SaruMaru, Kristianstad, Sweden

tarepanda


Posted Sep 1, 2007, 2:46 am
SaruMaru's favorite color is yellow.  His favorite fruit is banana and favorite flower sunflower!!
marina


Posted Sep 9, 2007, 9:03 pm
Hello! SaruMaru here. Mocha and me are currently staying over at Robito's house in North Bay Village for a few days.

Yesterday Robito went somewhere with his Mom; he was acting very mysterious and didn't want to tell us where he was going or what for. I wonder what's going on?

Anyhow, since we were going to be alone all day, we were told to entertain ourselves in whatever way we pleased. So Mocha asked me to help him climb onto the drawing board that they have here (it's an easy feat for me, but he isn't as agile and nimble!)

He then said that he wanted to draw me. I thought it was a fun idea, so I posed for him. Holding the same position got a little tiring after a while! Mocha colored my portrait with markers, too, so it took him a long time. But I was happy with how it came out! I'm taking it home with me!

Robito and his Mom arrived soon afterward. I'll write more about this later.
marina


Posted Sep 10, 2007, 3:21 am
So, a little later after Robito got back, he called us and told us he'd been to a craft shop, and had a surprise gift for me. I couldn't see what it was, but that's because he was hiding it behind his back! That's why he had acted so mysteriously as he left earlier in the day.

I'm very happy with my new visor. It fits me perfectly! I'm glad Robito remembered my favorite color, too.

Doesn't Mocha get anything, though? He seemed kind of disappointed... But, Robito still acted mysterious, so maybe he's hiding something for Mocha, too? I hope so!
marina


Posted Sep 11, 2007, 6:34 am
I had a lot of fun today. I made a new friend--a mouse named Vince. He had his little son Vinnie with him. They're traveling the world and been to many different places and seen a lot of different things, so conversing with them was very entertaining.

We had a little welcome party for them, with a lot to eat and drink. I'm still stuffed as I write this! (Stuffed--ha ha ha! That's right, of course I am! Oh, never mind...)

After the party, Vince and I looked at a big album of postcards together. But there were too many to see them all today.

A little later Robito finally gave Mocha his present. It was a beautiful sled. Mocha was so happy that I just couldn't be jealous... I had to be happy for him, too!

Besides, I'm sure he'll let me ride it too. He'd better!
marina


Posted Sep 16, 2007, 5:45 am
Today we partied! We're finally going home tomorrow morning, Mocha and I. But, we're taking good memories from Robito's home. I hope I get to stay over again sometime in the future. Maybe after we've all traveled a bit--then we'll have stories to tell each other!

After the party I fooled around with a pretty dishcloth I found. It had a beautiful drawing of sunflowers on it. So I lay on it for a while and played with some bananas. It's OK that I played with my food. I ate it afterward! :p

Bye bye, Robito, Vince and Vinnie! It was so nice getting to know you better. :) I hope to make many more friends like these!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/zroing/ToyVoyagers/sarumaru_party.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/zroing/ToyVoyagers/banana.jpg
tarepanda


Posted Oct 6, 2007, 4:10 pm
Mommy took us to visit her friend Marina.  She is really nice and made us some mate.  It's a drink from Argentine and you fill the cup with sugar and tea, then pour hot water, stir, and drink through a metal straw with a filter at the end.  It's almost like a reversal of the standard tea ball and teacup. 

Marina told us that when you drink mate, you say thank you only when you have enough.  Otherwise, if someone refill the cup and you say thank you, that's no more tea for you!! Now I have to remember that.
tarepanda


Posted Oct 6, 2007, 4:22 pm
Boy we got busted!  I didn't know that my partying photos are all over the Net!  There I was next to the big bottle of Barcadi.  Mom didn't buy it that I didn't touch it at all...  :( But honestly I didn't!  Not that I remember, at least... :p

Anyway I was grounded.  But fortunately mommy relented and took us out to the beach.

Here's a picture of me at Hobe Beach on Virginia Key.  The fancy buildings are at the Brickell financial district just south of downtown Miami.  It was a warm, sunny day out.
tarepanda


Posted Dec 24, 2007, 6:05 pm
Well, after I said farewell to my monkey friends, I went back with Palmito to Marina's home.  I had a nice rest over there, until the travel bug bites again...

When I heard Marina mentioned that Mocha and others are traveling to Hong Kong, I just got a bit jealous.  So, Trapito, Budd and I found a nice box and we all squeezed in for a trip half way around the world.

However, even though we arrived in Hong Kong, the box was not opened.  Budd was so antsy she almost clawed her way out.  When finally the lid was opened, she snarled "What took you guys so long?" at a very surprised  Mara-Joy.  And when they tried to explain that they were gone to Macau for a few days... that sure didn't improve her mood a bit...

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/HKC002.jpg

But anyway, while a bit disappointed about missing Macau, I was really happy to see Mocha again.  I showed Mocha the birthday present I brought along from Marina and the silly little moose cried.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/HKC005.jpg

Mocha tried to find some alcohol for the party (no, it wasn't me!!!) but couldn't, but we all gathered around and chatted and had a very good time.  Look what a big party we had - Mocha, Mister_Right, Romeo, Budd, Mara-Joy, Trapito, and a Koala bear they met in Macau.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/HKC007.jpg

tarepanda


Posted Jan 22, 2008, 2:20 am
Today I am so excited that I get to see Hong Kong. 

We enjoy a dim sum lunch.  Budd is in charge of ordering food.  She checks off her order on the list and submit it to the waiter, while I pour some tea for everybody.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/IMG_4000.jpg

Yummy!  Food is here!
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/IMG_4003.jpg

This is in front of the restaurant.  They have big posters showing the abalone, lobsters, dumplings and other delicacies they offer.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/IMG_4004.jpg

We walk along the promenade by the harbour.  We can see the buildings on Hong Kong island.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/IMG_4024.jpg

Look there is even a Chinese junk!

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/IMG_4032.jpg

We are now on Avenue of Stars.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/IMG_4031.jpg

There is a statue of Bruce Lee.  I try to pose like Budd did, but unforutnately my legs aren't long enough.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/IMG_4021.jpg

We find the handprint for John Woo, the movie director.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/IMG_4027.jpg

Let's take a group picture!!

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/IMG_4030.jpg
arxitempela


Posted Jan 24, 2008, 10:44 pm
Hello again!! I am in Athens!! I am too tired to take photos now so I'll be back in a few days!!
tarepanda


Posted Feb 3, 2008, 6:35 am
Today we visited a Buddhist nunnery with Tarepanda and her mom.  Her mom was worried that the nunnery may be closed for the holiday but Tarepanda replied that she can't imagine a Buddhist temple closing for a Christian holiday.  Indeed it was not.  :D

While the Chilan Nunnery is a relatively new building, it used architectural technique from the Tang Dynasty, around 7th century.  It is an all wooden structure built without using one nail.  As Tang Dynasty is the period with heavy cultural exchange between China and Japan, this style of architecture is commonly found in Japanese Zen Buddhism temples.

