sararingham sara.ringham@gmail.com Posted Apr 11, 2008, 9:42 am |
Hello! My name is Lucky Duck I was found in a supermarket and after a lot of questioning with the staff, my new mom realised I was left by someone - and they offered me to her so I came to a new home. Shortly after I got to my new home I laid down and relaxed on the lounge...
...That's when I was quickly approached by 3 other toyvoyagers... well, one of them is an official toyvoyager from the Netherlands, which is the red long haired mouse, he's called Bon, and then there's Toothy Walrus and Roots Bear. Bon told us all stories about his travels, even though he hasn't traveled much yet, he's excited to travel more... and then Sara joined in the conversation and showed me some places where I might be going... I saw these beautiful postcards and I decided it was time for me to see the world as well. I'd love to see ducks, and birds from all over the world. I'd love to feed ducks from all over the world! I'd love to see lakes, oceans, any kind of water source. I love the water as I'm sure you'd know, but I don't like getting in, I don't think my skin would like that so much, as you might not quite know I'm not a REAL duck... yet... So anyone want to host cute little old me? I'd love to visit you! |
vanessa Posted Apr 25, 2008, 5:16 pm |
Oh boy I'm so tired....they should call me Jetlag Duck instead of Lucky Duck! I arrived here in The Netherlands, but I haven't been able to do any site seeing or duck feeding yet. So far all I've done is rest! My flight here was way too crowded for comfort. Tomorrow I'll check out the city of Nijmegen and see if I can meet some ducks or see some other exotic birds. |
vanessa Posted Apr 26, 2008, 4:29 pm |
Today was such a wonderful day! When I first got to the park I made some daisy chains and enjoyed the sun.
Then I met a couple of nice chaps. They were very friendly, although they sure had a funny accent! |
vanessa Posted Apr 27, 2008, 8:58 pm |
Today the weather was so nice I decided to go back to the park and I'm so glad I did. Because one of my Life Missions is to visit lakes and ponds around the world and feed ducks, I thought I'd do a little of that today. I put out some bread and this gorgeous lady showed up!! We shared some old bread and she was totally flirting with me.
I thought I was just about to score her digits when he showed up! Anyway, I didn't see a ring or anything, but I guess she was spoken for. I decided to move on, which turned out to be loads of fun. I ended up picnicking in the park with this crowd: |
vanessa Posted Apr 28, 2008, 7:17 am |
Cute! This morning I went out jogging and guess what I saw!? I was just taking a breather when I spotted this goose family.
See the little house on the island at the top of the picture? That's where the ducks sleep here...maybe I can spend the night there sometime!! Anyway, I shared some bread with the baby geese and then watched them get a swimming lesson from dad! |
vanessa Posted May 6, 2008, 3:56 pm |
Last night was Queen's Night (Today is Queen's Day). I haven't seen any other ducks taking part in the celebrations, but I have seen a lot of crazy Dutchies in orange! Last night I went to some big street parties, but my host forgot her camera. Today I visited the beach in Scheveningen. I know it wasn't an ocean, but I was still excited!
I really wanted to make some sand castles, but it started to rain.[img][/img] Here I am goofing around with a big plastic fish. This is the Kurhaus Hotel. |
vanessa Posted May 6, 2008, 4:01 pm |
Today I visited some typical Dutch sights.
This is me by a real mill! I think I look a little funny in the picture, but the mill looks nice! This is St. Anna Mill. And this being prime tulip season, I had to stop and enjoy the flowers!! |
vanessa Posted May 9, 2008, 7:23 am |
Being touristy in Nijmegen!! There's some really old story about a girl called Mariken van Nijmegen and a devil called Moenen. There are statues of both main characters in this city so today I went to find them!!
First I went to Find Moenen (oooh scary) by St Stephen's Church and then I visited the Grote Markt (big market square) and climbed up by Mariken and gave her a little kiss! My host told me that a pair of ducks live in the Grote Markt, but I didn't see them. |
vanessa Posted May 9, 2008, 7:29 am |
Oh what beautiful sunny weather we're having here!! Today I went out for a jog in the morning by St. Stephen's Church.
This city really is pretty, but I think I'm itching to go someplace new! This is me sitting in the window of my host's house. Sometimes we go down to the terrace you can see and have a beer in the sun. In fact, today is Friday, so I might just have to go down there tonight! |
vanessa Posted May 13, 2008, 11:13 am |
Well, I'm moving now. The Netherlands was fun, but I'm ready for my next big adventure. I just thought I'd post my final pictures from this area. This weekend I walked across the Waal bridge.
And some other random pics: A new friend! A nice place to cool off. And I tried to meet some exotic bird friends, but these guys were in a cage at a park and they didn't seem to want to play! |
Penvmbra Posted May 25, 2008, 7:58 pm |
Hello everyone!
Today I arrived in Penvmbra's house. Later on Amelie arrived as well. And we had a 'cheesy' tea time before we go to rest of out trips. The japanese doll is a gift for Amelie's mother Penvmbra's being occupied with her studies so my first days will be for resting Take care, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted May 25, 2008, 8:16 pm |
Hello again mates!
Today's an awsome day, quite hot for the average UK temperatures, so we went for a walk around the city of Cardiff. Wales is a celtic land. Our elder celtics had a tradition of offering a wooden spoon to their loved ones as a token of their love. Here you can read the story: Me and Amelie with an anciet warrior: And now, just me and him, eheh Then we went to a comic books shop called Forbidden Planet: And finally, we went to a shop called Lush where they sell handmade soaps.The store smells really good and I took this picture on this 'soap cake' with the same color as me Penvmbra's having 3 examinations this week so we shouldn't go out that much, but I'll be having fun with Amelie and trying to improve my Computer Science skill with my hostess' books Bye bye guys and kisses to mummy, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted May 30, 2008, 1:55 pm |
Today Penvmbra's friend Hugo, who came to visit her to spend her birthday with her, cooked a spanish speciality called 'tortilla'.
