arasmi irun4fun2005@yahoo.com Posted Jul 29, 2009, 5:13 pm |
So i have now just been activated. My mom would like to send me along the European trail so we will see where my adventure begins! |
RikeH Posted Aug 22, 2009, 10:59 am |
Hi Mum,
today I arrived at Rike’s home. There were some TVs so I had a warm welcome. First I met Dicker Kumpel. Then I met the other TVs Meleka, Murph, Pinkz and Rhinono. After talking about my trip I wanted to exlore the garden. Look – there is a nice monster in the fountain – it is so funny to live in the water - but maybe a good idea, when it is hot. Yours Nippy |
RikeH Posted Aug 24, 2009, 9:22 pm |
Hello Mum,
We have a new ToyVoyager now. He is called Michel and his Mum is the Mum of RikeH. Isn’t that funny? He arrived today – and brought some sweets. What a nice surprise! He just arrived in the right time, because we went to a small city called Bad Oldesloe. We made a nice walk there. Can you see this nice mill-wheel behind me? There are many old houses like this in the city. There is a nice small river in the city. Mum, I just found out, that I will become a policeman soon. They have so beautiful cars! There was a beautiful fountain in front of the town hall. I am so excited – RikeH told us, that we will go to the Zoo soon – and to a birthday. Greetings Nippy |
RikeH Posted Aug 25, 2009, 11:26 am |
Hello Mum,
What a great day. We went to the Zoo of Hamburg today. It is called Hagenbeck and was founded on this place in May 1907 – what a long time! First we saw the elephants – there are small ones – they are so cute – and they played together. This was the first gate of the Zoo. Now the Zoo is bigger – so the gate is inside the park. We saw this funny bird and zebras. A Zoo is really nice, but I prefer to travel around! The giraffes are the biggest animals. Look – I saw penguins – it was amazing. They don’t wear a muffler and a cap – but they seem to have a lot of fun swimming around. At the end we’ve been in the Aquarium – what a lot of nice and colourful fishes! It was a wonderful day in the Zoo and I met a real pinguin! yours Nippy |
RikeH Posted Aug 29, 2009, 11:46 am |
Hello Mum!
I’ve been on a birthday party today. It was a lot of fun – and I ate so much! First I helped with the barbecue. Everything looked so delicious! In the afternoon we get coffee and cakes! After it, we sat together and had a lot of fun! Yours Nippy |
RikeH Posted Aug 29, 2009, 11:48 am |
Hi Mum,
We made a trip to a nice little park near to Sülfeld. Here you can see us on a big stone. This is a really funny tree. We found a small lodge at the lake side. It is a place to watch birds! Can you see me in the tree? (Next to the BIG bird) At the end of the trip, we went to the playground. What a nice place! Yours Nippy |
RikeH Posted Sep 1, 2009, 9:50 am |
Hi Mum!
We explored Sülfeld today. First we saw the beautiful church... …this is the old school… ...and we found a nice little lake with beautiful flowers. We enjoyed the sun! Mum, I would love to send you these wonderful flowers! Yours Nippy |
RikeH Posted Sep 1, 2009, 10:01 am |
Hi Mum,
RikeH goes to the playground with us. That was really great! Back home Rhinono and Michel told us, that they will leave us now. We all were very sad – and gave them a big hug! I hope that they will have great adventures with their new hosts! Hugs Nippy |
RikeH Posted Sep 3, 2009, 7:13 pm |
Hi Mum!
We have a new friend here – he is called Orpheus and he comes from Canada. We gave him a warm welcome and talked a lot ! After that I had a great evening. RikeH showed me a movie about her trip to New Zealand last year. They saw penguins there. First they were far away – but I was able to see you. Can you see them, too? Here they were very near to the place, where RikeH stood: Wow – what a wonderful penguin – can we please visit New Zealand, Mum? Greetings Nippy |
RikeH Posted Sep 5, 2009, 4:03 pm |
Hi Mum!
Today we had a nice evening. We visited a friend and played games. First we played a funny game with animals in the Zoo. After it we ate delicious ice-cream – it was yummy! The second game was about the Stock Exchange and shares. We had a nice evening – I love playing games. Love Nippy |
RikeH Posted Sep 12, 2009, 9:36 am |
Hello Mum!
Today we went to Hamburg, because RikeH wanted to show us the Alster – a nice lake in the middle of the town. Here you can see a photo of me and one of the group in front of the Alster. There were some nice geese. Some views from the other side : This is the townhall. Hamburg is a very beautiful town! The Hummel is a typical for Hamburg – we made some funny photos on two different Hummel-Men. Greetings Nippy |
RikeH Posted Sep 12, 2009, 9:38 am |
Hello Mum,
Today is my last day here with RikeH. We played in the garden, before I had to leave. We made a race – only Dicker Kumpel enjoyed the sun. After it we relaxed in beautiful trees. I really loved them. It was time to say good-bye. Pinkz will leave with me, so we can travel together. We get a big hug – and a special good-bye from Dicker Kumpel. I had a great time here, but now I am excited to go to my next host. See you soon. Love Nippy |
olgamaus Posted Sep 18, 2009, 6:17 pm |
Hi Mummy,
I arrived at my new host's home today. I travelled with Pinkz in a comfortable box. We met our new host Katja when she came home in her lunch break. When she had to return to her work place she took us with her to show us the vicinity of our current home. I already some some nice old houses. The weather is not good, I'm glad that I'm wearing my winter gear. Bye Nippy |
olgamaus Posted Sep 19, 2009, 10:48 am |
Hi Mummy,
today the weather was better again. Because Katja is working close to the city hall she showed it to me. The heraldic animal of Remscheid is a lion. On the open space in front of the city hall they have a pillar with a lion on top. Bye Nippy |
olgamaus Posted Sep 19, 2009, 11:13 am |
Hi Mummy,
today we made a trip to Wuppertal, which is the neighbour town of Remscheid, famous for the worldwide one and only Monorail Suspension Railway (Schwebebahn). Wuppertal is the largest city of the region "Bergisches Land" with about 355.000 inhabitants. We met Katja's friend BlackCat here. BlackCat had tickets for a concert in the evening, it will take place in a stone pit. The main act is Razorlight, the German band Kilians will be performing first. But it was only afternoon and so we took a walk around the city. Here is a first photo taken from the bus station with a first view across the city centre. When you enter the city centre the first thing to see is the Schwebebahn. The trains are coming in and out every five minutes. The suspension railway travels along a route about 13 kilometres long, about 12 metres above the surface of the river Wupper and approximately 8 m above the city streets. At one point the railway even crosses the A46 motorway. The entire trip takes about 30 minutes. We walked into the city centre than. Here we are in front of one of the shopping malls. We took a group photograph here, next to a funny fountain. I am sitting here with my new friends Pinkz, Mister_Right, Barney and the TVs which are travelling with BlackCat. In the shopping mall they have an exhibition showing desert animals. Katja soon found her favourite. It is not a reptile but a furry one. A sand rat. Katja loves rats, she is keeping pet rats herself. The next photo is showing the city hall with a market place and a large fountain in front of it. We walked along the pedestrian area than. I saw this funny statue here. It's name is "A new day at work". I have never see you doing a handstand before going to work, Mummy. Katja says she would also be going to work with doing it every morning. "Luisenviertel" is a pretty quarter with lots of bars and restaurants. I met another penguin here. He was one of the participants of the "Pinguinale 2006", a celebration for the zoo of Wuppertal which was 125 years old than. All over the city centre they had beautifully painted large penguins. There was a large final showing all the penguins in the zoo. Here you can see more photos of the Pinguinale 2006. We decided to walk along river Wupper for a while. So here is the Schwebebahn again ... This is one of the most modern stopping points. We went inside the train station to have a look at the incoming trains. The Schwebebahn is crossing the streets at some points. We reached a quarter where the worldwide known chemical industry concern Bayer is situated. Pharmaceuticals are produced here. We decided to take a ride with the Schwebebahn to get to the concert. We were waiting for our train. The concertgoers cannot get to the stone pit themselves, they will be taken there by shuttle bus. |
olgamaus Posted Sep 19, 2009, 11:20 am |
We reached the stone pit than. It is almost dark now.
