Kara, Hauenstein, Germany

Grinsekatze


Posted Sep 9, 2012, 5:48 pm
Hi! I`m Kara. I`m a happy turtle.

I like all thing with that I can drive. I want to have many photos where I am before an engine, a train, a ship, a underground (metro), bike, oldtimer and so on.

I also like the beach, the ocean, lakes, fountains, all that has water.

I also like parks and gardens.

And mountains - I go there or also go with the cable railway. ;)


And if you see another turtle - please make a photo with me and her. Would be great!


Have a nice time Kara the Turtle


http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/vv162/grinsekatze36/A-TV/September2012SchoenbrunnTiergarten/Kara1.jpg
Grinsekatze


Posted Sep 9, 2012, 6:19 pm
Today Little Dragon arrived.

We all say "Hello" to him.

Carolin +Daisy Orange  + Kathy + MelekPingi + Taja + Teufelchen + Slange and I!

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Here you see the welcome of Little Dragon:

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The snake looked if there is some more in the envelope:

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Melek

http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/vv162/grinsekatze36/A-TV/LittleDragon/4MelekandLD.jpg

Pingi

http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/vv162/grinsekatze36/A-TV/LittleDragon/5PingiandLD.jpg

Kathy

http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/vv162/grinsekatze36/A-TV/LittleDragon/6KathyandLD.jpg

Kara

http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/vv162/grinsekatze36/A-TV/LittleDragon/7KiraandLD.jpg

Daisy Orange

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Teufelchen

http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/vv162/grinsekatze36/A-TV/LittleDragon/9TeufelchenundLD.jpg

Blue and Carolin

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Sheepy

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and Taja the littel Dragongirl!

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And here all together:

http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/vv162/grinsekatze36/A-TV/LittleDragon/AlleLDGeschenke.jpg
Grinsekatze


Posted Sep 9, 2012, 8:06 pm
Today I visit with my mum Grinsekatze and many friends:Carolin +Daisy Orange + Kathy + MelekPingi +Taja the world oldes Zoo in Schönbrunn.
Here you can read about it:

The World´s Oldest Zoo
Part of the imperial summer residence of Schönbrunn, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the world's oldest zoo is indeed an unforgettable experience, and one that no visitor to Vienna should miss. Along with the historic complexes of the former "menagerie" of Emperor Francis Stephen of  Lorraine, visitors discover what is perhaps the world's most beautiful zoo in a unique setting where culture and nature blend. More than 500 animal species, some of them threatened, have found a home here and a chance for survival as a species.
From A as in anteater to Z as in zebra: A visit to the Schönbrunn Zoo is a tour through every continent in the fascinating world of animals. See giant pandas, Siberian tigers, orangutans, and elephants, or immerse yourself in the Amazon and experience the tropical rain forest. A visit to the zoo offers young and old alike an enjoyable vacation in an incomparable setting and interesting insights into our nature and species conservation work.
Modern zoos such as the Schönbrunn Zoo have become educational centers; they are showcases for teaching and research, and valuable partners for many nature and species conservation projects. Not only are the knowledge and experience of zoologists, veterinarians, and keepers available for such projects, but so are the threatened animal species that have been carefully bred in the scope of the international zoo network. With your admission fee, and more especially through your interest in the animals and the work of the zoo, you are supporting our efforts in nature and species conservation!
http://www.zoovienna.at/en/zoo-and-visitors/welcome-worlds-oldest-zoo/

And here the photos:
We were at the Giant Pandas but they had played hide and seek and so we couldn`t see them.
But we were lucky. The artist Gottfried Kumpf has made a Giant Panda and so we could climb on it.
Have a look!

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Grinsekatze


Posted Sep 13, 2012, 1:23 pm
Schönbrunn Garden

Today I visit with my mum Grinsekatze and many friends:Carolin + Daisy Orange + Kathy + MelekPingi +Taja+ Little Dragon Schönbrunn Garden/Park.

It was so great. It was the last sunny day.
The next time the sun will go and the rain will
come.
So we were happy to sit in the grass and have
a nice time.


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Blue and Carolin

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Blue and Carolin lie in the grass:

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Kathy  with  Daisy Orange!


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Kathy

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Melek

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Pingi


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Taja + Daisy Orange+ Little Dragon


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Taja+Pingi+ Melek


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Taja + Little Dragon


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Grinsekatze


Posted Sep 15, 2012, 11:27 am
Farewellpartyphotos


Farewellparty von:Carolin +Daisy Orange + Kara + Kathy + +Pingi +Taja.