It was really good. Then, me and Amelie spent some time exploring our hostess' books. But we got tired quickly. By the way, look at her laptop And this is all for today! Take care everyone, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted May 30, 2008, 2:02 pm |
Today was Penvmbra's birthday so, besides she's full of stuff to study for the exams, we went to have a british breakfast outside and walk a bit.
The typical british breakfast is full of greasy food! Here's the tower of a church near her house: And then me and Amelie spent the afternoon chatting on this nice art nouveaux gothic style sofa, eheh Kisses, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jun 3, 2008, 11:51 am |
So, today is my last day here in Cardiff as we're going to Portugal tomorrow.
However Penvmbra told me I can come back later as we didn't have time to visit the castle, the museam and other cool places of the city. It is a sunny day and we went to the park that is right in front of Penvmbra's house. People here loves to go to the parks. This boy was making acrobracies with balls. There is a small river passing through the park and we passed over a celtic bridge. Here we are: me and Amelie posing for the photo, eheh The park is quite big, so we took a rest by that tiny flowers, before go to the bigger (and funniest) section of the park. Here in UK is tradition people buy garden seats and put plaques on it in memory of the loved ones who already passed away. This one is in memory of a lady who died with 99 years old and who used to walk in this park very often =) So learn people: if you want to live so long, walk a lot in the parks There was a playground with noisy children Although the park is just by the road, it is very clean and tidy, you see no rubbish nor dog poo anywhere In the middle of the park there is a big beautiful lake. Hey, what's that?Ducks?Real DUCKS? YAY, someone to play with, so cool. Maybe we could even find some old ancestrals in common Hey, why are they running away?Am I smelly? Hm...there's a nest over there, I'm going there and maybe they approach! Hm...not really! Another try! I think I found out what the trick is: they want food! Look at them approaching this lady and her baby: Well, after running so much behind those rude ducks we were exhausted so me, Penvmbra and Amelie rest a bit on the grass. We finnaly arrived home and now me and Amelie are going to play on our new favourite spot Hugs to everyone and kisses do mamy, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jun 4, 2008, 10:26 am |
Hello!
Today I'm very excited because me, Penvmbra and her friend Hugo, and Amelie, we're going to travel to Portugal Here we are waiting for the bus to Bristol, where we're going to catch the aeroplane: And here we are in the aeroplane already: I'll have new updates soon Take care everyone, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jun 9, 2008, 4:59 pm |
I've finally arrived in Lisbon! =)
When I came into Penvmbra´s parents house I found out that there was another TV in there. Is Gui and her cat Migui! So here we are: Amelie, Migui+Gui and me. Me and Gui are the same size =) I actually found out that Migui is a tiny copy of the 'real' Migui who is a black panter. I was a little afraid since Migui is well known for being an awsome birds hunter There is also a tiger named Migui in the house, she's very friendly. There are also funny objects all over the house, like this one: I will show you some more later, because now I'm too tired. Kisses, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jun 9, 2008, 5:05 pm |
Today I went for a walk around Lisbon!
First I had lunch in a restaurant which had the Portugal flag. Then we went to Augusta's street which is a street in the city center of Lisbon only with shops, restaurants and people selling stuff on the street. We found this indian people playing folk music of their country. And also some cool paintings of Lisbon. In a shop there were those Barcelos' roosters, a typical symbol of Portugal. On the walls of a building we found some more portuguese symbols. The portuguese shield: And the 'portuguese man o'war': There was hot as hell, so we stoped by for a drink. The ice cube the waiter brought seemed more to be an iceberg This waffle was awful Then we decided it was good weather to go to the beach, so we went to Costa da Caparica. Here we are passing trough the '25th of April' bridge. Ahhh, sunny bath! And that's all for now folks. Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jun 11, 2008, 9:11 pm |
Today we went to a play called 'The Bald Singer' performed by the students of a local university.
Here you have some photos of the play: |
Penvmbra Posted Jun 16, 2008, 12:13 pm |
"Olá" (Hello) everyone!
Tomorrow will be bank holiday here in Lisbon because is the day dedicated to Saint Anthony. It is tradition on this season to party on the streets of the 'old' Lisbon and to eat sardines, baked chorizo and green broth (a typical portuguese soup made of collard green). Penvmbra is not specially keen on this kind of parties, but she went for the first time with her parents to show us how it is =) Here you have the photos: On the background you can see a picture of Amália Rodrigues, a very famous artist who sang fado. Sangria, yay Later on we went for a coffee in a bar situated in the terrace of a theatre, with a great view over Avenida da Liberdade which means liberty avenue. Kisses, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jun 16, 2008, 12:47 pm |
Hi there!
I'll let you with some photos me and Amelie took still in Cardiff. The first two are in the Cathays Cemetery, where almost all tumbs have celtic crosses. The last one is from a lunch we had with kidney pie, so typical in UK and with an awsome taste. Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jun 16, 2008, 5:01 pm |
Today was pool day
We went to Oeiras, a town close to Lisbon and by the sea, to an oceanic pool, which is a pool filled with treated water from the sea! Outside there is this whale stucked on the floor...poor whale After that we had dinner and ate portuguese cheese and a portuguese stew called the Alentejan bread and coriander soup, complete with its poached egg. Then we went to the house of a friend of Penvmbra to rest and played with some cool stuff he has in there, but don't worry, we didn't get hurt! Bye bye, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jun 17, 2008, 11:07 am |
Hi there!
