NiliHH, Hyden, Australia

RikeH Posted Mar 20, 2009, 4:32 pm	So, now I am a ToyVoyager. The second one in the family. SunnyHH left yesterday to visit Madeira. I want to see many places in Europe and it would be nice, if you could help me, please. On Monday I will go to Hamburg - a very big city - with my mum, but after that, I would love to travel !!! My travel list so far : carinafernandessousa Portugal.  vicky in Greece.  wombat in HongKong.  Soaring in China.  hey.Ra! in China.  Connie in China.  fdgtgrl in the USA. Thanks!  Xadrian in the USA.  RobinTrostel in the USA.  unsub in Australia.  misscurley in Australia.  littleBlogFrog in England.  fam-united in Germany. xkBR in Belgium.  amb167 in the USA.  -[Dino]-  Snille  Tiffy  Fendi  sneakysnail  Strunki Jasper <- Here I am now !
RikeH Posted Mar 20, 2009, 4:37 pm	Today I made a nice walk with my Mum - and her Mum - so we are three generations together, although both look a little different to me. We were together with a friend of mine, who maybe will start to travel in the future. But first he will wait for the first notes from SunnyHH and me  We made some nice Photos from the surroundings of our home. And you can see ME on the photos. That's very important, I think.... The first shows me in front of a nice tree - you see, that the spring really starts here in Germany - blue sky and sunshine. On the second photo you can see my friend, too.
RikeH Posted Mar 20, 2009, 4:41 pm	And now to the cultural part of our trip. This is the church of my home-village. Really nice, isn't it? The long building is the old school - but I never went there
RikeH Posted Mar 24, 2009, 2:17 pm	Today I went to Hamburg with my Mum. You can see me in the train - but unfortunately the weather was awful. Instead of sightseeing, we went into a big mall, bad luck, but the next time I will visit Hamburg with nicer weather, I hope.
RikeH Posted Mar 24, 2009, 2:21 pm	Today I say good-bye to my best friends in the garden. We played, because the weather is nice again. Now I will start my travel and go to Portugal.
carinafernandessousa Posted Apr 8, 2009, 12:19 pm	Hey everybody! I’ve arrived safely after spending almost two weeks trying to get to Carina. I’ve finally made it! The weather is warm and I can only think on visiting the beach. When I arrived Carina took a photo of me and a group photo. In the group photo you can see our little Toyvoyager family. We have already watched a movie – Get Smart  - and we had a great time. Carina told me a little secret…. Thursday we are all going on a trip! Yes! We are going to visit one of the most beautiful cities in Portugal – Leiria! The trip takes one and an half hours by car so in the way I can get to know Carina’s family, Carina and my new five friends! I hope Thursday arrives soon! See you soon!
carinafernandessousa Posted May 1, 2009, 12:23 pm	Hi everybody! Sorry for the late news! Carina had a little problem but everything its all right now! Here are some photos of me and my fellow Toyvoyagers in our trip to Leiria! This is me, preparing for the trip! Safety first – seat bet is on! A little moment to look at the view… not much at this speed! The morning after the trip – a little journey to the town center! This is me and my new friends at “Luis de Camões” garden. Luis de Camões it’s a well know Portuguese poet. We sat and got some sun… and we even played hide and seek! Look! Is that Lucan?! Finally we had a little time to take a picture with Leiria’s Caslte behind us! It was a really nice trip and I hope for more real soon!
vickyp Posted May 10, 2009, 8:14 pm	Hi all from Greece, I have arrived in Greece a couple of days ago and met the family and other toy voyagers. Things have been crazy around here since they were christening their little boy today and they had lots of preparations and arrangements these days. Today was the day, everything went great and so here I am updating at last! So take a look at me with Ladomar and Etwas helping Vicky to prepare the christening favors. In Greece it is a custom to give a little toy to all the guests together with "koufeta". Koufeto is an almond with chocolate and sugar coating and they always give those on weddings and christenings. Also before the christening when the guests arrive at church it is also a custom to give them a little pin with a small cross. In our case instead of pins they gave little bracelets
vickyp Posted May 14, 2009, 10:29 pm	Here we are supporting the Greek song in the Eurovision song Contest 2009. It was the semi-finals tonight. The German song is already in the finals and Greece also made it. Two of the toyvoyagers here are from Germany!  So on Saturday we'll have a very fun night, eating pizzas, drinking beer and enjoying the finals!
vickyp Posted May 18, 2009, 11:01 am	Hi mom, on Saturday night we watched Eurovision Song Contest. We loved the winner song from Norway, but I also enjoyed the German song since I am German  ... Last evening we took the kids to the nearby playground. So here I am enjoying the evening with my friends Etwas and Ladomar. And this is a photo of all of us in the house. We live in a flat with a balcony, as all the flats here in Greece.
vickyp Posted May 26, 2009, 8:47 pm	It's time to introduce you to the family that hosts me. Dad Aris, is a computer programmer and in his spare time he loves electronics and music. Mom Vicky, is a school teacher and she loves anything crafty, from oil painting to jewelry making and scrapbooking. 3,5 years old Maria, loves to draw, sing and dance! She is also in love with the whole Disney family. And finally 1 year old Kostas loves to play with blocks and is walking all the time. The kids also love to read children books and their bookshelf is always a mess... we helped Vicky while she was trying to organize it somehow... with no success
vickyp Posted Jun 1, 2009, 8:47 pm	On Sunday we went to see a basketball game. Many companies have basketball teams with their employees playing for fun. So we had to go and support dad's company team. It was really fun. This is the basketball court entrance. If you like european basketball then you know the team "Aris", and this is their home court. And here I am watching the game After the game we went to visit grandmother since we were invited for lunch. We took some photos at her balcony. She has many flowers she even grows tomatoes in the pots... can you see the little green ones? and strawberries ... they'll start turning red soon I think!
RikeH Posted Jul 26, 2009, 7:09 pm	Hello my dear NiliHH, I wish you a nice birthday - and hope, that Wombat will celebrate it with you !!! Greetings Mum
Wombat Posted Aug 3, 2009, 3:18 pm	Hi Mommy, I missed you...sorry for not being updated for almost 2 months~ I was just too busy putting the pictures together Well....I arrived Hong Kong JUST IN TIME, or Sophia not be able to take me to see the Tower Bridge  And here I was....in the plane right away It was a long flight....glad I got companion: After 10 hours of flight, we arrived at Heathrow and we went to Central London by the Heathrow Express.....it was fast.....just 15 minute journey.....very nice..... We interchanged at the Paddington Station From there, we took a train and went directly to Coventry....love the classic british breakfast~ What a nice place we were staying~
Wombat Posted Aug 3, 2009, 3:26 pm	Hi mommy, It was my second day in UK and sophia brought me to william shakespeare's town....Straford-Upon-Avon..... I was on a river cruise.... Dinner time....i love fish and chips
Wombat Posted Aug 9, 2009, 4:35 pm	Hi Mom, After spending a few days in Coventry, Sophia took me to London Wow.....the first place we went was St. Paul.... The famous St. Paul Catheral..... We went up to the top level of the church...and the view was amazing...... And we had something light but nice for lunch..... We then went straight to the British Museum.....I was naughty to sit on one of the exhibits  Lovely.....
Soaring Posted Aug 27, 2009, 5:08 am	Long time no see~ TODAY I arrived at my new host's home~ BUT she is busy these days~so she will let me to have a rest for about three days~
Soaring Posted Aug 29, 2009, 4:00 pm	First trip in Beijing My host Soaring finished her exam this afternoon.After school, she took me to the Olympic Green. We took the bus for minutes and then walk along to The Olympic Green. look! I stand on the Bird Nest(National Stadium)!
Soaring Posted Sep 13, 2009, 11:32 am	During the last two weeks, I went to The Affilicated High School of Peking University with my host Soaring everyday.~ Soaring's classmates were all friendly to me~ and the classroom is big and light
Wombat Posted Sep 14, 2009, 12:55 pm	Sorry Mom....being lazy..... I've been to a lot of falbulous places in UK...which includes Greenwich and the London Eye.... And went to the Maritime Museum in Greenwich
Soaring Posted Sep 30, 2009, 12:20 pm	Tomorrow is China's National Day~! It's PRC's 60 year-old-birthday The military review will begin tomorrow morning on the Tian An Men Square~
Soaring Posted Oct 1, 2009, 9:45 am	Today,we went to China Science and Technology Museum and learned a lot scientific knowledge~
hey.Ra! Posted Oct 20, 2009, 7:03 am	I finally arrive today after the long travel. HAHA,and here I am,hello Chengdu! My host Ra is a college student so she has to take classes everyday.I try to read her text book but I really have no idea what the book's talking about,so I fall asleep. Maybe during my stay Ra can teach me a little bit Chinese~ And on this weekend,Ra may take me to visit the Pandas!!! So excited!!!
hey.Ra! Posted Oct 24, 2009, 8:46 am	@the library~
hey.Ra! Posted Oct 24, 2009, 9:07 am	@the sports meet
hey.Ra! Posted Oct 24, 2009, 11:55 am	Today Ra shows me around the Temple of Marquis and Jinli. The two places are popular among the travelers. The Temple of Marquis has a long history which can trace back to the The Three Kingdoms to honour one of the greatest strategist in the history. But my favourite part is Jinli.because there are a huge number of amazing staff I have never seen before. So check out the pictures~
hey.Ra! Posted Oct 24, 2009, 12:12 pm	My eyes are so tired because I have so many thing to see. But I just want to see all of them!!!
hey.Ra! Posted Oct 24, 2009, 12:21 pm	bravo little things make the life here colorful~!
hey.Ra! Posted Oct 24, 2009, 12:33 pm
hey.Ra! Posted Oct 24, 2009, 1:04 pm
hey.Ra! Posted Oct 27, 2009, 1:57 pm	Today Ra took me to Karaoke～ I was too shy to sing at first so I just listened. But Ra encouraged me to sing so I grabbed the microphone and sang a little bit~ Haha,it really feels great to hear my voice through the magic machine and I feel like a super star!!!!!!
hey.Ra! Posted Nov 2, 2009, 1:46 pm	Today I go to the China's Lane with Ra. It actually consists of three lanes. On each lane there are some really historical buildings. Now there are also a lot of bars and coffee house for the travelers to relax and slow down their mood. I drink some traditional Chinese tea!!!It smells so good!
hey.Ra! Posted Nov 16, 2009, 11:05 am	Today Ra took me to taste some traditional Chengdu food. At first I thought I might just try a little,for I'm really gaining some weight recently .But after my first bite,I thought:Screw my diet!!!Who can resist the temptation of Chinese food!!Maybe I'll just lose some weight when I go back home.
hey.Ra! Posted Nov 16, 2009, 11:14 am	Ra's roomate went to see a concert today,so Ra asked her if she could bring me as well. I think because I looked so cute that her roomate agreed. Nice concert,and soooooooooooo many people!!!!
hey.Ra! Posted Nov 16, 2009, 11:36 am	After all the years of waiting,I finally get to see the pandas!!!!!!! They are sooooooooooooo cute that I really want to adopt one,mum,can I????  I just sit there and watch them sleep,roll,play,eat,and sleep,roll,play and eat.These are all their daily routine. How I wish I can be a panda!!But if so, I won't be able to travel around the world and meet nice people! But I reaaaaaaaaaaally like them!!!!! Mum,please promise me that you'll come to Chengdu with me again and we'll visit the panda family again!!!
hey.Ra! Posted Nov 19, 2009, 10:03 am	I'll leave for Shanghai tomorrow.My friends here threw me a surprise party.I feel soooooo sad because I really don't want to leave Chengdu.I'm gonna miss everything here...
hey.Ra! Posted Nov 19, 2009, 10:15 am	Today I will leave for Shanghai to stay with another nice host Connie.I'm kinda sad and I cry a little bit. Ra tells me I needn't be so sad because there are a lot of interesting staff out there waiting for me to explore. I wish I could see the snow when Christmas comes!!! Thank you Ra~ Ra also says if my mom and I want to come to Chengdu again she would love to be our host again!! So,mom,let's come back to Chengdu later,OK? Here's a pic of me and Ra. Bye,Chengdu! Hello,Shanghai!
Connie xujia_nihao@163.com Posted Nov 27, 2009, 1:36 pm	This afternoon I see my new host Connie!After a long journy I have a nice dinner. The school is very beautiful and I will have a pleasure trip later. The friends of my host like me ,too.Now I become very popular here. I make two new friends today.they are Mickey and little Bear.Mickey is Suki's Chrismas gift from Huahua and today is Huahua's birthday!Little bear is Suki's birthday present from Benben.Suki is Connie's close friend.Huahua and Benben are Suki's friends.Ahaaaaaaa,that's likely to confuse,right? Tomorrow I will attend a book signing. I am so happy with C!~~~
Connie xujia_nihao@163.com Posted Nov 29, 2009, 2:51 pm	today I stay with Connie in the library. Yestoday I went to Fudan University to attend a book signing.
Connie xujia_nihao@163.com Posted Dec 1, 2009, 12:43 pm	I visit to an exhibition of industry designs today.The designs which from German designers are geat.I love it! It's a happy experience~~~
Connie xujia_nihao@163.com Posted Dec 8, 2009, 7:38 am	I go to Mao with Suki on Saturday.Mao is a place where we can enjoy the band play.The atmosphere appeals to me.That's a great experience.Thank you,Suki. I love Mao.I love Suki.
Connie xujia_nihao@163.com Posted Dec 13, 2009, 2:57 pm	My life is simple but comfortable these days.Dancing and eating become my favourate. My host is busy preparing for a celebration of a club.Although most time I am alone,I am OK.
Connie xujia_nihao@163.com Posted Dec 15, 2009, 1:06 pm	I make a new friend today!She's a cat named Bella.She asked me if I would like to show her arround on campus.Yes,I'd love to! It's cold tomorrow,so we will dress warm.Than,we are about to have lunch together.
Connie xujia_nihao@163.com Posted Jan 11, 2010, 5:12 am	Just two days ago,I went a walk with Connie and suki along the lake on the campus.What a sunny day!I couldn't believe that I will leave here. I spent my Christmas in Beijing.Flola took me to a concert of Chris Lee. And now,I am in Liaoning Province,C's hometown.The snow makes here a white world.I love here. This afternoon I will sart my new journey to USA. Thank you Shanghai.
fdgtgrl Posted Mar 4, 2010, 9:57 pm	Momy, momy ... I finaly arrive at my new family !!! I'm sound and safe ... Ok, will give more news later. I just wanted to reassure you and say that I was ok ;-)
fdgtgrl Posted Apr 12, 2010, 2:23 am	I've arrived finally !!! I was comfortably packed in a huge box for my size  My new host put me on her key-holder right a way and of to her evening job went... Guess where my host fdgtgrl work for a 2nd job !!! Here is the answer ... Did you guess right ???  So of we went on the road. fdgtgrl only could take a few pictures here and there at her stop because she doesn't have much time. It's a very fast paste job where she has to go,go,go from one account to another: 22 stop in 2:30 hours  What a first day !!!  Time to go home and rest ...
fdgtgrl Posted Apr 12, 2010, 2:30 am	Tonight is cooking night and I'm helping out preparing all the ingredients necessary ...  It was a nice couscous salad, chicken and rice with mushroom sauce ... YUMMY !!!
fdgtgrl Posted Apr 12, 2010, 2:58 am	My host fdgtgrl and her fiance brought me along for night out. We went to the Cheesecake Factory a very popular restaurant. We had to wait 30 minutes to be site down. So we went to the bar and enjoy a nice frozen drink ... This is one extensive menu !!! We had a great time !!!
fdgtgrl Posted Apr 12, 2010, 4:21 am	Today is a donut and coffee kind of Sunday:  So many different kind to choose from ... Now coffee ...
fdgtgrl Posted Apr 12, 2010, 5:37 am	My host doesn't work on Friday morning so she spend that time running err-ons and today we went to get bird seeds ... And we stopped by in a beverage store called "BevMo" to have a look at all the different alcohol they carry from all over the world ... They have quite an interesting array of variety, choice and country ... We even bumped into a beer from her hometown called: "Hinano" ... She had to buy a six pack to share with her fiance who has never been there and has never drink this particular beer !!! She was pretty excited about this find
fdgtgrl Posted Apr 12, 2010, 5:45 am	Today, my host and her fiance went "cake tasting" at a bakery called "La Boheme". It was so good that they place order for their wedding cake on the spot ...  For real, it was really delicious with some coffee and cream on the side: Hum, Hum Good !!!
RikeH Posted Jun 17, 2010, 9:57 pm	Hello World, I am home again!!! I am so happy! I met Dicker Kumpel - we are both very happy!!! Then I met the others - we talked a lot. All were very afraid when I told my awful story - the girl from Canada didn't want to take me from the Post - so I stuck there for such a long time. But then the former host took me back and send me home. Thanks again!!! Now I will stay here at home waiting for a very very very nice host. Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Jul 26, 2010, 5:56 pm	Hi World,  Before I start travelling again, I drove to Hamburg – and went to see a great lake called Alster. It is in the centre of the city. This is the view to the town hall. At the end we went into a big shopping mall. I will travel to my next host now – so I said good-bye to Dicker Kumpel. I will write from the USA soon, I hope! Love NiliHH
Xadrian xadriankruez@hotmail.com Posted Aug 6, 2010, 4:27 pm	Hi! I made it safely to San Diego California! Although I had to travel quite a distance, the trip didn't take long at all I met two toy voyagers, Bart the black bear and Rosario the dragon. Bart was the first to greet me. I gave my host the postcard you sent along. I'm afraid it got a little bent in the mail, however my host loves it and will add it to her postcard collection Only a few more days until our trip to Las Vegas!
Xadrian xadriankruez@hotmail.com Posted Aug 14, 2010, 11:32 pm	It’s me again, NiliHH! Today is finally the day we get to travel to Las Vegas, Nevada! My host spent most of the morning packing up her suitcase. Us toyvoyagers helped pack of course! Clothes? Check! Hair brush? Check! Extra camera batteries? Check! Soon it was off to the sun, fun and um…nothing around for miles! The car trip to Las Vegas took five hours and on the way there was nothing for miles but lots of desert! After several hours of traveling, we finally reached our hotel at Ballys and got checked into our hotel room. We all wanted to go out and see the sights, but our host was tired, so we all decided to take a nap.
Xadrian xadriankruez@hotmail.com Posted Aug 15, 2010, 12:10 am	Today my host took me downstairs to the Sony Online Entertainment Fan Faire Convention. I got to play many new games coming out! Each year lots of fans of SOE games come together to play games, meet each other and hang out in Las Vegas! Here’s me by the huge Clone Wars Adventures game poster. It looks like it could be a fun game! DC Universe Online looks way more fun though! I want to play a super hero! Unfortunately the lighting was pretty dim, so most of our pictures did not come out well at all. My host was very disappointed
Xadrian xadriankruez@hotmail.com Posted Aug 15, 2010, 12:24 am	Last night our host had a terrible spill in her high heels and was pretty banged and bruised up! We let her sleep in that morning and the other toyvoyagers and I amused ourselves with trying to figure out the purpose of this weird bucket in our hotel room. Later we found out it’s to put ice in! After we explored other interesting things in the room, such as the blow dryer, safe, and dresser drawers we waited patiently for her to wake up. Soon our host woke and after shuffling around getting ready we headed out to the Las Vegas strip to do some sight seeing. We decided to go out the adjoining hotel called “Paris” which had several quaint bakeries and café’s inside. Inside was also a restaurant at the top of a mock Eiffel tower! I know it’s not the real Paris, but at least I got to see an Eiffel tower  Me outside of the MGM Grand hotel What a huge lion! This is the Luxor hotel, which is modeled like a giant pyramid and sphinx! Can you spot me? The Harley Davidson Café! Vroom Vroom! After walking around for a bit, my host started to get hungry.  There were plenty of places to eat on the strip, but she doesn’t really care for fast food. My host considered going into the M & M’s World, but thought better of it. Maybe candy wasn’t a good idea for lunch anyway… After walking around awhile we found a nice Chinese resturaunt, P.F. Changs, however it was very crowded so we decided to just continue on and eat later at the hotel. We did manage to grab a quick picture by huge horse they had stationed outside of the eatery though  This is the New York, New York hotel. See the huge mock bridge? Maybe it is the Brooklyn bridge? My host is unsure. Visitors can also ride a huge rollercoaster that wraps around the hotel for around $30. Beautiful statues outside of the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino As there are many visitors in Las Vegas, the streets are always under construction with all the wear and tear from so much traffic! Diablos Cantina, a bar and eatery along the strip.  It’s a devil lady! The hotel Excalibur, a castle hotel that is furnished very medieval inside and has nightly shows that involve jousting, knight role-play and eating renaissance type food with your hands! This is just outside of the Bellagio, where all the rich people come to stay.  Every fifteen minutes a fountain show is performed!  Any minute now… Here it comes! The pressurized air causing the water to shoot up into the sky is so loud! After all that walking around, my host finally got something to eat relaxed for the rest of the day. Welp, today was our last day in Las Vegas, back to San Diego in the morning!
Xadrian xadriankruez@hotmail.com Posted Aug 30, 2010, 3:34 am	Hi it's me again! Today my host took me around town to view some of the decorated electric boxes painted by local artists. The electric boxes are all over the city, but most painted ones are along the busier roads. The electric boxes start out plain, just like this one. After a little paint and a whole lot of work they are transformed! These boxes need some TLC, they look so sad! Whew, what a long day of walking!  Thankfully the weather is always nice in sunny San Diego!
Xadrian xadriankruez@hotmail.com Posted Sep 11, 2010, 6:22 pm	Hi! It’s me, NiliHH! Today my host took me and the other toyvoyagers to the La Jolla Cove. It was a very overcast day out so we didn’t go in the water, instead we roamed around the shore line. For about a mile along the beach there are various rock formations. These formations are very smooth to the touch and in some parts appear to have rings due to all of the years of the water pounding away at the rocks. Some rock formations higher up on the beach are still very much rough however. Look at all of this seaweed! The other toyvoyagers and I found a rather odd object lying around.  It turns out that it is an oyster! These oysters are all over the beach and hang out in clusters on the rocks. As we went further down the beach, we saw the coves that the area is famous for.  Some coves however may have been dangerous, so they have been closed off by stone. Other coves are still open and tourists are able to wander inside. Here is one giant cove in particular. My host could not figure out how to get to it except for swimming. Some seagulls taking a nap! A mini stone pier along the beach A kayak rental place in the distance. I wonder how all those kayaks stay put? By the time the sun started peeking from behind the clouds it was time to go.  My host said she would take me back to a beach on a sunnier day
Xadrian xadriankruez@hotmail.com Posted Sep 21, 2010, 7:09 am	Hi it’s me, your beloved NiliHH! Today my host received a package from Russia.  Of course we had to open it right away! Why it’s Ragamuffin! Hurray! Another friend to have adventures with!
