

What is this I see before me?

A box and we shall open it.

A visitor, hello Sampson

Welcome to Wales.

Today, a package has arrived!

Hello Moony and welcome.

We went to Grandma's for a few days over half term.

It was too hot to do much, not even help Mummy, Daddy or Grandma with the weeding.

It was time to head back home to Wales but first, we stopped off at the Science Adventure Park, Magna.
We came here before! We started in water!

A whirlpool, and a water-raising complex.

This looks like fun!

Wheee! Watch the fishie spin!

Fire next! A four-stroke engine. The middle bits are back. In the background is a two-stroke engine.

My host turns the wheel and the middle bits come forward and the outer bits go back!

The fire tornado exhibit is hot!


Lighting isn't good in here.


Next stop was the main section where the steel was made. We allowed the newer visitors to have their photos taken with the big melt demonstration.
We went up to Air, but they removed the air-hockey

Final stop was Earth. There were wheelbarrows to move "rocks" to the sorters.

This is a hydraulic pump and cylinder.

Time flies.... The centre is closing so we'd better go now....

Home at last and there was a pile of post including a parcel.

We welcomed a new visitor Gwennie

Today, a new visitor arrived.

Welcome Lupus-Tigger.

Ooo a Parcel....

Whose voice can I hear calling?

Hello Bobi

We've come to Grandma's house!

There are lots of ants in the garden. This book says that ants don't like crossing chalk!

There's an ant...

It still is in the same section...

Hmm, it has escaped. The ants we've watched seem quite happy to cross the chalk. Back to the drawing board.

Mummy is getting me ready for my first journey! I'm excited!

Yay, Mummy has taken me to the post office and booking me a passage to Germany. Mummy is going to get soaked on her way back home!

Hi Mummy, I arrived in  Germany yesterday. My new host Katja had to work until early evening so spent the evening on the sofa, watching TV and knitting socks.

Today we took a short walk when Katja came home from work. We only took a rather short walk to the municipal park. The first photo was  taken close to my current home, when Katja brought two jars of home-made jam to a friend.



Here is a church, Katja told me that its tolling of the bells is wakening her up each weekend at 07:00 a.m. (although she would like to sleep late).



It looked as if the church was burning, but these were only the last rays of sun.





A few minutes later we reached the municipal park with its pond. Ducks are living here, also a lot of abandonded turtles.









There are a concert shell and seatings in the park.



This monument is dedicated to the dead of several wars before
world war I.





We were already on our way home when the next picture was taken.







My current home is in this street.



Bye for now
Commodore Quack

Hi Mummy,
today we went to the neighbour city Solingen to take a walk and later having dinner in a restaurant.

We started our walk at the "Corkscrew Route" (Korkenziehertrasse). This is also a former railway track which was built to a lane for pedestrians and cydlists, about 10 km long. It is called "Korkenziehertrasse" because it is meandering through the city like a corkscrew.



The freight depots were here, now the buildings are used by artists, you can also find bars and cafés here.





The route is following the nowadays used railway track here in the city centre.







We found lots of graffiti along the route.



We returned to our starting point to have dinner. Katja's daughter is working in this restaurant as a cook. In summer the beer garden is opened and there is a fantastic barbeque with lots of salads, potatoes and so on.

Cheers!



Bye
Commodore Quack

Hi Mummy,
finally summer is back! Katja showed me around the city centre in her lunch break. As she is working close to the city hall, we started our trip here.

The city hall was originally built in the early 1900's years, than it was nearly destroyed in World War II and as rebuilt afterwards in a more modern style. Its tower is 48 m high, visible from all the surrounding cities.



On the large open space in front of the city hall there is the farmers market twice a week. Here is also one of the entrances of the shopping mall. The lion on the pillar is the heraldic animal of Remscheid.



This is the main entrance of the shopping mall.



We also walked along the shopping street.



Katja promised that we would take a walk in the evening, in the forest. That sounds great!

Bye
Commodore Quack

Hi Mummy,
indeed, we took a walk in the evening. Katja was picked up by a friend and we drove to Solingen, one of the neighbour cities of Remscheid. We started in the  historic district Unterburg, situated at the river Wupper.

First stop was a weir.



This is an ear-trumpet which intensifies the sound of the water, pouring down the rock.



This is river Wupper.



We walked along the path, the river on the left hand side, rocks on the right hand side.



We crossed the river Wupper here.



In the background you can see parts of an old pump, once used in a nearby dam.





We walked further until Schloss Burg, a medieval castle, came into sight in the distance.



Here is a zoomed photo.



We rested here for a while, still high above the river level. Someone painted this rock pink and white!



A chairlift is going uphill to the castle.



We reached the "town centre" of Unterburg again. Here you can find lovely historic houses, built close toghether with only narrow lanes between them.





Some of these half-timbered houses were built in 17th century!



This statue is showing a "Kiepenkerl", a traditonal worker in the past, who carried all sorts of goods in his pannier. The German word for pannier is "Kiepe", that's why they were called "Kiepenkerl".



Once again the chairlift.



Than it was really time for dinner!

Bye
Commodore Quack