Today was a special day! Me, Amelie and Migui+Gui went with Penvmbra's mother, who is a children teacher, to her shcool and we had so much fun In the morning we had painting time: I made a beautiful paint, don't you think mum? Then we found a new friend: the Ladybirdy The children invited us to play with their farm toys: Migui even found a friend After that it was lunch time, so while the teacher went to eat we stayed in the classroom resting: But like children, we got bored quickly so we decided to read a book: After lunch we had play time again, this time with constructions: And then the children invited us to play a role in their small theatre: We loved it I think I was made to be an actor! By the end of every day children should calm down, rest and talk before they go home: And here we are, returning home after a tiresome, but very funny, day at school Kisses, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jun 19, 2008, 2:55 pm |
Today Penvmbra and her parents took me, Amelie and Migui+Gui to a Marroquin bar.
It is very zen, the decoration is beautiful and they have amazing teas and a fruity tobacco to smoke in the narguillas. قبلات, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jun 23, 2008, 4:35 pm |
Today we went for a pik-nic in Sintra!
Here we are: Amelie, Migui+Gui and me on our way to the Sintra Mountains Already in the park: Look, the chorizo is baking by us =) This place is so calm and beautiful... There were kids riding donkeys in the park, so cute And to finish this amazing day, we went to Cascais to have a very famous handmade ice-cream, the Santini Ice Creams, some say they are the best in the world! Kisses, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jun 23, 2008, 4:49 pm |
Today I had to say goodbye to Amelie as she's on her way to the Switzerland
I'll miss you sweet rat! |
Penvmbra Posted Jul 3, 2008, 9:16 am |
'Olá!'
It's been hot as hell in Lisbon, so today me and Migui+Gui decided to stay home and visit the baby rats that are already grown (for a dwarf rat). They're soooo cute Their mum wasn't that happy with the visit, though And the skeleton would be strugling to breathe, if he had any breath in him Migui (the real one) loves the rats!As you can see he even licks his lips only to look at them I hope you liked our 'ratty' visit, ihih Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jul 4, 2008, 1:14 pm |
Hello mum!
Don't be angry with Penvmbra but she took me to go out at night and I loved it! I went with Migui+Gui and Margarida and we only drunk orange juice, eheh First we went to an Irish Club where 3 irish guys were playing celtic music. After that we went to a gothic club called Transmission and guess what: there was a huge teddy bear there Hugs, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jul 8, 2008, 2:25 pm |
Hello!
Today we went to Peniche, a small town by the sea, to spend 2 days in. We stayed in a nice hotel: Me, Margarida and Migui+Gui went to the pool: Then we had a nice meal in a restaurant nearby: There you have the flag of Portugal: In the restaurant there was this guy hanging in the wall...he didn't seem very happy Kisses, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jul 10, 2008, 12:55 pm |
Hello mum!
Today I went for a fantastic trip to Sintra, this time to the famous Quinta da Regaleira! You really should read more about this amazing place! Penvmbra couldn't park her car near the Regaleira so me, Margarida and Migui+Gui had a nice walk to there and found some interesting things on the way Sintra is a fresh place and it's awsome to breathe the air coming from the trees around us! And it's also refreshing to run away from the 'hell' of Lisbon...I got tan on my feathers already! Ahhh, we're almost there! A bit closer... And finally there! eheh This park has: Beautifull flowers Grottos A chapel... ...with an altar. Beetles (this one was huge!) Pagan figures (lots of it) Archs A nice lake... ...with DUCKS! An Initiation Well A Lion we domesticated (cof cof) Beautiful lights Inside the palace we found a miniature of the chapel: And a bust of the epic poet Luís de Camões I loved this day, but now I'm tired! It's time to go back to Lisbon. Kisses, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jul 12, 2008, 3:19 pm |
Hello, hello!
Today I had a very funny day! Me, Migui+Gui and Margarida met with Mocke and Sunshine because Penvmbra and Luthien (and her boyfriend) went together to Sintra to walk with us all. First we went to a celtic bar called Torque to drink natural juices. And then to the Sintra National Palace After that I went to the Sintra Medieval Fair, it was awsome! Red Sangria is really good, it makes me dizzi, ihih And the baked chorizo...hm... Now, with my stomach full, I can enjoy the fair: And that was all for today Kisses, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jul 13, 2008, 12:20 pm |
Hey!
Penvmbra edited her first book, it is called Sonets of Penvmbra She had to translate the poems for me because they're written in portuguese, eheh Kisses, Lucky Duck |
Penvmbra Posted Jul 13, 2008, 12:31 pm |
It is time to say goodbye now to Margarida and Migui+Gui
I had a great time in Portugal, but now new adventures wait for me in Germany Farewell and see you soon, Lucky Duck |
Apperveilchen Posted Jul 17, 2008, 7:08 pm |
I've arrived in Essen! Tonight I'll rest and tomorrow we're going to do packing and last minute shopping and we may all pick our places for the flights. And the day after that we're going to the airport.
I'll tell you more when we're back! |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 10, 2008, 12:45 pm |
Today we went hiking to a beach. We had to go over the Mont Plaisir to get there.
There's some rainforest, though not as dense as in the Vallée de Mai and springs that are also used for tap and bottled water, but for the people living near here there are little basins. From the other side of the mountain we had a nice view of Aride island in the distance. This is where we want to go: Anse Lazio and behin the bay one can see Curieuse Is. We have to go down there and then climb down the rocks. Finally there, isn't it beautiful? |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 12, 2008, 9:52 am |
We drove to the international airport at Düsseldorf in the afternoon and checked in for our flight to Dubai.
This is our plane: When it was time to board we found our place and got settled or take-off. Security when traveling is very important. When the seat-belt signs got switched off I had a chance to look out the window and see all those fields and tiny little houses of Germany. Later I had to follow our progress in the map because we flew above the clouds and it got dark outside. Eventually we all went to sleep. It was a long flight, about 7h. |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 12, 2008, 10:00 am |
We're in Dubai in the middle of the night and already off to board our next plane.