Little Dragon und Melek stay in Vienna. But they made party with all TV`s who
will go to their first hosts!


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I said "Good Bye" to my friends!


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I will go to Hippo Nino to Erfurt
Grinsekatze


Posted Sep 15, 2012, 12:32 pm
I´m on the way to Hippo Nino in Erfurt.


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Hippo Nino


Posted Sep 18, 2012, 7:35 am
Hello Mom
I arrived today in Erfurt.
I was welcomed very friendly and my new Host found myself totally sweet. Bloomer welcomed me and I'll protect you bear.
Hippo Nino


Posted Sep 18, 2012, 7:43 am
Today I could not get to know three new stuffed animals.
Theo turtle and two teddys Felix and Lennox
Hippo Nino


Posted Sep 19, 2012, 10:28 am
Today I was still puzzling Bloomer with a puzzle with a princess.
Hippo Nino


Posted Sep 21, 2012, 10:03 am
Hi mom.
Today we have been in a craft store.
And at home we have made ​​something beautiful for me.
But see for yourself what it is.
Hippo Nino


Posted Sep 21, 2012, 10:10 am
Then I played it today with Bloomer and "I'll protect you bear" football together. :D
Hippo Nino


Posted Sep 21, 2012, 10:14 am
Now we have today adopted Bloomer.
Hippo Nino


Posted Sep 21, 2012, 10:24 am
Hi mom.
Today I will show you a small abstract of Erfurt and me.
I've seen a Tramway and also wanted the same ride with her.  ;)
Hippo Nino


Posted Sep 21, 2012, 10:31 am
Here I try Erfurt food. I tasted it as well.
Hippo Nino


Posted Sep 21, 2012, 10:39 am
Today there was to see an Ikea advertising on street lamps.
Hippo Nino


Posted Sep 24, 2012, 12:00 pm
Hi mom today was to Blankenheim in the forest.
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 7, 2012, 1:44 pm
Today we welcome Kevin Kiwi.
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 8, 2012, 12:08 pm
Today I have Erfurt looked a little closer.
But See for yourself mom.
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 8, 2012, 12:19 pm
Now I must first make a small break and something to drink.
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 8, 2012, 12:56 pm
Today it was raining outside and since we have just tinkered times indoors with Kevin Kiwi.
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 17, 2012, 2:26 pm
We welcome the autumn with a walk and a picnic.
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 17, 2012, 2:40 pm
Hello Mommy today I went myself romp on a playground.  B)
Chestnuts have collected quite a lot.
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 17, 2012, 3:00 pm
Today I discovered a great store but look yourself.
I was totally excited.
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 20, 2012, 12:34 pm
Thursday evening we dressed up for our meeting with Tiger Lilly.
I've even dusted my tank.  B)
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 20, 2012, 1:06 pm
Today it is where we welcome back Tiger Lilly in Erfurt.
We eat cake and a scanned memory.
Then we made our way to a Tupperware party.
After that we went on a little searching through the night back home.
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 24, 2012, 9:34 am
Tabarz trip to the enchanted forest.
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 24, 2012, 9:47 am
Today we went to Erfurt station.
I've looked at trains and taken away for a coffee.
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 24, 2012, 9:53 am
After that I have with the other ToyVoyagers me looked the Erfurt Cathedral at night.
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 26, 2012, 8:45 am
Hi mom today we visited the pumpkin exhibition in the EGA.  :D
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 26, 2012, 8:59 am
After the exhibition, we have looked at the Tropical House at the EGA.  ;)

And other beautiful things look yourself
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 26, 2012, 9:23 am
Today we look again at Erfurt.
Erfurt Cathedral and Krämerbridge.
Hippo Nino


Posted Oct 26, 2012, 9:51 am
Today, we take leave of Tiger Lilly and Kevin Kiwi.
You may continue to travel together.  B)
Hippo Nino


Posted Nov 3, 2012, 7:54 am
hi mom today there was the first snow in Erfurt.
He was just a shame for three days.  :)
Hippo Nino


Posted Nov 6, 2012, 9:55 am
Hello Mom
Today I can Larasati welcome was very pleased.
I now no longer alone because now come Larasati  B)
Hippo Nino


