Posted Apr 6, 2012, 10:58 am
My mentors just got me from a cute little store in Granada and showed me around town as a start for what I feel will be a great adventure around the World!.
I'm very excited thinking about where I will travel and what places I will see.
Here are some pictures from my hometown: Granada!
Posted Apr 10, 2012, 10:57 am
Here's me waking up still in my very confy pajamas:
A short car ride (my first one):
As you can see it was a very nice and sunny day... I <3 Granada, I'll surely miss the everclear skies:
I'll also miss the very tasty olives:
And the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains:
Look at all those dots!
Each one of those neatly arranged trees is an olive trees, they live to be very old, more than a hundred years!.
We had a very tasty outdoor Paella:
Courtesy of a nice Valencian friend... can't get any more authentic than that!.
I love the Sun!:
It was definitely a great day, going outside is always so much fun...
Posted Apr 10, 2012, 11:07 am
Here's me standing next to a really weird and complex machinery:
I also snuck inside an open computer:
It was very fun... it's like a small jungle in there, good thing it was turned off.
And here's me with some toy helicopters...
they're so much fun!.
And finally, the most exciting part of the day,
Here I am getting ready to go on my first voyage, to England!:
I'm so happy I think I'll be leaving today!
Posted Apr 17, 2012, 9:20 pm
Today I arrived in Portsmouth! I am very excited for my adventures here to begin, but also tired after travelling for about a week!
When I arrived, I was welcomed by Jessie and her friend Bullseye. They are Toyvoyagers who are also staying with Frances, although they've been here for a few more days so they were able to tell me a bit more about what ther is to do in Portsmouth.
Jessie and Bullseye then showed me to the room they will be sharing with me. I was very pleased to find that they've kept the biggest bed for me!
Frances had planned to take me to see her Scout troop this evening, but her dad's car broke down so we had to stay home. I got to help Frances with her literature homework, and learnt all about a poem called "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner".
Anyway, I'd best be off to bed now! Tomorrow, I get to go into college and learn about music, but it means I have to wake up very early!
Posted Apr 19, 2012, 9:11 pm
Today, Frances took me into college with her, and I had a very musical day!
We had to leave very early, so she could get in on time for her flute lesson. I enjoyed listening to her playing jazz pieces, but I found the scales a bit boring.
After that, we went to have breakfast in the canteen. We had mushrooms and hash browns, which were very yummy, and also warm which was good because it was very cold and rainy!
Then, Frances took me for a tour around the college. I found a climbing wall which I wanted to go up, but there was a class already on it. I also found an airplane, but it turns out it's only a section of an airplane, which is for the air cabin crew students to train in!
I helped Frances write a letter to one of her friends, and then we went to the gym. I was too small to use any of the equiptment, so I sat in the corner and watched people doing some very funny looking things!
After lunch, Frances let me come and listen to her flute group practice. They're preparing for a competition!
In the afternoon, I got to go to some music classes. The first one was listening skills, and the class seemed to spend a lot of the time dancing around the room and singing! The second one was modern music, where everyone played different pieces and then we all listened to Faure's Requiem, which it turns out Frances' choir is learning at the moment.
After the class, I got to meet Frances' moderm music lecturer, Geoff, who was very impressed by how far I had troubled, and said I was very cute!
I then went with her to 2 different wind band rehearsals, and listened to a lot of pieces including some music from James Bond, and the 1812 Overture which was quite exciting but very loud!
I'm worn out after such a long day, but I enjoyed listening to a lot of music!
Posted Apr 27, 2012, 8:53 pm
Today, Frances and her boyfriend Chris took me, Jessie and Bullseye into Southsea. We went to a place called Albert Road (it's almost got the same name as me!) where there are lots of cool vintage clothes shops, as well as a chocolate shop and a deli. In the chocolate shop, we bought some chocolate and tablet (which is like fudge but more crumbly) and in the deli we got some rose lemonade which was very refreshing. It started raining at one point, so we ducked into a fish and chip shops and shared a big plate of chips while we waited for the rain to stop.
Frances took a few photos of me, with the chocolate and with a plaque about Arthur Conan Doyle (who created Sherlock Holmes - he lived in Southsea!) but when I tried to upload them onto her laptop I found that her memory card was corrupt and had deleted most of her pictures. I was a bit sad, but I still had a nice day and she thinks she's fixed her camera so I can take more pictures another day!
Posted Apr 27, 2012, 9:23 pm
On the train in, I could see all of the landmarks like the London Eye, and when we were in the taxi I could see Big Ben and Buckingham Palace!
There wasn't very much time for sightseeing, as Frances wanted to look around the Royal College of Music, but I did get to travel on the Underground, and in a London taxi, and I did get to see lots of famous places.
The Royal College was very fun! We got to listen to a lot of music, and see lots of very old instruments in the museum.
Unfortunately, it was raining quite heavily for most of the time we were there, so I had to hide in Frances' rucksack for most of the time when we were outside. We will go back to London on the weekend, though, so hopefully it will be more sunny then and I can come out more and have my picture taken with all of the famous places!
Posted May 1, 2012, 7:41 pm
I had a fun time on the train with Jessie and Bullseye - we sat at a place with a big table so there was room for Frances to do her homework and for us to play!
We spent a lot of time travelling on the underground, which was quite exciting! I liked watching the trains coming in and out of the station, but I found it very difficult to understand the maps as there are so many different lines going to loads of different stations!
We visited a massive art shop, where there were lots of different kinds of paint in every colour of the rainbow! There were also brushes in all shapes and sizes, and lots of other materials for artists.
Later on in the day, the sun came out so we got to visit Trafalgar Square! I hope Admiral Nelson isn't afraid of heights - he does stand very high up! I also had a little peak into the National Gallery before it was time to go for dinner.
Posted May 6, 2012, 7:28 pm
So we didn't actually go back in time, but it felt like it! Beforehand, we went on Frances' laptop to find out what happens at Beltain. It's a fertility festival, where they do certain things like burning a huge Wicker Man (a man made out of bits of wood). Originally, he would have been filled with live sacrifices but the website assured us that they don't do that anymore!
At the festival, the first thing we did was an African drumming workshop which was really fun, but also very noisy! After that, we went to a roundhouse where we listened some storytellers. The stories were very exciting! We then had a picnic whilst listening to some live music, and then we went off to see some big birds such as owls and falcons, and then to watch a man casting an axe head. We finished off by returning to the storytelling hut, where we enjoyed some more stories before going to watch the burning of the Wicker Man.
The Wicker Man burnt quite spectacularly! Everyone cheered whenever a new part of him caught fire, and when he eventually collapsed. I hope this means we're going to have good weather this year
Posted May 12, 2012, 9:57 pm
Jessie and I started off by climbing an apple tree, to see the whole garden in one go! We were then pretty exhausted, so we had a lie down on the grass, but Jessie started to worry about getting sunburnt so we set off in search of some shade and water to cool down.
We found a pond, which looked lovely and cool but we did not want to disturb the tadpoles swimming in it so we hid at the side and watched them for a while. I then got a bit hungry, and I saw some food so I started to eat it until Jessie laughed at me and told me it was bird food! I was very upset, so Frances let me have some of her crisps to make up for it.
As well as playing, we got a lot of work done! I read The Great Gatsby, which is a very exciting book that made me want to travel back in time to the 1920s!
Posted May 20, 2012, 8:25 am
We were all lying in bed, because Frances had finished her English course so didn't have to go in to college as early, and we heard something coming through the letterbox. Frances ran downstairs, and brought it up saying that she thought it was for us.
It was hard work opening it - obviously it had been carefully packaged so no one would break into it while it travelled, but that made it hard for us toys to get in! We knew it couldn't be another toy, because it was the wrong shape, but we couldn't think what it could be.
Eventually we got it out. It is a beautiful notebook! Inside, there was a lovely letter, and the pictures of the toyvoyagers who are staying with mmm105. We had a lot of fun reading it!
Jessie and I are planning on writing in the notebook at some point on the weekend. We just need to work out where Frances keeps her crayons...
