Mumble, Groningen, The Netherlands

pkboo Posted Oct 12, 2007, 2:58 pm	Mumble is starting off in Miami.
pkboo Posted Oct 21, 2007, 2:22 am	I went to the Butterfly World and had fun with all the other TV's that were with us here we all are in the car on the way to Butterfly World. Let's see there was Helen Bear, Romeo, Snegovik, Budd, Ruzovacek, Prince Charming, andMocha. Here is a picture of  us with Helen Bear, Romeo, Snegovik, Budd, Ruzovacek,  andMocha hosts Marina and Tarepanda a butterfly stayed still enough for me to get a picture with it. Me and some pretty cool lokking Macaws. I have more photos over at Flickr if you want to look at them
pkboo Posted Oct 21, 2007, 2:32 am	Today I made a new friend. When I first came in and she saw me she got scared for some reason and hid under the pillow I eventually coaxed her out and found out her name was Minerva we talked for hours
pkboo Posted Nov 3, 2007, 10:28 pm	I went to a Harvest day event at Fairchild gardens. It wasnt that interesting but I manage to get a few pictures taken after it stopped raining.
pkboo Posted Nov 3, 2007, 10:31 pm	Minerva came home today I was so happy to see her even though she was only gone for about 2 weeks. When I heard her I ran to greet her
pkboo Posted Nov 29, 2007, 7:07 pm	I am off to arxitempela in Athens Greece.
arxitempela Posted Dec 10, 2007, 6:51 pm	I'm in Athens!! I can't wait to see the city even if it's almost impossible to meet any snowman!!
arxitempela Posted Jan 8, 2008, 1:13 pm	Well Christmas in Greece means a lot of food and walks!!!! Here one walk in Sintagma Square, one of the most central spuare in Athens!
arxitempela Posted Jan 8, 2008, 1:34 pm	And some more photos in the house:
arxitempela Posted Feb 21, 2008, 10:32 pm	This is my last photo in Greece with my new friend SaruMaru! England I'm coming!!
jellycat Posted Mar 1, 2008, 5:08 pm	Hi everyone, ive arrived in england at last, i was a bit nervous of coming out of my travelling compartment at first as i could hear strange noises nearby, but when i popped my head out, all the other toys gasped " wowee, its another penguin" , oh well the more the merrier tabbycat said, i didnt feel so bad after they all made me feel right at home. Well i dont know when my first adventure with jellycat will be, but i'll be sure to post. Take care all, and lots of love to arxitempela for a brilliant time in greece. well bye for now Mumble x x x
jellycat Posted Mar 26, 2008, 6:42 pm	Well Peeps, its not really been nice enough to go anywhere or do anything, so yet again, me and smooch had to play indoors, samson the puppy was very good and came up with a few games (mainly hide and seek). Our Host will hopefully take us out this weekend before we go to our new homes. T T F N Ta Ta For Now lots of love Mumble x x x
Deborah Posted Apr 6, 2008, 5:13 pm	Arriving in London I was helped out of my envelope by my host Travel Ted. After all that nasty rain in the North of England I was delighted to find it was a lovely spring day full of brightness and cherry blossom.
Deborah Posted Apr 6, 2008, 5:18 pm	I got a shock today when I looked outside. The whole world has turned white. I went and looked from windows all round the house and the same thing had happened outside all of them. I thought I'd better go and wake up Travel Ted. He said that I shouldn't be worried and instead we should go outside and play.
Deborah Posted Apr 6, 2008, 5:22 pm	It was dreadfully cold outside. I'm glad I live in Florida instead of at the pole. Travel Ted suggested we could make a snowman so I could fulfil one of my missions but it was far too chilly out there for me. I decided that I'd much prefer to go indoors for some boiled fish and a warm bath.
Deborah Posted Apr 17, 2008, 9:19 pm	I'm very excited to be in London. All the snow has melted and it was a lovely morning so I took the train into central London where I visited Trafalgar Square and saw Nelson's Column.
Deborah Posted Apr 17, 2008, 9:21 pm	As a lovely surprise, Travel Ted took be to Cambridge for the weekend, where I got to stay in a quaint English 'Bed and Breakfast'.
Deborah Posted Apr 17, 2008, 9:24 pm	We had a further excursion to a little village called Histon, which was out in the countryside. We had a picnic lunch on the green by the river. I considered catching my own fish but it seemed like a lot of effort so I got some from the supermarket instead.
Deborah Posted Apr 17, 2008, 9:29 pm	The next morning we explored the city of Cambridge itself. It is home to a very famous university which is comprised of many very impressive old buildings. It also has a river that we walked along - an area called 'The Backs' as you are at the back of some of the most famous university colleges. In the river we saw lots of punts moored. These are a funny type of boat that you move along with the help of a long pole that you press against the river bed. Because it was early in the morning (and a little bit chilly) we didn't see anyone using one which was a shame because apparently people fall into the water a lot which is very funny.
Deborah Posted Apr 20, 2008, 1:43 pm	Today the weather was lovely and sunny so I got up very early in the morning in order to do lots of sightseeing. I took the train to Waterloo, where I saw the big wheel called the 'London Eye'. Then I walked along the south bank of the River Thames, past the London Aquarium, which was unfortunately shut so I didn't make any further progress with my missions. I did see some very stange statues, though, which belonged to the Salvador Dali exhibition inside one of the buildings. Next I crossed over Westminster Bridge, which took me to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, as well as giving me a good view across to the London Eye.
Deborah Posted Apr 20, 2008, 1:48 pm	I continued my walk in St. James's Park, which contains a big pond and nature reserve (and is home to some rather frightening pelicans that I feared might eat small round penguins). At the very opposite end of the pond I could just see Buckingham Palace, where the Queen lives, but I was feeling a bit out of puff by that stage so I decided to call it a day and go home for a little nap.
Deborah Posted May 1, 2008, 11:44 pm	I've enjoyed seeing London but my feet are itching for further travel and I'm nearly ready to head off to my next host in France. Travel Ted helped me to write my notebook and even drew a lovely picture of me to help me remember him.
