gotham.city@bigpond.com
Posted Jan 21, 2008, 12:29 pm
Nobody believes me but I was abducted by aliens as a kitten!! My biggest brother Luke says it was just my imagination but it really wasn't. I remember big, weird looking creatures in white coats poking and prodding at me, sticking needles in me and some of it hurt. There were bright lights and I was all alone. Now I don't go anywhere without my little friend Toby...please, please let me bring him with me if I come to visit you!
Posted Feb 15, 2008, 7:37 am
Chokito and I arrived at Fabi's House today. It was a long travel, but we are okay. Tortilla and Wauzi welcomed us really nice and we had a lot of fun together.
We will make some photos later and show you, where we are at the moment
!
Have a nice day,
Davy
Posted Feb 15, 2008, 9:07 am
today we went to the Ruhr. It was Wauzis birthday and he wanted to show us around.
We saw the wonderful river Ruhr:
A really nice river. Fabi told me, that she heard rumors, that there was an alien one night. Somebody saw it there and then, when the police came, nobody was there - and nobody knows who called the police. Maybe I will see an alien, mummy
!
I watched around, but all I can see was a deer and a swan:
That were nice animals. The swan got some nice bread from us and he was happy. I think he likes me.
We were all sitting together in the backpack of Fabi. It was warm inside and outside it was a little cold. But we were all brave enough to look out and see, what we can see there:
Later we visited a watergate at the Ruhr. We could see how much water goes through the watergate and we all learned something about it. I think I was the only person who really understand what Fabi told us.
It was a nice walk
!
I will keep you updated,
Davy
Posted Feb 15, 2008, 9:13 am
later that day, we visited the old city of Recklinghausen. Recklinghausen is a part of Essen. A really old part. They have some new houses there, but most of them are really old.
We wanted to buy some new drinks and Fabi was very thirsty. So we wanted to went to Aldi (do you know it?!). On the parking space of Aldi was a nice monument for the old train station of Recklinghausen. We looked at it and Fabi told us, what was written on the display panel.
Later we went to an old church and looked at it. It was really nice there and they had a lot of colorful windows
!
We have just a photo from outside, because there was a mass inside...
I will update you soon again,
have a nice day,
Davy
Posted Feb 24, 2008, 3:40 pm
!
Last night, I saw something blinking in the living room. Maybe an UFO is here?! I don't know. I have to ask Fabi, but when I wake up, there were 2 other toy voyagers here. Maybe they are aliens?!
Can you see me, Mum?! I like the new toy voyagers, but I am afraid that they are aliens. They came so quick without a door bell ringing or so...maybe with an UFO?
Have a nice day,
Davy
Posted Feb 24, 2008, 4:07 pm
today we visited a friend of Fabi. Her name is Vanessa and she has a dog - named Digga. We had a lot of fun playing on her bed and with the dog. But I was thinking if the new Toy Voyagers...maybe there are real aliens...mummy, I don't know...
Here are some photos of our day:
He looks funny
!
It was a nice day and something new
!
Davy
Posted Mar 28, 2008, 1:23 pm
I just wanted to let you know, that I arrived in Bruchsal. Petra is really busy, but we all wanted her to get in contact with our family before the human guests arrive. Petra told us, that her daughter celebrates her birthday today, altough her birthday was in December. It seems to be a funny family.
Bye, Davy
Posted Mar 29, 2008, 6:40 pm
We had a little party today!!!
We had some snacks and water to drink and a lot to laugh about, of course. Dogs became friends with cats, a turtle with a kangaroo, a monkey with a moose and more.
We played with a big and a small ball and we learned how to play the card game "Mau Mau".
Didn't the table look nice?
Mingus Moose prefered to sit on the ballon.
(Playmo)Bill decided to not eat anything, because he was afraid to be too thick for his hobby.
Bullet wanted all the peanuts for himself.
Coco first had been a bit sad, because there was no honey on the table, but she liked the gouda then.
How did (Playmo)Bill come to that peanut? Maybe he asked Mingus Moose???
HolidayHarry had been really thirsty after eating a lot of sweets.
Florence is very hungry and wants to try a chocolate banana muffin.
Pebbels thought, that the Harry Potter muffin looked nice. It was a muffin with blueberries. Curly took the chocolate banana muffin too.
Amara Anthea tried a muffin american style, just on with chocolate drops.
AliG seemed to play the detective. What did he expect to find out today???
Do you see how happy Tortilla and Josh look with this dish filled with gummi bears?
Chokito, Schnuffi and I shared another Harry Potter muffin.
Only Hasi prefered something healthy - she wanted to eat a carrot.
Tilda hadn't been sure, whether she should try a "nimm 2 " or whether it is better to eat a carrot too.
Then we started playing with balls. At first we choose the Australian ball, but it was so big, that the little toyvoyager among us had big problems.
Later we decided to use a table tennis ball, which of course is much easier to play with.
At last we learned how to play "Mau Mau".
Our first winner was: Chokito
Second place: Bullet
Third place: Hasi
Fourth place: Pebbels
Posted Apr 10, 2008, 6:53 am
Here you see the backfront of the palace.
This is the Feldkirchle (field chapel)
Next to the Feldkirchle (field chapel) you see this cross
and these beautiful flowers
Posted Apr 10, 2008, 10:54 am
We sat all together watching and helping Petra with preparing the dough.
So here are the photos with me. If you are interested in recipes, I can try to ask Petra to write them here or send them to you.
Finally the cakes are ready
The nougat cream cake:
only the words "Happy birthday" have to be put on the cake now.
