Travelog for: Paddington Bear

Happy new year mummy!

First I have to tell you bed news. Our pictures from our new years eve party are gone. The card on which the pictures were is broken and we couldn't get the pictures back. That's so a pitty. But you can be sure we had a great party.

Our first day in the new year was easy, we took a walk around through Neuenstadt, where Zandys boyfriends lifes. And here you can see me in front of the pen air theatre.





It's a famous place here in the town. Every year they play theatre there. And Zandy told me it makes a lot of fun to wath it, because it's special to watch it open air.
To see he open-air theatre we must pass the "Lindenplatz" ( basswoodplace). It's named so because in the middle of it there is a big  basswood.



In winter it's a little bit sad there, but Zandy showed us how it looks in summer. Really nice.

So bye bye mummy!
Love yours,
Paddington

Hello mummy!

Today a new TV arrived. Also a bear. Now we are four TVs, Hanni and HolgiHH leaved us some dayes before. Of coure we gave the bear a warm welcome.





His name is Icy. I think we will have a lot of fun together.

Greetings,
Paddington

Brrrrrr it's cold. Today we went geocaching. It was nice to go outside but the days efore it rains and rains and rains and - oh guess - it rains ... So all was wet and after some time it began to also to rain. But Zandy hold us in her bag, so that we TVs didn't get wet.

But it was cool, look our first Cache we found. A really lovely one.



Rawr a dragon for us. 
And than we passed this old ruin. It was the first chruch in Neuenstadt, and this is what still shows, that there was a Chruch in the past.

Can you find me?

Yes! You are right! Ok you see my scarf and my head. 



These two places were the nicest once. The others we mustn't write about.  now it's time to drink a tea and warum up.

Love yours,
Paddington

Hi mummy!

Today we visited the "Golberg" It's a little hill near Öhringen. On ths hill there is a BBQ area and a court for children. A nice place. Zandy told us, that she wasn't here for years. When she was younger her parents came often here with here.

From here you have a really great look around. But guss what happen when we went to the top? Yes! It began to rain. So we only could make two pictures and must go than. What a pitty!





Like you can see (maybe) there is a lot of wine around us. I think in summer it must be really great here.

Bye bye!

Hey mummy,

today a new tV arrived. Her name is Mirembe and she is from the UK, too. That's great.





I asked her to have a teatime together, and she saied that will be great. But I think I must wait, because she and ThomasHH were a little bit funny. (Did they fell in love?!) We will see.

Bye mummy! Yours,
Paddington

Hello mummy!

Today we helped Zandy to make a presend for her boyfriend. Tomorrow it's his birthday. We made a savings box. He will go to Africa some day, to see the Kilimantscharo. So we made a box with African animals. It's really lovely.



Bye mummy, now we must go to bed.
Good night!

Today it was time for party. I'm so tired. We had so much to do and forget the Cam at home. So we couldn't take pictures at teh place where the party was.

But after all we take this pictur ewith the lovely birthdaycake from Zandy's boyfriend.

Hey mummy!

Today a packet arrived here. We all were waiting for a new TV. And so we fast opened the packet, but ...



... like you see, no TV inside. Than we put out the things there and found another packet. And when we opened it there was someone laying, but it doesn't move, so we look a little bit closer...



... and than the Tv jumped up. You can't belive what a schock it was.



Slowely I stay up and look sceptical. This isn't the fine english art.



But than he say sorry and we go closer to talk a little bit. The name of the new TV is LittleLuzi. A nice guy (but he thinks he is the evil in person. That's not the truth, but we didn't say it to him, I think it's better  )



And after talking there was nothing to do anymore. So it's time to say goodbye mummy.

Hi mummy!

Today it is Zandy's Birthday and so I jumped on her bed and awake her to give her with the others to sing Happy Birthday. She was happy about it.

Than we had to say goodbye to Icy. He leave us today.



Puh so much in one hour. The postman ring and Zandy go upstairs, than she brought some packages with her. Look, so many...