Xadrian xadriankruez@hotmail.com Posted Sep 21, 2010, 7:13 am	Hello again, it’s me, NiliHH! Today my host took the other toyvoyagers and I to a neighborhood park! We got to play on the playground! Wee! Boy that slide was hot! My friend Punk is nice enough to hold the bubble wand so that I can blow bubbles!
Xadrian xadriankruez@hotmail.com Posted Sep 21, 2010, 7:22 am	Today I got to visit part of the Los  Penasquitos Canyon! In total, we hiked six miles, thankfully I and the other toyvoyagers got a free ride in my host’s backpack. Nothing but dirt, shrubs and trails for miles! Look at the houses in the distance.  I’m beginning to learn that Californians aren’t afraid to build their houses on the top of mountains! Time for a break! Hrm..this spot isn’t the most comfortable to rest. The monkey seems to enjoy it though, he likes to scratch his back on this strange plant. We hiked up to a waterfall…but we could not find it! It must have been further down the stream. This does not appear too high up, but it really is. The drop is very step! My host didn't even like going near it.  The picture my host took of me by the sign did not come out well, but she wanted you to see it anyway.  It’s a sign warning hikers of rattlesnakes in the area! Scary!
Xadrian xadriankruez@hotmail.com Posted Sep 21, 2010, 7:29 am	Welp, it's time for me to leave the fun, sun and sand of California! I'm on my way all the way across the United States to Virgina! Bye!
RobinTrostel robin_trostel@yahoo.com Posted Sep 23, 2010, 11:48 am	I arrived in Virginia late yesterday afternoon.  I had a great dinner and got some much needed rest... jet lag, you know?  I'm ready for an interesting day today with utility workers lurking about and doing some work in the neighborhood.  Perhaps I'll check it out.  This weekend we have plans to visit a couple of places and do some shopping.
RobinTrostel robin_trostel@yahoo.com Posted Oct 23, 2010, 4:54 pm	Had a great time watching the South Lakes High School Homecoming Parade!  It was interesting, loud and lots of fun!  I"m having trouble uploading the photos... will try again later.
unsub Posted Nov 29, 2010, 2:02 pm	Hello Mum, After a long trip i have arrived at my new host place. It was quite hot when i got into town, so we had to put the fan on straight away. I am my Host's first ToyVoyager visitor- so she put out the red carpet for me. I was shown around the house by Bluey the bear Looking at the Australian Flag before bed I am off to bed now, it has been a long journey. I am walking to the beach tomorrow, it's only a 5minute walk but remember i am tiny so it might take longer, ha ha Hugs and kisses Goodnight Ps, The fan is still on!
unsub Posted Nov 30, 2010, 2:18 pm	Today we walked the coastline to the jetty, it is the longest wooden jetty in the Southern Hemisphere, we could only go to the shop at the start of it because it's closed and being rebuilt, but we didn't mind as the jetty is 3kms Today it was 33.3°C so We found some shade under some tall trees. I am not the only international visitor in town at the moment!! The town is becoming very busy for the Ironman Competition this weekend. Entries  for the Ironman reached the maximum of 1,400 more than 9 weeks before the end of registration. There are 332 internationals participating with the strongest representations coming from Singapore (68 athletes), U.S.A (59 Athletes) and the United Kingdom (35 athletes). It is a 3.8km Swim around the jetty,then a 180.2km Bike ride out of town and back then a 42.2km Run. Yes ,we will only be watching. Time to say Goodnight and dont miss me to much!
unsub Posted Dec 16, 2010, 1:03 pm	Hi, Have been having a great time relaxing. I Tried to make friends with the talking Indian Ringneck up the road.. But no luck! Had a quick look around the town Wonnerup House Busselton First school Old Timber mill Then we turned around and drove along the coast to a few beaches. As soon as we arrived at the next beach, we were greeted by birds singing, and a Blue Wren got close And closer I think he liked me We left the bird and went and played on the rocks Then drove and walked some more been a long few days, Sleep tight- I will.
unsub Posted Jan 4, 2011, 2:03 pm	Had a friend arrive today We checked out what was under the tree
unsub Posted Jan 4, 2011, 2:05 pm	My present was a pack of playing cards and a postcard. We had our own little tea party.
unsub Posted Jan 17, 2011, 12:48 pm	Hello everyone I have been laying around soaking up the sun, but today i found out I'm to  continue my travels- to the other side of Australia So me and a few other travellers headed off to the beachfront- there just happened to be a little festival on We couldn't sit here for long because of the Cockatoo's in the trees above us. can you see were they have been? The big jetty behind me looks different today Then we grabbed a takeaway and had a big feed Then it was time to say goodbye. See you all soon!
LittleBlogFrog Posted Mar 15, 2011, 9:17 am	Hi Mum! I have arrived in England today ..My new host would like to say thankyou to unsub for the lovely pictorial map postcard of Australia she sent with me Littleblogfrog hasnt been too well lately but luckily she is starting to feel better now so we hope to get out and about soon. Until then, NiliHH x
LittleBlogFrog Posted Mar 15, 2011, 10:38 pm	Hi Mum, Today is my hosts birthday, she is going to be 24 - so shes getting old now  I helped her open her cards and a few of her presents this morning.. ...When she got home from work she had presents sent in the mail waiting for her... this one was a nice surprise from her friend (whose nickname is Furby) Yummy sweets! (Leopold & I are planning to help her eat them later!) NiliHH x
LittleBlogFrog Posted Mar 18, 2011, 4:00 pm	Hi Mum, We went out for a bit of fresh countryside air today and walked through Pentney (the village where I am staying) and Narborough (the village next to Pentney). This here is the All Saints Church in Narborough.. This is the main road through Narborough although its never really very busy at all! Here we are looking over the River Nar, this river runs all the way through Pentney too... Here I am back in Pentney again.. one of many quiet roads round here! ..this is one of the public footpaths not far from my hosts house.. Well, we hope to go out and venture a bit further on the weekend. Until then, NiliHH x
LittleBlogFrog Posted Mar 21, 2011, 4:10 pm	Banham Zoo - Part 1 Hi Mum! I went on my first proper day out today My hosts boyfriend took us to Banham Zoo as a surprise. We have taken alot of photographs so we are going to spread them out in a couple of updates. This is near the entrance to the zoo, I dont think this animal was real though  Im not sure if you can see me too clearly in this photo as I blend in with the tractor but here I am with Leopold hitching a ride to the Farm Barn.. These are some of the animals that lived in this area of the zoo... This was a paddock for two australian animals.. the emus and the kangaroos.. These little animals below are Marmots (also known as Prairie Dogs), they are very cute and scurry all over the fields munching on the grass. Well, I will share some more photos from the Zoo a little later. Til then, NiliHH x
LittleBlogFrog Posted Mar 21, 2011, 4:37 pm	Banham Zoo - Part 2 Hi Mum, In this second Zoo update I thought Id share with you some of the birds that I had the opportunity to see...Banham Zoo has lots of different types of Owls... this one was my favourite...the Great Grey Owl.. This little bird on its perch is called a Merlin bird... ..and heres a very handsome Bald Eagle... ....and a couple more birds..... ..this bird tried to peck me! ..dont worry my host managed to pull me away just in time so I didnt get hurt.. ...We moved on to some big cats next.. here is a snow leopard... ..we could only see one snow leopard in the enclosure but after searching for quite a while we noticed the rest of them had climbed on top of their hut! ...the next big cat we saw was a Sri Lankan Leopard... ...I have more photos but I have to go now, I shall post them later Bye Mum, NiliHH x
LittleBlogFrog Posted Mar 21, 2011, 6:39 pm	Banham Zoo - Part 3 Last Zoo update!! Another big cat we saw was the tiger! We went over to the ''Tiger Territory'' to wait for their feeding time.. I started to worry that I might be on the menu when he came walking over to me first!!  The next animal we spotted were some very tall giraffes... ..then some beautiful zebras... ...I also saw some meerkats.... they were hiding indoors as it was a bit cold outside... They did brave the cold a little bit later when the sun started to come out though.. ... we took this little video clip of the meekats for you to see mum, unfortunately my host doesnt know how to embed the video onto the travelog but here is the link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXe1515qKio Well that concludes our trip to the zoo! Until my next update, NiliHH x
LittleBlogFrog Posted Mar 28, 2011, 2:00 pm	Hi Mum, Im sorry you havent heard from me this week, things have been a bit hectic for my host here and she hasnt had much of a chance to take me out. She has been taking me to work with her at the office in Narborough though... I tend to sit and watch her work and then help her eat her lunch  Heres a postcard that we received from olgamaus this week that we wanted to share with you too, isnt it great? olgamaus is looking after my hosts toyvoyager Clifford who is pictured in the left hand corner of the card. Well mum, Ill update again soon. Take care, til then... NiliHH x
LittleBlogFrog Posted Apr 9, 2011, 4:50 pm	Hi Mum, Its me! Im back for another update. Today we travelled down to Stansted in Essex where they were holding a VW Beetle & Campervan show. We took photographs of just a few of the many we saw... There was also a competition to enter to win a 1967 VW Beetle that someone had donated to raise money for charity - we've bought our ticket! Well we've had a lovely day in the sunshine, the first day of the Easter holidays is looking good and you will be pleased to know that my host is only working one of her jobs over the next two weeks so hopefully updates will start to be more frequent again. Take care, Love NiliHH
LittleBlogFrog Posted Apr 9, 2011, 9:01 pm	Hi Mum, Today my host wanted to have a go at trying to make something, she seemed to have something very specific in mind but when she got out a new pair of socks, some thread and some scissors Leopold and I were completely baffled to what she could possibly be making! Then they was some cutting and sewing to be done (my host said she never sews so this was good practice for her!) ...I still didnt know what she was trying to make?! One sock sewn... She then started to do more cutting.. I dont think she will be able to wear these socks now mum! Then something started to take shape... ..stuffing time! Hmm... it was a sock monkey! My host wanted to have a go at making one herself as she had seen some for sell online and wondered how difficult they were to make. We thought she didnt do too badly for a first try but we know how to make it better and to use a sewing machine next time! NiliHH x
LittleBlogFrog Posted Apr 10, 2011, 9:07 pm	Hi Mum, Today we had some more lovely hot sunny weather so we went and walked around the village of Castle Acre here in Norfolk. We sat down in the area of the castle ruins, which you can see here in the background. This is the view that the castle ruins face.. ...We then walked around to Castle Acre Priory which you can just about see here. Its a very large beautiful building and was used in the Vincent Price film ''The Tomb of Ligeia''. ...and here is the villages very tall St James church.. We stopped on the way back to the car to pop into the local shop and I bought a postcard of the castle ruins to bring home with me  Speak soon, NiliHH
LittleBlogFrog Posted Apr 25, 2011, 5:30 pm	Hi Mum, Today we went for a walk to the river in East Walton which is a little village about 10 minutes away from my hosts village. We had to pass this sheep field to get to it.. Here I am on the gate that leads to the bridge over the river.. and here is the river.. Leopold and I sat on the bridge together.. ..then this butterfly decided to come and sit with me.. We walked through the woodland and alongside the river route.. Its been a very chilled out sunny day Til next time, NiliHH
LittleBlogFrog Posted Apr 25, 2011, 5:39 pm	Wishing you a HAPPY EASTER Mum, here we are with some of the Easter gifts my host received.. One of the eggs came with this snake, he seems like lots of fun and we are making friends with him already Have a great day NiliHHx
LittleBlogFrog Posted Apr 28, 2011, 10:26 pm	Hi Mum, We are saying farewell to Leopold today as it is time for him to travel back home. Im sure his host has missed him very much. As for me, I shall be spending sometime relaxing at my hosts house as my host has a few things to get sorted before both she and I travel to Wales next Saturday. Until next time, NiliHH
LittleBlogFrog Posted May 14, 2011, 7:18 am	Hi Mum, My host said we were going away for a week, so I packed up my stuff and we started a long 6 hour drive to get there! We are going to Wales Here I am when we arrived, popping my head out of the bag to see our accomodation before doing some exploring of it too.... Well I will post again as soon as Im settled. NiliHH x
LittleBlogFrog Posted May 14, 2011, 7:43 am	Hi Mum, Today we explored a place called Tenby (or Denbigh-y-Pysgod in Welsh!) This is the colourful Harbour... Here we are looking at the view to St Catherines Island.. there is alot of old cannons on this hill where we are sitting... ...aim.. fire! Til next time, NiliHHx
LittleBlogFrog Posted May 14, 2011, 8:25 pm	Hi Mum, Today we went to Bosherston Lakes and I did a 2.5 mile walk around the lakes there. They are known for the many lily pads they have there but they arent quite in bloom just yet, it was still a beautiful walk though... ...We had to cross a few bridges, here I am resting on one of them with a pretty swan on the lake in the background The walk leads down to Broad Haven beach.... ...of course you cant go on a beach without having a play in the sand... Til next time, NiliHH x
LittleBlogFrog Posted May 14, 2011, 8:38 pm	Hi Mum, Today we had a trip to Cenarth Falls which is a little stream of small waterfalls. This first photo is a view from the car on the way to Cenarth.. The little falls start at the other side of this bridge .. This Mill is directly above the Falls... It was a lovely sunny day today Until next time mum, NiliHH x
LittleBlogFrog Posted May 14, 2011, 8:42 pm	Hello Mum,  Well it is time for me to return home, I've collected some postcards on my travels so Im bringing those home to show you! I've had a lovely time here Cant wait to see you. Love NiliHH x
RikeH Posted May 26, 2011, 8:43 pm	Hello, after a long time of travelling I am home again. It was nice to meet Dicker Kumpel. Then I met the other guys, who spend some time here. I showed postcards of my last trip. It was great! We talked a lot and had fun! Hopefully I will start my next trip soon. Bye NiliHH
fam-united Posted Jun 1, 2011, 4:47 pm	Hi Mum, I arrived in Bruchsal today. It was a short travel so I'm not too exhausted. I will try to get to know everyone as soon as possible, but will have a short rest - I have a little headache. Love, NiliHH
fam-united Posted Jun 30, 2011, 8:25 pm	Hi Mum, something exciting happened yesterday. We sat there and waited for our host to come home from school. When she arrived, she took us and --- everything got dark. Then we felt, that she carried us outside the house into the car. For a long time it was only dark. In the early early morning - it might have been short after midnight - we were carried away again. Still we didn't know, what had happened. We were so tired from all this waggling in the car, that we fell asleep - we even didn't know, where we were. But this morning we awoke in this bed - fresh and fit for the day. Our host told us, that we were on the way to Denmark and that we slept at a motel in Hannover. The bed was a bit hard, but nevertheless much better than a night on a resting place along the autobahn. Here you see us all still sleeping and then playing after we woke up. We already had a lot of fun. Our room was right above the entrance - a place, where everyone had been able to look on the bed from the outside and a place, where you could smell the smoke of all cigaretts the other guests smoked in front of the entrance Bye, NiliHH
fam-united Posted Jun 30, 2011, 9:46 pm	On our drive we passed the Kiel-Canal. After hours on German autobahn we finally reached the Danish autobahn.
fam-united Posted Jul 2, 2011, 9:05 am	After about 10 hours and 30 minutes driving without rests - you know, we had some rests of course - everyone is happy to be here in: Nørre Vorupør. We were so hungry, that the first wish was to have dinner. The second wish was to see the North Sea, of course. After we finished dinner our hosts had some time to eat. In the meantime we enjoyed the light of the candles on the table. The most important part of today was to go to the beach, of course. We went to the landing site with small fishing dinghies and larger coastal boats. The last occupationally operated coastal boat stopped by 2010, but boats being operated for fishing tourists remain.
fam-united Posted Jul 2, 2011, 6:20 pm	Good morning Mum, today is a special day, because we celebrate our host's son Martin's 18th birthday. At first we took a look out of the window of our living / dining room. Then we sat down on one of our two patios for a group photo. In the meantime our hosts bought some Danish bread rolls for breakfast. When they were at home, we sat down at the table. Petra baked two cakes and in the afternoon we met our hosts' friends for the first time to have caffee and cakes on their patio.
fam-united Posted Jul 2, 2011, 8:18 pm	Today we had rainy weather, so we only went outside to sit in the car and drive to go shopping at Aldi in Hanstholm. We bought some pepper sauce there for dinner. Ralf cooked some red cabbage, meatballs and (not selfmade) spaetzle.
fam-united Posted Jul 3, 2011, 5:41 pm	Hi Mum, we just get ready for another trip. Some of us wait in the car already, but I wanted to show you the view from the front door of our small house.
fam-united Posted Jul 3, 2011, 6:54 pm	Hi Mum, after a rainy day inside, it seems to be fine today. We sat in the car for about one hour to drive to Thyborøn. There is a nice house decorated with millions of shells and snail shells. It is called sneglehuset in Danish - I love this word. At next we drove to the coast centre exploratorium called Kystcentret. We had a lot of fun there and learnt many new things about the element water. Here I am in a bare foot way starting in a "galley". I'm sorry for the quality of the photo, but it was dark inside. Here they show how a twister builts up. I also saw many furniture and other ship related things, which they found after a ship sunk many many years ago. Here some more information: Since 1868 the Alexander Nevsky has been lying at the bottom of the sea. A couple of Russian diving vessels arrived and removed the cannons, a contractor bought the sea bed side and salvaged metals - first a lot of dynamite and the copper bolts, copper pipes and gunpowder boxes appeared in the wreck. This continued far into the 20th century. The metal was valuable. The majority of the 724 men on board were brought safely to landin the frigate's own longboat, which could hold 25 - 30 men at a time.It's what you can read on the signs next to the ring. Here I show you a view to the activity part - of course you can't see it good enough to imagine, how it looked like. Then we drove to the aquarium of Thyborøn. I tried to tough a Starfish, crab or stroke a Plaice or shark, but I had no luck. So here you just can see me in front of one of the many bassins. At least I stayed safe. For a part of our way home we took the ferry from Thyborøn.
fam-united Posted Jul 4, 2011, 4:08 pm	On our way home we stopped at Vestervig Abbey, also known as Vestervig Church, which was established in about 1059 making it one of Denmark's most ancient religious houses. The abbey is located at Vestervig, Thisted, in extreme northern Jutland.
fam-united Posted Jul 5, 2011, 2:14 pm	After dinner at our house in Nørre Vorupør we drove to Klitmøller to see another sort of sunset there. Our hosts had been at this place three years ago and they really liked it. It was a bit windy today and the waves were a bit higher.
fam-united Posted Jul 5, 2011, 7:14 pm	Hi Mum, today we drove to Jesperhus Blomsterpark - a flower theme park, which is three km south of Nykøbing Mors. It is Scandinavias largest themepark of this kind. They opened this park in 1966. It is divided in three parts: the flower park, a jungle park and an amusement park, which is rather small, but with some really good attractions for kids - and adults - and us toyvoyagers, of course. In the jungle park I came really close to these turtles. Wow - a large crocodile. You see, that I kept a safe distance to it. I prefer such lovely orchids instead. Everywhere in Denmark - at least at the places I've seen - you can see the Dannebrog - the Danish flag. I love to see it in front of the blue sky and white clouds. Here we are in the Japanese Garden - a good place for some group photos. Then we walked down to Hans Christian Andersen's house - ok, it's a bit small, so I guess it wasn't really his house, but they say, it looked like this. And I'm sure, that he never had so many flowers on the wall and roof of his house. He lived from April 2, 1805 to August 4, 1875 and was a Danish author, fairy tale writer and poet noted for his children's stories. Maybe you know one of these: "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "The Snow Queen", "The Little Mermaid", "Thumbelina", "The Little Match Girl", and "The Ugly Duckling". My host told me, that we will find some places in this park, that show some of his fairy tales. So I will take a look. Even here I saw the Dannebrog. Here is a flower bed for \"The Princess and the Pea\"
fam-united Posted Jul 5, 2011, 7:59 pm	In the late evening we went to the beach again. There nearly was no cloud at the sky, so we hoped to see a nice sunset. Enough words - I need to dream.
fam-united Posted Jul 6, 2011, 2:00 pm	Today we had a lazy day at home. The weather wasn't that brilliant, so we read, played games and just hang around. For dinner we had some scambled eggs with sweet corn and onions.
fam-united Posted Jul 6, 2011, 2:25 pm	It wasn't really a big surprise, that our hosts told us in the morning, that we would stay at home again. Petra's knee hurts too much. She limps from her bed to a chair and on the terrace and has her leg rest on another chair. We didn't want to only hang around, so we searched to house for some activity. We found a nice jigsaw puzzle from James Hamilton with 1000 pieces, which Petra had taken with her on the trip. Here you can see, that we did it rather well, but I can tell you, that we needed hours for it. While we worked at the puzzle, Petra went outside to play football (English or German) with her family. She came back limping and sat down on the balcony. Later I read a bit more in the "Eclipse" book - it's English, so I understood everything. Petra helped to hold the book open. Although she was limping, she didn't want to miss the sunset at the beach. This time we watched it at the beginning of the pier.
fam-united Posted Jul 6, 2011, 2:40 pm	Another lazy day at the house, because Petra can't walk more than from her bed to the chair and back. So here is only a photo of our dinner - a slice of bread, cooked ham and cheese.
