Friendship Bear, Post Office, Home

Szabina


Posted Dec 30, 2008, 6:34 pm
I haven't met with my Mummy yet. I'll be a surprise for her!;)
Now, we are looking for some hosts and than, I can start my big journey! Yay!! :D

Please help me to surprise Szandra's best friend, Szabina and help me see the World!
BlackCat


Posted Jan 15, 2009, 7:42 pm
HELLO? Is there somebody?

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Oh, the envelope is open. I will have a look outside.

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Wow, I am not alone. Hello :)! Tilda and Thiele are with me. How nice :)!

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BlackCat


Posted Jan 17, 2009, 3:29 pm
Hello :)!

Today a lot ToyVoyager arrived here. 4 new Voyagers arrived here. Wow. That is a lot, or?

So, we welcomed Germania and Tiger Lilly :)!

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And then Bruni Lila.

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And then we said hello to Cassandra.

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So much new guests :)!

Happy welcome :)!
BlackCat


Posted Mar 13, 2009, 7:22 pm
Today we went with BlackCat when she visited her boyfriend at work. He is working in a company that is in the Margarethenhöhe.
The Margarethenhöhe is a jewel of the city. It is one of the loveliest examples of the German garden city idea. This area of the city is idyllic and was donated in 1906 by Margarethe Krupp on the occasion of her daughter Bertha’s wedding. Maximum two storeys high, comfortably equipped flats for workers and employees were developed following the plans of architect Georg Metzendorf. Even though the area gives a feeling of unity, no house is the same. Various design elements such as bow fronts and hedgerows, arched gables, plaster and natural stone foundations were used to give homes individual appearances. The estate has been under historical preservation since 1987.
It was really nice there but it was still dark, so the photos aren’t so good.

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A picture of Margarethe Krupp
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BlackCat


Posted Mar 13, 2009, 7:23 pm
This is one shop in the city of Essen. We found it when we were just walking around there. Doesn’t it look nice?

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BlackCat


Posted Mar 13, 2009, 7:26 pm
Today we made some cookies for the budgies of BlackCat. She found a recipe online how she can make cookies for her birds herself and wanted to try it. So we went with her in the kitchen and helped her as good as we could.

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Looking for the grain feed

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Putting an egg to the flour

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Mixing it

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Putting the grain feed into the mix of eggs and flour

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Mixing it again

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Making little cookies of it (not perfect, we know)

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and now we have to wait 15 minutes…

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The cookies are ready =)!

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And the birds are happy about it.
BlackCat


Posted Mar 13, 2009, 7:27 pm
Bruni Lila has to go today. So we all said Goodbye and waved. It was a nice time with Bruni and we all hope that the travel will be fast and nice.

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BlackCat


Posted Mar 23, 2009, 7:04 pm
Today BlackCat, her parents and me drove to Venlo in the Netherlands for doing some shopping. It was a really sunny day and we were all really happy. There was a market in Venlo, where you could buy flowers, cheese and a lot more. I have made some photos there for you:
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That's the view from where we parked the car.

It was a nice spring day. The first flowers were there and I looked at them.

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After we visited the market we went to the shopping street of Venlo.

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That is the town hall of Venlo.

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On our way back to the car we found a nice church.

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And then we walked back to the car and drove home again. It was a nice day and I was tired when we came back home.

Greetings,
Friendship Bear
BlackCat


Posted Mar 23, 2009, 7:08 pm
Today BlackCat had to work in the youth centre again. She is the woman at the cash and I went with her. The music was punk and I liked it.

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There were photos of the guys with gitars behind the cash.

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That was one of the bands while soundcheck.

It was a good concert.
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There was a lot money in the cash!

It was nice. I hope I can go there again, soon.

Friendship Bear
BlackCat


Posted Mar 23, 2009, 7:30 pm
Today we all went to the youth centre with BlackCat. It was so nice again. This time we went into the studio.

I was allowed to sing a song.
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And to play with some of the things there!

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It was a nice evening.

Friendship Bear
BlackCat


Posted Mar 23, 2009, 7:43 pm
Today we helped BlackCat writing some postcards, so that she can send them tomorrow. It was a lot work, but we had a lot fun. The cards are really nice.

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BlackCat


Posted Apr 9, 2009, 6:31 pm
Today I said Goodbye to all the toys and to BlackCat. I am traveling to the next host now!

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Goodbye Cassandra!

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Goodbye Germania!

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Goodbye Tilda!

I hope we will see us again some day!
fam-united


Posted May 24, 2009, 5:51 pm
I arrived at Petra's home after a short trip. They were just getting ready for a day trip, so it only was time to take one single photo before we jumped in the car.

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fam-united


Posted May 24, 2009, 5:57 pm
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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.

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I also saw a real Ralf Schumacher Formel 3 race car.

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fam-united


Posted May 24, 2009, 6:08 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.

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fam-united


Posted May 28, 2009, 6:11 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.


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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.


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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.

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Here you see Untergrombach down the hill.

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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.

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I love this last view to the chapel in the evening sun.

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fam-united


Posted Jun 4, 2009, 12:55 pm
Martin, Sabrina and Petra took us for an outing today. We drove to Pforzheim to visit the wild park. It was founded in 1968, is about 16 ha large and there live more than 400 mammals.

Just a few minutes after our arrival, Petra stumbled over a roundwood and fell on her two hands. She was happy, that she had time to relax before she had to drive again - but she didn't expect, that she had broken her right thumb and torn a ligament there too.


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I listened to different bird songs and tried to find out, which bird it was.


