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San Francisco, California, U.S.A. - 23rd January 2012
By: LittleCableCars
Hi There,
It is very exciting, a new ToyVoyager has arrived. He is a famous comic German pirate bear, named Pitzelpatz, who has been traveling a lot around North America. He is still wearing his Santa outfit. He he! Santa himself carried him the last segment of the trip; Santa likes to do a little extra volunteering in the off-season, the Christmas Spirit continues into wintery January. .
Cheerful Cheerio had the honor of helping Pitzelpatz out of his travel coach.
Then mom introduced him to the other ToyVoyagers here: Orkku Orava from Finland, DuDu from Shanghai, my sister DuDette, Noodles, my wise snowy owl baby brother, and me.
We had a welcoming blackboard waiting for Pitzelpatz where Jeremy showed him a few things to know about this stop on his travels. Eureka (I have found it!) is the State of California motto, oro en paz is part of the City of San Francisco motto (gold in peace, iron in war), The 49ers is our local football team, wait till next year ; and K2 is the nickname for Jeanne's top floor apartment; you are welcome to plant your flag when you complete the assent.
We are happy to learn that Pitzelpatz is a famous comic character; he will do his best to amuse us. He printed out a Pitzelpatz coloring book for our bedtime reading. He he, he is Pitzelpatz, the pirate!
Here he is after we tucked him in, isn’t he cute:
Hoping to visit you soon,
Your Pal,
Jeremy
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Posted Jan 23, 2012, 10:36 am
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San Francisco, California, U.S.A. - 23rd January 2012
By: LittleCableCars
Hello on another rainy day,
Our new guest, Pitzelpatz, a bear pirate, declared today "wash day". I went along with it and walked the plank into the big tub. We scrubbed each other until we were all squeaky clean. The water was nice and warm and the company fun but, you know, I'm a tiger and can keep myself clean with my tongue; we cats never need baths. Uh Oh, Cheerio wants to bathe with all new guests.
Your drippy Pal,
Jeremy
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Posted Jan 23, 2012, 10:41 pm
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San Francisco, California, U.S.A. - 25th January 2012
By: LittleCableCars
Two of us are leaving soon and we had a little going away party with lots of hugs. Can you guess which of us are leaving?
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Posted Jan 25, 2012, 10:11 pm
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San Francisco, California, U.S.A. - 30th January 2012
By: LittleCableCars
Orkku Orava joined me at the Hyde Street Pier and we jumped into a ship which will take us out to sea. When we arrive overseas, we will split up and go to separate hosts. We are both very excited we will be able to jump around in the snow!! It is hard to say goodbye but we will read each others’ travelogs.
Wish us bon voyage!
Your Pal,
Jeremy
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Posted Jan 30, 2012, 5:45 pm Last edited Jan 31, 2012, 4:55 pm by LittleCableCars
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Nuuksio, Finland - 9th February 2012
By: Eohippus
Hi, mom!
I have arrived to Finland!
The trip went well! We were rowing in turns with Orkku Orava trough Panama Channel from Pacific to the Atlantic ocean.
Happily we had taken lots of provisions with us, so most of the time we were rowing mouth full of cookies or sweets, and we managed to catch couple of fishes too.
After couple of days we reached the Gulf stream, and after that we didn´t need to do anything! The stream was carrying our little boat straight to the coast of Norway and we were just relaxing - eating and singing and discussing our past and future adventures.
In Norway I had to say goodby to Orkku, which was a rather hard moment, but we promised to keep in touch.
I continued my trip towards Finland over the frozen Baltic Sea pulling my things in a sleigh. The weather felt a bit coolish after the warm California, but happily I have a thick fur. Actually, the longer I was wandering trough the snowy world, the stronger become the feeling that I had come to my own element!
I´m not sure if I am a snow leopard or a sibirian tiger - Orkku asked that from me one time.. Do you know, mom?
I reached the finnish shore after some days and started to search for a little red cottage in a place called Nuuksio.
Then I started suddenly to hear awful shouting, screaming and giggling!
I followed the noise and soon I saw two small creatures playing in the snow!
When I get nearer I realised they HAD to be Zoe and Kirin! I had come to Nuuksio!
The players had seen me too, they get up from the snow and started to stare.
Then they started to jump up and down and shout to me "Hi! Wellcome!"
I introduced myself and they asked me about trillion questions about my trip.
