Travelog for: Lotta

I ate Warabi-mochi.
"Warabi-mochi is a translucent, cool, summer sweet as jelly.
It's really delicious eaten with kinako powder after having been cooled in refrigerator.
I could enjoy the chewy but soft texture and the aroma of kinako powder.

Then I ate Mitarashi-dango.
Dango is a Japanese dumpling made from rice flour.
Mitarashi dango is skewered rice dumplings with sweet soy sauce based sauce.
It was yummy.

Maximum temperature today is +32 degrees.
Minimum temperature is +24 degrees. The sky is clouded over.
We went on a bicycle to Mikasa Park.

I can balancing on a rolling ball.
Is this a ball ? It was watermelon.

Firework displays (hanabi-taikai) are a typical summer scene in Japan.
Tonight, we could see the fireworks.
The sky was ablaze with fireworks.
It was big sounds and so beautiful.

I was taught my name in Japanese.
Be written easily seems to be able to me.

I have to say good bye.
Yellow frog Houjicha said "We will never forget the days we spent with Lotta. Have a safe and nice trip."
I will go to Australia.
I am looking forward to seeing next host apartmentcat in Australia.
See you soon.

Hi Mum!

Last night I arrived in Melbourne, Australia! I was very comfy in my bag, and it was covered in lots of pretty stamps, which made me happy. Thank you to cocoaby for looking after me so well and for the cute souvenirs!



I met the TVs already here: Betty Bear and Anton.



There are also some friendly toys that live here full-time. I'm looking forward to going out on some adventures very soon!



Bye for now!
Love, Lotta xx

Hi Mum!

Today we went to Federation Square in the City. It's the largest and newest public space in the city of Melbourne, finished in 2002. When it first opened, a lot of people thought it was ugly, but there wasn't much new-style architecture in Melbourne then, so people weren't used to it. Most people seem to like it now. A few people still don't like it, but there's not much they can do now!



The main building is the National Gallery of Victoria's modern and Australian art collection. There is also the headquarters for SBS TV Station, and on the roof is an experimental beehive, the Rooftop Honey project. On the other side is the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. (It's a film museum and cinema.)




The main square has a huge TV screen which often shows big sporting matches, cultural events or short films from the film museum's collection. The paving on the ground is a huge artwork. The colours and curved surface look like the dunes in the desert.





The largest building is covered in sandstone. It's sandy colour also ties in to the desert theme. Every piece of sandstone and glass is a triangle shape, and they all fit in together in a crazy pattern. Host Sister says there's a story that not a single angle in the whole pattern is a square angle. But she's not sure if this is really true! The smaller building on the front corner is covered in zinc metal, which reflects the sky whatever the weather is.



At the back is the Atrium. This is the entrance to the Art Gallery. The glass roof is 5 storeys high! The glass wall has two layers, and sometimes there are art displays in the middle. Like an art sandwich!



The artwork on display at the moment is called '1000 Tears'. Members of the public emailed the artist to tell her their biggest regret, and she wrote them on tears made of paper.
And around the other side was a pretty garden bed full of daffodils.



Across the river is the concert hall, the classical art gallery and the botanical gardens. But we'll go there some other time! It's time to go now.



Bye for now!
Love, Lotta xx

Hi Mum!

Today we welcomed Huli Hutu. He comes from the U.S.A., but has travelled from Germany to visit us.









Huli Hutu fulfilled one of his life goals in visiting Australia! We had a cupcake to celebrate. It was so yummy! 



Bye for now!

Hi Mum!

How are you?
Today we did something a little bit different. We voted! Well, Host Sister and Host Brother did. There is an election soon. Time to choose a new Prime Minister, or perhaps keep the old one!
In Australia, voting at elections is compulsory. Everyone aged 18 years and over must vote on election day, or they have to pay a fine. It used to be that everyone had to show up on election day to a polling place to fill out their ballot. How annoying!



In the last few years it has been allowed to vote by postal vote. The voters go online to request a postal ballot paper, then the papers are sent out in the mail. They're filled out at home and sent back. As long as they're filled out before election day, everything is fine.