fam-united Posted Jul 6, 2011, 6:16 pm	Hi Mum, finally a day to go on a trip again. This time we drove to Silkeborg to Labyrinthia. Petra comes with us: on crutches. It's funny to see her with her backpack - and us- and her photo and then the crutches. She puts them everywhere to take photos. I'm not sure, if that's the best for her knee, though. Oh yes, in the car she sits in the third row with a little stool in front of her for her leg - really comfortable. At first we climbed out of the backpack and started to run through this wooden labyrinth. We had a lot of fun and Petra had to hurry to take the photos with each of us. Everyone wanted to be the first with all six stamps on the paper for this labyrinth. She asked me to have a short rest for this photos, so you can see more of the different labyrinths of this park. Behind our first labyrinth you can see the water labyrinth, where wanted to go at next. Which way should I choose? After several wrong ways we reached the middle of the maze. Did I tell you, that the flowers smelled so fine? After all that walking Petra could hardly walk any longer. So her daughter took us to go to the next maze: The Trojaborg Labyrinth We wanted to walk the way too, but we chose the stones
fam-united Posted Jul 7, 2011, 3:03 pm	Back at Nørre Vorupør again we decided to go to Klochs spisested, a restaurant. My hosts' family was invited by friends to have dinner with them there and we were allowed to join them, too. I had 26 Fiskefilet............................................................75,- 2 stk. med pommes frites, remoulade og citron 2 Fischfilets mit Pommes Frites, Remoulade und Zitrone It was yummy
fam-united Posted Jul 10, 2011, 5:00 pm	Hi Mum, today we drove to Fjerritslev and visited the best preserved brewery of North Europe. During the years 1897 to 1968 they made thousands of litres of malt beer. It seems, that there will come one of the men to start brewing again the next moment. Together with some of my friends I sat down on a scale - we were really lightweights. Look at all these beer bottles. Then we sat down ON the table - not to Petra's joy I found an old dollhouse and of course we had to play there
fam-united Posted Jul 10, 2011, 6:45 pm	On our way home we decided to stop at the Hanstholm fortress spontanously. It belongs to the saddest part of Danish and of course German history and you shouldn't miss to inform you there about the cause, why you find bunkers everywhere along the coast. The Germans used this part of the North Sea during World War II. The bunker museum covers about 3000 sq m.It is one of the largest bunkers, which the Germans built in Denmark. It's a really very depressing place. We stayed outside, because dogs weren't allowed to go inside, so I'm sorry, that there are no photos of the inner part of the museum.
fam-united Posted Jul 11, 2011, 7:36 pm	And we had a last stop at Klitmøller to take a look at the kite surfers and surfers. Okay, you're right. It seems like a bird in the sky, but it was a kite surfer.
fam-united Posted Jul 16, 2011, 4:09 pm	Today we drove to Grenen, the northmost tip of Jutland, north of the town of Skagen, thereby the northmost point of Denmark. Grenen was given its name for its shape like a tree-branch (Danish: gren). It's the meeting point of the Skagerrak (North Sea) and Kattegat (East Sea). For me it just is one of the most beautiful points on earth. Before we walked to the promontory (I'm not sure, if it fits well to the place I mean), I had a cup of cappuccino. I'm not sure, if you can see the top point on the right side of the horizon. That's the point to which I walked then. Petra walked with her crutches, but still enjoyed taking a photo with me at the beach. Finally we were here. It was just fascinating  to see the Kattegat and Skagerrak flow together - for everyone except myself, because I  hid myself in the backpack -. So here is a photo of my friend Mandy Sheep, who told me, that I really missed something and I didn't want, that you can't see this place, too. Then we walked all the way back again and took another two photos at the same place, where we took the first one. Here you see ships waiting in the Kattegat to be allowed to enter the waterway and of course you see the lighthouse of Grenen.
fam-united Posted Jul 16, 2011, 5:19 pm	After visiting the most spectacular part of the land of light - that's how they call the northmost tip of Jutland too, we decided to stop at the lighthouse located at Rubjerg Knude. Petra and her family were there in 2008. You need to see an old photo, so you can understand, what happens here. (photo by one of my host's sons) On the first photo you can see the dune wandering and the sand flying, too. It hurt in my face. Although this wikipedia theme is written in German, the photos are interesting for you and me, so you should take a look here. Rubjerg Knude is a wandering sand dune, the highest point of the steep coast of Lønstrup with a length of about 1900 metresand width of about 400 metres. We stood nearly at the same place like in 2008 and you see, that the shape of the sand dune changed a lot. The entrance of the lighthouse was nearly full of sand. Some people crawled into it, because they could have a rest from the strong wind outside, but it was somehow creepy. It had been so windy there, that Petra and I had to hide behind her son's back to take this photo. Even if you can't see the sand flying - we had sand everywhere, even in my ears and in my eyes - and in Petra's camera, too. I'm not sure, what happened with me, but somehow there are two photos of Mandy Sheep and none with me
fam-united Posted Aug 1, 2011, 8:56 am	Today we decided to a place, where my hosts had been three years ago already. This time they wanted to explore other parts of this little island called Fur (alternative older spelling Fuur). It is a small Danish island in the Limfjord at the northern tip of the Salling peninsula. Fur has under 900 inhabitants. The island covers an area of 22 km². The crossing of the Fursund with the ferry takes only 3/4 minutes. Then we drove on by car. The weather wasn't that great, but we found a nice place near the beach and we decided to walk a little. I hope, you can see the little path, which we followed down to the beach. The erosion gorges, Langstedhuller, were formed after the Ice Age. The area is one of the most beautiful nature areas on Fur. In early spring, the slopes are covered by cowslips and nodding pasqueflowers.  This flower is really lovely. I would have liked to pick it for you, but Petra said, that it wouldn't make it well until it reaches you. You I just want to send this photo. The whole beach was covered with shells. Do you see me? Then we drove to Stendal Høje, which is the hightest point of the island (75 m above sea level). From here you have a view of most of the island and the northern part of Salling and Livø, the coast Himmerlandskysten and Mors. Stendal Høje are also called “Bette Jenses Hyw” stemming from a mound situated further to the north. The island’s largest active moler pit is located towards the north beneath “Stendal Høje”. At last we visited the church. For us it seems like a part of Greece in Denmark. Here comes some information about the church: The church Fuur Kirke is called Sankt Mortens Kirke, and it was erected in 1126 by three nobles Gutchi, Atti, and Agli together with the vicar Bo. It is extemely rare that written sources are so precise about the origin. The present appearance of the church is of a later date. On the western side of the tower you will find a carved face at 13 metres’ height in memory of a builder who fell down. In Denmark there are flags on the graveyards and also on many houses. They run it through daytime and hoist the flag to half-mast, if there is a funeral.
fam-united Posted Aug 1, 2011, 1:43 pm	On our way back we stopped at Sjørring Volde. I think, the best idea is to upload a photo of a part of a big sign next to the place. It would be too much to write When we looked up to the sky, we saw a strange sun. There was a large circle around the sun. It is called Halo 22°. My hosts already had seen another Halo 22° back in 2008, when they were at Grenen at the meeting point of North and East Sea. They and of course I were happy to see the optical phenomenon (again). It was a bit difficult to take a nice pic with me. When we arrived at Nørre Vorupør, we still saw this Halo 22° above our house.
fam-united Posted Aug 1, 2011, 2:06 pm	Back at our house we only wanted one thing: Jump into the water! Petra, can you please leave the camera in the living room? We don't want to be photographed now. Emmh, Petra. Please don't take photos here! We want to relax a bit now. Seems, she doesn't hear us. Maybe we should look at her and not at the water, but it is just too exciting to be allowed to jump into the water today. We can't turn around to face her. So, Petra, even if we don't look at you and seem to talk to the water - we mean you, who should put down the camera now. Okay, okay! One last photo, but then this is it! Ahh, was that fun! Sorry, Mum, that we all didn't want photos of us in the water. But afterwards Petra was really thankful, because we splashed around a lot and maybe her camera would be broken now. Because she stayed calm, we allowed her to take two photos of us relaxing in the sun, after we all had been under the shower.
fam-united Posted Aug 3, 2011, 8:47 am	After a one and a half hour drive we arrived at Randers. There is a rainforest - I only believed it after I've seen it. There are three big big domes with three different rainforest themes: Asia, Africa and South America. Click on the link, if you want to know more about it. You will find more information, if you go to THE EXPERIENCE. I can tell you, it was hard for the camera - so sticky hot and humid. Not only the camera had problems, but I too. It was so hard to breath and you know, I have a fur, so it was even more hot to me than to the others maybe except the other toyvoyagers, of course. Of course rainforest means a lot of forest But we also saw many beautiful fishes. I also met a really big crocodile. I had been safe - there was glass between me and the crocodile. Here we are in the South American part. From here we drove to Graceland. Yes, you've read it right. But I mean Graceland Randers, which of course isn't the real Graceland, where Elvis lived. Nevertheless I enjoyed to be here. Petra told me, that it maybe is the only chance for many people in Europe to see something similiar like the real Graceland. So I tried my best to understand it and I really liked the exhibition there. This is an original phone, which was down in the jungle room. There's also a cinema, where the show Elvis movies. This one maybe was "Elvis by the Presley's". After the movie we've left the building.
fam-united Posted Aug 3, 2011, 11:23 am	At 6 pm we were back at our house in Nørre Vorupør. We were really tired.
fam-united Posted Aug 3, 2011, 4:24 pm	This is our last day at Nørre Vorupør. We visited the local museum with exhibitions about the town and fishing tradition. We sat down in a ship and hoped, that someone would come and take us fishing, but Petra told us, that we'd chosen the wrong ship. We had some fun, when we took the group photo in the steering wheel. This is the last photo of Nørre Vorupør: the really nice church.
fam-united Posted Aug 3, 2011, 4:49 pm	We are back in the car again - for another more than 7 hours trip back to the motel in Hannover. Of course it is raining again.
fam-united Posted Aug 4, 2011, 1:01 pm	Once more we stayed at the Motel one in Hannover. Petra said, that she had a really really bad night. The bed was much too hard for her to sleep. Thank God, we toyvoyagers had a nice place to rest. Now we are in the car again and guess what? It is raining. Here we are on our way to Bad Pyrmont. I guess it was Bingen, where we took this photo. I can't remember, where this photo was taken.
fam-united Posted Aug 4, 2011, 2:03 pm	After we had breakfast in a nice coffee shop, we went on a little walk. We saw some really beautiful old houses. Fountain Place with Hylligen Born Here we passed Frankfurt a.M. and we tried to catch a photo with us and the skyline - it was too far away and really small. So it is hard to understand, why they call the skyline of Frankfurt a.M. "Mainhatten".
fam-united Posted Aug 4, 2011, 4:34 pm	At home again, we found two big packages on the kitchen table. Cassiopeia and some long missed toyvoyagers had arrived during our stay in Denmark. We have to talk now - tell stories of our travels.
fam-united Posted Aug 6, 2011, 12:15 pm	Petra's camera had been at the shop to get rid of the amount of sand in it. So we had no chance to take photos in the meantime. Today it was warm and now there are heavy clouds at the sky. We wait for more rain.
fam-united Posted Aug 6, 2011, 5:06 pm	This early evening we were in Ötigheim to watch "Peter Pan". I really enjoyed it. See a few photos of it here:
fam-united Posted Aug 19, 2011, 7:44 pm	Today we took a photo of nearly all tvs, which stay here right now. There are several tvs of our host: Aaron, Robinson, Schnuffi, Scotty, Cassiopeia and Simba Leon. Then there are the regular guests: me, Bubo, Henry, Sanji, Tuffy, BarryO, Jack, Chuckle, WillyW. All the others are tvs, which stayed with hosts, who had some problems and no chance to send them on to their owners or the next host. It is the biggest amount of toyvoyagers I ever had around me
fam-united Posted Aug 21, 2011, 11:19 am	Today the weather is nice - finally. So we had a chance to go out and take a look at the sightseeing places of Bruchsal. Bruchsal was first named in 976, but there are places even older than that. Bruchsal is famous for its beautiful baroque palace, for asparagus and for traffic jams on the autobahn. Here you see the Damian Gate, which is the entrance to the palace area. You can see art exhibitions there every now and then. After taking a photo of a fountain - Petra forgot to take one with me - we crossed the street again and walked into the palace front garden. At first we took a photo of a sign: The big part of the building is the main building of the palace. On the left side you see the catholic church St. Damian and Hugo, where my hosts go to Sunday service. Here you can see from left to right: the building with the chamber music hall, the tower of Damian Gate, the little piece of the tower of the jailhouse, then the tree. At next there are two more buildings, which belong to the palace area, between both is the street, which we crossed before. Then the higher building on the right side is the county court. And you can see the little gate, through which we walked into the front garden. We walked into the church to take a look at old photos. You can see, that the palace was destroyed during World War II. They rebuilt the area, but the church inside is modern nowadays. In the second last photo you can see a little gate, which leads from the front part to the back part of the palace. We walked through it and took a photo of the backside of the church and the church tower. There are some fountains on the backside of the palace. Each year there are open air concerts and it's a place for nice wedding photos. Around Christmas there is a second Christmas market at that place, too. Four guards with halberts are at the line between the fountain part and the palace garden. We walked to the little pond, where usually you can find many ducks. At two crossings of the main way you can find a statue at each corner. This crossing shows the four elements water, fire, earth, air. Here you see the fire statue. You maybe remember, that I've shown you the water statue a while ago. This crossing shows the four seasons winter, spring, summer, autumn. This statue is summer. There are several ways lined with chestnut trees. We left the palace area and drove to the backside of the hospital. There is a parking place and we stopped to take two photos: one shows the old hospital building with its nice little tower and the other shows the jailhouse. Then we drove to the Belvedere, which was built as a hunting lodge for Prince Bishop Franz Christoph von Hutten. Next to the Belvedere and Stadtgarten there is a place, where you have a great view over Bruchsal. You can see the two towers of the baroque church St. Peter, which is close to my host's house. In the street right in front of me you can see some of the oldest houses of Bruchsal. 80 % of Bruchsal was destroyed during the war, so mostly you only see houses built from 1945 to today. The buildings in front of me and the white one on the left side belong to the older people's house. Then there is the private catholic grammer school called St. Paulusheim - the big grey building in the far left side. This nice house also is next to the Belvedere. Nowadays it belongs to a hotel.
fam-united Posted Aug 26, 2011, 9:04 am	Finally we found time to go on another short trip. We drove to Bad Nauheim in the morning. Maybe you don't know anything about Bad Nauheim and what makes it interesting for us. It is a really nice city with about 30000 inhabitants and is located about 35 km north from Frankfurt a.M. Elvis Presley lived in Bad Nauheim during his time with the United States Army in Friedberg. In the old town center of Bad Nauheim is the barn at the gate to the castle: The gate, the 'Burgpforte', was used by Elvis Presley as the motif of a record cover for his 1959 #1 hitrecord 'A Big Hunk o' Love'. Here is a photo of him at the gate. The photo is part of the exhibition ( the link is in German, sorry) about Elvis' time in Bad Nauheim and a bit about Elvis in general. Elvis sang "Muss i denn zum Städele hinaus". Here is a sheet with the text and he wrote in phonetic spelling under the lines, how he had to sing it. Elvis liked karate. Here is one of his suits. Of course there was much more to see and read, but Petra said, that she can't take a photo of each photo or item with me. After seeing the exhibition we went to an Irish Pub for lunch. Terrassenstraße - a street - was near to the Irish Pub, so we decided to walk there and go to see Hotel Grunewald. Elvis lived there after he arrived in Germany in October 1958. One week after him also his father, grandmother and two friends and bodyguards came too. At first they stayed at another hotel, but then they rent a whole floor. Room 10 - Elvis room - still looks the same, but it is closed for public. Right in front of the hotel is the Elvis-Presley-Place and the stele. Near to the "Burgpforte" - where nobody took a single photo with us toyvoyagers, but only the humans - ok, near to the "Burgpforte" we saw these lovely half timbered houses. In the garden we had a rest near a "Gradierbau" - refine building (not sure, how to call it in English). I like this beach chair. While walking in the garden, we saw this church. On our way back to the car we walked through Goethestraße. In the house Goethestraße 14 Elvis lived for one year during his stay in Germany. It was a strange feeling to walk in the footsteps of Elvis and really interesting for everyone - even those, who don't like Elvis too much. Of course this last part of the sentence doesn't count for my female host.
xKBr Posted Sep 5, 2011, 1:45 pm	Hello mum ! I'm arrived at my new host place ! It's in Belgium, in a city called Montignies-sur-Sambre. My host told me that this city is medium-sized (around 15.000 inhabitants) and is situated near a bigger city called Charleroi (around 200.000 inhabitants), which is very industrial and where there are a lot of shops and other things. But I've never heard about these cities... So Jessica, my host, take some books to show me where I am... This card is so small... So we'll find it in another book... That's better ! And I've conscripted some new friends to help me in my searching ! But they can't really help me... So, Jessica show us where we are ! Look, mum, I'm here ! I'm here ! As my travel were so exhausting, I stay at home today to have a rest... And I've visited all the home of my host ! Haha. I've met animals and so many plushes ! Here's some pictures, I'll introduce them to you ! Here's Praline, the amazing white cat of this house ! She's so crazy, 'cause she jumps everywhere ! But... She has so funny games ! Look after that : I've also seen some fishes ... And these strange things... It looks like food, or seed... But, my host tell me that's some little eggs of stick insects ! Jessica had some of these insects in a vivarium but they died a few weeks ago and she saved some eggs to have new babies ! But we must wait around 3 month to see them... I hope I'll see them hatch ! I also took the opportunity to find some good hiding places ! And I met a lot of blue aliens in Jessica's room... They're all called "Stitch". They're strange, but cool ! They let me take pictures with them... So, I'm in safe hands, mum, don't worry ! And I'm sure that I'll have lot of fun here, in Belgium ! I'll write you soon ! NiliHH
fam-united Posted Sep 7, 2011, 6:17 pm	A thunderstorm is coming.
xKBr Posted Sep 25, 2011, 8:35 pm	Hello mum' ! How are you ?! I'm really happy to be here ! I've been to my first "pyjama party" ! I met some friends and took pictures with them ! :-) It was for Jessica's birthday, on the 17th September, and It was so funny ! Here's some pictures of me before the party... I can't show you pictures of the after, because I was... a little... drunk ! Haha, no, I'm laughing, I don't drink, you know me well ! :-P. So comfortable ! See you soon ! :-) NiliHH.
amb167 Posted Oct 16, 2011, 4:50 pm	Hi, Mom! I arrived safely in San Jose today I met Jeremy, a little white tiger who is also visiting, and Aurora and Toothy, who live here. Everyone was very nice and told me how excited they are that I arrived in time to go to Disneyland with them!!! But it was very late, so we didn't have too much time to chat. Maggie tucked us all in bed and told us we could visit more in the morning. I think I'm going to like it here Love, NiliHH
amb167 Posted Oct 16, 2011, 5:03 pm	Good morning, Mom. I had a very nice sleep at Maggie's house. And when we all woke up we sat around and got to know each other a bit. Jeremy is so sweet He said he was glad to have another visiting toy around. And it turns out that Aurora is pretty new here, she was a gift for Maggie from her aunt and uncle. Isn't that interesting? Toothy is also very nice. He's been here the longest. But he isn't a TV just yet. Right now he just greets the visiting TV's and goes on outings with Maggie now and then. Later in the morning the mail arrived. It came much earlier than normal the other TV's said, and it was very very exciting because Maggie and her mom received 5 packages!!! The first one had another TV!!!!!! Her name is Sunshine and she is really, really nice!! We are all so glad that she arrived in time to visit Disneyland too! Finally all of us are here She brought some really cute chocolates to share with us, yummy!!    Once we all introduced ourselves we helped Maggie open the other packages. One package had 25 Disney trading pins. Maggie was so excited!! She loooooves pin trading and didn't even know that her mom had bought her more Next we opened a package that had a new Halloween Disney lanyard for Maggie to put all her new pins on. All this Disneyland stuff is making me so anxious to go!!! Only 6 more days!!!!!!
amb167 Posted Oct 18, 2011, 12:21 am	Hi, Mom! Today Maggie and her mom decided we would all go to the Half Moon Bay pumpkin festival. At first the ride was going nicely, and there was very pretty scenery. But as soon as we got to the two lane section, traffic came to an almost complete stop!! A drive that should have taken us one hour took us more than two and a half! Thankfully everyone stayed in good spirits, so with great music and great company we were able to enjoy the long long ride. Maggie's mom decided to take some pictures of us while we waited to get there. There is a picture of me in front of a very pretty and old flower shop on the side of the road. Next there are some photos of a pumpkin patch we passed, and in the second pumpkin picture you can see the loooong line of cars behind us in the mirror. And the last picture is of me at the pumpkin festival. We finally made it and found parking a half hour before it was over. But, I got to have my photo taken in front of the giant pumpkins that Farmer Mike had carved earlier in the day. I hear he is world famous! Hope things are going well at home. Love, NiliHH
amb167 Posted Oct 26, 2011, 3:14 am	Hi, Mom!! Yesterday Maggie's mom had work, so when we all got home we ran around like crazy trying to pack up for Disneyland. We finally got everything ready and went straight to bed because we had to wake up really early today to leave. Maggie said it was a long, long drive but I didn't realize just how long of a drive it really was! It felt like we were driving FOREVER! But me and the other TV's told each other funny stories and sang songs to keep busy. Finally, just when I thought we might never make it, we saw the signs that said we were in L.A.!! Woohoo!!!! Disneyland, here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
amb167 Posted Oct 27, 2011, 5:29 am	Hi, Mom! Today was our second day in Disneyland. We had so much fun at the trick or treat party last night! Maggie and her family dressed up like pirates and we got soooooo much candy! Maggie's bag was completely full! Sorry we don't have the pictures to show you. I also met all of the Winnie the Pooh characters. Winnie, Eeyore, Rabbit, and Tigger. Unfortunately those pictures are gone too I can take pictures of their signatures in Maggie's autograph book though later Today we went to California Adventure first and rode on a really fast roller coaster! I was very brave though. Then we went on the Little Mermaid ride. Maggie's mom really loves the Little Mermaid so she was very excited She liked the ride a lot and said it was worth the wait. Soon after that is when she lost her camera. Very sad. But thank goodness for camera phones! Here is a picture of me in front of a fake movie lot in California Adventure. Looks pretty real doesn't it? Then it started to get dark so we headed over to Disneyland since the parades look the best at night. Here I am in front of the Sound-sational parade. This part was about Mary Poppins! It was really cool. Then we headed over to Fantasy Land. We got to pass by the castle. It looks sooo pretty at night! Next we all went for a ride on the famous Teacups! Those look nicest at night, too. We went round and round so fast that I got really dizzy! I loved it and wanted to go again, but Maggie said we would have to wait and go again tomorrow. After Teacups we went over to Storybook Land. It is a really cool ride where you get in a boat and ride through Monstro, the whale from Pinocchio. Then you pass by miniature versions of all the Disney storybook lands. I loved all the tiny castles Next we went to ride on It's a Small World. But the line was going to take an hour and Maggie didn't want to wait. So we took some photos in front with it all lit up and headed back to the hotel to get some rest. Good night, Mom! Miss you!
