Scritches, host's home, Germany

RikeH


Posted Dec 10, 2011, 8:04 pm
Hello Mum,

Two days ago Toki and I arrived in Germany. We spent such a long time in our envelope, but now we were here.

We went to the Chair where Dicker Kumpel normally is waiting for his guests - but he was not there.

We saw a red bird. He was another guest called MadBird.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_0761.jpg

We talked a lot.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_0762.jpg

Today we heard someone opening the door - then we saw the face of a friendly bunny. Dicker Kumpel arrived.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_0763.jpg

He gave us a warm welcome.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_0764.jpg

Then he introduced us to the other guests here, they all came from a Cruise in Spain now.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_0765.jpg

We had a nice afternoon. But before I stop writing I want to show you the weather in Germany.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_0768.jpg

Greetings
Scritches
RikeH


Posted Dec 22, 2011, 10:26 pm
Hi Mum,

We went to Hamburg today – this was inside the Trainstation.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_0919.jpg

There was a big Christmas tree in the city.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_0922.jpg

Look – I loved this view.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_0923.jpg

I thought about buying something, but a ToyVoyager should travel without many baggage.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_0926.jpg

This big ball was amazing – there were some monuments of Hamburg on it.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_0931.jpg

There were more balls from other citys.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_0933.jpg

Christmas is coming – I am so excited! We will be allowed to help RikeH decorating the Christmas Tree.

Love
Scritches
RikeH


Posted Dec 26, 2011, 9:43 pm
Hello Mum,

Christmas will be soon – and I was allowed to help decorating the Christmas tree.

RikeH has a lot of Christmas Decorations. 

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1009.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1038.jpg

I really loved this one.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1039.jpg

Then the Christmas tree was ready.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1066.jpg

yours
Scritches
RikeH


Posted Dec 26, 2011, 9:45 pm
Merry Christmas, Mum!

Today it was Christmas. We were waiting on our Chair.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1074.jpg

Santa Claus was busy, but fortunately he sent two of his friends. Snowy the friendly snowman and Rudi the famous Reindeer.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1075.jpg

I spoke with both, sung a wonderful Christmas Song and then I recited a poem.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1085.jpg

They loved it and I got a present.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1086.jpg

The others did the same – look, we all received a lot of sweets!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1095.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1094.jpg

Later I played in the Christmas tree. Of course I was careful. I want to show you the nicest things in the Tree.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1067.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1068.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1069.jpg

I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas, too!

Love
Scritches
RikeH


Posted Jan 3, 2012, 11:17 pm
Hello Mum ,

The weather was nice today, so we walked around Sülfeld. Can you see the nice blue sky?

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1105.jpg

We found a bridge to cross this river – I loved the views.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1109.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1110.jpg

Later we had a rest in the sunshine.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1115.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1116.jpg

Then it was time to continue our walk…

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1117.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1120.jpg

Behind me you can see a big tree – Dicker Kumpel loves the Tree – and told us that he has a lot of photos of it.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1122.jpg

Mum, I wish you a wonderful new year – and I hope that I will see a lot of the world in 2012!

Yours
Scritches
RikeH


Posted Jan 5, 2012, 2:04 pm
http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1240.jpg
RikeH


Posted Jan 5, 2012, 5:19 pm
Hello Mum,

We had awful weather over the last days – so we decided to play billiard. Dicker Kumpel knew how to play it and explained it to us.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1200.jpg

Then I tried it.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1202.jpg

It was not so easy, as it looked like when Dicker Kumpel showed it. When we played we saw that MadBird looked like a billiard ball. Look, what we did!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1209.jpg

Oups….

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1211.jpg

Well – bad luck for the bird.

