Terry, LOST LOST LOST, USA

Pixiedustlady Posted Mar 19, 2009, 3:05 pm	I am Terry the Tiger and I am now activated and ready for my big adventure around the world.  I would love to come and visit your town and learn about how you live.  I do not need fancy places to visit, your house is just fine! I look forward to meeting you! Now I just need a host... if you are interested in me please send my mom a Private Message.  Thank you!!
iddewes Posted Mar 28, 2009, 1:49 pm	Hi Mom! I've arrived in London, England - pretty much safe and sound, although that postman is a real jerk! He really tried to SHOVE me through the mail slot! It's not that wide! Oh well, here I am, just after I arrived. The weather isn't too great today though so we're not going out yet. Here I'm looking out at the grey and rainy garden...
iddewes Posted Mar 28, 2009, 9:54 pm	So...we just had an hour in darkness for Earth Day...everyone around the world was meant to turn power off for an hour, between 8:30 - 9:30. It's to help the environment! Here I am with lots of candles! And reading with a flashlight! Hmm, the neighbours aren't being environmental though!
iddewes Posted Mar 29, 2009, 4:41 pm	Here's a bit more around the house and nearby... we didn't get too far today either. Were going to go for a walk but the weather is really strange today...so didn't get very far! Oh here i am meeting the house cat, Shaggy Marley! He looks like he's going to eat me here but actually he was very nice. this is the street outside... and here's the local post office...plus the traditional red mailbox
iddewes Posted Apr 7, 2009, 10:28 pm	Well, haven't done a lot yet, but went for a nice little walk in Stoke Newington, which is just down the road from where my hostess lives. It's a little bit nicer than her actual area too. There are two big churches there, both the church of St Mary, both Church of England. They are related but one's the old church and the other is the 'new' one. Well here I am by the old one - it really is pretty old, maybe about 500 years! there's the door and the old churchyard (most graves seem to be newer than that though...mostly 19th century I think) there's the new church.. There is a park right next to the churches too Clissold Park, it's very nice. cool park benches there Oh the other thing though...it's quite funny that my hostess took pics of me by the churches because actually she's Jewish! But her Jewish community is quite small and they actually meet in a hall belonging to the churches! They get on very well with the priest. Now it's almost Passover...she's not allowed to eat bread then but only special crackers called Matzah. She got given a free box of them by the Chabad Lubavitch, they are a special group that would like to make all Jews turn Orthodox... My hostess is not Orthodox but she got the crackers anyway Isn't it a nice box? She also has kosher chocolate spread, yummy!
iddewes Posted Apr 13, 2009, 11:07 pm	Well here I am! Hope Mom had a good Easter! I've had quite a quiet time here - well it wasn't Easter for my hostess anyway, she had Passover, but anyway had a few days off work, but the weather was SOOOO bad this weekend! It got a bit better today so we went to visit her grandmother, who lives in Barnes, in a really nice part of south west London. My hostess would love to live there but it's very expensive. Anyway...first of all we took the bus to Waterloo station. (here's me on the bus!) Here I am at the station! It's really big and busy! Here I'm on the train! Now I'm in Barnes! Here's Barnes Pond, my hostess' Nana often sits here. and some spring blossoms More Barnes... by Barnes church... My hostess' uncle's favourite pub The Coach and Horses And here's a house where a famous person lived - the composer Gustav Holst. When someone famous (who's now dead) lived in a house in London, they often put up these blue plaques on the houses. Here's the Thames river... and signs showing where we are We had a really nice day there On the way home...well Waterloo is right in the centre of London, and there's a nice place to walk along called Southbank, so we went there. Here's the famous London Eye (I'm afraid we didn't go on it though!) There's a Salvador Dali museum there so some Dali sculptures too some more spring blossoms (they're everywhere in London!!!) and nice views along the river (yes, it's the same river as in Barnes, this is just a different area!) Here you can see the Houses of Parliament in the background...where the government of the UK meets. a lamp post... and that's about it for now.
iddewes Posted Apr 15, 2009, 11:11 pm	Hi again! Just been to the City of London - the oldest part of London - where my hostess works. She works at London Metropolitan Uni there. It's interesting because most of it doesn't look very old now - it's also the financial centre, so there were a lot of new buildings put up recently - only now there's a recession, so maybe there won't be so many new buildings...! But anyway...we walked over to the Tower of London, which is only about 10 minutes walk from her work. It's nearly 1000 years old!!! Not the whole building, but part of it. It has been a royal palace, a dungeon, a site of execution..now it's mostly a museum, but some people still live there, they work for the Queen. The Queen doesn't live there at all now though. Just outside it - here's a bit of a wall that dates back to when the Romans were in Britain - with a statue of a Roman to go with it! Found an interesting sign about the Tower (that's its wall behind) ...and...the Tower... This is Traitor's Gate...a boat used to come in through this gate with a prisoner in it! :S there's the river again! Here's Tower Bridge! It's a lot newer than Tower of London though, I think it's maybe from the 19th century. It can open up in the centre for big ships to go through, but usually it's never opened now. Oh I never quite saw what Dead Man's Hole is though! Had a bit of a look nearer my hostess' workplace! As you can see it's VERY BUSY around there! But here are some nice flowers! Here's the London Underground Station for Aldgate - we haven't been on the London Underground trains yet! A sign showing where we are! Here you can see the sign for London Metropolitan University (it's purple!) and also a kiosk where they sell jellied eels. Sounds really yucky to me, and my hostess would never eat them, but it's a traditional East End of London food. Just a sign on a pub showing we are on Whitechapel Road And now we're inside my hostess' office.
iddewes Posted May 3, 2009, 10:30 pm	Hello!!! It's been a little while I know...haven't had a chance to get out and about much. But...was out today! Weather wasn't too bad either. We thought we'd visit a few more famous sights in the centre. First of all we visited Covent Garden market. Ok, it wasn't open yet, but the architecture there is nice. We checked our directions... and then went out to the famous street called The Strand! It leads to Trafalgar Square, the most famous square in London. Unfortunately there seems to be a lot of scaffolding up around the square, we don't know what's going on there!!! But tried to take a few photos anyway. Here's the statue of Admiral Lord Nelson, the hero of the Battle of Waterloo! Here's the National Gallery... This is the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields (don't know why it is called that when there aren't any fields!) I guess you can see the weather was getting quite cloudy then but luckily it never rained! Anyway here are two more views from the square... Then we went for a walk down the road called the Mall...on Sunday no one drives on it... It leads to Buckingham Palace, the Queen's main home!!! Here are the fancy gardens just to the side of the palace... A memorial to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the current Queen's parents And this is St James' Park, a lovely park right by the palace. Also belongs to the Queen but anyone can walk there. After that...went to a cafe for a cup of tea... and then home on the bus!