We found out places once again but this time I could watch some of the activity around the airplane. Information on the screens was in English and Arabic. Look, I could also fly home from here! Lots of men were there to get our plane ready. I could watch them via the forward camera or out the window. We're practically there! Can you see the first little island? |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 13, 2008, 11:31 am |
We arrived at the holiday home.
It has a nice garden with many flowers. So there just had to be exotic birds around here. Yes, I've spotted one! two Is that a pidgeon? I tried to get closer, but they were very shy. Well, maybe some other day when they are more used to me here. Now it's time for dinner. We are going to stir fry some breadfruit and onions. the red thing is a jambose rouge |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 16, 2008, 1:32 pm |
Aquila and I drove to Victoria, the capital city of Seychelles today.
The mountains are hidden in the clouds this time of the year. the harbour Victoria doesn't really have the feel of a capital city. It's more like a provincial town, with some clothing shops, jewelers, a couple of supermarkets, a single stop light (the only one on the island), hard ware or convenience stores and a number of mostly Indian-led shops for everything from rice to kitchen ware, electronics, books, clothes and personal hygene products. But nothing is big here. There are no parking garages or malls. One of the main streets: Little bridges lead over tiny canals between the houses. many herons come here: Here we are at the Sir Selwyn Selwyn Clarke market. It was built after WWII by the governor of the same name so farmers and fishers could sell their goods, free of charge. Now they often sell to other people who then sell on the market. These cattle egrets eat the rests of the fish. Here' the market street: and the Hindu temple. We could hear loud music coming out of it all day long. There are churches and temples of all kinds, but the majority of the population is catholic. |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 16, 2008, 2:58 pm |
We drove north from Victoria. At this time there are winds from the south west and they are quite strong at the moment, so the sea here near north-east point is rough.
A formerly German lady now lives here and makes perfume from the perfume oil produced on the islands. It's from flowers like ylang ylang, citronelle, frangipani and of course the pachouli and many others. We couldn't remember them all. There are 4 different kinds of perfumes produced here. Depending on the person wearing them, they smell very different. We know, we tried! The little holders to the flacons are hand-made from local wood. And further north the road runs along the coast all the way around the northern peninsula to Beau Vallon Bay. This is a very touristy beach, as far as that goes in Seychelles. Beaches are never over-run or places over-crowded by tourists. We sat down and had some fresh fruit juice. Then we walked along the beach. There are many stray dogs here, but most seem well-fed and the don't have to worry about getting cold at any time of the year. We found a Madagascar Fody and a barred ground or Zebra dove. The road ends soon after Beau Vallon Bay, because of the Morne Seychellois National Park. Water sports centers are all along the beach, offering scuba diving, snorkeling trips, boat trips to other islands or big game fishing. |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 22, 2008, 8:27 pm |
We went to a part of Essen called Rüttenscheid today. It's one of the nice neighborhoods. The market every Saturday has many stands with delicacies not normally found in German supermarkets, like wild peaches or nectarines, fruit and vegetables from exotic countries, unusual cheeses and so on. There are several organic bakeries and other pricy stores.
Here's the typical architecture: for the older houses, then the popst-war ones. Essen was one of the most bombed places in WWII, because of the weapon industry here. Old parts of the town that used to be independent villages and were left standing then fell victim to 'modern' city development in the 1970s. The old houses were pulled down and flat-roofed buildings were erected, leaving space for broader streets and pedestrians zones. |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 26, 2008, 4:09 pm |
We all went to the beach today. This is the one directly in front of our house.
Lucky Duck, Nami and I took a walk along the beach. We are sitting on palm roots. Here it got too deep for us to go on. The little walls keep the whole sand from being swept away. Coconuts can swim on top of the water and were probably spread over the world that way. It always changed between sun and clouds. That was good so we didn't get too hot. These granite rocks are typical for Seychelles inner islands and can come up in the middle of the garden or at the very edge of the road. We'll just hang out here for a bit. |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 26, 2008, 6:43 pm |
We watched the fruit bats today. In German they are called 'Flughunde' (flying dogs) because they aren't actually closely related to bats. They live in all the tress here and make holes into the fruit to eat them and leave the rind/nut.... They are very loud and seem to fight among themselves for the best places to sleep. They are most active at dusk.
I win! |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 26, 2008, 6:58 pm |
We drove along to the west coast and then back home.
Many Seychellois now live in flats because buying ground and building a house has gotten very expensive. For the same reason unmarried adults often continue to live with their parents. Here we came over the mountain. |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 27, 2008, 7:54 am |
We found a local artist who does silk painting. It's a typical art for the islands.
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Apperveilchen Posted Aug 27, 2008, 8:37 am |
Today we are watching common mynahs. They are introduced birds and are on their way to becoming a problem, because the compete with native and local birds for nesting places and may eat their eggs.
They were very shy and careful. We had to sit out there for a while for them to come near us. They mainly circled us the whole time. |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 27, 2008, 10:14 am |
We had to go to the university clinic today. That involved some running around and going to many different offices. In the picture you can see the buildings where people can donate blood and people with blood deseases are treated. In the background is the building where some of the student offices are located (uni sports, student organizations...) and most importantly teh dining hall and cafe for the students. We went to get some breakfast while we waited for the office hours to start. |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 28, 2008, 2:04 pm |
We spent the day at our beach.
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Apperveilchen Posted Aug 28, 2008, 3:06 pm |
We went to a craft village today. Here they make elaborate model ships, hats from palm leaves and much more.
Then we drove to Anse à la mouche and Anse Boileau. If you look closely you can see the Maia resort on the hill. Great light. In reality it was much warmer, though. |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 29, 2008, 4:22 pm |
I was really dirty after the trip and before I go to my next host I want to be all sparkling clean. Now I'm sitting out to dry and then I'll directly get into my envelope. |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 30, 2008, 1:20 pm |
We wanted to visit the tea plantation up in the mountains today.
