Travelog for: Percy

Hi Mom!
My plane just landed at Albert J. Ellis airport! I am now at Darcie's house which is located in Richlands, North Carolina! Darcie's husband is a Marine and is coming home after being deployed for seven months tommorro night and I get to go to the big celebration!!  We found out the arrival time is at MIDNIGHT!!! That is FINE with me because I am Owl and I love the night time!!  I met all the toys that do not travel that live in the house. I also met Daisy the Boston Terrier and Thumper the Pug.  I also watched the fish swim and then I went in the kitchen to get myself a Monster energy drink! I got on the computer today and did a bunch of research on  the Tarheel state!!! Here it is!!




North Carolina  is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties and its capital is Raleigh.

North Carolina was one of the original Thirteen Colonies, originally known as Carolina. Joara, a native village near present-day Morganton, was the site in 1567 of Fort San Juan, the first Spanish colonial settlement in the interior of what became the United States.[4] A colony was later established at Roanoke Island, the first attempt by the English to found a settlement in the Americas.[5]

On May 20, 1861, North Carolina was the last of the Confederate states to secede from the Union. It was readmitted on July 4, 1868. The state was the location of the first successful controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air flight, by the Wright brothers, at Kill Devil Hills, about 6.4 miles from Kitty Hawk in 1903. Today, it is a fast-growing state with an increasingly diverse economy and population. As of July 1, 2007, the population was estimated to be 9,061,032 (a 12% increase since April 1, 2000).[6] Recognizing eight Native American tribes, North Carolina has the largest population of American Indians of any state east of the Mississippi.

North Carolina has a wide range of elevations, from sea level on the coast to almost 6,700 feet (2,042 m) in the mountains. The climate ranges widely from the coastal Tidewater and Piedmont to the western mountains. The coastal plains are strongly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the state falls in the humid subtropical zone. More than 300 miles (500 km) from the coast, the western, mountainous part of the state has a subtropical highland climate.

In 1860, North Carolina was a slave state, in which about one-third of the population of 992,622 were enslaved African Americans. This was a smaller proportion than many Southern states. In addition, the state had a substantial number of Free Negroes, just over 30,000.[20] The state did not vote to join the Confederacy until President Abraham Lincoln called on it to invade its sister-state, South Carolina, becoming the last state to join the Confederacy. North Carolina was the site of few battles, but it provided at least 125,000 troops to the Confederacy— far more than any other state. Approximately 40,000 of those troops never returned home, dying of disease, battlefield wounds, and starvation. Elected in 1862, Governor Zebulon Baird Vance tried to maintain state autonomy against Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Richmond.

Even after secession, some North Carolinians refused to support the Confederacy. This was particularly true of non-slave-owning farmers in the state's mountains and western Piedmont region. Some of these farmers remained neutral during the war, while some covertly supported the Union cause during the conflict. Even so, Confederate troops from all parts of North Carolina served in virtually all the major battles of the Army of Northern Virginia, the Confederacy's most famous army. Five regiments from North Carolina served in the western theater in the Army of Tennessee. About two thousand North Carolinans from the western part of the state enlisted into the Union army, among the regiments they were assigned to were the 2nd and 3rd North Carolina Mounted Infantry regiments, and some in the 13th Tennessee Cavalry. Two other Union regiments made up of North Carolinians, the 1st and 2nd North Carolina U.S., were organized in the coastal areas of the state. The largest battle fought in North Carolina was at Bentonville, which was a futile attempt by Confederate General Joseph Johnston to slow Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's advance through the Carolinas in the spring of 1865.[15] In April 1865 after losing the Battle of Morrisville, Johnston surrendered to Sherman at Bennett Place, in what is today Durham, North Carolina. This was the last major Confederate Army to surrender. North Carolina's port city of Wilmington was the last Confederate port to fall to the Union. It fell in the spring of 1865 after the nearby Second Battle of Fort Fisher.


Bennett Place historic site in Durham, North Carolina.The first Confederate soldier to be killed in the Civil War was Private Henry Wyatt, a North Carolinian. He was killed in the Battle of Big Bethel in June 1861. At the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, the 26th North Carolina Regiment participated in Pickett/Pettigrew's Charge and advanced the farthest into the Northern lines of any Confederate regiment. During the Battle of Chickamauga the 58th North Carolina Regiment advanced farther than any other regiment on Snodgrass Hill to push back the remaining Union forces from the battlefield. At Appomattox Court House in Virginia in April 1865, the 75th North Carolina Regiment, a cavalry unit, fired the last shots of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the Civil War. For many years, North Carolinians proudly boasted that they had been "First at Bethel, Farthest at Gettysburg and Chickamauga, and Last at Appomattox."