PS Hello out there other TVs! If you want to participate in this travelling notebook, get your host to visit this forum post: http://www.toyvoyagers.com/forum/index.php?a=topic&t=5555#p5
Posted May 22, 2012, 4:24 pm
Anyway, after the exam Frances fancied some fresh air, so she announced that we were walking home. I thought that sounded like quite a nice idea, as it was a nice day and I wanted to enjoy the lack of rain.
It started out quite well. Next to her college, there is a field of horses who were all out enjoying the sun! I stopped to say hello to them. We then passed a rather nice looking golf course, and then walked through a tunnel of trees!
I was just begining to feel a bit tired, and wonder when we were going to get home, when we reached the top of the hill. From there you can see for miles! Frances pointed out at the view - "That's where I live!"... it was a very long way away!
So we kept on walking, and walking, and finally we came to a sign that said "Welcome to Portsmouth"! I was very glad to be home... until I found out that the sign wasn't actually even in Portsmouth, and even when we DID make it to Portsmouth we'd have to walk for a while before we got to Frances' home.
The road continued down the hill, and along the way we passed a fire station! I didn't see any fire engines though
At one point we had to go through an underpass, which was scary at first, but half way along there is no ceiling and you can look up and the cars pass either side of the hole! It was quite cool!
Eventually, we got to the bridge that links Portsmouth from the mainland. The water looked cool and refreshing, but I could not stop for a swim because we had to keep walking!
Not long after the bridge, we came to the place where they print the local newspaper. It looked really big and impressive, and has a duck pond outside! Unfortunately, it started to rain a bit while we were looking at it.
After what seemed like FOREVER (but Frances says was more like an hour and 45 minutes) we came to a big stone that told us we had reached the old boundary of Portsmouth. Now we could relax, because we were only a few blocks away from collapsing in bed!
I enjoyed the nice views we got along our walk, but my short legs were very tired afterwards!
Posted May 25, 2012, 10:57 am
So first we worked on our postcards, and once they were done we got out the notebook! Jessie and I drew pictures of each other, and we wrote "Hello" in different languages! Bullseye drew a picture of himself as well.
I'm glad I got to have a nice evening with my friends, because tomorrow I am setting off for Germany! I am very excited, but I will miss Jessie and Bullseye.
Posted May 25, 2012, 2:05 pm
I gave Jessie and Bullseye goodbye hugs. I will miss them a lot!
As well as sending me off, we sent the travelling notebook to Noisy, and the postcards to our mentors. I hope Frances didn't get the addresses the wrong way round!
So now I am travelling between one adventure and the next. I can't wait to find out what will happen next!
Posted Jun 1, 2012, 9:48 pm
I arrived in Remscheid at my new host Katja's home today. We have ugly weather here, it's rainy and cold ... brrrrrr.
The postman brought me to Katja's workplace, so I would not have to wait on the stairs forever.
When we came home Katja bgan to prepare elderflower wine cooler. This really sounds weird ...
Two other ToyVoyagers were there to meet me, Leopoldi and Rishu. There were already lots of elderflowers.
Katja showed us the ingredients we would need to prepare the wine cooler: elcerflowers, sugar, lemons, mint and water.
The lemons hat to be pressed, sugar and water were added, mint and elderflower were put into the liquid.
The mixture was covered with a plate, now it has to rest for 24 hours at room temperature.
Love
Alberto
Posted Jun 3, 2012, 11:44 am
today we finished the elderbloom wine cooler. Katja' knitting friends would come in the evening, for knitting and enjoying the wine cooler.
Our mixture with blooms, lemon, mint and sugar was strained and poured into a special pot.
A bottle of each white wine and sparkling wine was added.
Cheers!
Alberto
Posted Jun 3, 2012, 12:01 pm
today we had great weather, so we took a long walk to the surroundings of Remscheid. We started in our quarter, a rather quiete one with a lot of old houses.
Soon we reached the city centre. Two towers are dominating the view of Remscheid, the water tower which yoiu can see on the left side of the next photo and as well the nearby tower of the city hall. The city centre of Remscheid is situated on top of a hill, visible from many places around.
This is the rear side of the city hall, its tower is 48 m tall.
Here you can see a traditional house, probably built in 19th century.
Remscheid is surrounded by rural areas, woodland and valley, you can already see it in the background of the next photo.
We reached a lovely housing area close to the valley. A former industrial site was altered to dwellings.
We reached the bottom of a valley with some industrial sites along the creek. This one is called "Matador". They are producing special tools for industrial and professional users with state-of-the-art machinery - they are not killing bulls
We walked through a small hamlet.
We reached a rural area than, nothing but green around!
In the background you can see the city centre of Remscheid with its characteristic towers.
Walking back to the valley there were more old industrial sites.
To get back to the city centre we had walk an extremely steep path, can you imagine how steep it was?
From here we had to walk just a few minutes to get home.
Bye
Alberto
Posted Jun 9, 2012, 8:58 pm
we are having a holiday in Germany today, I think at home in Spain also?
We took a short walk although the weater was not good, Katja wanted to show us where she viewed am apartement yesterday, she is going to move in a few weeks and is still looking for a new apartement.
There are lots of old houses in the vicinity of my current home.
We planned to take a walk in the municipal park. On our way we came across another park, it is situated opposite of the police headquarter.
Soon we reached the municipal park. There is a pond with ducks and turtles.
This is an observatory, also situated in the park.
In the district Hasten I saw lovely houses.
To get back to the city centre we had to walk along this road for some time.
Here Katja viewed an apartement yesterday, on the second floor. She really liked it.
Bye
Alberto
Posted Jun 15, 2012, 1:37 pm
we took a walk in the city centre today.
We walked to the central station which was renewed about two years ago. Last year a bridge for pedestrians across two roads was opened.
We walked along the "Route of Tools" than, a special lane for pedestrians and cyclists which was built on a former, now closed track for freight trains. This track was connecting the central station which a station in the district Hasten, about 5 km long. Along this route you can find company complexes and also sort of woodland area. When the track was still active, there were a lot of metal working companies along the track.
Some houses were built extremely close to the former railway track - or the other way round - maybe the houses were built earlier.
Here is a resting area, with benches and plants.
You can also find some of those signs along the track - company logos. The "Route of Tools" was sponsored by local companies, most of them producing tools, that's why the track is called "Route of Tools". Remscheid has a long tradition in producing tools, going back to middle ages.
Some of the factories along the track are dilapidated.
One of the signs is showing the coat of arms of Remscheid.
We found this wrench pattern stamped into the tarmac.
And even more patterns, showing other tools.
We bought some cheese here and went home than.
Bye
Alberto
Posted Jun 18, 2012, 9:35 pm
after having ugly rainy weather the whole week we took an excursion today. We visited Germany's highest railway bridge, Muengsten Bridge, connecting Remscheid and the neighbour city Solingen. This bridge is overspanning the valley of river Wupper.
A smaller creek is running into river Wupper here.
From an outlook pavilion we took a first look at the bridge. Muengsten Bridge is about 107 m high and about 490 m long. It was built in late 19th century, finished in 1897.
Following our walking path, we reached a place exactly under the bridge. It was made of steel with two tracks.
We reached river Wupper than, running through the lovely landscape.
Our path led us through the forest, always close to river Wupper.
We came across some information boards, this one is showing a map of this area.
We walked uphill and downhill along the steep slope of the valley.
A little creek is flowing down the slope, also crossing the walking path.
We reached Muengsten bridge than, on the Solingen side this time.
This is river Wupper under the bridge.
A leisure park was built under the bridge some years ago. They have a crazy golf course, lawns for relaxing, playgrounds for the kids, restaurants and you can also play in the usually shallow river.
This restaurant was opened about two years ago.
To get back to the car we had to walk under a road bridge.
Love
Alberto
Posted Jun 23, 2012, 3:37 pm
today we a trip to the neighbour city Wuppetal.