We had to walk to the bottom of the stone pit than for about 15 minutes. Somewhere in the deep we could see the concert location. It is really looking great! Behind the fences we could see the large trucks which are usually working here. The concert is fantastic. I hope you can see my silhouette at least. The and Kilians was still playing. And than ... RAZORLIGHT!!! The concert was great, we took a small video, you can watch it here . At the end we were taken back to the train station in Wuppertal-Vohwinkel by bus and return home than. Bye Nippy |
olgamaus Posted Sep 22, 2009, 8:38 pm |
Hi Mummy,
we took a walk today in one of the surrounding valleys. Katja told me that she loves to take really long walks. I'm sure I also will. The valley is called "Morsbachtal" because the creek Morsbach is running through it. Here I saw a small hamlet with both old factory buildings and dwellings. We followed the creek and came to another hamlet. Do you know those plants? It is hogweed. They are usually growing close to a creek or river. They are already faded. We were leaving the valley now, we had to walk uphill for a while. In the background you can see Muengsten Bridge, the highest railway bridge in Germany. It is 107 m high and is connecting Remscheid with the neighbour city Solingen and is overspanning the valley of the river Wupper. Later we could see the bridge much better. The bridge was finished in 1897. Katja knows a path which is leading to the fundament of the bridge. You have a fantastic view from here. And from the other side ... The tracks are just above our heads. We rested on a nearby lawn for a moment. Our way back home was also leading though woodland. I really like it here. You can see that autumn is coming soon. Bye Nippy |
olgamaus Posted Sep 27, 2009, 8:55 am |
Hi Mummy,
we took a walk to the municipal park today. We had to walk for only a few minutes to get there. In the vicinity of my current home I saw pretty old houses. Katja told me that in this part of the city most of the old houses survived World War II. I can see this church when I'm looking out of our living room windows. It is stucked between houses and large trees, so you cannot take a photo which is showing the whole church. We went into the municipal park than. It is very obvious that summer ended now. Katja showed me this memorial for the dead of several wars before World War I. Two allotment gardening areas are here on the park's ground. We went back into town than to pick up a friend of Katja who also wanted to take a walk and do some shoppings. We than went along the Trasse des Werkzeugs (Route Of Tools) which is a closed railway track. On this track a route for pedestrians and cyclists was built. It is about 5 km long, starting at the central station and going to the district Hasten. It was sponsored by local tool producing companies. Along the route you can find signs, information and artwork relating to the tool producing industry. Here are some of those signs, there is also one which is displaying the coat of arms of Remscheid. We bought some things here. Of course Katja forgot to buy the most important thing Bye Nippy |
olgamaus Posted Sep 27, 2009, 10:07 am |
Hi Mummy,
we took a long walk today in an area around the river Wupper which belongs partly to the municpal area of Wuppertal and those of Solingen. We started our trip on the Wuppertal part. First we took a path that goes underneath a railway bridge. We had to walk uphill for a while. Soon we reached an old building, called "Kaltenbacher Kotten". It propably was a grindery or a smithy once. A pond is next to the building. We reached an area than which belongs to the largest arboretum in Germany. Since the late 1950 years foreign trees are planted here. There are special areas with trees from Asia, North America, South America and also Africa. The arboretum was founded as a forestry sience project. We crossed the river Wupper here and reached the Solingen area. We had to take care while we walked through the forrests: Everywhere it was "raining" acorns, beechnuts and chestnuts. On our way back to the car we had to walk underneath a large bridge, underneath a highway. After more than three hours walking I was really tired, looking foreward to spend the evening on the sofa, doing nothing. Bye Nippy |
olgamaus Posted Sep 30, 2009, 8:09 pm |
Hi Mummy,
I tasted a really good drink today. It is Almdudler, a soda pop which is produced in Austria since 1957. The name of it means "yodeling on the alp", that's why the label is showing a traditional custume couple. It is a soda pop with herbs, really delicious and refreshing. Bye Nippy |
olgamaus Posted Oct 2, 2009, 3:49 pm |
Hi Mummy,
we have bad weather here. It became cold and it is raining the whole day. It is less than 10°C! When it stopped raining for a few minutes I sat in the kitchen window, looking outside. Bye Nippy |
olgamaus Posted Oct 9, 2009, 9:58 pm |
Hi Mummy,
we took a walk to see Muengsten Bridge today. I have seen this bridge before when we took a walk in the forrest about two weeks abo. This time we walked through the valley underneath the bridge. This is river Wupper, in the background you can see an outlook pavilion. We had to walk for only a few minutes to have a first look at the bridge. (A new building is built under the bridge, that's why there is a toilet behind me). Under the bridge they have a leisure park with chairs on the lawns, games and for children playground equipment. A crazy golf course is also here. We decided to take a walk in the forrest than. Katja told us that there are rocks with engraved pictures or poems. Can you see the engraved hands? We had to climb higher than, like you always have to in this region. From here we had a good look at Muengsten Bridge lying behind us. This sign is showing the way back to the bridge. We walked back on the other side of the river, later we crossed the bridge with a special ferry. Bye Nippy |
olgamaus Posted Oct 15, 2009, 8:11 pm |
Hi Mummy,
today Katja took us into town when she went to the post office to pick up the mail for the law firm. It was really cold in the morning, although it was sunny. The first photo is showing the main entrance of the shopping mall. On Fridays a farmer's market is taking place at the end of the shopping street. Can you see the pharmacy's name? It's the "Penguin-Pharmacy". This modern building belongs to the municipality. Here we are at the bus terminal ... ... and this is the company building of the local newspaper "Remscheider General-Anzeiger". On the next photo you can see the theatre, the shopping mall and the tower of the city hall in the background. We went into the shopping mall to buy some fruits for our coffee break. When Katja finished work the sun was still shining which you should better not take for granted because they have lots of rain here, due to the rangy landscape. So we took the chance to take a walk before we went home. From a bridge I had a look at Remscheid's highest-located district, in the background. Close to the central station I saw this round building. Katja decided to walk along the Werkzeugtrasse (Route of Tools) with us. This is a lane which was built on a closed railway track for pedestrians and cyclists. It starts at the central station and is leading to the district Hasten. Remscheid is famous for its tool producing industry. This lane was sponsored by local tool producing companies, that's why it is called Route of Tools. The lane is about 5 km long with some interesting points along the route. Here we are at the central station which was under construction for more than two years and just finished this summer ... ... and walking along the Route of Tools. Here is a map showing the course of the route. Here you can sit down and rest for a while. Here are some signs showing the names and logos of some of the sponsors. Sometimes you can find distance data painted on the ground. Of couse you can find bridges along a former railway track ... ... and also old factory buildings. Some of them are still in usage. At this point the Route of Tools is crossing a street. We decided to walk home than. From here we had to walk for about 15 minutes to get home. Bye Nippy |
olgamaus Posted Oct 18, 2009, 5:49 pm |
Hi Mummy,
we took a long walk today along the so called "Obstweg Leichlingen" (translated it must be something like "Route of Fruit" ). Leichlingen is a small town, halfway between Remscheid and Cologne.. This path is following a route through traditional orchard meadows, along homesteads and through rural hamlets. It is about 9 km long. What a nice overlook! We rested next to those pretty toadstools for a while. Katja warned us not to taste them - it's fly agaric, it's extremely poisonous. We walked along picturesque farms and houses. Do you know sea-buckthorn? I don't think so - it's originally from Asia, nowadays spread across Northern Europe and parts of Asia. I tasted those berries - Ugh! They are acidic. Sea-buckthorn berries are multipurposed, edible and nutritious. Juice and liqueur is made of them and also skin creams. Here are apple trees. Of course we saw horses on a meadow. Corn was harvested here. It's getting cold in Germany now, I'm glad that I have my cap and scarf. Bye Nippy |
olgamaus Posted Oct 25, 2009, 4:59 pm |
Hi Mummy,
we took a walk today to one of the oldest districts of Remscheid. It is called Hasten. In the background you can see the outskirts of Wuppertal. Here is an elementary school. You can find lots of pretty old houses in Hasten, here are some examples. Katja's friend Erika is living here. We went to her house to have a coffee with her. Erika loves cats, also pink tigers Bye Nippy |
olgamaus Posted Oct 30, 2009, 11:34 am |
Hi Mummy,
I am on my way to Munich now. Bye Nippy |
olgamaus Posted Oct 30, 2009, 2:59 pm |
Hi Mummy,
we went to Wermelskirchen, a small town in the neighbourhood, to take a walk. It's a rural area. We parked the car next to a restaurant. It is a speciel "potatoe restaurant". We walked through the forrest for a while ... ... had a talk with sheep ... ... walked along some houses ... ... along this old barn ... ... and a creek. We posed for a group photograph. It was time to return to the car than. Bye Nippy |
Pandamao Posted Nov 2, 2009, 9:20 pm |
Hi mum, I have arrived! |
Pandamao Posted Nov 6, 2009, 11:04 pm |
Every morning we go for a walk along the Isar river. It is nice and peaceful and also green - I would not have thought of having all of this green right in the city center. |
Pandamao Posted Nov 13, 2009, 10:14 pm |
I did some sight-seeing today. I saw the Marienplatz which is right in the city center and a tourist attraction. |
Pandamao Posted Nov 21, 2009, 11:31 pm |
We did some more sight-seeing today and visited the Hofbräuhaus (a really huge beerhouse) and the Orlando house. |
Pandamao Posted Dec 10, 2009, 10:05 pm |
the weather is exceptionally mild and sunny for November. So we enjoy our walks and stop in the city's rose garden along the Isar river and sit in the sun. |
Pandamao Posted Dec 10, 2009, 10:14 pm |
We even found some rose flowers/blooms still growing. Amazing for this time - it's November! |
Pandamao Posted Dec 11, 2009, 11:09 am |
I went for a walk in Sendlinger Street and visited the Asam Church. It was built by a rich merchant as a private church. Inside the church and a balcony is a door to his former house so he could enter the church from is private rooms. It is really nice, especially if you like lots of gold and ornaments. |
Pandamao Posted Dec 11, 2009, 11:16 am |
since the weekend the Christmas markets have started. I enjoyed strolling through the little alleys and watch all the glittering and stuff at Marienplatz. |
Pandamao Posted Dec 20, 2009, 9:57 pm |
For the weekend I traveled to Sulzbach-Rosenberg, a little town in the North-East of Bavaria. There is a nice old city center and a small park where I went for a walk. |
Pandamao Posted Dec 28, 2009, 8:53 pm |
Wish everybody back home a Merry Christmas!