Film studios are located in Shelby, Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Asheville, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem. Some of the best-known films and television shows filmed in the state include: All the Real Girls, Being There, Blue Velvet, Bull Durham, A Walk to Remember, Glory (film), The Color Purple, Cabin Fever, Super Mario Bros.(film), Cape Fear, Children of the Corn, The Crow, Dawson's Creek, Dirty Dancing, Evil Dead 2, The Fugitive, The Green Mile, Hannibal, The Last of the Mohicans, Nell, One Tree Hill, Patch Adams (film), Shallow Hal, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Leatherheads, and 28 Days. Half of Steven King's movies were filmed in North Carolina. The television show most associated with North Carolina is The Andy Griffith Show, which aired on CBS-TV from 1960 to 1968. The series is set in the fictional small town of Mayberry, North Carolina, and was based on the real-life town of Mount Airy, North Carolina, although it was filmed in California. Mount Airy is the hometown of actor Andy Griffith. The show is still popular in reruns and is frequently shown in syndication around the nation. North Carolina is also home to some of the Southeast's biggest film festivals, including the National Black Theatre Festival and the RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem, and the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina

Some of North Carolina's most prestigious private universities and colleges include: Duke University, Wake Forest University, Elon University, Belmont Abbey College, Campbell University, Shaw University, Davidson College, Guilford College, Gardner-Webb University, High Point University, Salem College, and Saint Augustine's College

A nationally-famous cuisine from North Carolina is pork barbecue. However, there are strong regional differences and rivalries over the sauces and method of preparation used in making the barbecue. Eastern North Carolina pork barbecue uses a vinegar-based sauce and the "whole hog" is cooked, thus using both white and dark meat. The "capital" of eastern Carolina barbecue is usually considered to be the town of Wilson, near Raleigh. Western North Carolina pork barbecue uses a ketchup and vinegar based sauce and only the pork shoulder (dark meat) is used. The "capital" of western Carolina barbecue is usually considered to be the Piedmont Triad town of Lexington, home of the Lexington Barbecue Festival which brings in over 100,000 visitors each October.

North Carolina is the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, first produced in 1890 in New Bern. Regional soft drinks created and still based in the state are Sun Drop and Cheerwine. Krispy Kreme, a popular chain of doughnut stores, was started in North Carolina; the company's headquarters are in Winston-Salem. Despite its name, the hot sauce Texas Pete was created in North Carolina; its headquarters are also in Winston-Salem. The Hardees fast-food chain was started in Rocky Mount. Another fast-food chain, Bojangles', was started in Charlotte, and has its corporate headquarters there. A popular North Carolina restaurant chain is Golden Corral. Started in 1973, the chain was founded in Fayetteville. Popular pickle brand Mount Olive Pickle Company was founded in Mount Olive in 1926. Cook Out, a popular fast food chain featuring burgers, hot dogs, and milkshakes in a wide variety of flavors, was founded in Greensboro in 1989 and operates exclusively in North Carolina.

State motto: Esse quam videri ("To be, rather than to seem") (1893)
State song: "The Old North State" (1927)
State flower: Dogwood (1941)
State bird: Cardinal (1943)
State colors: the red and blue of the N.C. and U.S. flags (1945)
State toast: The Tar Heel Toast (1957)
State tree: Pine (1963)
State shell: Scotch bonnet (1965)
State mammal: Eastern Grey Squirrel (1969)
State salt water fish: Red Drum (also known as the Channel bass) (1971)
State insect: European honey bee (1973)
State gemstone: Emerald (1973)
State reptile: Eastern Box Turtle (1979)
State rock: Granite (1979)
State beverage: Milk (1987)
State historical boat: Shad boat (1987)
State language: English (1987)
State dog: Plott Hound (1989)
State military academy: Oak Ridge Military Academy (1991)
State tartan: Carolina tartan (1991)[54]
State vegetable: Sweet potato (1995)
State red berry: Strawberry (2001)
State blue berry: Blueberry (2001)
State fruit: Scuppernong grape (2001)
State wildflower: Carolina Lily (2003)
State Christmas tree: Fraser Fir (2005)
State carnivorous plant: Venus Flytrap (2005)
State folk dance: Clogging (2005)
State popular dance: Shag (2005) NOT the same as UK shag! lol
State freshwater trout: Southern Appalachian Brook Trout (2005)
State birthplace of traditional pottery: the Seagrove area (2005)


North Carolina Facts and Trivia
The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill is the oldest State University in the United States.