AnjaM Posted May 27, 2009, 10:07 pm	At Anja's House Hi Mommy, I have arrived safe and well at Anja's house in Germany. When I came out of my envelope, I was greeted by some other TV's: Harold Giraffe, Wusch, Garry and Sweetsy (from left to right) They said that they have seen a lot of nice things with Anja. I can't wait!  And then Harold, Sweetsy and I waved goodbye to Garry and Wusch, who are going to Hong Kong. Hong Kong, wow!  But I am now looking forward to all the nice things to see in Germany. Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jun 1, 2009, 6:12 pm	Medieval Market in Kronberg Hi Mommy, yesterday, Anja took us to the medieval market in the castle in Kronberg. Quote: Kronberg's Town and Castle Kronberg lies at the foot of the Taunus, flanked in the north and southwest by forests. Also worthy of mention, besides the well preserved, compact Old Town with Kronberg Castle (or Burg Kronberg, with its keep, which is the town's oldest building) from the 13th to 16th centuries, are the Schloss Friedrichshof (a stately home built as a widow's residence for "Empress Frederick" and now home to the Schlosshotel Kronberg), the Recepturhof (Mainz Electorate's administration building), the town park, Saint John's Evangelical Church (Kirche St. Johann, 1440), the "Streitkirche" ("Dispute Church", 1758) and the "Hellhof", a noble seat built by the Kronberg Knights (first mentioned in 1424), nowadays partially converted into a gallery. Since 28 June 1966, Kronberg has been a state-recognized spa town. Source First, we went to pick up Anja's friend Laura, and we smelled the wonderful roses in her garden Then we drove to Kronberg, which has a lovely old city center with many timber houses and we soon found signs for the medieval market at the castle Kronberg Have you noticed Anja's new dress?  She is very proud of it, and - in addition - people in medieval dress get free or discounted access to most medieval markets and fests. We walked up to the castle, and soon we were there From the castle walls, you have a beautiful view This medieval knight was nice enough to have his picture taken with us and this is "medieval lady" Anja who had to fix her dress now and then  Within the castle, there was music, songs and medieval dances and we met the loveliest little princess and her grandmother (who had made the beautiful dresses herself) Now, I also wanted a medieval dress! And Anja was glad to oblige  We wandered around the fairground, admiring a tent with weapons of the time and doing some shopping and window shopping (or rather stall shopping  ) After a wonderful and exciting day, we went home and slept like babies! Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jun 4, 2009, 8:58 pm	Wieka arrives! Hi Mommy, when Anja came home from work today, she brought an envelope with her. Of course, we all crowded around it, from the left: Harold Giraffe, Sweetsy and myself Inside it was Wieka, a sweet little bat She brought a lovely picture postcard with baby foxes Anja has some bats in the house already, so Wieka felt right at home: I showed her a picture postcard of Frankfurt and said that, with two visitors from overseas (myself and Harold), Anja was sure to go into Frankfurt to show us the sights. Ooooh, I can't wait! But first we got a train trip coming up. Tomorrow, Anja will take us on the ICE (Inter City Express) to Hannover, where she will visit a friend. I am so excited! Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jun 10, 2009, 12:10 am	Us and KISS in Concert! Hi Mommy, would you believe we met the Rock band KISS and played a concert with them? Afterwards, we all went to a big party together I will write a better update about the great weekend we had as soon as I have recovered from all the s** and dr*** and Rock N Roll  Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jun 10, 2009, 6:32 pm	A Trip to Hannover Hi Mommy, today, Anja took me and her other TV guests on a train trip to Hannover. Sweetsy and Harold Giraffe are seasoned travelers here in Germany, and they told me much about a train called ICE (Inter City Express) that looks like a rocket and travels at a speed of over 300 kilometers (190 miles) an hour. I was all excited, so when we got to the train station I was quite disappointed to see a boring old train and another boring old train "Those are not ICE trains" Sweetsy and Harold laughed. "THIS is an ICE train!" Oh wow!  The train is nice and comfortable inside and you can see a lot of nice things through the window In time, Anja unwrapped a big sandwich she had bought at Frankfurt train station, and we all had a nice snack Soon, we arrived at Hannover train station, which looks like a palace Right in front of the train station, there is a statue of King Ernst August of Hannover, on a horse This is the favorite meeting point of the people of Hannover. They always meet "unter dem Schwanz" = under the tail (of the horse)  Let's see what adventures I will have tomorrow  Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jun 10, 2009, 7:33 pm	Hameln (Hamelin) - A lovely old City - with a Story! Hi Mommy, today, we got up early at Anja's friend's house and went to the train station in Hannover, where we met with a lot of nice people - all pet rat owners, like Anja is. We all boarded a train - and Tamara, Anja's friend, took out a bag of curious snacks: marshmallow mice  Weird, but tasty... From the train, we could see lots of wind wheels, which create electricity Soon, we arrived at Hameln (Hamelin) train station and all the rat owners got all excited. What the heck?  Hameln is a beautiful old city with many lovely old timber houses, dating from 1500 A.D. or even before. The city is just celebrating 725 years of existence. And somehow, this place is full of rats  And funny dressed men with pipes Look at the age of some of these houses!  Hameln even has an old city wall with towers Surely a very nice place. But what about all the rats?  After a walk though the city, Anja sat us down to tell us all about it. ..... to be continued
AnjaM Posted Jun 10, 2009, 8:38 pm	Hameln (Hamelin) - The Story of the Pied Piper Hi Mommy, like I said, Anja finally sat us down to tell us the story of the Pied Piper of Hameln (Hamelin): Quote: In 1284, while the town of Hamelin was suffering from a rat infestation, a man dressed in pied appeared, claiming to be a rat-catcher. He promised the townsmen a solution for their problem with the rats. The townsmen in turn promised to pay him for the removal of the rats. The man accepted, and thus played a musical pipe to lure the rats with a song into the Weser River, where all of them drowned. Despite his success, the people reneged on their promise and refused to pay the rat-catcher. The man left the town angrily, but returned some time later, seeking revenge. On Saint John and Paul's day while the inhabitants were in church, he played his pipe yet again, this time attracting the children of Hamelin. One hundred and thirty boys and girls followed him out of the town, where they were lured into a cave and never seen again. Depending on the version, at most two children remained behind (one of whom was lame and could not follow quickly enough, the other one was deaf and followed the other children out of curiosity) who informed the villagers of what had happened when they came out of the church. Source Since that time, Hameln has been called the "Rattenfängerstadt" = literally "rat catcher city" or the city of the Pied Piper. And references to this story are everywhere in Hameln. In the "Hochzeitshaus" (wedding house), a lovely old building, there is even a mechanical display that shows this story several times a day. First the Pied Piper comes out, leading the rats away Then - after the town people refuse to pay him - he comes and leads the children away Only the lame child and the blind child are not quick enough, so the mountain closes before they can reach it, and they return home to tell the story (in Anja's memory, it was a blind child, not a deaf child  ) After a long day of walking and seeing all these nice things, we had a surprise coming up in the train on the way home: A small party of young ladies entered the train, one dressed as an angel and the others dressed as devils. They walked all through the train and sold little items. This was a bachelorette party. What fun!  Well, Mommy, that was Hameln and the story of the Pied Piper. I hope you liked it. I certainly did  Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jun 10, 2009, 9:26 pm	KISS and us in Concert!!! Hi Mommy, today was a most exciting day!!! We started out early from Anja's friend Tamara's house in Hannover, driving our own little cars Would you believe we went to a concert by the rock band KISS We got to meet all the guys from KISS in person and they even allowed us to play in concert with them!  Wow, and what a concert that was!!! After the concert, we were stars, and we were rich, so the first thing I did was to buy a new car and then we drove my new car to a big party with the guys of KISS Would you believe we actually went to the Playboy Mansion?  Wow, what a party!!! I certainly needed some good, strong coffee after that! Happy regards Terry, Superstar  ... Well, actually, Mommy, I told a fib: Anja's friend Tamara is a big fan of the States, and of KISS, so all the pictures were taken at her house  But it sure was fun playing  superstar...