It was time to explore the room. There must have been horses here in the Past.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1223.jpg

I played on this musical instrument.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2011a/M_1227.jpg

Bye
Yours
Scritches
RikeH


Posted Jan 6, 2012, 8:30 pm
Hello Mum,

We went to a little town today – it is called Bad Segeberg. We made a walk around a big lake there.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0001.jpg

We had really nice views.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0006.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0007.jpg

It was very sunny – we had problem to take nice photos.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0008.jpg

I wanted to climb onto this tree – but RikeH didn’t allow it.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0013.jpg

Behind me you can see the hospital – but I am fine.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0019.jpg

We went all around this lake, Mum!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0020.jpg

We had problems with the sun again, when we made this photo –but hopefully you can see what is on the monument behind me.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0024.jpg

Our last stop was in front of the nice church.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0028.jpg

Bye
Scritches
RikeH


Posted Jan 13, 2012, 5:35 pm
Hello Mum,

Dicker Kumpel received a gift from Murph for Christmas. Today it was time to solve the jigsaw puzzle.
Princess Sarah and I helped him. Wow – there were many pieces.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0067.jpg

First we searched the pieces for the border.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0070.jpg

We started.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0072.jpg   

Done – it was not easy!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0074.jpg

After one hour we finished it. It was really hard work!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0076.jpg

Yours
Scritches
RikeH


Posted Jan 15, 2012, 3:49 pm
Hello Mum,

I spent a nice time with Dicker Kumpel – but it was time to say good-bye.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0100.jpg

Toki and I will go our own ways now – but hopefully we will see us again in the future!

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0102.jpg

I got a hug by the other TVs staying here.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/RikeH_2009/A%2012/A_0103.jpg

Now I am on my way to Hildesheim.

Love
Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Jan 17, 2012, 8:49 pm
Hi Mum, today I could hear sniffing and barking outside my envelope. I was very excited and hoped to meet another dog. When my envelope opened another dog crawled in indeed. :cyclops: She said her name was *-Cookie-* and told me that I had arrived at her home. It was a very short journey and I sure was glad about that. I showed Cookie the card RikeH had put into my envelope with me and we both wondered what the postman had done to my envelope while I was travelling. Can you see the creases in the card and my envelope? :o Luckily I'm made of soft fabric so nothing happened to me! Phew!  :)
Then she told me that NiliHH was also here with us. NiliHH was very excited to hear that I had come from RikeH and I had to tell her everything about home. And later we all sat together and talked. Cookie wanted to hear everathing about our travels because she has never travelled before. I suppose we're lucky she hasn't so we have a friend who can show us around.
Miss you, Mum!
-[Dino]-


Posted Jan 21, 2012, 5:34 pm
Hi mum,

can you see how bad the weather was the last days? I tried to look for better weather, but didn't see any... :stare: So, we didn't have a chance to see anything more just yet. It's even a little boring. *yawn*
-[Dino]-


Posted Jan 21, 2012, 5:48 pm
Hey mum,

this morning Katharina had good news: we would finally go out! :D She wanted to visit her parents for the weekend and had to go out in the rain anyway. So she decided we could make the best of it and take some nice pictures. :cyclops:

After we got off the bus in the city center we went to see St. Andrew's church. The church is really big and you can only about half of it in the picture.

Then we saw the "Huckup". It's a statue of a thief who stole a bag of apples and now his bad conscience is weighing him down heavily (he carries his bad conscience piggyback).

After that we went to see the "Blaues Pferd" (blue horse) which only looks like a real horse from the right angle. Suppose we managed to find the right angle then. ;)

Then we took a look at the ice skating rink set up behind the town hall. It looks really nice and Katharina said that we might go there sometime if the weather gets better. Fingers crossed!

We wanted to take a group picture, but everything was wet and we couldn't sit down. So we went around the town hall and took our picture on the steps in front of it (the only dry spot we could find). Can you see me mum? (If not look in the next picture. ;) )

On our way to the train station we went through the pedestrian zone and went by St. Jacob's church on our way. This church is located right in the middle of the pedestrian zone and is called "city church" because of that.

Then we had to hurry on to get to the train station in time for our train. But we managed to get there and onto the train fine.
-[Dino]-


Posted Jan 21, 2012, 5:54 pm
We had to change trains in Hanover and had some time to take more pictures.

Of course I had to get picture of me with the sign saying "Hanover main station" like a real tourist.

Then I also got a picture with the big sign that tells travelers when and where their trains will depart. Isn't it huge?!?

When we saw that it had stopped raining temporarily we went in front of the station and took a picture with the statue of Ernst August who was once King of Hanover.

Then we had to go back in and take the next train that would take us to our destination.
-[Dino]-


Posted Jan 21, 2012, 6:01 pm
Hey mum,

these are the last pictures for today.

Here you can see what it looks like around where Katharina lives. There is a lot of forest.