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fam-united


Posted Jun 14, 2009, 10:30 am
Rainy days with thunder and lightning in Bruchsal

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So we sat together in Petra's bedroom and read her current favorite book

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fam-united


Posted Jun 14, 2009, 10:31 am
Another thunderstorm

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fam-united


Posted Jun 14, 2009, 10:32 am
Today we saw a beautiful rainbow

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fam-united


Posted Jun 14, 2009, 10:35 am
Finally the weather is better again, so we went outside to take some photos of the beautiful flowers in Petra's garden.

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fam-united


Posted Jun 14, 2009, 10:47 am
Mhost family drove to Heidelberg, because their son begins with work experience at a medical laboratory tomorrow. So they thought, if would be a good idea to look where this laboratory is and then go to see the castle. But it was so crowded at the castle, that we turned around and decided to go there sometime later. So we only had been able to take a photo of the bridge.

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fam-united


Posted Jun 14, 2009, 10:51 am
When Petra read the newspaper today, she saw a photo on the first page with a large poppies field. She asked us and her son, if we want to come with her to take a look, if we could find this beautiful field and get some photos taken there. So we drove to Büchenau, which is one of Bruchsal's suburbs. It is a small town with about 2200 inhabitants. Just enjoy the photos. I love this poppies too, although they aren't pink.

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fam-united


Posted Jun 14, 2009, 11:17 am
It's raining again.

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fam-united


Posted Jun 14, 2009, 11:20 am
On our way home from Heidelberg - we drive this way each day now, because Fabian is there - we stopped by at the chapel on top of Letzenberg. It is really beautiful. It was built in 1902. They say, that there already was a pilgrimage chapel around 1300.
You have a great view to the Rhine valley and Kraichgau.


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fam-united


Posted Jun 14, 2009, 11:30 am
Then we drove to Münzesheim to visit the Japanese Garden, which belongs to the therapy centre against alcohol and other dependencies.

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There are some rules we have to follow.

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There is a round room with many many blue bottles as roof.

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fam-united


Posted Jun 14, 2009, 11:37 am
Petra and her family visited Ralf's aunt and uncle in Koblenz today. They also invited Ralf's parents to join them - and us, of course.

Koblenz is a city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the Moselle, where the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) and its monument (Emperor William I on horseback) are situated.



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It is the third largest city in Rhineland-Palatinate, with a population of c. 106,000 (2006).



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Here you see the confluence of Rhine (right side) and Moselle (left side).


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Ehrenbreitstein Fortress
(German: Festung Ehrenbreitstein) is a fortress on the mountain of the same name on the east bank of the Rhine opposite the town of Koblenz.

It was built as the backbone of the regional fortification system, Festung Koblenz, by Prussia between 1817 and 1832 and guarded the middle Rhine region, an area that had been invaded by French troops repeatedly before. The fortress was never attacked.
fam-united


Posted Jun 14, 2009, 11:49 am
We are really really busy now, that my hosts are on holiday. Today we drove again about 3 hours until we arrived at our destination. At first I saw many high buildings, mostly belonging to banks.

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(Ok, you're right, this isn't the highest building I've seen.)

We visited Luxembourg City today. The casemates are Unesco World Heritage.


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We saw the casemates there, very impressive. The first casemates of Luxembourg had been built in 1644, during spanish rule. They were about 23 kilometers long (since 1867 only 17 km) and reach about 40 meters into the deep. Because of this fortress Luxembourg got the byname "Gilbraltar of the north".

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We also visited the cathedral Notre Dame.

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Then we went to see the other part of casemates, but this time we didn't go inside.

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fam-united


Posted Jun 14, 2009, 11:52 am
On our way home we has to refuel and because it is much cheaper in Luxembourg than in Germany, we did it there. We also bought some coffee and chocolate, but this time we waited in the car for our hosts to come back.

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Then we drove back to Germany. You see the signs over the bridge.

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fam-united


Posted Jun 14, 2009, 11:53 am
We had a short stop at Igel to take a photo with the Igel Column, also Unesco World Heritage. The brothers Lucius Secundinius Aventinus and Lucius Secundinius Securus built it around 250 for them and deceased relatives. It shows scenes of daily life of cloth merchants and of mythology.

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fam-united


Posted Jun 14, 2009, 11:57 am
Then Petra had the idea to show us a great view over one of her favorite cities: Trier. Because it was early evening and we wanted to take photos, they decided to drive to St. Mary's Column on the Pulsberg. It was built from 1859-1866 in neo-Gothic style.

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You have a wonderful view over the Moselle valley and Trier.

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Because Petra's camera is rather good, she zoomed in, so I can show you some more Unesco World Heritage places. It was too late to go closer, I'm sorry.


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Portra Nigra


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Cathedral of Trier


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Constantine Basilica


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Kaiserthermen


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St. Matthias' Abbey


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fam-united


Posted Jul 5, 2009, 7:18 pm
Today we drove to Heidelberg.
Heidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg. About 140 000 people live in the city's area. It lies on the river Neckar at the point, where it leaves its narrow, steep valley in the Odenwald to flow into the Rhine valley. The river Neckar joins the river Rhine at Mannheim.

Approximately 1 000 000 years ago the "Heidelberg Man", whose jaw-bone was discovered in 1907, the earliest evidence of human life in Europe, died at nearby Mauer.

Our hosts love to take photos of the castle and the view to the Neckar. Every now and then they go there - just for some photos. They are crazy, but to tell the truth: I love Heidelberg. I lost my heart in Heidelberg - like many others before.