AnjaM Posted Jun 11, 2009, 9:52 pm	The lovely old historical town of Miltenberg, Bavaria Hi Mommy, today is a German holiday, so Anja and her friend Maren went to Miltenberg, Bavaria, to pick up a pet rat for Maren. Of course, we TVs went along. Bavaria, wow!  First we went to see the people who owned the rat. They lived in a beautiful house with beautiful old furniture. The lady and her husband painted this lovely old "Bauernschrank" (farmer's cabinet) themselves about 30 years ago And they have a guardian angel above the door This is the village of Grossheubach where they live We left the pet rat with its - now former - owners for a while, because we wanted to go and see Miltenberg. Quote: Even as far back as prehistoric and early historical times, people knew about the strategic importance of the strait at the Main “knee” between the Odenwald and the Spessart, building mighty ringwalls on the Greinberg above Miltenberg and on the Bürgstadter Berg (mountains). About AD 155, the Romans laid down the almost dead straight “Forward Limes” on the Main. Near today’s Miltenberg, the Limes came up against the Main, which from here northwards formed the Roman Empire’s natural border with Germania. Remnants of two Roman castra can be found nearby, one between Miltenberg and Bürgstadt (Kastell Miltenberg-Ost) and the other between Miltenberg and Kleinheubach (Altstadtkastell). Under the preotection of the castle of Mildenburg (built about 1200), the town of Miltenberg took hold. It had its first documentary mention in 1237. By about 1379, the two town towers, the Mainz Gate (Mainzer Tor) and the Würzburg Gate (Würzburger Tor) framed in the west and east today’s Old Town, which grew narrow and long between the river and the steep slope. Already by the Middle Ages, Miltenberg bunter was highly sought-after, with things such as grindstones and columns being hewn in the surrounding woods. Even before 1319, the Spital St. Peter (hospital) was founded by Archbishop Peter of Aspelt. Until 1803, Miltenberg belonged to Electoral Mainz. This is yet manifested in the town’s coat of arms, which bears the Wheel of Mainz as a charge. After the Reichsdeputationshauptschluss, Miltenberg passed to the Principality of Leiningen, with which it was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Baden in 1806. After having become part of the Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1810, the town finally became part of Bavaria in 1816. From Miltenberg come the so-called Heunensäulen, some special sandstone columns meant for use more than a thousand years ago when Mainz Cathedral was being built. The master builder, however, decided that they were unneeded and they never became part of the cathedral. One of them now stands in Mainz’s cathedral square, a gift to the city on the occasion of the cathedral’s thousandth anniversary in 1975. It bears an explanatory plaque. Miltenberg has an historical Old Town featuring many timber-frame houses. In 1912 and 1955, Miltenberg acquired lands over on the Main’s right bank to expand the town. Source And it sure was worth the visit!  This is a patron saint. The people of Bavaria are mostly catholic, and they have Mother Mary and patron saints everywhere. Look at the date on this lovely old timber house! This is the pedestrian district of Miltenberg where we had big fun riding a children's swing and looking at the lovely toys in the shop windows This is the restaurant and hotel "Zum Riesen" - the oldest inn in Germany! While we were window shopping for some booze ("Wildsau-Tropfen" means "wild boar liquor"    ) it started to rain, so we went to a lovely old Bavarian restaurant and ordered some dark Bavarian beer and one of Germany's most beloved dishes: Schnitzel with french fries Ooooh, that was delicious!!!  After our meal, we admired some nice wooden statues in the restaurant and then the rain had stopped and we continued our walk This is the old town hall - first mentioned in records in 1379 - also showing how high the river Main reached during the floods of 1784 and 1945 What a lovely place Miltenberg is! We also visited a shop selling wooden statues of all kinds, such as saints and creches and soon we reached the old market place dating from the late 13th century One house had a picture of St. Georg and the dragon and some of the old city wall is still standing ... to be continued...
AnjaM Posted Jun 17, 2009, 11:06 pm	Miltenberg - a Walk along the River Main Hi Mommy, after seeing the sights, we walked back to the car along the river Main. Miltenberg is situated on the banks of the river Main, and you have a nice view of the river from the promenade on the river bank. We saw ducks and swans on the river and the castle Miltenburg up on the hill (close-up) There are also some lovely old houses up on the hill (close-up) On the river bank, there is a big stone column, a so called "Heunesäule" (=heune column) Close to Miltenberg there are several of these large stone columns lying around in the forest (see here: Heunesäulen). History says there were produced for a church but never used. The legend goes, however, that when these colums were transported to the construction site of a big church, the waggon broke in the middle of the forest, and the big, heavy columns rolled down the hill and into the forest. As the people had no means to pick them up, and the columns were for some church official whom nobody liked, anyway, they just left them there.  After a nice walk along the river bank Anja drove us home on a real German Autobahn Look at the clouds in the distance!  We sure were happy to get back to Anja's place without rain!  What a nice, exciting day! Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jun 21, 2009, 11:44 pm	Penny Kitten arrives Hi Mommy, today, Penny Kitten arrived. Wow, she is so tiny! Being a nice gentleman tiger, I promised to protect her.  Here you can see myself, Wieka the bat and Harold Giraffe welcoming the little lady: She brought a lovely picture postcard with her and Anja promised to take us all to some nice places very soon. Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jun 23, 2009, 11:11 pm	Glauburg - City of the Celts Hi Mommy, today, Anja took me on another trip to see all the historical stuff she likes so much. About an hour's drive from Frankfurt, there is the historical town of Glauburg, where people settled and lived already 8000 years ago. Quote: On the Glauberg mountain you walk in the footsteps of our ancestors from the Neolithic period to the High Middle Ages. The Glauberg mountain rises circa 500 feet above the surrounding meadowlands of the Wetterau region. There is a small pond on the almost flat plateau. For several thousand years this mountain with the excellent view was an ideal, secure site for settlements. You find the remains of settlements, ramparts and fortifications from 6000 B.C.E up to the 13th century. In the years around 1990 there was the most spectacular find: The graves of Celtic princes at the foot of the mountain. In the graves jewellery was discovered, household articles and - the almost completely preserved life-sized sandstone statue of a Celtic prince. Around the head the statue wears a wreath of - presumably - mistletoe leaves. Archaeologists interprete the ditches and ramparts around the grave mound as the central holy district of Early Celtic tribes. Since his discovery, the 2500 year old Celtic prince has been travelling. Up to April 2003 you could see him in the extensive archaeological exhibition in the Walter-Gropius Building in Berlin, in May he followed the exhibition to Bonn. Here you could meet him until August 24th, 2003. At the Glauberg mountain you can see a copy of the statue and photographs of the Celtic princes: The museum in the Glauburg village shows finds from the history of the settlement and a photo documentation on the excavation of the Celtic princes' graves from 1994 to 1997. Plan for at least half a day for your tour following the trail and reading the information panels describing the cultural history of the settlement. For visitor groups, the museum in Glauburg offers guided tours in the museum and on the mountain. source Glauburg is a nice old town with many nice old timber houses The big museum mentioned in the article above is closed for renovation, but inside the town there is a small museum that is housed in an old school house (earliest picture of the building as a school house dating form 1908) Inside the museum, there is a statue of the Celtic Prince that was excavated near Glauburg and of many Celtic items that were found during the excavations, starting from 1933 (the excavations, not the items  ) These rocks were used to grind grain into flour This is what a Celtic city wall looked like and there were many tools and other i household tems that were found near Glauburg Some things did not last that long all in one piece, so models of them were reconstructed from the remnants found. and there were also some other nice old items in the museum Wow! We certainly felt very, very young when we considered that this place has a history of 8000 years!  Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jun 24, 2009, 12:17 am	A beautiful big farm near Glauburg - and a Linden Tree Hi Mommy, when we drove home from Glauburg, we saw the most beautiful farm building!  Anja just had to stop her car and have a look around - and of course, we got to see it, too.  No, this is not a castle. This is really a farm! Near the main building, there were two lovely old Linden trees, as big as a house Linden trees blossom in early June, and the smell of the blossoms is unbelievably sweet and lovely  To German people, a Linden tree is the most romantic thing in the world, and this tree also plays a large role in German / Germanic folk lore. Quote: In mythology, the linden tree is a symbol of peace, truth and justice. This connection is from Germanic mythology where the linden tree is associated with Freyja, the motherly goddess of truth and love. According to German folklore, it was not possible to lie while standing under a linden tree. Consequently, Germans often met under linden trees not only to dance and celebrate, but also to hold their judicial proceedings. Christianity later replaced Freyja with the Madonna and rededicated the trees to Mary, the mother of God. source The Linden tree also plays an important role as a symbol for love and peace during the romantic period in German literature and music in the 1800s, and through the ages - up to the time of Anja's grandmother - young people would meet under the big Linden tree in a village / town square to celebrate and dance - and to fall in love  Here is a song about a Linden tree, composed by Franz Schubert in 1827: Am Brunnen vor dem Tore - song you can listen to Ooooh, this place was so romantic! If you listen to the old song and look again at the pictures, then you can catch the mood of the place.  Romantic regards Terry
AnjaM Posted Jun 26, 2009, 9:32 pm	Bree arrives Hi Mommy, today, Bree arrived. Of course we were all curious what Bree would look like, so we all crowded around the envelope: myself, Harold Giraffe, Penny Kitten and Wieka And here is Bree: We all enjoyed the nice picture postcard of the island of Sylt that she brought with her Another giraffe! Harold was so happy! They hit it off immediately  and they shared a gummi bear giraffe that Anja had brought home We immediately told Bree that for the very next day we and Anja plan a trip to the Hessenpark, an open air musum with old farm houses from all over the state of Hessen. I'm so excited! Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jun 28, 2009, 12:53 am	Pottery Market in the Hessenpark - and a genuine Hessian "Bembel" Hi Mommy, today, Anja took us to the Hessenpark. Quote: Hessenpark – founded in 1974 as the central Hessian Open-Air Museum. The Open-Air Museum Hessenpark is a reflection of rural Hesse's of the past. Over 100 buildings – a complete range of farmsteads to day laborer houses – have been reconstructed on 160 acres. As you walk through the Open-Air Museum you are guided through 400 years of Hessian history. The Museum is organized into five groups of buildings, representing the regions they have been relocated from. These groups of buildings are named after the rivers, characterizing that particular landscape. source There was a pottery market in the Hessenpark today, showing and selling all kind of pottery items: traditional items for the kitchen and household and also more modern items for decoration. This is what an old pottery workplace looks like and this is still the way pottery is made today The first stall sold traditional pottery, which is still used in the home by people who like traditional things These items are. top: a milk jug left: a platter right: a butter dish and in the middle: a genuine item that you will find only in the state of Hessen: a "Bembel" A Bembel is a jug that is used for serving the traditional Hessian drink of apple wine. A Bembel is always grey with blue markings. As the Bembel is made of pottery, the apple wine will stay cool inside it. (And no, you never ever drop ice cubes into apple wine!  ) Traditionally - before the day of refrigerators - apple wine was kept in the cellar, to keep it cool. If you wanted to drink it, you would go to the cellar and fill a Bembel with the apple wine. The drink would then stay cool in the pottery Bembel for quite some time. Well, if you have some thirsty Hessian people sitting around the table, a small Bemble full of apple wine won't last long, anyway.  That's why Bembels come in different sizes. The very big Bembels served in pubs for large tables full of thirsty people are put into a metal contraption that allows you to tilt the big, heavy Bembel without having to lift it  You see, Hessian people can be quite ingenious when it comes to enjoying their favorite drink  This stall sold many nice traditional things and the sweet old lady in the stall told us that her father, her husband, her son and even her grandson were all potters. She showed us some lovely pictures of them at work, making this lovely traditional pottery Then we went on to look at the other stalls Look at these kitten faces! You can hang them on the wall and put things into them, like flowers or pencils Penny thought they were so cute! There were all kinds of nice decorative things and - of course  - Anja's favorites again: dragons! These dragons you can fill with lamp oil, and then they will have flames coming out of their noses We saw so many cute things! And then we saw a stall where we had such fun!!!! .. to be continued.... Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jun 28, 2009, 1:25 am	Hessenpark Pottery Market - Big Fun with Pottery  Hi Mommy, as I said, this pottery market had all kinds of items - traditional household items, decorations and all kinds of nice things. But there was one stall where we had the biggest fun! And the two people working at the stall enjoyed it, too, and they came up with the nicest things for us to do!  They sold some really funny figurines that produce fragrant smoke when you put something fragrant inside. We had a ball there! Wheeee!!!  After all that fun, we needed a rest, so we joined this lovely lady on the lawn By the way, Anja had a ball at the pottery market, too, playing "shop till you drop"  These are all the nice things she bought (some for herself, some as gifts) By the way, this little guy sitting on the toilet and holding his nose can be used to put fragrance in the bathroom. Put some cotton in the pot behind him (where Penny kitten is sitting), then put a few drops of fragrant oil in it, and then he makes your bathroom smell nice  Oooh, what a lovely day! Later, I will tell you about the Hessenpark itself and all the lovely timber houses and the nice things from German history that we saw. But today, I am too tired... Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jun 29, 2009, 8:18 pm	The Hessenpark in Neu-Anspach, close to Frankfurt am Main - 400 years of German history (no, this is not boring!  ) Hi Mommy, like I said, on Saturday Anja took us to the Hessenpark, an open air museum with original buildings from all over the state of Hessen, showing 400 years of German history, as it was lived in the state of Hessen. No, this was not, repeat not, boring!  On the contrary, as they say on the homepage of the Hessenpark: Quote: Enjoy your trip: You will find yourself in the midst of daily life as it was experienced by our ancestors. You can compare their working methods and lifestyles with our way of life in the 21st Century. source When you get to the Hessenpark, which is located in the lovely wooded area "Taunus", about 10 miles from Frankfurt, there is a large area where you can enjoy things, shop, eat and drink without having to pay the entrance fee. You start out with a soap shop and soap museum housed in - what else?  - a timber house They sell homemade soaps and sachets, without any chemical additives. Ooooh, you wouldn't believe the wonderful smell of that place!!!  