amb167 Posted Oct 27, 2011, 5:34 am	Hello, again Today was our last day in Disneyland. Sad, but we had a great time. Today we got to go on the Matterhorn. Maggie says it's her new favorite ride! Here is a picture of me by the Finding Nemo ride with the Matterhorn in the background. It was kind of scary, but lots of fun Then we went back to California Adventure and took a ride on the Toy Story ride/game. While your waiting in line there is a huge Mr. Potato Head that talks and tells funny jokes. After that ride we went on the Monorail, but it broke down in Downtown Disney! So we were stranded outside of Disneyland and had a long walk back to the main gate. On our way through the shopping district we passed by the two story Build-A-Bear. We went inside and while Maggie made a stuffed owl us TV's got our picture taken with some of the Disney bears. They were really fancy! It was neat to watch the bears being stuffed and dressed up By the time we got back to Disneyland it was dark again. We were a but hungry so we stopped and had a snack. Me and the other TV's shared a yummy Mickey shaped pretzel with some dip. It was yummy! After we rode a few last rides, we decided to head home since it was very late. On our way out we stopped and had our picture taken with the Mickey and Walt Disney statue, and we took a picture of the quote at the bottom. Then we saw a cute picture set up with some pumpkins and Maggie's mom decided to take our picture there too. And lastly, we took our picture in front of the Mickey Mouse flowers at the front entrance. Because it's Halloween, Mickey is wearing a cute eye mask I had a great time in Disneyland with Maggie and her family. Thanks so much for letting me go with them, Mom!!
amb167 Posted Oct 28, 2011, 4:28 am	Hi, Mom! Today we welcomed a new toy voyager who is coming to visit the Pinnacles with us this Saturday Her name is Salmonella and she is a big, beautiful fish! She is super nice and we all get along really well. It's getting to be a full house around here Well we have a really fun weekend planned, so I will update you on my adventures soon!
amb167 Posted Nov 2, 2011, 1:47 am	Hi, Mom. Today Maggie, her family, and all of us TV's went to the Pinnacles. It is a cave and set of trails that were created by a volcano a long time ago. We drove for about an hour and a half through the city, and out into the country through tiny towns with populations of only 200! Finally we got to the Pinnacles and went to the ranger store. There we paid our fee, picked up a trail map, and bought some postcards for Maggie's postcrossing hobby Then we headed up the road to the Bear Gulch area. We went into the visitor center and saw a table sized topographical of the area. Next we saw a poster that told us about how the caves were created by the volcano. There was a seismograph too, and on the wall there was a print out of some small earth quakes it had recorded in August. After our educational visit at the center, we walked out towards the trail head. Once we got there we saw a sign saying the caves were open and only .7miles away! The trail was all uphill, but the views were gorgeous! Here are some pics of me and the other TV's along the way. Then we saw an interesting old tree next to a sign saying we had made it to the caves! It was really very dark in there, but Maggie's mom managed to get a few useable photos of us. There were neat little ponds and streams inside, and tiny spaces to crawl through. It was really cool! Then we followed the light, and made it out of the caves. We were greeted by a long staircase with a giant boulder suspended over it. It was crazy to look at. Once we got to the top we saw the prettiest little lake surrounded by beautiful rock formations and hills! It was so worth the hike there We stopped for awhile and listened to another hiker playing his guitar while we enjoyed the nature and had a small snack. Then we continued our hike down around the rim. Once the sun went down we saw lots of bats flying through the sky! We had a really great day. Wish you were here!
amb167 Posted Nov 2, 2011, 2:39 am	Hi, Mom! Today we went to the pumpkin patch! It was really fun and there were lots of pumpkins to choose from. Maggie and her family chose 3 big pumpkins to carve Maggie says her pumpkin is going to be a surprise, so I can only show you her mom's pumpkin. She drew an owl! They won't be lighting them up until tomorrow, so you'll have to wait to see the finished product til then!
amb167 Posted Nov 2, 2011, 2:42 am	It's finally Halloween!!!!! We are all sooo excited!! Maggie's mom spent all day volunteering in Maggie's classroom today for their celebration and arts and crafts projects. But when she got home we put together all the treat bags for the trick-or-treaters later tonight. Then they put out the pumpkins Maggie made the Boogie Man from the Nightmare Before Christmas. Turned out really well, she even drew him herself. Then there was the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, and of course her mom's owl. I think they looked really good I loved the spooky glow they gave off when they were all lit up!
amb167 Posted Nov 11, 2011, 4:29 am	Hi Mom! Today a new voyager arrived. Her name is Sheela and she is from the United Kingdom. She brought all kinds of treats with her for Maggie! Since yesterday was so busy with birthday celebrations for one of the girls Maggie's mom nannies for, everyone was a bit tired today and we had a relaxing morning. Maggie's mom went to make herself a cup of coffee and showed us how she uses a french press instead of a coffee maker. She swears it makes it taste better She let all of us try a sip. It was okay, but I'm not sure coffee is for me. Then we helped write postcards for Maggie to send to postcrossers. It was a nice day
amb167 Posted Nov 15, 2011, 12:31 am	Happy Veterans Day and 11-11-11, Mom!!!! What an exciting and lucky day!! Maggie and the girls her mom watches had the day off of school. Since it was yucky weather outside we all made crafts indoors instead. Since Thanksgiving is coming up, we made salt dough ornaments to give to people we are thankful for. We used 1 part salt, 1 part water, and 2 parts flour. Then the girls mixed it all up with their hands (what a mess!), rolled it out, and used cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes. After we baked them for a few hours to harden and let them cool, they were ready for paint. Here we all are with Maggie's finished batch. Didn't they turn out cute?! The girls are so excited to give them out next week!
amb167 Posted Nov 15, 2011, 1:57 am	Hi, Mom! Today a new voyager arrived! His name is Squab, and he's really cool! He brought us a really nice card from Germany, and a whole bunch of treats!! Maggie was about to burst she wanted to try one so badly!! But her mom made her wait until after dinner, haha. Can't wait to get to know Squab a bit better!
amb167 Posted Nov 17, 2011, 2:54 am	Hi, Mom. Today was Jeremy's last night with us. Since it was a special occasion, Maggie's mom gave us some cake! It was delicious After we finished up, we all gave Jeremy hugs and told him good luck on his travels. I'm glad he gets to go home for Thanksgiving, but we will miss him!
amb167 Posted Nov 28, 2011, 8:08 pm	Hi Mom, today the girls were home from school since its Thanksgiving break. Normally they like to hold off on all Christmas activities until after Thanksgiving, but they were tired of turkey projects so we got started on Christmas ornaments really early. They know an older gentleman who enjoys wood working and makes lots and lots of cut outs that he sells at a great price. So we have bunches of things to paint this year, which made starting early a really good idea! Here we are with the before and after. Didn't the girls do a stupendous job?! After that the girls made a fort and us TV's got to play in it for a bit after the girls were done playing. It was a fun day
amb167 Posted Nov 28, 2011, 8:21 pm	Today was really fun, Mom! We went to the movies Maggie's mom needed to pick up her car in Morgan Hill so we decided to go see Arthur's Christmas while we were there. Us TV's got to share a BIG popcorn and everything. It was a really funny movie and we all enjoyed it. When we were leaving the theater we saw a set up promoting the new Muppet movie. Maggie says we should all see that next.
amb167 Posted Nov 29, 2011, 2:41 am	After the movies we grabbed a quick bite and then headed to Christmas in the Park. It's one of San Jose's biggest and longest running traditions. They decorate all of Cesar Chavez park in downtown San Jose with trees and lights and Christmas displays. Businesses, schools, council members, girls/boy scout troops and other groups sponsor the trees and decorate them so each one is different. We walked around and took pictures with a few of the displays, then we had one of the famous hot chocolates. It has hot chocolate (of course), whipped cream, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, a candy cane, and a cherry with a little snowman decoration. It probably has about 1,000 calories, but it's a once a year treat and it is tradition Since it was soooo big, all of us TV's shared it. And let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS! On our way out of the park we took a picture with the serpent statue. It's for Cesar Chavez, who the park is named after. The people who made it say it's a dragon, but everyone who lives in San Jose jokes that it looks like a pile of poo, haha. But it is a San Jose landmark so I was glad to see it!
amb167 Posted Nov 30, 2011, 12:56 am	Today was very exciting! Maggie's first and most special TV came home! Her name is Gooble and she had been visiting fleursmum in Gisborne, Australia! She had an amazing time over there and she brought TONS of goodies back for Maggie Gooble also has a new friend named Squakers that she got at an aquarium. They are both really really nice and I am glad they made it home safe. I can't wait to hear all about of Gooble's adventures!!
amb167 Posted Dec 8, 2011, 4:52 am	Hi Mom. Today Maggie and her mom were checking out all of our TV profiles and saw that one of Sheela's life missions is to meet a dog. They felt kind of silly for not noticing that before, so they took some pictures of us with their dog Molly right away. She is a King Charles Cavalier, and she is super sweet. She's funny because she doesn't like to play with toys, not even fetch! She doesn't realize she is a dog, she thinks she is one of the humans. But that's okay, because it means Maggie never has to worry about Molly chewing anything up, like new shoes or worse,  a TV! Although Molly is very sweet, she wasn't very interested in having her picture taken today. Maybe she thought she was having a bad hair day, haha. But here are some of the photo's that weren't too bad. Hope you enjoy them!
amb167 Posted Dec 9, 2011, 2:32 am	Today was Squabs last day with Maggie. He is off to Finland! We all gave him big hugs and wished him luck on the rest of his travels. Bye Squab! Take care
amb167 Posted Dec 15, 2011, 1:37 am	Hi, Mom! Today we went to Santa Clara to see the Global Winter Wonderland. It is where people create huge lanterns out of recycled materials that represent places from all over the world. It is the first time it has come to the United States, and we were very excited to go see it. The lanterns were so beautifully made and some were very intricate. We walked around for quite awhile looking at all the lights, but it was really cold and we started to freeze! So we headed inside and listened to a live band while we warmed up. They were only okay. Then we went to see the rest of the lights and went through a dinosaur maze. There was a giant T-rex that moved and roared, it was neat When we got around to the other side of the Eiffel Tower, we saw there was actually a couple who moved in and kissed, how cute! I took an extra picture with it since I know you like the Eiffel Tower Hope things are going well at home!
amb167 Posted Jan 4, 2012, 4:59 am	Hey, Mom. Today we drove down to the beach! We didn't really go to the beach though, we went to a town near the beach called called Pacific Grove. Every year thousand of Monarch butterflies fly here during their migration. They cluster in the trees and look like dead leaves to the untrained eye. Luckily, we knew what to look for. There were 12,500 butterflies the day we went. If it is too cold, the butterflies can't fly.Today was pretty cold, so they were mostly in the trees. A few were on the ground and other places trying to move their wings to warm up so they could fly up to the tree with the other butterflies, but they weren't very successful We took tons of pictures!! I hope you enjoy them See if you can find the clusters of butterflies in the not zoomed in pictures. Here is a good site for you to look at so you can learn more about the Monarch migration. There was a wonderful docent there that taught Maggie and us all about the life cycle and migration of the Monarchs. It was very interesting! After we saw the butterflies we went to Monterey, CA to eat at a restaurant on the pier. It's called Bubba Gumps, and it is supposed to be the restaurant from the movie Forrest Gump. Have you ever seen that movie, Mom? It's pretty good. Miss you lots!
amb167 Posted Jan 4, 2012, 7:42 pm	Merry Christmas Eve, Mom! Today we are making cookies for Santa. We decided to frost half of them, so that Santa can decide which he likes best After making cookies we lounged around in our pajamas most of the day, and then went to a nice dinner. After dinner and some more lounging around, we went to midnight mass. After church it was 1:30 in the morning, so we put out the cookies and note for Santa. We only had soy milk since Maggie can't have regular milk, so she is hoping Santa likes soy milk too. Then Maggie tucked us in with some of her favorite lovies. I can't wait for the morning!! I hope Santa comes
amb167 Posted Jan 5, 2012, 12:46 am	MERRY CHRISTMAS, MOM!!! Exciting news, Santa came!!There were sooooo many presents. It took an hour and a half to open everything! Although, Maggie is a bit slow at opening gifts. Most kids tear through them, but Maggie likes to open them slowly and enjoy each gift before moving on to the next I hope you had a wonderful Christmas at home! Love you!
amb167 Posted Jan 5, 2012, 2:07 am	Hello again Things have been a bit boring while Maggie's been on vacation, so yesterday we decided to go on a trip. Now here we are in San Simeon! We got in after dark, so we had to wait until today to go see the seals. This time every year, elephant seals come to shore to have their babies. It is right at the start of the birthing season! The first beach we went to didn't have very many seals, but we were able to get very close to them. They can weigh several tons, so you are not allowed to go onto the beach with them. But there were some rocks a few feet away that we sat on to observe from a safe distance. The first beach had some babies that were probably a few days old. They were very cute But mostly, this beach had bulls fighting over the harem. See the big bull with the red eyes? He kept staring at us! After an hour or so we decided to head down to road to another beach with a bigger group of seals. This one had a board with information about the seals. From reading the board we learned that when you see a group of seagulls around a seal, it means a birth is imminent. Almost right after reading that we saw a bunch of seagulls fly around a seal! We ran over to try and catch a birth, but we were too late. Turns out the seal had delivered her baby a few minutes earlier, and the gulls were coming for the after birth. Kind of yucky, but the gulls like to eat it! Within a minute or so the seal passed the after birth and the gulls grabbed it up and started fighting over it. Once it started to get too cold and windy we headed even further down to road to Moonstone Beach to watch the sunset. The picture doesn't at all do it justice. It was really magnificent!! Wish you could have been here!
-[Dino]- Posted Jan 17, 2012, 8:14 pm	Hello Mum! Today, when I was just comfortably sleeping in my envelope I was awakened to scratching on the outside. I can tell you, I was really scared! But then my envelope was opened and friendly dog looked inside to tell me I could come out now and that I had arrived at her home. So I decided to take a look and I liked what I saw so I came out and showed the card and sweets I had travelling with me to my new friend *-Cookie-*. Thank you to Maggie and amb for putting them in my envelope. My host really liked the card and we'll sure like the sweets. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better. But first she told me that there was another TV waiting to be rescued out of the envelope. After we had persuaded him to come out of his envelope he said that his name was Scritches  and that he just came from you, Mum! How exciting! What a coincidence! I miss you mum, but Cookie and Scritches seem really nice and we instantly started to talk. Scritches said that at home everything was fine and he really liked it there. Miss you mum!
-[Dino]- Posted Jan 21, 2012, 4:44 pm	Hi Mum, the weather was so bad the last days that we had to stay home except for Katharina leaving occasionally to go to classes... It was a little boring not to be able to do anything. So I decided to hang out with the last of the Christmas decorations. Mum look, I'm an angel!
-[Dino]- Posted Jan 21, 2012, 5:02 pm	Hi Mum, this morning Katharina said that we would go out regardless the rain. She wanted to visit her parent's for the weekend and had decided to take some pictures with us since she had to go out in the rain anyway. Yey, finally some action! Outside it was really cold. We first had to get on the bus which took us into the city center where we wanted to take the pictures. It was raining a little when we got there, but so bad as it had when we went to the bus stop so we were grateful. Yes, I'm a hippo, but I don't like rain either... First we went to St. Andreas-Kirche. It is a very big church right in the middle of the city. You can only see about half the church on the picture. Then we saw the "Huckup". It shows a thief who stole apples with his bad conscience on his back weighing him down heavily. Then we visited the "Blaues Pferd". It's a blue horse on the ground which only looks like a real horse from the right angle. But I managed to pose pretty well as it looks like a horse in the picture. After that we took a look at the ice skating rink put up behind the town hall. It looks really nice and Katharina said that we might go skating if the weather gets better. So we'll see... Then we all sat down for a group picture in front of the town hall as this was the only dry spot we could find. Can you see me Mum? (If now look at the next picture. ) On our way to the train station we went by St. Jacobi-Kirche right in the middle of pedestrian zone. This church is called "City Kirche" because of its location. We were nearly late for our train by then so we had to hurry! But we managed to get to the train station in time. *phew*
-[Dino]- Posted Jan 21, 2012, 5:10 pm	We had to change trains in Hannover and had some time to take more pictures there. First me in front of the sign of Hanover main station (I was playing tourist of course ). I also got a pictures in front of the big sign telling travelers when and where to find their trains. There wasn't a single train to Hamburg though... As it had stopped raining for a bit we went outside and took a picture in front of the statue of Ernst August who was once the King of Hanover. The sun was even shining a little bit. Then we had to get onto the next train.
-[Dino]- Posted Jan 21, 2012, 5:17 pm	Hey Mum, this is my last update for today. I wanted to show you what it looks like around where Katharina lives. There is a lot of forest where the train passes through. We also took another group picture on the train and said good-bye to *-Cookie-* our wonderful guide because she will leave us for Bavaria on her first journey in the afternoon. Have safe travels Cookie. It was wonderful meeting you! I'll update again soon, Mum. Miss you!
-[Dino]- Posted Jan 24, 2012, 5:44 pm	Hi mum, the weather is still very bad here... Probably at home as well. I got some pictures from the train when we went back home with Katharina. Can you see all the raindrops on the glass? And the weather even got worse by the mile...  And did you see Scritches got another picture with a train passing us. I have to confess I was a little jealous. So I tried to get one myself. There were so many opportunities, but we were always too late with the picture... But mum, then a freight train passed us and I finally got my picture as well! (I won't mention that those trains are longer then usual the usual trains and that we had more time to take the picture because of that. No, I won't mention that!) NiliHH
-[Dino]- Posted Jan 26, 2012, 7:26 pm	Hello mum, today I want to show you the nice sunset we had! It looked really special with the sun setting between the clouds and the small mountains! Unfortunately the sun was very fast and it was over all too soon! Thinking of you! Your NiliHH
-[Dino]- Posted Jan 27, 2012, 10:04 am	Good morning mum! Look what happened last night while we slept! It snowed!! Yesterday it looked a lot like spring was coming and now there is a light blanket of snow covering the ground. I'm not too sure what I should think about that... Your NiliHH
-[Dino]- Posted Feb 4, 2012, 12:02 pm	Hi mum! Sorry, I haven't written in a week. It was a very busy week for all of us! Scritches and I went to university with Katharina, but we couldn't take any pictures yet. Hopefully we will be able to next week when it's less stressful. Keep your fingers crossed for us, please! Today we took a slight detour on our way to the train station to visit another part of Hildesheim. First we visited Keßlerstraße. It is a very old street with lots of cute, old houses. And all the brown branches you can see in the pictures are beautifully blooming rose bushes in summer Katharina said. Keßlerstraße is famous for its nice and old roses. Scritches and I took a short rest under one of the roses. But we went on fast because it was -12°C. *brrr* So cold!
-[Dino]- Posted Feb 4, 2012, 12:23 pm	Look mum, we found the big rose #8! Katharina said we were close to where she wanted to show us! Then we found the stree name "Am Kehrwieder". Katharina had said something about finding the Kehrwiederturm yesterday. And then we saw it! Doesn't it look really nice between the old houses??? It's really huge! I'm just a small hippo compared to the Kehrwiederturm. We slipped along the very old cobblestones because they very partly slippery due to the snow. Luckily we managed without falling and looked at the other side of the Kehrwiederturm. Unfortunately we couldn't go any higher on the ridge because the stones up there were even more slippery... But I read all of the description on the sign and if you want you can as well, mum. There is also another legend of the Kehrwiederturm if you are interested. Under the tower we found the big rose #8 again and took a picture with it again. The roses painted on the street show the way to the most important (touristic) sights in Hildesheim. They chose a rose because roses are very famous in this city. They even a rose bush that is supposed to be over 1000 years old. And look how small the streets were all those centuries ago! Then we had to say good-bye to the Kehrwiederturm becaues we had to hurry to our train.
-[Dino]- Posted Feb 4, 2012, 12:28 pm	As we hurried along the streets we had to stop once more as we found this sculture-thing on the wall of a restaurant. It shows the town hall square in miniature size. It's the right size for me! But then we really had to hurry and nearly missed our train because it was very slippery everywhere and the train departed from platform 6 instead of platform 5... But we managed literally in the last second! *phew* Talk to you soon mum! Nili
-[Dino]- Posted Feb 4, 2012, 7:06 pm	Hey mum, today we decided not to go out because it was still very cold and also snowing. Instead we made pancakes for lunch! We put all the ingredients and materials in the kitchen. We had to use the old whisk because the new one was in the dishwasher... First we let Katharina crack the eggs. Then it was my turn to pour the milk in the measuring cup and to put it into the bowl. Scritches put a small amount of sugar in and we put some salt in together. Then I spooned the flour into the bowl and Scritches mixed everything together until the batter was ready. We made sure it looked right. When we had established that it was prepared right it was my turn to pour small amounts into the pan. Scritches turned the pancakes at the right time and we repeated this process until all of the batter was used. Then we had a pancake our size first. It was served with maple syrup and there was a side dish of cherrys. Very yummy! Hugs & Kisses, NiliHH
-[Dino]- Posted Feb 11, 2012, 6:39 pm	Hi mum, Katharina had to talk to one of her professor's this morning and since we would have time afterwards she took us along to finally take pictures from the university. Unfortunately she had forgotten that exams started already this week and not only next week, so a lot of rooms were occupied by exams and we couldn't disturb them of course. So we were very silent while we searched for places we could take pictures of. And even though I'm a hippo it wasn't hard for me. Now I want to show you the pictures we took: First we found an empty classroom. Then we looked out of the window to show you the new building which had been built only recently to accommodate rising student and teacher numbers. After that we went up to the main campus and up one of the staircases until it ended after 5 floors! *phew* But the nice view of the campus and some of the buildings rewarded us for the climb. And the view we had over the city was an even better reward! Then we went into the steepest room I have ever seen! It's one of the lecture halls (the biggest out of three). I think it's a little bit scary to look down there. I'm just so small and the way down is sooo long! But Scritches and I dared to take a ppicture of us on one of the typical small tables. We went home to relax before our class in the evening then.