Actually, I think they were kinda admiring me somehow when I told about my trip over the Atlantic and the Baltic Sea.
They were trying to give me a wellcoming hug, but it was a bit difficult because tey both had skis on and they were falling about every five seconds. They told me they had just put them on for the first time.
But we decided to go in. Now I saw the little red cottage Orkku had been telling me about!
Inside I get my proper wellcome hug!
I also met Henna, my new host, who gave me a kiss and said "Awwwwwwww how you are cute!"
Then I was unpacking the gifts you gave with me, mom. Zoe and Kirin and Henna were all very enthusiastic about them! They asked me to send their greetings and thanks to you!
Most of all they liked the beautiful card.
Then I had to rub my eyes, because it seemed there was TWO Orkku Oravas coming to meet me!
I allready started to be dubious about the juice I had drunk during my trip, but then the squirrels introduced themselves as Orkkus sisters.
They wanted to hear latest news about Orkku, of course.
Then we were having wellcome coffee! It felt so good after the long travel!
Now Zoe and Kirin are calling me to come and see everything!
See you soon again, dear mom! Greetings to everyone at home!
Your Jeremy
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Posted Feb 9, 2012, 10:32 am Last edited Feb 9, 2012, 10:55 am by Eohippus
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Nuuksio, Finland - 14th February 2012
By: Eohippus
Hei äiti! (Hi, mom!)
Happy Valentine´s day from your little tiger!
It´s funny - here in Finland they don´t really spend the Valentine´s day, they have instead "Ystävänpäivä", which means "day of friends". So people here are remembering their friends today, not so much the lovers. I think it is nice.
The temperatures have been enjoyable! Between -15 and -20 degrees - just suitable for little tigers to play outside!
Zoe and Kirin have been showing me around the yard and the village, although there is not much else to see at this time of the year than snow, snow and more snow! But it is rather beautiful, I think.
This little building has been a cereal storage some couple of hundred years ago.
Zoe told me there is GNOMES living in it!
It is a tradition to leave porridge for them in evenings, and it has always disappeared, which "prooves the gnomes have ate it!" says Zoe. Hmmm.. I have to find out more about this!
Here we are climbing along the ladders onto the roof of an old hencoop.
From there we have a good view over the yard. In summertime it must be a nice place to sit and drink coffee. Henna has even put here a table and two benches for that purpose.
We went for a walk along the small village road.
We walked to the shore of the nearest lake called Sahajärvi, but it was on ice and it has been snowing so much that all we could see was snow, and this hibernating boat!
We walked along, the road lead us trough forests.. half of the time we were running and sliiiiiiiiiiding along the icy road.
This is the "big village road" (like the villagers call it) along which the village bus takes people to Leppävaara or Espoon keskus.
Now you know in how isolated place we really live here in, mom!
We hopped to the forest to admire these icicles we saw hanging from a rock.
It wasn´t easy to climb along the icicle, but I managed!
We started to play we were living in ice age. This was our rock shelter home, from where we went to hunt for mastodonts!
I, of course, was a saber tooth tiger! Maybe a Smilodon californicus.
Zoe said in that case she was the "prehistoric giant terror bird", Titanis walleri.
Kirin was trying to find some predatory foreparent, but couldn´t. "Although my great auntie was rather frightening".
Here I´m lurking, ready for any mastodonts happen to pass by!
But there wasn´t any! Maybe they had better things to do!
So we hopped to the village bus which we saw approaching on the road, and went to hunt for something else!
Laskiaispulla!
It is a bun, which has whipped cream and strawberry jam or marsipane between the halves, and very very njammy!
Much better than mastodont!
A valentine kiss for you!
Your Jeremy
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Posted Feb 14, 2012, 10:45 am Last edited Feb 14, 2012, 11:10 am by Eohippus
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Nuuksio, Finland - 19th February 2012
By: Eohippus
Hyvää Laskiaista, äiti!
Laskiainen in Finland is related to the Carnevals elsewhere.
The history is the same - it was here too a celebration before starting the fasting, but people here are not fasting much anymore,
since Finland was converted into the lutheran belief some 500 years ago.
Here they don´t have masques nor samba, but lots of different traditions instead.
The most important Laskiais tradition is to go to a sleighing hill!