The Zebra-cake
Somehow we miss the last photo of the Danube waves cake, the one with the cherries.
Posted Apr 19, 2008, 6:45 am
We enjoyed having you with us.
Posted Apr 23, 2008, 4:16 pm
I wanna let you know i arrived safely in Alkmaar, the Netherlands. I will post pictures of my arrivel as soon as possible.
Big hugs Davy
Posted Apr 23, 2008, 6:33 pm
I finally have some time to show you my arrival. The mail man delivered me at the neighbours of Eva because she was not home. Luckely for me it didn't take long before she come to pick me up. She opened my box to let me out.
Toby walked out of the box so the ones who are allready here with Eva don't get it. Why such a big box for such a small animal?
But one of them finally saw the string and shouted to the others Toby wasn't alone. Now the get why we travelled in this big box.
This are from the left to the right:
Lillebi, Iggy-korn, Bene and Willy Wau
I think i'm gonna have a great time here!
Big hugs Davy
Posted Apr 25, 2008, 5:55 pm
Today we stayed home and discover a lot here.
First we enjoyed the sun and suddenly two dogs came to us. We didn't notice them before and they told us they wanna become a toyvoyager also. We drink tea with them and told us al about our adventures.
Eva made eggs and bread for us and it was very delicious!
After that we wanna see what we can find in the house.
I found some dwarfs and they told me i can find a fantasy world here if i want.
I ask them were i can find it but the only thing they did was point to the book closet. First i had no clue what they meant with that but we all decided to take a look at the novels in the closet.
We found a lot off novels written by Stephen King. We talked about his stories about good and evil and suddenly we realised what the dwarfs tied to tell us. If you read a book you are in a fantasy world!
This are books about Appie and his friends. As a child Eva her dad read this stories to her and they are very old. You can't find them in the stores anymore. The books look old and smell old so it was very excited to read them.
After that we found some treasure chests. In each of that chest we found fairytales and classic stories. This was so much fun to see!
Big hugs Davy
Posted Apr 27, 2008, 11:08 am
I start with the good news. Eva decided to do something for us yesterday evening. We had no clue what it was because she showed us a strange thing:
We go to bed and were thinking what i can be and when we got out of bed this morning we finally saw what is was:
It is a pool! Today they predict a very sunny and hot day so Eva thought it would be a great idea to give us something fresh and funny.
But the bad news is:
They were wrong! It's very cloudy
Hopefully the sun will show itself today so we can play in the pool.
Big hugs Davy
Posted Apr 27, 2008, 12:03 pm
Posted Apr 27, 2008, 12:51 pm
The Buran ( the only space shuttle of the Soviet Buran program)was only on one unmanned spaceflight in 1988. The shuttle program was cancelled in 1993. It was destroyed by a hangar collapse in 2003.
The Buran is the world's first genuine space shuttle to be exhibited to the general public.
Petra wanted to go there to watch the arrival, but the weather was too bad, so we only got the chance to read the newspaper
Posted Apr 29, 2008, 11:06 am
Today i met the pets here.
This puppy is Dharma. He's very sweet but he has very sharp teeth so you have to watch out! Because if he wanna play he wants to bite you. He doesn't mean it bad but it hurts a lot.
This is Isis. She is fluffy as me. But she is very old and sleep almost all day long. So i decided to join her and together we had a great nap.
This black cat is Luna. She almost scared of everything and any one but fortunate for me i'm a cat too so she trust me immediately. Eva said that's a little wonder.
Big hugs Davy
Posted Apr 29, 2008, 4:29 pm
Today was such a rainy day. It was such a pitty because we wanna do something outside. Hopefully the weather is better tomorrow.
Eva wanna cheer us up so she made a typical dutch snack: patat, kroketten and kaassoufle. First it taste a little funny but after the first bite i loved it!
Eva also had a very delicious desert for us, chocolate mousse!!
Big hugs Davy
Posted Apr 30, 2008, 1:58 pm
Today it's queensday here in the Netherlands. We are celebrating the dutch queen her birthday. Beatrix is the name of the dutch queen but it isn't her date of birth. 30th april is the birthday of her mother Juliana. But she never changed it in her one date of birth.
Most of the people wear orange clothes today because it's our national color. On the streets you eyes get hurt of all the orange. But of course i can't stay behind and wear an orange bandana today
This morning the queen visit Makkum and Franeker. Two cities in the north of the Netherlands. We watched in on the tv. Queen Beatrix and Maxima wear pink today. Every year they have the most funny hats on their head.
Here Bea (Beatrix), Willem Alexander (Willempie) and Maxima are singing 'het Wilhelmus', the dutch song.
So today it's party time! I will update again today because this wasn't the only party we had today.
Big hugs Davy
p.s.
Don't they look adoreble?
Posted Apr 30, 2008, 2:15 pm
Here i am again.
Like i said queensday wasn't the only thing we celebrate today. It's also Bene his birthday! How great is that? You are in Holland and at your birthday the dutch people party.
First we sing for him:
After that we gave him his presents we bought sneaky for him this week and off course wrapped up in orange paper:
tadaaaaaaaaaa!!! Real Nijntjes. Nijntje is a rabbit from a novel for children. Bene was very glad with it!
After that we decided to play games. First we played poker (texas hold em). It was very excited to play!
After a while we wanna do an other game so we played Wie is de ezel (who's the donkey). It's a verry funny games with cards.
Now we are gonna dance!!!
Big hugs Davy
Posted May 1, 2008, 6:42 pm
Today we went to Den Helder to visit Eva her grandma.