In 1903 the Wright Brothers made the first successful powered flight by man at Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk. The Wright Memorial at Kitty Hawks now commemorates their achievement.

High Point is known as the Furniture Capital of the World.

Know as "Fish Town" in the early 1700's when Blackbeard frequented the coast, "Beaufort Town" was established as a seaport with the right to collect customs, in 1722.

The Outer Banks of NC hosts some of the most beautiful beaches in the country.

Whitewater Falls in Transylvania County is the highest waterfall in the eastern United States.

Cape Hatteras is the largest lighthouse ever to be moved due to erosion problems.

The University of North Carolina's mascot, the Tarheels, is a nickname for North Carolinians that supposedly came from the days when NC produced a lot of tar, and someone saw a set of footprints made by someone who had stepped in the tar.

Charles Karault was born and raised in Wilmington.

Havelock is home of Marine Base "Cherry Point." It is the largest air base in the Marine Corps.

North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the nation. Students at a Wilson County school petitioned the North Carolina General Assembly for the establishment of the sweet potato as the official state vegetable.

Harker's Island hosts the annual Core Sound Decoy Festival in December.

Morehead City is home to the North Carolina Seafood Festival, held the first weekend in October every year.

The World War II battleship 'North Carolina' is permanently berthed on the Cape Fear River at Wilmington. She was saved from the scrap heap in the 1960's by public subscription, including donations of dimes by schoolchildren.

The first English colony in America was located on Roanoke Island. Walter Raleigh founded it. The colony mysteriously vanished with no trace except for the word "Croatoan" scrawled on a nearby tree.

Mount Mitchell in the Blue Ridge Mountains is the highest peak east of the Mississippi. It towers 6,684 feet above sea level.

Krispy Kreme Doughnut was founded in Winston-Salem.

The Venus Fly-Trap is native to Hampstead.

The first miniature golf course was built in Fayetteville.

Babe Ruth hit his first home run in Fayetteville on March 7, 1914.

Winston-Salem was created when the two towns Winston and Salem combined.

The Biltmore Estate in Ashville is America's largest home, and includes a 255-room chateau, an award-winning winery and extensive gardens.

The first English child born in America was born in Roanoke in 1587. Her name was Virginia Dare.

The Lost Colony Outdoor Drama in Albemarle commemorates the birth of Virginia Dare. Scheduled to run just one year, it proved so successful that it has played for nearly sixty consecutive summers.

The first state owned art museum in the country is located in Raleigh.

Fontana Dam is the tallest dam in the Eastern United States, at 480 feet high.

Many people believe that North Carolina was the first state to declare independence from England with the Mecklenburg Declaration of 1775.

Grandfather Mountain, highest peak in the Blue Ridge, is the only private park in the world designated by the United Nations as an International Biosphere Reserve.

The Mile-High Swinging Bridge near Linville is 5,305 feet above sea level. The bridge actually hangs about 80 feet above the ground.

Pepsi was invented and first served in New Bern in 1898.

Beech Mountain is Eastern America's highest town at 5,506ft above sea level.

Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States, was born in the Waxsaws area on the border of North and South Carolina.

Arnold Palmer recognized as the player whose aggressive play and winning personality raised golf to national attention, honed his skills on the championship golf team of Wake Forest University.

James K. Polk, born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, was the eleventh President of the United States.

Hiram Rhoades Revels, born in Fayetteville in 1822, was the first African-American member of the United States Congress.

Andrew Johnson started his career as a tailor's apprentice in Raleigh, North Carolina and rose to lead in the reuniting of the nation as the seventeenth President of the United States.

North Carolina leads the nation in furniture, tobacco, brick, and textile production.

Saluda, North Carolina is located at the top of the Saluda Grade. The crest of the steepest standard gauge mainline railroad in the United States.

State Motto: Esse quam videri (To be rather than to seem)

The town of Wendell town was named for the American writer, Oliver Wendell Holmes.

The Swiss and German settlement of New Bern was named in honor of the founder's home, Bern, Switzerland. When Bern, Switzerland was founded, it was named by a group of hunters. They named the city for the first animal they came upon on their hunting expedition. It was a bear. "Bern" is the old Germanic word for Bear, and the bear became the symbol of the city. It has been adopted by New Bern, as well.

North Carolina was the first state in the nation to establish a state museum of art.

North Carolina was one of the first states in the U.S. to establish a state symphony. The North Carolina Symphony, founded in 1943, currently performs nearly 185 full-orchestra concerts each year.