Anyway, here's the entrance.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/IMG_4057.jpg

A fierce lion guarding the gate!
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/IMG_4062.jpg

The front hall is behind me.
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/IMG_4063.jpg

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/templefront.jpg

The corridor.
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/IMG_4064.jpg

A watermill useful for grinding flour, though they are not really using it now.
http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/IMG_4081.jpg

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/IMG_4083.jpg

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http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/lake.jpg

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/TV%20Hong%20Kong/lotus.jpg
arxitempela


Posted Feb 21, 2008, 10:35 pm
My first photo in Greece with my new friend Mumble, who left yesterday!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2145/2281934241_778e19c242_m.jpg
arxitempela


Posted Mar 31, 2008, 6:31 am
My first bookcrossing meetup in Athens!!

Well in the meetup of March there were a lot of books

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2358/2376645188_82ce93845a_m.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3059/2375830189_3d920b85b4_m.jpg
arxitempela


Posted Mar 31, 2008, 6:36 am
and of course a lot of food, coffees, cigarettes and sweets as greek bookcrossers used to

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2256/2375817857_a005631c92_m.jpg


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2144/2375823529_7314bfce80_m.jpg

In this bookcrossing meetup I met 50 persons and I stayed here for 5 hours!! Am I a boocrosser now???
Szeri


Posted Jul 26, 2008, 11:22 am
Hi again!

I've just arrived at Szeri's home in Budapest. I have already spent some days in the city, to be more exact, in a post office in the city, because she was on vacation for a few days. I met a guy there, and what a surprise, he is hosted by Szeri, too. We will have plenty of time to get to know each other as we will travel together to Lake Balaton next week.
Now I've got to go, we will help our host choose her dress for her 10-year-graduation meeting that will be held tonight. Probably I will  go there also with Szeri.
Bye for now,

SaruMaru
Szeri


Posted Aug 6, 2008, 1:19 pm
Hi,

We managed to choose a nice dress for Szeri, so she could go to the meeting. After that, we came to Lake Balaton, where Szeri's family has a small flat. It has a great view from the balcony, I hope you will be able to see the photo.
Lake Balaton is a popular holiday place in Hungary, and many tourists come here from Germany and Poland, too. We are now in Balatonfüred, which is on the Northern bank of the lake.
Szeri


Posted Aug 7, 2008, 5:13 pm
Today was very hot here, so we went to the local beach. It is about 500 meters from our flat, you can imagine what a long distance it is for a little monkey like me. By the end of the walk I was so tired that I could not do anything but lay on the beach and sunbathe. Fortunately, I bought a bottle of suncream yesterday. Good, Hungarian type... Never forget about protection against UV rays, it's important, really.
Szeri


Posted Aug 7, 2008, 5:19 pm
And this is the entrance of the beach. I really liked it, though I was too exhausted to tell it to Szeri when we arrived there.
Szeri


Posted Aug 20, 2008, 2:00 pm
Now we had enough of sunbathing and swimming all day, so we went to walk on the most famous promenade of the city, and probably of all the cities near Lake Balaton. The promenade is named after Rabindranath Tagore, who was great Indian poet. He spent some weeks in the heart sanatorium (at the end of the promenade), where he regained his health and was very-very grateful for this.

First I looked around, but when I became a bit tired, I sat down on a bench with Morado.
Szeri


Posted Aug 22, 2008, 5:45 pm
We walked and walked and walked on the promenade until we arrived at a line of trees. These trees have been planted by famous people, like prime ministers or other leaders, who spent some time in Balatonfüred. I could read from the stone signs in front of the trees that those that you can see in the picture were planted by great scientists, mainly Nobel-prize winner physicists. Wow, that's something...
Szeri


Posted Aug 28, 2008, 5:34 pm
This is our last day here, in Balatonfüred. I'm quite sad about this, because I met a nice lady who is not willing to move with me... You can see her photo here.

Szeri


Posted Sep 16, 2008, 8:22 pm
Hi,

Now I'm back in Budapest.
It was the beginning of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing today. We were all quite interested in the Opening Ceremony, so we could persuade Szeri to watch it together.
You can see the Hungarian team coming into the stadium in the last picture.

SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Nov 21, 2008, 6:02 pm
Hi Mummy,
I arrived in Germany today. My new host Katja is living in Remscheid, an old town in Northrhine-Westphalia. It's snowing today! We'll take a few photos outside tomorrow. It was already dark when Katja picked me up at the post office. My envelope was too thick for the mail slot, so I was brought backt o the post office.

I met more ToyVoyagers here: Moley, Titch, Muri, Odette and Theodore. Theodore is from Florida like me.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3244/3048623274_a099999c98.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3223/3047785649_cf26e8f0ba.jpg?v=0

I'm looking foreward playing in the snow  tomorrow!!!

Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Nov 22, 2008, 10:40 am
Hi Mummy,
we all took a look out of the kitchen window in the morning. It's looking nice outside.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3183/3050053376_5ef3f8d328.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3046/3049213769_626f0fd206.jpg?v=0

I hope we will go out today.

Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Nov 22, 2008, 5:06 pm
Hi Mummy,
we took a walk to the muncipal park in the afternoon. Everything was covered with snow and looked beautiful.

First we saw the pond. Turtles and ducks are living here.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3181/3049760267_7508d85f26.jpg?v=0

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This is the observatory, located at one of the entrances to the muncipal park.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3213/3050600858_0231cb84c0.jpg?v=0

We rested on a bench, enjoying the sun.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/3050601950_6754c60267.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/3050602046_ea63715d57.jpg?v=0

In summer concerts and theatre are taking place here. I saw the benches for the audience.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/3049764279_1524f0dca4.jpg?v=0

Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Nov 27, 2008, 9:52 pm
Hi Mummy,
the snow is already melting, the whole town is covered with fog and it is drizzling. Really nasty :D

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3167/3063674283_50574ab62e.jpg?v=0

We all prefer staying at home.

Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Nov 29, 2008, 4:27 pm
Hi Mummy,
in the evening we had a visitor, a friend of Katja. The two ladies were knitting the whole evening, Katja showed her friend how to knit socks. They seemed to have cold feet. But they also have another solution against cold feet: a delicious beer. Not a simple beer, but a special christmas beer from a brewery in Heidelberg. It has a highter alcohol content that normal beer and a really cute label.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3251/3067677773_cf78db9b97.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3190/3068514262_467b0b44ba.jpg?v=0

Katja and her friend had a lot of fun, I think I would also like to knit when I could have a beer or two than.

Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Nov 29, 2008, 4:55 pm
Hi Mummy,
today I accompanied Katja when she went shopping to the farmer's market, Theodore also came with us.

Usually the farmer's market is  taking place in front of the town hall. Now the christmas market is there, so the farmer's market had to move to a space close to the muncipal park.

On our way to the market I saw something large and yellow. I wanted to take a closer look at it.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3058/3067678645_9004c36e36.jpg?v=0

A telephone booth and a letter box!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3278/3067678745_07445b5965.jpg?v=0

On the farmer's market:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/3068514560_4663a5b2ec.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3229/3067678989_3b146a264c.jpg?v=0

On the way back we came along a playground. There were no kids playing because it was quite cold outside.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3050/3068514808_0d9a900d96.jpg?v=0

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I can see the tower of this church from our living room window.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3039/3068515396_aeca1c2215.jpg?v=0

The next photos were take in the vicinity of my current home. Most of these houses were built in the late 1800s or early 1900s.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/3067679837_e97bd232a0.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/3068515682_2f7155ff0c.jpg?v=0

The house in the background with the tree in front of it is a grammar school.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3216/3068515926_6213cc5047.jpg?v=0

When we came home we had to unpack the vegetables that we bought on the market.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3170/3068516048_bba4fa5ea6.jpg?v=0

With today's mail a ToyVoyager arrived - Thiele, a cute little pelican.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3247/3067680617_d9aa2d4f89.jpg?v=0

A friend called and asked if Katja wanted to take a walk with her. Of course she wanted because the weather was really good today.

