Travelog for: Bubo

The place to be at this weekend is the Leipzig book fair. There were a lot of things to discover and I want to give you some impressions:

The entrance area with the "Blue couch", one of the reading places.


The logo of the book fair.


another reading place - totally crowded!


the shelves from the second hand book trade


the area from the TV station ARD. Here the filmed book talks for TV shows.


The area for the audio books.


We listened to a talk with the former German MTV host Markus Kavka about his book via screen.


A group of cosplayers.


The manga/anime hall

My time with Katrin is over. I've seen a lot of interesting places in Leipzig, found some geocaches and baked a cake. That makes two completed life missions.
Tobbi hugged me goodbye...


...and I'm on my way to my next host. The weather was warm and sunny and since I stay in Germany, my journey should not take long.

Hi Mum,

just wanted to let you know, that I arrived in sunny Bruchsal. We were at the palace already and I've seen a part of it. I will show the photos here, we still have to upload them.

Bye, Bubo

Hi Mum,

today I learn how to bake a sponge cake. At first my host took five eggs. I thought, that these are my eggs for breading and at first I was really confused, nearly shocked, but then she told me, that these are eggs of chicken. I think, that's okay somehow.






Jack the cat tried to chase me away.




Then the two dogs - Travelling Tuffy and Henry the Adventure Hound - came to help me and barked at Jack.





They were really successful




After that Petra told us to sit at our place and not play with meal.




After stirring the eggs Chuckle weighed the sugar: 350g - for each egg 50g. We also added a bit Vanilla sugar. And then stirred it again until it was very fluffy.




At last had to add 250g flour and baking powder. Cilly helped to gently fold it under the dough.








Then the doorbell rang and a new toyvoyager arrived just in time, when the cake was in the oven: Miffy for the Netherlands.

In the afternoon we and some members of my host's family club from their church went on a walk from Bruchsal to Unteröwisheim. We had dinner in a Besenwirtschaft called Kannenbesen. A Besenwirtschaft is a tavern selling homegrown wine. They only open the tavern for a part of the year. We all enjoyed the walk there, although it took about 2 hours to walk there - ok, we had been a bit slowly, because we talked too much.

We had a nice view from the edge of the Kraichgau to the Rhine valley.




We also walked through nice loess hollow-ways.

In the evening we finished the filling for the Biskuitkuchen (sponge cake). We used rhubarb and 2 eggs, sugar, Vanillepuddingpulver (custard powder) and rhubarb of course.














Then we had to cut the cake in two layers and fill it with the rhubarb cream.










We only decorated it with a bit powder sugar on the top layer.

Today I helped my host to correct some tests of her third graders. They had to answer questions to the theme weather.

Today I want to show you the recipe for my host's most favorite white bread.

At first we need 1kg white flour, dried yeast, 600g water, 25gr margarine (if you don't have a cooked potato - and we had no) and 25gr salt. We had to leave the yeast dough alone for a longer while until it looked like this.






Then we rubbed the dish with margarine and powdered it with flour.

For Easter Sunday we baked another rhubarb cake.




At first we had to read the recipe. It is the one in the middle, although they used gooseberries there.




Then we started to prepare the dough.












We had to cook the rhubarb.




The pot seems to be a bit small




Another pot for custard.










Then we had to fill the baking dish with the short pastry.




In the afternoon at our host's parents home we were allowed to eat a piece of our cake. It didn't look that well this time, because the whipped egg whites was just too flat.




They also had another cake, but it wasn't selfmade.




In the evening we ate some coloured Easter eggs.

We are still on Easter break, that's why our host asked us, if we would like to walk with them to a house called Odenwaldhütte, which is in Bruchsal too. The weather was nice, that's why we all said yes. They had lunch there and then walked back home with us. We had to walk one hour each way - really a lot for our short legs.

Today is the day of the big wedding in London. All tvs decided to sit in front of the tv and watch tv for hours. We even found a British flag. You see, that it was 9.30am, when we finally sat down.

We saw so many people on the road, who tried to see the lucky couple.




We saw many people in interesting uniforms.




This couple was interesting too. The boy-tvs took a look at David Beckham and the girl-tvs on his wife with her funny hat.




Oh, who is coming here? We're excited.