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fam-united


Posted Jul 12, 2009, 5:08 pm
Petra went on a sightseeing tour through Bruchsal today. At first she showed us a nice view over Bruchsal.

Here you see a part of the older people's house and the grey building in the far on the left side is a private grammar school.


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Here you see a view to the catholic church St. Peter, which is close to where I live right now. You surely saw the towers of this church already, when we took pictures out of the window.

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Here is the main part of the town. From left to right you see the tower of the old palace, the tower of the inner city church Our holy mother (Stadtkirche), a catholic church, and the tower of the evanglic church called Lutherkirche. Bruchsal has four more catholic church and two more evanglic churches, one lutheran and the other methodist. There also is a mosque and a new apostolic church. And there are some more churchs in the five suburbs of Bruchsal.

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Here you see the Belvedere, which is just behind the place, where we took the photos before. The Belvedere is a former hunting lodge, now mostly used as schoolyard for a grammar school. Here you see the scaffolding, which is used as a place to sit for the visitors of the open air theatre.

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Then we drove to the "new" palace of Bruchsal. It is a rather big area, which belongs to the palace. Here you have a view to the county court, the highest building on this photo.

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On the right side you see the main entrance of the palace and the building, where you see the tower behind, is the catholic church St. Damian and Hugo with its tower. Petra and her family go to service there.

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Here you see the backside of the church and the tower again.

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Here you see the backside of the palace.

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We went to the pond to see the ducks,

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but I only saw one single duck and many doves.

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There are many statues along the middle way of the palace garden: four show the four seasons spring, summer, autumn and winter and four show the four elements water, earth, air and fire.

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fam-united


Posted Jul 12, 2009, 5:13 pm
Today we were invited to Martin's 16th birthday, which he celebrated on 12th June already, but today the whole family came to celebrate with him.

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I'm waiting for some coffee, but Petra told me, that I'm too young to drink coffee and so she brought some milk.

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fam-united


Posted Jul 12, 2009, 5:14 pm
Today is a big flea market in front of the palace of Bruchsal. Petra's husband and her son were "very happy" to take me and the other toyvoyagers with them and take photos with us and then they took no photo with me - seems I have been hiding invisible in the backpack. :rolleyes:


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fam-united


Posted Jul 12, 2009, 5:16 pm
It is raining cats and dogs and the thunder is very loud. Petra says, that the thunderstorm is just over Bruchsal. Later we read in the newspapers, that one house burnt. Thank Godness, nobody got hurt.

Here you see two views out of Petra's bedroom.


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fam-united


Posted Jul 12, 2009, 5:21 pm
Petra's daughter is on the way to Stockholm, Sweden. It is her first flight and she is very nervous and so is Petra. She took three toyvoyager with her: Precious, Kari and Hasi. So of course we are excited too. Here I watch the flight and the airplanes arrival in Stockholm.

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Petra's daughter sings in a choir, which takes part at the big Pueri Cantores Festival in Stockholm.

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There is a very long list of choirs from all over the world.

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fam-united


Posted Jul 12, 2009, 5:24 pm
Ralf and Petra read in the newspapers, that there are Scottish Highland Games in Angelbachtal. Both are big Scotland fans, although they never had been there already - but they surely will go there one day, that's what they told us. So today they decided to go to the festival and watch the games and listen to the Pipes and Drums Bands.

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(sorry for being not in this photo, Petra said, that she has to zoom it)


There were several shops and Petra bought a Scottish Teddy Bear and some hair bands and Ralf bought two Scottish flags.

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fam-united


Posted Aug 4, 2009, 7:45 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.

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fam-united


Posted Aug 4, 2009, 8:09 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.


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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.


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fam-united


Posted Aug 9, 2009, 11:41 am
Wow, I can tell you, Petra had some crazy last weeks at her school. She is so happy, that there are only 2 more days and then summer break starts.
I'm sure, you aren't really surprised, that it is raining once more and very windy.



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fam-united


Posted Aug 9, 2009, 11:43 am
Today we visited the Unimog Museum in Gaggenau. It is located between Rastatt and Freudenstadt in the beautiful Murg River Valley.
There is an exhibition of various alternating Unimog of six decades from the beginning until now, giving hints about technology, love stories between drivers and vehicles and lots of models.
We also took part in off-road driving on the Unimog Museum premises, climbing various hills and tackling other obstacles on the Unimog parcours. It was so so great!


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I'm sorry, but there is only one photo with Spooky outside at the parcours.

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fam-united


Posted Aug 9, 2009, 11:44 am
Another thunderstorm! It is unbelievable, how often we have lightning and thunder.

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fam-united


Posted Aug 9, 2009, 11:53 am
Today we drove to the Michaelsberg in Untergrombach. Maybe you remember, that I had been here the other evening? Today it was time to learn something new and to repeat some other parts, I've already heard before.

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.


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The chapel is on top of the Michaelsberg.

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In the far (right side) you see some houses, which belong to Bruchsal.
   
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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.

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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.

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The nature reserve sign, they shortly added some rules.

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fam-united


Posted Aug 9, 2009, 11:55 am
Then it was time for Tito, Tilla Mook, Galo, Nanu the cub, Coco, Kari, Tasmanian Devil, Scotty, Spooky and me to say good bye to Precious.

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fam-united


Posted Aug 9, 2009, 11:56 am
Once more we are in Eichtersheim. This time there is a big medieval market and a joust.