Anja bought a sachet that smells like roses and this is a really old advertisement for the detergent "Persil". The detergent still exists today The next shop sold brushes - the good old fashioned brushes made of wood and pork bristles, not this new fangled plastic stuff  They even had some old fashioned feather dusters, like you see in really old movies When you walk on and follow the sign you get to the "market place" a pharmacy a churchbell a building dated back to 1589, with its gate showing the date of construction A very interesting building was the "Kolonialwarenladen" (general store). Like the general stores in the American West, these stores sold everything: from sewing needles to sausage, and from ladies' corsets to men's shoes  Advertising signs for Maggi soups. Maggi soups are still sold and eaten today. They are quite tasty, Anja said We walked on towards the actual entrance of the park All these things you can see without having to pay entrance fee. You can shop, look at the old buildings, eat and drink. And you have not even entered the actual Hessenpark! By the way: These buildings are not replicas. Instead, they were purchased all over Hessen (many of them in ruins), dismantled, transported to the Hessenpark, and there they were rebuilt from the original parts and restored to look the way they used to look. Using the same materials and techniques that were used in the old days. Here is a building that is not quite finished, so you can see how it is made: of a wooden frame that is filled with clay mixed with straw As soon as we got inside the actual park, we needed a rest in another market square Anja bought some apple wine (yes, the stuff that is traditionally served in a Bembel  ) and we all enjoyed a nice, cool drink While we were resting, a waggon drawn by real work horses came by ... now, I will rest for a little while, too, before continuing my story... Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jun 29, 2009, 9:14 pm	Hessenpark - there is more to see! Hi Mommy, after resting and drinking the apple wine, we continued our walk inside the Hessenpark. There were such lovely old buildings, the whole park looked like an old village We particularly liked this old farm building from 1691  that had belonged to a wealthy farmer. The farm consisted of four buildings forming a square:a wall,  the barn, the stable, and the house for the family We also entered the house - no, not this little house, tee hee  - This is the kitchen and the upper story of the house has an exhibition on making fabrics in old times flax and hemp and wool This is an explanation of how to spin wool (Sleeping Beauty stung her finger with such a hand spindle and fell into a sleep that lasted 100 years...  ) The people in the villages worked all day long - even in their "free" time they would sit and spin wool. This is a "spinning room" of old times The text says that there in such spinning rooms, there was conversation, music and fun. But all while doing work - even in the evenings, when the "day's work" was done. Spinning wool at all times - along of all the other work - was so prevalent that this painting shows even Mother Mary spinning wool while Joseph and Jesus are doing carpentry work The finished flax or wool threads were then woven into fabrik at these looms Embroidery Farm women worked all day long. For enjoyment and pleasure, they turned to embroidery. Here are some traditional costumes with lovely embroidery and more pictures of what the farmers used to look like and some nice embroidery Then we went on to the barn where we saw pictures of people mowing corn and threshing it Wow! What a lot of work there is on a farm!!!  This house had a lovely herb garden - herbs were used for medicine before the days of chemistry And there was also a display of making pottery in the old days Wow! We had seen so much history that our little feet were tired, and we were hungry and thirsty! So we all went to a nice country inn to enjoy apple wine and a German specialty: Schnitzel This is a breaded Schnitzel with pepper sauce and Rösti (potato patties) and a salad. And let me tell you, Mommy, we sure ate it all!  Ooooh, that was so good! I hope you enjoyed my little trip into German history as much as I did! Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jul 7, 2009, 2:41 pm	Mittelalterlich Phantasie Spectaculum Lich, Hessen, Germany 4 and 5 July 09 Day 1 - Saturday, 4 July 2009 Warning: If you are into Techno or Hip Hop, please do not read this. If you are into Medieval Markets, you are going to love this Hi Mommy, today, Anja and two of her friends dressed up in their medieval clothes and took us to the medieval market in Lich. First, we got something to drink, because it was a hot and sunny summer day - and we spent the "Taler" coins they had given us as change at the entrance on LICHer beer and Radler (a mixture of beer and Sprite, very tasty!) With a Radler and a pretzel in our hands, we walked onto the festival grounds where we found - what else? - dragons Look! Medieval jewellery!!! made by this lovely maiden We did not have much time to look around the festival grounds, because now the reeve ("Vogt" = kind of lord of the realm) was to give his speech and open the festival for the people of the realm. He was accompanied by musicians and soldiers who carried him in a sedan chair to the other side of the festival grounds where a stage had been erected for the entertainment of the people and the merchants who sold their wares at this festival were introduced Soon, a band began to play and Anja and her friends visited the stalls of the brewer the baker, and the butcher which made them very happy although you can sure meet some weird people at such a fair, such as this beggar ... I will now take a little rest to enjoy my beer and my food... Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jul 7, 2009, 4:19 pm	Mittelalterlich Phantasie Spectaculum Lich, Hessen, Germany 4 and 5 July 09 Day 1 - Saturday, 4 July 2009 Part 2 Hi Mommy, after we enjoyed our lunch, we went to look at the many kinds of entertainment offered. They sure gave the people "bread and circuses" - oh, sorry, that were the Romans  , but it was also true for this festival. First, there were some jugglers and jesters and then, there was jousting among the noble knights who had come from far away to impress the people Oooh, look at this nasty and dangerous knight!!!  But he sure got his butt kicked  Wow! Now we learned what they meant by "fire and sword"!  Wow!!! Now we wanted to be knights, too. And Anja was glad to oblige After all this excitement, we needed a little rest, so we wandered around the festival ground looking at all the beautiful wares that the merchants offered. honey and mead wool (remember the spindles from the Hessenpark? Here they were, not only on pictures!) little baby shoes and all kinds of nice things to eat and drink, to dress up in, to defend yourself, and to make your home look nice They even had some real  animals - look at the horns on these sheep! Now, Anja laid down her cloak on the meadow, and we all took a little rest  - before it was time to PARTY!!!!  Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jul 7, 2009, 5:08 pm	Mittelalterlich Phantasie Spectaculum Lich, Hessen, Germany 4 and 5 July 09 Day 1 - Saturday, 4 July 2009 Part 3 Time to party!!! Hi Mommy, now, after a long and exciting day, the sun was setting in the sky, dusk was breaking, and we....... Went home and to bed???? Are you crazy??????  No way! Now, it was time to party!!!!  Anja's friends took out a Shisha (water pipe) and filled it with fruit flavored tobacco and some coals. We got ourselves a beer and a small bottle of strawberry liqueur. By the way, such a bottle is called a "Flachmann" (= "flat man" ) in German, and it fits into jacket and coat pockets, if you are so inclined...  time to fire up the shisha aaaah, watermelon flavor!!! (this stuff is more fruit flavoring than actual tobacco) Good stuff!  It was a warm evening, so our beer evaporated quite quickly  So we went and got some bottles of mead. The light mead is flavored with Linden blossom honey (remember the Linden tree on the farm? The bees make the most delicious honey from its blossoms!) and the dark mead is flavored with cherry and elderberry juice Soon, it got dark, and all the people gathered around the campfires. Some on their cloaks, some on blankets and some sitting on bales of straw - and all listening to the beautiful music of the medieval bands playing and looking dreamily into the fires which slowly burned down while we all were sitting in the dark, warm eveing, talking softly and listening to the music Try listening to the music, Mommy, and looking into the fire. Then you will feel  the mood of this beautiful evening. When the fires had burned down, we all went home and slept like babies. Hugs Terry P.S. This band was not playing there, but this was the kind of music they played at the festival.