North Carolina has the largest state-maintained highway system in the United States. The state's highway system currently has 77,400 miles of roads

The General Assembly of 1987 adopted milk as the official state beverage.

The oldest town in the state is Bath, incorporated in 1705.

Located in northeastern North Carolina on the Albemarle-Pamlico peninsula, Columbia is on the eastern shore of the Scuppernong River. The Indians called the area "the place of the sweet bay tree."

Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run in Fayetteville on March 7, 1914.

White Lake near Elizabethtown is very unique in that it has a white sandy bottom and is blessed with crystal clear waters. It has also been labeled as the "Nation's Safest Beach." It is truly a child's paradise in that there are no currents, no tides, no hazardous depressions or real dangers of any kind to swimmers.

North Carolina has 1,500 lakes of 10 acres or more in size and 37,000 miles of fresh water streams.
 

Hi Mom!
Sunday I had a Super Bowl Party with Bertie the Duck and Darcie.  Darcie is a bit sad right now because her husband is stuck over in Germany and did not make it home last week due to a mechanical issue.  Anyways me and Bertie another Toy Voyager have been trying to cheer her up and making her laugh.  The football game was excellent and it was The Pittsburgh Steelers vs the Arizona Cardinals.  Darcie said it was the BEST Superbowl game she ever saw!!  the commercials were soooo funny! We took a vote and everyones favorite was the Pedigree pet commercial! Me and Bertie had a big feast.  We cooked Hot Wings with Budweiser hot wing sauce, Mozzarella cheese sticks, Baked Potato skins with cheese and sour cream and we drank a LOT of Corona Beer!! Dont worry I am being a good Owl!!  Here are photos of me and Bertie and of our feast and of the game!!  The last photo is Ben Roethlisberger who is the Quarterback for the Steelers. He played a flawless game!! 

Hi Mom!!
Just went to El Camino Real for some good Mexican food and then I helped drink a HUGE Margarita!! Darcie's husband is now home and guess where WE are going tommorro? We are going to Rome, Italy for a week!!! I will be going with another TV and we plan on visiting all the old ancient sites and taking LOTS of photos! I want to go shopping at Dolce Gabbana, Prada, Fendi, Gucci ect.  Well I have to get my bags packed, we leave tommorro at around lunch time for our big adventure!!!

Love
Percy

Hi Mom!!
I am back from Rome, Italy and boy did I have a fantastic time! I spent a week seeing all the sites with another TV named Bertie.  Our trip started with seats in First Class!! I had a seat that went all the way down into a bed and I watched lots of movies and had wonderful food and lots of Margaritas!  I stayed at Hotel Homs, Via Della Vite street, which is located in North Rome, right in the middle of all the action.  I took a TON of photos and will explain them all to you below! The weather was nice and cool and their was not a ton of tourists so it made for easy navigation through the city.  I especially liked the tall tree's and buildings.  Here are my photos from my big trip!

Here I am with Bertie getting ready to take off out of Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania.  We had to fly from Jacksonville, North Carolina to Philadelphia then to Rome.



Here I am with Bertie getting ready to land at  Leonardo da Vinci - Fiumicino Airport! We were sooo excited to get on with our adventure!



We got in a cab and it usually only takes 20 minutes to get to the hotel BUT today they were having a demonstration/Protest of some sort and our poor cab driver had to find a way to get to Old Roma where our hotel was!! we had the WILDEST ride!! most roads were blocked off and our cab driver got in many arguments with the Police hahaha it was fun listening to him yell back and forth in Italian and we picked up a few new phrases of our own!  The cab driver finally got sooo mad he drove right through the DO NOT CROSS tape and got us to our hotel in one frazzled piece!! I will never forget that ride!



Our next stop was to take a walk down the cobble stone streets and get some food! Darcie said this was the BEST sauce she had ever tasted!! The food was soooo good compared to the Italian food in the US.  Here we are having Rigatoni Pompodore with fresh Mozarella and wine!



Our hotel was situated right next to Piazza De Spanga (The Spanish Steps) here we are at The Spanish steps.  Everyday people would gather up this fantastic staircase and sit down and rest and have some Gelatto or drink some beer.  We loved the people watching and the people loved watching us!



After the steps we were very jet lagged so we went back to the hotel for a rest.  Here we are at our first Italian dinner! and guess what we had? Yep Pizza!! The pizza is very different then the stuff they serve in the US.  This was way better as the tomato's are grown here and they taste way better and the cheese was out of this world! Steve (Darcie's husband) LOVED the local beer, which was Nastro Azzuro, here we are with a photo of our glass of beer and our pizza.