I have a great time here, the Glühwein (mulled wine) tastes great |
Pandamao Posted Jan 20, 2010, 10:25 pm |
During the past days the weather went cold and it snowed. Munich is covered in snow. Therefore I did not go for a long walk but rather did some window shopping in Maximilianstraße. Well, I would have liked to do real shopping but Maximilianstraße is the street where all the posh and expensive designers have their shops (Dior, Armani and such) ... so, it was only window shopping.
I also saw the opera at one end of the Maximilianstraße. |
Pandamao Posted Jan 21, 2010, 8:45 pm |
I also walked around the king's residence. Do you see the little lions? They stand at the side of the gates and all their noses are shining. It is said that it will bring luck if you rub their noses. So that's why they are shiny. Of course I could not resist and rubbed as much as possible |
Pandamao Posted Jan 21, 2010, 9:15 pm |
After the short tour yesterday evening I took a stroll in day light to see all the beautiful Christmas things on the market. |
Pandamao Posted Jan 22, 2010, 9:10 pm |
Opposite the residence is the Theatiner church, it is very nice inside.
And there is also the Feldherrnhalle (hall of military leaders/commanders). |
Pandamao Posted Jan 22, 2010, 9:28 pm |
Yippiiee! I fulfilled another one of my life missions. It snowed so much that I could enjoy playing in snow! I asked my host to take a photo of me sitting in snow as proof |
Pandamao Posted Jan 24, 2010, 10:07 pm |
I went for a walk in Englischer Garten (English Garden). On the way I passed the Hofgarten (garden next to the king's residence). Today it is open for everyone, there is a coffee shop there (nice to drink coffee in the sun in summer time), some shops, people go for walks or play boccia. |
Pandamao Posted Mar 24, 2010, 9:59 pm |
Today I passed by the Königsplatz (King's square) where several of Munich's museums are located. As it was snowing I did not stay too long. |
Pandamao Posted Mar 24, 2010, 10:30 pm |
Winter came back and it snowed during the past days. I accompanied my host and her dog on the early morning walk along the Isar river. |
Pandamao Posted Mar 25, 2010, 9:29 pm |
Today I am at Munich main station as I'll want to travel a bit. The train is nice and comfy, I got a seat all by myself. |
Pandamao Posted Mar 25, 2010, 9:36 pm |
We did travel for about 3 hours - we like to watch the landscape from our window. |
Pandamao Posted Mar 25, 2010, 9:55 pm |
I visited Sulzbach-Rosenberg, a small town in North-Eastern Bavaria. There is a castle (nowadays used for adminstration and museum) and some other old style houses. |
Pandamao Posted Apr 4, 2010, 7:20 pm |
Now I'm back at Munich again. My host showed me the German Museum (Natural Sciences and others). |
Pandamao Posted Apr 4, 2010, 7:27 pm |
We got up early and went for a long walk along the Isar river with Maggy, the dog. The sun was not yet out. |
Pandamao Posted Apr 4, 2010, 7:30 pm |
But one hour later on the way back home the sun was out, shining brightly. I could have used sun glasses
I played again in the snow, Pinkz who is another visiting TV also enjoyed it. |
Pandamao Posted Apr 4, 2010, 7:52 pm |
We are traveling back to the small town again. |
Pandamao Posted Apr 4, 2010, 8:01 pm |
Spring has finally come! Look at all the beautiful flowers in the garden of my host's parents. It felt like walking on a carpet of flowers. |
Pandamao Posted Apr 4, 2010, 8:16 pm |
Happy Easter!
My host showed me a fountain decorated with Easter eggs. It is an old custom in this part of Germany to paint eggs and decorate fountains and wells at Easter time with them. |
Pandamao Posted Apr 4, 2010, 8:18 pm |
There must be thousands of hand-painted eggs. Look how nice and detailed the eggs are painted. |
Pandamao Posted Apr 5, 2010, 3:44 pm |
Today I was drinking Red Bull soda - an energy drink. |
Pandamao Posted Apr 16, 2010, 7:41 pm |
My host took me on a farewell tour of Munich. And I also wanted to show Pinkz a few nice places. First we went to the Hofbräuhaus, a huge beerhall and went inside to have a look. Then we continued to the Orlando house. There is a really nice passage inside the house block. |
Pandamao Posted Apr 16, 2010, 7:54 pm |
Inside the blocks of houses there are small alley ways and we ventured into them and were surprised how nice it was. |
Pandamao Posted Apr 16, 2010, 8:00 pm |
Then I took Pinkz to see Maximilian street and the Opera. |
Pandamao Posted Apr 16, 2010, 8:13 pm |
Even if most of Munich was destroyed during World War II, there are still some nice old buildings left. |
Pandamao Posted Apr 16, 2010, 8:25 pm |
Even if I have visited the Bavarian King's residence before in winter time it is nice to see it again. We walked around, saw back-yards and more back-yards, took a close look at the walls - did you notice that the walls are painted to give a more luxurious marble look? - and of course, I rubbed the lions' noses again to have more luck (rubbing the noses is supposed to bring luck). |
Pandamao Posted Apr 16, 2010, 8:41 pm |
and one more look opposite of the residence - there is a hall with statues of former generals and also a church. |
Pandamao Posted Apr 16, 2010, 8:44 pm |
My last look and walk over Marienplatz |
Pandamao Posted Apr 16, 2010, 8:47 pm |
After all this sight-seeing we strolled back over the victuals market back home. |
Pandamao Posted Apr 18, 2010, 5:24 pm |
I take off again to my last stop of the German TV trail and will head towards fam-united.
Good-bye Munich! |
fam-united Posted Apr 23, 2010, 4:54 pm |
Hi Mum,
I just arrived in sunny Bruchsal. I will ask my host to take some photos at once. Bye, Nippy |
fam-united Posted Apr 28, 2010, 3:17 pm |
Who would think, that within four days we drive nearly to the same place? This time it is for fun, because my host's aunt celebrated her 75th birthday at a Greek restaurant called Dioni. The food there tastes really yummy. If you ever come here, you have to have lunch in this restaurant. It is located next to the Rhine and from the restaurant you have a wonderful view to the Rhine. Later we went on a little walk to the Rhine, where we took some photos. I loved this afternoon.