In old times it had a magical meaning, and everyone who just was able to move, even the old grannies, went to the hill and slided down with whatever - there wasn´t usually enough sleighs for everyone, so people slided down withs pieces of cardboard, wooden planks, trays..
So of course we headed to the sleighing hill too!
While sliding down the hill in Laskiainen, we have to shout:
"HUROOOOO PITKIÄ PELLAVIA!!" And it is the better the longer down we slide. ;-)
That is a magic ritual to make the flax grow long next summer!
After practising a bit we were all able to shout that understandably.
I´m sure the flax will grow super long - we were shouting so much!
"HUROOOOO PITKIÄ PELLAVIA!!!"
Then there is another tradition saying that after coming away from the hill we should shut our mouths totally, not say anything at all, not even make any kind of sounds!
The one who first forgets and says something, is going to get the most mosquito bites next summer!
So we were all trying to fool each other into saying something.. Pfff! Zoe fooled poor Kirin to shout by dropping a lump of snow onto her neck.
Then we started to build things out of snow.
We had some architectual disagreement about what we were building - a snow castle or a snow lantern - and so we ended up into building both. ;-)
The snow was still not quite optimal for building - it should be zero degrees, but it still is about -2, but we managed to build anyway.
So this is the lantern, although it can work as a castle too.
And this is the castle no enemy can invade!
Because it is occupied by the valiant toyvyager troop you see here!
Besides, we also have a huge larder of snowballs ready if someone happens to try!
We lit a fire in front of our castle!
We were dancing round the fire!
And singing awful, wild, secret toyvoyager songs.
In the evening we lit a candle to the snow lantern too.
Isn´t it beautiful, mom?
The night of the Laskiainen is wild too.
We headed again to the sliding hill trough the darknes! We lighted the hill with candles, and oh, mom, it felt
so magical to be sliding between them in the dark night!
It was so easy to imagine the forest spirits standing on the edge of the dark forest,
watching us..
So our Laskiainen was full of snow and fire.
It was a magical celebration!
See you soon again, dear mom!
Your Jeremy
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Posted Feb 20, 2012, 3:45 pm Last edited Feb 20, 2012, 3:47 pm by Eohippus
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Helsinki, Finland - 23rd February 2012
By: Eohippus
Terveisiä Suomesta, äiti! (Greetings from Finland, mother!)
We went yesterday to Helsinki. It was quite awful weather! Windy and raining wet sleet that came horisontally straight against our faces!
Here we are in front of the Helsinki main railway station. Yes, it is the building there behind the snowpiles.
Everything is covered with snow, and now when the temperatures have came up around zero degrees, the snow is very wet and very heavy, and dangerous too.
There is tons and tons of it on the roofs.. one woman just died in Helsinki because a ton of snow and ice fell over her from a roof. So we were walking carefully, keeping an eye on any threatening looking roofs.
We walked to see the Helsinki main lutheran cathedral. In finnish it is called "Suurkirkko". (= big church!) White church in middle of white world.
Here are the stairs leading up to the cathedral, although it can be hard to believe.
Look at this, mom! Someone had written the name of the city by showelling snow away from the stairs!
We hopped into a tram and watched from the window people fighting their way trough the snow.
We hopped for a short surprise visit to Hennas mothers place. This is the view from the livingroom window.
Hennas mother put us to sit in a doll pram with all sorts of toys and giggled to our puzzled faces.
Then we met some very nice dolls who are always happy to talk with toyvoyagers.
Then Hennas mother wanted to put shoes on my paws. And then she was giggling more.
I liked this painting on the wall.
Then we were given "laskiaispulla"s!
I think Henna mother really likes little toys.
Then we came back to Nuuksio by a train and a bus.
It was Hennas turn to play in the snow.
She build this rather funnylooking snowperson.
See you soon again, dear mom!
A warm hug from Jeremy!
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Posted Feb 23, 2012, 7:41 pm Last edited Feb 27, 2012, 9:36 pm by Eohippus
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Munkkiniemi, Helsinki, Finland - 27th February 2012
By: Eohippus
Hyvää iltaa, rakas äiti! (Good evening, dear mother!)
Can you guess where we are in this picture?
Oh yes, we are up on a roof!
Henna went to help the nearest neighbor, who is an old guy, to showel the snow down from his roof, and we went with her, of course.
Following the path starting behind my back we come to our own little cottage.
We were watching the views while Henna was showelling, and helping her by shouting supporting comments.