Den Helder has ever started with the arising of Huisduinen, a whaler village. Gradually it developed into Den Helder which we know now. A city which was built within the linies of the forten. Later formed a number of districts there around. The space between the different town parts is characteristic. Den Helder is a city with a strongly maritime screen. Sea-going, the rescue being, the offshore and the royal Navy natural.
The Navy has stipulated many years' the image of Den Helder. But the Navy shrank in, Den Helder threatened to become a city with no face. By nourishing the culturehistory , the tales of the seaman and with that the coherent heroiek Den Helder has rediscovered its own core values.
Eva told me this while i was watching the ship-building yard.
When you look at the end of the picture you can see some old ships that were used in the war. But they still use this ships for other wars and peace missions.
Here you see the submarine in the shipyard.
Here we are watching the Nordsea. It was such a bright day today that you even can see Texel!
After the shipyard we watched the flowerbulb fields. They are famous here in Holland. We were very lucky because in this time of year you can see all the bright colours of it.
Big hugs Davy
Posted May 2, 2008, 12:48 pm
Yesterday was the last evening here in Alkmaar for Iggy-Korn and Lillebi.
Eva organised a surpriseparty for them.
Suddenly the doorbel rings. When we opened the door Lejow stood there! That was a very big surprise. She wasn't alone.
Here are Sylphide, Tony and Meleleuca
We talked a lot in the garden and everybody wanna tell their story so before we know the sun was down.
That night we played on the wii for a long time but unfortunatelly the pictures failed. That's really a pitty!
After a long evening full of fun we sleep together and this morning it was time for one last picture of the whole group.
Big hugs Davy
Posted May 2, 2008, 1:09 pm
This morning the time was come: we brought Iggy Korn and Lillebi to the post office. Before that we said goodbye to each other. It was sad to say goodbye and i hope they both have a great trail! I'm glad i get to know them and maybe our pads will cross again. I really hope so!
Bye Iggy Korn!
Bye Lillebi!
Big hugs Davy
Posted May 4, 2008, 7:29 pm
Today was the day of Remembrance the dead in the Netherlands.
Remembrance of the Dead (Dutch: Dodenherdenking) is held annually on May 4 in the Netherlands. It commemorates all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since the outbreak of World War II.
Until 1961, the commemoration only related to the Dutch victims of World War II. Since 1961, the victims of other military conflicts (such as the Indonesian National Revolution in Indonesia) and peacekeeping missions (such as in Lebanon or Bosnia) are remembered on May 4 as well.
Traditionally, the main ceremonies are observed in Amsterdam at the national monument on Dam Square. This ceremony is usually attended by members of the cabinet and the royal family, military leaders, representatives of the resistance movement and other social groups. At 8:00 p.m., two minutes of silence are observed throughout the Netherlands. Since May 4 1994, the flags, having hung at half-staff during the day, are then hoisted to the sounds of the Wilhelmus, the Dutch national anthem. Since 2001 the new protocol says it's okay to let the flag hang half-staff.
Although the main celebrations get the most attention from the media, there are ceremonies in other cities and places as well, such as the Waalsdorpervlakte near the Hague where many Dutch resistance fighters were executed during the war. In many towns, before or after the two minutes of silence, people gather around a monument, listen to speeches, and lay down flowers to remember the dead.
One day later, on May 5, Dutch people celebrate the liberation from the German occupation between 1940 and 1945.
We watched the remembrance on the television. We saw the Waalsdorpervlakte.
Big hugs Davy
Posted May 4, 2008, 7:40 pm
Hello!
Today we decided to do something back for Eva. Again it's very nice weather so we decided to put air in the pool for her.
It was hard working!
But Eva wasnt the only one who enjoyed the pool today.
It was very nice to get a tan in the pool and the water gives me refreshment.
Eva lives by the water and suddenly we heared funny sounds coming from the water. It were little baby birds!
They were so sweet and we gave them bread.
Big hugs Davy
Posted May 7, 2008, 6:45 pm
I ride on a bike today! It was scary! But i also love to do it! Fortunate for me the bike has wheels on the frame. So i kept well in balance.
Look at me mum!
When i'm home a want a bike for myself. You feel the wind and you can go fast if you want. I notice that in Holland they do not wear helmets for your safety. Everybody here rides on a bike and the people learn it to there children almost before they can walk. I looked my eyes out.
Big hugs Davy
Posted May 11, 2008, 5:18 pm
I had such a wonderfull weekend!
Mirdin asked us if we wanna come with him this weekend to visit his father. His father lives in Heiloo, a village near Alkmaar on a camping. Off course i want that! I packed my bag and Mirdin his father picked us up with his car.
On the camping in Heiloo there is a lot to do. Mirdin showed us his toys.
First we found a wheel
We found out the wheel belong to a plastic bike
We decided to put the wheel back on the bike so we can take a ride
When we finally made the bike we found a much better thing to ride on!
So we trow away the wheel and decided that we wanna ride in the car!
I drove around the camping. It was so funny to do and a great change to see more off the camping.
After a lot of fighting who's turn it was on the car we decided to drive the car together.
Luckely for us it was great weather. But i'm also glad i'm back now in Alkmaar.
Big hugs Davy
Posted May 11, 2008, 5:28 pm
After all the activities this weekend i wanna do something creative. Eva said that painting is a creative activity so i decided to try it.
It makes me very calm. It was great to paint my feelings and it really clears my mind. So i think i will do it more often when i'm a little bit stressfull.
Big hugs Davy
Posted May 16, 2008, 10:08 am
Sorry you didn't hear from me for the last days!