Then something really shocking happened: We passed another train! It was really loud. :o But so cool that I got a picture with the other train on it! :D

We also took another group picture and said good-bye to our wonderful guide *-Cookie-* who would leave us in the afternoon on her first journey to Bavaria.
She became a real friend and I wish her all the best for her travels!

More updates soon.
Miss you mum!
-[Dino]-


Posted Jan 24, 2012, 5:35 pm
Oh mum the weather is still so bad. Look for yourself. :( Today we went back to Katharina's home by train and the weather got worse by the mile... :(

But look, what happened again: I got another picture with a train passing us! :cyclops: This time it was an ICE (German high-speed train)! B)

Hope you have better weather at home.

Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Jan 26, 2012, 7:34 pm
Hey mom,
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! :D
Unfortunately the sun was setting very fast and it was over all too soon! :(

Scritches xoxo
-[Dino]-


Posted Jan 27, 2012, 10:08 am
Good morning mom! *yawn*

Look what happened while we slept! :o It snowed!! :o
Yesterday it looked a lot like spring was coming. It was quite warm and really sunny. And now there is a light blanket of snow covering the ground. I'm not too sure what I should think about that...

xoxo
-[Dino]-


Posted Feb 4, 2012, 12:39 pm
Hi mom!

Sorry, I haven't written in a week. :stare: It was a very busy week for all of us! NiliHH 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 because Katharina wanted to show us some more of Hildesheim. :)
It had snowed again over night and it was very cold outside: -12°C. It had been this cold and even colder all week. *brrr* :stare:

First we visited Keßler Street. It's a very old street with lots of cute, old houses. All the brown branches you can see on the houses are roses. Katharina said that it's very beautiful here when all of the roses are blooming in summer.

NiliHH and I took a short rest and a picture under one of the rose bushes, but went on fast because of the cold.
-[Dino]-


Posted Feb 4, 2012, 12:59 pm
Only a few feet away from our resting spot we found the big rose #8. Katharina said that the roses painted on the street lead the way to the most important (touristic) sights of Hildesheim. So we knew that something had to be near us. :cyclops:

Then we saw the street sign "Am Kehrwieder". Katharina had said something about finding the Kehrwiederturm ("come back tower") yesterday. So we had a pretty good idea of what we'd get to see. ;)

And then we saw it: the Kehrwiederturm! :cyclops: It looks really nice between the two houses, doesn't it? And it's huge compared to me! :o Look how small I look in front of the tower!

The Kehrwiederturm was built in the Middle Ages as part of the town wall. It's the last of four towers built in the town wall. There are two explanations to the name. 1: The nearly 90° angle in the town wall which is called a "Kehrwehr". 2: The bell which was in the tower led a young woman home when she was lost in the woods aroud Hildesheim after she had secretly met with her lover. So the tower made her "kehr wieder" ("come back") to the city.
I like the legend best! And you, mom?

We also went under the tower to the other side. The cobblestones were very slippery and we were lucky we didn't fall. Unfortunately we couldn't go higher on the ridge because the cobblestone there was even more slippery! :(

Nili and I also took a picture under the tower with the big rose #8 again.

And look, how small streets were in the Middle Ages! :o A normal car wouldn't fit through there!

Then we had to say good-bye to the Kehrwiederturm and hurry to the train station...
-[Dino]-


Posted Feb 4, 2012, 1:08 pm
Though we had to hurry we took another stop when we saw this sculpture-thing ;) on the wall of a restaurant.

We didn't really have a minute to spare, but we begged Katharina to take a picture. She just couldn't say "no" to my puppy dog eyes. B) :p

It shows a miniature of the town hall square. And look, it's just the right size for me! B)

But then we really had to hurry to the train station. We nearly missed the train because it was slippery everywhere and when we arrived on platform 5 (where the train normally departs) we saw that the train departed from platform 6. We managed to get onto the train in literally the last second. *phew*

Talk to you soon mom,
Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Feb 4, 2012, 7:13 pm
Hey mom,

today we decided not to go out because it was still very cold and also snowing. Instead we made pancakes for lunch! :cyclops:

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 Nili's turn to pour the milk in the measuring cup and to put it into the bowl. I put a small amount of sugar in and we put some salt in together. Then Nili spooned the flour into the bowl and I 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 Nili's turn to pour small amounts into the pan. I 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! :D

Your Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Feb 11, 2012, 7:01 pm
Hi mom,

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 of 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 which naturally wasn't hard for me. B)

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* :stare: 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! :D

Then we went into the steepest room I have ever seen! :o It's one of the lecture halls (the biggest out of three). I think it's a very nice room and it was fun to look down and imagine playing all along the tables and railings, but NiliHH was a little bit scared to look down and Katharina didn't allow me to play. She said it was too dangerous. :( She is probably right though! So Nili and I "only" took 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, 7:07 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. B) *snuggle* And I think I might have dozed off sometime during class... :rolleyes: It was just too dark and warm and comfy in our spot. :p

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?!