This is the view going up the road above Victoria. Here we are at the ruins of a boys' school run by monks. When there are no clouds one has a beautiful view but the mountains were hanging in the clouds once again giving the ruins a haunted atmosphere. Next we drove to the tea factory. We wanted to have some tea. It was 3:30 and they were supposed to be open until 4, but...time is relative here and the ladies were closing up the tea room already and the truck with the workers from the tea factory left when we arrived. We just had a quick look around and then drove on. We found a great point for a view of the next bay and the small islands before it. It was sunny but the light was filtered by the trees and then by the camera. We drove up to Port Claud. Here's a church. They'd just had a funeral and we saw the procession. People weren't dressed darkly but in their sunday best with hats and flower prints. Cows seem to be held with a halfter and a long chain here, so they can move a bit without needing a fence. This a the calf that is walking free. |
Apperveilchen Posted Aug 30, 2008, 3:52 pm |
This was our last day on Mahé. We spent it at the beach. The water was at about the lowest point, so we could walk out a long way without getting wet.
A lot of sand is moved by the water everyday, revealing field of seagrass, small corals and stones that are all covered when the water is high. After our shower we walked along the little road by the house some way. Then we had to pack teh rest of our things and lay in the sun for a bit. |
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 6, 2008, 4:16 pm |
Lucky Duck is travelling to his next host. |
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 6, 2008, 4:19 pm |
Some last pictures of our house and garden here:
The entrance: The garden: Tonight we are going to fly back to Germany. |
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 7, 2008, 10:37 am |
We went to Cousin island by boat. It's an island that's owned by a society for the protection of native birds and turtles. Of some very rare species of bird that have less than 100 individuals in the whole world 2/3 live here and the numbers are rising again.
There were so many noddies: Aldabra Giant tortoises are living freely on the island. A young tropic bird: Adult tropic birds on their nests: White terns are believed to mate for life. We left again. Cousin to the right, Cousine in the distance. |
Apperveilchen Posted Sep 7, 2008, 10:46 am |
With a nice stamp in form of a coco de mer in the passport we are flying back to Dubai and on to Düsseldorf. This time it was my turn to go in the luggage. |
hylitalo Posted Sep 22, 2008, 11:18 am |
Greetings from Helsinki, Finland! I started my trip in United Magazines 'cause my host is a journalist.
Editor-in-chief's Bear had waited me hard every day. Then one day he found a small package in a postbox... |
hylitalo Posted Sep 22, 2008, 11:24 am |
Then we met first time! |
hylitalo Posted Sep 22, 2008, 11:28 am |
My host drove me safely to her home. |
hylitalo Posted Sep 22, 2008, 11:33 am |
At home I enjoyed the autumn colours... |
hylitalo Posted Sep 22, 2008, 11:36 am |
... and I found some autumn flowers. |
hylitalo Posted Sep 22, 2008, 11:47 am |
I ordered a wonderful boysenberry cake with my host at a cafe in Helsinki. |
hylitalo Posted Sep 22, 2008, 11:51 am |
Here's my first tourist picture. Here I'm in front of the Finnish National Theatre. Everyone looked at me instead of the Theatre... |
hylitalo Posted Sep 22, 2008, 11:58 am |
I caught a cold after my sightseeing tour It's autumn here in Finland and not very warm. I've traveled naked, however, as the ducks usually do. Now I drink hot red currant juice and watch Aki Kaurismäki's movies at home. This week I'll continue my adventures in Helsinki... |
hylitalo Posted Oct 14, 2008, 1:09 pm |
I've continued my tour in Helsinki and I've been very busy! Here is the Baltic Sea. Unfortunately it's very polluted sea. There are many campaigns and efforts to save the Baltic Sea. My host is just writing an article about that and I've helped her. |
hylitalo Posted Oct 14, 2008, 1:13 pm |
After seeing the Baltic Sea we went to a drink. |
hylitalo Posted Oct 14, 2008, 1:16 pm |
I visited a studio at the United Magazines Ltd. There my host is working. It was very huge with lots of cameras and lights... |
hylitalo Posted Oct 14, 2008, 1:21 pm |
... they took some pictures to a magazine |
hylitalo Posted Oct 14, 2008, 1:25 pm |
I went to a sightseeing tour with my host. First we waited a metro train... |
hylitalo Posted Oct 14, 2008, 1:27 pm |
... a long time because it was Sunday. |
hylitalo Posted Oct 14, 2008, 1:32 pm |
Here's one of the most popular tourist sights: Helsinki Cathedral at a Senate Square, located in the centre of Helsinki. I learned that until the independence of Finland in 1917 the church was called St. Nicholas' Church.
There were lots of pidgeons, too, but they didn't talk to me. |
hylitalo Posted Oct 14, 2008, 1:36 pm |
I visited the Esplanadi Park, a very popular place in the centre of Helsinki. It's very active especially in summer. Then people come to picnics there. There are also live music performances on a special outdoor stage in the park. |
hylitalo Posted Oct 14, 2008, 1:42 pm |
I've learned about culture, too. Mika Waltari is one of the most important Finnish authors. He is best known for his great novel The Egyptian. This year is the 100th anniversary of his birth. |
hylitalo Posted Oct 14, 2008, 1:51 pm |
My host lives in Kartanonkoski, Vantaa. It's a new area next to Helsinki. I like especially the colourful houses. |
hylitalo Posted Oct 14, 2008, 1:54 pm |
Here's the border of Vantaa and the capital Helsinki. The river Vantaa scenery has been my favourite here. |
hylitalo Posted Oct 14, 2008, 1:57 pm |
The last sunflower is smiling to me before the long winter. |
hylitalo Posted Oct 14, 2008, 2:01 pm |
The autumn colours have been fantastic this year. This is the best time of year! Leaves are as yellow as me. I went to a forest. |
hylitalo Posted Oct 14, 2008, 2:04 pm |
Where's Lucky Duck? |
hylitalo Posted Oct 14, 2008, 2:08 pm |
I traveled to Hyvinkää, a town approximately 50 km north of the capital Helsinki. My host has lived her childhood there. I found a lovely nest. See you again! |
hylitalo Posted Oct 29, 2008, 2:25 pm |
Hi again, I visited Helsinki International Horse Show with my host. She was working there and writing to a magazine.