AnjaM Posted Jul 7, 2009, 5:20 pm	Hi Mommy, I did one of my missions!  I had a lovely party with other toy voyagers!  Excited regards Terry
AnjaM Posted Jul 7, 2009, 5:41 pm	Mittelalterlich Phantasie Spectaculum Lich, Hessen, Germany 4 and 5 July 09 Day 2 - Sunday, 5 July 2009 Hi Mommy, we slept in a small hotel in Lich and had a big breakfast on Sunday morning. Then we returned to the festival. First, we walked by the tents of those who had spent the night in the festival. And they were so kind to allow us to take pictures. Anja would always ask nicely. "Noble lord and lady" she would say, "would you permit us to make a painting of your beautiful home, for a dear friend across the big water?" - and permission was gladly granted  We met some musicians and even little red riding hood! and then we browsed the merchant's stalls again to admire their wares There was also fun and games and hitting Thor's hammer and again, so much to see Uhm, did I tell you that Anja likes dragons?  While we were wandering around, we met some noble lords and ladies and good citizens in wonderful dress. And they all smiled and gave us permission to make a painting. Now I need a little rest, Mommy, before another exciting fight! Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jul 7, 2009, 6:21 pm	Mittelalterlich Phantasie Spectaculum Lich, Hessen, Germany 4 and 5 July 09 Day 2 - Sunday, 5 July 2009 Part 2 Hi Mommy, now, it was time for another fight. Yesterday we had seen the knights jousting. Today, there was a joust by the knaves (who served the knights). The game was announced by the lord of the realm assisted by the monk Brother Rictus Look, the two even posed, just for us!!!  The game is played as follows: In the middle of the playing field, there is a leather ball that weighs 120 kg (approx 240 pounds), just like a knight in full armor who has fallen off his horse. There are two teams of knaves. Each team tries to drag the ball past their own goal line, while the other team tries to prevent them from doing so. At the same time, mind you  After this game, it was time for a little snack again (yes, there be dragons  ) The things that look like meatballs are Falafel, oriental vegetable balls. Very tasty! And we had had more than enough meat the day before... Then we had some mocha from an oriental booth and just took it easy today, after all the walking around and partying yesterday  All the adult were lazy, while the children were playing in the straw. We did take a leasurely walk, however, lazily looking at the stalls and making a purchase here and there. Look at those gargoyles!  They are sure to scare off evil spirits! At this booth, Anja "fell in love" - but you'll see  And in case you are wondering, Mommy: Yes, the people who attend the festival purchase these lovely things - to complete their costume, to use them or to decorate their homes. Finally, we got tired, and we rode home on a horse When we got home, Anja unpacked all the lovely things she had bought remember the dragon with the helmet from yesterday morning? Well, it has found a new home! And, like I said, Anja fell in love at the festival - with the most beautiful jewellery you can imagine! Oh wow, I wish I were a lady, so I could wear this!  Dear Mommy, I hope you enjoyed my tale as much as I enjoyed this wonderful weekend!  Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jul 7, 2009, 6:24 pm	Wieka leaves Hi Mommy, today, Wieka left. She is going to Missouri, to visit Steph. We all waved goodbye to Wieka, who is all excited about her new adventures. Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Jul 17, 2009, 7:34 pm	I am going on vacation!!! Hi Mommy, I am going on vacation!!! Tomorrow, Anja is flying to Estonia to visit her mother who lives in Nomme, a suburb of the Estonian capital of Tallinn. And Anja is taking Bree and me with her!!! I am so excited! Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Aug 2, 2009, 7:05 pm	A week in Tallinn, Estonia Hi Mommy, sorry I have not written for so long, but we all have been quite busy, seeing many lovely things. From 18 to 25 July 09, Anja took us to see her mother who lives in Tallinn, Estonia. We had such a lovely time! We got to fly in a real airplane, high above the clouds we got to see so many lovely wooden houses in Nomme, a suburb of Tallinn, where Anja's mother lives and we spent one day in the old city center of Tallinn, which is very beautiful! It was great!!!  I promise to write again really soon and to show you many more lovely pictures! Hugs Terry
Pixiedustlady Posted Aug 3, 2009, 10:53 am	Mom is just updating Terrys Google Map
AnjaM Posted Aug 13, 2009, 6:38 pm	Ninni has arrived - and found new friends Hi Mommy, Ninni arrived yesterday! Of course, we were eager to see what is in the envelope! Isn't she cute? We showed her that now she is with Anja in Germany and we all can't wait to have some nice adventures! Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Aug 13, 2009, 6:59 pm	We take a flight to Estonia! Hi Mommy, this morning, Anja took us to Frankfurt airport where we got to take a look at the airplanes and then we boarded one ourselves. We got a seat with a view of the big huge wings of the airplane and Anja took out a snack and a book, just like when she rides a train Here we take off and then the lady came and told Anja to please turn off the camera, until we are higher up It was nasty and cloudy on the ground but the higher we got, the more blue sky we could see until we were finally above the clouds in the sunshine, and the clouds looked just like cotton candy! Wow, look at all this cotton candy!  We got a snack in the airplane and a tiny little can of coke and then we saw Finland We had to change planes at Helsinki (Finland) airport and then we finally arrived in Tallinn, Estonia What a nice trip! Three countries (Germany, Finland, Estonia) in just 4 hours! Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Aug 13, 2009, 7:12 pm	Nomme - a suburb of Tallinn, Estonia Hi Mommy, when we arrived in Talllinn, Estonia, we were met by Anja's mom, who lives in a lovely wooden house in Nomme. Nomme is a suburb of Tallinn, and it is built in a forest, with lots of trees and gardens. Anja's mom has a lovely house and a lovely garden and we got to sit in the garden and eat a wonderful blueberry cake! What a beautiful place! Just the right place for a nice and restful vacation! Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Aug 13, 2009, 7:30 pm	A walk through Nomme Hi Mommy, today, we took a walk through Nomme. What a lovely place! Most of the houses are built of wood, just like they were in the old times, and most of the houses have a big garden. This house is a new one, made of stone, but it fits very nicely with the style of the old houses, don't you think? This place is an old pharmacy, which is still in use today We very much admired the lovely metal and woodwork This place, in the center of Nomme, was originally built by the nobleman Nikolai von Glehn, who founded Nomme. Today, it houses a post office After all this walking, we got hungry, so we stopped at a pub with a beer garden and had a nice dark beer and a nice piece of meat with fried potatoes . By the way, if you order "Karbonaad" in Estonia, you don't get a carbonated drink! Instead, you get a piece of fried meat!  On our way back home, we passed the church of Nomme and this neat car What a lovely day! Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Aug 13, 2009, 7:44 pm	Nomme Market Hi Mommy, today we went to the market in Nomme. First, we had a big breakfast Look at this funny cheese!  On the way to the market, we passed a building advertising folk dances and folk festivals This is the market in Nomme. There are lots of small shops and many stalls selling fruit, vegetables, flowers and such things. One stall sold fresh milk, and Anja had a cup of milk, before we took the rest home Ooooh, I could have spent all day shopping for fruit and vegetables in this nice place! Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Aug 13, 2009, 8:04 pm	Tallinn - the old city center Hi Mommy, today, we took a bus to the old city center of Tallinn. What a lovely place! We started our walk at a gate in the old city wall and then we were right in the old historical city center of Tallinn (Tee hee, I though Hare Krishna's went out of fashion in the 70s!  ) The souvenir shops sold Estonian souvenirs and also Russian souvenirs, because Estonia belonged to the Soviet Union for 50 years after the 2nd World War Look at this Russian bear! There were some very nice houses in the old city and this is the town hall square, the most photographed place in Tallinn  We also saw a nice old church and the monument to commemorate the "singing revolution" when Estonia got free of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s On our way back, we stopped at a restaurant and had some stuffed pancakes Well, Mommy, I hope you enjoyed my adventures in Tallinn! I certainly did!  Hugs Terry
Pixiedustlady Posted Aug 14, 2009, 1:08 pm	Updating Terry's Google Map