The Rhine (German: Rhein; Dutch: Rijn; French: Rhin; Romansh: Rain; Italian: Reno; Latin: Rhenus; West Frisian Ryn) is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe, at about 1,232 km (766 mi), with an average discharge of more than 2,000 m3/s (71,000 cu ft/s). The name of the Rhine derives from Gaulish Renos, and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *reie- ("to move, flow, run"), which is also the root of words like river and run. The Reno River in Italy shares the same etymology. The spelling with -h- seems to be borrowed from the Greek form of the name, Rhenos, seen also in rheos, stream, and rhein, to flow. |
fam-united Posted Apr 30, 2010, 9:53 am |
Today we drove to the Michaelsberg, a small hill, which belongs to Untergrombach. Untergrombach is one of Bruchsals suburbs. There are Untergrombach, Obergrombach, Heidelsheim, Helmsheim and Büchenau.
On top of the Michaelsberg there is a chapel called Michaelskapelle. Next to the chapel is a restaurant, where you have a nice view over the Rhine valley. You only can see a small bit of it on the right site. The houses you can imagine on the right side belong to Bruchsal. On the horizon of the left side you can imagine two small small towers, which belong to the nuclear power reactor of Philippsburg. The quarry pond belongs to Untergrombach. Here you see Untergrombach down the hill. The small mountains in the far are the Palatinate Mountains. Here we look in direction, where you come to Karlsruhe, which is in the Rhine valley too. You maybe can imagine the edge to the Kraichgau with its small hills. The stones you see on the photo, are the so called Steinriegel (Clearance Cairn). A Clearance Cairn is an irregular and unstructured collection of fieldstones which have been removed from arable land or pasture to allow for more effective agriculture and collected into a usually low mound or cairn. Commonly of Bronze Age origins, these cairns may be part of a cairnfield (a collection of closely spaced cairns) where some cairns might be funerary. Clearance cairns are a worldwide phenomenon wherever organised agriculture has been practised. (wikipedia) The Michaelsberg is a nature reserve area and famous for the Magerrasen (nitrogen-poor, species rich grassland). The last photo shows a view to Obergrombach. |
fam-united Posted May 6, 2010, 6:49 am |
My hosts had dinner at a restaurant next to this stable. It was a bit late, so you only see a small horse in the far.
When we were at home again, we baked a Danube Waves Cake for my hosts' nephew birthday. |
fam-united Posted May 7, 2010, 1:48 pm |
We enjoyed this lovely sunset today, but my host told me, that they will have bad weather soon. If she tells the truth?
|
fam-united Posted May 7, 2010, 1:49 pm |
Yeah, here they are: the dark clouds!
For dinner we had meatballs Tuscany kind and noodles. The kids love it. And to drink: Stoertebeker Pilsener - not for the kids |
fam-united Posted May 7, 2010, 1:55 pm |
A new toyvoyager arrived: umechan from Japan.
So we are now: 1rst row: Robby, Jennifer, umechan, Pinky Bear, Kari 2nd row: me, Cilly, Scotty Later we had a snack: A pretzel (Brezel) and tea (my host loves green tea with sugar and milk - not the way you should drink it, I guess) |
fam-united Posted May 7, 2010, 2:00 pm |
In the afternoon my hosts went to get their car back from the car workshop. It is a rather long way and they took me with them to show me the palace of Bruchsal. I had been really curious to see it.
The Château of Bruchsal was built in the baroque style of the mid 18th century starting around 1720 and served as the official residence of the bishops of Speyer. Its center was a three-winged building that was based on the plans of Maximilian von Welsch. After the plans had been modified several times, the central staircase was built by Balthasar Neumann, who had taken over and filled the role of Chief Engineer since 1731. It is generally regarded as one of the most successful design solutions for a baroque staircase. The Château complex includes numerous other buildings, among them Damian's Gate and the Church of the Court. In the waning days of World War II the Château was badly damaged as a result of the aerial bombings aimed at Bruchsal, and it burned out completely. The famous staircase largely survived (though it was badly damaged), but the dome did not. After lengthy discussions about whether and how it should be done, the large central part of the building (Corps de Logis) was reconstructed (well into the 1970s) as a museum, while the Church wing design was changed to a modern design. (wikipedia) This is the church tower of St. Damian and Hugo, the so called Hofkirche. The church is on the right side, but you can't see it on this photo, but only a little piece of the roof. The left red stones belong to the church building. It just looks the same as the building on the opposite side, where the chamber music hall is located. The middle part of the photo shows the main building of the baroque palace. After some steps we turned around to have a view to the county court, the right building. Next to the building on the left side (with the chamber music hall) you see a little nice roof. It is the top of the Damiantor (Damian Gate). Maybe I will get a better view on it soon. Now we are on the back side of the palace. Let's see, what's written there: The words are more difficult to translate, because it is ancient German. So here we try: "Now I chose the place, where my residence will be located. I never saw a more beautiful situation of all, it is Bruchsal, a town, much bigger than Aschaffenburg, rather beautiful built again." So here you see the church tower again and the building behind my head - and only this part - is the back side of the church building. Just turning around we saw these fountains. Now we walk from the palace terrace to the palace garden. Again we just turned around and took another photo: the back side of the palace main building and the church and church tower and some other buildings, which belong to the palace area. This statue is a halberd. There are three more halberds, two on each side of the terrace border. We had to walk all the way down to the other end to the exit of the garden. On our way we passed the statues of the four seasons. Here you see me and spring. And then there are the statues of the four elements: fire, earth, air and water. Here you see me and water. That's the exit of the palace garden. We just crossed the street. On the other side of the railway line you see the lower part of the palace garden. It is an alley of red chestnuts. So here we are next to the red chestnut tree at the entrance of the alley on the other side of the rail way line. We turned around and looked back to the palace. Then we walked to the commercial zone to get the car back again. |
fam-united Posted May 9, 2010, 6:54 am |
For dinner we helped our host to prepare toast. Some of the family members like cooked ham and Maasdam Cheese, but my host likes salami and Gouda Cheese. Under the cheese my host had some bananas, the kids had ananas. We wanted to help more, but our host had a phone call and then she told us, she had to hurry a bit to get finished.
By the way: The weather is still grey, rainy and stormy. Do you see that house on the left side with the interesting front? It is called Sancta Maria. My host told me, that she will take me with her to this house and tell me more about it - when the weather is nice |
fam-united Posted May 9, 2010, 6:55 am |
Someone told me, that May is called the merry month and I really thougth, that this would mean, that the sun is shining. Right now it seems to be kind of November here, even in the morning it was so misty and here you see another photo in the later afternoon. It was another rainy day.
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fam-united Posted May 10, 2010, 7:07 pm |
We were in Forst today. It is a town near Bruchsal and my host's daughter sings in a choir in Forst. On our way home she took some photos while my host drove the car. You still see the bad weather
From here on we are in Bruchsal. |
fam-united Posted May 10, 2010, 8:22 pm |
Today we sat still inside the house, so my host decided to show me our place in the school atlas.
At first we took a look at the world map. I found Europe. Then we looked at the Europe map and searched for Germany - Deutschland. On the Germany map we searched for Baden-Württemberg. It's in the south of Germany. Here's a Germany map again. We found Karlsruhe and Heidelberg, both cities aren't far from Bruchsal. Now here's the middle Germany map and we already found Bruchsal here. And here's the south part of Germany and you see, that Bruchsal is in the middle of the south The lake you see on the map is Lake Constance, Bodensee in German. |
fam-united Posted May 15, 2010, 6:00 pm |
We have thunder and lightning and I can tell you, that the thunder is really really loud. It is raining heavily. You can't see the rain on the photo, but of course the grey sky. The photo was taken out of a window of the back side of the house. You see a long house or better roof. This is the music school, where my host takes singing lessons.
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fam-united Posted May 15, 2010, 6:48 pm |
The sun came out today and so my host said, that it is a must to go out and take photos. So we are on the way to St. Peterskirche, church St. Peter. You surely will see this church sometime later, when we look out of the window of the east side of the house.