Every morning we would head to the McDonalds.  This McDonalds was stunning and Darcie could not believe they had a pastry shop downstairs!!! This was always open early (most places didnt open till 9am)  so every morning we would pick out a pastry and a nice big cup of fresh Capuchino.  Here we are picking out our breakfast for the day.




The next day we went to the National Museum of Rome.  This was a fantastic collection of statues from all around Rome.  Here we are with Brutus, he is the man who killed Julius Ceaser.  We had fun reading all about the different people and seeing all the history.





Here we are with Hercules, he was much bigger then we were!


After the Museum we went to Vatican City!!!! first we stopped for some wonderful lunch!! Here we are with Pasta Carbonera, which is cream, cheese and bacon with pasta.. it was beyond fantastic tasting!!!



Here we are in the Vatican courtyard.  The Vatican is the worlds smallest country.  They did not allow a lot of photos. The best part of the tour was inside the Cistine Chapel.  This is the worlds prettiest church and this is the painting that Michaelangelo did on the ceiling.  No photos were allowed but you can see it if you Google it.  We had a fantastic history lesson from our tour guide and we learned a lot!



This is us inside the Vatican and we are sitting on a bath tub!!! look how big it is!!!



After our tour inside the Vatican we went outside to St. Peters Square.  This is shown on TV a lot and it was HUGE HUGE HUGE! Here we are with St Peters church in the background.  Look at all the statues on top!!




After the Vatican we were really hungry and tired.  We took the Metro back to our hotel for a nap then we went to our favorite place to eat which is called Ciros.  We ate at many places but this one was the best! Here we are with our Anti Pasta... lots of different things such as cheese, ham, Bruscella ect ect and it was all sooooooooo good!



Every night we would stop at The Gelateria where they sell Gelatto... yep we ate it every single night!1 it was a fantastic treat!! here we are deciding what kind to get!!



The following day we spent at The Colosseum and Roman Forum.  All the old ruins are fantastic to see!!  Here we are at the Colosseum.



Here we are inside the Colosseum, we had a long discussion on how great it would of been to sit with the other 50,000 fans watching the Gladiators fight!!



We walked around and then stopped for directions to see more of the Colosseum.




We stopped for a quick lunch at McDonalds before heading over to Palantine Hill and the Roman Forum. 



Next we went to the Roman Forum, there are a lot of ruins that looked the same over and over so we just got one good shot of us at Circus Maximus!! This is where they used to do chariot racing and must of been way cool back in the day!!



After a long day we got a piece of Darcie's favorite Tiramisu (Italian wedding cake) and some Gelatto and watched a bit of Italian soccer on TV.



The next few days was shopping and visiting the Trevi Fountain, The Patheon and basically strolling around before we had to leave!! Here we are at the Trevi Fountain.



Here we are inside the Patheon, this ceiling was AMAZING!!!





The best part of the trip was the SHOPPING!!! We were 100 feet from Via Del Corso which had Versace, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, Fendi ect ect  Darcie went crazy!! here we are outside the Gucci store.


Here we are with all our shopping bags! Also we went with Steve to get Dolce Gabbana silk boxers! we each got a pair!! hahaha




We went to a Irish Pub to watch the six Nations Cup! Ireland was playing Italy and we were pulling for Ireland to win and they did!! we drank Guiness with Steve!



Then we stopped for a snack... we were always eating and drinking!!




Here we are at the private first class lounge at the airport getting ready to go home.... we had sweet rolls and more Cappucino!!




Darcie pulled off a miracle!!! since we were in first class she went up to the flight deck before take off.. guess what??? WE GOT TO FLY THE PLANE HOME!!!!!!!!! here we are in the cockpit with the pilots!!



After a few hours we wanted a rest... here we are in our seats.. I had a fantastic time mom and I hope you like the photos!!!




Ciao!
Percy

Hi Mom! a few days ago we all got in the truck and headed up to Raleigh to watch a LIVE National Hockey League game!! The North Carolina Hurricanes played Colorado Avalanche and the Hurricanes won! I am a official *CANIAC*  Darcie and Steve are big Caniacs and love to watch the Hurricanes play.  We had great seats up on *Club Level* which we had big leather seats, buffet lunch and our own private TV and a fantastic view of the entire arena.


Here is The Hurricanes logo... which is the real sign for a Hurricane Warning!!! hahaha




Here we are outside the RBC center getting ready to go in and have some fun!!




Before we went inside we stood outside Carter Finley football stadium, this is located across the street from the RBC center.



Here we are before all the players came out on the ice for warm up.