Posted Nov 10, 2012, 12:56 pm
Hi Mom
I was you. With the other in the Thüringer Allgemeine Zeitung
The article was called stuffed animals traveling around the world.
Have made ​​it were advertising.  B)
Hippo Nino


Posted Nov 16, 2012, 8:17 am
Hi Mom
I have to watch you sure I did not get into work carton.
But we promise you take good care of it does not happen.
After all boxed we treat ourselves what sweet.  :D
Hippo Nino


Posted Nov 29, 2012, 11:52 am
Hi Mom,
I did not go lost in the chaos of moving.
Here, look how it looks here.
I also may help.  ;)
Hippo Nino


Posted Nov 29, 2012, 11:57 am
Today I can again help with.
This is fun.
Read the manual first.
Then sort screws, assemble and finish.  :D
Hippo Nino


Posted Dec 12, 2012, 8:43 am
Hello Mom
Today we were at the Christmas market.
Rode along on a Carousel.
That was really nice.
Hippo Nino


Posted Dec 12, 2012, 8:47 am
Today we build a gingerbread house.  :D
Hippo Nino


Posted Dec 12, 2012, 8:53 am
Now I must say goodbye.
I travel on today.
It was absolutely beautiful here.
fam-united


Posted Dec 14, 2012, 5:55 pm
Hi Mum,

I arrived at Bruchsal today. There seem to live rather busy people, but as Christmas is coming soon, I'm sure, that I will go and see some nice places.

Best wishes
Kara
fam-united


Posted Jan 28, 2013, 7:35 pm
In the evening we heard some loud noise outside. We saw it was a firework in a park and tried to take photos of it with us. It was quite difficult, so the photo is rather blurry. You can see the curtain in the door of my host's room.:(

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fam-united


Posted Jan 29, 2013, 8:39 pm
Our host was way too busy during the last weeks. And we sat there and waited for things to happen. Today finally she decided, that Christmas without Christmas cookies isn't Christmas. So she sorted our the recipes of the cookies, she wanted to bake. At first we baked the Zigeunerschnitten, a sort of gingerbread. It is my host's favourite.

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fam-united


Posted Jan 29, 2013, 8:54 pm
It is Sunday, the fourth of advent. So nobody did think, that the doorbell would ring and the postman would come and bring a package. But suddenly we heard a bell ringing and when we went to the door we found a big package in the hands of the postman. Of course we were very excited, especially because it was the day before Holy Eve. So we all sat around the package and waited until Kari and Robby had opened it.

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What a big surprise for us! There were so many new toyvoyagers guests in the package: Michel, nosyblue, Bobi, Hippy and Queenie and Robbi. So the house got crowded:)

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We told them to walk out of the package, so we could introduce each other and exchange adventures. We had a nice chat.

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fam-united


Posted Jan 31, 2013, 3:01 pm
Our hosts received a present: An Anastatica. Anastatica is found in arid areas in the Middle East and Sahara Desert, including parts of North Africa and regions of Iran, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, and Pakistan .

After the rainy season, the plant dries up, dropping leaves and curling branches into a tight ball, and "hibernates". Within the ball, the fruits remain attached and closed, protecting the seeds and preventing them from being dispersed prematurely. The seeds are very hardy and can remain dormant for years. Wetted again in a later rainy season, the ball uncurls and the plant wakes up from its dormant state, which causes the capsular fruits open (dehisce) to disperse the seeds.


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Then we finished some other cookies called Staenglein. They are very yummy.

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On Holy Eve we had the family's traditional dinner: chicken fricassee in pasty with lamb's lettuce.

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Later we sat around the plate with cookies and sang Christmas carols under the Christmas tree.
sorry, it was so dark, so the photos aren't that good and somehow the flashlight didn't work.

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fam-united


Posted Feb 17, 2013, 2:28 pm
It's the last day of the year and it's not raining. So we decided to go out on a sightseeing tour in Bruchsal.

At first we walked through the so called Bürgerpark, citizens' park. It was created in end of 1980something. There are two memorials of National Socialism victims and a third memorial as sign for understanding between different people of the world.


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Here you see the medieval tower and a part of the community centre. The tower was built in 1358 and is the oldest building of Bruchsal. It belonged to the old castle.

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Bruchsal has about 42 000 inhabitants, if you also count those in the five suburbs, which are Heidelsheim, Helmsheim, Untergrombach, Obergrombach and Büchenau. It was first mentioned in 796 A.D., but there had been an older settlement. 80 % of Bruchsal had been destroyed during World War II. on 1rst of March 1945. So you hardly find really old places.