One of the city’s greatest attractions is the suspended monorail (Schwebebahn), which was established in 1901. The tracks are 8 m above the streets and 12 m above the Wupper River. Here you can see one of 20 stations along the 13,3 km long route.
This is one of the stations.
Here you can see the historic city hall of Wuppertal. There is a daily farmers market in front of it.
We were really hungry than and went looking for pizza or anything else to eat.
Bye
Alberto
Posted Jun 25, 2012, 8:13 pm
after having breakfast we took a walk in the forest. Our new guest Bzzzzz accompanied us.
We started our trip in a rural district in the West of the municipal area.
We walked in the valley along river Wupper. You could cross it here. Hey, I've already been here last week
We saw foxglove in the forest, lovely flowers, but extremely poisonous.
We took a group photo on this cartwheel.
We reached the historical district Unterburg in the neighbour city Solingen. This church was built in late 17th century.
This creek is flowing into river Wupper here.
This statue is showing a "Kiepenkerl", hard working men who carried all sorts of goods through the rangy landscape in their panniers.
Have a look at this beautiful house!
We still followed river Wupper until we reached this bridge. We crossed the river here and walked back on the other bank.
In the meantime a medieval castle came into sight, Schloss Burg. Unfortunatelay we did not come close enough for a better photo.
Our path led us uphill for some time, in the valley you can see Unterburg.
Here we saw more lovely houses with narrow lanes.
It started to rain than, so we all disappeared into Katja's bag while she and her friend became wet, we still had to walk back to the car for an hour
Bye
Alberto
Posted Jul 1, 2012, 8:11 pm
we went to a DIY-store today, we had to look for wall paint and other thngs. We went there in Katja's lunch break. Because the weather was really great, we took a walk to the DIY-store through the city centre. First Katja showed us the entrance area of the shopping mall, Allee-Center. There is a large fountain in front of it.
When we reached the end of the shopping street Katja showed us another fountain, a very colorful one with funny water games.
Oh dear, this area does not look so nice ... Katja told me that DIY-stores often were situated on industrial estates and those often do not look to nice.
Here we looked for wall paint.
On our way back we came along the station area, it was built about three years ago, a bridge for pedestrians was opened last year.
This is the new bridge. Cyclists and pedestrias can now reach the city centre much faster than before when they had to cross severeal streets to get there.
On our way back to the office we bought a few things for lunch, we were starving!
Bye
Alberto
Posted Jul 1, 2012, 8:25 pm
today we started to paint the walls in Katja's new apartement.
After protecting the edge of the ceiling and the washboards we started to paint her favourite colour in the bedroom.
We even managed to paint the wall without getting terribly dirty
That's all for today, a load of work was waiting for us!
Bye
Alberto
Posted Jul 5, 2012, 9:28 pm
at the moment we are doing nothing but paining the walls in my host's new apartment. We were not sure how to paint the kitchen walls. We already painted the upper parts of the walls with an off-white color. We tried to make Katja's favourite color.
Some cream-white color, a bit blue color and t......oise color....
Guess what is her favourite color!
We mixed it perfectly!
Bye
Alberto
Posted Jul 25, 2012, 9:15 pm
we moved to my host's new apartement last weekend. Still there is not everything fixed and finished, tools are still everywhere
Nontheless we took a walk in the late morning because the weather finally became better after two extremely rainy weeks. We went to the outskirts in the West of Remscheid.
It did not take long until we reached a forest.
Walking downhill we reached a creek which is flowing in the valley.
Here we found hogweed, a plant which originally came from Eastern countries, from the Caucasus mountains. Although it looks pretty people do not like it. Its sap causes phytophotodermatitis on human skin.
Can you see the markings for hiking trails on the tree? The encircled "R" stands for a hiking trail around the municipal area of Remscheid, about 63 km long.
At home a lot of work was waiting for us, so we went back home.
Bye
Alberto
Posted Jul 25, 2012, 9:40 pm
today we went to Wuppertal again to visit the Botanical garden there. Unfortunately the "Schwebebahn" is closed due to repair works.
The Botanical garden is situated on a hilled called "Hardt", we had to climb umpteen stairs to get there.
The closer we came to the Botanical garden the more lovely were the dwellings, mostly beautiful mansions.
You can find the former country house of textile manufacturers named Eller, which contained a villa (built 1820), orangery, residential and farm buildings, and the Elise Tower (built 1838) which provides the garden's focal point.
We saw different kinds of gardens, like this rockery...
... and different flowers.
Here you can see the Elise Tower once more.
These are Angel's trumpets, originally from South America. Angel's trumpets are beautiful flowers, but extremely poisonous.
There is also a pond in the Botanical garden.
We rested in the shade of this Phoenix plant.
We also had a look at the greenhouses in the entrance area. I found lunch here
Bananas!
There is an exhibition with butterfly sculptures.
Later we went to the city centre to pick up Katja's daughter from her work place in a restaurant. On our way there we saw this great fountain in front of the city hall.
We had a large ice cream and went home than.
Bye
Alberto
Posted Aug 16, 2012, 6:50 pm
in the afternoon we took a walk with one of Katja's friends in the outskirts of Remscheid, often rural areas. This one also, with meadows and horses and lovely gardens.
From here we walked towards river Wupper. Along the path we found some rocks with engraved boardgames, Nine Men's Morris here.
Ahh, I recognized the path, I have been here before
It is the path which is leading to Muengsten Bridge.
We walked uphill than until we reached the abutment of the bridge. You have a fantastic view into the bridge from here. Katja told us that this path is not very common.
Bye
Alberto
Posted Aug 19, 2012, 3:29 pm
it is incredibly hot today. We are spending the day inside. We helped our host to sew curtains for the bedroom.
It was quite easy and soon they were finished.
Bye
Alberto
Posted Aug 22, 2012, 9:55 am
I am going to leave tomorrow, so I said good-bye to my friends and to the ferrets.
This is cutie Zaehnchen (which means "Little tooth"). Sie is extremely curious.
This is Brighty. She loves to hide in the fabric tunnel (and to jump out of it to pinch your feet
). Katja calls her a "carpet moray".
The third one, Shiva, was playing somewhere in the kitchen. Now I'll have to look for my T-Shirt.
Bye
Alberto
Posted Aug 22, 2012, 10:03 am
in the morning I went with Katja to her workplace. A last good-bye to Remscheid ...
... to the city hall ...
... with the farmers market in front of it.
After having a last coffee with Katja I hopped into my envelope, ready for travelling to Finland.
Love
Alberto
Posted Aug 29, 2012, 9:14 am
I aaaaaam in Fiiiiiiinnnnnnlaaaaannnd!
Yes, I arrived here today, and I got a warm welcome. There were many other ToyVoyagers there waiting for me. I showed them what I took with me from home.
Well, let me introduce everyone...
Hi hii, everyone wanted to try on my T-shirt. It's little big for most of them, and they look so funny, that we all laughed so much!
This is Kurnau cat. He is hostmom's own toy, and he is also my host here. He promised to try his best that I enjoy my time here.
I met another cat. She is Kit-Kat from Germany.
Wayne cincerbreadman is also from Germany.
This cute little sheep is Lina from Germany.
This dog is Phog from Germany. Look, we have same coloured furr!
This is Cody Otter beaver from Austria.
This is Ronja teddy bear from Germany.
Then I met this cute pony, Flowipowi, from Germany.
...And Sausi Karl the pelican from Germany, too.
...Hunny bunny from USA.
...Ranja Dragon from Germany.
...And Nyankororin cat from Japan. Se arrived here also today.
We had a welcome party here!
Kurnau put a music on. He was our DJ.
And then we dance...
...and dance...
...and dance even more...
...untill we got tired.
It was really fun!
I'm so happy now, I'm sure I will enjoy my time visiting in Finland!
Love,
Alberto
Posted Aug 29, 2012, 9:46 pm
A new toy arrived here today. She is Batty from Germany.
We all said welcome to her, and then we talked and talked and talked even more... It's always so nice to have new friends!
And guess what?!? A rainbow came to the sky, and I watched it through the window.