This is a dark picture but here I am: sitting with the press. The obstacles were high to horses but very easy to me because I can fly. |
hylitalo Posted Oct 29, 2008, 2:31 pm |
I've tried to talk to Finnish birds but they're quite shy, they don't come very close quickly. Here I'm beside Töölönlahti Bay, a nice strand and park, very popular place. I saw two drakes swimming in the sea. |
hylitalo Posted Oct 29, 2008, 2:39 pm |
It's not easy to find birds because many of them are moving to southern Europe for winter.
Fortunately I met about 100 Canadan ducks in the city centre. They were peaceful and nice and favored black&white clothes... |
hylitalo Posted Oct 29, 2008, 2:45 pm |
Here I'm at Töölönlahti Bay with my new friends: Moosy&P Bear. They're Toy Voyagers from Canada.
It looks like there's sky behind us but it's the sea. It was a very calm and bright weather. |
hylitalo Posted Oct 29, 2008, 2:47 pm |
Here we are again! |
hylitalo Posted Oct 29, 2008, 2:50 pm |
I also saw the University of Helsinki main building. My host has studied there literature. It's located beside the Senate Square and the Helsinki Church I've seen already. |
hylitalo Posted Oct 29, 2008, 2:55 pm |
Last day we went to a cafe. We drank Finnish coffee and ate a bun as people here often do. After that I went to a warm bath.
This was my trip in Finland. Unfortunately I couldn't see northern Finland and Lapland but maybe next time! Now I travelling to my next host to England... |
seussscat Posted Nov 10, 2008, 10:25 pm |
So I finally made it to the UK after a few days travelling. Lauren was kind enough to let me out for a quick breather however she was off and so was I. It was Drum Lesson time and I had a quick go before Lauren Started.
Then we dashed to Borders so Lauren could pick up her textbook and she ended up buying stuff from paperchase she didn't need but it was fun. |
seussscat Posted Nov 10, 2008, 10:29 pm |
Lauren left me at home today as she had to be up early to go to work at meetings so didn't think it would be fun for me. However I kept myself amused by having a lie in and then having out with the locals.
Patch and Dave were good fun when they weren't trying to nibble me. No picture with the gerbils though, wouldn't keep still long enough for one to be taken. |
seussscat Posted Nov 10, 2008, 10:33 pm |
Today Lauren had the dentist so we took a trip there in the morning and then it was off to Newport for Lauren's CIPD class. We took the train there and I sat and listened whilst the lecturers spoke about lots of business stuff I didn't understand. It was alright though, I took a nap.
Then we got the train home. It was fun but I am more interested in going to Cardiff. Lauren says she will take me with her to work soon. |
seussscat Posted Dec 6, 2008, 6:02 pm |
Another day of work for Lauren so another train trip for us. Its quite fun travelling on the train and the scenery is beautiful. |
seussscat Posted Dec 6, 2008, 6:05 pm |
Today we drove to Swansea as Lauren was in a meeting nearly all day. But she let me play on her computer whilst she was gone. |
seussscat Posted Dec 6, 2008, 6:08 pm |
After travelling to Wales most of the week, today I decided to stay home and hang out with the guinea pigs, so me and Patch kipped for most of the day. |
seussscat Posted Dec 6, 2008, 6:13 pm |
After a weekend of slobbing out, I helped Lauren made dinner today. Having had a great vegetable bake at the pub Sunday night, Lauren decided to buy some cheese sauce and give it a go herself. It looked tasty but it did taste like smelly socks a bit. |
seussscat Posted Dec 6, 2008, 6:22 pm |
Another wednesday so another trip to University for Lauren however we went in the car this time so we kept nice and warm. I sat near the vents to keep toasty warm. |
seussscat Posted Dec 6, 2008, 6:28 pm |
Today I popped into work with Lauren before we drove up to Birmingham for Christmas party. Here's me hanging out in the hotel room. It was very nice and the bed was comfy. However I got left to watch TV whilst Lauren went out to the christmas dinner. |
seussscat Posted Dec 6, 2008, 6:35 pm |
Lauren had to be in a meeting all today so I hung out in the Hotel room. The view from the room wasn't great but it was interesting to watch the people going by. Then we headed back to Bristol before later getting on a train to London. Lauren went back to her Dads for the weekend so we did loads of travelling today which made me very tired. |
seussscat Posted Dec 6, 2008, 6:42 pm |
Today we did some travelling around London. After having a bit of a lazy morning in Bexleyheath, we hopped on a train to see Lauren's friends Dan and Dee in Forest Hill and this meant travelling through London Bridge. It was very busy here so there were many people to watch! |
Greycat Posted Feb 1, 2009, 4:41 pm |
Hello Mum, it´s very great here- lots of other toyvoyagers to play with and yesterday my hosts had a big party with hilarious people. It's pretty crowded around here now , but we have a lot of fun altogether, it's like our own little family . Today we decided to take a group picture, so we'd never forget each other. I hope you like it,
a big hug from Vienna, Lucky Duck |
Greycat Posted Feb 2, 2009, 2:25 pm |
Hallo!