My last days in Alkmaar i spend in the garden because it was such a good weather and Eva wasn't feeling to wel.
Today it was time to say goodbye to Bene and Willy Wau. They both are on there way to their next host. I'm gonna miss them a lot! They become good friend of mine.
Bye bye, sweet little Bene!
Bye bye sweet Willy Wau!
Hopefully i see them again.
Tonight we are gonna celebrate Eva her birthday with Lejow. I'm so excited!!!
Big hugs Davy
Posted May 17, 2008, 3:46 pm
Yesterday we celebrate Eva her birthday with Lejow.
Lejow also host tv's so i meet new friends!
First we ate delicious strawberry icecream.
After that it was presents time!
Lejow and an other friend of Eva had a big suprise. They asked Magicwoman if she wanna buy a present with them together and Magicwoman said yes.
Eva opened the present and a big all in one printer came out! Eva was so happy with it! She also gets dvd's of It and 1408 because she is a big Stephen King fan.
I decided to help Eva install the printer on her computer.
First we read the manual.
We have to put the cardridges in the printer otherwise it's a hard job to print something
The last step was install the printer on the computer.
After that Eva and i tried it and it worked!
We also played a lot on the Wii. It was so great!!!
And we have to make a picture of us all together.
This are Pimboli and Just_married.
We had a great evening!
Hugs Davy
Posted May 20, 2008, 3:35 pm
Today I asked Eva to tell me everything she know about Alkmaar. She told me some funny stories!
Alkmaar is above all Holland's cheese town. During the season from the first Friday of April to the first Friday of September a traditional cheese market is being held here on Friday mornings between 10 and 12.30. The cheeses are sold by dealers on a clap of hands. Thereupon the 400 year old cheese porters' guild goes into action, carrying the cheese off on barrows after the lot has been weighed at the Waag (the official scales). In the Waaggebouw - in which the scales are housed - a cheese museum that tells everything about dairy farming has been established.
Cheese has been weighed in Alkmaar since 1635.
Alkmaar is historical with around 400 monuments. The Waag, dating back in its earliest form to the 14th century, the 16th century town-hall, Grote St. Laurens Church and the many courtyards, facades and canals give the town an ambience all of its own. With the past as a setting, the town has a modern stock of shops offering a wide choice. Besides the predominantly small shops in the old centre, the Noorder Arcade with large scale shopping facilities stands by the side of the Noord Holland Canal.
Alkmaar is the biggest town in the region. Relaxation can also be found in the Geestmerambacht recreational area close by.
Big Hugs Davy
Posted May 20, 2008, 3:54 pm
Today i went to the woods in Bergen.
Bergen is a village near Alkmaar and lies by the Nordsea.
On this sign you can find information about walking in the woods
I was so tired of all the walking that Eva her ex husband offered me to sit on his shoulder. Off course i said yes!
I really love this tree!
Look at this great vieuw!
It's always fun to climb in the trees
Big hugs Davy
Posted May 21, 2008, 7:19 pm
Today it was my host her birthday!
We had a wonderfull day!
When the mail man came he had a tiny envelope and a big one. Eva and i decided to first open the small one because we thought there was a postcard in it.
But it wasn't a postcard, it was a TV!
This is Lumi, a small but very sweet bear.
After that we opened the big one.
This is Margarida, a very funny rabbit.
When we introduced ourselfs to each other it was time to eat a birthday pie. It was delicious!
You can imagine we eat a lot today. For dinner we eat pasta with creamy cheese, tomatoes and onions. It looks strange but when you taste it, your in heaven.
After that we thought we have time to relax but the mail man came again!
This time he had three envelopes with him.
We decided to first open the one from the USA.
A white bear came out and he shouted 'I'm not a TV, I'm a birthday present!' Eva was very suprised!
After that we decided to open the one from Africa. Again a lot of presents came out of the envelope. It's so great to celebrate ypur birthday
But suddenly a brown dog his head was showed. There was also a TV in the envelope!
This is Ambrosius
Last but not least we opened the last box.
This is Count
So first you are alone and before you know four other TV's arrive. I think i'm gonna make great friends here!
Big hugs Davy
Posted May 22, 2008, 5:28 pm
Again a new TV arrived today. It's getting more and more cosy here!
We all were very curious who can be in it. We are allready with a cat, dog, rabbit, bear and a count so we hoped it was an other animal.
And it was! It's a monkey!
This is Roberto
Now we are gonna chat about our goals and who we are.
I'll be back soon!
Big hugs Davy
Posted May 24, 2008, 11:59 am
The other TV's wanted to know everthing about Alkmaar too, so we chat about it and after that Eva told us everything she know about the Netherlands.
The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland]) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba in the Caribbean. The Netherlands is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy, located in Western Europe. It is bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east.
The Netherlands is often called Holland. This is formally incorrect as North and South Holland in the western Netherlands are only two of the country's twelve provinces. As a matter of fact, many Dutch people colloquially use Holland as a synecdoche, being well aware of the widespread use of this name. For more on this and other naming issues see terminology of the Netherlands.
The Netherlands is a geographically low-lying and densely populated country. It is popularly known for its traditional windmills, tulips, cheese, clogs (wooden shoes), delftware and gouda pottery, for its bicycles, its dikes and surge barriers, and, on the other hand, traditional values and civil virtues such as its classic social tolerance. But primarily, the Netherlands is a modern, advanced and open society. An old parliamentary democracy, the country is more recently known for its rather liberal policies toward recreational drugs, prostitution, homosexuality, abortion, and euthanasia. The Netherlands is also one of the most densely cabled countries in the world; its internet connection rate is 87.8%, the 2nd highest in the world.