Mood Posted May 12, 2008, 1:10 pm	Hi Pkboo!! Here I am in France (south west region) in Toulouse. I arrived yesterday, and this morning, I was woken up by Mood who invited me to began my visit over a  traditional french breakfast in the center of the town, at the Florida café I don't really know how, but she guessed I was quite a great gourmet penguin, and said she would introduce me to another one with whom I should get on... Indeed, this morning I met Greedy who is also passing through Toulouse. We talked about toyvoyaging until I noticed I was the only one speaking, while Greedy was devouring croissants on croissants, pontcuating our conversation with "hhhmmm" or "yum yum" or "delicious" or "don't you eat your croissant?" ... Beside, the sun shone more and more and I began to be bathed in perspiration!!! So I asked Mood to take me to a fresher place, or I would turn into a floorcloth. Ok, she said, I know something that could pleased you! What about Alaska ?????? Alaska???? in France? (hey Mood, sun beats down isn't it??!!) And yet!!!! for about 2 hours, I really was in Alaska ...thanks to the fabulous movie "Into the Wild" Indeed, we went to a small cinema called Utopia On our way back, we walked through the townhall : its courtyard the donjon It seems to be Mood's traditional visit of the town, that ends up with the river Garonne enbankments : And what a surprise when I met Mr Snowman in the course of the visit!!!!!!!!
Mood Posted May 12, 2008, 4:19 pm	Today I went back into the stone age!!! I went in Dordogne, (Périgord Noir region) to the heart of the Vezere Valley, world capital of the Prehistory!! To the Eyzies de Tayac a world prehistoric time center, known by the abundance of its archaeological wealths and its cliffs dug of numerous underground cave. Have you seen the great statue behind me, it represents Cro Magnon man Indeed, I visited the National Museum of Préhistory that houses the most important paleolithic collection in France. This is a rhinceros leg!! and this charming young man is the Nariokotome boy Well ...Nice to meet you young boy!! Then I met someone who had a message for Sebastien (this is one of his old great uncle) "Sebastien!!! Where are you????????????????" I promised to put the message online ... It's done!! I also learnt that the cave-lined Vézère valley has been classified as a heritage site by UNESCO Indeed, prehistoric men had a great viewpoint don't you agree? Then we had a picnic along the river
Mood Posted May 12, 2008, 4:53 pm	In the afternoon we went to Sarlat, a beatufil medieval town of Perigord. Sarlat is a medieval town that developed around a large Benedictine abbey of Carolingian origin. Have you seen the door ??!!! The medieval Sarlat Cathedral is dedicated to Saint Sacerdos. The centre of the old town consists of impeccably restored stone buildings such as the La Boétie house (judge and writer, friend of french philosopehr Montaigne) Unfortunately, it started  to rain, but I was well sheltered! and the visit could go on The area is noted for its cuisine, more particularly its products related to ducks and geese, such as foie gras. Hi girls !!! Of course ... all this, gave me an appetite!!! so we had to finish the day to the restaurant!!!
swiss_sunshine Posted Jun 26, 2008, 4:43 pm	I arrived safely in Switzerland some days ago. Sunshine was delighted to see me. On my first day I helped her studying. Even if it's summer, Sunshine (who is a student of Art History) has to finish some essays for college. Helping her was boring that's why I tried to introduce myself to new friends (Sunshine's birds). As they did not seem interested, I took a nap in the flowers!
swiss_sunshine Posted Jun 26, 2008, 4:52 pm	Yesteday we went for a walk in Fribourg. Fribourg is a small town of 35,000 inhabitants. We saw the "Vieille Ville" (the old part of the town) and the old funicular that is very original because it works with the dirty water of Fribourg! That's why it doesn't smell very good but it's very nice!
swiss_sunshine Posted Jun 27, 2008, 1:47 pm	Then we saw the tower of the cathedral Saint-Nicolas. I was tired and thirsty and luckily there was this fountain right in front of the cathedral!
swiss_sunshine Posted Jun 27, 2008, 1:51 pm	We went for a walk in the park of the Museum of Art where we saw some nice sculptures.
swiss_sunshine Posted Jun 27, 2008, 1:58 pm	On our way to Sunshine's home we had to "climb" all these steps next to the medieval ramparts of Fribourg. I really liked these old high walls but not the steps (way tooo hard for a little pinguin like me!)
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 7, 2008, 7:34 pm	Yesterday I went to the park with Sunshine! Hihi real fun and the weather was nice too!
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 7, 2008, 7:43 pm	Today a new person arrived at Sunshine's place: a little elephant called Elle. I'm not alone anymore! Yipppie!
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 7, 2008, 7:52 pm	On the picture it's me in front of Sunshine's house. She doesn't live in a chalet in the mountains but it's a nice place in a quiet area near the center of Fribourg and near her university!
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 7, 2008, 7:54 pm	This is my last post because tomorrow I'm leaving Switzerland with Sunshine and Elle and I go to........ Ahah I won't tell you. It's a suprise. You'll hear from me in about 10 days! See you!
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 28, 2008, 9:05 pm	I went to New York City with Sunshine, Elle and Sunshine's friends! We spent 7 crazy days there!! Here you can see Elle and myself in the hotel called Union Square Inn.
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 28, 2008, 9:09 pm	On our first day, we visited the statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and we saw the buildings of downtown Manhattan.
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 28, 2008, 9:12 pm	Latel this day we walked on the Brooklyn Bridge. Seeing New York was Sunshine's dream. She had never been in the USA before and as I'm from there, I could help her discovering my country!
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 28, 2008, 9:15 pm	I spent the following day at the hotel because it was Elle's turn to see NYC! I discovered the Metropolitan Museum the day after that. It's a huge, huge museum but sooo nice! The visit made me hungry, it was time for me to try a hotdog... Not that bad!
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 28, 2008, 9:18 pm	Then we walked through the high buildings. In the evening we had a Ceasar salad!
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 28, 2008, 9:20 pm	Before leaving New York, we went to Coney Island...