St. Peter is a beautiful baroque church. We sat down at this colourful place, but our host told us to hurry up, because the sun would go down soon. There is a phone box and I tried to call you, but forgot your number On the opposite side of the church entrance is this beautiful old street with the statues of Peter and Paul. Next to the church entrance I read this about the church: Behind the church is the large graveyard of Bruchsal. Here you see some very old gravestones. These crosses belong to the oldest crosses on the graveyard. You only can take a photo of the backside of the church, when you stand on the graveyard. We tried to not show too much of the newer graves. Here you see graves of those, who died during the first world war. There also is a Jewish graveyard. Walking out of the graveyard we saw the backside of the house Sancta Maria. and this is the front of it: Again I found a board and read about Sancta Maria: |
fam-united Posted May 17, 2010, 9:29 am |
On our way to Koblenz we had a cappuccino at the service area along the highway.
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fam-united Posted May 17, 2010, 9:44 am |
Today we visited aunt and uncle of my host's husband. We thought, that we maybe could see the German Corner and the fortress Ehrenbreitstein, but because next year there will be Bundesgartenschau in Koblenz next year and many places are closed right now to get everything finished for the horticulture show.
So we only had a short walk "around" the house. We saw some interesting old houses. Horchheim is a suburb of Koblenz on the right side of the Rhine. The oldest house of God is dated in 1130, but there were settlements in Bronze Age already. That's a board, that we saw nailed to the house: former it was a house v. Eyss, built 1765 from baron (Freiherr) Matthias v. Eyss, plan attributed to Johannes Seiz, in year 1945 heavily damaged. This is the back side of the house: There's a big church too. We also met some Monchhichis here. We took some more photos on our way home. |
fam-united Posted May 17, 2010, 10:54 am |
Hi Mum,
this is my last day in Bruchsal. I will start to travel again and hope to be soon with miapearl. Bye, Nippy |
miapearl Posted May 27, 2010, 11:01 pm |
Hi Mum,
I have arrived safely in Wales and was warmly welcomed by other toyvoyagers alfie langer, Diddl-Maus & Gaspode as well as my host's wannabe toyvoyagers. The weekend coming up is a bank holiday weekend and perhaps we'll be out and about. It will also be the start of my host's son's half term week break from school. Will write soon, Love Nippy |
miapearl Posted Jun 6, 2010, 5:46 pm |
Hi Mum,
My host has brought me along to stay with her mother for a few days. My host doesn't have a television, so I and a couple of the other toyvoyagers settled down in front of the tv. Tonight, we watched the Eurovision song Contest. I liked the Azerbaijan entry, "Drip Drop" which came 5th. I wonder where else we will go this bank holiday weekend. |
miapearl Posted Jun 6, 2010, 6:01 pm |
Hi Mum,
Today, we are on our way to the seaside town of Skegness. My host's son likes this town to play crazy golf, the funfair/amusement park, and other things for children have a go at. It's raining. I hope if clears up when we get there. Yes, blue sky and sunshine. This is an odd fountain near the seafront. One of the many game stalls at the fair. A nice sandy beach. Beach equipment, buckets and spades. I didn't get a chance to build a sandcastle. My host's son had a go in the waterwalkers. He had finished by the time I had my picture taken. A nice day, even though it did rain on and off through the day. |
miapearl Posted Jun 6, 2010, 6:21 pm |
Hi Mum,
Back home after a good day out. My host's son wanted a game of Settlers of Catan. So, we came to watch. |
miapearl Posted Jun 6, 2010, 6:41 pm |
Hi Mum,
Today, we went to the west-facing seaside resort on the east coast, Hunstanton. There wasn't much sunshine around, so we went to the aquarium. They have otters. And seals. And the highlight of my day was meeting some penguins Inside, we saw different sea-life These jellyfish are pretty These anemones are pretty too. |
miapearl Posted Jun 6, 2010, 7:16 pm |
Hi Mum,
Today, we make our way back home to wales. On route, we had to stop at a level crossing and wait for a train to pass. Was that it? Just one carriage! And on we go.... |
miapearl Posted Jun 6, 2010, 11:00 pm |
Hi Mum,
Today, on our way home from my host's mum's house to Wales, we stopped off at the UNESCO World Heritage area of Ironbridge Gorge. This Ironbridge was the first bridge to be made out of iron. Map of the area. There are several museums here. We went to the Coalbrookedale Museum of Iron. These are drawing instruments. This is a big cast iron pot. The IronBridge was started in 1779, 1803 was the year for the prototype steam locomotive for Richard Trevithick, 1851 was when The Great Exhibition was held... We took a rest on the bench before looking around the Great Exhibition section of the museum. Don't I look dapper! Please don't press me like a cheese. Rayburn cooker. Some Rayburn cookers are able to provide central heating. And an Aga cooker. Then we went to a hands-on science museum nearby. I'm having a go at the bucket conveyor. Is that an old gramaphone up on the top shelf? There are remote control looking things that people point and click at the ? and tells them what they are looking at. This next thing is to build something that would survive "earthquake" conditions. My host's son & husband didn't do a very good job. I learnt a lot today. Need a rest when we get home. Bye for now, Nippy |
miapearl Posted Jun 12, 2010, 11:59 pm |
Hi Mummy,
I went out with my host and her family to the Pili Palas, a butterfly jungle on the isle of Anglesey. Some chrysalis cases hanging up in a cabinet (to keep them safe). A butterfly having some lunch As well as butterflies, they have reptiles too, including thiss friendly snake. I think this is a glassy tiger butterfly. A white tree nymph? Hello Iguana Smile! Some caterpillars An Owl flutterby. It is hot in here... Bye for now, Nippy |
miapearl Posted Jun 23, 2010, 8:06 pm |
Hi Mummy,
Today, we have come to the seaside town of Rhyl. alfie langer and twix have been here before but they did not have the opportunity to go up in the Sky Tower. My host forgot to take a picture of me with the Sky Tower in the background. There's probably a picture on Twix's or Alfie's travelog. Down there, there's a funfair, and a sea aquarium. Down there, are the Terror Tombs.... I am going to be brave... Arrrggggggggh. Can you see me? Bright light bright light! Doesn't look as scary with the camera flash... There isn't much light down here.... Where are the reins? Good job then that this gargoyle isn't going to take me for a ride. |
miapearl Posted Jul 4, 2010, 1:59 pm |
Today, my host decided to go for a walk all by herself (well, with us ToyVoyagers! - myself and alfie langer).
She decided on doing a circular walk called Seiriol, around Llangoed and Penmon. So, off we went on the bus to Bangor, then another bus to Menai Bridge (where she grabbed food and drink for a picnic), and then another bus to take us to Llangoed. Off we went following the map to Penmon Point. This is the Penmon lighthouse, called Trwyn Du. This lighthouse was built in 1838 and stands out for miles. Just to the right, is Puffin Island (or Ynys Seiriol). In the background, you can see the Great Orme, Llandudno. A beach. The lighthouse again. There is a geocache somewhere nearby. We found it but my host got stung by the nettles. She also retrieved some rubbish that had been left, taking it to the cafe's bin. Walking back to Llangoed, we went to Penmon Priory. There is a dovecote. Here we are. And perched inside. The priory, built in the 13th century. The church associated with the priory dates from the early 12th century. There is a geocache near the priory which we found quite easily. On the way back to Llangoed, we took a slight detour to Castell Aberlleiniog, because my host thought we'd miss the bus and would have a bit of a wait. The motte & bailey castle was built by the invading Normans in the 11th century. The motte is a down-sharped, artificial earth mound. There it is up there. Atop of the castle remains. In the late 11th century, the Welsh, with the help of Viking allies, was able to reclaim the area, burning the castle (wooden) to the ground. The remains of the castle were refortified in the 17th century, and played a part in the Civil War. We got back to Llangoed just in time to see the bus leave. With about an hour until the next bus, my host decided to find a third geocache in the area and off we trekked. Found the cache with ease, and made it back in time for the bus. What a lovely day it has been. |
miapearl Posted Jul 4, 2010, 2:30 pm |
Another sunny summer day. My host and her family want to go to the beach. But first, my host goes in search of a geocache with me and alfie langer.
She finds without getting stung by nettles this time! It is near an airfield so we can't take too many pictures here. A caterpillar. The beach My host and her family even went for a swim in the warm sea!! Back where they parked the car, there is a map. |
miapearl Posted Jul 4, 2010, 2:48 pm |
Today, post arrived. I wonder who is in the parcel.
