Travelog for: Dottie Grace

Today was my first cruise !!!
Here I am before boarding on the Capitole :

Don't worry Becka, I had my lifebelt !!

We first sailed on the Canal de Brienne, passed under several bridges. There were people walking along the Canal so we saluted each other, ahahaha! I can tell you that many of them were quite surprised to meet a sailing giraffe !!!


We also crossed barges


Then we came back on the Garonne, it was fantastic !!!

I really enjoyed this, and even dreamt I was the Captain

No news since a few days because something happened : I met Tigane !!!!! An african giraffe who lives with Mistigree, and you know what, she knows signs languages, but above all, she tried to explain me what type of noise Giraffes make!!!

On this picture it was my first lesson with her

I listened attentively !

She lend me some books so that I can train myself


After the lesson, she show me the place she prefers to graze, and yet... it was delicious !!!!


And then she took me to this strange statuette which is supposed to make your wishes come true ... (if only I could ... shhhhhh...)



I don't know if it really works ... so until that, I regularly do my homeworks... Do you want to know how to say Barges ??? (I learned this word because of the cruise we made yesterday!!!)


Tigane also told me about this strange looking animal called dromedary who also lives in Africa.

Today, Mood had a surprise for FoxForce whose dream is to discover the Valley of the Kings in Egypt ... so, instead of the real Valley of the Kings, we all have  visited the Georges Labit Museum where we can see arts from Asia and egyptian antiquities ..

FoxForce was very happy and she spent a long time in front of a -scary- mummy...

Mood and I prefered the first stage where Japonese arts are displayed like these Edo vases


or these impressive Samuraï armures !!!!



Here I am as an indian goddess! Please, bow down before  me!!

When we came back home, Mood told me a story she read about the Kirin ... (in a book called Tales of the Otori :Le Clan des Otori)

The Kirin is a mythical hooved Japanese chimerical creature known throughout various East Asian cultures, and is said to appear in conjunction with the arrival of a sage. It is a good omen that brings serenity and prosperity. And you know what ??? It is identified with the giraffe !!!

So as I was very interested in this story, we search on the internet and here is what we found :
It is known that on Zheng He's voyage to East Africa (landing, among other places, in modern-day Kenya), the fleet brought back two giraffes to Beijing. It is also known that these two giraffes were referred to as "Qilins". The Emperor proclaimed the giraffes magical creatures, whose capture signalled the greatness of his power.

The identification between the Qilin and the giraffe is supported by some attributes of the Qilin, including its vegetarian and quiet nature. Its reputed ability to "walk on grass without disturbing it" may be related to the giraffe's long legs.

héhéhé!!! Bertold was amazed when I told him about it !!!

Well, it seems my journey here is held in a japanese spirit !!! Mood told us that Taro should join us soon. He's a japanese bear, so OF COURSE, Bertold found out about Japan

Today, I wandered with Mood, seeking for giraffes, and look at these pictures, we found several ones !!!!
This one is very tall !!!


She works in a french shop, and was busy with customers, so we couldn't speak much .. (and she didn't know about signs language)


But, then, we met this other one, and this time we stayed a long time together...

She told me, she once went in a zoo, but was so sad, that she managed to escape ... now she's waiting for her plane ticket to go back to Africa

She took me to her house, and there we watched films about her in Africa where she had met strange people called Barbapapa ...

She's really eager to go back there!

As I was a bit sad thinking about Africa, Mood read me a story to change my mind. It was the story of a loving crocodile called La Maison du crocodile amoureux


In fact, he's in love with ... guess who? ... a giraffe!!!

But, of course, there's a little problem ... and it's not easy to live together with such different size!


So .. they become sad until yhe day they find the solution !!!!!!

Did I tell you that Taro, the japanese bear, arrived yesterday ??? We spent the night speaking about Japan, and today, he learned me origami! Look at his owl !!! I have tried to make one but it's very hard!


Then, Sebastien organised a Mikado game


Look at Romeo (our caretaker!) he invited himself... He's got a good technique!

I tried to, but it wasn't so easy!

I'm a bit sad today, because my stay in Toulouse is nearing its end... So I began to pack my bag, wrote my travel notebook ...


BUT, before leaving, I wanted to taste Mood's chocolate cake, so I asked her to cook one

don't you think I look like a great french chef ???
We ate it all together, it was a good party !!

And this morning, as each morning since my arrival here, I went for a stroll in Mood's garden (balcony in fact)


and  took my last breakfast made of delicious basil


but cheer up !! my journey goes on !!! And soon I'll be back to tell you about my new adventures!!
Bye Mood, and Stripey, and sebastien, and Bertold, and FoxForce, we had great time together !!! and bye Taro, my new friend !!

Hello ! I arrived in Arles, South France, where I met two Toys Voyagers: Blaze and Sylphide. I'm so happy, and my host is very happy too, 'cause she's mad for Australia !!!!!

I visited the small village in Baux de Provence, with the stange landscape. The village is built on the rock, and there is a castel too ! It was a beautiful trip in Provence !

Today I visited Carnon, near Palavas-les-flots, the famous balneal city in the Lion Gulf. I didn't see the Mediterranean Sea, cause it was raining and we didn't come out. But I saw boats and gulls !

I CAN SPEAK AGAIN !!!

Maybe I'm not able to tell you well what happened today... but I came to the hospital and they made me a graft and I can speak again ! The battery was ok, but the surround was out... so they graft me an Air France ear-phone. Yeah !


Here the photos to explain the process... I'm SO HAPPY !!!

And if you want to listen me, click there !
Dottie Grace's Voice