The Netherlands has an international outlook; among other affiliations the country is a founding member of the European Union (EU), NATO, the OECD, and has signed the Kyoto protocol. Along with Belgium and Luxembourg, the Netherlands is one of three member nations of the Benelux economic union. The country is host to five international(ised) courts: the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Court and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. All of these courts (except the Special Tribunal for Lebanon), as well as the EU's criminal intelligence agency (Europol), are situated in The Hague, which has led to the city being referred to as "the world's legal capital."
A remarkable aspect of the Netherlands is its flatness. Hilly landscapes can be found only in the south-eastern tip of the country on the foothills of the Ardennes, the central part and where the glaciers pushed up several hilly ridges such as the Hondsrug in Drenthe, the stuwwallen (push moraines) near Arnhem and Nijmegen, Salland, Twente and the Utrechtse Heuvelrug.
Religion
Main article: Religion in the Netherlands
The Netherlands is one of the more secular countries in the Western Europe, with only 39% being religiously affiliated (31% for those aged under 35), although 62% are believers (but 40% of those not in the traditional sense). Fewer than 20% visit church regularly .
According to the most recent Eurobarometer Poll 2005, 34% of Dutch citizens responded that "they believe there is a god", whereas 37% answered that "they believe there is some sort of spirit or life force" and 27% that "they do not believe there is any sort of spirit, god, or life force".
In 1950, before the secularisation of Europe, and the large settlement of non-Europeans in the Netherlands, most Dutch citizens identified themselves as Christians. In 1950, out of a total population of almost 13 million, a total of 7,261,000 belonged to Protestant denominations, 3,703,000 belonged to the Roman Catholic Church, and 1,641,000 had no acknowledged religion.
However, Christian schools are still funded by the government, but the same applies for schools founded on other religions, nowadays Islam in particular. While all schools must meet strict quality criteria, from 1917 the freedom of schools is a basic principle in The Netherlands.
Three political parties in the Dutch parliament (CDA, ChristianUnion and SGP) base their policy on the Christian belief system.
Culture
Erasmus (1466–1536).The Netherlands has had many well-known painters. The 17th century, when the Dutch republic was prosperous, was the age of the "Dutch Masters", such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, Jan Steen, Jacob van Ruysdael and many others. Famous Dutch painters of the 19th and 20th century were Vincent van Gogh and Piet Mondriaan. M. C. Escher is a well-known graphics artist. Willem de Kooning was born and trained in Rotterdam, although he is considered to have reached acclaim as an American artist. Han van Meegeren was an infamous Dutch art forger.
The Netherlands is the country of philosophers Erasmus of Rotterdam and Spinoza. All of Descartes' major work was done in the Netherlands. The Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens (1629–1695) discovered Saturn's moon Titan and invented the pendulum clock. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was the first to observe and describe single-celled organisms with a microscope.
In the Dutch Golden Age, literature flourished as well, with Joost van den Vondel and P.C. Hooft as the two most famous writers. In the 19th century, Multatuli wrote about the bad treatment of the natives in Dutch colonies. Important 20th century authors include Harry Mulisch, Jan Wolkers, Simon Vestdijk, Cees Nooteboom, Gerard (van het) Reve and Willem Frederik Hermans. Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl was published after she died in The Holocaust and translated from Dutch to all major languages.
Replicas of Dutch buildings can be found in Huis ten Bosch, Nagasaki, Japan. A similar Holland Village is being built in Shenyang, China.
Windmills, tulips, wooden shoes, cheese and Delftware pottery are among the items associated with the Netherlands.
Big hugs Davy
Posted May 27, 2008, 7:41 pm
Today we went to the camping in Heiloo again.
Off course i have to drive in the car again.
I wish i could take this car with me to the next host. It's such a pleasure drive in it.
Suddenly a woman called us. She said she have to show us something.
Look how sweet! Little kittens like me
Big hugs Davy
Posted May 29, 2008, 2:37 pm
Today is my last day here in Alkmaar. Tomorrow i'm going to an other city in the Netherlands. I decided to allready say goodbye to everyone today, because otherwise i have to cry tomorrow.
I had a wonderfull time here! Discover the garden and house, meet a lot of pets and other TV's.
I'm gonna miss everybody a lot, but i'm also very excited about visiting my next host.
Goodbye Ambrosius
Goodbye Count
Goodbye Margarida
Goodbye Roberto
Goodbye Lumi
They all became good friends of mine.
This will be my last update from Alkmaar.
See you soon mommy!!
Big Hugs Davy
Posted May 31, 2008, 6:35 pm
I arrived in 's-Hertogenbosch today! I had a very good journey in a very big box. I will show you pictures of the other tv's soon. They are very nice! I know I will have a very good time here
Love Davy
Posted Jun 2, 2008, 6:59 pm
I helped Marjolein making dinner tonight! We made Russian Stroganoff with cucumbersalad. I couldn't wait untill I could start eating! It was very good!
Hugs Davy
Posted Jun 2, 2008, 7:05 pm
Posted Jun 10, 2008, 11:52 am
Because the Dutch footballteam played their first match for the European Cup (against Italy) yesterday (Holland won with 3-0!!) we decided to play some ToyVoyagersfootball!
I was in the team with Chompers.
I made the first attack!
I tried to score... But Pingu got the ball.
And then they started attacking! Nick played the ball to Roots Bear, Roots played it back to Nick. Nick tried to score...
And he scored.
So my team lost. But now I can't write anymore because I have to get back to some more footballmatches! We are going to win this time!