Love,
Alberto
Posted Sep 3, 2012, 7:56 pm
Hostmommy mmm105 is sick. She has a flu. So, we toys decided to take care of her, because we all want she will get well soon.
We gave to her all what she needs to feel better: our company, hot chocolate, fever termometer, handkerchiefs, medicines, throat pastilles, remote control for television... etc.
Love,
Alberto
Posted Sep 11, 2012, 2:21 pm
In last week (4th September) a new toy arrived here. He is Matsya bear from Switzerland.
And today arrived another new toy here, Leila sheep from Lithuania.
We gave a group hug as welcome to both of them.
It was nice to have more company here, and to have a new friends.
Love,
Alberto
Posted Sep 11, 2012, 2:25 pm
Today I went to walk little outside. Look, there's already an autumn in Finland. It was a rainy day, so I didn't go very far from the hostmom's house (I didn't want to get wet).
I saw many things, what is typical in Finland at this time of the year. Look all those different colours! I think the autumn is quite beautiful time of the year, at least here. Well, hostmom said these colours are just started to come... and after few days it will be even more colourful, all colours will turn out more deeper!
Enjoy watching these pictures!
Love,
Alberto
Posted Sep 16, 2012, 7:35 pm
Today I said goodbye to 3 ToyVoyagers.
They all are going to the next places to visit:
Ronja will go to Denmark,
Sausi Karl to Switzerland,
and Wayne goes back home to Germany.
I gave them all goodbye-hugs, and wish them good luck.
Love,
Alberto
Posted Oct 9, 2012, 4:15 pm
I have got nice time here. I have made new friends with other toys here, and we have got fun!
Today I was outside, and I saw some great things of the autumn.
Look the photos, and you can see the colours of nature, too.
Yes, it's the most colourful time of this season, very soon all trees will be "naked", and then it's time wait some snow coming. I'm so exited, I want to see some snow... but I have to wait little more first...
I'm fine here.
Love,
Alberto
Posted Oct 22, 2012, 1:04 pm
Today I visited to see the oldest building of Jyväskylä.
The building called as Taavettilan riihi, which is in English the drying barn of Taavettila.
The building has buildt somewhere in 1700's, the exact year is unknown.
First, building used as a drying barn, but somewhere in 1800's it became usual barn/cabin and it got windows then. In 1900's the building started to be a cabin museum.
Jyväskylän vanhin rakennus = the oldest building of Jyväskylä
Riihi muutettu tuvaksi 1800-luvun alussa = a drying barn has turn to be a cabin in the beginning of 1800's
Jyväskylän yliopisto = University of Jyväskylä
Rakennus 3 = Building 3
Because we didn't have a chance to go in (the door was closed), we decided to look through the window...
Love,
Alberto
Posted Oct 26, 2012, 7:52 pm
Guess what? Something white thing has came here. It's all over outside.
It's cold, white, and it's covering everything!!!
YES!!! It's the first snow!!!
Winter is just around the corner... Temperature has been about -3 degrees Celcius the hole day.
Brrrrr... snow is so cold!
All others came to sit on the snow, too. Brrrrrrr...
Ooooops! What just happened?!?
Some snow fall on us!
Hih... it was only fun!
Love,
Alberto
Posted Nov 3, 2012, 8:11 pm
Kurnau told me, that we all toys can travel with hostmom, when she will visit her parents in other side of Finland in this weekend. I was totally exited about it. It's so cool to see other placed in Finland, too.
Kurnau showed me the map. Can you see the spots A and B in the map? Yes, that's our travel plan, it's about 320 kilometres.
We are going to little village called Ilomantsi. It's in the Northern Karelia in Finland.
After sitting 4 hours in the car, I was tired and I wanted to relax.
So, I experienced one Finnish thing, how to relax and take a bath at the same time: I went to sauna!!!
And guess what?
I met saunatonttu (=the elf of sauna) there!!!
This room, sauna, is a hot place. Saunas are very common in Finland (maybe because the cold and long winter seasons?!?). Finns go to sauna to wash themselves, but also to relax. They throw some water to the kiuas (it's like the "oven", and there are some stones on it), and this hot kiuas makes the hole room so warm place to be.
AAAaaaaahh, I'm sooooo relaxed now!!!
Love,
Alberto
Posted Nov 3, 2012, 8:16 pm
Unfortunately, the weather is awful here... it's raining a lot...
So, there's no sightseeing here today...
But, the bad weather is not the problem for us!
We can do many fun things inside, too.
At first, I want to show you the coat of arms of Ilomantsi. It looks like this:
And because there's three kanteles (kantele = it's one kind of instrument) in the picture of the coat of arms, I wanted to play this instrument.
And happily I can say, that I did it. I played kantele.
Kantele is the national instrument of Finland, and especially in Karelia.
Others played it, too.
And then, we found this marvellous little building! Wow!
Hi hiiiiii!!!!! Here I am!
And then, I saw something, what I first couldn't believe...
Look yourself! Is it cool? So many medals and pokals etc!!!
...Hih, and I'm there somewhere, too. Can you find me?
Well, can you see me now?
Great! You found me!!! Well done!
Oh, one more photo for today...
I'm dreaming: "...and the winner is....... ALBERTO!!!"
Hurray!!!
It was fun day!
Love,
Alberto
Posted Nov 3, 2012, 8:19 pm
It's last day of our visit in Ilomantsi, and the weather is still bad...
Well, because outside is terrible, we decided to make nice inside this house.
Yes, we are going to bake some cookies!
First need to use kaulin (= a rolling pin).
Then it's time to make cookies. I made bunny shaped cookies.
Kurnau helped. He put the cookies to the cookie sheet.
Mmmmmm... it smells so good already!
Cookies are ready! Yummy!!!
Now it's time to enjoy!
Love,
Alberto
Posted Nov 5, 2012, 8:13 pm
I read today's local newspaper named Keskisuomalainen today.
Finnish is nice language, but very difficult to learn. But my hostmommy helped me to read the newspaper.
Here's the front page:
There was a big article about what happened last Saturday in Jyväskylä. A huge amount of water were wasted, because the watertower crashed down suddenly. Many people had to be some times without running water in their homes. The article tried to tell what really had happened. This was one big news here. (it was lucky, that I was in Ilomantsi last weekend).
And then there was some advertisements.
Hi hii, these speaking bubbles look so funny, don't you think so?
Well... Ice hockey (jääkiekko in Finnish) is very popular sport in Finland. And offcourse there's at least one article of it in the newspaper.
I liked reading comics. They were so funny!
And offcourse I watched very carefully the weather forecast.
It looks quite nice. Maybe we could go outside in the next following days...
Love,
Alberto
Posted Nov 15, 2012, 8:13 pm
Now I want to introduce hostmommy's cat, who name is Jeppe.
He is 2 years old, and so typical cat. He likes to sleep a lot.
He is very kind (and hostmom is taking good care of me), so you don't have to be worry about me at all.
Love,
Alberto
Posted Nov 16, 2012, 3:57 pm
Today was nice weather outside, so I went there for little walk and to have some fresh air.
I went to place called Harju (Jyväskylä Ridge). It's like a hill just next to city center.
As you can see from the pictures, there's not snow anymore.
All snow has melted away. Well, it's not a surprise, because it was the first snow.
These stone stairs of Harju is very long...
There's city center down there.
This building is called Vesilinna. It's located in Harju. And there's the viewing tower in the building, too. I'm going there.
Look, so nice views!!!
Love,
Alberto
Posted Nov 20, 2012, 8:57 pm
It's my last day here in Finland, so I wanted to go to the city center one more time
to take some photos. As you can see from the photos, today was raining.
It's not very good weather to be outside, but I still had fun!
Take a look at the next photo. Can you see a cat there?
Hihii, I didn't mean the real cat...
Look, there's a cat on the wall!!!
Then I continued walking.
And I arrived in pedestrian precinct (= kävelykatu in Finnish)
There's a big Christmas tree in the pedestrian precinct.