Hello dotdog Here we are, alfie langer the bear, Nippy the penguin - that's me!, Bubo the owl, Gaspode the original dog & Lintilla the sheep. |
miapearl Posted Jul 4, 2010, 3:55 pm |
Today was a bumper post day. 2 toyvoyagers arrived, Hypno-dog & Mira |
miapearl Posted Jul 4, 2010, 3:57 pm |
My host decided to go out geocaching. We had to catch the bus
2 bus journeys we had a walk to find a cache at the HMS Conway. After a walk in the woods, we managed to find a geocache Then, it was time to walk across the Menai Bridge, over the Menai Straits. This is the Menai Suspension Bridge. Looking over the Menai Straits. Over the Menai Straits, somewhere in the woodland, is the ruins of the HMS Conway Here we all are, from left to right, Hypno-Dog, Nippy - that's me!, Mira,alfie langer, and dotdog There's the bridge we walked across. There's a geocache on the bridge, but with quite a few people walking across it, we didn't have the chance to have a look for it. The Britannia Bridge. Ok, we cheated a bit for this! There were lots of people walking along this section of the coastal path today so we didn't look for the geocache. We came back on Friday 25th when my host met her husband for lunch. He found the cache. |
miapearl Posted Jul 9, 2010, 9:29 pm |
After meeting my host's husband for lunch to find the geocache, we came back to Caernarfon and relaxed at Y Maes, the town square.
The square had been recently redeveloped. Some people like it, others don't. One of the new features is this water thing in front of the war memorial. Children love to run through the water jets, either avoiding them, or through them. In the background, is the Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We didn't have long to enjoy the square because my host wanted to meet her son from school. |
miapearl Posted Jul 9, 2010, 10:26 pm |
My host's son wanted to go to the Victorian coastal resort of Llandudno. He wanted to ride the toboggan.
There is a dry-ski slope as well. . After he had been on the toboggan, he wanted to play a round of golf. There is a nice little golf course nearby. My host's husband lost his ball - it went over the fence and possibly into someone's garden.... After a round of golf, we relaxed in the pub. Where's it all gone? |
miapearl Posted Jul 15, 2010, 11:01 am |
oday, we went to the North Wales Agricultural Show just outside Caernarfon.
We went into the poultry tent. This chicken came second. In another tent, there were arts and crafts, as well as produce. Yummy soft fruit. Some old tractors were on display. Also there, were pigs, cows, bulls, sheep, and then there were equestrian events, and even a dog agility show and ferret racing. |
miapearl Posted Jul 15, 2010, 11:09 am |
Today after lunch, we went to the Anglesey Model Village.
This is Plas Newydd. Beaumaris Castle Town of Llangefni LLynon Mill. A lighthouse and there's a model railway - can you see the train? Here we are at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch A toll house Another view of Llangefni with the clock. And a little train to ride on. |
miapearl Posted Jul 30, 2010, 12:41 am |
Today, we visited Llynnon Mill, a working windmill on the Isle of Anglesey
The mill still makes flour We were allowed to visit some of the levels inside of the mill. Outside, there were reconstructed roundhouses. Anglesey had quite a few ancient settlements. It was quite spacious inside the roundhouse. There was a fire. A loom. |
miapearl Posted Jul 30, 2010, 10:15 pm |
Today, we went to find a tiny geocache down by the dock in Caernarfon. While my host's husband grabbed the cache, I had my photo taken at the various bits and pieces nearby.
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miapearl Posted Aug 11, 2010, 5:15 pm |
Today, after a brief trundle round Llandudno, we went geocaching to find a cache on a hill just outside Llandudno.
Conwy Castle is just visible. |
miapearl Posted Aug 11, 2010, 5:16 pm |
Today, after my host bought the new issue of Royal Mail stamps with 2 years exactly to go before the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, we went to Porthmadog where the world famous Ffestiniog Railway has a station.
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miapearl Posted Aug 11, 2010, 5:42 pm |
Today. we are on our way to my host's mother's house for a holiday, but first, we stop off again in the Unesco World Heritage area of Ironbridge and Coalbrookdale.
My host's son likes to visit this particular museum - Enginuity because he can play with some of the exhibits. A wind power exhibit. Flywheel Battery And the wheels turn! My host moved this engine over a metre! Nice dress. Water fun! The engine my host moved. Fun conveyor belt/bucket exhibit. |
miapearl Posted Aug 15, 2010, 12:09 pm |
I am in a maze. If I do right-hand search, will I find my way out?
I can't remember if I did left or right-hand search but I did find my way out. Here we all are having survived the maize in maze. This little maze won't take too long to do. |
miapearl Posted Aug 15, 2010, 1:45 pm |
This evening, after the maze, we've come for a walk in the little village of Moulton.
Aren't these village signs just great? This is a very tall windmill, but sadly, it doesn't have any sails. |
miapearl Posted Aug 15, 2010, 1:46 pm |
Today, we've come to the Butterfly & Wildlife park in Long Sutton
First off, we take a woodland walk. They have a few pear trees. They also have emus And some birds in the aviary And birds of prey And some leaf cutter ants And butterflies |
miapearl Posted Aug 15, 2010, 1:47 pm |
Today, we've come to the coastal town of Great Yarmouth on the North Sea.
There is a Sea-life centre. Hello penguins down there. Inside, a fishie having a rest on a duckie. A shark having a rest Outside, there are many crazy golf courses. This one has a pirate theme I've got myself into a hole again. It is an 18-hole course. |
miapearl Posted Aug 20, 2010, 12:57 am |
Today, we have come to the town of Boston in Lincolnshire. This is a 5-sail working windmill, the Maud Foster (landowner of the land a few centuries before the mill was built in 1819).
The brick tower stands 64ft (19.5m) tall. The sails are 37ft (11.3m) long and are the longest working sail son a windmill in the UK. The owner of the mill was on a working holiday in Tasmania (building a Lincolnshire-style windmill). The mill was making flour when we visited. The wind was certainly blowing. |
miapearl Posted Aug 20, 2010, 12:57 am |
We have come to the Abbey Pumping Station, a museum that collects and displays the industrial, technological and scientific heritage of Leicester.
First off, we take a little ride. The engine. Number 2 is a Moya Visible No. 2 (1905), Number 3 is an Imperial Model A (1908), also designed by Moya. I don't need to go right now thank you. A cistern. An early cine thing, the Praxinoscope. Meccano. A working knitting machine. Part of a beam engine. |
miapearl Posted Aug 22, 2010, 10:09 pm |
After visiting the Abbey Pumping Station, we popped next door to the National Space Centre.
What does Sponge mean on a panel of a replica of the Columbus Module? How on earth do you use one of these? You don't, you use it in space! Map of Mercury. Information about Gamma Rays, part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Two British rockets - Blue Streak and PGM-17 Thor. The Lunar Module. Soyuz. Jupiter. Helen Sharman's launch couch. She was the first Briton in space. |
miapearl Posted Aug 22, 2010, 11:45 pm |
After our long journey back from my host's mum's via Leicester, we came home to some post, including this parcel.
I wonder what it could be? It is a new visitor, Mandy Sheep |
miapearl Posted Aug 26, 2010, 4:40 pm |
Today, we have come to the Anglesey Sea Zoo.
The fish won't keep still. Can you see this flatfish? A nice anemone and a 4-armed starfish More anemones and starfish Sea squirts. Here we all are in front of the big tank. |
miapearl Posted Aug 26, 2010, 4:47 pm |
We popped to the allotment before going home.
Aren't these bean pods pretty. I wonder how big that pumpkin will get. oops, these peas needed support. Aren't these pea flowers pretty? A cabbage. A sunflower. This is either a globe artichoke or a cardoon. An apple. |
miapearl Posted Aug 26, 2010, 10:34 pm |
Today, we have come to the coastal town of Llandudno.
My host took us on a boat ride. The pier is a bit out of focus. Weeeee.... After the ride, we caught the end of a Punch and Judy show. |
miapearl Posted Aug 26, 2010, 10:36 pm |
After Llandudno, we came to Sychnant Pass for a little walk
Isn't the heather pretty. The purple can be seen for miles. |
miapearl Posted Sep 1, 2010, 10:05 pm |
We, that is, mira, alfie langer, dotdog, Mandy Sheep and myself said goodbye to Hypno-dog who was leaving the country (in a different envelope than was shown in the photo below).