Thele, Moley and Titch stayed at home, Theodore and I went with Katja. Before we left Katja had to prepare a little present for her friend. She took a large ceramic pot and an empty screw-top jar. When she opened the ceramic pot I smelled something delicious: it smelled like rum and fruits.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3285/3067680717_6cf2470e56.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/3067680833_a2ca341f6d.jpg?v=0

This is a "Rumtopf" (fruit in rum) which is very favourite in Germany. During summer you take fresh fruits like strawberries, cherries, peaches, apricots and what elso you like, cut them into pieces, put them into the pot with rock candy and pour as much rum into the pot until fruits and sugar are covered. In late autumn the Rumtopf can be tasted. I hope I can taste it in the evening!

Katja filled some of the fruits with rum into the jar, closed it and decorated it with a nice fabric.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3026/3068516588_17cf3e6601.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/3068516694_c2eccc20ec.jpg?v=0

We went outside then.

olgamaus


Posted Nov 29, 2008, 5:08 pm
We went to Hasten, one of the oldest districts of Remscheid. Here you can see many houses which are typical for this region. They are often covered with schist and have green shutters, like the house on the next photo. They were usually built in 19th century.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/3068516908_ac6607748f.jpg?v=0

I also liked this house ...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3047/3067681389_739882d2f0.jpg?v=0

... and the christmas decorations of a flower shop and a tenement.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/3067681529_ee1c8cf81b.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/3067681641_17c7008856.jpg?v=0

We walked along the route of tools (Werkzeugtrasse), a lane for pedestrians and cyclists which was built on a closed  railway track. It is called route of tools because it was sponsored by local tool producing companies. Along the route you can find artwork, also on the ground. When the route crosses roads you can find distance values to some importants points in Remscheid, like the central station.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3214/3067681771_40ea40bd84.jpg?v=0

This sign is showing the crest of the town.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3237/3068516778_933f7a1860.jpg?v=0

Katja promised us to walk the whole lane one day.

(I'll get on Katja's nerves as long as I will be allowed to take the Rumtopf in the eveing  :D  :D  :D )

Bye
SaruMaru


olgamaus


Posted Dec 1, 2008, 3:59 pm
Hi Mummy,
I went with Katja today to the law firm where she is working. When she finished work she showed Thiele and me the christmas market in front of the town hall. Usually the farmer's market is taking place here twice a week. They even built a large ice skating rink in the middle of the space!

This is the town hall, built in 1906, nearly destroyed in world war II and rebuilt in postwar period, this time in a more modern shape. The tower is 48 m high!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3050/3074731008_4c2be46cf6.jpg?v=0

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Can you see the lion on the pillar? The lion is the heraldic animal of Remscheid, you can find the lion in the city arms.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3187/3074731142_bc320beb35.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/3074731848_e87f19066e.jpg?v=0

When we walked along the shopping street I saw wonderful shoes with a sunflower print. I wanted to buy them but Katja said I would freeze my a**, eehm, my feet off with these shoes.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3072/3074732130_354d40594c.jpg?v=0

On our way back home we saw the local court.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3172/3074732408_24c942dba8.jpg?v=0

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At the moment I'm living in this house, in the attic storey.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3195/3073897865_1db99b146c.jpg?v=0

When I look out of the living room window I have a great view across a valley.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3062/3074732934_46d028456a.jpg?v=0

Today it's Theodore's birthday. We're going to celebrate in the evening, maybe with fruit in rum.

Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Dec 2, 2008, 1:27 pm
Hi Mummy,

we celebrated Theodore's birhday today.

We had fruit in rum (Rumtopf) in the evening.

Of course we had a lot of fun!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/3075807464_eaa698c891.jpg?v=0

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http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3240/3075830798_3a55c3ff9e.jpg?v=0

I'm sure we'll have a bad headache tomorrow  :p

Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Dec 5, 2008, 4:16 pm
Hi Mummy,
today I went with Katja's colleague, Elke, to Leverkusen. Elke is playing at skittles there. The skittling ladies met on the christmas market before.

Elke's husband is collecting us from the office where Katja and Elke are working. He was waiting in the car in front of the office building.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/3084958570_7bf975e4d2.jpg?v=0

Elke prepared a surprise for her friends. Each of them received a little bag filled with froebel stars (Froebelsterne in German). These are paper stars, folded in a very special way. Elke has made all those paper stars by herself.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3044/3084121095_c5c16f9724.jpg?v=0
olgamaus


Posted Dec 5, 2008, 4:21 pm

On the christmas market we drank a hot spiced wine (Gluehwein in German).

The first Gluehwein tasted really good.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3225/3084958856_5eb30c13f1.jpg?v=0

The second one tasted even better!

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The third one had a staggering effect.

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The other ladies also brought small presents. The table also had a pretty christmas decoration.

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The ladies now played at skittles. A price was awarded to the best of them, an advent calendar.

Skittles is an European target sport, a variety of bowling. Your have nine pins, balls in different sizes and different weight and also different rules.

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Then more presents were exchanged.

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I tasted a christmas beer, but let us play at skittles first.

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There is a warning notice on the machine: ball is coming!

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The party could begin than. I was drinking a water in between ... there are more presents!

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I was very hungry.  Refreshment was needed. It came as a cutlets in paprika sauce (Zigeunerschnitzel in German) with french fries/potatoe chips.

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I was starched then for another beer.

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Uuups, it seemed as this last beer may have been one too much. Santa Claus became blurred.

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<br/>

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Prevention was necessary - the water tap was cooling my thick head.

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I hope that Katja won't be angry with me tomorrow.

Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Dec 11, 2008, 5:46 pm
Hi Mummy,
we tasted our pomelo today. It was a lot of work to remove the peel. A pomelo seems to consist of peel only.

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It tasts really good, not as sour as a grapefruit.

Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Dec 11, 2008, 5:56 pm
Hi Mummy,
when Katja returned from work today she brought a plastic bag with her with something clanking inside.

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By the way, did you see that little blackboard on the working space?

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She bought beer! That's a good idea. But .... first I have to clean the blackboard.

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Then I wrote

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I hope that Katja will think that she wrote it.

She brought honey beer from the christmas market. I did not ever taste honey beer, Katja also didn't.

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She asked me to open a bottle.

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I hope she will allow me to  taste this honey beer.

Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Dec 12, 2008, 1:14 pm
Cheers!

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SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Dec 13, 2008, 8:38 pm
Hi Mummy,
we baked christmas cookies today! We made farmer's little hats (Bauernhuetchen).

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You need
250 g flour
125 g sugar
150 g butter
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon sour cream

for the filling:
2 egg-white
80 g sugar
125 g ground almonds

coarse sugar for dredging

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First we had to knead the ingredients to a smooth dough and put it into the fridge for an hour.

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For the filling we had to stirr the egg-whites, add sugar and ground almonds.

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We than took the dough out of the fridge and rolled it onto the working space. Now we had to cut out round cookies.

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Katja helped us to put some of the filling onto our dough circles and to put them into the right shape.