The pedestrian precinct is the place for live music, shopping centres, boutiques, gift shops, cafés,
restaurants, pubs and many other services.
And guess what?!? Jyväskylä's award-winning pedestrian precinct is ranked as
one of Finland's best!!!
There's also some nice Christmas lights and decorations there.
I also saw the working place of Santa Claus through the window there!!!
After that I continued walking...
Then I saw a very high statue in the middle of the tori (= a market place or a central park).
Ooh, it's very very high!!!
And I also saw this funny sign. Look, the sign shows how far away this place is from other countries. Cool!
I had nice little walk outside today.
Love,
Alberto
Posted Nov 20, 2012, 10:17 pm
It's my time to leave here and continue my journey.
I'm so exited, because I got an invitation from Germany, wow!!!
But before leaving I said goodbye to others, these wonderful toy friends of mine.
And we gave a group hug to each other.
Bye bye all! I'm going to miss you... hope to see everyone somewhere in the World someday.
Germany, I'm coming!!!!!
Love,
Alberto
Posted Nov 20, 2012, 10:19 pm
It's so dark in here! I can't see anything!!!
I'm in the envelope and travelling to my next host.
I just hope I'm going to arrive there soon and safe.
Bye bye Finland!
Germany, I'm coming!
- Alberto -
Posted Dec 3, 2012, 6:13 pm
there were some guys sitting on a bench in front of me. I hope they see me.
They had a closer look.
Then they went down to me. I told them my name and that I arrived from Finland. When I did a short stopover in the snow I froze on the ground! It was so cold!
These are nice guys and decided to take me home. I was allowed to sit on the back of Cassiopeia.
Alberto
Posted Dec 4, 2012, 7:41 pm
today I learnt how to successfully do a TimTam Slam.
TimTam is a brand of chocolate biscuit currently manufactured in Australia. A TimTam is composed of two layers of chocolate malted biscuit, separated by a light chocolate cream filling, and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate. The TimTam Slam is the practice of drinking a beverage through a TimTam.
You need a TimTam and some coffee or hot chocolate.
First you have to bite off one corner...
Then you have to bite off the opposite corner...
Now use the TimTam as a straw. In case of the hot drink the inside chocolate starts to melt. Stuff the entire TimTam in your mouth once you feel the hot beverage touch your tongue through the TimTam. You have to be fast in putting it in your mouth or else it may break off into your drink!
My host had to help me holding the TimTam-straw.
Mommy, Daddy, this is so delicious! You have to try this at home!
Alberto
Posted Dec 5, 2012, 7:35 pm
Today I wanted to know what German Christmas markets are...
Look what I found. This doesn't look like Christmas. That's strange!
But then I found something really Christmas look like! The air was smelling so sweet and delicious! Christmas music everywhere and tons of lights!
Berlin
Alberto
Posted Dec 10, 2012, 7:13 pm
This is the famous tv tower "Fernsehturm". It was constructed between 1965 and 1969 and with its height of 368 meters, it is the tallest structure in Germany. There is a visitor platform and a revolving restaurant in the middle of the sphere. The tower is part of the World Federation of Great Towers (WFGT).
You can see that the weather today is not perfect for visiting it.
When it was dark we found two big snowmen! The snowman in the back got a high of 14m (45.93 ft.)!
Your Alberto
Posted Dec 19, 2012, 8:44 pm
Alex got a lovely Christmas card from his brother Mr. Casanova. Isn't it cute?
Alex also got some Christmas cookies from his sister Peaches!
This little kitty shared his cookies with us. These were delicious!!!
Alberto
Posted Dec 24, 2012, 7:24 pm
we found some time to bake some cookies.
First we had to read what we need...
We needed some good butter first.
We hope that 4g too much are not too bad.
Then we added one egg. Yes, just one!
We also added the flour.
From all the ingredients we made a dough. It looks good.
We made little balls and pushed a little hole in it.
We had to fill the holes with marmelade! Then we put it into the oven.
While the cookies were in the oven we used some more dough to make some other cookies. We rolled out the dough.
Because we couldn't find a cookie cutter we used a glass to cut the dough.
We put these cookies into the oven, too. When these were ready we put some marmelade on one cookie and added another one. These are delicious!
And this is the result of the first cookies we made. The best cookies in town!
Alberto
Posted Dec 25, 2012, 10:49 pm
it's getting dark really early the day. Anyway, I hope you like my pictures.
The Humboldt University of Berlin is one of Berlin's oldest universities, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin.
This is the Central Station. It is the main railway station in Berlin. 1,800 trains call at the station per day and the daily number of passengers is estimated to be at 350,000! From here you can do non-stop travels to Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Novosibirsk (Russia) or Astana (Kazakhstan).
Can you see the Christmas tree inside the station?
This is the street where I'm living at the moment. It's in the center of Berlin.
Your
Alberto
Posted Dec 25, 2012, 11:04 pm
Sorry, we didn't have time for sightseeing.
Alberto
Posted Dec 28, 2012, 7:45 pm
I'm wishing you a merry Christmas!
Normaly everybody gets the presents on 24th December in Germany, except us!
We had to wait until the next day.
But then we dressed ourselves with some lovely hats and waited under the little Christmas tree.
Then each one of us was allowed to pick the very own present from the tree!
Look, we all got lovely scarfs from Santa!
Alberto
Posted Jan 2, 2013, 3:11 pm
Fireworks everywhere!
Posted Jan 8, 2013, 11:32 am
We wanted to do a walk in the nature, but no chance! It's raining and raining and raining!
So we decided to do a little trip by car to Berlin and back. We started in the morning and arrived back home when it was dark already.
Alberto
Posted Jan 14, 2013, 10:24 pm
While my host is working all day long we didn't have time for an update at day. So we went our tonight. Look, Berlin by night looks interesting!
Alberto
Posted Jan 16, 2013, 10:03 pm
May she have fun with her new host!
Posted Jan 21, 2013, 7:44 pm
finally some snow. We took our sleighs and where looking for a little hill. But we couldn't find any.
Alberto
Posted Jan 22, 2013, 4:35 pm
finally we had enough snow to have lots of fun outside!
First we found some footprints. We think it was a marten.
Then we found a hill where we could use a sleigh.
It's high! I think this will be fun!
Oops... shit happens! Anyway, I'm ok!
That was fun!
Your
Alberto
Posted Jan 23, 2013, 6:52 pm
Then the others gave me some sweets for my journey.
Maybe I'll see them again one day.
Alberto
Posted Jan 28, 2013, 7:49 pm
after cold journey I arrived in Hamburg today. I opened my parcel and looked around.
Some TV`s were looking at me: LewisHH, Clairchen, ThomasHH and Spencer.
I showed them my welcome presents and we had to chat about.
My new friends had a great surprise for me: on wednesday we will fly to Malaga for a few days :-) A visit in my home country! So we studied the travel guide.
Look at this funny pair
Looking forward having a good time with my new hosts.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted Feb 1, 2013, 7:58 pm
Hola from Andalucia!
Yesterday we flew from Hamburg to Mallorca and from Mallorca to Malaga - all in one morning! And now we are in Andalucia.
Today we had a rental car and drove to Ojen near Marbella. It is one of the white villages and really beautiful.
The weather is fantastic - so we decided to take sunbath.
Look, this is a steep path down the mountain. But we prefered to drive down.
Then we went to a small beach café by the sea. What a great life in January!
The Mediteranian sea, a beach and beach café - what could be better?
We had a great day! But now we are tired and are enjoying our hotel room. See me with my friends.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted Feb 2, 2013, 5:19 pm
another sunny day on the costa del sol. Today we wanted to explore the harbour of Malaga.
But first we saw the main shopping street and the cathedral of Malaga.
On our way we saw this nice garden along the street.
This was our first view of the harbour with the lighthouse and a big sailing boat in the background.
I liked this water fountains on the newly renovated waterfront.
Oh look, this a high speed catamaran ferry to Tenerife.
How beautiful - an old seaman chapel and some orange trees.
