Travelog for: Baby Lican

I'm ready to start my journey!
Please help me to complete my life mission

I want to leave this place and see the world~

Oh yeah, I'm leaving Hong Kong to visit Germany!!!

Hi Mummy,
I am not lost!!! Finally I arrived in Germany. The postman tried to deliver me to my host Katja on July 7th. Katja was not in town than, so he took me back to the post office and left a notification.

Today I was picked up at the post office. Like Katja already guessed, my package was probably stuck at the customs authority.



Now I'm here and I will enjoy my stay. In Germany the weather is bad, it's rainy and rather cold. Next week it will be better, Katja told me.

Bye
Baby Lican

Hi Mummy,

we celebrated my birthday today!





Little cat Prance was still asleep, she came later and Katja lit my birthday candle once more. Prance even helped me to eat the fish



By the way, the other ToyVoyagers are calling me "Baby Stork", they say that I would probably be a stork, not a pelican. They said that with my red beak, legs and feet I would rather look like a stork. What do you think, Mummy? Katja told me I should not care about that. Both pelicans and storks were eating fish, so there is no need to worry about being a stork or a pelican.

Bye
Baby Lican

Hi Mummy,
today the weather was better again.

First we had to do some shopping. On our way to the shop Katja showed us a bit of the city.

This intersection is close to my current home, the scaffolded building in the background is the local court.



The pretty house on the right side is one of the typical "Bergisch Houses", covered with slate, having green shutters.







In the late afternoon we took a walk to the municipal park. To get there we walked along this nice alley.



Pretty hydrangea in a front garden ...



In the municipal park they have a pond with ducks and turtles.









Here you can see a memorial for the dead of several earlier wars, before World War I, situated in a flower  garden.







On the next photo you can see the outskirts of Remscheid and the neighbour city Wuppertal.





Bye
Baby Lican

Hi Mummy,
we went to Wuppertal today. Wuppertal is one of the neighbour cities. Katja had to buy a few things at Hornbach, her favourite DIY-store. She had to make a new interior for her large rat cage.

Afterwards we went to the Botanical Garden. Wuppertal is situated, like the name already says, at the river Wupper, along a deep valley with the city centre in the valley itself, large parts on the steep slopes of the valley.

You can find the Botanical Garden on a very high point, overlooking the city centre in the valley. In 1890 it was a school garden first. Later, in 1908 a textile industrialist built his country house here, the "Eller'sche Villa". Later the Elisenturm Elisen Tower) was also built here, which is now the focal point of the garden. Since 1929 it is a municipal garden, open daily.



This is the Elisenturm.



First we entered the tower and enjoyed the fantastic overview.



Here you can see the new greenhouses, they were built in 2006.



We went to the greenhouses than. Here you can see plants from the warmer parts of the world, like palms.







We went into the garden than. I saw lots of pretty flowers and interesting trees, also the former country house.









This bed is showing typical plants of a moor area, also insect-eating plants.



I also saw a plant with vast leafs. The leafs were swinging with the wind.



Back home we helped to install the new things to the rat cage. I will show it to you soon.

Bye
Baby Lican

Hi Mummy,
the weather was bad today - like so often here. So we only took a walk in the municipal area. Katja went with a friend and took me and cat Prance with her. She said it would be enough to have two wet ToyVoyagers if it should start to rain again Of course I am used to become wet … but a cat? Poor Prance ...

We walked along the Route of Tools (Trasse des Werkzeugs). This is a lane for pedestrians and cyclists which was built on a closed railway track. It was sponsored by local tool producing companies. Remscheid is famous for it's tool producing industry since medieval times. That's why this lane is called Trasse des Werkzeugs. It starts at the central railway statioin and is following a former track for freight trains to the district Hasten, it is about 5 km long.

We walked the opposite direction, from Hasten to the central railway station. We went through the municipal park to get to Hasten. Today I saw the observatory, situated in the entrance area of the park.



From the Route of Tools you have a great view to the suburbs of the neighbour cities, here it is Wuppertal again.



Of course we had to cross roads sometimes.



At an intersection some signs with the logos of some sponsors are installed.



The first one is showing the crest of Remscheid.



You can find some artwork along this route. Here is a statue made of the waste of punched parts for tools. They were welded together and later painted by kids. Can you spot us sitting in the coloured thing?



Here we are!



Those old houses were built really close to the railway track.



This is the temporary initial point. The route still has to be completed over a few hundred meters to the central station. They were building a new central station during the last two years. It was completed last month. Now the Route of Tools also will be finished soon.



From here walked home through the city centre.



We bought some pieces of cake in the bakery on the right side of the next photo.



This is one of the churches in the city centre.



We saw this funny fountain here, with a lot of whirling and spattering mechanism.



Here you can see the beginning of the main shopping street.



This is the main entrance of the shopping mall. Of course there is nothing going on because it is Sunday, all shops except of cafes, some flower shops, bakeries and petrol stations are closed in Germany.





At the end of the shopping street you can find those giant forceps, as a symbol for the tool producing industry.



We also took a fast look at the city hall, which is the building with the tower.



From here we went to the home of Katja's friend an enjoyed our cake and coffee.
By the way, it did not rain, so we kept dry.

Bye
Baby Lican

Hi Mummy,
I'm travelling to Portugal now with Katja's sister Ina, her husband and her son.



Bye
Baby Lican

Hi Mummy,
my stomach wasn't felling very well. Ina told me that they have special bags for those travellers ...



Baby Lican

Hi Mummy,
finally I arrived in Sagres. After the exhausting flight I'm relaxing on the balcony of our apartment. Now I have to unpack the suitcases. The outlook is georgeous!



I wanted to take a first look at the beach actually, but I almost flew away! Let's see if I can find a calm place.



This is much better! Here I have a great view to the Praia do Bordeira at the west coast of Algarve.





At Prada da Mareta near Sagres you can find wind-shaded rocks, even niches for storks (or pelicans?)



Now I'd like to have a cosy blanket and some sardines.



Also a pretty place. The beach is situated wind-shaded in a bay and surrounded by rocks. Maybe I'll go swimming later.



Dinner in Sagres. I ordered boiled shrimps with aioli and white bread and a beer. Cheers!



Bye for today
Baby Lican

Hi Mummy,
this is my new friend, Figo. He is a famous Portuguese football player. He owns a bar at the south coast, at the marina.



Here you can see him better.



At the marina they even have a cow, wearing a shirt. I wanted to take a rodeo ride, but the stupid cow did not move.



This is Silva da Ponte - a memorial to the ancient navigators. Fortunately he did not turn the steering wheel, otherwhise I would have had to vomit again.



At Vilamoura marine, one of the largest in Europe, I wanted to buy this pretty yacht. But the owner was not willing to swap the yacht with my sardines.

In Algoz/Pera at the South Coast I visited the Fiesa 2009,  the largest sand sculpture event in the world. Artists from all over the world built a sandy world referring the theme "Discoveries".



The old Egypts were also present. After Ina shot the photo I flew away because the mummie was really scaring ...



Such a day in the sun is really exhausting. That's why I had a nap with the elephants.



My holiday hosts and their son become fond of me really quick. And I also had lots of strokes.



Bye for now
Baby Lican

Hi Mummy,
this is the rough Atlantic Coast of  Algarve, the West Coast. I'm sitting on an outlook-runway, somewhere between Praia do Amado and Praia do Bordeira.

Hi Mummy,
today we made a trip to Praia da Luz at the South Coast. The sea is more calmed here and it is not so windy, but the beach is really crowded. Let's drive back to the West Coast!



I found more privacy in my palm at the promenade of Praia da Luz.