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We put the cookies onto a baking tray. They now had to be brushed with egg-white and dredged with coarse sugar. Than they were put into the oven for about 20 minutes.

When we took them out of the oven there was only one cookie that looked exactly like those in our book.

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I'm afraid we put too much of the filling into the cookies. In the oven they lost their shape.

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But that's  not so bad, they taste delicious anyway.

Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Dec 14, 2008, 8:57 pm
Hi Mummy,
we had fantastic weather today. We already had planned a trip to the most interesting touristic highlights of this region. We wanted to visit Muengsten Bridge and Schloss Burg, a medieval castle with a christmas market.

Here you can see the river Wupper which marks the border between the towns Remscheid and Solingen. In the background you can see a lookout pavillion. Later we came to another one similar to this one.

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We reached Muengsten Bridge, the  highest railway bridge in Germany. It was completed in March 1897. It is 107 meters high and 465 meters long. It was built with about 5.000 tons of steel (5.000.000 kg). The bridge is overstretching the valley of the river Wupper. A few years ago a theme park was established. There are beautiful playgrounds for children, takeaways, lawns for relaxing, a miniature golf and souvenir shops. Katja told me that every year in summer a big festival is held underneath the bridge with fireworks.

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We found a plate with some facts about Muengsten Bridge.

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From here we walked to Schloss Burg. Along the path you can find artworks. On the surface of this table shaped rock  these impressions of hands are engraved. On other rocks poems are engraved or riddles. Most of them are not so easy to discover because they are partly covered with leafes and dirt from autumn and winter.

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We had to cross the river Wupper here.

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olgamaus


Posted Dec 14, 2008, 9:08 pm
We walked along an old cemetary. It was built here in 1732. The tombstones were all made of a special sort of sandstone in a similar style.

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From here we saw Schloss Burg for the first time, located on a hill.

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We reached Solingen-Unterburg then. Here you can see many old houses, covered with schist or half-timbered houses.

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Solingen-Unterburg is located at the river Wupper. Here you can see the chair lift which goes uphill to Schloss Burg. We were not lazy and walked there through the forrest.

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We than reached the lookout pavilion. From here you have a good view across the valley with the river Wupper and Unterburg.

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The ceiling of the pavilion is painted with the crests of the surrounding towns, the city arms of Remscheid among them.

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We reached the castle then. It is the largest reconstructed castle in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and one of the most popular tourist attraction. Its early history is closely connected to the growth of the Duchy of Berg.

In the beginning of the 12th century (after 1133) count Adolf II von Berg built Schloss Burg on a mountain over the river Wupper.

In 1632 the castle was under siege  by Swedish soldiers. After the Thirty years war, in 1648, Imperial troops destroyed the fortifications of the castle including the keep, walls, and gates. In 1700, the main building was partially reconstructed and thereafter used for administrative purposes. 1849, the castle was sold to be scrapped, decayed, and became a ruin.

Today’s appearance is not exactly the original castle was. The reconstructed castle of today is a major public attraction. It also contains the Museum of the Bergische Land.

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Katja and her friend tasted a punch made of fruit wine here. Of course nobody could keep me from tasting it although in Katja's opinion I had enough alcohol for at least six months now.

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We went inside the castle courtyard to visit the medieval christmas market.

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We had a coffee here.

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On the market you could buy many handcrafted things like jewelry, leather bags, ceramic pots and figurines.

We had to rest here for a while.

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We than had to walk back to the car for at least another hour. We reached the parking lot just in time before it was getting too dark outside.

We are all tired now.

Bye
SaruMaru

olgamaus


Posted Dec 22, 2008, 9:54 pm
Hi Mummy,
today we helped Katja to decorate the christmas tree. Yesterday her son went with his uncle to a farm where you can cut down your christmas tree. He found a really nice little spruce.

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First we had to attach the christmas lights. It's not as easy as it seems.

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Hanging up the christmas  tree ornaments was more fun.

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I had to be careful because the ornaments are made of glass.

I like our christmas tree.

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In Germany we are celebrating christmas eve. Katja invited her family. Her parents, her sister with her husband and her son and Katja's aunt will come.

I'm so exited!

Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Dec 23, 2008, 9:11 pm
Hi Mummy,
today we had to pick up two packages from two different post offices. We went to the post office in Katja's lunch break. Katja received a package with a beautiful carved wooded rat in it. It is a present from Thiele's host. She really loves the cute little rat.

Than we had to walk to another district to pick up another package. Nobody knows why the postman did not send it back to the post office in the town centre, but to one in a different district.

On our way I saw a little bit more of the town centre although we had foggy weather today.

This is a restaurant (Katja is arguing with me because I always see the beer signs first).

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Here you can see the beginning of the pedestrian area. On the space behind me a farmer's market is located on Thuesdays and Fridays.

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This is one of the churches in the town centre.

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Parts of the municipality are located in this building, as well as  the adult education centre.

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This is one of the grammar schools.

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We than walked to the district Hasten where we had to pick up the second package. Here many old houses remained, as well tenements as factory buildings.

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Katja's boss was celebrating his birthday. So we already had some glasses of sparkling wine when we went to the christmas market for the last time to drink one or two eggnocks.

Here you can see the illuminated town hall.

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The average German drinks Gluehwein. (hot spiced wine), but Katja is allergic  to cinnamon which is always used to make Gluehwein, so she takes an eggnock (or two). Eggnock is made of hot white wine, egg yolk and sugar or sometimes with advocaat, It tastes really good :D

The second one tasted even better. I'm afraid we've had this before: too much alcohol on the christmas market. Katja had to keep me from ordering the third eggnogg. She said I would be sick tomorrow if I had another eggnock. I'm sure she knows what she is talking about.

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Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Dec 26, 2008, 5:42 pm
Hi Mummy,
it's christmas eve today. Most people in Germany are celebrating christmas today and the following two days.

Here we were sitting with the christmas presents, watching over them.

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In the afternoon we had coffee and self made cookies.

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Later we were sitting next to the christmas tree. Katja put all the christmas cards onto the dresser.

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For dinner we had a fantastic meal: Savoy cabbage with several sorts of fish and pasta. Katja's daughter had cooked the whole meal on her own. After that the ladies had some sparkling wine. Of course I tasted it - really delicious!

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After dinner the presents were changed. What an exciting day!

Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Dec 26, 2008, 6:54 pm
Hi Mummy,
after having  too many sweets during the last days we decided to take a long walk today. Katja's daughter had to go to work, her son had planned to visit his Dad and Grandmother so nobody was missing her. The sun was shining although it was really cold.


We met Katja's friend Erika, she also likes to take walks through the forrests and surroundings of Remscheid. To meet Erika we had to walk to the district Hasten, one of the oldest districts of Remscheid. We walked through the muncipal park to get there. From here we already could see Hasten.

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I have been here on Tuesday already but today the sun was shining and everything looked much better. This is the church of Hasten.

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We than walked to Katja's friend to pick her up.

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From here we left the streets and walked into a woodland area. You can see that it has been very cold today - the ground is covered with hoar frost.

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Here you can also find grazing land and cropland.

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Later we had a rest on a tree trunk.

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This is also one of the outskirts. Only here you can see overhead lines, usually you have underground cables.

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Hey. look! A beer truck! Früh Kölsch is brewed in Cologne where I visited a Christmas market. Unfortunately I did not had a chance to taste it there.