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Two zoomed photos without me:

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fam-united


Posted Sep 9, 2009, 10:06 am
Today I will write down some more information about Bruchsal. Bruchsal (orig. Bruohselle, Bruaselle) is a city at the western edge of the Kraichgau, approximately 20 km Northeast of Karlsruhe in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route.
Bruchsal is the largest city in the district of Karlsruhe and is known for being Europe's largest asparagus producer and one of the economic centers of the region of Karlsruhe


Bruchsal is located at the edge of the Upper Rhine River Plains and the Kraichgau along the Saalbach, which is a small tributary of the Rhine that joins it between Philippsburg and Oberhausen.
                                   
Ancient era and early Middle Ages
Excavations and artifacts that were discovered evidence a settlement existing on the Michelsberg (Untergrombach) as early as 4000 BC during the Neolithic. In the core of Bruchsal the oldest settlement discovered was dated back to 640 AD. It is located near the present Peterskirche, where I stay right now. The first mention of Bruchsal in official documents occurred in 976 when the King came to town. And during October of the year 980, Otto II and his Court stayed at the King's palace in Bruchsal for several days

1248 was the first time Bruchsal was referred to as a city and in 1278 St. Peters Church is mentioned for the first time. After extensive damage to both, the Palace and the Peterskirch were reconstructed in 1320. The Bergfried (an outlook and defensive tower bastion) was erected in 1358 and the city wall was completed in 1452. In 1460 the first coin was pressed in Bruchsal.


By April 24, 1711 Bruchsal had recovered sufficiently to play host to Prince Eugene of Savoy of the Habsburg Court in Vienna. Then in 1716 the Bishop of Speyer, Heinrich von Rollingen, moved his residence into the Bruchsal Palace. This move elevated the city's status to that of an official residence of the Diocese of Speyer. At the same time, Bruchsal became the seat of the "Vizedomamt", the most important office held by the Diocese on the West bank of the Rhine. In 1719 Cardinal Damian Hugo von Schönborn became the new Bishop and after settling in he commissioned in (1722), among others, the new baroque château and the new Peters Church (from 1742). Both were built and, in part, designed by Balthasar Neumann. In the Bishop's honor, the Southern gate out of the château grounds is referred to as Damian's Gate to this day.



In the afternoon of March 1, 1945, Bruchsal was bombed. In addition to the 1,000 lives that perished that day, the entire inner city and the baroque château were destroyed. The baroque palace was rebuilt in the 70th.
   

That's enough of history now. I'm not sure, whether you want to read everything, but I thought, Petra should write a bit about Bruchsal's history. She used wikipedia and you will find more history and information there.

Do you already know the sundial at one of the buildings, which belongs to the palace area?

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We are resting in the sun at the back side of the palace and you also see the church tower.

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Then we saw some interesting statues, when we walked in the palace garden.

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There are some of the most beautiful and oldest houses of Bruchsal in Franz-Bläsi-Straße.

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On our way back through the palace garden we found this old and interesting tree. Here all toyvoyagers, which stay in Bruchsal right now, are sitting together on the tree. It was a nice resting place and we had a good view from there.

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On our way back to our current home, we went past the old tower of the old castle, called Bergfried.

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fam-united


Posted Sep 9, 2009, 2:11 pm
In the Rhine Valley they plant asparagus. Bruchsal is the most important asparagus market in Europe. So it isn't a big surprise, that my hosts like to eat asparagus during asparagus season. They prefer to eat it with mayonnaise and cooked potatoes.

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fam-united


Posted Sep 18, 2009, 9:24 pm
In the afternoon we went to Stuttgart airport, because olgamaus had to fly home again.

From the roof of the car park we could see the famous Bosch-Parkhaus (Bosch-car park). It spans across the motorway A8.
The car park has space for 4200 vehicles on five stories. The logo is the second largest illuminated sign in the world and the biggest logo in the world after the unlit Hollywood Sign.


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Then we went to the visitor terrace, where we could see some planes starting and landing.

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We also took a look at the old planes and helicopter, which belong to an exhibition on the visitor platform.

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Antonow An-2


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Dornier DO 27


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Harvard AT-6G
fam-united


Posted Sep 18, 2009, 11:09 pm
Then we drove to Stuttgart-Degerloch to take a look at the TV (television - hahaha) tower. Since 11th July 2009 it is "Historic landmark of engineer art of construction in Germany. It is 217 m high, the first tv tower in the world and therefore the prototype of many other tv towers.

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fam-united


Posted Sep 19, 2009, 8:46 am
The elderberries are ripe and so it is time to pick them. My hosts know a good place to go, where many elder bushes grow. So they went there and came back with three big plastic bags.

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At home we had to wash them.

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Then we had to cook them and to fill the juice into the bottles.

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fam-united


Posted Sep 19, 2009, 11:59 am
Altleiningen is a castle and a town in Rhineland-Palatinate. It belongs to destrict Bad Duerkheim. It was built on top of a 400 m high hill. You still can see a few remains of the old building from 1100 AD. Nowadays it is a youth hostel and my hosts' daughter already had been there with her class in 2006.

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fam-united


Posted Sep 19, 2009, 2:56 pm
Today we drove to Enzklösterle. At first we played Adventure Golf and had a lot of fun.

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Then we had lunch at a restaurant, where the Krippena is located. We saw the world largest wood carved Christmas crib and a Christmas tree.

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fam-united


Posted Sep 19, 2009, 4:05 pm
On our way home we stopped at a field, where you can pick flowers and throw the money in a box. We bought some gladioli.

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fam-united


Posted Oct 4, 2009, 7:42 pm
At Neuleiningen we only had a short stop to take a far away photo of the castle there.