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 28, 2008, 9:22 pm	... and we played cards in Central Park! Pfiouh it's been a busy trip but I had a lot of fun there!
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 28, 2008, 9:25 pm	Back in Switzerland we went to Bern. Bern is the capital of the country and is only 20 minutes drive from Fribourg, where Sunshine lives. In Bern we went to Starbucks! You can see me drinking a Frapuccino and Elle had a Chae Latte!
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 28, 2008, 9:28 pm	Then we saw the Palais Fédéral (or Bundeshaus in German). It's the hous where the swiss government meets and the Place fédérale with the nice fountain.
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 28, 2008, 9:29 pm	On the Place Fédérale we met Chess player.
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 28, 2008, 9:32 pm	Behind the Palais Fédérale there's a beautiful view of Bern and its surroundings. Very green, isnt' it? Bern has about 150'000 inhabitants and no high buildings. It was very different from New York!!
swiss_sunshine Posted Jul 28, 2008, 9:39 pm	My stay with Sunshine is over but I'm not leaving Switzerland since my next stop are the swiss Alps with Annbear!
annbear Posted Aug 23, 2008, 12:04 am	And before I had even settled in, I was whisked off to France on annbear`s annual holiday. Lucky we took some photos before the rain started. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
annbear Posted Oct 31, 2008, 12:20 pm	And now here I am in Lanzarote - sun, sea and sangria. Just right for a penguin
annbear Posted Nov 1, 2008, 10:07 am	Oh no, I didn`t bring any suncream!!! What`s black and white and red all over?? A sunburnt penguin
annbear Posted Nov 3, 2008, 9:49 pm	More views of this beautiful island...... Oh it`much warmer than Antartica
ondrejliska Posted Nov 18, 2008, 8:58 pm	Greeting from Prague, the capital of Czechia  Mandarin showed me the place, so I showed him my journal. It's quite cold outside, so I hope I'll finally see some snow!
ondrejliska Posted Nov 26, 2008, 10:45 am	On Monday, I played Settlers of Catan with Mandarin. Do you know this board game? You harvest grain, breed sheep etc. and then you build roads, villages and towns. It is awesome!
ondrejliska Posted Nov 26, 2008, 11:14 am	Dottie Grace and Bestik arrived today. Dottie Grace is from Sydney and Bestik is from Prague - so it is his homecoming
ondrejliska Posted Jan 10, 2009, 12:42 am	As of 5th December, there still wasn't any snow in Prague. We went to Malá Strana to see Saint Nicholas Church, a magnificent Baroque building. Vltava River is not far from the church, so we decided to go to see Charles Bridge as well.
ondrejliska Posted Jan 10, 2009, 12:52 am	Finally – some snow
fam-united Posted Feb 1, 2009, 5:54 pm	Today we drove to Forst, where Petra's daughter sings in a choir. We had a lot of fun climbing around in her car. She thought, she could read a book or work something for school, but she hasn't thougth, that we are with her, lol.
fam-united Posted Feb 1, 2009, 6:20 pm	Today another toyvoyager arrived at our host's home: Galo from Brasil. I think, I should tell you, who is who in this photo: 1rst: Fifi Flowertot, me, Khetiwe, Surprise Bear 2nd: Hurley, Mousy Mouse, HitchaRideMarky, Galo 3rd: Cassiopeia and Meleleuca
fam-united Posted Feb 14, 2009, 10:01 am	Today was time to say goodbye to Meleleuca, Fifi Flowertot and Hurley. Of course we all were a bit sad, because we will miss our friends.
fam-united Posted Feb 14, 2009, 10:53 am	Petra's one son loves to draw. He made this super sized postcard for Petra's 40th birthday. I'm sure, you remember some of these buildings, when you see more photos of Bruchsal soon: St. Peter, Belvedere, St. Damian and Hugo - the church, which belongs to the palace and the Damian's Gate.
fam-united Posted Feb 14, 2009, 1:12 pm	Today we woke up and didn't believe, what we saw: during the last night we got some snow. Everything looks so beautiful, that Petra decided to take photos with us instead cleaning the bath.
fam-united Posted Feb 14, 2009, 1:34 pm	Petra thought, that she could try to drive to the parking place next to the chapel on top of the Michaelsberg, but the road was too icy under the snow. So we only took some photos on the way. The houses you see on this photo, belong to Obergrombach, a suburb of Bruchsal.
fam-united Posted Feb 14, 2009, 2:06 pm	There was still some time left before Petra had to go to school, so she decided to take us with her for some photos in Bruchsal. At first we took a view over the roofs of Bruchsal: The churchs: the tower of the old palace, the church Our Holy Mother (Unsere Liebe Frau, Stadtkirche) and Lutherkirche (from left to right). A view to the baroque church St. Peter and the house St. Maria, both really close to the house, where we live. Here you see the building of the houses for older people on the left side. Then we crossed the road and walked into the park to see the Belvedere. It was still some time left, so we drove to the baroque palace. First we saw the back side of the palace and the statues. There are four statues for the four elements water, fire, earth and wind and four statues for the four seasons spring, summer, autumn, winter. This is church St. Damian and Hugo, which belongs to the palace. Inside it isn't baroque anymore, because it was destroyed during the second world war and when it was rebuilt, it was too expensive to make it inside like it was before. Here you see a view to the Damianstor, jailhouse tower (red tower next to the Damianstor) and the county court. Now we have to hurry a bit, but there is still time left to take a photo of the entrance of the palace.
fam-united Posted Feb 14, 2009, 6:35 pm	Happy Valentine's Day!
fam-united Posted Feb 14, 2009, 8:16 pm	Help, help! Oh, no! Uuuups, what happened???? Hey friends, let's have some fun in the snow. Come on, I show you our backyard. There is a swing, do you know?
fam-united Posted Mar 8, 2009, 9:52 pm	It started to snow again, but only big wet snowflakes and Petra told us, that they will melt away at once. I had been so happy to see some snow again, but it was too less to play in it.