AnjaM Posted Aug 27, 2009, 8:14 pm	Ferry and Medieval Market in Rumpenheim Hi Mommy, sorry I have not written for so long, but we were so busy going all over the place that we all were much too tired to write.  Today, Anja took us to the medieval market in Rumpenheim. Anja always grins when she hears the word "Rumpenheim". Long ago, she told us, when the movie "Titanic" was playing in the movie theaters, the Frankfurt radio station published a spoof on "Titanic", a "heart rending" mini series called "the sinking of the river Main ferry at Rumpenheim", describing in many catching episodes (with the captain and the passengers speaking Hessian dialect) how the river Main ferry at Rumpenheim sank in the 3 meters deep icy waters of the Main river.  Well, we got to see and even ride this famous (  ) ferry today! Here we are on the ferry, sitting in the car. Can you see our butts in the rearview mirror?  a first look at Rumpenheim castle on the other side of the river Main We parked a little outside of Rumpenheim and walked through the lovely summer day Inside the castle grounds, there was this lovely old church and here is the castle We got to see many beautiful and interesting things at this market Then Anja found a lovely medieval dress with no sleeves and bought and put it on immediately, because it was a very hot day. And then the batteries of her camera died, because she had forgotten to recharge them before we left. Wow, we learned a lot of very interesting German swearwords at this time!  That woman can cuss like a truckdriver!  But Anja made us promise not to repeat any of these words here....  All in all, a very interesting day!  Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Sep 3, 2009, 9:16 pm	Polki has arrived and found new friends! Hi Mommy, today, an envelope arrived. Wow, another TV friend? We couldn't wait! Inside was Polki, bringing a nice postcard from Olgamaus in Remscheid, and a delicious snack, which we all shared. Of course, Polki got to sit in the Anja-cup, too  We told Polki all about Anja's "boys" and the nice medieval festivals. Can't wait to see what we will do next! Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Sep 6, 2009, 10:16 pm	Nice breakfast with frosted flakes! Hi Mommy, today, Anja and we had a very nice breakfast. Lots of little packages with cereal, and even some frosted flakes! Ooooh, that stuff was good!  Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Sep 6, 2009, 10:48 pm	Mission: I ate frosted flakes in Germany! Hi Mommy, look, I ate frosted flakes in Germany!  Ooooh, I love this stuff! Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Sep 13, 2009, 10:01 pm	Medieval Market in Dreieichenhain Hi Mommy, today, Anja had visitors, and we all went to the medieval market in Dreieichenhain. First, we had a big breakfast Then we drove to Dreieichenhain, which is only about 30 minutes drive. There, we admired some lovely wall paintings in the castle restaurant As this guy allowed us to share his table, but not his food we ordered some food ourselves: a nice Haxe (grilled leg of pork) with Sauerkraut and bread Aaaah, delicious!!!  No wonder this is the national dish of southern Germany  Then we wandered around the old castle ruins and we even went underground to the Trolls and Dragons market in the castle cellar There, Anja found a lovely dragon that she carried around on her shoulder Um, did I tell you that Anja loves dragons?  We also bought some nice medieval music at a stall and wandered around the market until it got dark What a lovely day!  Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Sep 20, 2009, 9:37 pm	There be dragons!  Hi Mommy, today, a large package arrived for Anja. Of course, we all crowded around it. Another TV? We got out the scissors to help Anja cut it open. "Please leave that alone!" Anja said, "you'll just cut yourselves!" And then she cut her thumb with the scissors trying to cut open the package My goodness, the curses that woman knows!  Unfortunately, she won't permit me to repeat them here  She should just let us TVs open the package! When the package was finally open, we all wanted to see what was in it. Another TV? Yaaaaaah, dragons!!!!  More and more dragons came out of that package and all were quite afraid. Except for me, that is. But then, of course, I am  a tiger. What a dangerous place!  The other TV's were repeating: Dragons and tigers and rats, oh my dragons and tigers and rats, oh my  The dragons were quite nice to us, though and some of them just went perfectly with Ninni's coloring, don't you think? Anja was all happy with these new additions to her dragon collection  And as long as the dragons don't bite us, we don't mind them  Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Oct 25, 2009, 6:23 pm	Percy arrives Hi Mommy, today, Percy arrived at Anja's house. Anja said that he came all the way from Japan! So, of course, we all crowded around him, to see what a Japanese Toy Voyager looks like and to welcome him. We all admired the lovely postcard he brought from Japan (Japan! Wow! Even Anja was impressed!  ), and we all shared the Snickers bars that he brought. Percy said that he likes to visit Haunted places. Well, Anja had bought all kinds of weird stuff in the last few days. And I mean: WEIRD!!!!  Anja said to us that she will be hosting a big Halloween party for a lot of people on Saturday. Then Percy looked all frightened. Tee hee hee, so much for being bold and liking to visit Haunted Places!  Well, I am looking forward to the party!  I LOVE haunted places!  Well, of course I am a tiger, and I know no fear! Snickering regards Terry
AnjaM Posted Nov 21, 2009, 12:23 am	I am leaving for Russia!!! Hi Mommy, today, I got all excited: Anja said I am leaving for Russia! Moscow area to be exact! WOW!!! So, Anja got a Russian doll for my going away picture and she kept singing a song "Moskau, Moskau, wirf die Gläser an die Wand, Russland ist ein schönes Land, ha ha ha ha ha - hey!" What the heck????  So she translated for us: "Moscow, Moscow throw the glasses at the wall Russia is a nice place for all ha ha ha ha ha - hey!" Still: what the heck?  So she played us an old song which was popular when she was a young girl: Moskau Moskau Ah, well, we are kinda glad we live today!  So, I am leaving for Russia today, Mommy! Can't wait to get there! Hugs Terry
AnjaM Posted Nov 21, 2009, 1:05 am	Halloween Party at Anja's House!!! Hi Mommy, today, Anja had guests over for a big Halloween party. Yes, I know, Halloween is in one week, but she always celebrates the October Meeting of the Frankfurt Pet Rat Owners Group with a big Halloween party at her house. Halloween AND rat owners?  Sounds scary somehow....  First, we helped Anja decorate the house. First, the front door Then, the hallway Look at this sticker of rats coming out of the floor! It looks so real! Then, we hung up all kinds of ghastly stuff the kitchen door the doors "the brain" of the family the picture gallery the cobwebs (even the picture of Anja looks quite scary here!) the pumpkin candles the witch and this guy in the cage who hollers "let me out of here!!!" when you press his belly When the guests arrived, we had to sit still in a corner, because the whole house was full of people. But we still got a good luck at the yukky-looking Halloween food that was being served (Anja made some, and the guests brought some). chopped off fingers dead fingers with pus blood pudding with eyes toenail cake rats plague macaroni salad blood punch two rat cakes But the very greatest surprise of the day was ... ta daaa... the Puking Pumpkin!!!! All of a sudden, we got a big scare! The Grim Reaper came in through the window!!! But when we gave him a plate full of yukky-looking Halloween food, he decided not to kill us, after all!  What a relief!  So we could continue to have a good time. Which we certainly did!  What a nice party!!!! And the food LOOKED yukky, but it certainly tasted great!  Hugs Terry
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Dec 5, 2009, 2:51 pm	Hi Mum! I arrived to Russia! I was suffering at the post office several days waiting for Maria coming. fortunately Anja gave me some chocolate and I had something pleasant during my journey. I brought also postcard from Anja and sweets which I have not eaten. In Maria`s flat I met one TV Hypno-dog. He is going to his first journey to Canada and tomorrow we will go to see him off. Bye for now. I`m tired a little bit. Yours Terry
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Dec 7, 2009, 7:15 pm	Hello mummy! Today was my first trip around Moscow. I visited Red Square! Quote: Red Square (Russian: Кра́сная пло́щадь, Krásnaya plóshchad’ is the most famous city square in Moscow, and arguably one of the most famous in the world. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod. As major streets of Moscow radiate from here in all directions, being promoted to major highways outside the city, Red Square is often considered the central square of Moscow and of all Russia. Here you can see one of my photos there! I took much more and I will post them tomorrow. Good night! Terry
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Dec 8, 2009, 5:26 pm	Hi mum! As I promised here are some photos from Red Square! First we saw Resurrection Gate and State Historical Museum. Than we entered the area of Square. You can see the view of Spasskaya Tower and  Saint Basil's Cathedral (it is so beautiful that I took more pictures near it and will show you in next update). At the center of Red Square there is an skating-rink! But it is too expensive for me And the last photo: me and character in children's literature and Russian cartoon Cheburashka! Do you know him mum? Quote: According to the story, Cheburashka is a funny little creature, unknown to science, who lives in the tropical forest. He accidentally gets into a crate of oranges, (possibly American or Australian as the crates are labeled in English) eats his fill, and falls asleep. Cheburashka is not a personal name; it is a species name invented by the puzzled director of the shop where he is found. The salesman takes the animal out and sits him on the table, but his paws are numb after the long time spent in the crate, and he tumbles down ("cheburakhnulsya" (чебурахнулся, a Russian colloquialism, "tumbled" in English) from the table onto the chair and then from the chair, where he could not sit, for the same reason, onto the floor. The director of the shop, who witnesses the scene, called him Cheburashka. Words with this root were archaic in Russian; Uspensky gave them a new lease on life. (The 19th-century Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian language of Vladimir Dal gives the meaning of "cheburashka" as another name for the vanka-vstanka tumbling toy.) Hugs, Terry!