Then we went for a walk. First we took a bus to Leppävaara, which is a bigger suburban area, and from there we walked to the sea shore and then some kilometers over the ice.
In Leppävaara I saw this nice shop window.
Here we are walking towards the seashore, trough the habitated area. Rather similar little red cottage this than our own.
We tested this birdhouse to see if it would be a nice recidence.
We walked past Akseli Gallén-Kallelas ateljé. He was one of the greatest painters of the finnish national romantism period some hundred years ago.
Then we came to the sea shore and started our way over it.
There had been people skiing.
The wind was blowing the snow and forming small dunes over the ice.
The reeds of the shores looked golden in the sun..
We saw a bridge too, but it was pretty unnessessary at the moment!
We walked trough an island with nice pine forest.
There we saw something interesting. Do you know what this is, mom?
It is where people go ice swimming!
There is a machine keping the water on the move, so that it doesn´t get properly on ice, but it is really icy!
Do you feel tempted to hop in for a little refreshing swim, mom? I do not!
We left the ice and walked trough Munkkiniemi, which is a part of Helsinki.
We saw a house where they had just dropped the snow from the roof, and I took this pic for you to see how much snow there was up on the roof.
We walked to the Helsinki harbour. There was some ships in the ice. This one works as a restaurant nowadays.
You can see there far away couple of the big ships which go to Sweden and Estonia.
Sometimes they need help of the icebreaker ships to get in and out of the harbour.
Then we saw the Esplanade park, which is one of the most popular places to spend time in summer evenings. Not much people there now.
The benches weren´t very inviting to linger on..
So we went to linger in a café instead!
Warm hug to you, mom!
Your little snow tiger.
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Posted Feb 28, 2012, 12:31 am Last edited Feb 28, 2012, 12:33 am by Eohippus
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Laranjeiro, Portugal - 19th March 2012
By: Eohippus
Boa tarde, mãe!
I´m writing from Portugal so I have to practise my portuguese!
This doesn´t look much like Portugal, and it is not. Here we are still in Finland, like you propably guessed.
So we were there practising our funny wintery trips.. here we are hugging a pine tree, some people say it gives you energy. Never know.
So we were walking in the forests an on the ice..
We saw the first vague signs of spring (the melting ice).
Do you know what this is, mom?
It is a snow shoe! Henna was learning to walk with those and we were giggling like hell.
Then we were suddenly dragged onto the airport! Henna had bought some last minute - cheap tickets and was running to get into the plane, and we were bumping against each other in her backbag, mur!
But when we get to the airport we found out that the plane was hours late..
So we had all the time in the world to watch the planes coming and leaving and being washed.
As a little toyvoyager one has to be very fast while moving amongst the hippopotamus -like turists! They certainly don´t watch where they are stepping.
On the other hand, they are also dropping lots of interesting things from their pockets when they run like headless hens.
We started looting the floor between their feet and found masses of sweets and coins with which we could buy more sweets.
Soon our bellies were so full we could only sit down. After 10 minutes of silent sitting Henna got worried (or sarcastic) and asked should she maybe take us to see the airport doctor. Hah hah.
Then we found a coffee automat, which was giving FREE drinks! And not only coffee, but also hot choc, and "wiener coffee" and tea.
After some mugfuls we felt ready to terrorize the surroundings again.
We were driwing around with this cart, fast and faster. Do you see, mom, what the cart says? "No brakes!"
When we at last got into the plane it was quite dark and we were all rather sleepy.
I could not even see anything trough the window. So we started to sleep and slept trough the whole flight. Or tried to sleep, there was a guy snoring like a tractor sitting in front of us! Until I sneaked under his seat and bit his toes every time he tried to start snoring.
Here I´m waiting for the luggage in Lisbon airport.
Then we took a taxi to Laranjeiro, where we live here in Portugal, but about that I didn´t know anything, I was asleep in Hennas pocket and only woke up next morning when Zoe rolled me away from the bed.
We went to watch out from the balcony.
We went for a walk to watch around - into what kind of place we had landed.
See this, mom? A tuned old Vespa! Wow! I want one like this!
We met some aboriginals..
And admired local vegetation.
And peeped into a farmers market.
..were me met some choc easter bunnies. They were very sweet, ha ha.
And came to the riverfront of river Tejo. We saw the city of Lisbon on the opposite shore.