fam-united Posted Mar 15, 2009, 8:40 pm	L e t ' s    h a v e    a    c a r n i v a l    p a r t y Cassiopeia invited Mousy Mouse, Fox Force, Surprise Bear, Galo, Khetiwe and me. The first guests, who arrived by car, were Mousy Mouse and Galo. FoxForce helped Cassiopeia to welcome us, because she still wasn't ready to dress herself up - she is a turtle. Surprise Bear arrived too. He wore a crazy frog face. Finally Cassiopeia arrived too with her hat on her back, because she had to run - do you know, how fast turtles are able to run, if the have to? Of course she put her hat on as soon as she arrived there. Galo saw the sofa and ran there to sit down. He knows, where is the best place Mousy Mouse, the beauty! Fox Force is wearing high heels, very high heels Emmh, you know, this is Surprise Bear - the frog faced. Cassiopeia had a special seat. They found something round for her, because she just sits perfectly on something like that. She have some kind of problems, if it comes to sitting on a chair or something like that - She's a turtle, you know. Emmh, why are we sitting so far away from each other????? Did you see, that there are still some empty chairs? I and Khetiwe still searched for something to dress up. It's time to dance now! Does anyone want to join? There is falling something down from the ceiling, but it seems, that Petra's photo only works, when the things are too high or too low. Hehehe, you should learn to take photos like this. Do you see that little something on the top? Hmm, Sabrina and Petra! We want to dance or play now, don't wait too long to take this photo. Hehehe. Finally the "thing" fell down on Galo. Let's dance Samba - what else should we dance, if it is carnival. Uuuups, Mousy Mouse! Be careful! Fox Force, please help her to stand up again. Finally, while Cassiopeia and Galo danced too, Khetiwe and I arrived. Better late than never. At once we started to dance with Surprise Bear. Lalala  lala laaaa lala, lalala lala laaa lala, Samba
fam-united Posted Mar 15, 2009, 9:04 pm	Later we played some games. We played spin the bottle and really had a lot of fun. At first it was me, who had to spin the bottle. Galo had to spin the bottle at next. It's Mousy Mouse. Cassiopeia had to do a hind feet stand. We all were very thirsty, so Sabrina mixed us an alcohol free cocktail. Petra showed us the time and told us to get ready for bed as soon as possible.
fam-united Posted Mar 29, 2009, 7:58 pm	Today Mousy Mouse, Cassiopeia and FoxForce decided to take a bath. Of course we wanted to jump into the bath tub too, but Petra told us to leave them alone.
fam-united Posted Mar 29, 2009, 9:02 pm	Sabrina and Petra decided to make soap today. So they invited us to take part and help. I can tell you, the soap smells heavenly and it is really bubbly. I helped to cut the basic soap into pieces. Then we had to melt it in the microwave. I tried to help with the Asian letters. Then Sabrina added some red colour and vanilla perfume. At last we added blue colour.
fam-united Posted Apr 5, 2009, 8:51 pm	Today we helped to make some "Schichtsalat" for Petra's sister's birthday. Usually you should prepare it the evening before. 1 leek, finely sliced 1 small tin of sweetcorn, drained 1 small tin of pineapple chunks, drained 150g cooked ham, diced 1 small glass of celery salad, drained (hmm, very German, you could replace it with gherkins) 2 apples, cored and diced 200g Gouda, cubed 3 hard boiled eggs, diced or sliced 1 glass of Miracle Whip (can you get this in the UK? It is mayonaisse, I can check the quantity tomorrow for you) Place the ingredients in a bowl in the order of the above list. Do not stir. Place in fridge overnight. Stir just before serving. You can replace the pineapple with mandarine oranges if you prefer. This makes a bowl for about 8-10 portions.
fam-united Posted Apr 6, 2009, 8:18 am	Right before we started to prepare the dough for our Donauwellenkuchen Tito arrived in Bruchsal. The first place, that he saw, was the kitchen. At first he had to tell a lot about Mexico and everyone told him about their lifes as a toyvoyager, but Petra said, that we would have more time to tell stories, but now we would have to get ready with our work. So he climbed on Cassiopeia's back to have a place with a good view over everything. At first we added white and then brown dough into the baking dish. Then we added morello cherries. While the cake was in the oven, Petra showed us the snowdrops in her backyard. Because it just didn't rain, she thought, it would be a good idea to go to the church, which is only a few meters from our home. We all were happy to see something else than the house. We saw the call box next to the church and I thought about calling you, but Petra told me, that it will be too expensive to do it. This is the church St. Peter. It is a baroque church and I think, it is really nice. Maybe we can take a photo, when it is sunny, too. The Church of St. Peter is an original building of the 18th century and was not destroyed during World War II. The church was designed by the world famous baroque architect builder Balthasar Neumann. The cementery behind it is a beautiful place for peaceful, contemplative walkds and its numerous memorials also rovide an insight into the history of Bruchsal and its people. We found a stone about the Baden Revolution. It is a reminder of the citizens of Bruchsal, who were victims of the Baden Revolution. It was erected on the initiative of the Social Democratic Party of Germany and dedicated on 1st November 1900. Here, next to the church you can see the grave of Johann Baptist Bekk, He was Minister of the Interior in Baden during the years of the Revolution and found his final resting place in Bruchsal. (www.bruchsal-erleben.de) The roofs belong to an old part of Bruchsal. Most old parts were destroyed during World War II. In the far you see a big grey building. It is a private grammar school founded by patres of the Pallotti order. When you stand in front of the entrance of the church and just turn around, you have this nice view. After we came home again, we had to get ready with the cake. First we had to make a butter cream and then we had to make a chocolate icing. This time Petra was really unhappy, that the icing didn't look nice.