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JaymeC


Posted Oct 6, 2009, 6:00 am
Dear Mommy,
I finally arrived at my new host's house here in Okinawa, Japan! Jayme was getting a bit desperate to get away from her school books and out of the house so we headed towards Kokusai-Dori. Its a shopping area here in Okinawa. We started out on the main street, there are lots of fun shops and what not here.  Many of them have attractions outside to try to attract customers. Here is a Hello Kitty dressed like a Shisa.
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And we stopped on a goya bench. Goya is a vegetable grown in Okinawa.
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And Jayme thought this shark head just looked odd.
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And pork is very popular here on Okinawa oddly, see this sign on the building?
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/IMG_0411.jpg
Unfortunately we didn't make it too far before Jayme's son was complaining he was hungry, so we stopped at McD's to grab some food.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/IMG_0396.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/IMG_0399.jpg
It was pretty yummy for fast food :)
After stopping for a snack we headed into Heiwa-dori. This is supposed to be the discount street area where things are slightly cheaper.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0388.jpg
Here you can see a view of the street.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0393.jpg
We walked all the way to the end of it where they have a section right outside for pottery. It was a nice street outside.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0383.jpg
And see some of the small ceremics they make? Its more Shisa's. They're very popular in this area to sell.  They also had some more elaborate pottery.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0387.jpg
After that it was time to head back to the car and home, we were all pretty tired out from walking! Whew! Hopefullly there'll be more updates soon!
Friendship Bear
JaymeC


Posted Oct 15, 2009, 7:56 am
Dear Mommy,
You could probably tell with the pictures at Kokusai Street that it was very cloudy, and it just hasn't let up. It seems to be raining non stop. Or at least be very cloudy. One day the sun came out for just a little bit and Jayme quickly headed to the playground with the boys since they are very restless! First we walked along the water for a little bit.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0419.jpg
Then we stopped at the playground. This was the only photo I managed as I was quite busy helping Jayme chase the boys.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0431.jpg
Then we walked over to feed the ducks, which the boys enjoyed.I said hello, but it was a good thing Jayme had a good hold on me. I must have looked like bread because the duck tried to take a bite out of me!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0479.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0477.jpg
After that close call it started to get cloudy again and we hurried to the car before we got rained on. More soon,
Friendship Bear
JaymeC


Posted Oct 15, 2009, 8:06 am
Mommy,
Well, the rain still hasn't let up, but Jayme said we couldn't miss what was going on today so we all piled into the car to head down to Naha. We got there just as a parade was going on! Here I am.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0492.jpg
And here's some zoomed in photos of the parade. Do you see the little boy? He was doing karate! Did you know karate was invented in Okinawa?
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0485.jpg
This man was also part of the parade, he was escorting some of the other children. There were many children in the parade.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0513.jpg
After the parade we headed over and Jayme started telling me what we were up to today. Today is the tug-of-war in Naha. This is the largest tug-of-war in the world! About 25,000 people attend each year. Unfortunately this is the first year she could make it, but I suppose that's fortunate for us since we got to come! The tug-of-war game dates back to the 1600's and these days is a very big tourist attraction.  They actually shut down the main street in Okinawa's capital city to do the tug-of-war. Here you can see me at the street with the rope behind me. We were able to get a picture so clear of people because they hadn't shut down the road yet (and there was a red light!) This is only about 1/4 of the total rope. There were two of those looped ends that got connected at the middle for the actual tug-of-war.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0534.jpg
All of a sudden they closed the street and we all ran forward and got ahold of the rope. If you see where there were curls on the top, those are actually smaller ropes that everyone pulled loose to get a good grip and tug on. Here's a picture of me in the crowd.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0579.jpg
After that Jayme rather lost track since she was trying to keep the two little boys (and us!) from getting squished. But it was lots of fun to contribute to the tug-of-war contest this year in Okinawa!
Friendship Bear
JaymeC


Posted Oct 15, 2009, 8:18 am
Dear Mommy,
Jayme's boys were still going quite a bit stir crazy. They're sweet little boys, but they're very active. So we headed out to the Busena Under Water Observatory, which is at least kind of indoors. Here I am on the pier leading out to the observatory.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0593.jpg
We went inside and down many steps and at the bottom there were about 20 of these windows in a circle under the water. We stayed quite awhile to look out the portals.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0609.jpg
Here's some shots out the portal, it was hard to get one with us tvs in it and the fish!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0604.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0605.jpg
On the way back it started raining. Jayme had umbrellas with her, but the boys were playing with the umbrellas so much that we actually ended up getting even MORE wet. I can't wait for this rain to end!
Friendship Bear
JaymeC


Posted Oct 20, 2009, 6:34 am
Dear Mommy,
Jayme's friend owed her a babysitting favor, so she took the kids for the whole weekend! We got to have some fun in the meantime. Our first stop was Murasaki Mura. It is a park where you can do many Okinawan crafts. On the way in we saw many Shisa's. Shisa's are the traditional guardians on Okinawa. They come in pairs. One is male, one female. The male has his mouth closed to capture the bad spirits while the female's mouth is open to let the good spirits through. They come in all different types and can be found on most homes and stores in Okinawa. Here are some we saw on the way in.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0624.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0625.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0629.jpg
After that we headed towards the seashell craft. I very carefully helped Jayme make her clock.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0635.jpg
Here it is finished!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0636.jpg
Unfortunately right after that the battery on Jayme's camera died. Whoops! But there wasn't too much to miss, we just walked around and looked at the different crafts after that for a bit.
More soon,
Friendship Bear
JaymeC