Hugs Davy
Posted Jun 10, 2008, 7:10 pm
The national colour of the Netherlands is orange because Queen Beatrix (the Dutch queen) and her family are called Oranje (orange in Dutch).
Hugs Davy
Posted Jun 15, 2008, 11:18 am
Today I went to the zoo! It was in Rotterdam and called Diergaarde Blijdorp.
Pingu ran to the penguins right away.
But I went looking to some more cat-like animals. The first one I found hid, so I couldn't talk to it.
How about this one?
O no that's fake!
This lion is real!
She told me she was having a good time in the zoo. She did miss her husband, they where kept seperately.
The next cat I found did not like living in the zoo. He kept walking around looking for a way out.
I told him I was a travelling cat. He was so jealous! I felt bad leaving him behind.
But we had to move on. Look at me I'm a turtle!
Posted Jun 15, 2008, 11:26 am
If you look closely, you can see a real turtle swimming over my head! I made a cooler turtle though!
These birds are totally orange! I guess they support the Netherlands too.
This kangaroo carries a little one!
We took a break in the Chinese Garden.
I had a really good time in the zoo!
Love Davy
Posted Jun 17, 2008, 12:21 pm
I ate some real Dutch food today: herring and stroopwafels. The call herring, when you eat it like this Hollandse Nieuwe. Mmmm fish! They eat the herring not with knives and forks but they bite it out of the sky! Weird Dutch people
Kisses Davy
Posted Jun 24, 2008, 6:31 pm
Marjolein took us to Groningen, her birthtown. We went here because of her birthday which she celebrated in Groningen because otherwise no family would come! Den Bosch is very far away from Groningen! So after two and a half hour in the train we arrived in Groningen. Marjoleins parents live in a suburb called Lewenborg. It was farmland in the old, you can still see this because there is farm. And some farmland sheep graze on now.
This is what Marjoleins parents' house looks like:
'
The cats opened the door for me
I was so happy so see some real cats again! This one is called Dribbel:
And this is her son Garfield:
The cats lived with Marjoleins aunt from their birth but when she died a couple of years ago, Marjoleins parents adopted them.
They also have dog called Amber. She wasn't scary at all, she is a bit dull though
Garfield always gives Amber kisses, this is how sweet Amber is.
Hugs Davy
Posted Jun 24, 2008, 7:13 pm
When we got home from Groningen, a new tv had arrived!
We heard some strange sounds coming out of the envelop...
What is that???
It's TheOutsider!!
Hugs Davy
Posted Jun 29, 2008, 5:58 pm
In the province of Groningen, the village Warffum is every year an international dance-festival called Op Roakeldais. This is in the dialect of Groningen and means something like 'hoping for the best'.
We went with the train from the city Groningen to Warffum. It was a journey of about half an hour. The train looked really cool and the hallway looked just like a Star Trek-ship!!
We arrived in Warffum soon:
People from all over the world come to Warffum for this festival that takes about a week. Dancegroups from for example Mali in Africa:
China:
Colombia:
Georgia:
The Netherlands:
South-Africa:
Guam:
'
Venezuela:
Mexico:
Poland:
On these photo's they where all getting ready for the parade in the centre of Warffum. It's a beautifull Dutch village.
A really nice Dutch girl wanted to take a photo with me
After this we went to the hobby market. Marjolein bought some presents for her father who's 50th birthday is today. In the Netherlands is costum to buy mustard for people who are 50. And the also say that when you are 50 'you say Abraham'. So Marjolein also bought some stuff with Abraham on it. When a women is 50 the will 'see Sara'.
In a big tent some groups from the parade also danced on stage during a performance called 'The world dances in Warffum'.
These are the Scottish:
And Colombia:
Then it was time to go back to Groningen with the train.
It was a very cool and also hot day!!
Hugs Davy
Posted Jul 2, 2008, 7:38 pm
A new tv arrived today! It's Claire!
Atfortunately for her the weather was very bad today! But I guess she is used to that because she is from the Netherlands.
Love Davy
Posted Jul 7, 2008, 3:05 pm
I went back to Groningen! We ate at a Tapasrestaurant. Tapas are little Spanish snacks. We ate lots of stuff like spare ribs, dates, lambs, melon in honey and lots more. And for dessert a chocolatecake!! The restaurant had some beautiful and colourfull stairs!! After diner we had some drinks on the Marketplace called the 'Grote Markt'. We also went to a bar called the Newscafé and to the cinema. To the movie called In Bruges. It was a weird but cool movie. All and all we had a really nice night in Groningen!
Best wishes,
Davy
Posted Jul 7, 2008, 11:14 pm
In Nieuweschans, in the province Groningen, was a very cool festival today. It was called Celtic Midsummer Festival (in Dutch:Keltisch Midzomer Festival).
It was so cool! Lots of people where dressed up.
Asterix and Obelix where even there! There was a battle between the grown-ups and the children and the children won everytime! Of course I was cheering for them
We had beers and spare ribs.
And we danced to Celtic music from the Dutch band Rapalje. And the German band called Faun.
Marjolein coloured a candle and her boyfriend Kasper got a very cool stone mug with 'Rapalje' on it! They also bought special tea. Marjolein's mother bought lots of juwelery and she flirted with Obelix! He didn't have a shirt on and was getting very red in the sun. So she offered him some sunblock!
I had a great time!!
Hugs Davy
Posted Jul 10, 2008, 3:46 pm
A new tv arrived. Her name is Finja. She is a cute looking bear with nice flowers on her skirt. She is very nice and I like having yet another tv here, it's getting very cosy here, with so many of us!