We thought this are birthday presents but she told us, that she had won a competition on bookcrossing and therefore she gets many many books. This is a community in which you can chance books with other users. Than we helped her to open the envelops.



We read a little bit, but than it was time to go to the post office. Icy must go on his way and some books from Zandy. So we jumped into her bag.



After the post office we take a little walk through the town. Here you can see us on a stonebuilding.





It's a pice of a watergame for children. Now it's no water in it. The game is from one end of the street to the other one. Here you can see me in front of a picture of the watergame. On the right side you see a red key. It's the "Öhringer Schlüssel", the emblem of Zandy's hoemtown.



It was very cold outside, so we walk home and pass the market place. Behind us you can see the castle of Öhringen, in the part you can see is the guildhall of Öhringen.



And the last picture for today (It was time! Zandy's hand were blue, because of the temperature). This is the Stiftskirche (church). The tower behind me is called the Blasturm (blow tower) it's about 56 meters high. - But you know it allready, sur? 



So good night all at home.
Yours,
Paddington

Hey at home!

Today Zandy and her mom decided to go shopping and we were allowed to go with them. Therefore we take the city railway, because we went to Heilbronn.



We cross a lot of citys. And in a spezial one we take this pictures:





The name of the city is Weinsberg. And we take this picture, because the castle there (you can see it on the hill on the left or in front of us. I hope you can it wasn't easy to take a good picture while the railway droves) has a nice story. It's called "Weibertreu" (somethink like: broad loyal). Why they call it so? Zandy told me and I'll tell it to you.

In 1140 the owners of the castle were the Guelf (Welfen) and they fight against the Hohenstaufen dynasty about the maystery in the empire. King Konrad III. besiged the castle and won the fight against his adversery Welf VI on the 21st December 1140. So the castle give up some time later and King Konrad III. allowed the women to go. And he said, that the women can take all with them if they can carry it on their shoulders. The men must stay there and the king would kill them.
So the women did it like he said, they take all with them what they can carry on their shoulders: Their men!
And so the castle get it's name.

So enought facts. It's time for fun.  On our way in Heilbronn we found this little boat and decided to play a little bit on it.



After hours we get hungry, so we buy something. Me and my friends decided to eat a salat with scampi.



Look I met this nice Lady.



And while it was cold we drink some hot chocolate. A really big pot for my. *yummy*



Than it was time to go home. While we were waiting for our city railway we take some more pictures. Here I'm in front of the city hall of Heilbronn. The clock is really nice, or?



There are three clocks. The highest one is a phase of the moon clock, the middle one is a normal time clock and the last one ist the astronomical clock. It was build in 1580 by Isaac Habrecht.

On the place in front of the city hall we found an embleme which shows all city partnership of Heilbronn. The cities are: Stockport in the UK, Neath Port Talbot in Southwales, Béziers in France, Solothurn in Schwizerland, Slubice in Poland and Frankfurt (Oder) in Germany. Zandy would take a picture and said we should sit on one flag. Of course I sit on the UK flag.





And the last picture before we go home is with the ower of the Kilianskirche (church). It's a gothic one, first it was a romanic build in 1100.



Good night mummy, now I'm tired.

Hi mummy!

Today we‘ve visited Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Rothenburg is a city in Bavaria, in the administrative district Ansbach in Middle Franconia. Rothenburg has round 11000 inhabitants. And Zandy showed us some pictures from some years ago, when she was there. The old city is sooooooooooooo awesome. A really medieval city.

In the morning we waked up and prepair us for our jounrey. It was could outside, but  we heat the car up.





We had a lot of fun during our drive. We sang songs and look outside. There was snow lieing and the landscape was wonderful. After round a hour we came to Rotheburg and look mummy what we saw, when we leave the car.



And than we walked behind the wall and found stairs. We decided to go up.







At the top of the Wall we can walk on the  parapet walk and of course we did it. What a fun and nice thing. Look and then we found this way.