-[Dino]- Posted Feb 11, 2012, 6:49 pm	As I said in the evening we went to class with Katharina. Look, how comfy she made it for us in her backpack! We even had our own small blanket. *snuggle* Guess what mum! I met another one who is just like me! He is attached to Katharinas pencil case and went to school and now university with her every day! He likes it a lot and couldn't imagine travelling to faraway places like I do. Of course he is very clever because he learns so much, but I like travelling better! After class we went home and went by the main campus again because that is the way home. And we saw this lovely big building which turned out to be the university library. Doesn't it look nice all lit up?! After such an exciting day I went to bed early and was soon asleep. *zzz*
-[Dino]- Posted Feb 23, 2012, 5:56 pm	Hi mum! Now that exams are over for the time being Katharina needed to wash her clothes and we helped her of course. First we got the laundry basket down from the shelf and tried it out and it was comfotable enough - at least for clothes. Then we were a little bit lazy and let Katharina do all the hard work of getting the clothes down to the basement and back up again once washed.  In the meantime we got the clothes line ready and tried it out as well. And contrary to popular belief it didn't hurt one bit to hang out there. Look, I'm looking really normal, mum.   But once Katharina had brought up the freshly washed and dried bed clothes (They were still warm from the dryer.) we found that this was the most comfortable place we had been all dayand let work be work for the rest of the day.  Miss you, mum! Your NiliHH
-[Dino]- Posted Feb 23, 2012, 6:08 pm	Hi mum, today we wrote some PostCrossing cards with Katharina. Scritches was allowed to write the text because he is big enough to hold the pen and once he was finished I stuck the priority sticker to the card. It was a lot of fun!  And Katharina just told me that I will be travelling to my next host soon. I'm so excited mum!
-[Dino]- Posted Feb 28, 2012, 9:34 am	Hi mum, today is my last day with Scritches and Katharina. So I said "good bye" to Scritches in the evening and climbed into my envelope to be sent to my next host in Bremen tomorrow morning.  I'm a little bit sad, but also excited for my next adventures!  Write to you from Bremen soon mum!
Guest Posted Mar 6, 2012, 9:01 am	Hi folks! I arrived in Bremen at the old Campground right in time to see how nature changes her appearance after winter has retreated finally. I've already made some new furry friends though at first they wanted to eat me up! My host hate to make clear that I'm not edible and we get along well now. My host also showed me how to change a gas-bottle in the trailer to keep it cozy inside. I can't wait to see the town so probably my host takes me with her for the first time today? Oops, she's already in a hurry.... See ya then!
Guest Posted Mar 12, 2012, 3:37 pm	Hello everybody! Today we finally came to visit some places after our last trip ended soon because my host forgot her memory card for her camera. We made a bike trip with her Akita dog sneaking out the backdoor not to wake up the old half-deaf Husky who is also suffering from Spondylosis. A couple of days ago my host first took me to the entrance of the premises where she put me on a sign telling Bremen visitors the way to the new Campground for tourists (the old one is oficially closed only a bunch of permanent residents is living there like my host. Then we came across the Jews' Temple. No one knows where the name comes from. It was built by Gabriel von Seidel and opened in 1909 (and closed in 1910, standing there useless and forgotten ever since). Isn't that a beautiful but somewhat sombre place? Only when it snows the place is merry and crowded with kids and their sleds. On our way back we came across the University, the Universum Science Center (It's hard to find me even with the pink arrow, I regret) and the Max Planck Institute.... See ya soon!
Guest Posted Mar 21, 2012, 11:54 am	Hi there! Geeeez.....I've got a bad hangover! Last night my host took me to a bar in the "Viertel". It was happy hour and I've had quite a few Cocktails. I started with a  Singapore Sling and then..... But before I visited the town musicians. I thought they were much bigger! It was to dark to take pictures of me AND the Rathaus and the other nice buildings and statues so I have to come back at daytime. We tried one but - well - take a look at it yourself... On our way to the taxi I crawled upon a nice old car but my host somehow wasn't able to get the picture straight. I'll take a nap so see ya soon! Yours NiliHH
Guest Posted Apr 3, 2012, 9:16 am	Hi folks! This is my last update made in Bremen because I travel to Bochum in only an hour! I was taken to a birthday party and had a lot to eat and drink there. My host decided not to put the fotos with people in them online because the party was already in a quite advanced stage and.... Well, I'm off now  ....
Tiffy Posted Apr 29, 2012, 10:29 am	Hello Mum! =) I'm so gutted that I did not made it right on time to come to London with Tiffy. =( Tiffy departed to London very early on 11th April.... and guess at what time I arrived at her mailbox? Right.. on 11th April, but later that morning, so Tiffy wasn't there and was already in London. That made me very sad, because I was so excited to see this city and get my life mission, to see the Tower Bridge, done. But as I arrived I got a really warm and friendly welcome, by Lilly and Sterni, who traveld with Tiffy to London. And as a consolation I got a bit of London at Tiffy's. So it was a bit like I was there.... =) I drove with a red bus... And I tried to call you from a red phone box..^^ And I also met one of the Queen's guardsmen, who wear that red uniform and the bearskin on their heads! =) After this small tour we took a look at some photos, Tiffy did in London. So I was also at the Picadilly Circus! And the Tower Bridge... unfortunatley it was only on the screen =( But it looks really impressive, I guess it must be amazing when you are on the bridge in reality. So I also saw a bit of the Tower of London. And of course, Big Ben and the Thamse. London Eye... this looks really huge for such a small hippo like me =) I was also pretending to be at Westminster Abbey... And last but not least... I said hello to the Queen and hang around at the Buckingham Palace. So... this was my "let's-pretend-I-really-was-in-London" Update. Hope you liked it... and now I'm looking forward for some Bochum adventures! =) Love you Mummy! =) x x x NiliHH
Tiffy Posted May 8, 2012, 7:19 pm	Hey Mum! Ahhh what a busy week for Tiffy... she is spending the whole day at work and in the evenings she has to learn for some exams in the school... uff! I wouldn't want to be in her shows now. But Tiffy promised, that we will go to the City on Thursday afternoon, so then I will finally see a bit more of Bochum! =) *whoop whoop* And in the time, while Tiffy was at work today... Sterni, Lilly and me spent a cuddly afternoon in front of the TV and in Tiffys Bed.. so we we're just chilling! =) But first of all... we had to decide which programme we wanted to watch... and I'll tell ya, this wasn't easy! Cause Lilly wanted to watch something like a dailysoap, Sterni wanted to watch some celebrity-magazine... and I wanted to watch a documentation about Hippos. So we discussed a bit.. but afterwards we decided to do some zapping so that everyone had the chance to watch, what he or she wanted. And of course, there was some fighting for the remote control... because everyone wanted to have the unlimited force of the TV! But after all this discussing and fighting... we sat entirley and full of harmony in front of the telly and watched some funny programs. So and now we say good night, Mum! =) Hope you had a great day... write to you soon, love you! =)
Tiffy Posted May 12, 2012, 7:49 pm	Hey Mum! On Thursday, we went to the town. As promised so here are a few pictures of me in the City. This is me in front of the City Point in Bochum... it is something like a shopping mall. But you can not really compare it with the real big shopping malls. This is really tiny. But it's okay =) And this thing above the street should be something like a traffic light.. but there's no light.. and I'm not really sure, if this is really working and if somebody even cares about it.. oO And this is the mean shopping street of Bochum. It's called Kortumstrasse. And there a several stores. Bochum is not really "famous" as a shopping city here in this region. But if you have to buy something.. you can find everything you need there. So it's okay. But not really spectacular, I'd say. Not just as big as Hamburg. So you can't really compare this.. ;o) So and this is me in front of the townhall of Bochum. And this huge bell in front of the town hall. This bell was made in one piece, for an exhibition. Impressive, isn't it? And also on Thursday, we said goodbye to Lilly. She will now start a journey to Austria, and will travel with her new host to Italy =) Wish you a wonderful weekend, love you! NiliHH x x x
Tiffy Posted May 31, 2012, 6:08 pm	Hey Mum!! =) I was at Starlight Express on Sunday! Do you know it? It's the Musical which is located in Bochum and it's there for nearly 24 years now in Bochum. And this is really a long time for a Musical! Unfortunatley I didn't went to watch the show. But Tiffy and some friends hung around the theatre, because some of the Cast Members had their last show and so we sat there, talked to other fans (who are also friends of Tiffy and also members of this Toyvoyagerssite) and talked, took some pictures, ate lots of food and all that stuff and talked to some Cast Members. This is me at the stagedoor of the theatre, where we sat and waited for the the castmembers. And this is also at the stagedoor... it was a really beautiful and sunny day.. so I got a little Hippo-Tan! xD hahahaha Just chilling and having a little picknick or whatever... =) Later that day, we orderd some pizza... I took one with ham and mushrooms. Yummiiiii!! =) And there is a huge banner of all the starlight characters at the theatre... and I met there lots of Toyvoyagers! (who are currently hosted by friends of Tiffy) This is me and our travelgroup with the picture of Pearl the 1st Class Car, and Electra, the Electric Train And with Buffy the buffet car =) So I had a wonderful day, spending time at the theatre, eventhough we did not went to watch the show. I know that this sounds really crazy and weird, but it was funny! =) Love you Mum! x x x NiliHH
Tiffy Posted Jun 10, 2012, 4:49 pm	Hey Mum! Yesterday we went to Herne, to visit a friend of Tiffy and of course, to watch the football match between Germany and Portugal at the European Football Championsship. And as we arrived there, we also met another host La_Kate_Boheme who also brought some TV's with her, who she's currently hosting Billy and Dottie Mouse So we had our own, Toyvoyer Public Viewing! Let's go Germany! Let's go!!! Cheering on the German Team... come on guys and make a goal for us! So and finally the German Team won with 1:0 I expected mor goals, but the most important thing is, that our team won, and nothing else matters. At the house of the Friend of Tiffy I met also a funny guy. He is called Herbert Eckhart... and the Friend of Tiffy is a medicine student and this is what he got for his birthday this year, of Tiffy and her friends... a skeleton. And he was also cheering on the german team. I hope you can find me! Hope you had a great weekend! Love you NiliHH x x x
Tiffy Posted Jun 27, 2012, 6:51 pm	Hey Mum! =) So as you can see, I'm still in Bochum and I'm fine! =) On Sunday we went to watch Starlight Express! You remember.. I was there back in May but we just hung around the theatre, but on Sunday I was finally allowed to go inside and watch this thrilling show! and it's super awesome! =) We went there, cause one of the actors had his first show as Greaseball. Greaseball is the diesel engine in the show, and he is fighting against Electra - the electric enginge and Rusty the Steamtrain.. And so Tiffy was very excited about watching the show, and especially this one actor in his first show as Greaseball. When you enter the foyer of the theatre, there's a huge display board, it's similiar to the destination boards you find in trainstations and airports... and there are listed all the roles of Starlight Express and behind them, there is the name of the actor who is playing this role, when you're visiting the show. This is me in front of it. also in the foyer there are many drawings and paintings on the wall, which show scences of the show. This is me in front of an electra picture. x) so and many friends of Tiffy, who are also crazy about starlight express and toyvoyagers came with us that day, so I had the chance to meet other tvs! I met Billy, and Dottie Mouse, who are currently hosted by La_Kate_Boheme, and I already met them as we watched to football match, so I was happy to see them again. And I met Batgirl and Marawarpina... who are also Tvs =) So we hung around the stage during the break. And this is were we sat... right in front of the stage.. we were so close to it this was really amazing! and they skated right in front of us! Love you! =) NiliHH
Tiffy Posted Jul 1, 2012, 3:50 pm	Hey Mum! Yesterday I slipped in my envelope and left Bochum, to come back to you! =) I had a great time here, and thank you for sending me to Tiffy! Even though I arrived late here, so that I wasn't able to come with Tiffy to London But I'm sure, that someday, I'll be in London! =) Saying goodbye to Sterni... I can't wait to see you again, Mum! So see you next week! =) Love you, Nili!
RikeH Posted Jul 3, 2012, 8:45 pm	Hello friends, I am at home again. After years of travelling I decided to come home and stay there for some time. I met Dicker Kumpel and PinkyHH there. Then I talked to the other TVs. Love and thanks to all my hosts in the last years! NiliHH
RikeH Posted Jul 11, 2012, 3:40 pm	Hello friends,  We went to the Zoo of Hannover today. I met a relative. Maybe you cannot see me – but I am there! Look – there were more! It was great to see the other hippos! Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Jul 15, 2012, 1:34 pm	Hi friends, We went to Bad Salzdetfurth today. We met Murph there. First we sat next to the saline and enjoyed the healthy air. Just another view of the salines. We made a group photo on the fountain. Later we sat in the Summstein and had fun! This is a colorful house for doves. They opened a golf-course here – but it was too hot to play it for us. There was a big wheel in the park. It is from the time when Bad Salzdetfurth was a mining town. We went into the town – and found another relict out of this time. Can you find us on this funny guy? This evening we will have a party! Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Jul 17, 2012, 6:51 pm	Hello friends, We went to Murph’s home and had a great TV-meeting – starting with a drink Look – I had a yummy blue drink! Well – really yummy… I drank a lot of it. Later Murph and his guests showed us a wonderful cake! We all went nearer! It was so delicious - we had a great party! Later it was time to leave – and we had a big TV-hug! Love NiliHH
RikeH Posted Jul 19, 2012, 6:43 pm	Hi friends, We were in another nice city this weekend – called Hildesheim. There were many wonderful old houses. See me in front of one of the nicest I have ever seen. This is the town hall. Then we went to a big church – called St. Michaelis.   Can you see us under this statue? It was a little scary to sit there. Many greetings Love NiliHH
RikeH Posted Nov 11, 2012, 9:38 am	Hello friends, I am in South Africa with my Mum, because I wanted to meet my relatives here. We met some next to a Lake, but they were too far away for a good photo. Today we made a morning safari, maybe we will get closer this day? No hippos today, but It was amazing – we went really close to many giraffes. We stopped at this wonderful point and saw other animals – but they were far away. Here you see me with my friends on our vehicle. I liked this nice flower. It was a nice trip, although we didn’t met my relatives. Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Dec 23, 2012, 9:12 pm	Hello friends, Christmas is coming – and today HolgiHH and I helped decorating the Christmas tree. We started with the Christmas baubles.     These two baubles were so funny!     We had more decorations for the tree.         We loved these snowmen most! Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Jan 14, 2013, 8:26 pm	Hello friends,  I love Christmas! My brothers, my sisters and I sat in front of Rudolph and Snowy  - two close friends of Santa Claus.         We all had fun and sung a Christmas Song for both.     We must have been great, because we received a lot of chocolate.     Merry Christmas!     Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Apr 15, 2013, 8:03 pm	Happy Easter! I celebrated Easter with my sisters and brothers. PinkyHHand I found a lot of chocolate. Yours NiliHH
Fendi Posted May 27, 2013, 8:44 am	Good morning Mom! I'm sorry that you haven't heard anything about me for a while, my host mom had some technical issues when she dropped her (or in fact her mother's) camera into lake.. But anyway, everything is all right now. And now I can tell you about my adventures! The first thing I did here was eating fruit salad. That day was really sunny, but I was a bit tired, so I slept the day and we went out at evening. We took few pictures on camping place near the lake, we couldn't walk in forest because my host mom didn't choose wisely her shoes.. On the next day we went for a walk to forest which is near lake. We also visited in playground! And at the weekend we went to Mikkeli! Mikkeli is town quite near Äänekoski, only 2 hours by bus. The reason why we went there, was Mimicon. Mimicon is anime, manga and cosplay happening for everyone who is interested about those things. My host mom was working there. I saw many nice costumes, but few of them was quite scary.. I decided it's better to stay in my host mom's handbag. I hope you are fine and lots of greetings from Finland! Love, NiliHH
Fendi Posted Jun 17, 2013, 2:56 pm	Hi Mom! Few days ago I visited in different beaches with my host mom. This is small town but here is lots of swimming places! And on Thursday we travelled to Joensuu by train. Joensuu is a beautiful city in eastern Finland. Unfortunately it was raining whole time we spent there. Today I met a new friend, tiger named Scotti. On the weekend we will celebrate Midsummer in summer cottage and hopefullu have lots of fun! I hope you are fine : )
RikeH Posted Sep 4, 2013, 4:08 pm	Hello friends,  Today was an important day…but not for us ToyVoyagers. My Mum  RikeH married her finance on the lighthouse of Amrum today. We TVs were not with them, but we waited at home. There were only some gifts, because they decided to celebrate their wedding only as a pair. But someone wrote a huge card! Who was it? Well – how amazing! The ones of you who love Darts will definitely know this man! Then we looked into a small nice book with lovely poems about love and marriage. We all wanted to get a piece of the wedding cake! I liked the flowers! Later another gift arrived – it was from a very good friend of RikeH. We opened it and found this lovely pair of koala bears together with more nice stuff. But now I want to say: Congratulations Mum! Love NiliHH
RikeH Posted Sep 6, 2013, 8:09 pm	Hello again, We took a walk to this nice small harbor today. We had delicious lunch in this colorful restaurant. These colorful signs were used on the North Sea to show some danger zones. Can you understand these sentences, if not, just ask me or RikeH. Then we stopped at a great playground. It was fun playing here. Later we continued our walk and went through the Dunes. Look, a beautiful house! And the Kniepsand – a very big beach! Some people took a bath in the North Sea. Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Sep 10, 2013, 6:51 pm	Hi friends,    This morning we enjoyed the sunshine on our balcony. Later that day the weather went much better – and I took a walk to the small beach – and saw a beautiful ferry. Can you see the lighthouse far behind me? It was great sitting in the Dunes. And I found some nice shells. Love NiliHH
RikeH Posted Sep 27, 2013, 7:08 pm	Hello friends, Sunday was our last day on Amrum – and we relaxed on our beach chair. We thought that it was boring to sit next to each other, so we all searched our own place. Can you find me? Yes, here I am! Later that day we drove home to Sülfeld. Bye NiliHH
RikeH Posted Sep 28, 2013, 10:56 am	Hello friends, It was a great day today. Murph and Nathalie came and visited us! We got a gift. Later it was time for a surprise. Dicker Kumpel built a Time Machine for us. We all were very surprised. He had to tell us more about the technology inside and hoped that we would try it with him. It went darker and darker. He opened the door. Should we trust him and try it out? Yes, we did! We all went into the machine. Bye – it will start soon! Love you Mum! There was a big silence inside the Time Machine and we only heard the noise of the Machine. Then the noise stopped and the door opened. Wow, what a trip! We all felt fine – but where were we – and WHEN were we? Murph and Dicker Kumpel jumped onto the Time Machine – it worked. We travelled through the time – it is Murph’s Birthday! Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Sep 30, 2013, 7:45 pm	Hello friends,   27th of September!  It was Murph’s birthday and we created a wall out of mushrooms for him. It looked great! Then we sang a wonderful birthday song for Murph. And he got some gifts! Then it was time for dinner. We had a marshmallows barbecue. It was great sitting around the fire with friends. Our marshmallows were ready. It was delicious! In the evening RikeH and HoBi had a great surprise for us! A firework! It started! What a wonderful evening! Love NiliHH
RikeH Posted Oct 6, 2013, 5:51 pm	Hello friends, We woke up in the Time Machine. What date would it be? We were lucky, because we were back in the middle of September – it was the 15th of September – and again one of us had his birthday – it was TobiHH! We sang a song for him and wished him luck and happiness. Murph had a nice surprise for TobiHH. He invited him to come to Lower-Saxony with him. So we had to say goodbye to Murph, TobiHH and Nathalie. Goodbye friends! Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Oct 25, 2013, 5:17 pm	Hello friends, Many greetings from sunny Madeira.  This is our holiday house. In front of it there is this nice small palm tree. And there are more wonderful flowers and plants in the garden. And this is the best place of the house. Can you see the Cruise Ship behind me? This is the Atlantic Ocean – what a wonderful view! Love NiliHH
RikeH Posted Oct 29, 2013, 3:58 pm	Hello, It was time to see more from the Island – and we decided to drive to the Eastern Part of Madeira. On our way we stopped at a nice lookout and had this view. We wanted to hike at this place – but just before our arrival a big rain started. These paths didn’t look great so we decided to hang around and maybe come back next week.  But we were happy – many other hikers started earlier and really got soaked! I loved the small men out of stone here. The view from the other side of the parking lot was nice, too. Well – we started our trip back home and stopped at another great viewpoint. It was only 10 minutes after the other photo – and look at the sky! What a wonderful place! Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Nov 1, 2013, 12:14 pm	Hello friends, NiliHH, Freya, Tommi and I visited the Fort Glory today. Some cowboys said hello to us. I found a great place. Freya saw something interesting – so we all looked over the fence. And that was what we saw – a big pirate ship. I jumped onto the ship and talked to these exciting men. Maybe I will become a pirate one day! Love NiliHH
RikeH Posted Nov 5, 2013, 7:36 pm	Hello, We went to a place called Santana today. Look – what a wonderful big hydrangea. Behind me you can see the typical houses of Santana. What a nice place. Back home I went through the garden and found new beautiful flowers. This yellow bloom was so nice. It is great to see so many blooming plants in October. Love NiliHH
