Travelog for: Greeny delMonte

Sakura is falling.
Hey Mom, Japanese really love this flower.

Hi Mum,

I am in Canada ! Today I was sleeping comfortably in my envelope when I felt a burst of activity around it that woke me up .



After a few long minutes the envelope opened and, as I peeped out of it, I found a group of TVs welcoming me in Canada . They are Sweetsy and Melek from Germany too , Cherry Lola from the US, Commodore Quack from the UK and sammino a stay-at-home TV who will be my host here in Calgary . They were very interested in hearing all about my travels, so we spent the night up chatting and helping ourselves with the delicious treats that my last host gave to me .

Hi Mum,

Spring is coming here in Calgary . We had a bit snow during the week, but today it was warm (so to speak ) and sunny, so we headed to the mountains. Our trail passed by a lovely viewpoint over Lake Minnewanka .



Later we dived into the trees, but soon we started gaining elevation and saw the lake again.



Eventually we reached our destination, the site of an abandoned fire lookout. Here we could see the valley leading to Aylmer Pass,...



...Mt Aylmer,...



...and again Lake Minnewanka which, in the upper part, was still partly frozen .




On the way back we stopped on the lake shore to enjoy the sun . The water looked so crystal clear that we were tempted to go for a swim ...then we remembered the ice that was still covering part of the lake and decided that maybe we should postpone the swimming for a few months .

Hi Mum,

Today smaug came home with a small parcel and told us that we should probably be the ones opening it , so we got very curious.



After working a bit to get it open, a new guest appeared : Elisa a nice sheep from Germany . Of course we want to know everything about her travels...so it’s going to be a very late night .

Hi Mum,

Today smaug took us out for another trip to the mountains . Our destination was a valley west of Calgary. After walking some times in the tree we reached the valley...which is more or less the (mostly) dry bed of a seasonal creek.




Moving on we could see snowy mountains around us...



...and Nihahi Ridge just behind us.



After fighting a bit with deep snow and thick trees we reached the northeast ridge of Mt Fullerton . Here we could see the valley that we just left far below us...



...again Nihahi Ridge...



...and the summit of Mt Fullerton.



At this point we made a surprise to Melek and organized a sudden birthday party for him . Of course we sang Happy Birhday...



...and had some special sweets ready. Unfortunately smaug couldn’t be talked into bringing a cake up here , so we had to do with some chocolate cookies .

Hi Mum,

Guess what?! Another guest arrived today (it’s getting crowded around here ). Once again smaug came home and told us that there was a parcel for us .



And, as we managed to open it, a new TV popped out of it, Tatanka, a nice buffalo from Germany . He showed us the wonderful presents that he brought along and then we spent the evening chatting and listening about his recent travels .

Hi Mum,

These days neither the weather (always bad in the weekend) nor smaug (always at work) are helping much in keeping us entertained , but luckily, as for yesterday, we have some distraction: football ! The Euro Cup 2012 has started and we have plenty of matches to watch on TV . Of course I am supporting Germany, and having our own “German outpost” here in Calgary we were super-excited when today Germany were ready to take on Portugal (not sure why, but sammino said it was OK to wave the wrong colours while smaug wasn’t around, but otherwise it could have been unhealthy )...



...so we started watching the game all together.



We got even more excited when Germany scored ....




...and when the match was eventually over.



Just too bad that smaug didn’t leave any appropriate victory-party food supplies...maybe for the next match .

Hi Mum,
Guess what, a new a guest arrived in Calgary today . smaug came home with a parcel...



...and, when me managed to open it, a TV jumped out of it, Tucker a nice turtle from Germany . He brought with him a lovely card and some delicious chocolate . Of course we spent the evening chatting and occasionally having a bite of that chocolate .

Hi Mum,

Today, after a few quiet weekends , smaug took us again up to the mountains . As it often happens, the first part of the morning was spent between trees...a wonderful excuse to let smaug do the walking, take a little nap in his bag and make up for the sleep lost due to the early wake up . Eventually we reached a spot with a bit of view where we could look at both the mountains around us...



...and the prairies far away in the east .



The weather didn’t look very nice so we thought it was time to head back and maybe enjoy a nice hot chocolate , but smaug said there was no reason not to try reach our target of the day, that peak up there .



So, off we went. Listening to the wind howling outside the rucksack was a bit concerning , but somehow we reached the top and managed to take a few photos in the wind before hiding back inside. From up there we could see the Nakiska ski area...



...mountains both south and north...




...and again the prairies in the distance .

Hi Mum,

Today I said goodbye to my friends here in Calgary and got ready to travel to Germany , and Cherry Lola is leaving Canada too, so I’ll have company until I reach the post office .



Before I jumped in my envelope sammino gave me a big hug an wished me a safe trip .



And now it’s time to go, see you soon !

Greeny arrived safely in Iola, KS today!

Today was a quiet day, just visiting with the hedgehogs.

Today, host mom showed me her garden!

Host mom had errands to run in Chanute, so we stopped at Santa Fe Park to have a picnic and play. It was very hot (over 100F) so we were very glad that the park is mostly shade!!

I went to a party with the host family, to celebrate a couple of birthdays (including America's)! We had water balloons, snacks, fireworks, and all sorts of fun!