fam-united Posted Apr 17, 2009, 9:48 pm	Today we drove to the Michaelsberg in Untergrombach. Untergrombach is one of Bruchsal's suburbs with about 6000 inhabitants. 3500 to 2600 BC there were frist human signs on the Michaelsberg, which gave this culture the name "Michaelsberger Kulturkreis" 1502 AD Joss Fritz from Untergrombach planned the "Bundschuhaufstand" during the time of Peasant's Wars. The chapel is on top of the Michaelsberg. In the far (right side) you see some houses, which belong to Bruchsal. Bruchsal and also Untergrombach are located at the edge to the Kraichgau. Here you see the Rhine Valley. If the weather is sunny, you can see the Palatinate Forest in the far. I learned something about "Magerrasen" (neglected grassland), which is typical for the Michaelsberg. Behind the sign you see so-called "Steinriegel" (field clearance cairn), made by people working on their fields a long long time ago. They threw the big stones from their fields to the border of the neighbour's field, so that in the middle all stones were accumulated. Many animals and flowers love this gaunt places and that's why a few weeks ago, people cleaned the Steinriegel from all the earth, that came between the stone during the many many years and from all the other plants, that love to grow in earth. The nature reserve sign
fam-united Posted Apr 17, 2009, 10:11 pm	Back at home again it was time for Cassiopeia and Mousy Mouse to say goodbye to everyone.
Pandamao Posted May 9, 2009, 11:38 pm	I have arrived - Munich here I come!
fam-united Posted May 23, 2009, 11:07 am	Petra and her family decided to visit the railway museum in Heilbronn. They asked friends to join them and of course, they didn't forget to take us with them too. We all were fascinated by those big locomotives and I hope, you aren't too disappointed, that there will be no explanation about each single one.
fam-united Posted May 24, 2009, 10:22 am	Today Petra asked me and some other toyvoyagers to help her in her so called "paper-room" at school. She had to sort the paper, which they need for handicrafts and more. (sorry for the blurry photo)
fam-united Posted May 24, 2009, 11:09 am	I want to show you some of the flowers in Petra's garden behind the house. I love those flowers.
fam-united Posted May 24, 2009, 5:28 pm	Today we decided to go on a day trip to see a model railway. We drove to Merklingen (near Ulm), where they say, that they own Europes most beautiful model railway. I also saw a real Ralf Schumacher Formel 3 race car.
fam-united Posted May 24, 2009, 6:22 pm	On our way home we stopped at Märklin museum in Göppingen. Petra and her family go there about one or two times in a year. Today seems to be a model railway day.
Pandamao Posted May 27, 2009, 9:37 pm	Today I helped my host to put plants on her balcony. There are two small cherry trees, a rose bush, some other small plants. And now tomatoe plants will also grow there - some rare old sorts named: Egg of Phuket, Yellow Dattelwein, Green Zebra and Litschi Tomatoe. We also got one physalis plant. My task was to put basil, salad and other herb seeds in the pots.
Pandamao Posted May 27, 2009, 9:48 pm	The sky went dark, wind started blowing and before I realized it a heavy storm was over this part of town - I heard some crashing noises outside on the balcony, I quickly hurried on the balcony and tried to protect the poor little tomatoe plants. Within 5 minutes I was drenched to the bone and went inside again. Poooh, the thunder was very loud and it rained so hard.
fam-united Posted May 28, 2009, 6:24 pm	Today we drove to the Michaelsberg, a small hill, which belongs to Untergrombach. Untergrombach is one of Bruchsals suburbs. There are Untergrombach, Obergrombach, Heidelsheim, Helmsheim and Büchenau. The first photo shows a view to Obergrombach. On top of the Michaelsberg there is a chapel called Michaelskapelle. Next to the chapel is a restaurant, where you have a nice view over the Rhine valley. Petra loves to go on the Michaelsberg to show the Rhine valley to her guests and to show them the edge to the Kraichgau. Today she told us, that she wanted to go there, because she wanted to watch the sunset. The houses you can imagine on the right side belong to Bruchsal. And you see a part of the quarry pond of Untergrombach too. On the horizon you can imagine two small small towers, which belong to the nuclear power reactor of Philippsburg. Here you see Untergrombach down the hill. Here we look in direction, where you come to Karlsruhe, which is in the Rhine valley too. You maybe can imagine the edge to the Kraichgau with its small hills. I love this last view to the chapel in the evening sun.
Pandamao Posted Jun 15, 2009, 8:51 pm	This week-end I went to the small town Sulzbach-Rosenberg in the Oberpfalz for a family visit. We went by train and got a seat close to the window so we could watch the landscape passing by.
Pandamao Posted Jun 15, 2009, 9:10 pm	Thursday we traveled to the Weissensee in beautiful Kärnten, Austria. We were lucky as the weather got better after a week of cold and rain - just look at the photos of the beautiful lake in the sunshine!
Pandamao Posted Jun 15, 2009, 9:25 pm	After a good night's sleep we got up early to hike to the Alm hinterm Brunn (alm behind the fountain). It was a nice hike, the landscape is great.
Pandamao Posted Jul 15, 2009, 10:29 pm	After this nice vacation in Austria we went back to Munich. And the weather was not nice, raining for days and days and days  One day when it was not raining I took my chance and asked my host to take me sight-seeing. So I got to see the church "alter Peter" (old Peter), one of the old town-gates (which is a toy museum nowadays), the famous Hofbräuhaus (a large beerhall where all the tourists go), the Orlando house and Marienplatz.
Pandamao Posted Jul 15, 2009, 10:34 pm	I took a stroll through town with Pandamao and saw this beautiful church - the Asamkirche (Asam church). The inside is as beautiful as the outside! It was built by a rich merchant long time ago. He was able to walk from his own house right into the church by a private door, the church was built right to the wall of his own house.
Pandamao Posted Jul 16, 2009, 8:16 pm	We  went for a nice long walk on the country-side. We passed the monastery of St. Ottilien.