RikeH Posted Nov 16, 2013, 8:55 pm	Hello friends, It was a wonderful day today. We went to the Zoo today – and started with the cable car. I had a great view over the zoo – and one of the big buildings behind me was our hotel. It was wonderful – I saw my relatives – a family of hippos with Mum, Dad and a sleeping child. Of course there were other animals, too. Here there were some turtles. And tall giraffes. Then I saw smaller hippos. We were really near to the flamingos. Of course I visited my relatives again. It was a great time in the Zoo. But now I want to show you my nice room in the hotel. This was the place I really liked – on the big couch together with my friends. But then we found this place – with a great view out of the window. I showed the others the Zoo, where I was this morning. Soon we will fly back to Germany. Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Nov 21, 2013, 8:00 pm	Hello friends,    we are back home - and I am so happy. I got an invitiation to the United Kingdom. I said goodbye to Dicker Kumpel... ..and all my other friends. Love NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Nov 29, 2013, 6:44 pm	Hi mum! I arrived at hostmum Sneakysnail's house today. Her TV Dottycroc helped to get me out of my package and then I unpacked. It has been a long journey and I am glad to stretch my legs. Dottycroc is happy to have another visitor and so is hostmum, she says I am adorable! I met Dotty and Spotty Wot and everyone gave me a welcome hug. After that we settled down and talked for a while. We shared out the sweets I brought. Dottycroc shared one with me because we are both only small. Dottycroc told us about how very excited he is about his upcoming trip to Germany. I told him about Germany and he got even more excited. Then Spotty let me try on his beautiful flip flops. I loved them but they were a bit big and very heavy for a small hippo like me. I'm settling in well here, even if it is a little cold in Sneakysnail's house! NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Dec 2, 2013, 9:31 am	Hi mum, Today hostmum woke us up and there was a tree in the living room! It's a Christmas tree of course, so that means it's nearly CHRISTMAS!!! Hostmum went and got some decorations and let us decorate it. I asked why the tree wasn't real and she said it's because real trees make a lot of mess. Mum set out four decorations at a time and we all picked one to put on the tree. First I chose a tartan bauble and put it on, it was the first decoration on the tree! I also put on lots of other decorations and a little pink bird who I thought was rather sweet. Then hostmum brought out some lace snowflakes and candy canes to put on too. She gave one candy cane each to the boys and one of the lace snowflakes each to me and Dotty Wot. The lace snowflakes were handmade by hostmum herself! They're really pretty and they sparkle in the Christmas tree lights. When we were done we all sat back on the tree and admired our work, I think it's rather beautiful! Yours, NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Dec 4, 2013, 9:14 am	Hi mum. Today was more fun things to do with Christmas. First we made a big paper chain for the wall. The glue stick was very big for me and it was hard to use but I tried my best. Hostmum was worried we might all get covered in glue so she kept an eye on us but we were very careful and didn't make a mess. It looks very nice on the wall but hostmum cannot photograph us with it because it is very big and it would break if we sat on it. Later we had a nativity scene to set up and we all built the stable together. Then we put the characters in and arranged them nicely. It looked good when it was done but we wanted to play with it some more. We took the characters out again and made up alternative stories with them. It was so funny we were rolling around laughing! Yours NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Dec 4, 2013, 7:32 pm	Hello mum. Today I went on a dots and spots trail with Dottycroc and The Wotwots around hostmums house. Dottycroc is leaving for Germany tomorrow and hostmum said it would be a nice way to spend his last day with us. We looked downstairs first and found a few things including a huge giraffe which hostmum allowed us to climb on! Then we went upstairs and hostmum said there were some things for me to find upstairs too, things with hearts on, like me! We looked in her bedroom and I found a slipper boot with hearts on it. It was pretty. Then we moved on to look in the bathroom where the others found a shower cap and I found a rubber duck with hearts on him. He was lovely and I chatted to him for a while. I enjoyed the trail and was happy there were some things for me to find too. Bye for now NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Dec 5, 2013, 5:22 pm	Hi mum. Today was a sad and happy day. Dottycroc is setting off on his first trip which makes me sad he has to leave so soon after I arrived. I know he will have fun though so I am happy for him. He was a bit nervous so we all comforted him and made sure he was ok. He said goodbye to everyone and then we helped him into his envelope. We checked he was ok once he was in the envelope, because we all went on a first trip once, it's scary. He was good to go and hostmum sealed the envelope and took him to the post office. I was a bit sad once he was gone so I went to talk to Dottycroc's friend Hippity the hippo. I soon felt better. I hope I get to meet Dottycroc again, somewhere in the world.  NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Dec 8, 2013, 7:02 pm	Hello Mum! Today we went on a walk in the forest. We sat on a couple of logs and trees and things. I climbed up a big branch. The forest was autumn coloured and the leaves were fun to roll around in. I had a stick fight with Dotty Wot. We soon found a huge fallen tree which we all played hide and seek on. I was quite good at it because I am very small. By the time we had finished playing hide and seek, we were getting hungry. There were a lot of small apples on the floor, so we picked a few up and had a picnic on a small log. After we'd finished the apples we looked around some more and I found a hat made of an acorn cup. It was nice to get out and get some fresh air! Yours NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Dec 11, 2013, 6:16 pm	Hello Mum! Today hostmum was wrapping presents for Christmas and she let me help her. I held down the paper while she got some sticky-tape and stuck it down. Then she held a bit down while I stuck it down. I helped to roll the paper out and cut it to the right size but I let hostmum use the scissors because they are a bit too big for me and I didn't want to cut myself! Once the gifts were all wrapped in pretty Christmas paper, we chose some labels for them and stuck those on too. I helped to wrap up three parcels which hostmum and I then put under the Christmas tree. I can see there are some presents for hostmum under the tree too, but don't tell her! Bye for now, NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Dec 14, 2013, 5:53 pm	Hi there mummy! Today hostmum took us to meet her pet snails Gwendoline and Jasper. They are Giant African Land Snails and they are very big compared to other, everyday snails. We peeked over the tank to see if either of them were awake. Gwendoline was but Jasper was snoozing. Hostmum got Gwendoline out and showed her to us. I like Gwendoline a lot. She is so pretty, even if others don't think so, I think she's pretty. Hostmum let me sit on Gwendoline's back for a moment and it was fun, she didn't mind me on her back at all! I think Gwendoline liked me too, she touched me with one of her eye-stalks! I hope we can go and see Gwendoline and Jasper again soon. NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Dec 18, 2013, 7:30 pm	Hi mum! Today we made a Christmas cracker with hostmum. First I had to pop the pieces out of the card so it would all go together. Then the Wotwots tied up one end. After one end was tied hostmum took the cracker and went out of the room. When she came back Spotty Wot tied the other end and I peeped inside to see if I could see what hostmum had done. I couldn't and so I stood back while Dotty and Spotty pulled the cracker. As they pulled it, it made a big BANG sound and scared us all!  I jumped backwards and The Wot Wots fell over! Inside the cracker was a big hat, some sweets and a joke. I pulled out the sweets and then told the joke. It was very funny and we all rolled about laughing. Once we were done laughing we ate the sweets. Later on a bit, we were walking past the Christmas tree when we saw something interesting. Three new little packages under the tree. We investigated them further and found that they were for us! Hostmum says we cannot open them until Christmas Day though.   Oh Well. It's only one week away now!!! I'm getting excited Mum!  NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Dec 21, 2013, 7:54 pm	Hi Mum, Today I built a secret den with the Wotwots. Hostmum moved some chairs for our den and I adjusted the blanket. Once the den was all built and perfect, we sat inside for a while. First we played some card games and then we had a snack. Hostmum brought us some pretty little biscuits which tasted nice. I wanted a campfire in our den but hostmum said no campfires, not even little candle ones. I suppose she is right, we do not want to get burnt! After our little snack, we did some drawings. I drew a little scene with hills, trees, clouds and things. We talked for a while after that but soon I fell asleep and the others were asleep in moments too! Hostmum scooped us up and put us into our bed whilst we were sleeping. When we woke up, hostmum had destroyed our den! She said we could build another one soon though. Yours NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Dec 24, 2013, 4:48 pm	Hello Mum, Today is Christmas Eve and tonight Santa is going to come and deliver presents to all the toys who have been good this year! I think I have been good, hopefully Santa will bring me something... We had to prepare for Santa's visit so hostmum gave each of us a Christmas stocking to hang by the fireplace. I got the sparkly one because hostmum didn't want there to be arguments between The Wotwots. I took my stocking and hung it by the fire for Santa to fill! Then we had to put out a snack for Santa and all his reindeer. A carrot for the reindeer and a mince pie for Santa. I am very excited for Christmas tomorrow! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas too! Love NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Dec 27, 2013, 1:41 pm	Hi mum. Christmas is finally here!!! I got up early and went with the WotWots to see if Santa had put anything in our stockings. He had put a candy cane in each stocking. We sat down and ate them for breakfast, not very healthy! Next hostmum brought out the presents we had seen under the tree. I opened mine slowly and carefully. Inside was a lovely green sleeping bag. I hopped into it right away, it's very warm inside! We thanked hostmum for our gifts and sat down to rest. Soon it was Christmas dinner time and I helped hostmum prepare her Christmas pudding. Once it was on the plate, she set it on fire!! It's okay, apparently that's a tradition. Christmas was very exciting and quite tiring so when I went to bed, I fell asleep almost straight away! I hope you had a nice Christmas too. NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Dec 30, 2013, 7:40 pm	Hi mum, The weather is not very good here and that made hostmum sad because she wanted to take us all out today. It is cold, wet and windy and hostmum didn't want to get herself or us wet. So we stayed inside instead and played hide-and-seek. Hostmum promises we will go out very soon, even if it's raining! Mrs Fleece, hostmums new TV, was the first to count whilst The Wotwots and I hid. I was the last one to be found in that round! Then I hid again. This time I hid amongst some sweets and I was first to be found. As I was found first, I had to count next. I found everyone pretty fast! Then it was the final round and Dotty was counting. I slid into a mug and I was last to be found again! Once we had all had a turn at seeking, hostmum gave us each a sweet as a prize. I munched mine very quickly, hiding in the sweets had made me a bit hungry! Yours NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Jan 1, 2014, 2:49 pm	Happy New Year mum!! Last night I stayed up to see the new year in. At midnight, hostmum popped a party popper. Inside it were lots of paper streamers which went all over us! The streamers made a nice hair style for me! We all had a laugh with the streamers but soon we got tired and went to bed. I stayed in bed very late this morning, alongside Mrs Fleece. I shall have to go to bed early tonight after such a late night yesterday. Love NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Jan 5, 2014, 2:49 pm	Hi mum. The weather is a little better here at the moment and hostmum took us out. We only went for a short walk nearby though, as hostmum has been a bit unwell. First I came across an old water pump at the edge of the road. Someone has painted it white which is nice. It doesn't work anymore though which is a shame. Soon we found ourselves someone to stand with. It was Sir Winston Churchill, the prime minster of Britain in the second world war. Here they have a big statue to commemorate him. Moving on from there I saw a fallen down tree. It must have come down in the terrible weather. It made us a nice resting spot though, before we headed home. Luckily hostmum had a plastic bag for us to sit on because the tree was a bit damp. I hope everything is good with you. NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Jan 6, 2014, 7:10 pm	Hello mummy. It is a sad and happy day today. The WotWots have their birthday but also Mrs Fleece has to leave today. I said my goodbyes to Mrs Fleece and we all helped her into her envelope. I hope she has fun. Later there is going to be a party for The WotWots birthday, I'll tell you about that tomorrow, I think we might stay up late!  Love NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Jan 8, 2014, 7:43 pm	Hi mum! Yesterday evening we had a party to celebrate The WotWots birthday. We started with a peaceful game of cards and I won a few games. Then The WotWots changed into their party outfits and opened the present hostmum and I had got for them. It was a pot of bubble mixture and some sweeties. They shared their sweets with me and we munched both packets. Hostmum put on some music and The WotWots started dancing and I sneaked off to get a party popper from hostmum. I popped it at The WotWots and got them covered in paper streamers. It was so funny, I was rolling around laughing...until they decided to get me back. They put all the paper on me until just my face was peeping out! Then we all danced for a while and hostmum opened the bubbles and blew some for us to pop. We played where we had to pop all of the bubbles before they hit the sofa. It was hard but great fun! Spotty had to lift me up so I could reach the bubbles that floated up high! After we played bubbles for a while and danced, it was nearly two in the morning. I went to bed as I was very tired but The WotWots stayed up a little longer. I saw them fall asleep on the sofa. I think they enjoyed their birthday. Bye for now NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Jan 13, 2014, 6:46 pm	Hello mum, Today it was sunny (though still very cold) and we went for a walk. We came across some interesting benches, each one had a different famous person on it. The people featured on these benches all come from around here and there was some information on them. I sat on the bench with Winston Churchill on it, he is the man the big statue was of! I read all of the writing, I don't know if you can read it in the photo, I think it might be too small or blurry. He used to be on the local council around here many years ago before he became Prime Minister of Britain. On the bench I sat on, there was also a nice picture of an aeroplane. In front of the benches there was a pretty design on the floor, we all had to lay down to read the information beside it! Woodford used to have another name, I'm not sure how you pronounce it though! From the benches we moved on and I saw a big bush with red leaves. As I got closer to it I realised that they were not leaves but in fact they were berries. Beautiful red berries for the birds to eat in the cold winter ahead. Moving on I came to a post box on the street. It is bright red and very old. There are some newer ones around too and hostmum was surprised that this one was particularly old. An interesting walk, I think. Yours NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Jan 20, 2014, 5:22 pm	Hi Mummy! We went for a little walk this morning. There is a small church not far from hostmum and we headed there. On the side of the church hall was an interesting brick with information on it. There were more all around the building but I couldn't get to them because the gates were locked. Outside the church was a war memorial and lots of gravestones. I found a gravestone which was almost buried and had a skull as a decoration. I quite liked it! There was also a funny looking tree with big spiky leaves that were very thick for leaves. I sat on it very carefully so as not to prickle my bottom! It bounced when I sat on it and that was quite fun! Hostmum says it is called a Monkey Puzzle Tree. I find that a funny name for a tree. Even though it was very cold and frost was on the ground, I really enjoyed taking a walk. The cold air felt nice on my face, very refreshing! Love from NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Jan 22, 2014, 4:39 pm	Hello mum. A new toy arrived today in an envelope with some very pretty stamps on it. We all opened the package together and a little bear hopped out carrying a bar of chocolate. He said it was for hostmum and then he introduced himself. He is called Little T.B. and he is very sweet. I gave him a welcome hug and told him my name. After introductions were over, we settled down and talked for a while about all our adventures. Hostmum brought a little piece of her chocolate over for each of us to eat. She kept most for herself though but I suppose it is fair. It is always fun when you get a new arrival! Little T.B. is going to be good fun I think! NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Jan 27, 2014, 5:11 pm	Hi mum. It was raining today and it is very cold outside so hostmum suggested we play a game. She found us a game called Pay Day. It is all about making money by buying businesses and selling them for profit. There are also events like lotteries and shopping sprees where you lose or win money. If you roll a six you win the jack pot! We set up the game and I settled down to play, choosing the red playing token to be me. I soon rolled a six and got money from the jackpot! Everyone else was pretending to be annoyed but I could see they were all happy in the spirit of the game. There were lots of businesses to buy but my favourite one was a hippo business. How perfect for me I thought! Although I am only a tiny hippo not humungous.  At one point during the game I decided to balance my token on my nose and pretend to be a unicorn. Everyone found it very funny and we had a competition to see who could balance theirs for the longest. Naturally, I won, after all I had time to practise. Little T.B. won the pay day game, he had loads more money than me! We all congratulated him and helped to tidy up. Hostmum is having some problems with her internet at the moment and it makes her sad because she cannot do as many updates as she would like to. I hope it's better soon. Love from NiliHH.
sneakysnail Posted Feb 4, 2014, 7:10 pm	Hi mum! Today was a slow day with not much to do. Hostmum promises that as soon as her friend will help her, we can do something fun! Don't tell the others, she hasn't told them yet, but I think it might be some kind of treasure trail! Anyway, today everyone was bored and sleepy so I suggested we look at a book for a while. Hostmum took us to her bookshelf and we picked a huge book all about animals. Its pages are filled with the most intricate and beautiful drawings of animals and information about them too. Almost any animal you could think of was in there! I browsed the pages with hippos on and found lots out about them. More updates soon,  NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Feb 6, 2014, 6:58 pm	Hello Mummy! I was right about the treasure trail thing (well sort of) ! We had to search hostmums house to find her big fluffy cat, Merlin. This was quite a challenge, he could have been anywhere. We started by checking his toy to see if he was playing. He wasn't but we had fun chatting to the mouse anyway! Next, we moved on to the kitchen mat but he was not there either. Hostmum was busy in the kitchen making lunch and she made us all a nice sandwich. After filling ourselves up we headed for the cushion where he sometimes sits. Still no luck! As we were heading off, The WotWots found a tuft of fur, a hidden clue! It was exciting and we went to search by the warm radiator. The others decided we should all take a nap in the warmth but I wanted to carry on searching. Eventually I gave in and settled down for a sleep, I have to admit it was rather cosy! After our nap, I suggested we ask Nibbles the rabbit and Little T.B. thought it was a good plan. He lives inside with hostmum and I thought he might have seen something whilst we were asleep. Sadly, he hadn't but he was entertaining to talk to, he's quite a cheeky chap! Next, we headed upstairs to see if Merlin was resting on hostmums bed. Still no cat, only more fur! Back downstairs, we searched his night time chair and blanket. No luck, still only fur, rather a lot of it though! As we came back to the main room, I heard a faint 'miaow' sound. We were getting close! Scanning the room, we saw him on the sofa, sitting amongst the pile of cushions we didn't search! He was too well camouflaged! We went to see him and I was a little nervous. One of his paws is as big as all of me! Luckily he was nice and we talked for a while before he got fed up and hid his face! A fun adventure that the mean old rain could not stop! Yay! Yours, NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Feb 10, 2014, 6:33 pm	Hello Mum. Another toy arrived today. Hostmum brought us a package and we all got excited by who or what might be inside. As we were making guesses, the box burst open to reveal Nathalie the duckling! She introduced herself and I helped her to unpack. With her, she brought a jigsaw puzzle that she got for Christmas. We were all intrigued and she said we could build it together. It didn't take us long when we worked as a team and it was great fun. The picture on the puzzle was very pretty too and I can see why Nathalie likes it! Then we talked for a while and had a laugh together. It's always nice when a new toy arrives. Yours, NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Feb 12, 2014, 3:19 pm	Hi mummy, Today we went to a bowling alley to play 10 pin bowling. Look at the pattern we saw on the floor! Before we could begin hostmum had to put on some clown shoes. They are actually shoes for bowling in but they looked so funny! We all laughed at her lots! The balls we had to use were huge and not at all suitable for a tiny hippo like myself. I helped Little T.B. with his bowls but I couldn't do one by myself. It was funny watching hostmum play (she wasn't very good)! Don't tell her I said that!  After bowling was done, we played in the little arcade. I got on one of the handles for air hockey and Little T.B. and Nathalie pushed me around. I spun all over the show but it was great fun! It did make me dizzy after a while though! Bye for now, NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Feb 15, 2014, 8:52 am	Hi mum. Another new toy has arrived today. It is Gigi Giraffe, who is very cute! She climbed out of her envelope and introduced herself before we all jumped on top of her and gave her a huge hug! We were giving her a proper TV welcome and she didn't seem to mind being squashed! She opened out her envelope and inside were some lollipops for us all to munch. She handed one out to everyone and we sat and enjoyed them whilst Gigi told us about all of her adventures. I am enjoying getting to know Gigi and I hope to get along well with her. Yours NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Feb 20, 2014, 3:25 pm	Hi mum, Today hostmum took us all on a treasure trail around London. It was a pretend murder trail where you had to find clues along the streets and work out who the murderer was. We first hopped aboard a train and went to a big station where we had to change to a different train. The trains were very busy and hostmum couldn't get a seat which sadly meant no train pictures. Once we arrived in London, we walked around the station and came across a nice water feature. Some ducks were swimming in it and Nathalie went to make friends with them. Then we began the trail and started to walk beside the Thames. There was a good view of The Shard, a big pointy building that was built recently. As we continued along, I saw a funny wheel shaped sculpture and we all went over to have a look. It is one of many artworks around here. Soon we found a good place to see the O2 building. It has odd yellow spikes all over it and is used as a venue for music events, exhibitions etc. Then we came to a red flower sculpture which was great fun to use as a slide! Next I saw a metal knot sculpture sticking out of the water. It was designed by some one called Wendy Taylor. Lots of her art is around here. Once the trail was over we hopped onto another train and arrived at The Tower of London. I admired the amazing castle for a while and then something very very exciting happened......!