See me in front of a really beautiful old dutch sailing boat.
Here you can see the lighthouse.
And because of the nice weather we visited the beach of Malaga.
When we came back to our hotel we explored the swimming pool on the top of our hotel. Life can be so wonderful!
All the very best
Alberto
Posted Feb 4, 2013, 8:47 pm
another sonny day on the Costa del Sol.
This is the Malaga market hall.
The back entrance has very colourful glas!
Look we found the Picasso museum. Picasso, one the most famous painters of the world, was born in Malaga.
There is an old castle overlooking Malaga.
See me in front of the bull fighting arena of Malaga - Olé!
Look. this carousel is very funny, isn't it! Which saucer should I ride?
This is the town hall of Malaga.
On our way back to our hotel we past the back of the cathedral. I could not resist taking another photo.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted Feb 9, 2013, 4:05 pm
another sunny day on the Costa del Sol. But today is our last day in Malaga.
To enjoy the lovely sunshine we had a coffee in a café on the harbour promenade.
Then it was time to catch our flight back to Hamburg. See me on flight AB2587 from Malaga to Hamburg - sundown over spanish airspace!
Then like good TV's should we red the flight safety instructions.
See me enjoying the flight with good food, music and something to read.
Now we are back in cold Hamburg.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted Feb 26, 2013, 7:25 pm
it has been quiet a long time since the last update. But the weather has been very bad.
We have decided to see the town of Hamburg as soon as the sun comes out. For friday the weather forecast is great and Scilly and Richy have a weeks holiday. And we take lot of lovely photos next week.
For the moment I am looking forward for spring. See me playing with the daffodils.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted Mar 4, 2013, 7:00 pm
the sun is back in Hamburg. And we decided to visit the harbour.
Look at me in front of the so called „Landungsbrücken“ where the harbour boat trips starts.
These are some typical boats for boat trips.
You also can use this kind of boat. It is build like a paddle steamer.
Behind me you can see the old fish market hall of Hamburg Altona. Nowadays there are a lot of events in this hall and every sunday the famous fish market.
We had the idea to take a ferry and enjoy the sun on the water.
Please see some of the Hamburg docks with ships in it .
What a nice view from Hamburg!
The white ship behind me ist he „Cap San Diego“ – a general cargo vessel in former times, now a museum ship. You also can see the „Elbphilarmonie“ – a concert all which should be ready in 2016
See me in front of the „Rickmer Rickmers“ – an very old sailing boat and now also a museum.
All the very best from a sunny Hamburg
Alberto
Posted Mar 7, 2013, 7:29 pm
today we went on a trip to Sylt – an island in the north of Germany. It is famous for ist endless beach.
After a nice train ride we arrived on the island.
Look at the beautiful beach. We took a long walk .
Look here, the wavebreaker in the background makes a nice photo.
After the walk we were hungry and had a little lunch in the dunes.
On the way back we saw the town hall.
We had a nice day. Hope you all enjoy the pictures.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted Mar 9, 2013, 7:49 pm
after a sunny week suddenly it began to snow this afternoon.
I decided I must go out and enjoy it. Look at the lovely pictures I took.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted Mar 16, 2013, 10:16 pm
today we had sunshine - a good opportunity to visit the town center. See me in front of the town hall.
We could't see the mayor. But we had the possibility to go in to the entrance hall.
This is the courtyard of the town hall with this nice fountain. Look us playing with the fountain sculptures.
This canal is called the little Alster. It is situated between the town hall and the Alsterlake.
This was our first view from the Alster lake with some white Alster boats.
We decided to enjoy the sun with a cup of hot chocolate and a view over somes boats and the Alsterlake.
The Alsterlake is really beautiful. With these whites boats you can explore the town on the water.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted Mar 23, 2013, 6:09 pm
it is still very cold in Germany. But today we had a lot of sunshine. So we decided to go to Bergedorf - a district of Hamburg.
Look, we found this nice half-timber church.
And it was a surprise to find this little castle with moat around it. I liked it very much.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted Mar 31, 2013, 7:37 pm
Dear mum and dad,
today I had a lovely easter breakfast. What a stylish and yummy way to celebrate easter.
Because of the cold weather and the snow ouside we looked for the eggs inside.
Look at me and my friends playing with the easter goodies that we found.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted Apr 10, 2013, 7:54 pm
this weekend we visited the historic town of Wernigerode in the Harz-region of Germany. This area has mountains of 1000 m.
I enjoyed the town very much especialy the market square.
See me with the town hall of Wernigerode.
This is the hotel we stayed in - called "Gothisches Haus".
These are two nice cafés also in half-timbered houses.
See me in front of the smallest house of Wernigerode. A familiy of eight lived in it. It has quiet the right size for Toyvoyagers
Later that day we drove up the mountain visit the train station Drei Annen Hohne. In the afternoon three steam trains meet at the same time.
See me with with the old steam engines and trains (called Harzer Schmalspurbahn).
I enjoyed our trip to Wernigerode.
And Scilly and Richy told me that we will fly to Madeira next weekend.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted Apr 15, 2013, 9:51 pm
if the spring doesn't come to Hamburg, than we fly to the sun!
Today we flew to Madeira to spend our holiday on this beautiful island. Directly from the airport we went to the Market hall to buy some fruits for the weekend.
See me in front of the market hall of Funchal.
This is a view of the fruit stalls from above.
Then we went to our holiday apartement. Look what a wonderful view over Funchal. We even can see the harbour with the cruise ships.
Sundown over Funchal!
Look at these lovely fruits. They all taste great!
I especially like the banana ananas. Do you know it?
All the very best!
Alberto
Posted Apr 19, 2013, 12:45 am
we began this sunday with a nice breakfast. See me sitting on our breakfast table.
Then we started our tour through Funchal.
See me in front of the nice town hall.
This is an old abbey. Nowadays it is used by the university of Madeira.
I like this tree.
Look at me in front of the cathedral of Funchal.
These are some typical streets.
This is our favorite café in Funchal - the "Golden Gate".
See me in front of the bank of Portugal.
Then we went to the harbour of Funchal.
There are some great yachts in the marina.
And we also saw this cruise ship.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted Apr 21, 2013, 3:10 pm
today we went to the heart the heart of the island Madeira and visited the village Curral das Freiras in the valley of the nuns. In former times the nuns were hiding here from the enemies at sea (pirates). Even now it is very difficult to get here. But there are brave local bus drivers, which get here (I myself can confirm, that they are very brave and very good drivers). And today it was extra difficult due to the fog on the mountains (sights under 5 m).
See me in the villages in front of some houses and the local church.
Then it was time for coffee and cake. See me enjoying the break.
After the break we walked through the valley.
On wednesday we will visit the other side of the island (Porto Moniz) and I expect sunshine.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted Apr 23, 2013, 8:46 pm
first on this morning we went to the market hall. It was early enough to visit the fish hall.
Then we went to Porto Moniz. This small village is the most north-westerly conurbation on the island. There are two natural rock pools. And with the sunshine we had a great day.
See me in front of the small harbour.
On our way back to Funchal we had a short break in Ribeira Brava. Look at me in front of the church of Ribeira Brava. It is very nice, isn't it.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted Apr 28, 2013, 6:50 pm
today we visited the Botanic Gardens of Funchal.
They are in the upper part of town. So we took the "Tereferico" (cable car) to get there.
See me and my friends sitting in one of the cabins.
We had a fantastic view over the town.
The Botanic Garden was the weekend house of the Reids family in former time. Look at me in front of the nice house.
Look at these different gardens and plants.
This is a typical house for Madeira.
Look at these funny trees.
That's me in front of a banana tree.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted May 5, 2013, 6:34 pm
today is our last day on the beautiful island of Madeira. But before we fly home we had a last walk through the city of Funchal. We found this beautiful park in the middle of town.
Then we went to the airport. See me on the balcony watching the airplanes. See me in front of a TAP-plane.
Now we are back in Hamburg. But we brought some beautiful memories with us. Look at this beautiful flowers.
