Travelog for: Tiplitaps

Today is the last day of the year and we make a little party.
We tried to take nice pictures at midnight, but that was not so easy 

...looking for Noisys ducks...

Today I made a walk through Weilburg, my hometown.

It is time to say goob bye...

My journey through all federal states of Germany is starting today.

Dear Mommy!

Today I arrived in Mechtestädt, a village in Thuringia and my first
stop on the Big German RR.

My host mom told me that the 2 other TVs staying with her right
now (Harold Giraffe  and Monkez) were very excited
when they saw the little package the postman brought.



But because you had packed me thoroughly they first had to get a
pair  of scissors and to cut  the sticky tape. Monkez was very carefully  doing this, while Harold watched. Bonnie, one of the cats
living here also watched curiously.





And then light came into my package and I saw the friendly faces of
Harold and Monkez.





Hello, hello! I was welcomed warmly and Harold and Monkez took
me right into their middle.




I showed them that I brought  a present for my host too. Some
postcards which she loves as she is an avid postcrosser.



There was also a Germany postcard and with the help of Monkez
I  figured out where I am now.





Thuringia is the center state of Germany, and sometimes also called
the 'green heart' of Germany  therefore. It is a neighbouring state
of Hesse, so I am not too far away from home actually.

And last but not least I showed Harold and Monkez my passport!
They were surprised to see it.  Well, we read the information
about me in there, about my hometown and my mission.
Bonnie was curious too.











Now I will rest for some time because this is all new for me and so
exciting.
Thank you mommy for sending me here. I am sure I will have a great time.

Love and Hugs,

yours Tiplitaps

What a terrible day today. I would love to spend some time outside but it looks like the end of world. Storm, rain and hail all morning long!
I hope the weather will be better the next days so that we can discover the village.

Today we said Goodbye to Harold Giraffe.

He is travelling to Norway next,  to stay with a new host.



Have  a safe journey and a nice time in Norway!

Dear mommy!

Today I want to show you where I am staying at the moment.

As you know the village is called Mechterstädt and here is the proof
that I am really there. 





So we took a stroll through the village. There live about 1000
people here. And the map shows how small the place is.



This is the street my host lives in.

The one direction...



.... the other direction.



And this is the house in which I am staying.



Next to it there is the village hall where the meetings and festivities
of the village take place.



There is a church...



... and even a little shop with a small playground in front.



Wooh, me riding the  motorbike!



The river through the village is called 'Hörsel'. There is pretty much
water at the moment. Well, it has been raining a lot lately.





On our way back we posted some cards for postcrossing.

Even though it was Saturday today my host had
to go to work. She is a teacher and she took me to school with her.



I went to her class room and because it was still breaktime there
weren't any students yet.  So the room was empty.



So this is the perspective of a teacher...



Let's take a look out of the window.
There is a nice park and a pond.





After school we went shopping for groceries.







And then off to go home by car!

First we go straight, cross the motorway A4...



Then here I have to turn left, as it tells on the sign.



And then the village is already in sight. It was only short drive,
about 10 minutes.

Since one of my missions is to take a photo
with the coat of arms of the state I am in, we read some information
about Thuringia today.

Ok, let's see, here are some basic facts:





Thuringia covers an area of about 16 000 sq km and therefore is
the smallest of the Eastern states.  There live about 2.2 million
people. The state capital is Erfurt.

The state flag is white  and red.



The coat of arms looks like this:



It's a red and silver striped lion wich a golden crown on a blue
background. There are eight silver stars as well, which represent
the eight  regions of the state.

So let's get going. I need  a red, blue and yellow pencil to colour
the coat of arms. We don't have any silver colour...



The yellow parts are easy since it is only  the crown and the little
nails of the lion.



Then red and blue. That takes quite some time becaue there are
so many corners in the coat of arms!





But eventually I made it! Voila: The coat of arms of Thuringia.





Then we had a look at a map of Thuringia to see where I will be
going next week.  It is on the wall of my host's study.