Posted Oct 20, 2009, 7:40 am
Dear Mommy,
The second day without kids we decided to do something fun and we drove up to hike Hiji Falls! It was a very long drive, about two hours. Its a good thing we had a big hike at the end to stretch out with! We paid the fee to hike the area and walked on in. When you first come in there's a small waterfall.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0644.jpg
Then there's just lots of hiking. Its only about 1.5km each way, but this is what most of the route looks like. Up and down and up and down....
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0699.jpg
You walk along the creek that Hiji Falls pours into along the way.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0681.jpg
And you get to cross a suspension bridge.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0713.jpg
Finally we made it to Hiji Falls! Isn't it pretty?
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0665.jpg
Whew! Good thing I was small enough for Jayme to carry me :) She's pretty worn out though, just in time to pick up the kids! Hopefully we'll be able to do something else fun sometime soon.
Friendship Bear
JaymeC


Posted Nov 2, 2009, 3:03 am
Dear Mommy,
We had lots of fun celebrating Halloween here with Jayme.  Her boys were pirates, so we decided to pretend to be pirates too. First we helped her put up some decorations. The spider web was very sticky
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0861.jpg
I got caught in it and had to try very hard to get away from the bugs trying to surround me!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0863.jpg
We also hung up some other decorations like chains
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0865.jpg
And met a spider.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0866.jpg
And we took a break, hiding in these cups to stay away from the bugs
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0864.jpg
Then it was time to carve the pumpkin. Here it is!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0822.jpg
With lots of help from Jayme we made a monster pumpkin!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0835.jpg
Here it is with the lights out
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0841.jpg
We put our pumpkin and Jayme's husband's pumpkin outside along with a bowl of candy and headed out with the kids to trick or treat next.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0842.jpg
It was raining so we stayed inside the apartment building, but even there some people decorated their doors. See this pumpkin one?
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0851.jpg
And this is a fall one with a welcome home sign. Since Jayme lives on a military base there are always parents deploying, and welcome home signs up when they come home.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0852.jpg
Phew! We made it home before too long. Look at our haul!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0845.jpg
That's quite a lot for such a little toy to carry, but the kids brought in considerably more. Yikes! Who's going to eat all this?!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0868.jpg
Whew! We had lots of fun. Hope you had a good Halloween too!
Happy Halloween,
Friendship Bear
fam-united


Posted Nov 14, 2009, 10:16 am
On our way home we drove to a village and came through this beautiful street. Kleinkarlbach is a municipality in the collective municipality of Grünstadt-Land in the district of Bad Dürkheim in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate in southwestern Germany.

Kleinkarlbach is a wine-growing village in the Palatinate lying near the edge of the Palatinate Forest. (wikipedia)


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2445/3900972708_d08222d16f.jpg
fam-united


Posted Nov 14, 2009, 10:17 am
Schwarzach is a town in the district of Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was first named in 1143, since 1823 it is divided in the towns Unterschwarzach and Oberschwarzach - we were in Unterschwarzach. It is about 0km east of Heidelberg.
At first we visited the wildlife park. It is part of nature park Neckar valley- Odenwald and UNESCO- Geopark.

At the entrance we saw the world's largest mortar bell.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2422/3900974386_6aa50f5625.jpg


In the far we saw some deer.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3534/3900977116_be0d058ec1.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3534/3900196527_eb84e0e878.jpg



Here you see, how I saw them without zooming.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/3900197947_645662b1e5.jpg


Do you want to read some German about the deer?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3452/3900979192_25440af0cc.jpg



There aren't only animals, which are from Germany originally.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2527/3900981618_a5bb583ed3.jpg


I also saw some zebras.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2522/3900983596_5afa7a7cf3.jpg


Feeding a shy roe isn't easy.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2487/3900985994_5f08f760eb.jpg


We had a nice funny ride on a small train.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2464/3900205243_28344d3628.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3506/3900986532_0fb7a283d0.jpg
fam-united


Posted Nov 14, 2009, 10:29 am
Then we drove to the "Schwarzacher Hof", which belongs to Johannes-Anstalten Mosbach, located at the castle set on a lake. The oldest building is from 1914/15, the biggest part was built in second half of 20th century. There's place on the farmyard for 780 living quarters and exterior living groups for disabled people.

We went throught the park, that belongs to this farmyard.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2514/3900989196_5d97364f29.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3521/3900989476_c4b22a7ee0.jpg



There is a small barefoot park and we tried it.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3477/3900987368_a69af27a01.jpg



I went through a labyrinth. Do you see me? I'm with my host's daughter.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/3900208907_ebeed358c4.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3525/3900209303_4e65550fcb.jpg


We are at the centre now.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3494/3900209967_18b008163e.jpg


When we were outside of the labyrinth again, we sat down on a large thumb.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2528/3900210219_4668998c89.jpg


Do you remember that blue room in the Japanese Garden of Münzesheim? Now I know, where they found the bottles.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2427/3900212297_e1bae47ba7.jpg


We had fun on the slide.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3420/3900214877_de9c06ac72.jpg



A last glimpse at the labyrinth from a higher place.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3498/3900996762_e5fc224202.jpg
JaymeC