We took a ferry over the river and went to see something about Lisbon too. Zoe was working as our guide, she has been here already sometimes.
Here we are sitting on Praça do Comércio, where Zoe led us, although she was telling us it was "Praça dos kiwi birds" and built in honor of the wonderful and rare animal, kiwi.
Actually this was the economical centrum of Lisbon, where the sailboats came with their exotic loads of spices and gold and whatnot they have robbed from different parts of the world.
I must say I liked Zoes version more than the reality.
In middle of the square there is a statue of King José I riding a horse, or maybe I should say a statue of a valiant horse carrying some bimbo in her back.
All the buildings round the square were originally the headcontors of the shipping companies and banks and such.. haha, originally the square was a place were they were hanging unwanted people - those with different religious or political views. I detect there some nice symbolics about on what the wealth was built.
This square is also where the Republican Party members shot the last king of Portugal 1908.
This is a triumphal arch, only I don´t know what triumph it is celebrating, because the Wikipedia doesn´t tell and Zoe says it was built to commemorate the victory of kiwi birds over the invasive ants.
This is Sé de Lisboa, kinda main cathedral.
The whole name seems to be Igreja de Santa Maria Maior, and its building satrted 1147, using the material of the mosque the moors had built there during the moorish occupation.
Then it has been rebuilt and remodelled about zillion times and suffered many earthquakes and rebuilt again.
They have pierced these small doors trough which normal mortals go in and out. I don´t know when the big doors themselves are opened. Maybe when some cardinal is coming in the head of a prosession or something.
Well, we tought we are at least as important visitors than some cardinal and started to bang the big doors..
And then we were running and giggling because there was a church worker totally lacking the sense of humour who got really pissed off when he saw us.
We walked on, watching the houses and the people.
We saw some nice old tiles.
And a beautiful view over the old city.
Then we were ready to go back to home.
I´ll try to make an uppdate soon again, mom, although we are having some technical troubles.
Kisses from Jeremy!
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Posted Mar 19, 2012, 11:04 am
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Lisbon zoo, Portugal - 11th April 2012
By: Eohippus
Bom dia, mãe amada!
We visited Jardim Zoológico de Lisboa, Lisbon zoo!
I was very excited, because I wasn´t sure if there would be any tigers there or not.
It is a nice zoo - rather green, and the animals had lots of room, although of course there always could be more..
The first animal I encountered was a bison (Bison bison). She/he (I don´t know) was in a lazy mood, just laying in the sun.
I went to ask from her/him "Hello! What kind of animal are you? Are you some sort of cow?" She/he just turned her/his head slowly, stared at me and said "I´m a bison. And what are you then, some sort of pussykins?" MUR! But I guess it was right for me.
Then I met some turtles, but I just passed them fastly because it seemed they were having a private moment..
Then I saw some giraffes, and I immediately remembered Kirin..
So I greeted them and we were chatting this and that.
They had little babies too!
Then I saw a very big turtle. I asked from her if she had seen any tigers, and she answered "Oh yes!"
"Where?" asked I.
"What? Just there!" said she and pointed at me.
Heh heh! So funny, so funny..
The flamingos weren´t very helpful either. All they could talk about was shrimps.
The rhinoceros was asleep and snoring.
But the elephants had a suggestion to make.
"Why don´t you take a driwe in the little cablecars?" they asked.
Hah that made me giggle so much because that is the forum name of my mom - Little Cable Cars!
It seemed like a good idea - maybe I could spot the tigers from the cablecar.
So I went for a driwe.
It was very fun too! The cable route went round the whole area, and I enjoyed the views.
Some young stupidos were hopping and jumping in their car so much that they had to stop the whole system, and we were hanging there some minutes.
Really, they were behaving so much worse than their cousins the simpanzes and orang utans in the zoo!
I wonder why are they in the cages and these bimbos in the cable cars.. should be the other way round.
Then I saw them! I saw the tigers below!
Then I was just waiting imptiently the driwe to come to it´s end.
And then I run to meet them!
The tiger was having a nap when I came there, but I started to call her.
Soon she heard me and came nearer.
"Hello, little friend!" said she.
"Where are you coming from?"
I told her I´m a toyvoyaging tiger and coming from San Francisco.
So, she took a comfy position and started to tell me about herself.