Here we are with our own TV!! we are ready for the game!!


Here we are with our game tickets, we had great seats.


Here we are with our lunch.  We got a HUGE roast beef sandwich, carved by the server and some potato chips and a Coke Zero. 





Here we are with the players, watching them warm up on the ice.



Here we are cheering on The Hurricanes


Here is a shot of the scoreboard and all the different flags from places that have played at this arena.  They also use it for basketball and for concerts.



Anyways Mom I had a fantastic time!  The hurricanes won 5 to 3 and I got to see my first *Hat Trick* the Hat Trick is when one player scores three goals in one game.. this is VERY hard to do! anyways the skater that did this had a ton of hats thrown on the ice by all the fans, everyone threw whatever was on their head onto the ice.  Darcie has NEVER seen this happen live! so it was a real treat!  I really like North Carolina and glad I got to come and meet new friends!! 

Hi Mom!
I got news that I am off to The Netherlands! Darcie helped pack my bags and is taking me to the airport tommorro morning.  I had a fantastic time here in North Carolina (and Rome) and I met some great friends for life!!

Percy

Hello ^___^

Today I finally arrived here in Bovensmilde, The Netherlands from the USA.

It was a long and exhausting trip, but I am looking forward to stay here for a while! And see many things!

Here is a picture from me and Bebe @ my arrival.

More pictures will follow!

*Percy*

Hi mom!

Today I went with host-mom to her internship. She is going to make an Artificial Intelligence Chat bot for the company. When she is done with it she will graduate and will be called: Bachelor of Communication, with specialisation: Gaming & Development.

She is really looking forward to graduate, as she is a bit tired of studying.

As her internship is in Hoogersmilde, which is like 15 min. away from where she lives, she takes the bus every morning and then have to walk 5 minutes to reach her "work". On our little walk we did made pictures of sheeps and horses, but host-mom thought they weren't that pretty so she will redo those tomorrow!

This picture is just like me and happy Dutch tree.



On the next picture you see me coaching my host-mom with her work. She was eating chocolate chip cookies at her desk! If her boss knows, whoaa I think she'll get whipped! So I helped her with eating them. Yummie!



Oh yeah, Hoogersmilde (surrounded by countryside) is a town in the province of Drenthe. Same like where host-mom lives in Bovensmilde, though Hoogersmilde is futher away from the capital city Assen (lies about 16 km south west of Assen).

Assen is quite known (all over the world) about the TT CIRCUIT ASSEN, a motorcycle racing circuit, where on the last Saturday in June the Dutch TT is run. This is a part of the MotoGP World Championship. The other name for this circuit is "The Cathedral" of motorcycling.

Maybe I can go there too, even there aren't any races right now.

*Percy*

Today was a bad day! I has been raining all day so host-mom couldn't remake the pictures of the horses and sheeps. Instead of pictures outside, I went to visit Valentino. Host-moms bunny pet. He's so cute! Kept sniffling me and told me that we could be friends.

I wanted to have pictures with their dog Icarus as well, but he wanted to eat me so I got a bit afraid. Maybe host-mom can make one when he's just awake or so tomorrow then he won't move that much and maybe you'll be able to see me with him on a picture.

Tomorrow host-mom will be going to University to deliver some stuff, so then I can have a look at where she studies as well. Weather might be bad too, but we'll see.

I hope everything is fine over there, mom.

*Percy*

Today it started good! The weather was a bit different than they had forcasted!

Since host-mom was making breakfast I went outside, as I saw Mr. Heron. I told him that I was here for a holiday and all and that it was nice to meet him. As he didn't talk back, I realized he was a fake! *urgh* Oh well, here you see a picture of him and me.



On this early morning, I was hoping to meet the cute wood pigeon couple here that comes every day, I might was too early as I haven't seen them. Hope to have better luck next time!



I went back inside the house and host-mom took a picture of me and Icarus, but on a distance. Do you see his look?! I don't think he likes me or so  .. He probably doesn't understand what I am saying ..



After breakfast we went out. First we had to take the bus to the bus/train station of Assen. There we waited for the train to come to take us to Groningen where host-mom goes to Uni.



It's very important to read the newspaper of the day for the latest news. Like the bomb threat at the Ikea here in the Netherlands. *brr*

When we arrived in Groningen we had to take the bus. This bus trip took about 20 minutes. Here is a picture of me in front of her building where she gets her lessons. Hmm yes, it's a bit fuzzy ..



She has to go 2 stairs up and then she will be here:



Don't I look so small there?!

It was really sunny so host-mom made a little trip espcially for me after she was done with her 3D-lesson, she's making a bird, a goose  !!