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miapearl Posted Sep 6, 2010, 11:45 am |
Today, we visit the National Stone Centre near Matlock.
There is an exhibition on the story of stone (and rock...). I'm on normal fault. Some metamorphic rocks. The exhibition looks at the geology of the British Isles, and the way stone/rock has been used. The British Isles have some Scarplands and Downs. The Romans came to Britain. Masons were very important in building structures out of stone. A display looking at the processing of rock/stone. And different methods. Outside, there were steps made from different stones. I am sat on top of green slate. Outside, there was a rock trail to follow. There were some art made from stone on the trail. These stones have fossils. Some galena (lead) in limestone. This is a dry stone wall, one of the types found in Yorkshire. This is a different dry stone wall, a type found in Cumbria. A Penine wall. Nearby up a hill, is Middleton Top. There were railways running around this area. This is an engine house with boilers. The trains were probably pulled up the hill on cable. Some track, not a lot, still remain. What a nice view. |
miapearl Posted Sep 6, 2010, 1:22 pm |
Yesterday, we decided to look at the map because some of us toys are continuing the journey around the world.
Mandy Sheep went off to Germany, and Lintilla went off to Russia. Today, I will be leaving for The Netherlands. I said my goodbyes to Mandy Sheep and Lintilla yesterday. And today, I am sad to leave alfie langer, mira, dotdog, Gaspode and little Bubo. Take care. |
Braveheart Sam Posted Sep 14, 2010, 9:17 pm |
Hey mom, listen what happened to me! I started a new adventure.
I got in this orange van, apparently it belongs to the postman. He took me for a drive, stopped and got out, and yes, he took me with him! The postman rang a doorbell... and nobody answered. So I went back in his van. The next day the postman did the same thing and again... nobody opened the door. I went into a store and all of the sudden I got picked up, a lady said something in Dutch ("ik heb géén idee wat er in dat pakketje zit!") and I got taken outside. Then I heard her say "Oh, I know! It's my first TV that I have to host! I'm so excited!" She asked another TV, Buster to come look. I started to ask if someone could get me out, I think Buster did hear me... I heard a dog sniffing... I just hoped it wasn't a big dog... Buster helped his mom to free me from the box. I spend enough time in there. And here I am, with Buster, ready to start my adventures in the south of Holland! |
Braveheart Sam Posted Sep 14, 2010, 9:23 pm |
Well mom, my new host is very friendly, but not the brightest crayon in the box.
She took me, Buster, her husband and her 2 dogs for a walk to another country (!), Belgium. We walked in a forrest, saw lot's of diffrent mushrooms, an old train, lot's of beautiful nature, we drank Ice tea, ate lasagna and just had a great time. What's the problem, you ask? Well..... she forgot to take her camera with her! So I can't show you where I've been! Hope this is a one time only event, because I was pretty bummed! And I believe she was too. Well, gotta go to sleep, I'm pretty tired now. Love ya! Nippy |
Braveheart Sam Posted Sep 16, 2010, 2:36 pm |
Hi mom, no, I did not get into trouble...
Today I went to work with my host. After that, we went for some groceries and when we walked back to the car, I saw a hearing aid laying on the ground! I couldn't pick it up with my flippers, so my host did. They were a bit nasty looking, so she didn't take my picture with the hearing aid. We don't want to upset your stomache. We went to the police and dropped the hearing aid off. The police officer said that if the hearing aid is still there after a year, we could have it. My host said that they can trow it out after a year. The picture is taken outside the police office. My host mentioned karma and if I would ever get lost, she would hope the person who found me, would bring me to the police office too. Well... let's hope this never happens! Bye! Nippy |
Braveheart Sam Posted Sep 29, 2010, 7:40 pm |
What a travel!
We spend almost an hour in the car, my host wanted to take me to see the harbour. I laughed so loud when we got there.... It's the smallest harbour I've ever seen!!!! But it was nice to see some water... Love ya! Nippy |
Braveheart Sam Posted Sep 29, 2010, 7:43 pm |
Hi mom,
did you know my host is a bit shy? We went to a "Wild Park", a small zoo with wild animals, but no penguins. Too bad... But we did see fish otters, lynx, wild cats, all kind of deer, wild pigs, sheep, donkeys and bears. But my host is such a scared pussy, she was affraid for the animals! So there are no pictures of me with any of them! I got a bit angry with her and I told her to take my picture with at least one wild animal, and I wanted it to be with the wildest of them all: the brown bear! So she did... but she was sweating! My host is weird... she can visit the zoo for free, but is affraid of the animals! Oh, by the way, it was in another country!!!! Germany! Talk to you soon! Love, Nippy. |
Braveheart Sam Posted Sep 29, 2010, 7:44 pm |
Hi mom!!!
Did you know my host works with mentally challenged adults? And did you know they just looooooove me? This is Michi, she is so cute! She saw that I was a bit cold, so she kept me warm. All the other people didn't want their photo to be taken and put on the net, so I'm only posing with Michi. This job is very busy and loud. Those people can talk!!! Love you! |
Braveheart Sam Posted Sep 29, 2010, 7:47 pm |
Hi mom, it's me again.
I want to show you where I live right now. It's a big town, but not yet a city. It's called Brunssum. Here I am, walking in a park, named the vijverpark. Vijver means pond, so pondpark. On the island are a lot of ducks, geese and swans. On this picture you see the new city hall. The old one is much prettier, but is under construction. My host got married in the old city hall. The new one has a great view over the park. Pretty fountain, right? Next time I make sure I give you a tour thru the house! Bye for now! Nippy |
Braveheart Sam Posted Oct 2, 2010, 8:22 pm |
Hey mom, here I am again.
I forgot to give you a tour, so here it goes! Look: fish! This one looks tasty enough... maybe, if my host isn't paying attention... or maybe she let's me complete one of my missions and I can go fishing! She has a lot of things we can do when she's at work and we have to stay home. Play with the dogs, but they are sooooo fast! The brown one is Ami, he's born in Spain. The white one, you can see his foot, is Gaio and he's born in Portugal. They are kind of DogVoyagers. Here you see me on the map of Holland, I'm standing in the south, where I am now. Ami likes me... This is a very old globe. It's made of glass and as you can see, it has a light in it. I'm looking at Africa. Do they have penguins there? A bit of artwork, made by my hosts grandfather. He went to art-university and studied art. He wanted to become an artist. He made this painting in 1937, when he was still in school! Granddad is no longer with us, but I love this painting. Do you? And another piece of art. My host says it's a van Gogh, but I think she's crazy! It's a copy, but I like it anyway. Later, my host admits it's a copy and the original is hanging in the Rijksmuseum Kröller-Müller, Otterlo. Here I am standing in front of a huge home-made house. You can see one of the residents: a chinchilla. This one is called Gizmo. Not an original name, but she had that name, so they kept it. The other one is named Meisje, which means Little Girl. So, that's about it. Time to sleep. I just can't make up my mind where to lay my head... Love ya! Nippy |
Braveheart Sam Posted Oct 2, 2010, 9:17 pm |
This day we made our own cappuchino.
It comes out of a bag. Not very Italian, but hey, we're in Holland, so what can you expect? It did taste good... Powder cappuchino... but really funny, it smells great! It's not a soda, but hey, at least she gives me something to drink! And a Dutch "cookie": a taai taai. Taai means tough. Well, it was hard to chew, that's for sure! Taai taai is a traditional product and goes together with Sinterklaas. The Dutch version of Santa Claus. His birthday is a holiday with gifts and is on december 5th. I know, way to early to be eating this! But the stores sell it already and my host loves to eat it, so why wait? You know, my host promised me we'd be cooking a traditional Dutch diner tomorrow... Talk to you then! Love, Nippy |
Braveheart Sam Posted Oct 4, 2010, 7:08 pm |
I had a soda! Well, not like a coke or pepsi or something like that.
But it's a fruit drink with cherries and apples. It tastes very sweet, but it is very low in calories, my host explained to me. Does this count as a soda??? |
Braveheart Sam Posted Oct 4, 2010, 7:13 pm |
Good morning...