Posted Nov 24, 2009, 1:04 am
Dear Mommy,
I'm sorry I haven't updated more, Jayme's been sick and very busy with the end of the school semester these last few weeks lately. She's almost done though! And she also had one other big event we had to help her prepare for... we had to go to lots of places Jayme thought it would be rather boring to take pictures of. First we went to get her hair cut, then to get a pedicure, manicure, and do some shopping for other supplies... finally we got home that evening and Jayme got all dressed up! She was very pretty. While she was getting dressed we climbed into her wallet. She said it was very good that we were so small, she wouldn't have been able to take any larger toys!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0871.jpg
When we poked our heads out again, we were at Jayme's table at the Marine Corps Ball!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0875.jpg
The Marine Corps Ball is celebrated every year as a celebration of the Marine Corps Birthday on November 10, 1775. Its a very special day for all the US Marines and they all dress up and go to the ball, which is not only dinner and a dance, but a very nice ceremony. They also wander around telling each other Happy Birthday all night long, which we thought was kind of funny. They even have a birthday cake!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0877.jpg
We didn't get to take any pictures during the ceremony, and our seats weren't very good either, but I'll show you a few Jayme took and tell you about it. First they bring the flags in and everyone has to stand up and they play the National Anthem.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0890.jpg
Right after that they have a moment of silence for all the Marines past and present who have died to protect their country. Then they wheel in the cake and the guest of honor and command officer come in. They read a letter written by General Lejeune almost 100 years ago each year as well. Here's the man reading the letter this year.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0889.jpg
After that they cut the cake. The guest of honor is given the first slice and then the oldest Marine is given the second. The oldest Marine passes his piece of cake onto the youngest Marine to show the passing of the traditions on.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0896.jpg
After that everyone files back out. Then the guest of honor gives a brief speech. Then its time to eat! The dinner was quite good, but Jayme forgot to take pictures. Sorry :( Its followed by a piece of birthday cake of course. Then it was time to dance as long as you'd like then head home. We were pretty tuckered out by the end of it! But I hope you like the pictures :)
More soon,
Friendship Bear
JaymeC


Posted Nov 30, 2009, 8:05 am
Dear Mommy,
Jayme was excited about Thanksgiving this year so we had to run some errands the day before Thanksgiving. We went to a few normal stores, then we had to stop by this one store to get what she called "really fresh" eggs. It was a weird place. Most of it was animals for the children to look at and they called it a mini mini zoo. Here you can see some photos.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0939.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0955.jpg
A monster almost got me!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0947.jpg
After that we headed home ot make buckeye candy. First we made peanut butter balls
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0906.jpg
Then we dipped them in chocolate. They were very yummy!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0907.jpg
More soon,
Friendship Bear
JaymeC


Posted Nov 30, 2009, 8:18 am
Dear Mommy,
We woke up to the most delicious smells... and we headed towards the kitchen. Only to realize the baby gate was up and Jayme was threatening everyone who came near her kitchen with a spatula. Yesh, I didn't know Thanksgiving was so serious! We waited and waited and finally just in time for lunch the Thanksgiving meal was served. It was worth the wait!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4218.jpg
After lunch we went for a walk along the beach to burn off all the calories! Here is where we started. See the sea wall in the distance?
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4222.jpg
Well we walked all the way over there. Its really quite pretty. Some of the graffiti on it is just great.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4243.jpg
And since the tide was out it was a nice place to rest and take a break.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4251.jpg
We walked on a little further and found a small beach called sunset beach. Its really too cold for swimming, and there are lots of jelly fish this time of year, but some people were walking at the waters edge.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4257.jpg
Finally it was time to turn around. Back where we began was a playground shaped like a pirate ship. We stopped there to rest while Jayme's children played.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4273.jpg
Overall we had a very relaxing Thanksgiving. I wonder what adventures we'll go on next?
Friendship Bear
JaymeC


Posted Dec 15, 2009, 8:21 am
Dear Mommy,
I'm sorry I haven't updated more quickly! Jayme's been quite busy. Us toys have been trying to help, but there's lots to do. We have done a few little trips though. First we went to a place called Comprehensive Park and took a walk. There are many walking trails here. Today we simply walked along the beach then to a small fish pond so that the boys could see the fishes.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1132.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1127.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1157.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1156.jpg
More soon,
Friendship Bear
JaymeC


Posted Dec 15, 2009, 8:42 am
Mommy,
Today we went to a very special place on Okinawa. It is the Peace Memorial Park. The Peace Park here on Okinawa has taken many years to build. It is to memorialize all that were killed on Okinawa during World War II and also a reminder of the cost of war, and the value of peace. The Peace Park consists of different sections. There is a museum there that has maps and a history of the battle on Okinawa as well as exhibits to see and stories of those who survived are told. There is also a Memorial that you can walk through outside that lists the names of all those killed during the Battle of Okinawa on the edge of a cliff. Finally there is an area with many memorials you can walk through, most of which are stones with the information carved into them in Japanese, which unfortunately Jayme can not read. Today we only saw a small portion of the park, the last area where there are memorials and nice walking paths. Here we are at the beginning of the walk, below us you can see the black stone with engraved names and the museum.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_0998.jpg
Here you can see the water at the base of the cliffs, isn't it beautiful?
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1022.jpg
Next to some of the memorials are paper cranes like these. Many of them are donated by local school children who come to visit. Isn't this an amazing amount of cranes? And these are the ones displayed outside where they must be replaced often. There are many in various locations and inside the museum.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1047.jpg
Here is an example of one of the memorials up here.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1058.jpg
Finally here is the view of the stones again as we were walking back to the car to go home.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1069.jpg
It is a very beautiful and sad place to visit. But it is time to celebrate peace as well, and Jayme says we have a few plans for Christmas upcoming, I hope I'll be able to tell you about them soon,
Friendship Bear
JaymeC