Mechterstädt is right in the middle between Gotha and Eisenach
and we will visit these two towns! You can already read what the
towns are famous for.







And last but not least I wrote a postcard with the 'Thueringer
Waldbahn' to.... Oh no, I will not tell you that mom!





To be continued next week!

Have a good time!

Yours Tiplitaps

Dear Mommy,

As I had told you we went to Eisenach this week. 



You may have heard of this town in the west of Thuringia because
it is famous for many things:

the composer Bach lived and worked here



Luther lived here



there is the Reuter-Wagner Museum



Eisenach has always been an automobile city
(today OPEL has a factory here, too)



there is the city castle



and probably most famous WARTBURG castle, which is an
UNESCO world heritage site



Unfortunately we did not have time to visit all these places.
We started at the Wandelhalle where all theses sights are
advertised and where we took the pictures.





Then we drove up to Wartburg castle.



It was really quiet there and only a few people visiting. From the
parking lot we had to walk a steep path for about 10 minutes.
I was glad that my host carried me because for a little turtle like
me it would have taken ages to get up there!





And then finally: the famous view of the castle.



Before we went into the castle grounds we took a look at the
countryside and Eisenach from the top.





Let's go inside then!







On this map I got some information about the place.



The castle was founded in 1067.



Look! white doves!





In 1155 they started to build the Palas.



We did not go inside but here can you follow a virtual tour of the
building.

We had a beautiful view over the country.



And then it was time to say goodbye because we also wanted to
see something else in Eisenach. One last view.



Back down we went to an interesting natural site near Eisenach,
the 'Drachenschlucht'. It's like a little Grand Canyon in the middle
of Germany. I don't think many people know about it.







We had walked a little while when we saw the big letter A on the
wall. A is for Annatal, the name of the area.





Usually the gorge is closed in winter because of snow and ice but
since there is no winter this year we could enjoy this beautiful view.







And underneath us the water was flowing:



We also had wet feet because the ground was very muddy.
But still it was a nice trip!

This afternoon my host had to go to a
seminar in Gotha and so she took me along to give me a quick
look at the city center and the castle.

Ok, let's see where to go then.



We started a the 'Wasserkunst' in front of the castle 'Friedenstein'.
I had a good view over the old market square with the red town hall.



The 'Wasserkunst' (waterart) is a kind of well which only runs in
summer. So I could only take a picture of me in front of  the
wrapped parts and others without water.









Then we went to the castle 'Friedenstein' and the statue of Ernst II.
By the way: he is the older brother of Prince Albert who later
married Princess Victoria of England!





On our way back to the car we discovered this pyramide which is the tomb of Studnitz.

Today I got to know all the pets living here
with my host.

First I met Clyde, the cuddle cat. Actualle Clyde is a 'she' but when
my host got her last year they thought she was a boy and that's
why....



Next there is Bonnie, Clyde's sister. She is the lady in the house.





Besides the two cats there are also two gerbils living here.
They are as small as me! Ivisted them in their home, too.





Where is the 2nd one!? Seems to be a bit shy.



Then I discovered the running wheel and tried to go some rounds.
You know I am a bit slow...



5 minutes later...



Beware! A cat is approaching!



What a moment when cats met mice! Too funny 
But the mice know they are safe!







So I joined them.







And there is a dog too. But, wait!
Ok, it's not a real one, though.

Today we went to a wedding fair.
No, my host does not want to marry but a friend's daughter took
part as a mannequin.

(Sorry, the pictures are a little dark, but it was difficult to take
pictures with all the lights and mirror.)





Oh, all these beautiful dresses!



There were other booths with information for wedding ceremonies,
e.g. you can book these doves.

Now it is time for leaving Thuringia.
I had a good time and to keep some memories I did a bit of
scrapbooking in my passport.





Shesh, a new tv living here, had a look too.





My host gave me a Gotha magnet as a souvenir for Noisy.
Unfortunately we could not find a little item for my necklace.
Sorry, mom.



So then, ByeBye Thuringia.
Bavaria here I come!