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We walked for about three and a  half hour. We had a last rest when the sun already began to go down, catching the last sunrays.

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Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Dec 28, 2008, 7:38 pm
Hi Mummy,
today we met Katja's friend Erika again. The ladies had planned to go to Wuppertal by bus. Wuppertal is one of the neighbour towns of Remscheid. But when they reached Wuppertal they spontaneoulsy decided to go to Bochum by train. Erika wanted to visit an exhibition there. Before we went to the train station Katja showed us the concert hall which is a masterpiece of turn-of-the-century architecture.

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From here you have a good overlook across the city centre.

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We than went to Bochum by train. German trains are not so nice.

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olgamaus


Posted Dec 28, 2008, 7:42 pm
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. It is about 45 km apart from Remscheid.

When we reached Bochum the ladies went to the museum first. It was not allowed to take photos there.

They visited an exhibition which is showing original stage settings which are used by Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch company, based in Wuppertal in Germany. Pina Bausch is famous for extraordinary stage settings like a stage completely filled with free standing cloves or a stage filled with soil or lawn. Katja told us that for her the most impressing stage setting was a winterly birch forrest. The whole ground was covered with white sand and birch trunks, about 4 m long, were installed to the ground. You felt as if you were walking through a real forrest. All settings were decorated with photos of those pieces in which the settings were used.

Katja showed us a booklet with informations about the exhibition. It really seemed to be impressive.

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Because our bus came when we left the museum we even could not take any photo of the museum!

We went back to the town centre to go shopping.

Here you can see the town hall with a gigantic bell in front of it.

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This is one of the central places in the town centre.

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We went back by train later. At the station we had to wait for a little while.

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olgamaus


Posted Dec 28, 2008, 7:45 pm
Big Bird is celebrating his eighth birthday today.

He had eight candles and we were allowed to taste a sip of sparkling wine. Of course I took a larger sip.

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We celebrated and went to bed early because the sparkling wine really made us tired.

Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Dec 30, 2008, 7:59 pm
Hi Mummy,
the weather is fantastic here. It is cold and the sun is shining. So Katja took us out in her lunch break when she had to do some shopping.

We walked along the Route of tools (Trasse des Werkzeugs). This route is about 5 km long and is leading from the central train station to the district Hasten. Today we started somewhere in the middle of the route and walked towards the train station.

On the backside of a supermarket replications of  pictures of a local artist who died in 1988 are installed.

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You can also see abandonded factory buildings.

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These buildings are part of the former slaughterhouse. This complex is under preservation order. Nowadays these buildings are used by different companies.

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Here are more signs showing names and company logos of sponsors.

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This is a discarded carriage which was used  to transport alcohol which was extracted from agricultural products by ethanol fermentation.

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We were close to the railway station now.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3211/3151377918_efef158f14.jpg?v=0

We reached the central railway station. Oh dear, the whole railway station is a complete building site. You can see it in the background.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3083/3151378018_b7913bf60b.jpg?v=0

We went shopping then. We even bought some firework. We are invited by Katja's sister-in-law to celebrate New Year's Eve.


Happy New Year, Mummy!

SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Jan 1, 2009, 7:47 pm
Hi Mummy,
we were invited to spend New Year's Eve at the home of Katja's sister-in-law and her family. We went there at dinner time.

We had raclette. In Germany raclette usually is not made only with cheese and potatoes but also with several sorts of vegetables like sweet pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, sweet cornand sometimes meat or shrimps  which can be boiled on the of the raclette grill. We also had bread, potatoes and several salads.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3215/3156212629_805a074c87.jpg?v=0

You take your little pan, fill it with vegetables and put chesse over it. Then you put it into the raclette grill and it will be scalloped. It's delicious!

Everyone ate too much so we needed a booze. We had a fantastic one from Spain, a Licor 43.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3086/3157046122_3f1035fe2d.jpg?v=0

After dinner we played a card game whose rules are similar to Uno. We had a lot of fun.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3202/3156213021_0660d16b65.jpg?v=0

Shortly before 12:00 pm.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3240/3156213485_3830b36205.jpg?v=0


Happy New Year!

At midnight we toasted with sparkling wine and went outside to launch our fireworks.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/3157047770_c2d9ebbcc8.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3243/3156214495_f2792e8516.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3214/3156407085_1df0d98d8d.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3104/3156214829_d0a6039b4f.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3251/3157049470_57ae4eef2d.jpg?v=0

We went home at 03:00 am. I'm still having a headache today.

Bye
SaruMaru
olgamaus


Posted Jan 2, 2009, 6:19 pm
Hi Mummy,
it was time to say good bye to Katja today.

She was very busy with packing some envelopes when I had a closer look at a small bottle. Maybe it is ...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3093/3160589888_629c067c34.jpg?v=0

Ugh!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/3160590042_aca1b7fda3.jpg?v=0

Cough syrup! That's not what I thought.

Anyway, I climbed into my envelope today. I'm travelling to my next host now. I had a lot of fun here and I hope I also will in Homburg.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/3160590194_f0360a59ed.jpg?v=0

Bye
SaruMaru
Apperveilchen


Posted Jan 6, 2009, 6:38 pm
Hi Mommy!
I arrived at my next host's place. I had to wait half of the day outside, protected only by my envelope. I was freezing! There isn't much that's yellow or sunny here at the moment.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/SSL16058.jpg
When I was finally taken somewhere warm and let out of my envelope I requested a little something to warm me up. It seems my previous host warned my new host and she already had the tequila bottle ready.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/SSL16059.jpg
When I was at working temperature again I had a look around the appartment while helping my host collect the Christmas cards.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/SSL16064.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/SSL16065.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/SSL16066.jpg
Jan 6th is the end of Christmas here, so I put most of them in a box. We decided the neutral 'winter cards' are going to stay for a while longer.  ;)
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/SSL16067.jpg

After that it was time for the news on TV. This is a well-known politician here:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/SSL16063.jpg
Apparently many Germans are interested in this sport, which they call "Skispringen".
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/SSL16068.jpg
There was a lot of news about the weather as well. It's not only my sensibilities that make me think it's cold. Here's a satellite picture of Germany today at midday with the temperatures: -8°C here.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/SSL16071.jpg
These are the predictions for tonight: (We're a bit east of Saarbrücken.)
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/SSL16072.jpg
and tomorrow:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/SSL16073.jpg
I need some winter clothes!
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/SSL16056.jpg
Apperveilchen


Posted Jan 10, 2009, 9:03 pm
Tonight we made salmon-spinach lasagne for dinner. Yummy!
Apperveilchen


Posted Jan 18, 2009, 5:52 pm
My host had to run some errands in the city center. Here I am (front left) in front of one of the churches. It's hard to take good pictures outside because it gets dark so soon.
Apperveilchen


Posted Jan 18, 2009, 5:56 pm
We were all sick with the flu this week. We had lots of tea and stayed in bed most of the time.