Schloss Bruchsal is one of the most beautiful Baroque palaces in Germany and the only episcopal Baroque residence on the Upper Rhine. The foundation stone was laid in 1722 by Cardinal Damian Hugo von Schönborn, Prince Bishop of Speyer, who made the palace the centre of his absolutist dominion.
After being almost completely destroyed in the final days of World War II, the main tract was painstakingly reconstructed according to the original design and work was completed in 1975, including the magnificent dome, Marble Hall and Prince's Hall. The staircase designed by Balthasar Neumann is considered to be an architectural tour-de-force and has been described as the "finest staircase in the world".


We're now standing in front of one of the three entrances to the palace church called St. Damian and Hugo. From here you can see the county court, the Damian Gate and the tower of the jailhouse. The building on the left side,m which of course is the right part of the building,  houses the chamber music hall.

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Inside the church you can see these plates, which show the palace during the years. In the top photo you can see, how it looked like after World War II. In the last photo we were standing just in the corner, which you see in the middle of this top photo, between main building and church.

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The church wasn't rebuilt in baroque style. It is really modern. Somehow that's sad, but the costs were just too high. Here we are at the backside of the church. You see, that the tower isn't directly next to the church.

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This is the backside of the palace. In summer there are weeks, when they play open air theatre and in winter there is a second Christmas market since a few years.

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Next to the main way through the palace garden you find a lot of statues. At one crossing you see in each corner one statue of the four elements: fire, water, earth and air. Here you see the statue earth.

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The statues in the next crossing's corners show the four seasons: winter, spring, summer, autumn. Here you see winter.

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At one small gate you come to this street with really old houses.

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Here you see the mainbuilding of the palace.

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Just turning around on our heels we saw the county court building and the Amalie fountain.

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The Amalienbrunnen is called Schnecklesbrunnen ( in Bruchsal dialect), which means snail fountain.

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This is the gate called Damianstor. It is the entrance to the palace area. In the Damian Gate you can visit art exhibitions.

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We walked to the Stadtgarten, another park. This fountain is called Ferdinand Keller Brunnen. Behind the fountain you can see a part of a grammer school called Schönborn-Gymnasium.

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The Belvedere on the edge of the "Stadtgarten" was built by Leonhard Stahl in 1756 as a hunting lodge for Prince Bishop Franz Christoph von Hutten. The location was chosen so that the lodge would command an unspoiled view of the palace, town and Rhine rift valley beyond.

Especially worthy of note are the two towers, each of which has a viewing platform topped with a Chinese-style baldachin – an example of the fashion for chinoiserie prevalent at that time. Today, the Belvedere is used as a venue for concerts and theatre productions.


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At top of the Andreasstaffel, high stairs, you have a great view over Bruchsal. The houses below belong to the oldest part of Bruchsal. You also can see the tower of the ancient castle and of two churches (from left). The houses, which are in one line right in front of us, belong to the Huttenstraße.

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Here you see the baroque church St. Peter in the far. If you take a look right to the edge to the wood, you can see a big house. This house is called Sancta Maria. It is a school for social education and it is still home for Franciscan nuns.

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The buildings right in front of us and the white building in the far on the left side are all part of the old people's home. The big grey building behind the white is another grammer school called St. Paulusheim.

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We also walked a bit down the Andreasstaffel and had a few to the top from there. You see that small house. It is called Wingerthäusle. Maybe you can read about it in the next photo, it might be a bit small.

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We saw a beautiful house next to the Stadtgarten. If you plan to stay in Bruchsal for a holiday, you can rent this house for a while. It belongs to a hotel and restaurant.

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Finally we walked back home again. We came to the baroque church St. Peter, which is only a few hundred feet from our host's place. THe church is still baroque inside. It is located at the edge to the graveyard.[img]null[/img]

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fam-united


Posted Feb 17, 2013, 4:32 pm
We have our Silvester Dinner now. It's fondue with minced meat and different sauces and some other little food like cornichons and more. It way yummy.

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fam-united


Posted Feb 17, 2013, 5:57 pm
Finally it is time to welcome the New Year 2013. We watched the fireworks and our host's children made a special firework with sparklers for us. Then we went to bed, really tired.