Host Sister says voting at home is more convenient, but not as fun! Normally the polling places are at a school. The people running them usually set up a barbeque to raise money for the school. After voting, you can buy a sausage in bread, and sometimes they have a cake stall as well. Host Sister and Host Brother didn't want to miss out on the fun of the barbeque! So we made sausages in bread and sweets at home. Here are the chocolate crackles and honey joys.



Who are we going to vote for??



Wow, this paper is so long! So many to choose from!



Phew! Now the papers are all filled in and put into the envelopes. We'll take them to the post box tomorrow morning.



Now it's time for another chocolate crackle!
xx

Hi Mum!

I want to say sorry for not updating in so long, but we have been very busy because Host Sister moved house.

Where did all the furniture go??
Bye bye old house!





Hello new house!



OK, we found some of the belongings. So many boxes to unpack, wow!



Host Sister says we will go for a walk around the new neighbourhood this weekend and see what's here.
Love you!
Lotta
xx

Hi Mum!

Yesterday a new friend arrived in Australia.



Who can it be?



It's a cute bear called Columbus! He's travelled a long way to be here.



Hello Columbus!



To celebrate the arrival of Columbus, we did some baking. We made the Babka from Host Sister's cooking magazine.



I think the Babka and things like it are found in many cultures. It is filled with dried fruit and a rum syrup is poured over the top. Here I am mixing the flour and the eggs together.



Now the dough is all mixed together and kneaded. Next we need to wait a while so the dough can rise.



Next Host Sister rolled the dough out into a biiiig rectangle. It's so big, it looks like a field! Maybe some grass will grow on it that I can munch on.



Then we sprinkled the filling over the dough. There are dried apricots, which had been soaked in schnapps for a few hours to make them plump, and some chocolate.



Host Sister then rolled the whole thing up into a big log. Smile, everyone!



We cut the log up into slices and arranged them in a greased baking tin.



After baking, it doesn't really look like the photo in the magazine, but I'm still going to taste it!



While the Babka was cooking, Host Sister made a syrup from cherry brandy and sugar. We poured it over the top of the babka buns.



It was delicious.
Bye Mum!

Hi Mum!

Today I went to work with Host Sister. Unfortunately the weather wasn't very nice, but we went to see some sights in the City at lunch time anyway. We went to see the "Top End" of the city.



Right at the top end of Collins Street is the Old Treasury Building. It was built in 1862 during the Gold Rush times. Miners were digging up so much gold, and the Government earning so much tax from them, that they needed somewhere special to keep all the gold. Of course, they didn't call it the "Old Treasury" then, just the "Treasury"! After the treasury was moved to a new building, it became a museum. Part of it is also the Marriage Registry. Every day there are always lots of couples and family having their photos taken on the steps.

Host Sister says this is where she got married!





Here we're looking down Collins Street from the Top End. This is also called the "Paris End" of Collins Street, because of the leafy trees and all the international designer stores here (Armani, Gucci, etc.).



The centre of Melbourne was built on a grid one mile long and half a mile wide. It slopes from the Government buildings at the top of the hill down to Docklands on the bay. The top end of the city is considered to be the most beautiful. All the old buildings from Gold Rush times are here, most of the theatres and many parks.







Next door is the Treasury Gardens. It's a small park, but it's one of the most beautiful in Melbourne. Next to it there are more government buildings. The leader of Victoria (the Premier) has his offices in the closest one.



It's about to rain, time to go back to work!



Bye for now!
Love, Lotta xx

Hello!

Today was the birthday of Columbus bear, so we had a party with cake and lollies!
We had a lovely time and the cupcake was really yummy.



Happy Birthday Columbus!
xx

Hi Mum!

Today we said goodbye to Betty Bear.  She is leaving Australia to go to Alaska in the U.S.A.
We had a lot of fun and we will miss her, but we wish her well on her journey.













Love you Mum!
xx Lotta