As her Institute is located on the Zernike Science Park and is next to the State University of Groningen Zernikecomplex, she thought to make a quick stop there to take a picture of me!



As it was getting late we had to hurry a bit. We took the bus again and went to the city. We saw there city pigeons and gulls flying over. It was market time and as it was also very sunny, many people were out for a drink. It was really cool to talk to them, but they were in a hurry so we don't have any group pictures. The terraces of the cafés were all full. So I posed in front of the Martini Church.



And then we took the bus again to go back to the bus/train station of Groningen.
As we had a bit of time left she told me to pose in front of the train station and at a statue there.





I surely look very small, can you find me mom?!

Hope you like it so far.

Missing you mommy 

*Percy*

Today is Saturday! We didn't do much as it was raining again. But I did saw her preparing the oven dish that they would be eating that evening.
She went to the butcher and supermarket without me, for a quick errand. She had to get minced meat, diced bacon, chicory and potato slices. Anyways this oven dish is called "chicory with minced meat and diced bacon ovendish" .

It looked very yummie before it went into the oven as she did some cheese powder on top of it as she forgot to get grated cheese. This will do too I guess. So when it went into the oven I went to game on her NintendoDS as she was reading a book.

After like 45 minutes the oven dish looked good and it smells very nice. Oh I tasted it and it was really delicious! Maybe I was hungry of all the gaming I did on her NintendoDS, she got many nice games  .

Other than that, I think we'll be watching a movie or so tonight. Maybe I'll go and play with Bebe's friends, I haven't met them all yet.

Hugs to you mommy!

*Percy*

Hi mom! I am sorry I haven't updated the last few days, but host mom was very busy when she came home from work to fix and burn the DVD she was making for her boyfriend's grandma. The weather was very foggy and all, but she made a few pics on monday, tuesday and today.

A few on the way to host-mom's work and one on the bus and one from today, in the afternoon when the weather became clear and sunny. Still chilly cold though!

I hope you like the pictures!



This is at her busstop where she waits for the bus to get to work. The water you see, is a long canal which is called "Drentsche Hoofdvaart" (41,8 km long).



We are in the bus on our way to work! Whoaaa can you see, in front of us is another bus. I thought it was very cool to be on the bus. Yes, bus bus bus, very cool!



An open field, on her way to work. She has to walk like 5 minutes when she gets off the bus, so this is what she see! It was very foggy on Monday so..



Yesterday the weather was ok in the early morning, no fog as on Monday. But this is the road she has to walk nearly everyday to get to work.

Today the weather started with very foggy weather (again), but it got very sunny and bright this afternoon, so in the lunch break we went outside for some fresh air and as one of her boss pony's were close to the fence it was cute to have a picture of us together. So here you see me with 1 of the 2 pony's her boss got. They are in a field next to the company and on the other side of the company is the house of her boss. Easy life I think!



Big hug!

*Percy*

Hi mom!

Me and host-mom and Mr. Bunny (he arrived on 17 March) left home early to visit some places before she would go to Uni for her lesson 3D.

Ok first stop was at the Deer Camp in Assen. I first posed with this Deer Camp statue.



And then we saw the deers. They are so cute! It was very sunny that day so it was really beautiful to see them walking around and enjoying the weather. Even the ducks in the water were all happy and talking out loud.



After visiting the deers we walked to town of Assen. There was another statue.



Looks like a farmer, not sure though. This statue was close to the museum called "Drents Museum". Host-mom went to this museum a little while ago to see the Terracotta Army. Do you know it? Anyways this museum had these huge insects infront of it, I think because of the art exhibition that is there now.



We walked then up to a famous Character there in Drenthe. He is called Bartje.



Bartje Bartels is the main character of the books from Anne de Vries (a Dutch teacher and writer). It's about a boy that grew up in a poor farmer family. Instead of following his dad's footstep as a farm laborer he wanted to see the world. Though his destiny was somewhere else. After a few years working as a servant he has to take care of the family when his mom passes away.

To be honest, host-mom knew nothing about Bartje until she started to date her (first) boyfriend and later moved to Drenthe. She's already 8 years together with him! And no, no, not married yet! 

Ok as we had a long walk and all, we had a quick mini break so we sat on a stone bench near Bartje. Here you see me with Mr. Bunny. He looks very small, so adorable. LOL!



And then we walked to the trainstation where we took the train to Groningen and so. Mr. Bunny then also saw where host-mom studies and all that. I think he was very excited like I was. Being in a Dutch train and also see the Martini Church and so, like I did earlier!