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fam-united


Posted Feb 17, 2013, 6:29 pm
On January 6th is Epiphany. Children go out as the three kings and collect money for church and special needs. Many people offer them sweets. That's why they also carry bags with them to put the sweets, chocolate and other things like apricots and appels in it. Here you see some of the sweets the sons and daughter of our host brought home on 5th January. (This year they went on 4th and 5th). Maybe they will share them with us, who knows.

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fam-united


Posted Feb 17, 2013, 7:34 pm
Finally we have some snow, so we decided to go on a walk around the Kreuzbergsee in Tiefenbach. The lake was contured as recreational area in 1974 and it's magnitude is about 200.000 m². It is about 340 m long and 70 m broad.

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fam-united


Posted Mar 29, 2013, 4:04 pm
The weather was so grey, that we had not really a chance to go out and see other places. It had snowed during the night - everything is white now. At least it isn't so dark outside now.


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fam-united


Posted Mar 29, 2013, 4:29 pm
Today I joined my host on a trip to Blaustein. Her son studies at the university of Ulm and she visited him over the weekend. He has a nice view out of the window and today we had been really lucky, because the sun was shining.

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fam-united


Posted Mar 29, 2013, 4:59 pm
Blaustein is a municipality in the district of Alb-Donau Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is situated on the Blau River, 6 km west of Ulm and has about 15,000 inhabitants.

It was created in 1968 after the union of Ehrenstein and Klingenstein and some more municipalities joined.

It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwellings around the Alps UNESCO World Heritage Site.


View to Löwenfelsen in Ehrenstein


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The river Blau really shimmers blue sometimes. The name comes from the celtic name Blava. The blue colour comes from light scattering due to the high chalky spring water. River Blau is a left tributary to the Danube.

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It was so so cold, that we hurried home again after these two photos.
fam-united


Posted Mar 29, 2013, 5:42 pm
The next day we joined our host's son and her on the way to the university and after we said goodbye to him, we walked back home. The way was rather steep and I had a lot of fun on the icy way. But you can see, that the sky was grey again.

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Back in Blaustein we walked through the Szeklertor, which is a present of the partner city Cernat in Romania. The Székelys derive their name from a Hungarian expression meaning "frontier guards" and were regarded as the finest warriors of medieval Transylvania, but it isn't completely proven.

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fam-united


Posted Jun 2, 2013, 9:24 am
Today I watched tv, because it was a special day. We followed the flight of former Pope Benedict XVI. out of the Vatican.

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fam-united


Posted Jun 2, 2013, 2:42 pm
Wow! We have another sunny day! I really had no chance to see the flowers in the garden behind the house until now, because the weather was that bad. I can't remember, that we had springweather like this before. All flowers are blooming at the same time and the trees got leaves within minutes it seems.

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fam-united


Posted Jun 2, 2013, 8:37 pm
We are on the way to Bad Wildbad, where our host's husband has an appointment. As the weather was so terrible again during the last weeks, we took the chance to take some photos today.

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fam-united


Posted Jul 21, 2013, 7:22 pm
The weather is really nice, if you don't count the heavy clouds, so we decided to go on a drive to two of Bruchsal's suburbs: Untergrombach and Obergrombach. At first we wanted to visit the chapel on Michaelsberg, a small hill which belongs to Untergrombach. It was too crowded there, because there was a wedding.
So we only took a photo of the small hills of Kraichgau.


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fam-united


Posted Jul 21, 2013, 8:07 pm
Then we drove to Obergrombach.
At first we enjoyed the nice view over the vineyards to Obergrombach.


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Our plan was to take more photos, but it started raining again. So here's only one more photo of Obergrombach with a beautiful half timbered house.

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fam-united


Posted Jul 21, 2013, 9:13 pm
Today we decided to bake a rhubarb cake. Our host allowed us to do it all alone without her help. So please take a look at the recipe. We explain it step by step:

At first we had to find a place - we are quite a few
:)

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Of course we aren't all traveling. Some of us are here as active toyvoyagers, but many of us are guests, who decided to stay here as long as the owners don't find time to get in contact with our host. And of course some of us live here, but we all have one thing in common - we are toyvoyagers.
At next we had to get the eggs. We need six eggs for the cake.


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It was Sausi Karl's job to beat the eggs.

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Then one of us - don't know who - added 50g sugar for each egg, so it was 300 g sugar. It's quite a lot, we know.

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Madam Miff added one packet of vanilla sugar to the dough.

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Of course we had to beat the dough again, but we couldn't handle the camera while beating the dough.
Matcha and Ted added 300g flour and one packet of baking powder.