Today I went to the Prater too see the Giantwheel of Vienna, but it was really, really cold outside. Greetings from my host! LD |
Greycat Posted Feb 12, 2009, 6:59 pm |
Today I´ve seen the Stephansdom - the big cathedral in the center of Vienna, you know? And then I walked through the famous Kärntnerstraße to the Opera. There will be the world famous Viennese Opernball next week, on thursday. Pictures of this event are shown all over the world...and my host will be part of it. She gives her ´debut`, that means it´s her first time to visit this famous ( and normally really expensive) ball and this young couples "start" the ball with their dancing. They have to prove their abilities in vienna waltz and were selected, because they were good! So, pay attention, perhaps you will see her ? |
Greycat Posted Feb 24, 2009, 8:19 pm |
"Hellau!", mum. This is a special way of German greeting during the carneval season. Hope you have a good time too and HELLAU! |
EliT Posted May 26, 2009, 9:07 am |
Hey mum! I've finally arrived in Italy! Here I am popping out of the envelope (I hated it in there, I couldn't breathe!)
I met some new friends! They're not toyvoyagers, just stay at home toys (even though they told me they would love to travel one day). They're very nice, I like them already Elisa (my host) had to study so I decided to help her, but I got bored after a while so I went to read a good book. Write again soon, mummy! |
EliT Posted Jun 15, 2009, 11:49 am |
Hi Mum!
Today I went to Iseo Lake, a beautiful lake in the north of Italy. We took around 1 hour to go there, but I wasn't bored during the trip because I made a new friend! His name is Sportino, he lives in the car of Elisa's boyfriend. He told me about all the places he visits since he lives in a car. Finally we arrived to the lake. Here I am mummy! We were so thirsty, so Elisa went to buy a crushed-ice drink. It tasted delicious! Since it started to rain a little (stupid weather!) and we hadn't any umbrellas we ran to the car and went home. At home Elisa's sister was opening two chocholate eggs that were left from Easter. I tasted the white one, it was soooo good, yummy! Write again soon, mum! |
EliT Posted Jun 15, 2009, 12:51 pm |
Today Elisa had to visit a museum in Milan, so I went with her.
Sadly, she couldn't make any photos in the museum, but I really liked it, there was a lot of famous paintings and sculptures! After that we decided to go to Piazza Duomo. Here I am in front of the beautiful gothic cathedral. Elisa told me the Duomo took five centuries to complete and is the fourth-largest church in Europe! There was a lot of people, but I didn't see any toys... I was the only one there, I felt so important! Here I am in front of the central station... ...and near a really tall skyscraper. Write again soon, mummy! Take care, Lucky Duck. |
Gloria Deng gloriadepp@gmail.com Posted Jul 27, 2009, 5:05 am |
Here I am! In Fudan University, Shanghai, China! My new friend Gloria took a pic for me by the window of her dorm. This is my new home~ |
Gloria Deng gloriadepp@gmail.com Posted Jul 27, 2009, 5:41 am |
Look at me! I love riding a bike!
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Gloria Deng gloriadepp@gmail.com Posted Jul 27, 2009, 5:46 am |
Gloria took me out for a walk in the most beautiful streets in Shanghai. I love this city!
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Gloria Deng gloriadepp@gmail.com Posted Jul 27, 2009, 5:48 am |
We went to an old- fashioned theatre and saw an old movie this evening. It was really a masterpiece. And I love old places.
|
Gloria Deng gloriadepp@gmail.com Posted Jul 27, 2009, 5:51 am |
I really miss you guys, my mentor and all my hosts
So I tried to make calls to you today. |
Gloria Deng gloriadepp@gmail.com Posted Aug 14, 2009, 1:44 pm |
Gloria and I am now in Nanjing for summer holidays. Nanjing is Gloria's hometown, and we have already come to an agreement that NJ is the most attractive city in China. Today Gloria took me to Jasmine International Youth Hostel, for one of her friends come to visit her and will live there today. It is a really lovely place. The building is a villa built in the early 20 century, with a beautiful yard and jasmine flowers. And I love the cafe bar, where tourists enjoy a moment of peace there. And I played with the dog in the yard, it seemed that he was not in a good mood
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Gloria Deng gloriadepp@gmail.com Posted Aug 14, 2009, 1:48 pm |
I visited Nanjing Normal Univrsity today, I love universities with ancient buildings!
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Maraia Posted Jan 4, 2010, 5:32 pm |
Hi Mommy! I write to say I'm now safe in Lodz. I am still waiting with Mary for other TV's so we can start sightseeing. Oh guys, where are you! Mary is little bit busy now and she has to leart to an exam, besides it's so cold outside! The weather not favour us to go somewhere (as you can see in a picture). So for the moment we are planning to stay at home until tomorrom. |
Maraia Posted Jan 22, 2010, 7:54 pm |
Hi Mommy, I'm sorry I haven't write to you but Maria was very busy.
A week ago we were in cinema to see a movie 'Sherlock Holmes'. During a way to cinema we saw an car accident. As you can see in the picture, there is a car which is lying at its roof, upiside down. an accident: an ambulance: I hope that nobody was hurt. Beautiful christmas tree at the most famous street in Lodz, and also in Poland - Piotrkowska street. The cinema, where we were, is situated in the probably biggest retail park in Europe called Manufaktura. It is revitalized old fabric factory. The part of Museum of History of Lodz which is situated next to Manufaktura: The mall: The marketplace: Now there is ice rink, but in summer we have here beach ;] Inside of that complex is a lot of attractions like hiking wall, bowling, pool and other. Oh look! A coin-in-slot machine with toys! We have to release them, somehow! Ok, that's enough, let's see that movie.. Oh no! What a giant queue for tickets! And only 5 minutes left! Don't worry, we are so clever that we buy tickets in automatic machine ;] And the movie was great and so funny, you should also see it! Bye Lucky Duck |
Maraia Posted Jan 22, 2010, 9:01 pm |
Hi Mummy! Today I've met new TV, which is also a duck! Met Nie ;]
To celebrate that moment, I gave her fortune cookie, I hope it will gave her luck, as I am Lucky Duck Now, quickly, we have to go again to Manufaktura, because Maraia poses today as a model for her friend in a dress self-made and projected by Maraia's friend. We go to Almi Decor - shop with beautiful furniture, with awesome interiors. After that we went to orthodontost. Yes, Maraia has braces Here You can see how you should clean your teeth properly, very useful : When Maraia was sitting at orthodontist chair we were reading with Maraia's boyfriend a book. Maybe you know that serie called "Spooks Books' That was so busy day! Greets Lucky Duck |
Maraia Posted Feb 16, 2010, 3:25 pm |
Hi Mommy!