sneakysnail Posted Feb 20, 2014, 3:37 pm	Just behind the Tower of London is Tower Bridge... I WENT TO TOWER BRIDGE!!! Hostmum took me over to Tower Bridge and helped me to complete my life mission! I looked at all of the stunning designs on the side of the bridge. I studied the information boards. I got a little over excited and jumped too close to the camera. I got to sit on the edge and look out over the Thames! I can't believe I made it here! It's just as grand as I always imagined. I loved the bridge sooo much, I just didn't want to leave! Every part of it has something new to look at. In the end I had to leave Tower Bridge behind.  As we were walking back to the station I fell asleep in hostmums bag and dreamt that I was living on the bridge. By the time I awoke, we were already back to hostmums house. I looked up and saw a little present from hostmum. A souvenier postcard of Tower Bridge so I will never forget my amazing visit!  NiliHH
sneakysnail Posted Feb 21, 2014, 4:14 pm	Hi Mum, Today I left Sneakysnails house. I gathered up my things and popped them into my envelope. Then I said goodbye to all the other TV's, a special goodbye to Mrs Fleece as she is leaving for adventures today too. It is sad to leave all my new friends but maybe we'll meet again someday, who knows? I climbed into my comfy sleeping bag and hostmum tucked me into my package. I waved a final goodbye and then hostmum sealed the envelope. I'm somewhere on my way home to you right now! See you soon, NiliHH
RikeH Posted Mar 22, 2014, 2:04 pm	Hello friends, Some days ago I arrived back in Sülfeld. It was strange, Dicker Kumpel was not here to welcome me. But fortunately HelgaHH arrived back home, too. I went outside in the garden and enjoyed the sunshine, when I heard a noise from the living-room. My brothers and sisters came back from a cruise – we had so much to talk about. Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Apr 27, 2014, 11:57 am	Hello friends, Today was Easter – and I met the Easter Bunny! I got some chocolate – this was nice! I visited my grandma. Look, there were funny bunnies. And wonderful flowers. I met these hens – I think they worked hard for Easter. Maybe these were the children of the hens? Happy Easter to all of you! Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Apr 28, 2014, 6:13 pm	Hello friends, maybe you saw this photo in Charlotte's travelog? Well - I was the lucky one who was allowed to travel with her - so I said goodbye to my brothers and sisters. See you soon in Remscheid. Love NiliHH
Strunki strunki1259@web.de Posted Apr 28, 2014, 9:44 pm	Hello Mum, after a short and very silent journey we landed safe in Remscheid Lucky Lion gave us a warm welcome and we like each other from the first moment then we showed the souvenirs, the nice doggie postcard (looks like a twin of Lucky) and the chocolate we were not able to eat during our short journey After this great welcome we altogether chilled in the poppy blossom This was my day, love and see You soon Yours NiliHH
Strunki strunki1259@web.de Posted Apr 29, 2014, 11:04 am	Hello Mum, surprise, surprise today we met my brother SunnyHH and Zhia in the garden, olgamaus and her guests visited us It was a big event for me meeting SunnyHH far from You and Sülfeld We all love familiy and TV-Meetings very much This was my day, love and see You soon Yours NiliHH
Strunki strunki1259@web.de Posted May 7, 2014, 1:20 pm	Hello Mum, today we drove to a part of Cologne called Dellbrück There is an old agricultural court Thurner Hof, where a swap meet for plants was held This is the backside view of the garden with the nice old half timbered house that will be renovated actually Look at the wonderful and colourful flowers in the garden. Some parts are really wild, but show a lot of biodiversity I like this night-flowering catchfly very much Even a pond we found here with lots of water-lilies What a friendly and peaceful place here This was my day, love and see You soon Yours NiliHH
Strunki strunki1259@web.de Posted May 7, 2014, 1:44 pm	Hello Mum, today strunki took me to her Office and I helped her a Little bit This is the view out of the office window, it´s in the city of Wuppertal, but You see a lot of green Some funny postcards I saw here A tropical helmet is hanging at the wall... There I saw a photo of a young dog it´s not strunkis own dog, but her goddog I like this map of the dolomites and see me Standing on the map of the world on the desk Later  had a talk to a couple of snowpeople But before I start to work, I got a nice breakfast Hmmm, Yummy My first lesson at the addition-machine Next was stamping some papers After this we had an important meeting with some other plushie-colleagues working here the snake is called Bong!, he´s a friendly cool guy, but often in another world, strunki told me and the keen pig is always "employee of the month"... See me counting the paper Clips Uuuuuh, that was boring, but i did it very well, strunki praised me Time for lunch at noon and as a dessert I had another mug of coffee Coffee is very important here, it´s the fuel of the office  After lunch I did some fitness-exercises: office-punch-jump Hey, I like this In the afternoon I had to check the copier, if it works correct strunki told me that only experts like me are able to check it Yes, works perfect Suddenly the clock showed almost 16:30, time for going home after this full day This was my day, love and see You soon Yours NiliHH
Strunki strunki1259@web.de Posted May 14, 2014, 3:13 pm	Hello Mum, today we visited a nice old park in Wuppertal, it´s called the Bamer Anlagen It´s situated in a little part of a valley and the differences in altitude are very impressive One entrance Looks like a Castle Some very old trees we found here In the park we saw nice sculptures of every-day-people This woman I liked most, she was so friendly and peaceful Here we found a Memorial of the old rack railway Barmen It was the first railway of this kind in Germany And I was so happy to meet my brother SunnyHH here again see me talking to him This was my day, love and see You soon Yours NiliHH
Strunki strunki1259@web.de Posted May 19, 2014, 12:59 pm	Hello Mum, today we visited the small but fine Botanical garden of Solingen Here at the map we had a first orientation We were welcomed by this friendly angel An everlasting copper rose Here are a few first impressions of the park, it´s nice to see all the flowers What a huge Butterfly... but his wings are beautyful... And see me together with the reading owl Flowers everywhere at springtime Let´s now have a look into the greenhouses This is the main house Here we admire the plants in the house of the bromelias and found fruits: pineapple and bananas orchids agaphantus and even... bromelia This is the succulents warm house with lots of cacti Actually there was a Show of Bonsai trees Again Outside I played in this huge fig tree And we had a Little chilling lesson in the sunclock Before we left the park, we studied the table of donators for the Botanical garden This was my day, love and see You soon Yours NiliHH
Strunki strunki1259@web.de Posted May 27, 2014, 2:36 pm	Hello Mum, today we drove to Herdecke, that´s a nice small town at the river Ruhr. Here we visited a small but fine garden fair on the area at a local warm house Producer named Krieger Stalls with plants and flowers are everywhere here Let´s have a closer look to this here with the peonys Lots of roses are blooming yet Let´s have a look inside a middlesized warmhouse Grapewine and tomatoes are growing faster inside here Again outside, we admired the wonderful blue blossom of the agapanthus and another blue nice bellflower clematis See me sitting under the fig tree this could be Saxifraga Here we rest in front of a huge and nice yellow euphorbium Later we found bananas and again tomatoes Some Orchids inside and cacti outside Finally we had a lot of fun with the friendly Bonsai-Club from Hagen This was my day, love and see You soon Yours NiliHH
Strunki strunki1259@web.de Posted May 28, 2014, 3:50 pm	Hello Mum, today I visited HelmutBluepant´s private warm house on the roof for watching some nice blossoms of epicacti wich are blooming now. Now it´s the high time for these nice succulents Look at this huge orange blossom, only made for a few days This huge red one is also very nice My favourite is the pink one These flowers are faded, but sometimes the´ll get some nice fruits, the Pitaya, or Dragon fruit is a really near relative of these plants Outside even the strelitzia has one blossom, two will follow in a few weeks But the main reason I´m here in the evening is Helmuts famous flower "Queen of the night" (Selenicereus grandiflorus) that will open it´s blossom only for a few hours at one single night of the year Amazing, isn´t it? This was my day, love and see You soon Yours NiliHH
Strunki strunki1259@web.de Posted Jun 2, 2014, 10:04 pm	Hello Mum, today we made a short trip through my host-town Remscheid This is the town-hall, a very impressive building of the early 20th century The tower is 58 m high and one of the landmarks of Remscheids skyline On the right hand You see the [url=Lion of Berg]http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergischer_L%C3%B6we[/url] ...Only to compare: The new so called "Ämterhaus", but lot of citizens here think, that it is only a memorial-building for one of our last mayors... ...very modern for a historic town... Here I am in front of the Allee-Center, a middle-sized shopping mall very lightful inside because of the huge glass-roofs at the moment there´s an exhibition of colourful lions, painted by clubs, private people or some companies also outside I saw such a lion This is the Allee-Strasse, the main pedestrian zone And here we are at the market, downhill from the upper centre coming You see the nice town-church this is the view back to the upper part of the pedestrian zone At this place we found a nice colourful spring here our little tour ended and we recreated at the spring for a while This was my day, love and see You soon Yours NiliHH
Strunki strunki1259@web.de Posted Jun 6, 2014, 3:26 pm	Hello Mum, today we visited the outdoor-museum Lindlar There was a huge market for plants, flowers, spices and other nice things on this sunday Let´s have a short look inside one of this half timbered houses wich are very typical for the Bergisch Land The kitchen The living-room, mostly only used on sundays or for celebrations, a so called "state parlour" The bed-room The "toilet" was a chair with a hole and a chamber-pot I have to admit that especially this house is very rich decorated and fullstaffed, not every building was as noble as this here... Most half timbered houses are much more smaller, narrow and even poorer in furniture and tapistery... See me in front of other rural buildings here at Lindlar In another building was an exibithion of old electrical stuff And we saw a lot of farm animals a cow with her calf some goats funny piglets, relatives of Helmut, I think and even heavy horses pulling a plough An example of a small farm-garden Here we rested a while and drank some "Fassbrause" This was my day, love and see You soon Yours NiliHH
Strunki strunki1259@web.de Posted Jun 6, 2014, 8:43 pm	Hello Mum, today we made a hike on the Nordbahntrasse Wuppertal , a formerly railwayroute at the northern hills of the town We started at a borough called Rott and came to the first station named Loh Look at the nice entrance with mosaics here A few metres away was a lovely hippie-garden even plushies we meet here in a few tunnels we found huge graffities And here we are on top of the famous Lego-Bridge Very funny idea, I think Also the blue iluminations inside this tunnel Some more tunnels from outside Is anybody at home? Here we cross a huge street in Elberfeld And here ends our tour, deep in the west of Wuppertal, at the old Railwaystation Ottenbruch This was my day, love and see You soon Yours NiliHH
Strunki strunki1259@web.de Posted Jan 11, 2015, 10:23 pm	Hello Mum, look what strunki found after the reorganisation of the TV-Site: a few pictures with colourful cacti-flowers we shot in the warmhouse This should be a test, if the links are still o.k. And I remember that we enjoyed the colours of the succulents also as we liked the nice temperatures inside the warmhouse strunki hopes to come on "a jour" as soon as possible in the next time with the rest of the missing TL´s, is that oki for You, mum? Love You mum Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Mar 10, 2015, 6:26 pm	Hello friends, I just want to tell you that I am at home again! I got a lot of gifts from my nice host Strunki! I showed it to my friends here. It is great to be at home again! Love NiliHH
RikeH Posted Mar 29, 2015, 2:25 pm	Hello friends, I am on the Amrum Island at the moment. Today we went to a place called Quermarkenfeuer.  On our way to it we saw this tired deer. There was a beautiful house in the Dunes. Houses were built like this many years ago. Then we saw the little lighthouse. On the sign I learnt a lot about it. We had a great view from this place. Look, this was our way! Later we saw more water and dunes – and far away Sylt. Back at home I had fun with my friends in our beach chair. Yours NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jun 4, 2015, 9:19 am	Hi mom, this morning, I arrived safely in Switzerland. After a short and pleasant journey, I was greeted warmly. Even the curious cat stuck her nose in the envelope. I presented my gifts and got a big group hug. Now I look forward to many good times with my new friends. Kisses Nili
Jasper Posted Jun 4, 2015, 9:51 am	Hi mom, while Jasper did some houseworks, I looked around on the balcony. Unbelievable what everything grows here. Jasper son discovered his love of gardening. Because there is no garden here, he used every pot he finds. Here grow carrots, strawberries, and lots of herbs. Arugula and radishes are already harvested. The Gingko tree has recovered well after the winter. With any luck we will have olives and hazelnuts in autumn. This will be a sunflower once. There is a lot more but this I'll show you another time. Now I play first with Timmi. Have a good time Nili
Jasper Posted Jun 4, 2015, 10:04 am	Hello, this morning we heard a strange "hiss". Apparently Jasper knows that sound, because she grabbed us and the camera and took us to the balcony. In fact - a hot-air balloon flew (oh, it's called drive) through our house and landed in the nearby meadow. A nice change NiliHH
RikeH Posted Jun 6, 2015, 9:18 pm	Hello friends, It is time for me to travel again. I said good-bye to Dicker Kumpel. My brothers and sisters gave me a big hug. I am on a TV-Swap with Sally-Seal from Switzerland, she will come and visit my Mum – and now I am on the way to his Mum. Until soon NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jun 13, 2015, 8:39 am	Hi mom, while Jasper is working, I relax a bit on the balcony. and harvest strawberries. Kisses NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jun 13, 2015, 11:15 am	Hi mom, Today we went out for a walk. After several violent thunderstorms it was not so easy to find appropriate ways. Everything was very wet. We drove to a small village called Ricken. The high moorland on the Rickenpass is a recreational area between Toggenburg and Lake Zurich. It is also a sanctuary for rare species. Even the capercaillie breeds here. And the black grouse. So it was that we - which is rather rare for TV's - pretty quiet scurried through the forest. Oh, a "victim" of the recent storm. Up here, nature is left to itself. We found many beautiful flowers in the meadows. I like this plant. And tons of blueberry bushes. Always the lookout for the capercaillie - we have of course seen none - we were running through the woods. Sometimes it was steep, sometimes we had to jump over a small stream - and sometimes roots proved to be "rock face" for a small hippo like me. Good, if you have big friends. I risked a glance into a black hole and marveled at various ferns. The big fronds invited to take a nap. A view from the edge of the forest. I was sitting on branches and at crystal clear water. The peat moss was soo soft. The sun was shining through the treetops and we enjoyed our walk to the fullest. In a meadow we saw in butterflies in love. A last round view and then we went back home. Hugs NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jun 14, 2015, 12:52 pm	Dear Brother dicker Kumpel Wishing you a happy birthday! Also all the best from Jasper and all friends from Switzerland. Have a nice cruise and enjoy your day.  Love NiliHH and Jasper, Cassiopeia, Crabs, Sansone & Twixx
Jasper Posted Jul 2, 2015, 12:50 pm	Hello home as our weekend trip turned out (heavy thunderstorm, the road has been spilled) Jasper comforted us with a pizza. A pizza from sweets. Bye for now NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jul 2, 2015, 1:53 pm	Hi mom I really do not want to whine, but right now it only seems to to rain in Switzerland. We looked for employment. Pickled garlic seemed the right thing. The peeling of garlic cloves was not as funny as I thought. But we did it. While I picked herbs, Crabs cut the Chili, and Sansone cooked vinegar, white wine, sugar, salt and spices. Then we threw everything into the pot and boiled it for a few minutes. Later we filled everything, quite hot in glasses. Jasper was very proud of us. NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jul 2, 2015, 2:05 pm	Hi mommy, at last sun. On our balcony garden sprouting at every nook and cranny. Today I harvested carrots. Carrots from the flowerpot - funny. Too bad you can't smell them. Mmm, so good. Kisses NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jul 3, 2015, 5:17 am	Hello There, we will take a trip, no matter what the weather report says. We make our way to Flims in canton Grisons. There lies on 997m above sea level, tucked away in the woods, one of the most beautiful mountain lakes of Switzerland - the Caumasee. The first view of the turquoise lake let us cheerfully start. Through wild meadows and unspoilt woods brought us our path to the viewing platform Conn. First impressions of the gorge. This is the platform. "Il Spir" (swifts) is called this platform for their birdlike appearance. It extends diagonally across the 400m deeper Anterior Rhine Gorge. Then it was time for a break. Apple pie and coffee gave us the strength for the way forward. Wild strawberries, mushrooms and escargots were our companions for a certain time. Then we reached again the Caumasee. The short rain shower caused a particular mood. This color - something truly special. We enjoyed the rest of the way. After five hours we arrived back to our starting point. A last look at this beautiful lake. Maybe I'll be back someday. Hugs and kisses NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jul 5, 2015, 11:10 am	Hello everybody, This morning we took the train to Solothurn. Solothurn is located on 430 m above sea level. M. on Jurasüdfuss. The city is divided by the river Aare into a northern and southern area. The old town in its present state was built mostly 1520-1790 and accordingly shows a mixture of different architectural styles, but especially the Baroque, so Solothurn is regarded as "most beautiful baroque city of Switzerland". The first look at the city center and cathedral. On our way along the river Aare, we discovered an "open bookcase". You can bring books or take free. We walked further and saw many beautiful buildings. This is the "crooked tower", you can see why it's called so. We crossed the Aare and went to the old town. Also Solothurn is not spared of graffiti on the walls. This here I liked. An office building. The portal of the Protestant City Church. The church seen from the side. Through picturesque little roads we came to the town hall. Around every corner was something new to see. The old arsenal museeum is being renovated. One of the many beautiful fountains. Up we went to this round tower, a part of the fortress wall. Hmm, was this formerly the castle moat ?? The round tower. It's very old. From the terrace we saw the mountains of the Jura - and the Cathedral of St. Ursen. We walked on, looking forward to a flower bed and refreshed ourselves at a fountain. Then we discovered a model of the city of Solothurn. Here we sit in the middle of the river Aare hi, hi. And here is our current location. By Baseltor we came to the bell tower of the Cathedral. 249 steps take you to a viewing platform. We begged until Jasper dragged us up. One of the eleven bells. Ooh, the climb was worth it. With shaky legs and wet hands Jasper photographed bravely. She has a bit of afraid of heights. Especially with TV's in her hands. Magnificent views. Then - 249 steps down. Ha, I was up there. View over the rooftops of the old town. We sat for a moment in the cool church. Then we admired the main portal. The Clock Tower was also worth a look. Slowly it was time to think of the way home. Over a footbridge we came back to the other bank of the Aare  and the train station. A little refreshment at the end of a beautiful day. Love, NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jul 9, 2015, 5:04 pm	Hi mom we deserved an Oscar. An Oscar for whining. First it was too cold, then it was too wet and now it's too hot. But it's really too hot. For days, temperatures above 35 °. We can barely drag ourselves out to the balcony. Between all the vegetables - which like the weather - there are a few cool spots. At the same time, I harvested a bit for dinner. Eating a cake and do nothing - that's the best. Bye for now NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jul 13, 2015, 3:09 pm	Hi Mom while we enjoyed the sun on the balcony, Jasper brought us a newcomer. The little sheep comes from China, introduced herself as Rachel and brought beautiful postcards and sweets. We warmly welcomed and gave her a big group hug. Then we enjoyed a leisurely afternoon together. Love NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jul 13, 2015, 6:04 pm	Hi mommy Today we took a hike to the Schwendi lakes. The Schwendi Lakes lie between Gamser- and Chäserrugg (two of the seven Churfirsten mountains) in a hollow in a sheltered flat moorland of national importance. When the Schwendi glacier about 14,000 years ago melted, he left the hollow in which the lakes were dammed. In the following millennia caused by siltation of the lake shore gradually the moors. A funicular took us to 1340 meters above sea level. Here we started our hike. We had a nice view of the opposite side of the valley. There we saw the Schafberg and the Säntis. After about an hour we reached the first lake. On an information board was everything worth knowing about the formation of mountains and moorland. On a boardwalk we went deeper into the bog. The lakeshore can only be reached through a single web. This of course was crowded. So we contented ourselves with this sight. We walked on and marveled at the many, various bog plants. Up here the plants bloom between May and September. Therefore, the meadows are now very colorful. We have also discovered such romantic places. Even lotus flowers grow here. And a lot more. This is the second Schwendisee. Because you reached its water surface only by a marshy reeds, it is much quieter here. On a bench, we rested and gathered strength for the descent. After all, it was necessary to overcome 300 meters in altitude. I used every opportunity to rest. This plant smelled so good and rocked me gently in the wind. Last panorama before descending, Jasper knees tremble already. Here we go. Safe and happy back home greets you NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jul 27, 2015, 7:25 pm	Hi mom Today was hiking again. We climbed two of the highest mountains of the Churfirsten. Chäserrugg (2262m) and Hinterrugg (2306m). Because it was so hot in the morning (26 °), we took the cog train for a large part of the way. Once at the first summit, we were able to recover us at 14° and fresh wind. Then we took the "Flower Trail," to explore the summit. The first part of the trail led along the northern summit ridge. We saw lush Alpine pastures, many well-known and even more flowers and herbs whose names we did not know. We admired rock formations, and far below us appeared out of the haze the Walensee. On these meadows you can see ibexes on cooler days. Then we headed for the second summit. No pictures of the ascent: Jasper had enough to do to climb up the narrow rocky staircase. 60 m shaky knees and we could again out of the backpack and enjoyed a beautiful view of the Thur valley and the new mountain station on the Chäserrugg. This avalanche control holds back approximately 163,000 cubic meters of snow. At this abyss - and the view to the next summit ends our walk today. Safe in Jaspers backpack we were on our way back. Jasper climbed and we dreamed of meadows, flowers and ibexes. Kisses NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jul 28, 2015, 1:54 pm	Hi mom, the last weekend we spent at Lake Thun. Jasper helped her daughter and family move house. Actually, a trip was planned to the Jungfraujoch for Sunday. The weather was unfortunately too bad: snow at -2 °. So we spent Sunday in Thun and made a boat trip to Spiez. We had the choice: by bus or by boat to Thun. Of course, we chose the ship. It looked very gorgeous. Arriving in Thun, we walked along the river Aare. Over old bridges with magnificent flower arrangements and through underpasses with a special look, we arrived at the old town. Then our way led us over many, many stairs up to the castle. A few years ago it was still used as a prison. Today a Museeum, a photo gallery and a restaurant are housed there. This invitation I did not miss. Near the castle is the town church. Then we went back to the dock and boarded the ship to Spiez. The ride was enjoyable and we saw many nice places on the lake shore. In the distance we could see the mountains Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. In Spiez arrived, we took a tour of the village. We saw the castle and a blimp. Spiez is nice, but nothing special - a typical holiday village. That was my weekend. Greetings and kisses NiliHH
Jasper Posted Aug 10, 2015, 12:45 pm	Hello there, and once again it was time to say goodbye to two good friends. Sansone travels to his new host to Germany and Twixx wants to fulfill his last life mission: return home safley. As a farewell we celebrated a great Cake Party. With cake in the belly and melancholy in the heart we said goodbye and wished a safe journey. NiliHH
Jasper Posted Aug 10, 2015, 1:35 pm	Hello to all at home, today we welcomed our new guests: The WotWots from Austalia. Let's have fun together !! NiliHH
Jasper Posted Aug 14, 2015, 12:21 pm	Hi mom Today we helped Jasper bake a cake. The cake is not for us, she wants take it to work. We helped anyway. These are the ingredients - oops, we forgot the sugar. I drew the size of the baking pan on baking paper. While the WotWots separated eggs, Rachel and I put the paper in the form. Oh, we had a lot to do. Snacking dough was allowed.  Then the cake had to bake an hour. Now snacking was no more allowed - but the cake smelled so good. This notices nobody, right? Kiss you NiliHH