Now it's better and I tasted some German white wine. It's from the Mosel areas. It doesn't have a lot of alcohol, only 8%Vol.
Apperveilchen


Posted Jan 25, 2009, 8:39 am
I met an alien today. Mr. Grey has arrived, plus Emil has come back home. We all bonded over some beer apple mix. It's from the brewery in this town.
Mr. Grey wants to study humans and their lifestyle. He read something by a human philosopher called Aristotle who made some 'scientific research'. He found out that beer is a great sleeping draught. Well, I can agree with that. But Mr. Grey said he also claimed that "beer has the peculiarity that it makes those who drink too much of it fall backwards, while excessive consumption of wine causes then to fall to all sides". That I want to see. I think we should do some research and have a big drinking night with beer for one half and wine for the other and see how it ends.
Apperveilchen


Posted Jan 25, 2009, 9:50 am
Hi Mommy!
This morning I went and got some rolls for my hostfamily for breakfast. It wasn't as dark as it appears in the photo.
After breakfast we let the budgies out to fly and I tried to play with Loki but he was wary of me and only walked around me.
Apperveilchen


Posted Feb 4, 2009, 5:35 pm
Hi Mommy!
Today we were packed in a bag and taken on a road trip. It took hours. There were smaller traffic jams and rain and salty water on the roads. It was made better because we were all in the car and had air-conditioning and could listen to a story from a CD. It was about a serial killer who really doesn't understand humans, their behaviour and emotions. Freaky!
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16377.jpg
When we arrived I felt lazy.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16378.jpg
There wasn't anything interesting outside so I settled down for a nap.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16380.jpg
Roadtrips are exhausting!
Apperveilchen


Posted Feb 4, 2009, 6:16 pm
Hi Mommy!
Mr. Grey was so nice to wake me becaus ehe had found lots of interesting stuff. See here:
Wine in 3l boxes
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16381.jpghttp://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16382.jpg
different beer like Pils from northern Germany
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16383.jpg
from the black forest
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16384.jpg
from a city close to where I am now
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16385.jpg
from the neighboring city (cark beer and beer mixed with lemonade)
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16396.jpghttp://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16397.jpg

Someone here has the same hobby I have but more selfcontrol!
Limoncello and grappa from Italy
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16386.jpghttp://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16388.jpg
Ouzo from Greece
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16387.jpg
Russian water
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16389.jpg
good old sherry
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16390.jpg
something mysterious from Brazil
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16391.jpg
and something Germans call Korn for short
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16392.jpg

Then there's wine of all kinds and origins.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16393.jpghttp://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16394.jpghttp://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16395.jpghttp://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16398.jpg

Such a choice of cold beverages... whatever will I take?
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16399.jpghttp://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16400.jpg
Apperveilchen


Posted Feb 5, 2009, 4:06 pm
Today we drove around in the car. We passed a horse farm and my mentor's former elementary school.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16401.jpghttp://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16408.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16405.jpghttp://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16404.jpg
Now we'll need to pack because tomorrow we're going to take a plane to my home country. http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16410.jpghttp://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16409.jpg
Apperveilchen


Posted Feb 16, 2009, 10:48 am
In Atlanta we had to change planes. Here you can see our's being prepared for the journey. We could even see the bag the others were traveling in.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16484.jpg
I had to say good-bye to the US, to the sun and the warmth. I hope I will see them again soon. Traveling is great but home is still home.
Apperveilchen


Posted Feb 17, 2009, 12:39 am
We are starting from Düsseldorf International Airport. I have to stay in the big bag with mr. grey. It's dark and kind of stuffy in here.
Apperveilchen


Posted Feb 17, 2009, 12:42 am
We arrived in Texas and has a good night's sleep after a very important shower. I had a look out the bedroom window. Looks very brown to me.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16439-1.jpg
Apperveilchen


Posted Feb 17, 2009, 12:51 am
In this street all the houses look exactly the same, from the architecture over the paint to the blinds. Even the shrubs are pretty much alike and the cars make little difference.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16440-1.jpg
This is better: some different houses.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16445-1.jpg
Apperveilchen


Posted Feb 20, 2009, 1:21 am
Today, quite a lot of snow fell but it melted immediately upon hitting the ground.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16497.jpg
Mr. Grey and I decided to go outside and play int he snow a bit.
But what's that?
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16488.jpg
It's Räuber, a cat that lives here.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16489.jpg
He was very friendly and told me he likes that snow a lot. I loves to play with it.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16490.jpg
Räuber even posed for a photo with us.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16491.jpg


At dinner I got to taste to German red vines:
a (luxury) Dornbach and a dry burgundy grown in the Rheingau. Both were very tasty.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16498.jpg
Apperveilchen


Posted Feb 24, 2009, 7:53 pm
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16506.jpg
This is our new dorm room. It is quite a big one actually and it has its private bath. But the hospital bedsheets have to go!
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16507.jpg
Apperveilchen


Posted Mar 7, 2009, 4:02 pm
Today is Saturday, so there's no work and it isn't raining like it was the last 2 days, so we went shopping downtown and dropped Bob Beeker off at the postoffice for his trip to Canada for a vacation.
Here you can see me in some of the streets, with St. Peter's church and in front of the tiny Fellenberg castle.
Apperveilchen


Posted Mar 22, 2009, 6:14 pm
The weather here changes a lot these days. It's pretty good here with sun mostly, an some cloudy times, but in the north and east there's new snow. Today we enjoyed the good weather with a walk. A lot of other people had the same idea.
Apperveilchen


Posted Mar 22, 2009, 6:24 pm
We also visited the little watercastle Gustavsburg in Jägersburg but didn't stay long.
Apperveilchen


Posted Apr 2, 2009, 7:42 pm
We went to university today and it was a sunny day.
Here's us in one of the study rooms. It was empty because the lectures and classes haven't started, yet. For the hard work we got rewarded with an ice-coffee. Yum!
Apperveilchen


Posted Apr 7, 2009, 7:59 pm
Today we drove to Luxembourg to refill the car and run some errands in Luxembourg city. Unfortunately we didn't have a camera with us. But more important was the audio book because we got into the late rush hour on the way back.
Apperveilchen


Posted Apr 7, 2009, 8:06 pm
I tried some nice Italien Prosecco tonight. Yummy!
Apperveilchen


Posted Apr 7, 2009, 9:12 pm
For this evening I opened a bottle of black Riesling Pinot Noir:
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16621.jpghttp://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16622.jpg
Hmmm, see the 'steam'?, smell it?
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16623.jpghttp://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16630.jpg
tastes good, too - student kind of good  ;)
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/Apperveilchen/toyvoyagers2/SSL16632.jpg
Apperveilchen


Posted Apr 7, 2009, 9:16 pm
Crafts time! We helped our host create a little something... Can you already see what it will be?
Apperveilchen


Posted Apr 9, 2009, 7:36 pm
My favorite flowers, sunflowers, aren't in season here at the moment, but I found these yellow flowers. The yellow flower of the season is the Osterglocke (easter bell). In the evening I said goodbye to the sun.
BlackCat


Posted Apr 14, 2009, 9:01 pm
I arrived at my new host today. BlackCat welcomed me very warm when she came home.

Here you can see me with the other guests - Germania, her little friend and Cassandra.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/april/14/1.jpg
BlackCat


Posted Apr 14, 2009, 9:26 pm
After my arrival BlackCat wanted to go to her Mum. In front of her door she found a package. she opened it and Ninni was inside. So we welcomed Ninni very warm, too :)!