Posted Dec 18, 2009, 1:42 am
Dear Mommy,
Today we went on a long ride up to a base called Courtney. They were having a small Christmas festival here. Here I am at the entrance.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4362.jpg
First we sat and watched some carolers.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4297.jpg
Then we took the kids over to the kiddie land. They had an area for rides and for bounce houses.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4318.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4352.jpg
Then we went to look at the hmmwv they had out. They also had a larger truck and police car, but there were too many people there to take a photo.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4350.jpg
We wanted to see Santa, but it was far too busy so we couldn't this time :( Maybe another time. But we had lots of fun and I'm sure we'll do more soon!
Friendship Bear
JaymeC


Posted Dec 18, 2009, 2:03 am
Dear Mommy,
We had lots to do! We made cookies and put them along with buckeyes in these little bags. The bags are for the Marines to take home with them along with other stocking stuffers from the Christmas party. You see, there are many single men out here who are very far from home and so Jayme's job is to try to help them (and the other families) to feel a little less lonely, especially during the holidays. So we cooked and cooked cookies!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4367.jpg
Then we bagged them up.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4375.jpg
Look at all these bags! 100 of them here, another woman was doing another 100. That's a lot of cookies!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4377.jpg
Finally we also made a couple of Christmas tree cakes for the party itself. Doesn't it look yummy?
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4384.jpg
And then we were off to the party! It was at the bowling alley. They were supposed to have things outside as well, but it was raining :( This isn't a very good picture, but it was quite crowded and we didn't get to bowl at all! But here is the party itself.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1204.jpg
But most importantly...someone very important came to the party. After he was done greeting all the children Jayme was able to ask him to take a photo with us as well. Did you know that Jayme knows Santa?! I'm very impressed. Here are all of us visiting right now with Santa!
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4388.jpg
Whew. Very tiring! I wonder what else we'll do for Christmas?
Friendship Bear
JaymeC


Posted Dec 26, 2009, 9:37 pm
Dear Mommy,
I have lots of fun Christmas stories to tell you, but first I wanted to show you the decorations here at Jayme's house. She actually has two nativity sets. You see, she bought one the first year, but then realized her kids always wanted to touch it so she found one online that's a childrens nativity set that they can play with. Unfortunately she says this means there's almost always a piece missing, but at least now they don't try to get her set anymore. And it is pretty cute.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4392.jpg
Here's the adult nativity set. Its still pretty kid proof, but looks a bit nicer.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4393.jpg
Then there were the Christmas cards Jayme received! A few from toyvoyagers, a few from postcard friends, and a few from family. Not too many cards, but she put them out anyway.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4421.jpg
Finally there was of course the tree! I won't put up a big picture of the tree yet, you can see that on Christmas Day :) But I will show you some of the small ornaments on it. Jayme and her family each get one ornament every year for a Christmas present. It may be something from a movie or cartoon they like or something on a trip. Like the Minnie ornament Jayme got at Tokyo Disney. Or it may be something that reminded Jayme of her kids. Like the panda ornament because her oldest son used to carry a panda around non-stop as a lovey for awhile. And then of course, there's a few small ones the children made as well. Here are some pictures of them.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4409.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4410.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_4411.jpg
I hope you liked the pictures! I'll be sure to write all about Christmas very soon so you can see what fun we had!
Friendship Bear
JaymeC


Posted Dec 31, 2009, 11:35 am
Dear Mommy,
I'm sorry I didn't get my update up sooner to tell you about Christmas! But here it is now.
On Christmas Eve our first priority was of course making Christmas cookies! The kids had lots of fun making them. We toys mostly stayed out of the way since we didn't want to get all floury or coated in icing.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1238.jpg
Here are the ones we left out for Santa.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1244.jpg
After getting every ready for Santa we went on out to the Christmas Eve light show! We got there quite early before nightfall. Here we are waiting and watching some shows near the stage. You can't really see the shows from here, but they just had people coming up doing short acts juggling or what not.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1258.jpg
They also had a small festival area for the kids with games and rides, so we took the kids over to do some rides while we waited.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1289.jpg
The best part of all for the kids though was that we got to see some real snow! Even though it was very warm that night (Jayme was in a tshirt!) they had a snow maker they kept running to build up snowmen, and igloos and other things. It was very, very packed in the snow area. Lots of children checking it out! Many of them will live on Okinawa all of their lives and not really have a chance to play in the snow. Here I am in a brief picture I managed to squeeze in while we were trying to carefully keep an eye on Jayme's children.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1305.jpg
Finally the lights came on! Aren't they pretty? They have a few very elaborate light set ups.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1386.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1364.jpg
Whew! After that we went home and put the children to bed and helped Jayme do some last minute wrapping.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1345.jpg
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1346.jpg
Finally we all got to bed and when we woke in the morning Santa had visited and brought more presents! Here we all are under the tree with the gifts.
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/jaymestvs/October%2009/IMG_1417.jpg
We spent Christmas Day at Jayme's house playing with the boys and their new toys. Maybe I can take some pictures of them later. For now, Merry Christmas Mommy! Hope you had a wonderful one!
Mommy, I'm quite worn out from my visit here. We've been very busy! I had hoped I would hear from you by now, but since I haven't I'm going to take a nap up on Jayme's shelf until she hears from you about where I'm supposed to go next. Don't worry, I'll be quite safe even though I'm not updating and I hope I'll have a nice cozy envelope to sleep in soon.
Much love,
Friendship Bear
JaymeC


Posted Mar 29, 2010, 10:52 pm
Friendship Bear was mailed home.

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