Pandamao Posted Jul 16, 2009, 8:45 pm	On Sunday we had to get up very early. First we got on the BOB train and after one hour got out at Geitau. From there we started our hike into the mountains. Luckily it was not very hot so we did not suffer from the heat whilst going up these steep mountain paths. The landscape was great and after 3 hours we reached the Rotwand. We were not alone - some grazing cows were our companions
Pandamao Posted Jul 16, 2009, 8:58 pm	We took a rest at the beautiful Soinsee (Soin lake). Then we picked some herbs - there were heaps of wild Frauenmantel (lady's mantle). It is famous as a medicinal herb. After a long day we finally reached home late in the evening - very tired but also very happy and relaxed
Pandamao Posted Jul 20, 2009, 11:20 pm	Some time ago we planted little tomatoe seedlings - look how they have grown! The have invaded Pandamao's balcony and taken up all the space. But because of all the rain they are late and only one little green tomatoe is growing
Pandamao Posted Aug 3, 2009, 11:22 am	I'm leaving today and travel to Finland.
Pandamao Posted Aug 3, 2009, 11:22 am	I'm leaving today and travel to Finland.
Delenna Posted Aug 8, 2009, 9:59 am	Greetings from +25 Celcius! I arrived in Finland safe and sound. I met my hostfamily which includes these dudes: Leonard, Gary Boldie, Penny and Banyo. It's sunny and warm but I like it here allready It's "almost" as warm as back home in Florida
Delenna Posted Aug 8, 2009, 5:40 pm	My new host lives by the Baltic Sea which can bee seen in these photos. Well... ok, there's quite a lot of archipelago so it's not like we had an open sea view. But! The creator of theMoomins (named Tove Jansson) used to spend her summers on  one of the islands nearby! Also close is the lighthouse on which the Moomin house is based  No wonder Moominpappa likes the sea
Delenna Posted Aug 8, 2009, 5:51 pm	Later the same day I went  to another shore, this time for a swim in the Baltic Sea! We had fun in the sun
Delenna Posted Aug 9, 2009, 5:41 pm	Today I went to the Porvoo River to see the views (and to see many many fire-engines but they are in the next update). As you can see there are many boats docked by this river. On the east riverbank are many cafés with terraces, they're very popular on a sunny day like this. The west riverbank is still "under construction", there are many houses and more on the way plus they'll make a park there too. I'm sure it'll be pretty when finished!
Delenna Posted Aug 9, 2009, 5:50 pm	By the riverbank were today several fire-fighting vehicles! Old and new and from the middle. I also saw an all-terrain vehicle (also known as ATV and quadbike and buggy) among the fire engines  A marching band played - although they were sitting in the shadow  Oh, and the engines honked their horns and what ever sound they had in the sirens! What a cacophony!
Delenna Posted Aug 9, 2009, 6:03 pm	On our way back to the car we saw two interesting ships: M/aux Marita and M/S J.L. Runeberg. What was most interesting is that there was a wedding ceremony going on on M/aux Marita!  Cool! M/aux Marita is a galley built in 1947 in the archipelago of Porvoo. It was first a cargo ship that transported for example sand from Porvoo to Helsinki. Nowadays you can book the ship for cruises. You can find beds for 24 people and place by the dinner table for 25-30 people. A 4 hour cruise costs 1850 € and a 6 hour cruise 2250 €. A cruise from Helsinki to Porvoo OR vice versa costs 2700 €. One night on M/aux MArita costs 100€/person and there has to be at least 20 people.
Delenna Posted Aug 9, 2009, 6:15 pm	Before we headed back home we visited the Castle Hill on the other side of the Old Town. In the 14th century here stood a wooden fortress. Now you can only see the hill and the castle moats. My host  said this's a good place to play Robin Hood! The second picture shows my host's favorite view in Porvoo. She has taken a photo here which she made into postcards! You can see almost all bridges crossing the River Porvoo from here, and the Old Town.
Delenna Posted Aug 19, 2009, 4:45 pm	As it has been raining occasionally, we've learnt some new games. Well, Memory/Pairs isn't new actually, but as we learnt the names of Moomin characters it kind of is. I mostly play with Banyo, Penny and Leonard. This time I shared first place with Penny. The kitty claims she can smell the pairs  Anyhow, these are the names I learnt: Little My - Pikku Myy Moomin(troll) - Muumi(peikko) Moominpappa - Muumipappa Moominmamma - Muumimamma Snufkin - Nuuskamuikkunen Snif - Nipsu Hemulen - Hemuli Snorkmaiden - Niiskuneiti Snork - Niisku Stinky - Haisuli Mrs Fillyjonk - Rouva Vilijonkka The Hattenfatteners - Hattivatit
Delenna Posted Aug 24, 2009, 9:40 am	I'm in Tampre! A city about 2h drive from Porvoo. Tampere is the third largest city in Finland and the largest inland centre in the Nordic countries. Currently there are over 200,000 inhabitants in Tampere, and almost 300,000 inhabitants in Tampere Sub-Region, which comprises Tampere and its neighbouring municipalities. Tampere’s population density is 390 per square kilometre. Tampere is one of the three most rapidly developing regions in Finland. Tampere’s city centre is surrounded by lake and ridge scenery, sited on an isthmus between lakes Pyhäjärvi and Näsijärvi. The Tammerkoski rapids run through the city. In 2004, the City of Tampere came first in an image survey comparing the largest cities in Finland. It was also the most attractive city among Finns who plan on moving. In the photos you can see me looking at the Railway Station, the Cathedral, walking down the main street thru the city center, having a look at the Moomin museum, checking out the Alexander's Church...
Delenna Posted Aug 24, 2009, 9:53 am	My host said this wasn't the end of our trip even we had walked quite a few kilometers already. She wanted to show me the sightseeing tower in Pyynikki. Pyynikki, which was formed by the action of ice and sea more than 10,000 years ago, is the world’s highest gravel ridge. At its highest it rises 80 metres above Lake Pyhäjärvi and 160 metres above sea level. And the views from the tower were quite awesome! I enjoyed it although it was windy. Afterwards my host signed the guestbook for us and then we had the famous donut at the cafe on the ground level of the tower. The donut was warm and soft and I ate it all  Then it was time to head back to the city center and the busstation. We took a different route, along the Pyhäjärvi lake, to see diffewrent views.