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/april/14/2.jpg
Apperveilchen


Posted Apr 14, 2009, 11:00 pm
It was a very sunny day today and a holiday called Karfeitag, which is the friday before Easter, so Bertie, Iggy and I just lazed around in the sun.
Apperveilchen


Posted Apr 14, 2009, 11:12 pm
There's a party tonight and we spent most of the day preparing the house for it and making food and shopping. Here's the result of our cooking:
tomato-mozarelly-basil snacks; freshly cut carrots, peppers, cucumbers and kohlrabi with dip, filled peppers, cheese and fresh fruit, dates wrapped in bacon, olives, bread, avocado dip, bread and French and Lebanese style meat balls (filled with herbes de Provence and goat cheese, or with raisins, roasted pignolia and cinnamon). I couldn't get pictures of the cocktails. I was too 'happy'. ;)
Apperveilchen


Posted Apr 15, 2009, 4:58 pm
Happy Easter!
Look how many eggs we found! And they are all real well-boiled eggs. We'll have breakfast now. The rest is just deco. People here paint eggs for Easter, only a few every year but the add up as you can see.
Apperveilchen


Posted Apr 15, 2009, 5:02 pm
I enjoyed the warmth and the spring flowers some more before I was dropped off at my next host's. There's also St. Altfried's, a catholic church in a part of the city called Freisenbruch. It has an unusual bell-tower that the previous priest insisted in having built and liked to make vigorous use of. I heard it! Lot's of bells ringing in the middle of a regular weekday.
BlackCat


Posted May 5, 2009, 9:39 am
Today a new toyvoyager arrived here :)!

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/april/26/1.jpg

He is called Carlisle. I hope we will have a lot of fun together.
BlackCat


Posted May 5, 2009, 9:43 am
Today we went for a short walk with BlackCat. She went to the bus stop for welcoming her boyfriend back home.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/april/26/11.jpg
This is the emblem of Essen. It is on the backside of every bus stop.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/april/26/5.jpg
We were so scared last night because there was a loud noise...now we know where it came from.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/april/26/8.jpg
This old lady is on a house next to BlackCat. She looks so funny :)!
BlackCat


Posted May 5, 2009, 6:35 pm
BlackCat is visiting a pen pal in the Netherlands and we went with her.
So we saw some parts of Utrecht today.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/1.jpg
This is the tower of the Dom.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/18.jpg
This is in the garden of the Dom.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/19.jpg
This is a part of the Dom.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/237.jpg
This is inside the Dom.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/241.jpg
We must be quiet inside of the Dom. So we just sat there.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/9.jpg

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/4.jpg
A gate inside the town.

After being in the city we went to the Julianapark.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/187.jpg
There were deers.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/190.jpg
And chicken.

It was a nice day :)!
BlackCat


Posted May 5, 2009, 6:44 pm
Today we went to a postcrossing meeting in Den Haag. We all met at Madurodam. You can see the Netherlands in a small version there. It was really nice. It could be a ToyVoyager meeting, too.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/282.jpg
Look at all these toys that came with us.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/49.jpg
I saw some tulips there.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/53.jpg
There was this little toy shop :)!

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/50.jpg

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/308.jpg
There you can see us on a mailbox with Bert from the Sesamestreet.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/43.jpg

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/44.jpg
There we are sitting on the table where they wrote postcards.

After that we went to another place.
BlackCat


Posted May 5, 2009, 6:47 pm
We left Madurodam and went with the tram to Scheveningen.
We visited the beach there.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/60.jpg

It was really nice there and we spend the rest of the day at the beach in the sun.
BlackCat


Posted May 5, 2009, 6:53 pm
Today we just visited the windmill in Utrecht. We were so tired after that. Tomorrow we will go to Germany again.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/niederlande/106.jpg

Bye bye Netherlands,
Saru Maru
BlackCat


Posted May 24, 2009, 4:09 pm
Sorry for not updating so long. BlackCat had some problems and had to stay at home most of the time, so we didn't made photos.

Today we went to the Zollverein coking plant in Essen. It is a part of the World Heritage site Zollverein. It was so nice there. We climbed around and had a lot fun.

Some informations for you:
The Zollverein coking plant in Essen suburb of Stoppenberg was built between 1958 and 1961 as a working link with shaftr 12 at the Zollverein Pit next door. The coking plant took huge amounts of coal from the pit, as well as from other collieries in the region, and processed them into coke. Soon the maximum daily production of 5000 tons of coke was insufficient to meet demand. For this reason the plant was extended in the 1970s, when it became one of the largest and most modern coking plants in Europe. The Zollverein coking plant employed 1000 persons and produced amounts of coke well in excess of 7000 tons per day. Because coke ovens should never be allowed to get cold, production continued non-stop around the clock for 365 days a year. During the 1980s and 1990s demand for coke steadily declined as a result of the crisis in the steel industry, and on the 30th June 1993 the Zollverein coking plant was finally closed down.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/23/11.jpg

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/23/4.jpg

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/23/78.jpg

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/May/23/209.jpg
BlackCat


Posted Jun 15, 2009, 10:59 pm
Hey Mum,

today we went with BlackCat to her doctor. On the way to the doc we found a statue of Carl Humann.

Wikipedia says about him:
Carl Wilhelm Humann (born January 4, 1839 in Steele, part of today’s Essen - Germany; † April 12, 1896 in Smyrna, today İzmir - Turkey) was a German Engineer, Architect and Archaeologist. He discovered the Pergamon Altar.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/June/15/9.jpg

I think he could smile a little bit. But it's okay.

Greetings,
SaruMaru
BlackCat


Posted Jun 15, 2009, 11:00 pm
Today we wanted to help BlackCat with a puzzle. But we were not really motivated. So we made a photo with all the pieces and went to bed after that.

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/June/15/4.jpg

SaruMaru
BlackCat


Posted Jun 15, 2009, 11:01 pm
Today I said Goodbye to Carlisle and Ninni. I am on my way to my next host now. I hope I will arrive soon and safety. Please cross your fingers for me.

Greetings,
SaruMaru

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/June/15/18.jpg

http://i471.photobucket.com/albums/rr77/toyvoyagerfriend/2009/June/15/19.jpg
vickyp


Posted Jun 20, 2009, 7:01 pm
Hi mom!
I have arrived in Greece! I have met the family that host me and they are very happy to have me. In the house there are also some more tv's that have welcomed me!

Here I am together with SquirtWilly W. and Ladomar

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_2349.jpg

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_2352.jpg
vickyp


Posted Jun 27, 2009, 12:31 pm
Hi mom,
today we went at the suburbs. There is an artificial lake there where we went to feed the ducks!

So here I am with all my friends!

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_3768.jpg

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_3800.jpg

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_3805.jpg
vickyp


Posted Jul 5, 2009, 7:18 am
Hey mom, I am a star!
I am starring in the first video ever made by toyvoyagers!
I had so much fun creating it with my friends the other tv, so check it out here
vickyp


Posted Jul 6, 2009, 7:58 pm
Hi mom, this weekend we went at the beach at the beautiful prefecture of Chalkidiki.
We are at the small village called Metamorfosis, which has mainly summer residences but luckily it's not crowded.

Here I am with my friends just playing at the sand

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_2772.jpg

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_2806.jpg

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_2847.jpg

My hosts just bought a new aquaglide for the kids, it converts easily from sailboat to windsurfer, towable or even kayak. So the kids will be able to learn easily all these sports! SO MUCH FUN!

Here we are by the box

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_2785.jpg

and can you see it in the sea?!