We had a great time on Madeira.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted May 9, 2013, 8:08 pm
its time to say good bye! Tomorrow I will travel home.
But today we had a last great meal together. See me preparing blueberry risotto.
....yummy....
As dessert we had a shaun-the-sheep-cake
I have become a fan of shaun the sheep.
Then we looked in the sweet bowl where I picked some sweets for my travel.
Then I said Good Bye to my friends. We had a great time together.
Now I am looking forward to coming home.
All the very best
Alberto
Posted May 25, 2013, 4:12 pm
It was a great year traveling, thank you all very much, I'm one really happy monkey.
And when I got here I was received by a great sunset with a Full Moon and a bit of a rainbow(bottom right):
Thanks to you all,
My mentors were very happy to see me again and I shared with them the nice candies that I didn't eat in my trip back home.
Cheers,
Alberto
Posted May 31, 2013, 12:09 pm
Just wanted to keep showing a bit of the city I love.
I'm so happy that I arrived for the city's Fair week! So we went to the city's fairground:
There were many people in very beautiful horse carriages and typical dresses.
There are many places to eat, dance flamenco, listen to live music:
And there are also many mechanical attractions.
Cheers,
Alberto
Posted Jun 2, 2013, 1:25 pm
Today was the Tarasca's parade here in Granada. This is a very important part of the Corpus Christi celebrations, and the Tarasca is a symbol of beauty winning against the ugliness.
To symbolize this, a mannequin is dressed by a designer with a dress that is supposed to set the fashion trend for the next season. A professional also puts on her make up every year.
So here she is on top of the dragon that symbolizes the ugliness:
The whole parade is very festive, several bands play music and people dressed up with big heads (or "cabezones") go around bumping the little kids of the public in the head with an air balloon.
Since we were in the city center we went to see another famous Granada Corpus Christi tradition, the Carocas, these are drawings accompanied by a funny verse that is related to some news of the year.
This one is of a paraglider that got stuck in some power lines:
Afterwards we went to the Casa de los tiros, which used to be part of a defensive wall protecting the city. It's called that way due to the rifles that still stick out the upper floor windows.
Look, inside was an old version of the Tarasca's dragon from the early 1900s.:
And to end it all, here's a very pretty view of the Alhambra:
Regards,
Alberto
Posted Jun 30, 2013, 10:07 pm
Today I want to show you a bit of the most important monument of my city, the Alhambra.
It has very large and beautiful gardens:
This part is the Patio de la Acequía in the Generalife, which was the summer house of the sultans and kings:
And legend says that in this patio, in the XV century, a member of the Abencerrages family was seen having an affair with a member of the Royal Family, with that tree in the background being the only witness to the true identity of the lover.
Since only the family was identified all of the main members of the clan were killed in the Sala de Abencerrajes (which we will visit some other day).
Here's the same patio as seen from above with me and my Toy Voyager friends:
The hand rails of these stairs have water running through them, they're very relaxing.
And this is a view of the Acequía from above:
This is a doorway inside the seven floors tower, which is normally closed to public access but it was open this month.
So many beautiful gardens all around!
The place is filled with beautiful Arab architecture:
Besides the many pretty palaces and gardens, the Alhambra was a very well built military stronghold:
Here you can see the interior of the military section of the Alhambra, known as the Alcazaba:
Here I am with my friends enjoying a little rest in the sunlight with a view of the Albaycín
The view of the city center from there is beautiful:
And of course of the Albaycín:
We climbed to the highest building in the Alhambra and Granada, the Torre de la Vela:
In case you're wondering those are: the EU, Andalucía, Spain and Granada flags from left to right.
And the view of the Alcazaba:
The Justice door is a very big and heavily fortified entry into the Alhambra:
And finally the Pillar of Carlos V, this is a fountain built in the XVI century and that is somewhat hidden.
As you can see there are many reasons in the Alhambra to love Granada like I do.
Cheers,
Alberto
Posted Jul 1, 2013, 9:58 pm
I'm on the road again:
Or should I say on the air?
Here I am at the Málaga airport:
Cheers,
Alberto
Posted Jul 10, 2013, 4:25 am
If you guessed that I was going to an archipielago in the coast of Africa, you were right!
Here I am leaving the Tenerife Norte airport:
And here I am with my friends getting ready to get into a salt-water pool:
The views in the island are amazing!
And the sea is cristal clear.
Cheers!
Alberto
Posted Jul 13, 2013, 6:02 pm
This is post is just me hanging out with my friends:
Cheers,
Alberto
Posted Jul 20, 2013, 1:24 pm
Today we went to a very nice salt water pool called Parque Maritimo, it was very relaxing:
The park is very large and beautiful and was designed by an architect called Cesar Manrique.
A lot of people were having fun and enjoying the water and Sun.
And from the park you could see a beautiful theater designed by famous Spanish architect Calatrava. Also an small black castle and the beautiful crystal clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
We had a very fun day at the pool.
Love,
Alberto
Posted Jul 24, 2013, 8:00 pm
Here I am back in the Tenerife North airport... and about to get into this airplane you see behind me:
It's one of the airplanes of the local airline called Binter, and it took us to La Palma!
We wanted to go very early in the morning to see the sunrise from the highest peak in the Island which is called Roque de los Muchachos:
Like all the peaks in the Canary Islands, they're dormant volcanoes, here you can see the crater during sunrise:
This mountain is home to many of the best telescopes in the World!, look how beautiful they look above the clouds during the sunrise:
And the air was so clear that you could see the shadow of the mountain on the clouds!
It was amazing how perfectly triangular the shape was.
After the sunrise we went to see some of the telescopes close up.
Here on the far right is the biggest optical telescope in the World!, the GTC:
And these big mirrors out in the open are called the MAGIC telescopes, they look for very high energy astronomical events:
Being above the clouds was very nice, and everything was very quiet. Simply amazing.
On the way down we stopped several times to see the island, it was very beautiful.
Here's a view of the main city, the port and on the background the airport.
What an amazing day this was!
Love,
Alberto
Posted Jul 31, 2013, 1:07 am
Today we went to another pool park, this one called Lago Martianez.
It is also a very large salt water pool designed by Cesar Manrique that uses volcanic rocks.
It's very nice to relax here in Tenerife with so many pools and beaches.
The park had many sculptures including these dried up tree trunks.
Cheers,
Alberto
Posted Jul 31, 2013, 1:59 am
There was a room with drawers for many insects and specially butterflies from around the world, look at the beautiful wings they have:
When we left we took a picture in front of the Concepcion Parish:
Love,
Alberto
Posted Jul 31, 2013, 10:51 pm
It's a beautiful beach with white soft sand brought from the Sahara desert:
The water was crystal clear and very refreshing. And the scenery of the mountains and small boats was beautiful.
Love,
Alberto
Posted Aug 1, 2013, 2:44 am
To start we went to the Roque de Garachico:
It is a small island that is a bird sanctuary were several protected species live and some migratory birds also stop by.
Then we went to the Punta Teno lighthouse, which is the westernmost point in the island.
To the left you can faintly see the Gomera island.
The water sea here in Tenerife is beautiful:
Afterwards we drove through the mountains and arrived to a small town called Santiago del Teide:
Apparently they had their local festivities during these days which are related to the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage.
Then we went to the Costa Adeje where there are many large beaches and resorts:
It was very touristy.
Finally we stopped by the Cathedral of La Candelaria:
Where there are very large statues of the 9 Menceyes (or kings) that ruled the islands by the time the Spaniards invaded them.
We had a very fun day today and saw many places around the island.
Love,
Alberto
Posted Aug 11, 2013, 3:49 pm
Here we are with the Teide on the background as well as the La Palma island:
After going through a dense pine forest we came into a desert that looked very much like the surface of Mars!
In fact they use this area to test robots that NASA and ESA will send to the Red Planet!.
We stopped for a drink, it is very important to drink a lot of fluids here in the desert, and the view was like that of an American cowboys movie.