Delenna Posted Aug 24, 2009, 10:06 am	Here we are, on an early Sunday morning, driving towards Sastamala - formerly known as Vammala. The municipality is formed from 7 previously independent municipalities and the population is now 24 600. The town itself is small. As you can see the way there was mostly forest and field scenery.
Delenna Posted Aug 24, 2009, 12:01 pm	Finally we arrived at Tyrvää Church where my host's goddaughter was to be confirmed. The church is 150 old but looks new and pretty to me!
Delenna Posted Aug 24, 2009, 12:03 pm	Thru yet some more forests and fields we drove back home in the evening...
Delenna Posted Aug 25, 2009, 6:26 pm	Back in Porvoo! Here I am at the riverbank of Porvoo river. Those old, red shorehouses are the most wellknown tourist attraction in Porvoo. This is what the tourism brochure tells about them: The shore houses are now red, but they got their colour only in the late 18th century. Red ochre paint was used to paint the shore houses in honour of King Gustav III's arrival from Sweden. All of the houses along his route were painted, in order to make them more beautiful. The red ochre also helped protect the logs from wind and sun damage. Exotic fruits, wines and spices were brought to Porvoo, and the shore houses also served as intermediate storehouses for coffee an tobacco. Today the shore houses are used as private living quarters and storage space. On the other side of the river are the newer "shorehouses" which are living quarters. They were built to resemble the old ones so that the riverbank would look "alike".
Delenna Posted Aug 31, 2009, 1:42 pm	This is the capitol of Finland: Helsinki! The home of about half a million people. The first photo shows the main busstation  It looks quite fancy - untill you realize it's also a shopping center  Right in the city center are also for example the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, The Parliament House, Ateneum Art Museum and the Main Railway Station... I also saw many interesting sculptures; the man riding a horse (in front of Kiasma) is a former president Mannerheim. There was also this odd chair which had all sorts of tiny details on it! Thext to the Railway Station was a Police Day event - I didn't get arrested as I behaved myself!  We continued towards the harbour & market place where I saw the famous Havis Amanda sculpture (in a fountain).  In the harbour I also saw The Presidential Palace. The current President is the first female president in Finland!
Delenna Posted Aug 31, 2009, 1:51 pm	I got to visit Suomenllinna Sea Fortress which is also a Unesco World Heritage Site! We took the ferry there and walked around for hours! This is the basic info I found on their website: Suomenlinna is a major monument of military architecture. The construction of the sea fortress on the islands just off Helsinki in the middle of the 18th century was the most extensive building project during Swedish rule. When it was complete, its military shipyard was one of the biggest dry docks in the world and centres of know-how at that time. At the end of Swedish rule the fortress was being compared with the maritime fortifications at Gibraltar. The 250-year-old fortress, which has been preserved intact because of its military use, is today part of the world heritage. In 1991 it was included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Suomenlinna is one of Finland’s most popular tourist attractions. At the same time it is a suburb of Helsinki, with 850 people living in the renovated ramparts and barracks.
Delenna Posted Aug 31, 2009, 1:56 pm	We took another ferry back to mainland Helsinki. I could see the Cathedral already from the distance. On the way closer I took a photo of an old, green phonebooth - phonebooths are rare in general as most of the Finns have cellphones (and many have 2!). I think this kind of a phonebooth is one of a kind! Next to it was this reindeer with a couple dressed in traditional costumes. And finally I saw the Cathedral closer up - it looks beautiful! So shining white... In the next photo, several blocks away is the statue of The Three Smiths. Someone had been decorating them... Finally I found myself back with the police force. I decided to want to go home as I knew my host  has a soft spot for uniforms - we would've never left if she had stayed longer...!
Delenna Posted Sep 1, 2009, 3:35 pm	This one Finnish Sauna! A heated room where people go to relax and to get clean. You see, the heat does good to your muscles and skin pores. We took the photos when the sauna wasn't heated because then we got better photos. My host said that she likes the temperature to be 60-80 degrees Celcius - less is too cold for a sauna and more is... well, too hot. You throw water on the hot stones to get more heat and humid. Before you go to sauna, you need to take a shower (or a swim if you live next to a lake), it doesn't feel good to go to sauna when you're dry. It's also good to pour water on yourself while in sauna - or take a shower and get back. You wash yourself only after the sauna, when the heat and humidity has pushed all crap out of your pores. The bunch of birch twigs (with leaves on!) tied up together is called vihta or vasta (depending where from Finland one is). You beat youself (or your companion) gently with it. It doesn't hurt. It just helps with relaxing, with mosquito bites etc. And it smells good!
Delenna Posted Sep 2, 2009, 5:43 pm	This is the center of Porvoo. There's the busstation, the market place behind it - and many many shops and stores and cafés. It was quite busy around 4pm when everyone was shopping.
Delenna Posted Sep 7, 2009, 9:17 am	Today I packed my bags and squished myself in an envelope: I'm going to the Netherlands! Thank you Finland! Holland, here I come!
fam-united Posted Sep 9, 2009, 2:16 pm	Today we drove to Oberhausen to take a look at the church, especially because Ralf, my host's husband, has to take photos of a wedding there.
fam-united Posted Sep 9, 2009, 2:20 pm	Then we drove to Rheinhausen, because we wanted to see the Rhine. The Rhine is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at 1,320 km,with an average discharge of more than 2,000 m³/s. It is the longest river in Germany. The Neckar, Main and Moselle flow in it in Germany.   There is a post museum in Rheinhausen. I wanted to go inside, but there was no time for it, we where too late. The oldest post office is located in Rheinhausen, dated 14. July 1490. In 1552 the post house was built by the family Taxis and members of the family lived there as administrator.
Marjolein Posted Sep 9, 2009, 2:40 pm	Hello! I arrived in The Netherlands today! I am happy and in one piece Will show you photo's soon! Hugs Mumble
Marjolein Posted Sep 16, 2009, 11:45 am	Hello! I met Momo today! We watched Ratatouille! It's a movie about a rat which is a very good cook but he cannot be a cook because he is a rat. So he finds a human who wants to help him. It's a very cool movie!