I just write to say that I have fun here. Today we've been playing card game Magic the Gathering, with Maraia and her boyfriend. The game was excited. I'm really lucky (Duck) because I won! Next day we went with Maraia to her school. On the way, in little park we saw.... You won't believe it!.... ducks! A lot of ducks! It was strange because there are no ponds, it's in the center of industrial city! Close enough? In school we've met someone- Bibi- other Toy Voyager ;] Maraia goes to shool of design so we saw how to make some models, we were in workroom, with other students. There are a lot of strange machines and shoe forms. Then we have a lesson of designing packagings After school we went to mall to drink delicious gingerbread-flavoured coffe. And that's all for now, the next stop is Warsaw -capital of Poland! |
Maraia Posted Mar 15, 2010, 8:26 pm |
Hi Mommy!
I had wonderful trip to Warsaw with Nie and Maraia's friend - Joana. She is my true friend now and I would miss her when I would go to another host. So, take a look at my new pictures ;] As you can see we are at the well-known park called Łazienki. The Baths Park, or Royal Baths (Polish: Park Łazienkowski, or Łazienki Królewskie) is the largest park in Warsaw, Poland, occupying 76 hectares of the city center. Łazienki Park was designed in the 17th century by Tylman van Gameren, in the baroque style, for Stanisław Herakliusz Lubomirski. It took the name Łazienki ("Baths") from a bathing pavilion that was located there. Take a look a t my new friend! He is soo huge and beautiful! He has colorful tail. I wish a had it also! Peacocks here are very friendly, they are not afraid of people and you can find sometime its feather on way ;]. We've also met some ducks, hmmm... in the picture you can see a group of fen-ducks ( polish kaczka: krzyżówka -which means literally crossword duck ) and one in the center which is garganey duck (polish: cyranka) Now we are in birdhouse, let's pretend that we are sparrows ;] Later we went to art gallery of Andrzej Mleczko - famous satirical illustrator to drink some hot tea in cups with his drawings. After that we went to some pub to celebrate the arrival of Joana's friend, who was in USA for six months. It seems that we are not only travellers in that society ;] King of the castle ;] Ehhhh ugly smell, we don't like and we don't accept cigarette smokers! ;] Next day we went to The Saxon Garden (Polish: Ogród Saski) which is a 15.5–hectare public garden in Warsaw's Downtown (Śródmieście), facing Piłsudski Square, and is the oldest public park in Warsaw. Founded in the late 17th century, it was opened to the public in 1727 as one of the first publicly accessible parks in the world. I wonder how it looks at spring, it must be beautiful! Joana held off with our trip to that park, because she hopes to wait for spring. But winter just won't go! Here you can see the statue of Allegory of Truth. And at playground Ok, now you can se the most well-known place at Warsaw. Warsaw's Castle Square (Polish: Plac Zamkowy) is the square before the Royal Castle. In the background you can see Zygmunt's Column or Sigismund's Column (Polish: Kolumna Zygmunta), erected in 1644. It is one of Warsaw's most famous landmarks and one of the oldest secular monuments in northern Europe. The column and statue commemorate King Zygmunt III Waza, who in 1596 had moved Poland's capital from Kraków to Warsaw. And here we are at community centre in Białołęka. Here we could watch how looks recording songs for band called DACH (eng. roof) We are making some noise! Maybe I will write some song to you Mommy. We have to travel from Warsaw to Lodz in envelope. It was exhausting. But when we arrive , we've met here some new TV! Mommy, meet Walter! Greets Lucky Duck |
Maraia Posted May 17, 2010, 6:57 pm |
Hi Mom!
I have some technical problems with camera. That's why I haven't updated nothing for so long. I have some photos from Skierniewice -Maraia's family town. I spent there Easter. Ive met here new TV :Fed We went to church with a basket with food. In a basket we have some bread, sausage an eggs. The traditional baskets look much better than ours. Little pond next to Maraia's old school. It used to be only little puddle here. First spring flowers in garden ;] Maraia's father was on a three-week trip to India and Nepal and he gaves her some souvenir- beautiful marionette ;] Fed has on his head some nepal cap ;] And he is playing on a strange india instrument. What a noise! I'm unfortunately too smal to play on it, but I'm great in playing on drums. I will show you right now some photo ;D I've met some cute cats. Here I'm with Perełka (Pearl) and Nie, she is sweet! And here is Dudek (just Dudek) and he doesn't like noone :P You can see in a picture how he is looking at me, strangely! An the last one, the sweetest one, but it was hard to take some photo - Felka. She is as black as night! Maraia's boyfriend has a rock band and I went with him to play some music Drums With Jacek - masked stranger. Poor Fed! And that's all for now! I think, it is the right time for me to go home. Now in Poland it's raining all day and I'm missing home so much! Tomorrow I will be on a road to home. greets :* |
sararingham sara.ringham@gmail.com Posted Oct 27, 2011, 12:37 pm |
After all my travels I've arrived back home! It's nice to rest, I think I'll stay home for a while now :-) |