Se told me she is a siberian tiger (or tigress) (Panthera tigris altaica), and that she belongs to the largest existing tiger species, but even so there is only 250 wild adults left in the world!
Many other tiger species have already disappeared, and for example South China tiger is almost extinct - there is only 59 of them left, and they all live in zoos.
I had not realised our situation is quite that bad.
I said good bye to her and went to see even more rare cousins.
Mom, look!
They are just like me! White tigers with blue eyes!
They were delighted to see me too! They were wellcoming me as a lost and found cousin and asked me whose baby I am. Hrm-hrm! I told them I´m an independent toyvoyager white tiger, even if I am small!
They told me that we, white tigers, are considered holy amongst most people. Did you know that, mom?
There is even shrines for our glory in many places..
Zoe and Krystal were looking a bit pissed of when I told them they still don´t need to bow in front of me, it is enough if they bring me coffee to bed every morning.
They were chasing me round the tiger cage a few rounds.
Then it was time for us to go home and eat something! We were all starving!
See you soon again, mom!
A warm hug from Jeremy
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Posted Apr 11, 2012, 3:30 pm Last edited Apr 11, 2012, 3:48 pm by Eohippus
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Sintra, Portugal - 18th April 2012
By: Eohippus
O muito bom dia para ti, mãe! (A very good day to you, mother!)
It is your little voyaging tiger writing here, although it is pretty hard because Zoe and Krystal are tickling me and pulling my tail - they want me to go and play hide and seek with them.
One evening we were watching a very scary film called "Mars attacks", and next night Krystal and Zoe were sure there was monsters under the bed and didn´t let me sleep either.
I told them there is no monsters, but they said "Yes there are!" I told them, pissed off, that if there is a monster I´m a flower fairy. But I should have not!
Next day we were walking towards the train station to go to Sintra, and suddenly this monster emerged from the water! It was grinning at me madly and rolling its eyes round and making gurgling sounds. I thought it better to retreat. We run towards the station.
Zoe and Krystal were exchancing glances and I knew there was troubles ahead.
Then we were waiting for the train to come..
.. when another monster appeared suddenly!
This one was yellow and it tried to eat me!
Happily the train came, and we run to it, and sat panting for some time!
Then we were watching the views from the window. Here we are crossing the river Tejo.
No one was saying anything about the monsters we had just seen, witch was rather unnatural! But I was kinda happy with the situation, remembering the comments I had made the night before..
Then we arrived to Sintra, which is a very charming little town about 30 kilometers from Lisbon.
We were walking trough the historical center, seeing old houses and nice fountains.
We peeped into a yard, where they had this very impressive bench with a lion, and a competition of camellias going on.
Everything was pretty normal.
Until this alien fauna suddenly walked amongst the bushes, and we were running again!
Then when we were sitting and resting after the run, they started it..
"So, is there monsters or is there not?" they asked from me, and I had to answer that "yes, there seems to be".
"So, are you a flower fairy then, huh?" they asked next and I had to say "I guess I am".
They started to collect all sorts of flower petals, oh dear..
And then they dressed me as a flower fairy!
And then they were giggling so much they fell to the ground holding their bellies. I think they must have made some sort of pact with the monsters!
Mommy, sometimes it is hard to be the only guy in a house full of girls!
Not that I had anything against flowers, or girls, vice versa! I just hope the flower fairy pics don´t find their way inside the tiger comunity!
After Zoe and Krystal were able to move again from their giggling, we walked trough the park, admiring all the flowers and the camellia petals sailing over a little pond.
And then we were all little flower fairies!
We made our way trough a jungle.
And saw some wonderfully smelling acasias!
Then we climbed over a wall and landed on a private property.
And started to follow a path.
There was growing wonderful trees!
I was admiring everything!
Every now and then we walked over higher hills from where we could see far.
The mimosas were in bloom too!
We were having a great picnic under the trees.
After which the world was going faster along its route round the sun.
Zoe led us in front of a steep cliff and told us to climb.
We climbed, but both my head and stomach felt heavier than usually.
Huh! We had to sit for a while, and Zoe told us this hill is called Monte da Lua - the Moon Mountain, and that it is a pagan holy place.
The archaeologists have found many items from here which have to do with the lunar cult in prehistorical times.
Here we are near the top. Beautiful, isn´t it?
There is ruins of a castle on the top the moors build here when they were invading the Iberian peninsula in mediaeval times. It is called Castelo dos Mouros, the moorish castle, surprise surprise.