Marjolein Posted Sep 16, 2009, 12:02 pm	Hi mum! I went to a party today! It was for a surpriseparty for the father of a friend of Marjolein, who turned 50! It was a gardenparty in his own garden. He lives in a village near the city Groningen and has a very big garden! Everybody he knows was at the party! His daughter had made sure there where nice lights all over the garden. They had nice food! He got nice and personal gifts. He went on a biketrip to Santiago de Compostella in Spain. And familymembers made a collage. 'Hello, who is there?' Momo was talking to his mum on the phone I guess. Yaay he is talking to me again! We had a great time
Marjolein Posted Sep 16, 2009, 12:19 pm	Today we took a walk in the province Drenthe, in the nature called Noordsche Veld. There where lots of toadstools! Wow this is a big one! And there a words on it! In the province Drenthe the nature looks like this: This kind of nature is called 'heide'. After walking we rested at a Thea House in the middle of nature. The weather was nice and the nature and of course the scones also
Marjolein Posted Sep 30, 2009, 3:38 pm	Hello mum! It was the weekend of Maritiem Den Bosch! Den Bosch is the name the people of Holland call 's-Hertogenbosch and Marjolein lives here. This weekend it was filled with boats! And this is the Saint John's Cathedral! Hugs Mumble
Marjolein Posted Oct 2, 2009, 9:05 pm	Hi! I am just back from a Postcrossing- and ToyVoyagersmeeting! It was in Zwolle and very much fun! We wrote many cards! Hugs Mumble
Marjolein Posted Oct 31, 2009, 11:43 am	Hello! We where walking in the city Marjolein lives in, 's-Hertogenbosch. And we saw a Medieval market! So here are the photo's We had really no idea what they where doing at the market but it looked cool! Mumble
Marjolein Posted Nov 3, 2009, 8:47 pm	We took a tour through the city Den Bosch today! Our first stop was the mailbox! Which is next to the docter and pharmacist of Marjolein! It's an old church with modern buildings next to it. Den Bosch is really pretty, look at this: We went to the Tourist Information to get some postcards from Den Bosch. It's the oldest building in Den Bosch. It's called the Moriaan. It was built in circa 1220. In the basement there is a café. Den Bosch was already a city in 1220, it got cityrights somewhere between 1185 and 1196. This is the townhall. A nice halleyway. According to the book of Den Bosch, Marjolein bought at the Tourist Information, this is the most beautiful place in the city. And then the battery was dead! Onoo! Marjolein, you should have brought new ones! Well nothing we can do now, let's go back home!
Marjolein Posted Nov 22, 2009, 11:12 am	Hi mum! I went to another Postcrossingmeeting! It was in Amsterdam this time! Firstly we wrote lots of cards of course Then we went to a museum, which is called Ons' Lieve  Heer op Solder and it was a hidden church when the Catholics where not allowed to have churches. Unfortunately they where renovating it, so it wasn't as pretty as it is supposed to be, but you get the idea The church is devoted to Saint Nicholas. And! When we went outside we saw the real Saint Nicholas! And then we went to find postcardstores! I saw the Dam and everything, it was very cool And Marjolein sent and bought lots of postcards! The Palace The Warmonument Hugs Mumble
Marjolein Posted Dec 13, 2009, 1:37 pm	Hi! Today I went to the National Heritage Museum in Arnhem! It is a museum about everything about the Netherlands, through all of history. It's an open air museum, so it's like walking through a Dutch village in different times. You could so inside all the houses, like this one. You could also take the tram to see everything. This is a little bakeryshop. And this is Dutch new year in old times. At the square there was this carroussel. It was not all houses but also Dutch industry, with the package-delivery company Van Gend en Loos. These kind of cars where seen in Holland untill the fifties. Now there are many more railways. We watched old newsshows about winter in Holland. And we sat in a bar watching Dutch football! There was also a special exibition about collecters. This man collects everything about the Dutch royals. This is Queen Wilhelmina, the grandmother of our present Queen. And this is Queen Juliana, the mother of our present Queen. And this is a photo of our present Queen, Queen Beatrix! With her husband, who passed away a couple of years ago. Greetings from Arnhem!
Marjolein Posted Dec 17, 2009, 5:24 pm	Snow!! Walking in a Winter Wonderland, lalalala... It is snowing in Den Bosch! We took a walk in the snow! We also went to the famous nativity scene in the Saint John's Cathedral! Sorry for the moving photo's, but we where not allowed to use the flash  because it was inside a church! This is what the rest of the cathedral looks like. And this is a photo of the church, wow isn't it beautiful?!! Let it snow! And maybe tomorrow I will meet a snow man!! Mumble
Marjolein Posted Jan 7, 2010, 11:08 am	Merry Christmas! We made muffins from Germany to celebrate!
Marjolein Posted Jan 7, 2010, 11:14 am	And we walked in the snow again! But I still saw no snowmen! Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeee
Marjolein Posted Jan 7, 2010, 11:18 am	And of course we sat by the Christmas tree and we sang Christmas carols!
Marjolein Posted May 1, 2010, 8:22 pm	Dear mum, Here I am again! It's been too long! I am so sorry, but as you might know Marjolein is getting married soon and she is so busy with that and has been all year! But the good news is that I have been to Antwerp, Belgium today! It was very cool! We went by train, it was about an hour from Den Bosch. This is the trainstation of Antwerp! The market with the Cathedral of Our Lady. The weather was so good! The sun was shining and it was really hot for the time of year! Another market but this time with the famous cityhall and fountain. The also have an harbour in Antwerp! This is the view from the harbour onto the city. It's so beautiful don't you think? You can see the Cathedral. And in the harbour they also have a castle. It's simple called The Rock (Het Steen). Of course we bought some real Belgium chocolate. But that's already gone mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! Hugs Mumble
Marjolein Posted May 13, 2010, 9:06 pm	Marjolein and Kasper got married today! I was there! This is my proof: I will tell more when I am done sleeping haha. Hugs Mumble

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