Hugs Davy
Posted Jul 13, 2008, 11:04 pm
It's almost time to leave for Italy! We will leave tomorrow from Den Bosch at 7:30 am with the bus to our first stop in Beek, wich is near Arnhem. From there we will get into the bus, that will get us to Italy! Firstly we will stop in Germany, near Freiburg, for a good night sleep in our first hotel. Tuesday we will continue our journey and in the evening we will arrive in Toscane, Italy! But I will not tell too much already, I will update as much as possible!
I have already learned some Italian:
Yes: sì
No: no
Thank you: Grazie
You're welcome: Per favore
Here you are: Prego
Fantastic: fantastico
I don't speak Italian: non parlo italiano
Do you speak English?: parla inglese?
0: zero
1: uno
2: due
3: tre
4: quattro
5: cinque
6: sei
7: sette
8: otto
9: nove
10: dieci
What time is it?: che ore sono?
Goodday/morning/afternoon: buongiorno
Goodevening: buonanotte
Hi: salve/ciao
Welcome: benvenuto
How are you?: come sta?
Have a nice meal: buon appetito
See you later: arriverderci
Have a nice holiday: buone vacanze
I will speak to you in Italy soon! Maybe I will meet some aliens there!
Hugs Davy
Posted Jul 27, 2008, 10:20 am
Today was a traveling day. I am in France now, just over the bourder with Germany. Our hotel is very good, the bed nice and soft, and there is a swimming pool! Too bad it is too cold to swim. And because we are soooooo tired, we just went to sleep!
Apart from the nice bed, the view from the window wasn't all that.
We had a nice diner, a good night sleep, and after breakfast it was time to really go to Italy!
Posted Jul 27, 2008, 11:09 am
This is the bus I am traveling with and will be traveling with for the next days.
We went through the Gotthard Tunnel and after that we almost where in Italy. Just a few kilometres now!
Our first stop is in Toscane. The town in called Montecatini Terme.
We took a strowl through the town.
There wasn't much time, so we went back to our hotel, had some diner and went right to sleep!
Posted Jul 27, 2008, 11:40 am
This building is where people are baptisted in.
Posted Jul 27, 2008, 12:15 pm
Posted Jul 27, 2008, 12:38 pm
This square used to be an amphitheater. They build houses on top of it, but it still has the shape of the theater.
Posted Jul 27, 2008, 2:52 pm
Florence has to be the most beautiful city I have ever seen! Did you know that every year lots of tourists end up in the hospital because they are overwhelmed by the beauty of Florence? It's called the Stendhal Syndrome after this man called Stendhal. He is the first person of who it is known he fainted after seeing Florence. His heart stopped pumping and he coulnd't breath. Thank God none of us had these problems but it is such a beautiful city!
Santa Maria Novella
Campanile next to the Basilica San Lorenzo
Basilica San Lorenzo
Duome (Santa Maria Del Fiore)
Saint George (from Saint George and the Dragon) made by Donatello
The tourguide of the trip told us a story about this George. Donatello made this statue and showed it to his master. He asked him if there is anything wrong with George. His master answered: Yes there is something wrong. Donatello of course wanted to know what this was. But his master simply answered: I won't tell you, you have to find out yourself. Donatello wondered and wondered, he looked at George and he could not find anything wrong with him. He got ill of these doubts. Donatello got so sick, that at one point he was actually dying. On his deathbed he asked his master: Please tell me, what was wrong with Saint George? His master said: He doesn't breath. He looks so real, if he breathed he could just walk towards us. And then Donatello could die in peace.
It's a wonderfull story, but in reality Donatello lived happily ever after, after making this statue. But it's a good story
David (waiting for Goliath) made by Michelangelo.
This is not the original David, that one is savely in a museum.
It stands on the Piazza Della Signoria.
Ponte Vecchio
Posted Jul 27, 2008, 5:52 pm
It has a very famous square: Piazza Del Campo. The people of Siena call it the most beautiful piazza of the world. It has the shape of a shell.
Every year this Piazza turns into a racecourse. When the 'Palio' (horseraces) takes place, every person from Sienna goes to the Piazza. They stand on the inside of the square and the horses run on the outside.
Every part of the city have a horse in the race. And it doesn't matter if the jockey makes it to the finishline, when the horse makes it, the horse wins. Sometimes accidents happen because the jockey doesn't ride the horse on a sadle.
Duomo di Siena
We walked around the city for a bit and we had some really good pizza! Funghipizza (mushrooms) on the Piazza Del Campo.
Posted Jul 27, 2008, 7:24 pm
Posted Jul 27, 2008, 8:47 pm
The Colosseum! The Colosseum is soooo big!! It was built between the year 70 and 80 AD. The use was an amphitheatre. You could watch fights between lions, between lions and gladiators or just between gladiotors. One way or another, people would die. When the Colosseum was opened the Romans celebrated the opening with a party of 100 days. In these days everyone was welcome in the Colosseum. Everyday the fights and other events happened during the entire day. Romans where very ahead of their time: they already had fast food! You could buy it at stands near the Colosseum. Bread and wine, that sort of stuff.
Forum Romanum, this is the central area which the ancient Roman civilization developed.
The Pantheon (Temple of all the Gods)
Trevi Fountain
Spanish Stairs
Posted Jul 27, 2008, 9:46 pm
On our free time we found a cool Toy Store called Al Sogno.
They had lots of very cool toys.
Too bad Marjolein found the toys way to expensive. But they seem to have a really good life in the store and they will be bought by rich people who will give them a good life
We had pizza again today! After walking around we went to Vatican City to see the St. Peter!