It's William and his brother Harry. They really look good - that's what the girl-tvs say




The queen and her husband and prince Charles and his wife are coming too.





Oh, exciting, exciting. Here's the bride. Who sees her dress first?





How cute! These little girls and boys and the bride's sister on the way to the church.




The bride arrived at the church finally. We want to see the dress!




Oh, how beautiful!




William and Harry




The church is really big and the way very long. They even put trees in the church.




It is 12pm plus some minutes and finally Williama and Kate are together in front of the priest.




Here they say their marriage promise.





He gives her the ring. We learnt, that in Great Britain it isn't unusual, that only the bride wears a ring as sign of her marriage.




They sind "Jerusalem".




Then they played a fanfare especially composed for the wedding.




Here they all sing "God safe the queen".




Then they all walk out of the church. Take a look at the train.




What a joy, when they walk out of the church door.




The weather is fine, that's why the climb in an open carriage.




That's the queen and her husband in a closed carriage. It was scary, when they climbed in it.




Finally William and Kate arrive at the palace,




while others are still on the way.




It was fascinating to see how disciplined those thousands of people walking behind the police until they finally arrived at the palace too.




Finally the royal family shows up on the balcony.




We are waiting for the kiss and then there were two kissed, but we missed the second.







At last the royal air force flew over the Buckingham palace.

It is a special day today: the 10th birthday of my host's nephew. Usually they live in Karlsdorf, but they are on holiday on a farm in Grafenloch, which belongs to Wolfach-Kirnbach. He and his family invited us to come to visit them at this lovely place. They even organized beautiful weather, so we had been able to sit outside in the sun. We went on a one hour walk in the forest and I loved to see the mountains, woods and interesting houses, the Black Forest house.


We took this photo next to the house. What a nice view!




These cows belong to the farm.












Here's the Black Forest House. The typical Black Forest farmhouse - also referred to as a Black Forest house – has been built in this form for hundreds of years. You will find it mainly in the central and southern Black Forest. Here you can read more about those houses.






The left and middle house you can see belong to the farm were we were today.




All buildings except the one on the top belong to the farm. Maybe you see, that there are some clouds - a little thunder came, but it avoided the house so we were able to sit outside and drink coffee and eat cakes.




Before we drove home, we played a while at the water. But then some more clouds came and we had to hurry, because this time the thunderstorm reached our place too. We were lucky to sit in the car, before it started.

Before we drove home we drove to Heidelsheim to bring my host's son and his girlfriend home to her family. She lives in Heidelsheim, one of the suburbs of Bruchsal.

There is a medieval tower, the Katzenturm, next to their house. You can read more about Heidelsheim here.

Today we drove to Münzesheim to visit the Japanese Garden, which belongs to the therapy centre against alcohol and other dependencies. All buildings and works of art are made by patients of the therapy center based on antique models. The garden is about 5.000 m² large, it is open for patients and visitors. You will see a roof made of blue bottles, put into the concrete with there bottom to the outside - it's an interesting room, fascinating. Wall and floor are covered with blue tiles. Just enjoy the photos.




I've seen these little ducks. Cute, aren't they?






















Then we walked down these stairs to go into the blue room.








We took a look into the room, but it smelled so strange, that we didn't go inside. So you can't see a photo with me in it, I'm sorry.

But I found this nice flower and thought to pick it up for you for Mother's Day. My host told me, that this wasn't a good idea, but she asked me, if I would like her to take a photo with me and the flower and send some Mother's Day greetings and so here we are: Happy Mother's Day








Here you can see a piece of the Berlin Wall.

Hi Mum,

today we drove to Bad Neuenahr to celebrate a 60th birthday. For us it was more interesting, that we celebrated at an ostrich farm. I've seen so many ostrichs there - big, old, small, young.
We didn't walk through the farm, but drove with a little sort of train. The engine didn't work well at first, so we had to climb out of the waggons and go a few steps, but then everything was fine again. It took us about 2 1/2 hours for a way you normally need 1 1/2 hour. We were really tired, when we climbed into our car to drive home again - another 2 1/2 hours drive. Nevertheless it was a great day.

Bye, Bubo





We zoomed, so you can see the ostrichs better.









Face to face - okay, you don't see me, but we looked in each others eyes.