The local stones seemed to have eyes! I was waiting some monstrous activity again, but no, no monsters after my turning into a flower fairy. Dubious.
We were wandering up and down the castle walls, although the world was still spinning a bit too much.
Can you see the Sintra town down there?
Behind my back you can see the Palácio da Pena, the Pena palace, which is a royal palace the portuguese kings built in the 19th century after the images they had in their heads after reading too many fairytale books as kids.
We were still running around and admiring the views and giggling to the turists. We saw two women who had put on high heels when they came to climb here! Can you imagine?
When we had investigated every nook and corner we started to climb back down.
Here is still a view to the town of Sintra.
On our way back to the trainstation we saw this little house where the fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen lived in the 1880´s
I found still a floer for you, mom!
See ou soon again, mom! Kisses from Jeremy!
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Posted Apr 18, 2012, 9:02 pm Last edited Apr 18, 2012, 9:26 pm by Eohippus
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Porkkala, Finland - 14th May 2012
By: Eohippus
Hei, rakas äiti! (Hi, dear mother!)
I wish you are well!
Ha ha, mom, we flew to Finland to make some pancakes over the fire.!
Here we are in Lisbon airport watching our aeroplane to get ready to take us in.
We flew with TAP which is a portuguese company.
It was pretty cloudy and we could not see much trough the window.
But there was an ecrane where we could follow our flying route.
It tooks a bit over four and half hour to fly from Portugal to Finland, which are the northern and southern ends of Europe.
Here you can see all the countries over which we were flying.
We were watching the safety instructions.
Then we started to talk about how it would be great to jump one day with a parachute and started planning how to steal one of Hennas bedsheets..
The sky got clearer and we spent rest of the flight watching the earth spreading itself down there.
When we were flying over the Alps I tried to spot the snowman.
Back in Finland we went to see how the spring was getting forward.
There was still some snow, but the first flowers were already pushing trough it.
The heavy load of snow had fell some pines behind the cottage.
And a deer who had clearly skipped the potty training had visited the yard.
The little brook was not so little anymore..
It was pretty interesting to see how the landscapes I had only seen in the vintertime looked now in the early spring!
So we took some necessary provisions with us and made a trip to the sea shore in Porkkala.
The sea was still partly covered with a thin layer of ice.
And we saw a small sauna which had sailed there during the autumn storms from who knows where.
Of course I just HAD to try the firmnes of the ice..
It was very fun until my toes got wet.
The water temperature must have been near zero degrees, and you know, mom, how much I detest cold water.
So I got back to the dry land rather fast, and we started to build a fire.
Here we are collecting dry twigs and branches to start the fire. There was so much fallen branches on the ground after the winter that it was totally unnessessary to chop firewood.
Soon we had the fire burning and the coffee water heating.
The warmth of the fire felt wonderfull.
Can you see the steam rising from my poor toes, mom?
Aah, black coffee, just like I love it! It never tastes better than when it is made in an open fire!
Funny, by the way, that almost any food tastes better outside!
Then we went to investigate the surroundings a bit more and found out that on the other side of the cape the sea was already open.
"Hello, blue sea! Nice to see you again!" we said.
The sea answered by glistening even more joyoysly in the sun. The summer is coming!
So we went to play with the waves.
We were hopping from stone to stone, trying to avoid the water.
But of course that was impossible - soon we all had our toes wet, and the water still was near zero degrees - and so we had to go and build up the fire again.
Here you can see three little voyagers with wet toes!
We were all feeling kinda peckish, and since we happened to have dragged with us eggs, milk, a big frying pan and a kilo of flour, we decided to make pancakes.
Can you see, mom? My first pancake is frying here!
We attacked every pancake as soon as it get ready!
Mums mums!
After five pancakes per voyager we sat down to drink some glögi and then we had still some pancakes more.
What was left (which wasn´t very much!) we hanged to the nearby trees as a spring gift for the crows and seagulls.
We found the first blue anemones!
They looked a bit thirsty, and we fetch them water from a pool.
The sun showed up and we were sitting in the rocks enjoying it.
Then it was time to go back to our home in Nuuksio.
I´m sure, mom, that you would have loved our pancakes too!
I´ll fry you some in future!
Kisses from Jeremy.
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Posted May 14, 2012, 10:35 am
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