On this photo I am standing on the Bridge of Angels.
The view from the balcony. This is the way the pope always looks at the St. Peter's Square.
The guard of the St. Peter are Swiss Guards. They have to be realy Swiss boys from between 18 and 25 and not married. And of course Catholic.
The inside of the St. Peter's Basilica
The Piéta from Michelangelo.
Saint Peter's Tomb, where the popes are burried. It was not allowed to make photo's of the grave of the latest pope but Marjolein did make some photo's where she was allowed.
Posted Jul 28, 2008, 10:00 am
Pompei is a town from the first century after the birth of Christ. It was built by Romans.
Years (about 15 years) before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the town was destroyed by on earthquake. The inhabitants of Pompei didn't know it then, but this was just Mount Vesuvius warning them for the eruption.
There where other warnings. The water dissaperead. Because of the hot lava the Vesuvius was making the water turned into steam.
In Pompei lived about 20.000 people. The went to the store
To the bakery
Or to a bathhouse
Or the just sat in there own garden, for example in the House with the Little Fountain
But on 24 August 79 the time stopped. The day turned into night and this lasted for three days. People didn't know what was happening. Some died because they breathed in the ashes of the mountain. Some died because of rocks flying around. Most people died right at the spot.
Almost everybody died in 79. But the city was preserved really well because of the ashes of Mount Vesuvius. So that's good for us, we can learn a lot, about the way people lived and what happened that day. We can go back in time and walk around like the people of Pompei used to do.
Posted Jul 28, 2008, 10:42 am
We went to see a early Christian church famous of mosaics. The Basilica of San Vitale.
We also went to the mousuleum (Mousuleum of Galla Placidia) next to the church.
Posted Jul 28, 2008, 5:41 pm
We set foot on the land and went into the harbour of Venice after a trip of about half an hour.
On our way to Piazza San Marco we saw The Bridge of Sighs. This bridge passes over the Rio di Palazzo and connects the old prisons to the interrogation rooms of the Doge's Palace. It got it's name because the prisoner got a last look at Venice and their loved one from the brigde before there inprisonment or death and used to sigh there.
On the Piazza San Marco stands the Basilica di San Marco a Venezia.
There also stand two poles on the Piazza San Marco. No inhabitant of Venice would ever stand between those two poles, because people used to get excecuted their. Gulp!
On the left pole stands a lion. The lion is the animal of Venice.
We went for a walk around the city. The first thing we saw was the second most famous bridge, the Rialto Bridge. It's the oldest bridge in the city and build in 1181.
We had the most wonderfull view from the bridge!
We walked on and saw some beautiful sights.
Then we came across the only wooden bridge in the city: Accademia Bridge.
But sightseeing was the only thing we did, we also did some shopping! We saw a great toystore again, this was a Disney store!
Venice stretches over 118 little islands. It has a population of 271.251 people. People have lived on the islands for centuries but it is known as a city since the ninth century.
Posted Jul 28, 2008, 6:06 pm
Tomorrow it's time to go back to The Netherlands. We will sleep in Germany the next night and by friday we are back in Den Bosch. The trip to Italy was so cool! I certainly want to go back
I hope you enjoyed the updates!
Love Davy
Posted Aug 19, 2008, 12:47 pm
I have more exciting news to tell you! Today it's time to leave for our next holiday! Check out the cool van we had to leave for the holiday!
Hugs Davy
Posted Aug 19, 2008, 1:12 pm
We are going to do really cool things in Austria, lots of walking and swimming! 9th of August we will leave for another country!!
Posted Aug 19, 2008, 1:29 pm
Posted Aug 19, 2008, 1:40 pm
This is our house:
And this is the view:
The family's name is Paping, so they had their own flag!!
Posted Aug 19, 2008, 2:02 pm
Posted Aug 19, 2008, 2:21 pm
Posted Aug 19, 2008, 2:38 pm
Posted Aug 19, 2008, 2:55 pm
Posted Aug 26, 2008, 9:29 am
It was the open day of the Footballclub FC Groningen today! Marjolein goes here since FC Groningen playes football in the stadium the Euroborg, which is since 13 January 2006. It a really cool green stadium. We also went to the dressingroom of the players, it had a really big green bathtub!
Posted Aug 26, 2008, 9:33 am
Posted Aug 28, 2008, 3:30 pm
We went to visit Marjolein's boyfriend at his internship at the footballclub PSV Eindhoven! We weren't allowed to make photo's inside the stadium but we made some cool shots in front of the stadium. The stadium is called the Philips Stadium.
The guy on the photo is Coen Dillen. He was a famous footballplayer for PSV. He played at the club in the fourties, fifties and sixties. He stands in front of the stadium.
On the background is the entry-gate to the stadium. You can see the sign of PSV and the words: 'Eendracht maakt macht'. This means something like: United we stand stronger.
Hugs Davy
Posted Sep 2, 2008, 10:28 pm
Today we visited the Bookmarket of Tilburg! This is the biggest bookmarket of the South of The Netherlands.
Marjolein bought these books:
It's: Angels & Demons from Dan Brown, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and a book called 'Bedwelmd' from Lulu Wang.
Posted Sep 2, 2008, 10:43 pm
At the end of the fair, which took place for about a week, they set the city hall on fire!! It's looks very real doesn't it
But it was just fireworks. It looked great though
Hugs Davy
Posted Sep 19, 2008, 1:34 pm
Today we arrive to sunny Europe. David will post all the pictures at the end of our visit in Slovenia.
Greetings,
Davy and Toby