Look at the weird structures the rocks make here:
Love,
Alberto
Posted Aug 28, 2013, 11:59 pm
It was amazing and we got a big window all to ourselves. Here we are just below the sea level waiting to go down
Here I am at 30 meters below sea level:
We saw many fishes of many different types, even several stingrays.
They also explained to us that the red light from sunlight does not reach so far down, so that's why everything looked so blue.
It was absolutely amazing!
Cheers,
Alberto
Posted Sep 12, 2013, 4:58 pm
The indigenous people used to call these cliffs the Wall of Hell.
Posted Nov 2, 2013, 10:43 pm
But sadly a friend must leave us now. So good bye Charly, it was very nice knowing you and we hope to meet you again.
Bye bye
Posted Nov 2, 2013, 11:32 pm
And this time we saw the Nazrid palaces, which is the most beautiful section and for which you need a special entrance.
Here I am in the Patio de los Arrayanes:
And here I am at the Ambassadors' room:
And of course we visited the courtyard of the lions:
Cheers,
Alberto
Posted Dec 7, 2013, 9:12 pm
Welcome to Switzerland.
Posted Dec 7, 2013, 9:19 pm
Posted Dec 26, 2013, 2:09 pm
...I think, I made a good job, didn't I?
Posted Dec 26, 2013, 2:17 pm
People were very happy. Look at the lovely goods. I really like it.
A real angel ...but the weather was too warm. ...poor angel!
Posted Jan 22, 2014, 8:58 pm
Merry Christmas to everyone!
We had "Fondue Chinoise". It's a typical Swiss Christmas menu. Frozen meat is sliced thinly to prepare it for hot pot cooking. The cooking pot is often sunk into the table and fueled by propane. Hmmm, I liked it!
Look at the lovely Christmas-Tree! Wow, I like it!
The presents are for the kids.
Posted Jan 23, 2014, 9:46 am
Lovely, isn't it?
Brrrr, snow is so cold!
Where I am?
In the evening, I enjoyed the ride in the gondola.
Posted Feb 7, 2014, 4:01 pm
Let's enjoy the pictures:
Vatican City is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. It has an area of approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of around 840. This makes Vatican City the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world by both area and population.
Vatican City is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state, ruled by the Bishop of Rome—the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergymen of various national origins. It is the sovereign territory of the Holy See and the location of the Pope's residence, referred to as the Apostolic Palace. The Popes have generally resided in the area that in 1929 became Vatican City since the return from Avignon in 1377, but have also at times resided in the Quirinal Palace in Rome and elsewhere.
In the city are cultural sites such as St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. They feature some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. The unique economy of Vatican City is supported financially by the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications.
The independent city-state was established in 1929 by the Lateran Treaty, signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Gasparri, on behalf of Pope Pius XI and by Prime Minister Benito Mussolini on behalf of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. The treaty spoke of it as a new creation, not as a vestige of the much larger Papal States (756–1870) that had previously encompassed much of central Italy.
People are waiting for Papa Francesco! ...we're not alone...
...can you see him?
And of course, I also saw the traditional Swiss Guard in their colorful clothes.
...but as it was raining, they wore blue gowns.
Here are some pictures without me. I hope you'll like it too. I can't be on the picture, because I was the photographer!!!
The Christmas crib on St.Peter's Place.
The four Raphael Rooms (Italian: Stanze di Raffaello) form a suite of reception rooms, the public part of the papal apartments in the Palace of the Vatican. They are famous for their frescoes, painted by Raphael and his workshop. Together with Michelangelo's ceiling frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, they are the grand fresco sequences that mark the High Renaissance in Rome.
St. Peter's Basilica is a Late Renaissance church located within Vatican City.
...it's amazing, isn't it?
Posted Feb 7, 2014, 4:13 pm
At first sight, it appears to be smaller version on the Colosseum, which was nevertheless built a good 83 years after the theatre. The differences are more evident on taking a closer look. The Theatre of Marcellus, for example, is semicircular, while the Colosseum is completely round as indeed an amphitheatre should be.
The Theatre of Marcellus is perhaps the oldest theatre to have survived until the present day. Initially begun by Julius Caesar, it was completed by the Emperor Augustus in 11 B.C., and was dedicated to his nephew Marcus Claudius Marcellus, who died five years before it was finished at the age of just 19.
Posted Feb 7, 2014, 4:30 pm
La Bocca della Verità (English: the Mouth of Truth) is an image, carved from Pavonazzo marble, of a man-like face, located in the portico of the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome, Italy. The sculpture is thought to be part of a first-century ancient Roman fountain, or perhaps a manhole cover, portraying one of several possible pagan gods, probably Oceanus. Most Romans believe that the 'Bocca' represents the ancient god of the river Tiber.
The most famous characteristic of the Mouth, however, is its role as a lie detector. Starting from the Middle Ages, it was believed that if one told a lie with one's hand in the mouth of the sculpture, it would be bitten off. The piece was placed in the portico of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin in the 17th century. This church is also home to the supposed relics of Saint Valentine.
...ufff, nothing happend!
Posted Feb 7, 2014, 8:42 pm
The Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland) also known as the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II (National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II) or "Il Vittoriano" is a controversial monument built in honour of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy, located in Rome, Italy. It occupies a site between the Piazza Venezia and the Capitoline Hill.
...the horse in a miniature Version...
We've just been on the top of this building.
Posted Feb 7, 2014, 9:02 pm
...I'm sorry, but the sun/shadow/light was very bad...
...and no, we weren't alone...
Posted Feb 7, 2014, 9:07 pm
Everything is old and needs to be renovated ..., but that's very expensive!
One of hundreds of churches in Rome
Posted Feb 7, 2014, 9:25 pm
The Colosseum is situated just east of the Roman Forum. Construction began under the emperor Vespasian in 70 AD,[3] and was completed in 80 AD under his successor and heir Titus.[4] Further modifications were made during the reign of Domitian (81–96). These three emperors are known as the Flavian dynasty, and the amphitheatre was named in Latin for its association with their family name.
The Colosseum could hold, it is estimated, between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators, and was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.
Although in the 21st century it stays partially ruined because of damage caused by devastating earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum is an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome. It is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions and has close connections with the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit "Way of the Cross" procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum.
The Colosseum, like all the Historic Centre of Rome, Properties of the Holy See in Italy and the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980. In 2007 the complex was also included among the New7Wonders of the World, following a competition organized by New Open World Corporation (NOWC).
The Pantheon from Greek: Πάνθεον [ἱερόν], an adjective understood as is a building in Rome, commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus as a temple to all the gods of ancient Rome, and rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian about 126 AD.
The building is circular with a portico of large granite Corinthian columns (eight in the first rank and two groups of four behind) under a pediment. A rectangular vestibule links the porch to the rotunda, which is under a coffered concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) to the sky. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 43.3 metres (142 ft).
It is one of the best-preserved of all Roman buildings. It has been in continuous use throughout its history, and since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Roman Catholic church dedicated to "St. Mary and the Martyrs" but informally known as "Santa Maria Rotonda." The square in front of the Pantheon is called Piazza della Rotonda.
Piazza Navona is a city square in Rome, Italy. It is built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in 1st century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium. The ancient Romans came there to watch the agones ("games"), and hence it was known as "Circus Agonalis" ("competition arena"). It is believed that over time the name changed to in avone to navone and eventually to navona.
Posted Feb 7, 2014, 9:32 pm
I'm hungry!
Last but not least: The Spanish Steps!
The Spanish Steps (Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti) are a set of steps in Rome, climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church at the top. TheScalinata is the widest staircase in Europe.
The monumental stairway of 135 steps was built with French diplomat Étienne Gueffier’s bequeathed funds of 20,000 scudi, in 1723–1725, linking the Bourbon Spanish Embassy, and the Trinità dei Monti church that was under the patronage of the Bourbon kings of France, both located above — to the Holy See in Palazzo Monaldeschi located below. The stairway was designed by architects Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi.
Arrivederci Roma - I had a good time here!