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Dec 10, 2009, 5:17 pm	Hi mum! Here are the photos of Saint Basil`s Cathedral
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Dec 10, 2009, 6:24 pm	Hi mummy! We visited GUM! Quote: With the façade extending for 242 m (790 ft) along the eastern side of Red Square, the Upper Trading Rows were built between 1890 and 1893 by Alexander Pomerantsev (responsible for architecture) and Vladimir Shukhov (responsible for engineering). The trapezoidal building features an interesting combination of elements of Russian medieval architecture and a steel framework and glass roof, a similar style to the great Victorian train stations of London. Nearby, also facing Red Square, is a very similar building, formerly known as the Middle Trading Rows. We didn`t do shopping unfortunately, but it is very nice inside and everything is being prepared for New Year! I had much fun there! Mummy, find me at the third photo
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Dec 12, 2009, 7:42 pm	Today we received a big box! I listened to voice inside but couldn`t understand a word! We opened it...there was a bear! His name is Pocket and he is from UK! We had much to talk about. Then we watched TV all evening long.
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Dec 16, 2009, 6:27 am	Hello mum! Today I want to show you photos from Moscow underground!  It`s very cold outside these days (28 degrees below zero!) so I enjoy staying in underground. The first station I visited was "Revolution Square"! Quote: Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Russian: Пло́щадь Револю́ции, meaning Revolution Square) is one of the most famous stations of the Moscow Metro. It is located on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya Line and opened in 1938. The architect was Alexey Dushkin. The station features red and yellow marble arches resting on low pylons faced with black Armenian marble. The spaces between the arches are partially filled by decorative ventilation grilles and ceiling tracery. Each arch is flanked by a pair of bronze sculptures by M.G. Manizer depicting the people of the Soviet Union, including soldiers, farmers, athletes, writers, aviators, industrial workers, and schoolchildren. There are a total of 72 sculptures in the station. There are many serious persons there! I was a little bit scared.
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Dec 19, 2009, 9:18 pm	Hello Mummy! Last Saturday I visited Arbat! Quote: The Arbat is an approximately one-kilometer long pedestrian street in the historical centre of Moscow. The Arbat has existed at least since the 15th century, thus laying claim to being one of the oldest surviving streets of the Russian capital. It forms the heart of the Arbat District of Moscow. Originally the street formed part of an important trade route and was home to a large number of craftsmen. I met there a cow! It allowed me to seat on her head
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Dec 23, 2009, 8:19 pm	Hello mum! Here I am! And this huge building is Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia (is the central government institution charged with leading the foreign affairs of Russia.) I wish you Merry Christmas mummy! I`ll spend nearest week-end in the country-side and then upload many photos for you. Yours, Terry the Tiger!
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Dec 31, 2009, 6:52 am	Hello mummy! I celebrated Christmas in the countryside with my TV-friends! I met the snowman there and somebody horrible! You will not see the Christmas tree here because Russian people celebrate Christmas on 7th of January and it is very religious holiday. And firtree and presents they have at New Year. Do you like my photo at the tree? I thinkl if one of my missions was to make photos on 100 trees - Maria would complete it.
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Jan 1, 2010, 9:39 pm	Hello mummy! We celebrated New 2010 year! Russian people celebrate New year as we celebrate Christmas - give presents to each other and decorate fir. They will celebrate Christmas on 7th of January and it will be holiday only for religious people. You can see me with very small tree which is situated in Maria`s room. The big one is in the room for guests. We had New year dinner and party. Hope you had very pleasant New year party mummy! Yours, Terry.
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Jan 3, 2010, 8:13 pm	Hello mum! I had a very pleasant walk through the snow. Of course we made some photos at the trees and I made photo with my TV-friends near the small and empty stadium.
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Jan 4, 2010, 6:16 pm	Hello mummy! Look what cool one-piece suit was knitted for me by Maria`s mother! Now I will not catch cold even in Russia! Your fashionable , Terry the Tiger.
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Jan 7, 2010, 8:32 pm	Hello Mum! We had a picnic today because of Russian Christmas. It was madness to have a picnic in forest because it was so cold outside but Maria and her family was crazy people. To tell you the truth we had fun
TaisAfinskaia maria.forletters@gmail.com Posted Jan 17, 2010, 5:29 pm	I`m going to USA. My staying with Maria was long enough. I`m glad to go to my native USA again! I gave big hug to Pocket who was my best friend at Maria`s place and took my place in the box. See you soon guys! Yours, Terry the Tiger.
CandyStar Posted Jan 30, 2010, 8:06 am	I have made it safely to the USA once again! It was cramped inside my box, and I'm happy to escape!  My new friend Jesse says that it was awesome to receive a brown paper package tied up with string (She started singing "These are a few of my favorite things..." but it hurt my ears so she stopped). She and I also got to enjoy the yummy Russian chocolate in my package. Yay! My first sight upon escaping my box was to see a room full of very intense-looking college students, all staring at tvs and pushing buttons on fancy control panels. I was confused, but Jesse explained to me that we were inside her college's TV studio. Her boyfriend directs a tv show for the campus tv station (all very amateur... the actors were quite terrible haha). I loved looking at all the equipment. Jesse took a picture of me there before they all had to get back to work. They let me watch, though, and everyone was very interested to know why a tiny tiger and Russian chocolate were visiting them! I think they may have been more interested in the chocolate than me, though... greedy, hungry college students! That's all for my first taste of Springfield, MO! Soon I'll tell you about the other ToyVoyagers I met after the tv studio, and the blizzard that hit the day after I arrived!!! But... ta ta for now!

Back