Jasper Posted Aug 16, 2015, 11:29 am	Hi mom, to enjoy some cooler air, we visited the Säntis today. After a 30 minute drive we arrived at the Schwägalp. Schwägalp peak (el. 1,360 m or 4,462 ft) on the north face of Säntis, is the starting point of the aerial tramway to the top of Säntis. We boarded. At 2,502.9 metres above sea level, Säntis is the highest mountain in the Alpstein massif of northeastern Switzerland. It is also the culminating point of the whole Appenzell Alps, between Lake Walenstadt and Lake Constance. Shared by three cantons, the mountain is a highly visible landmark thanks to its exposed northerly position within the Alpstein massif. What a colorful welcome. "Grüezi" means Hello in Swiss dialect. The panorama from the summit is spectacular. Six countries can be seen if the weather allows: Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, France, and Italy. The exposed position of Säntis results in weather conditions normally observed in the high Alps. For example in April 1999, just beneath the summit on the northern snowfield of the mountain, a snow height of 816 cm (321 in) was recorded. The daily mean temperature is −1.9 °C (28.6 °F) Today it was 19 degrees warm and there were definitely no 8 meters of snow. The International Meteorological Congress of Rome in 1879 declared it as a necessity to build weather stations on adequate and accessible summits. Therefore, the Swiss built a weather station on Säntis. The position of the northern ridge proved to be ideal for such an endeavour. The weather station was commissioned in autumn of 1882. During a refreshment break Jasper told us about a crime that has happened up here. The so-called Säntismurder happened in the winter of 1922. It refers to a crime in which the weather station keeper and his wife were murdered. The murder was only discovered because of missing weather reports on 21 February. As a result of the missing reports, a search party was sent to Säntis, where they discovered the bodies. The prime suspect was shoemaker Gregor Anton Kreuzpointer, who committed suicide three weeks after the murder. The truth about this double murder hence remains unclear to this day. Horrifying  We moved on. Time for lunch. We had fried sausage and hash browns. A typical Swiss specialty. Located at the peak of the Säntis is a 123.55 meter high transmission tower, which was commissioned in November 1997. The original tower stemming from the year 1955 had to be renovated several times due to the rough weather conditions before finally being replaced. We walked from observation deck to observation deck and enjoyed everything to the fullest. Then Jasper discovered something funny. A smiley. She explained the reason: On the Schwägalp on Sunday a "Schwingfest" (Swiss wrestling festival) take place. Schwingen (from German schwingen "to swing"), also known as Swiss wrestling, is a style of folk wrestling native to Switzerland, more specifically the pre-alpine parts of German-speaking Switzerland. Wrestlers wear Schwingerhosen ("wrestling breeches") with belts that are used for taking holds. Throws and trips are common because the first person to pin his/her opponent's shoulders to the ground wins the bout. The match takes place in a ring, a circular area with a diameter of 12 meters that is covered with sawdust. And this piles of sawdust look from up here like a smiley face. While we waited for the next cable car to the valley, we discovered a showcase with fossilized marine animals. These fossils were found here on Säntis and at Schwägalp. Millions of years ago here was a sea - incredible. Back at Schwägalp we also found evidence of a primordial ocean here. Unicellular organisms. Aha, here they build the wrestling arena. A piece of cake made the day perfect. That's it for today - see you soon. NiliHH
Jasper Posted Aug 28, 2015, 5:07 pm	Hello there, our Sunday walk took us to the river Thur, just five minutes from Jasper's home away. On our way we saw old apple and pear trees. We saw a big bee house - and kept respectful distance. Here you can see where I live at the moment. This is the great bridge of the ring road. And that's the Thur. Thur is a 131-kilometer-long (81 mi) River in north-eastern Switzerland. Its source is near the mountain Säntis in the south-east of the canton of St. Gallen. It flows into the river Rhine on the border with Germany, south of Schaffhausen. Because of the persistent heat, it has very little water. On one of the gravel bars we discovered a little piece of art - a heart of stone. We found blackberries - they need a few more days until they are ripe. Then we came to a small forest and had a blast. Red rocks in Lichtensteig. End of the path on this shore. We found beautiful flowers and suddenly I stuck in strange stalks. The first signs of the approaching autumn. More blackberries. Yummy. No place so beautiful that you could still make it "more beautiful." So little water, normally I would stand here in the middle of the river. Despite all -  beautiful here. Elder Hmm? Rosehips I like this silvery tree. Along the Thur towards the waterfall. Oh fruits, looked delicious. Jasper told us: just look, do not touch. (It was a private garden) Then we took an adventurous path through the woods. Narrow, steep, through rocks. Suddenly we saw it - the small waterfall. Today it was even smaller than usual. But that also had something good. We were able to climb behind the fall. An interesting prospect. We walked along the shore, discovered more "rock art", sat in trees and won us new ground by man-sized plants. I think I have a new favorite plant. That was our way home. What a beautiful day Kisses NiliHH
Jasper Posted Sep 12, 2015, 12:15 pm	Hi mom flowery greetings from our balcony garden. NiliHH
Jasper Posted Sep 12, 2015, 12:26 pm	This morning we saw a hot air balloon landing on a nearby meadow. NiliHH
Jasper Posted Sep 12, 2015, 12:39 pm	Hi family, Jasper's car has broken down. Now she has to take the train to work. Pff, wait even longer until she gets home. For safety's sake, we are looking for a new car. These are our favorites. All the best NiliHH
Jasper Posted Sep 12, 2015, 12:53 pm	Hello mom, good news! The car is repaired and Jasper has bought new hiking boots. Now we can get started again. Keep your fingers crossed that the weather cooperates. Kisses NiliHH
Jasper Posted Sep 22, 2015, 5:14 pm	Hi Family today Jasper had to buy food. She hates shopping. But the weather was so nice, so we joined the shopping with a walk. We parked the car in front of the shopping center and walked off. Here was a large factory a few years ago. After the demolition new apartments and shops are built. That's one of the many bridges over the river Thur. We walked along the shore and saw the Post bridge. In the background you can see the tower of the Catholic Church. That's the high school. Many old villas are on the shore. Next Bridge - a pedestrian bridge. This is the train station. The building is quite old, but the station square was redesigned two years ago. Next Bridge. That's the cinema, and this is the profession - and training center. Back at the shopping center, we had a dispute over the purchase. Sweets or healthy stuff. As punishment, we had to wait in the car. [/img] With Jasper's shopping we were in agreement. At home we threw ourselves on the candys. Despite some difficulties, they tasted very good. Bye for now NiliHH
Jasper Posted Sep 29, 2015, 9:11 pm	Hi mom this morning we had to get up very early. A special trip was on the agenda. We visited the Jungfraujoch. The Jungfraujoch is a col between the Jungfrau and the Mönch. It lies at a height of 3,466 meters (11,371 ft) above sea level in the Bernese Alps, on the boundary between the cantons of Bern and Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. It is a glacier pass, on the upper snows of the Aletsch Glacier, and part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch area. At 7.35 we boarded the train in Interlaken to Grindelwald. We felt displaced in earlier times - so uncomfortable were the seats. In Grindelwald we changed the train to Kleine Scheidegg. The weather did not look very good - high fog. Jasper calmed us: it will be beautiful. And really, after a short time, we broke through the fog and had a breathtaking view. Then an announcement came: Eiger North Face to the left. Not all of us were fast enough to see the infamous rock face. Jasper told us we all could admire them. Next Stop: Kleine Scheidegg. Jasper, her son and some edgy TV's climb out of the train, run to the next platform, posing for a picture with the Eiger north face and get on the next train. The Jungfrau railway is a metre gauge rack railway which runs 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from Kleine Scheidegg to the highest railway station in Europe at Jungfraujoch (3,454 m), between the Bernese Oberland and Valais in Switzerland. For a few minutes we were silent and enjoyed the views of Lauterbrunnen valley and the Eiger Glacier. How big must have been this glacier, when one considers the abraded rock. Then the train disappeared into a tunnel. The railway runs almost entirely within the Jungfrau Tunnel, built into the Eiger and Mönch mountains and containing two stations in the middle of the tunnel, where passengers can disembark to observe the neighbouring mountains through windows built into the mountainside. After a few minutes into the dark, the announcement came: 5 min. stay into the Eigerwand Station. Only separated by a window, the rock of the Eiger North Wall was close enough to touch. And the view !! Next stop was Eismeer. Here we marveled at the glacial ice and the deep crevices. And then we reached our destination: The Jungfraujoch railway station, at an elevation of 3,454 meters (11,332 ft) is the highest in Europe. It lies east of the saddle, below the Sphinx summit, and is connected to the Top of Europe building, which includes several panoramic restaurants and a post office. Several tunnels lead outside, where secured hiking trails on the crevassed glacier can be followed, in particular to the Mönchsjoch Hut. After more than 2 hours on the train we just wanted to get out. So we took the elevator to the observation platform, which lies 117 meters above the station. With 6.3 m per second, we raced against the fresh air. On the platform we enjoyed a spectacular panorama. The Aletsch Glacier The Aletsch Glacier (German: Aletschgletscher) or Great Aletsch Glacier is the largest glacier in the Alps. It has a length of about 23 km (14 mi) and covers more than 120 square kilometres (46 sq mi) in the eastern Bernese Alps in the Swiss canton of Valais. The Aletsch Glacier is composed of three smaller glaciers converging at Concordia, where its thickness was measured by the ETH to be near 1 km (3,300 ft). It then continues towards the Rhone valley before giving birth to the Massa River. The whole area, including other glaciers is part of the Jungfrau-Aletsch Protected Area, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001. Der Mönch (4107m - 13474ft) The Mönch forms together with the Eiger and the Jungfrau a highly recognisable group of mountains visible from far away. The Sphinx observatory The Jungfrau (Virgin) Then we took the elevator down and walked on the glacier. We wanted to play in the snow, but Jasper only allowed to walk on the marked area. All around there are deep crevasses where we could disappear forever. Then we looked at the plaque for the miners. 30 men lost their lives during construction. In ice palace it was mostly too dark to take pictures. But an interesting discovery we have made anyway. After a last panoramic view of the imposing mountains we had to head home. It was such a great day. Kisses NiliHH
Jasper Posted Oct 12, 2015, 4:00 pm	Hi mom, Rocky has made his way to Miami, Florida. The lucky one. While I'm freezing here, he flies in the sun. Bon Voyage dear friend and let hear from you soon. Hugs and kisses for you mom NiliHH
Jasper Posted Oct 12, 2015, 4:26 pm	Hi mom, I saw the pictures from your trip to Holland. That gave me an idea. Traditional shoes from Holland I found in Jasper's Kitchen on bulletin board, and a small red cheese in the refrigerator. So I sold my time. I had a lot of fun and was increasingly reckless. Then the fall. Don't worry, it did not hurt - just my ego is tarnished somewhat. Bye for now NiliHH
Jasper Posted Oct 28, 2015, 9:55 am	Hi mom, again a gray day. You remember my cheese fun a few days ago? My friends also wanted have fun. So I purchased more cheese. That should be enough for all. Everyone took what he needed and amused himself. I was this time a bit more careful. Then we ate the cheese - yummy. I hope you are doing well. Love you NiliHH
Jasper Posted Oct 28, 2015, 5:38 pm	Hi mom, since weeks we are trapped under a gray blanket of high fog. From morning to evening - always gray. Sun's from 1000 m. So we go to the mountains. Taking the chair lift we head to Wolzenalp at 1130 m above sea level. On the high plateau Rietbach a beautiful upland moor with springy soft peat soil waiting for us. Of course, no flowers and herbs grow more now, but the autumn-colored trees and the mild sunrays put us into euphoria. Jasper has a lot to do to keep us on the prescribed routes. In summer there is a barefoot trail through the marsh. We imagined, what we would look like after such a barefoot fun. Out of sheer laughter we were toppled by a hair in the brown broth. Up here, the air was so clear we could even see the Säntis. Some friendly cows looked at us interested. Then the sun slowly disappeared behind the mountains, and we headed for home. What a wonderful day. NiliHH
Jasper Posted Oct 29, 2015, 4:45 pm	Allegra (so welcomes you in the Engadine) we started on Tuesday morning for a trip to Graubünden. By train we went to Thusis. (Thusis and the Rhaetian Railway are UNESCO World Heritage Site) There we were up in a yellow Postbus which brought us to the Rhine Gorge "Viamala". Viamala or Via Mala (Which in Romansh literally means "bad path") is an ancient and notorious section of a path along the Hinterrhein River between Zillis-Reischen and Thusis in the Canton of Grisons. This narrow gorge was the most serious obstacle on the approach to two mountain passes: the Splügen and the San Bernardino. Even the ancient Romans used this way. 28,000 years needed the Rhine to dig so deeply into the rocks. The traces of water can be seen everywhere. 321 steps took us to the gorge and we marveled at the power of water. This white foundling does not come from this region and nobody knows when and how he got here. (from the bottom only a few pictures without TV's. It was too dark and the one-handed flash images are blurred.) Here the Viamala seen from the Wildener bridge. Then we started to go on the "Via Spluga" a cultural and historical hiking trail back to Thusis. After an hour of back and forth, we came to a real challenge for Jasper. We - or better Jasper had to cross the Rhine Gorge. The Traversina web is actually a hanging staircase. 57 m long it hangs about 50 meters above the abyss. 176 stages to overcome a height difference of 22m. 10 minutes to change your mind, then Jasper took heart and started walking. With trembling knees but proud to have managed it we made a short break. As the legs obeyed again, we hiked on. Shortly before Thusis we saw the castle Raetien. This trail is really adventurous. Then we saw Thusis. At the station we were waiting along with a "nice lady" for our train home. That was an adventure! NiliHH
Jasper Posted Nov 1, 2015, 2:22 pm	Hi mom, we were on Lake Thun and visited Jasper's daughter. On Friday, we enjoyed the sun during a walk to Oberhofen. In the distance we saw the fresh snow Bernese Alps with the famous Three - Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. Then the first look at Schloss Oberhofen. Along the way, we were looking forward to autumnal trees. Oberhofen Castle - unfortunately they had annual holidays. Too bad, but quickly our attention was drawn to a film crew. The Swiss Television filmed a documentary on the Swiss dialect singer Polo Hofer, who lives in Oberhofen. We walked on and enjoyed the afternoon and the beautiful view. Then we discovered a monument to Sir Winston Churchill. Winston Churchill stayed from 23 August to 20 September 1946 in Switzerland. His vision of a new, united Europe attracted attention worldwide. Unfortunately it was too cold to swim - the water of Lake Thun is so clear and clean. We marveled at the vineyard in its autumnal splendor and as the sun slowly sank behind the mountains, we headed for home. Tomorrow we will make a trip to ... Jasper says anything, it should be a surprise. NiliHH
Jasper Posted Nov 2, 2015, 8:16 pm	Grüezi, Hello and Bonjour, in our last destination many languages are spoken. In addition to 7,000 cows and a few locals here is the jetset home. We were in Gstaad, a small but beautiful village in the Bernese Oberland. "Last Paradise in a Crazy World". So Hollywood and Broadway star Julie Andrews describes her holiday home Gstaad. Even though his international flair Gstaad has remained alpine genuine. The atmosphere is quiet and discreet. And exactly that appreciate its famous guests from royal families, film, art, sport and business. Sir Roger Moore once said, "They are less interested in me than for my car." Richard Burton and Liz Taylor spent their holidays here. Likewise, Gunter Sachs, Bernie Ecclestone, the Thai royal family and many more celebrities. The little calf at the village well was made by Elizabeth Taylor's daughter. Many beautiful houses can be seen here. They must be all built in chalet style. We could not resist and had to try this wooden bathtub. In the distance we saw a castle-like building - there we needed to go. With horse-drawn carriage up the hill. That would have been nice. We were allowed to test it out, and had to walk afterwards. Jasper said, "Movement is expedient for you" So we started walking and could shortly afterwards admire the 5 * luxury hotel Gstaad Palace. Amazed, we listened to Jasper when she called us some figures about this hotel. 104 rooms, 26 suites, 2 Tower suites in the hotel towers. 1 Penthouse suite with its own sauna and roof terrace. 5 restaurants, tennis courts and a swimming pool. And - before you ask: too expensive for us. Okay, we didn't ask - but maybe ...? Jasper thanked God that the hotel is closed until the beginning of winter season. We still enjoyed some views and made our way towards the village. An image with a Capricorn and brief glimpses to a Ice Hockey Match and already had passed our time in Gstaad. But don't forget: Liz Taylor was here, Roger Moore was here aaand NiliHH was here !! See you
Jasper Posted Dec 6, 2015, 10:24 am	Hi mom, Today we say goodbye to Jasper. not by our host, but by "Jasper the moose" He travels to Wuppertal. Bye, bye friend. Have a good trip and many exciting adventures. NiliHH
Jasper Posted Dec 6, 2015, 10:36 am	Hello there, another foggy day. NiliHH
Jasper Posted Dec 6, 2015, 10:58 am	Halle mom, Jasper's son wanted to make a cake with fondant decorations. The color Brown did not succeed. Jasper said: This is your color Nili. Let's try something. So I sat model. Look what came out of it. I now have a "sweet" twin. My enthusiasm knew no bounds. Jasper's son then chose the color white and therefore he was right. Sweet greetings NiliHH
Jasper Posted Dec 6, 2015, 11:47 am	Hi mom, today brought Jasper much greenery. It was time to make an Advent wreath. The branches smelled good but it stung. Bravely we went to work. We cut the branches and wrapped them with wire to the straw wreath. The decorating was Jasper's thing. Does the wreath not look beautiful. We are all looking forward on the 1st Sunday of Advent. Many kisses NiliHH
Jasper Posted Dec 6, 2015, 12:06 pm	Hi What a surprise this morning. The first snow. NiliHH
Jasper Posted Dec 6, 2015, 12:40 pm	Hi mom, today is baking day. We need Christmas cookies. Jasper has already prepared the different doughs. So it goes fast - she thinks. Well then, set to work. We are rolling and forming and cutting out. Then we put the cookies on sheets and Jasper pushes them into the oven. It smells wonderful. With a little icing sugar and jam, they are even better. Delicious Bye for now NiliHH
Jasper Posted Dec 6, 2015, 12:52 pm	Finally, the Christmas season begins. Hugs and kisses NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jan 4, 2016, 1:39 pm	Hi mom, Last weekend we stayed at Jasper's daughter. On the way home we made a small stopover in Bern and visited on the Parliament square an event called "Every penny counts" Radio SRF 3 sends each year for a week their program from a glass box and collects donations for a good cause. This year was the motto "Together for young people in need" Around the clock you can watch the presenters when they welcome VIPs from sports, business and more. For a small donation can you wish songs or send greetings. This year more than 4,000,000 Swiss francs have come together. Later, we strolled through the old streets and over the Bernese Christmas market. That's one of the many fountains of the city of Bern. It is called "Kindlifresserbrunnen" (Child Eater Fountain) and dates from the year 1545. With a creepy feeling in the stomach, we drove home. NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jan 4, 2016, 2:14 pm	Merry Christmas This year we had a quiet Christmas. Grandfather gave us some worries. (a surgical intervention) He is now on the mend. Tomorrow we will travel for a few days to Jasper's daughter. Bye for now NiliHH
Jasper Posted Jan 5, 2016, 5:12 am	Hi Mom, Holiday on Lake Thun. Today we made a trip to the Niederhorn, a mountain vis-a-vis of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. We started in Thun and boarded the paddle steamer "Blüemlisalp" The Blüemlisalp was built in 1905 in Zurich and was the showpiece of the Lake Thun fleet. The ship is 60.45 meters long and has a width at 13.15 meters. 800 people can be accommodated on it. 1971 Blüemlisalp should be scrapped. 20 years she lay unused at anchor, waiting for her last trip. The association "Vaporama" enabled, a 2-year renovation and since 1993 the Blüemlisalp is again the favorite of tourists and locals. So, enough of numbers and data, see for yourself how nice it was. The ride in the morning had something magical. We were fascinated by the landscape and also the interior of the vessel amazed us. In Beatenbucht we left the steamer. Before we boarded the funicular, we could admire the ship in all its beauty. The funicular took us to Beatenberg. The view during the ride was terrific. Then we moved into a gondola and arrived after a short ride, the mountain station of the Niederhorn at 1950 meters above sea level. The view was spectacular, even if only pitiful remnants of snow were to be seen. Instead sleigh rides the scooter is used and instead of skiers enjoy themselves the paragliders. Snow or no snow, no one could spoil our mood and we enjoyed the day to the fullest. Here we are waiting for the ship to go home. We had a wonderful day. I wished I could experience everything with you. NiliHH
Jasper Posted Mar 3, 2016, 2:18 pm	Hello everyone home the last hours of the old year we spent loud and funny. After a delicious dinner, we played, sang and partied until the early morning hours. I wish all a Happy New Year. NiliHH
Jasper Posted Mar 3, 2016, 2:55 pm	Hi mom, Today we celebrate the birthday of the WotWots. There is chocolate cake with frosting in blue and pink. We will have a happy day. Kisses NiliHH
Jasper Posted May 2, 2016, 2:47 pm	Hi mom, it was so boring today, so we snooped around a bit, and found these things - laboratory glassware !! Let us explore and invent. This flask was clearly too big for us. We quickly searched matching sizes. Then we started our tests series. All we found in Jaspers cupboards was poured together, heated, distilled and how it all means. It seethed and sometimes smelled terrible. The result - you will not believe it - gold. Unfortunately we have forgotten in the heat of the moment to write down the recipe. Sorry mom, can't send you a fortune back home. NiliHH
Jasper Posted May 2, 2016, 4:20 pm	Hi mom, finally nice weather again. We did not hesitate long and were on our way to Sigriswil, a small town in the Bernese Oberland. After train - and bus ride we walked to a known destination called "grave mill". Here you can fish for trout and gold panning. There is a zoo, and barbecues. Unfortunately was still closed. But we saw an alpaca breeding. After a good lunch at the Hotel Bären, we visited the Sigriswiler panoramic bridge. It is 340 m long and 182 m high and one of the longest and highest pedestrian bridge in Europe. The views of Lake Thun and the Bernese Alps is breathtaking. And the view into the canyon makes Jasper trembling knees. After a last look at the bridge and the parish church together with vicarage we were on our way home. After a long time without the sun we enjoyed this day especially. Kisses NiliHH
RikeH Posted Jul 30, 2016, 7:32 pm	Hello friends, I am back home again! I had such a great time with Jasper. I celebrate with my relatives. Thanks for the great time, Pia! Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Aug 10, 2016, 7:25 pm	Hello friends, In the afternoon we celebrated Dicker Kumpel’s birthday. We wished him a happy birthday and sang a song for him. He loved the couch that Murph gave him as a birthday present. We played soccer, because it was EM! Then we went on the swings… …and into the sandbox. I had a great place.   Then we sat in the sunshine and talked a lot. Oups, nobody should see this – we took some drinks with us. Cheers! Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Oct 16, 2016, 7:10 pm	Hi friends, When I went onto the balcony this morning – I saw a lot of buildings! This is Monaco. Many rich people are living here. Fortunately there were nice mountains behind all these houses. And I saw many yachts! Mein Schiff is not really good in tendering – it took us a very long time to reach the promenade of the harbor. I saw many skyscrapers from this point. We jumped into a little train – and were on a sightseeing-tour. We were on the street where Formula-1-drivers have their races. You can see our nice train on this photo. Then we drove along the Casino – a beautiful building. Next to it was a famous hotel. It’s time to go on this mountain! We continued our trip by foot – and visited the Cathedral. Behind me you see the Prince palace. A wonderful view – and I saw our ship! WE finished our trip in the famous aquarium. There were illuminated jellyfishes. I liked the colorful fishes. But we didn’t understand why this is a famous aquarium. It’s just a normal one. Then we went back to our Ship – there it was! Yours NiliHH
RikeH Posted Nov 10, 2016, 1:39 pm	Hello friends, I am in Australia with my Mum. We stopped at this colorful lake on our way to Hyden. There were works of art. And there were many flies. We continued our trip to the biggest attraction in this region. Behind me you see the famous Wave Rock. The colors and the forms are wonderful. All the humans wore funny hats with fly-nets. Then we started a walk along the rock. I really liked it. 32 Degrees were very hot. This rock is called Hippo’s Yawn. What a wonderful name! I was so brave and went into it. The view from here was beautiful. Some blooming flowers – it is springtime here. The trees look different, but I like it. A last stop at the Wave Rock. Yours NiliHH

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