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Then we had to stir the dough again until it was fluffy.

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Melek helped

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and Nathalie

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Then Matcha prepared the dish for the dough. We baked without bottom on a foil.

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Nathalie was still busy stiring the dough.

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And the she filled it in the dish.

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Then we all were sitting there and waiting for the cake to get baken in the oven. Man it was boring at first. But we didn't expect, that half an hour can be such a short time, when so many tvs are together.

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After this break we had to prepare the rhubarb, because we wanted to fill the cake with rhubarb cream.

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Little Dragon helped to skin it.

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And Matcha helped to cut it in pieces.

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Billy helped Matcha to stay on the pot during cutting the rhubarb pieces.

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Then we had to prepare some ingrediences for the cream. We needed two packets of vanilly pudding powder, one egg white and one yolk. We had to stir the egg white.

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Before adding the stirred egg white, we had to add the pudding powder. We had added a little bit of water to it and shook it until it was smooth. Then we added the pudding powder to the cooked rhubarb. We also added the yolk.

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Then Louis the Rat added the stirred egg white and gently folded it in.

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Finally we cut the cake in two layers and filled the cream on the first and then on the second layer and put the last layer on top of it.

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fam-united


Posted Aug 25, 2013, 12:39 pm
Today we drove to Ulm. Ulm is a city in Baden-Württemberg,  located at the border of Swabian Jura to Bavaria and was founded around 850, but the oldest traceable settlement of the Ulm area began in the early Neolithic period, around 5000 BC. . Ulm lies at the point where the rivers Blau and Iller join the Danube.
Internationally, Ulm is primarily known for having the church with the tallest steeple in the world, the Gothic minster (Ulm Minster, German: Ulmer Münster) and as the birthplace of Albert Einstein.

The Minster is a Lutheran church. Although sometimes referred to as Ulm Cathedral because of its great size, the church is not a cathedral as it has never been the seat of a bishop.

It is the tallest church in the world, and the 4th tallest structure built before the 20th century, with a steeple measuring 161.5 metres (530 ft) and containing 768 steps. From the top level at 143 m (469 ft) there is a panoramic view of Ulm in Baden-Württemberg and Neu-Ulm in Bavaria and, in clear weather, a vista of the Alps from Säntis to the Zugspitze. The final stairwell to the top (known as the third Gallery) is a tall, spiraling staircase that has barely enough room for one person.

We had a wonderful view around, but the weather was not as nice as we would have liked it. It even started to drop.
(wikipedia)

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Here you see the river Danube. The houses in my back belong to the so called Fischerviertel (fishermen's quarter), where we will go later. The houses on the other side of the river belong to the Bavarian city Neu-Ulm.

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fam-united


Posted Aug 25, 2013, 2:29 pm
Today we drove to Blaubeuren. Blaubeuren has about 12 000 inhabitants. At first we visited the Blaubeuren Abbey, which was a house of the Benedictine Order. The monastery was founded in 1085.
I love the halbtimbered houses.



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I'm sorry, but there was only a bit of battery left in my host's camera, so we had to safe it for the next place and couldn't take a photo inside the abbey. I'm also sorry, but there is no photo with me and the second halftimbered house - it was too blurry. Nevertheless I wanted to show you this beautiful house, that's why there is one with Tsukumo.
fam-united


Posted Aug 25, 2013, 2:56 pm
The Blautopf (German for Blue Pot; "blau" means blue, "topf" means pot) is a spring that serves as the source of the river Blau in the karst landscape on the Swabian Jura's southern edge.

Numerous legends and folk tales refer to the Blautopf. Its characteristic colour was explained by the account that every day someone would pour a vat of ink into the Blautopf. Another myth stated that every time someone tried to measure the Blautopf's depth with a leaden sounding line, a water nix stole the sounding line. Therefore, it was not possible to determine the depth of the Blautopf.

The entry to the Blauhöhle lies at a depth of about 18 metres (approximately 60 ft). Therefore, access is restricted to experienced and well-trained divers. The size of the Blautopf depends greatly on the level of rainfall, though it never entirely dries out. The Blautopf is the second largest spring in Germany, after the Aachtopf.

he water's blue color is the result of chemical properties of limestone densely distributed in the water.

We only could take one "bunch" photo due to the battery problem and because it started to rain.