Hugs *Percy*

Hello mom!

As host-mom promised to help her brother's girlfriend with a scrapbook album (for friends of them that are getting married in May) we had to take the train to her hometown Arnhem. This trip takes over 2 hours of travelling (bus + train + bus), but since there were some track work (they were working on the rail tracks and so), from Assen we couldn't take the intercity train to Zwolle. So we had to take the bus that they had prepared for all these passengers that needed to go to Zwolle or had to switch train (we had to switch train in Zwolle to take another train that goes to Arnhem). Anyways, we don't have pictures of this trip as it was very crowdy in the bus to Meppel (from there, we had to take a train to Zwolle). *sigh*

After we finally arrived in Zwolle we had to take the train to Arnhem. There weren't many people as the train compartment where we were in was like totally empty. So here you see me in the 2nd class of the train.



And this is when I look outside. It's the trainstation of Zwolle.



Looks cool huh? We left Bovensmilde at 8:30AM and we arrived in Arnhem at 11:30AM !! Trip took a bit longer since the track work stuff, ugh!

Arnhem is the home town of host-mom, she lived there for like 17 years or so.

A bit of history about Arnhem:

In World War II, during Operation Market Garden (September 1944), the British 1st Airborne Division and the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade were given the task of securing the bridge at Arnhem. The units were parachuted and glider-landed into the area on September 17 and later. The bulk of the force was dropped rather far from the bridge and never met their objective. A small force of British 1st Airborne managed to make their way as far as the bridge but was unable to secure both sides. The Allied troops encountered stiff resistance from the German 9th and 10th SS Panzer divisions, which had been stationed in and around the city.

The British force at the bridge eventually surrendered on September 21, and a full withdrawal of the remaining forces was made on September 26. These events were dramatized in the 1977 movie A Bridge Too Far. (The bridge scenes in the movie were shot in Deventer, where a similar bridge over the IJssel was available, as the area around Arnhem bridge had changed too much to represent WWII era Arnhem). As a tribute, the rebuilt bridge was renamed 'John Frost-bridge' after the commander of the paratroopers. The official commemoration is September 16.

The current bridge is the third almost-identical bridge built at the same spot. The Dutch Army destroyed the first bridge when the Germans invaded Holland in 1940. The second bridge was destroyed by the US Army Air Forces shortly after the 1944 battle.

A second battle of Arnhem took place in April 1945 when the city was liberated by I Canadian Corps of the First Canadian Army.

Although it is generally said, as above, that the British Force at the Northern end of the Arnhem bridge surrendered, General John Frost, who as a Lt Col commanded that force, fiercely denied that. He and his men were overwhelmed and were captured.



Arnhem is unique in the Netherlands with its trolleybus system and also the only one.

How cool is that! As you see on the picture  ! The bus with his end destiny Rijkerswoerd is the bus that we took to visit host-mom's brother and girlfriend. The bus next to it "De Laar West" goes to her mom. We first dropped our bags and stuff at her brother's house and we went back to town with her brother to pick up his girlfriend.



We haven't had lunch yet so we went to the Kentucky Fried Chicken. She finds it yummie, I actually wanted a corn / cob, but she forgot to order that! But I got one afterwards together with Mr. Bunny.

We then had to shop a bit for some craft supplies and after we had everything we went home.



Here you see me  in their car. That building that you see infront of us is OHRA. That is an insurance company.

Well that was all for this Saturday! As host-mom was busy with crafting and all.

Hugs *Percy*

As we were staying at host-mom's brother + gf house we were a bit lucky. We could go to the playground infront of their house. While host mom was crafting inside, we went outside and saw some kids playing. Not sure why but they were looking weird at us. Probably we were without parental controls *giggle*.
We had a lot of fun though!

On this picture you see me sitting on a toadstool. On the back you see their house!



We also had some fun on the swing. Though it was very windy so we had to take quick pictures. I wanted to swing with Mr. Bunny, but we kept blown away by the wind. *nawwww*



There were also some stone / rocks there so we took some pictures there as well. The kids there still kept looking weird at us. Oh well, we didn't stay that long outside anyways because it was so windy.



Around lunch time (we ate pancakes!) a friend with her baby girl came over. She was so funny! They gave her muffin with chocolate pieces in it, while she was eating it + walking around she was like this fairytale "Hansel and Gretel", she was like scattering crumbs around and we followed her. Too bad no pictures of that because host-mom was eating pancakes...

Then we went back home again after the pancakes and all. Again the long trip back to Bovensmilde, but we really had a great and fun time!

Hugs *Percy*