We talked together if we should go there into the dark. And Little Luzi said, we should do, there is nothing we must have fear.



But before we walked through I saw a very funny sign. Isn’t it?



After our walk on the parapet walk we go down and saw this nice tower. We all were very surprised, that all this things are in such a good situation after all this years.



And then in a separate part of the wall we had a really great view over Rothenburg. And with the snow it was really great.





Here are a grouppicture of us in front of the great view.



But it’s getting colder there, so we decided to walk  our way. And it was good, because we found this old church. (But we can’t go inside, there was a mess and we thought it will be bad to go inside during this.)



And look there was a sun clock on a house.



On the other side of the church we found this relief of a religious szene. We are not really sure which one it is and there was no sign.





Oh mummy, and we found a Teddyland. Look how many teddies there in the window. We tried to talk with the teddies but they didn’t hear us. 



And then we found a really nice fountain. There are a lot fountains in Rothenburg.



Mummy, Zandy showed us a store with Christmasdecorations. This store is open the whole year. She told us, that it is very funny to go there in summer, because than you didn’t think on Christmas, but in the store you must do it. Sadly it wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside the store and the Christmas museum.





After this visit we went to a museum. A scary museum. It’s called medieval crimemuseum. Look what we found outside.





A cage in which you put thieves and then you put them into the water. *brrr* And before you go in you see this horse buggy. You know what there are for? Yes, in this horse buggy  you bring the thieves to the prison or to the deathsman. Scary!



MUMMY! HELP! Look what they do with me!!!! They put me into the gallows.



Hihi, don’t worry mummy. This was my idea, I want to take a picture. 

And then the doors opend and we could go inside. Wow, it was so dark in the first room, so that the pictures aren’t very well, but we do our best.



A reck. This was a torture instrument to bring the defendant to a guilty plea. And look a chair with thrones. *brrr*



After this scary torture instrument we found some prison doors. And I decided to go behind so that Zandy could take a picture.



Mummy and look at this masks. Buh, scary.



This are Shame masks from the 17./18. from old Austria. The left mask has a mustache with twisted ends, horn and openings on the sides, for attachements of chicken feathers (symboling sexual lack of restrain). On top of the mask are bells which make the public aware when they ring.
The middle mask is one with a pig shout instead of a human mouth. This symbolized that the person wearing it acted like a pig.
The right has big glasses which shows, that the person sees all and the tounge says that the person talked about all.
On the next picture you can see me and my friends reading a strange story. It was in German, but the others help me to understand. And it was really, really, really strange.



I will tell you what the story tells: The title is “The animal banish”

There was a downright court procedure against animals in the 15. century in the Switzerland.
The area of Bern was attacked several times of cockchafer grubs. To fight the grubs, because they menace the harvest, the bishop of Lausanne began a court procedure against them with the ambition to banish them:
He send a apparitor to them, to call them to send an ambassador to the court. But the animals didn’t came and so the court procedure happened without them. And so the bishop adjudge them to leave the country in a deadline. But the cockchafer didn’t go. And so the bishop anathematized them.

Mummy, we all laughed so loud, that the other people look at us. But we are right, or? So silly people! How they can think, that cockchafer will come to a court procedure? So silly! Really!

But ok, we came to us an than our tour goes on. We found this big equipment, to press emblems of different things.



And this different punishmends of honour.



Mummy, look at this crazy mask. It’s a shame mask from the 17. Century. Shame masks were put on those heads from people standing at the pillories. They served on one hand to elucidate the bad character and crime of the person being punished, and on the other hand to make them look ridiculous and to encourage the mockery on the onlookers.



And this is also silly! A shame flute. It was used for bad musicians. The neck on the musicianwas forded  trough the upper round hole and the fingers were placed under the iron. This gave the impression that the musician is playing the flute.



This mask was only for man.



We found a glass case which shows some traditional things that women wear on their wedding.