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fam-united


Posted Aug 25, 2013, 4:50 pm
Geislingen an der Steige is a town in the district of Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The name relates to its location "on the climb" (an der steige) of a trade route over the Swabian Jura mountain range.
Helfenstein Castle represents the remnants of the fortified castle (burg) Helfenstein of the counts of Helfenstein. During the peak of their power the Helfenstein family ruled Heidenheim, Blaubeuren, Wiesensteig and Sigmaringen.

We really enjoyed the view over Geislingen and the hills.


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View from the castle to Ödenturm.

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Here am I in front of the Ödenturm.

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From here we had a nice view to Helfenstein castle.

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fam-united


Posted Apr 21, 2014, 2:07 pm
Today we were invited to go on a trip with our host and her friend. They wanted to walk the way, that they planned to walk together with their teacher colleagues. We needed two hours for the walk along the river Rhine. The Rhine is the twelth longerst river in Europe and the longest river in Germany. The part, where we walked, belongs to the Upper Rhine. The "Upper Rhine" is one of four sections (High Rhine, Upper Rhine, Middle Rhine, Lower Rhine) of the river between Lake Constance and the North Sea. The largest cities along the river are Basel, Mulhouse, Strasbourg, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen and Mainz. The Upper Rhine was straightened between 1817 and 1876, but you still can see the arms of the old river.

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We were still on the right side of the river, but you already can see the towers of the Speyer cathedral.

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fam-united


Posted Apr 21, 2014, 9:14 pm
Speyer (formerly known as Spires in English) is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants.
Speyer is dominated by the Speyer Cathedral, a number of churches and the Altpörtel (old gate). In the cathedral, beneath the high altar, are the tombs of eight Holy Roman emperors and German kings.


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fam-united


Posted May 11, 2014, 1:04 pm
Together with my host and toyvoyager friends I drove to Bad Wildbad to attend a further training in English communication. It was really fun and we all learnt a lot - even I did.
It was a bit sad, that my host had a sore throat and so she didn't want to go on long walks through the town.



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fam-united


Posted May 11, 2014, 1:25 pm
The next day we attented a lesson about Michelle Obama's life and helped to write down all the numbers we've heard, while our trainer read the text. On the photo you see our trainer's little helper, the white teddy, but I forgot his name.


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I'm really sorry, that I'm not on this photo. I fell down, but my host did realize it too late.

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fam-united


Posted May 17, 2014, 2:30 pm
The Belvedere on the edge of the "Stadtgarten" was built by Leonhard Stahl in 1756 as a hunting lodge for Prince Bishop Franz Christoph von Hutten. The location was chosen so that the lodge would command an unspoiled view of the palace, town and Rhine rift valley beyond.

Especially worthy of note are the two towers, each of which has a viewing platform topped with a Chinese-style baldachin – an example of the fashion for chinoiserie prevalent at that time. Today, the Belvedere is used as a venue for concerts and theatre productions.


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In the background you see a grammar school, which is in the building of the former reservoir.

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fam-united


Posted May 27, 2014, 8:58 pm
We passed the Damianstor (Damian's gate). Nowadays it houses art exhibitions.

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Then we walked into the front garden of the baroque palace and took a photo standing in front of the back entrance of the church. You can see the county court, the prison tower and the Damianstor.

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Just enjoy the photos around the palace. We think it is one of the most beautiful baroque palaces at least in Germany.

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There are statues of the four seasons. This is summer.

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And there are four statues, which show the four elements: water, fire, earth and air. This statue is water.

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Close to the palace garden you still can find some of Bruchsal's oldest houses.

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This street is close to the citizen park. There are also some beautiful old houses here. About 80% of Bruchsal was destroyed during World War II and so was the biggest part of the palace too. The palace was rebuilt during the 70th. So we really were  happy to see, that there are still some of the old houses.

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Next to the tower of the ancient castle they built the citizen centre and park.

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Today I visited two parks, but they were rather small: the palace garden and the citizen park. Maybe together they count for one?
fam-united


Posted May 31, 2014, 7:27 am
Today we were invited to join our host and some of her teacher colleagues at a trip to Hauenstein. They stayed there over night, because they wanted to hike through the wood there. The weather seemed like, hm - will it rain or not???

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Later that day we had a really good view over the Palatinate Mountains.

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We also took some group photos there.

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We had to walk along narrow and steep paths.

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fam-united


Posted May 31, 2014, 8:46 am
Our farewell photos at the Paddelweiher with Zottel, the headmaster.

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