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_2849.jpg
vickyp


Posted Jul 12, 2009, 9:33 pm
Hi mom,

here are a couple of photos from the town I currently live.
It's the second biggest town in Greece (after Athens the capital).
This is me at the sea side of Thessaloniki. We can't go swimming here, cause there is a port nearby. But the place is great for biking, jogging, or just walking.

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_2864.jpg

It is usually crowded but we went quite early to get some nice photos.

The building you can see here is the Concert Hall

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_2859.jpg
vickyp


Posted Jul 25, 2009, 8:36 pm
Hi mom,

I am currently on vacation in the beautiful prefecture of Chalkidiki.
Here are some views of the small village we are staying.

This is a typical backyard door with plants and flowers all over

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_6746.jpg

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_6745.jpg

here I am on a tractor we found on one of our walks

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_6751.jpg

this is me enjoying the view and the sunset from a gazebo with the rest of the gang!

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_6783.jpg

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_6784.jpg

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_6793.jpg

http://i662.photobucket.com/albums/uu349/vickypgr/toyvoyagers/IMG_6796.jpg
MintTe


Posted Nov 16, 2009, 4:09 pm
Hi mom!

I just want to tell you that I am in Sweden now!

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/nalle1.jpg
MintTe


Posted Nov 17, 2009, 6:11 pm
Hi Mum!

Hi Mum!

Because this was my first day in here, we decide to just hang out and chill. And it was the perfect weather for it, or weather I would not call it that. It was a grey day and Ingrid told me that it have been like this for weeks know. But I hope we will see some sun soon.
So today we check out face book, had some coffee and plan this week, like a trip to Linköping this weekend (if the weather is OK).

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/nalle2-3.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/nalle3-3.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/nalle4-2.jpg
MintTe


Posted Nov 21, 2009, 4:53 pm
Making cucumber sushi!  :D

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/nalle1-1.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/nalle2.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/nalle3.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/nalle4.jpg
MintTe


Posted Nov 23, 2009, 5:28 pm
Hi Mum!  :D

I’m just fine but Ingrid is having some problems with her camera, but she is working on it.

Today have I been to a hockey game! The local team was playing, it was fun, the crowd was loud and cheered to the lost the voices. But ”our” team lost with one goal. But no one was sad, because next time the will win (at least one of the player say so). After that I hang out with the girls at a coffee shop, we talk about cute hockey later, nail polish and other girlie stuff.
Back at home dinner was ready, I was so tired that I decide to take a nap.
This evening my host told me about Västervik, the closes lager town from Gunnebo there she live.

Västervik

Population
20,694 (in 2005)

History
Västervik was first mentioned in 1275. The town was then located at the current location of Gamleby. In 1433 Eric of Pomerania decided to give it a charter and move it to its current strategically important location, close to the castle of Stegeholm. In the ensuing centuries Västervik suffered attacks from hostile armies. It was more or less completely destroyed five times between 1450 and 1677. Despite this, king Gustav Vasa established a ship industry here in the 16th century, from which ships sailed to Germany and the Baltic countries, and from the 17th century they sailed to Portugal too. In the 18th century a long period of peace allowed the ship industry to expand, increasing the ship routes down to the Mediterranean Sea.

Today
Every year since 1966 there is a ballad festival in Västervik, at the ruins of the Stegeholm castle. The city still bases much of its industry on its harbour, and on the industries that were established as a result of it in the late 19th century. Recently, however, Västervik has suffered the closure of certain factories, notably Electrolux, with associated job losses. Being a summer town popular with yachtspeople, campers, daytrippers, and returning former residents, Västervik experiences an annual revival in July. Just outside Västervik, there is the static inverter of HVDC Gotland and Fårhultsmasten, a 335 m tall guyed mast used for FM/TV-transmission, which shares with three other masts the title of Sweden's tallest structure.

Notable natives
Ellen Key (1846-1926), author and feminist
Gottfrid Emanuel Lundberg (1879-1933), Swedish-American engraver
Björn Ulvaeus, one of the four members of the pop g
roup ABBA
Alice Babs, singer Gösta Bernard, writer and singer
Stefan Edberg, tennis player
Stefan Karlsson, jazz pianist
Gösta Bernhard, actor and film director
MintTe


Posted Nov 26, 2009, 6:18 pm
Hi Mum!

Not to match have happen lately. Today have I help my host with the laundry and cleaning the apartment. And we have start making this years charismas cards list!
MintTe


Posted Nov 30, 2009, 5:18 pm
Hi Mum!

Toady have I learn how to make a super easy Raspberry pie!

All you need is

Pie dough
1½ dl  melt  butter
3 dl wheat flour
2 tablespoon cold water
2 tablespoon vanilla sugar

Stuffing
A lot of raspberries
Some sucker
Some Potato flour

Mix all the things to the dough together and make the "bottom"
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/nalle1-3.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/nalle2-4.jpg

Into the oven, 10 minutes at 225*C

Mix all the things to the stuffing togheter
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/nalle3-4.jpg

Fill the pie botton and into the oven again, (around) 30 minutes at 225*C
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/NALLE4-3.jpg

And last, EAT!!!
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/nalle5-2.jpg
MintTe


Posted Dec 4, 2009, 6:31 pm
Hi Mum!

Today have I been really busy! We started the day with playing some Nintendo Wii. 
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/TV1-1.jpg

After that we drove to Västervik and to watch some hockey.
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/TV2-1.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/TV3-1.jpg

And the day ended with Sushi
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/TV4.jpg
MintTe


Posted Dec 8, 2009, 2:35 pm
Hi Mum!

Last week it’s rain and rain, and this week started with rain. No fun at all. Ingrid hope it will be cold soon so the snow can come. It’s really dark in Sweden just now, at 3 pm you star to wonder if it is day or night. But I want to tell you about some funnier thing. The Gunnarsson (Ingrid family) have star to fixing things to Christmas. Today have we wrapt Christmas gift! It was a lot of work, because Ingrid is really in to that, she have a lot of different papers, even newspapers! Here comes some photos of me try to help.

Hmm.. How much paper do I need?
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/jul1.jpg

HELP! It's HUGE scissors
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/jul3.jpg

Let’s use a lot of string!
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/jul2.jpg

Ta-Da! A Christmas Gift!
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m262/MintTe/ToyV/jul4.jpg
MintTe


Posted Dec 15, 2009, 4:32 pm
Hi Mum!

It have been upside-down here in Sweden now. Ingrid have been accepted to college and will start in January, so she is busy looking for a place to live. And she have also been working a lot. But today have we done some Christmas thing, a lot of candy making! But the camera is dead again, so no photos.  :(
MintTe


Posted Jan 12, 2010, 8:17 pm
Time for some up date!

Ingris camera is broken again  :(

The trip to Kristianstad in Skåne.

Up early, to early! Pack the last things and jump in to the car and start the 4 hour drive to Skåne. A lot of music, magazine and coffee saved us. When we arrived to Skåne we tried to find the first apartment. It was a small typical Swedish student apartment, a big room with a pentry and a  (huge) bathroom. My host didn’t like it. So we say good bye to the guy that lived there and we was of to the next apartment.
This was a 2 room apartment down town, it have a small bathroom and a pentry. But it was nice, my host loved it and told the women how own the house that she would love to rent it! So now have Ingrid a place to live in in Kristianstad!

After this we drove 4o minutes to my host cousin. We have a nice dinner, played some Wii and had a Spa evening! And of course we drank a lot of beer!

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