Of course we found THE torture and death penalty oft the medieval time. The iron maiden. I think you know what this “lady” do. *shiver* This one is an original from the 15./16. century from Nuremberg. But this one wasn’t really a torture or death penalty, it was a shame penalty for women and girls.





Can you see the cage behind us? Ok I know it isn’t easy, but we do our best. It’s known a “The Trülle” here . It’s a pillory in form of a cage in which offenders stood, either standing free on all sides on a public place or fitted into the front of a building (most the town hall). This cage could be rotated , mummy.  It was the punishment for work-dodgers and for revelers who disturbed the peace at night while drunk.

On the right site there is a big justice sword.

Next I saw a funny picture with shows different punishes. Ok, it looks funny on the picture, but in real they were not so funny, I guess.



Mummy do you see the things on the floor? I will tell you what they are.



Left the stone,  this is called Turkish head. After the defeat of the Turks in Vienna 1683, this head was worn around a chain as a symbol of shame. The both stones in the middle are called stones of wickedness (lorry). And right are the wooden block. This is a weight which a person had to wear during he was standing at the pillory.

The next picture shows a justice. I think you can see what the persons and floors shows us.



Mummy, so you know what the next picture shows?



I’ll tell you. It shows a “Drunk Tank”. Especially it was used for men who went often to the inns and drank too much. Through the hole came the head so that the weight of the barrel was carried of the shoulders. As a special hardship sometimes weights were put on the outside. (How silly?!)



Here you can see me and my friends in front of a model of a marketplace. Right you can see a building whit is open, this shows a school and the different classrooms.  When we walked our way we saw an old school table and a donkey.





You didn’t believe for what the donkey was. It was for blithering  pupil, they must sit on the monkey. Crazy people!

Oh and we found weights. Whit this people buy their things. Of course some weights were faked, so that people must pay more than they really must.



And we found a glass case which shows different gallows and pillory. How much they have. For everything a different one.





Scary clothes, or mummy? There are from a deathsman. Now I know why people were afraid if they see such a man. I would be afraid too if such a man cross my way.





The wheels were also a punishment. People were non-friable and than they drive with the wheel on armes and legs oft the people. Mummy, it is sooooo brutal. What the people in the medieval times had in their heads?!







Mummy I’ll come to you.
No, don’t worry, we only found this old gun and I decided to take a picture. After all the scary things I must do something funny.

I saw this picture which shows two criminal persons.



And another wooden block. Hmm I wouldn’t wear this thing.



Look, only for you mummy. :-D Hehe no, I think it’s no good idea to steal them. There are beautiful. But I think our crown-jewles are more important, or mummy?!



Puuuuh this was a trip. Scary, silly but also very interesting. How people change in time, this is very interesting. And I’m happy, that they change, because when not I’ll never become a ToyVoyager.  But so I learn something and that’s good. After our trip to the museum we went to a cafe with a delicacy from Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It’s called Schneeball (snow ball). Zandy told me, that this pastries are from shortcrust. The first ones were only with sugar powder but now there are many differend sorts. You can see them behind me and my friends.



Of course Zandy saied that we will taste them and than we had the spoilt for choice. I decided to take a snow ball with marzipan and dark chocolate. And it was sooooooooo delicious. I would like to send one to you, but I think I had no chance to do it. I’m sorry mummy.



Than it‘s getting late and we had to go back to the car. On our way we passed another great fountain. Look at the statue on it.



But than we decided to take another walk on the  parapet walk, but now the other side. First we take this picture, you see me on the wall?!





From above we saw a nice house with a really nice clock. Isn’t it?



And we like the sunset from above. It was really nice. I hope you see it a little bit on the pictures. It was very cold and I don’t know who shivers more I or Zandy.





And we saw this tower with some emblemes, the left and right one shows the embleme of Rothenburg but we don’t know which one the middle one is.



And the last picture was this one.



And than we drove home and fell into our beds, because we were so tired.

Bye bye mummy, I hope you enjoy my Rothenburg-Trip.
Yours,
Paddington