It seems like a beautiful day is ahead. Look at our sunrise! Do you see that pointy stripe, in the middle? It's a tower for the NATO. Lot's of Americans, Germans, French and other foreign soldiers are stationed here and work in Brunssum. Hopefully today we will make our traditional Dutch dish. Yesterday was to warm and my host didn't feel like cooking. Bye for now! Nippy. |
Braveheart Sam Posted Oct 4, 2010, 7:34 pm |
Yes! The time has come to taste some real Dutch food!
Curly kale. Have you ever heard of that? It's a stew. The Dutch name it Stamppot Boerenkool met worst. Kale stew with sausage. My other TV-friend helped me out. Well, first we need ingredients. Potatoes, kale, small pieces of bacon, sausage and not on the picture: salt, pepper, sweet/sour pickles. It's no science... first you need to peel the potatoes. About 500 gramms. After rinsing them with water, we cut them in equal pieces and we put them in a big pan. Then add water so the potatoes are covered in water. Add the cut kale, this bag has 250 gramms. No, Padi, that's it, no more kale is flying in the pan from above! Put the cover on and wait.... When the potatoes are almost cooked, start baking the bacon, but not in butter!!! The bacon has enough fat. ("come on guys, not too close! The fat splashes!") Bake the bacon brown and crispy. The potatoes and kale are cooked, warm the sausage (microwave or pan with hot water) and start mashing the potatoes with kale. To get it moist, you can add some of the grease of the bacon or use some butter. But don't forget to add the wet stuff of the pickles jar! If you don't have that, use vinagar. After mashing, stur the pieces of bacon in the stew. Add salt and pepper to your own flavor. My host makes it with pickle pieces! It tastes really good! Cut them in little pieces. Then cut the sausage in slices. Add it to the stew. And done is our traditional Dutch dish. Did I tell you my hosts husband is an executive chef (cook)? He never liked Stamppot Boerenkool, until he had my hosts homecooked meal and he loved it ever since! Or his mother was a terrible cook.... I leave the answer to that in the middle.... Hope you liked this! Love, Nippy |
Braveheart Sam Posted Oct 16, 2010, 11:21 am |
An envelope arrived today...
Buster listened, he could hear something, do you hear that too? he asked me. Yikes! Ik makes noise and it moves!!! Buster got so scared, he jumped on top of me! Oh, it's a nice guy, this one. His name is Eatcookie and his name is great! I hope, for my host, he doesn't eat that many cookies... He told us all about his travels so far. Me and Eatcookie could tell a lot of stories to Buster, who stays with his mom. He's a bit jealous now... Bye! Nippy |
Braveheart Sam Posted Oct 16, 2010, 11:36 am |
Hi mom!
My host took great care of me and Eatcookie after he got out of the envelope! She gave us diner! Lasagna... yummy! After dinner we had coffee and a giant cookie! They call it a "Bossche Bol" because it's originally from Den Bosch. It's not really a cookie, but pastry. A puff cake with whipped cream and chocolate frosting over the outside. It was goooooooood! Love, Nippy |
Braveheart Sam Posted Oct 16, 2010, 12:52 pm |
Hi Mom,
Today was a very long, full and interesting day! My host and her husband took me on a trip to Rotterdam. It took us more than 2 hours to get there. On our way, we pulled over to get some coffee at the gasstation. It was a bad cup... My host told me where we were going... I don't know if I want to see this! It's an exposition, called Bodyworld. We made it, safe in Rotterdam! This is an add-flag for the exposition. This is all I can show you, we were not allowed to take pictures inside. After a few hours, we got back outside and started to walk around and came across this Hotel. It's Hotel New York. Recent known because Dutch singer Anoek wrote her songs of her album Hotel New York in this Hotel. But it's very famous for his past use: the Holland-America line. Boats started their journey from this place to America, Japan, England... everywhere! It was founded in 1873 as the Dutch-America Steamship Company, a shipping and passenger line. Headquartered in Rotterdam and providing service to the Americas, it became known as Holland America Line. HAL is now headquartered in Seattle. Former HAL Headquarters, Rotterdam, Netherlands; presently in use as Hotel New York. A view into the harbour, with the EuroMast on the background and a watertaxi on his way to pick up passengers. The famous Erasmus bridge. Because of the pylon shape, it's also known as "the Swan". The bridge is linking the northern and southern halves of the city of Rotterdam. A little reminder of the old times, when ships used to pick up passengers and their luggage. Do you see me? Inside Hotel New York, which is also a restaurant. We started with tea. The menu with lotst of fish dishes!!! My host had a cesar salade with anchovies... she didn't eat it, what a waste! View from our table. We couldn't discover what the yellow boat was about. I had to pee, so we went to the bathroom. My host decided she wanted to take me up the EuroMast. But walking was not an option at that time. We took the watertaxi, how cool is that? It was fast en great! When we got out, we saw the Bereboot, a televisionshow with bears living on a boat. They made it into a Pancake boat. On the other side there was a chinese restaurant, but it was build on water. Well, here I am, in front of the EuroMast. Let me tell you a bit about that. The Euromast is a tower in Rotterdam constructed between 1958 and 1960, designed by Hugh Maaskant. Originally 101 meters (331 ft) in height it was the tallest building in Rotterdam. It lost this position for a while, but regained it when the "Space Tower" was added to the top of the building in 1970, giving an additional 85 meters (279 ft). It is the highest tower in Holland, open for public. And up we went! Just my host and me, the husband has a fright of hights. What a pussy... View of Rotterdam and the harbour. And one more. I stepped aside, so you can see the bridge and the Hotel were we walked. Time to get back to the car, this we walked. Thru the harbour with container ships, a statue of Tsar Peter the Great (do you see me?) and very old ships A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts. Schooners were first used by the Dutch in the 16th or 17th century, and further developed in North America from the early 18th century. Now, instead of seeing it from a distance, we walked over the Erasmus Bridge. Back in the car, to the next adventure, but first we had to find our way out of Rotterdam! The Mosque of Rotterdam, named the Mevlana Mosque. It's a Turkish Mosque. Well, so far Rotterdam! |
Braveheart Sam Posted Oct 16, 2010, 1:08 pm |
The day wasn't over!
A little drive... In the back you can still see a row of greenhouses. What grows in there, I don't know, but probably vegetables. And we made it to Kinderdijk! The name Kinderdijk is Dutch for "Children's dike". In 1421 during the Saint Elizabeth flood of 1421, the Grote Hollandse Waard flooded, but the Alblasserwaard polder stayed unflooded. It is said that when the terrible storm had subsided, someone went on to the dike between these two areas, to see what could be saved. He saw in the distance a wooden cradle floating. There was no hope that anything would be living in it, but when it approached, movement was seen. When the cradle came nearer, someone saw that a cat was in the cradle trying to keep it in balance by jumping back and forth so that no water could come into it. When the cradle eventually came near the dike, someone fished the cradle out and saw that in it a baby slept quiet and dry. In some of the stories the cat kept it balanced and afloat. This folktale and legend has been published as "The Cat and the Cradle" in English. But this is why Kinderdijk is a great place to visit! There are 19 windmills located over here! The windmills of Kinderdijk are one of the best known Dutch tourist sites. They were placed on the list of UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997. We visited a working mill. You don't see it on the pictures, but the sail was rotating very fast and loud! Inside the mill, the bedroom. A sort of closet where in some cases, the whole family slept! A bit of history about mills. Looking outside when the sail flies by. In the kitchen area between old pots and pans. Outside again. A row of windmills. (Industrial- polder Mills) A diffrent mill from the rest: the Blokweerse mill. After a busy and long day, it was time to drink again. Looking back with the camera. And we decided we could use some food too. Mussels for the husband. Pork tenderloin for the host. After dinner it was back in the car! We made on final stop and my host decided to take me for a small walk next to the highway. These are miniature horses. We fed them some grass. A meadow further were some cows. Holstein Frisian, we gave them some grass too. Hope you enjoyed my travelog! Love, Nippy |
Braveheart Sam Posted Aug 3, 2011, 6:04 pm |
Oh my gosh, mom! I'm still alive and kickin'!
And now I am on my way to you! My host packed some gifts with me, just for you. She hopes you like them. As a reminder, as a thank you and as a sorry for not uploading more. See you soon! Love, Nippy |
arasmi irun4fun2005@yahoo.com Posted Aug 15, 2011, 7:17 pm |
Nippy got home safely and is taking a much needed break between adventures |