Love you mom,
your Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Feb 23, 2012, 6:01 pm
Hi mom!

Now that exams are over for the time being Katharina had a little bit more time again and 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.  :p

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 enjoying myself there, mom. B)

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 day and let work be work for the rest of the day.  :p

xoxo Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Feb 23, 2012, 6:10 pm
Hi mom! :)

Today we wrote some postcards for PostCrossing with Katharina. :)

I was allowed to write the text because I was big enough to hold the pen and once I was finished NiliHH stuck the priority stickers to the cards.

We had a lot of fun!  :D
-[Dino]-


Posted Mar 18, 2012, 5:51 pm
Hi mom!

I'm really sorry for not writing for so long... :( Life was very very stressful here in the days and Katharina often had bad headaches and migraines in the evenings... :( So I was a very good boy and stayed very silent!

I even tried to write to you once, but with my paws I didn't manage to create anything legible. :o It really doesn't look so hard when Katharina writes to you.

BUT it finally looks like spring is here! Can you see the buds on the tree in front of the window? They just appeared completely out of the blue! :o And I can hear birds chirping all day long.

Really looking forward to some nice weather!  B)
-[Dino]-


Posted Mar 18, 2012, 6:18 pm
Hello mom!

Today I'm writing to you from Leipzig! :o

Katharina and one of her friends went here today to visit the book fair. I was very excited! :cyclops: Katharina was too although she had gone to the fair several times already.

We even were lucky and really really great weather! The sky was so blue and it was really warm for the middle of March. Only downside: We had to get up at 5:30 in the morning to catch the train at 7 a.m. to be able to have enough time in Leipzig before we had to get back home.

I was very tired and slept in Katharina's back on the way to the fair, but she later told me that the train was so full she didn't even a chance to look out the window. So there wouldn't have been any chance to take pictures of me. But she promised to take pictures later!

First she took a picture of me in front of the main entrance. Can you see how big the building is?

So we had to find a map and orientate ourselves first. And of course take another picture. :p See, how many halls there are? I realised we had a lot of walking to do today! Lucky for me as I can sit in Katharina's back and be carried around comfortably. B)

When we took the next pictures I was unbelievably more grateful that I didn't have to do the walking! The building is literally HUGE!! And there were so many people that I got a little scared! I hung on to Katharina tighly because I imagined being lost here wouldn't be any fun at all! :stare:

In hall 2 I got even more scared because there were sooo many people there cramped together. :o But Katharina told me that is the same every year because hall 2 is where the mangas and other comic books and accessories are shown. I saw many great costumes, but there just wasn't any space to take pictures...

But later, shortly before we had to leave, we got the chance to take some pictures of cosplayers who were enjoying the weather outside. Katharina and her friend didn't wear any costumes this time though because they didn't have enough time to preapre any and there will be a big convention in summer.

And because it looked so nice we went there as well to take anther picture of the building and the nice pond and fountain! :D

Of course we saw a lot of books as well - that's what it's all about after all. :p

It was a very exhausting day, but it was worth it to see so many new things! I went to sleep early, even before we were in the train and was grateful once more that Katharina was doing all the walking. :p

Talk to you again soon, mom! :)
-[Dino]-


Posted May 2, 2012, 4:37 pm
Happy Easter mommy!!

Hope you had a wonderful day! We sure had! It was very nice weather, but really really cold so we stayed mostly inside to search for easter eggs.  ;) But I could only find snails!  :stare:
-[Dino]-


Posted May 2, 2012, 4:44 pm
Hello mommy,

Katharina took me to meet some of her friends today. So we took the train to get her friend's house. I had a seat all for myself because there were only very few people around. Lucky me!  B)

I also had a really nice view out the window. And it was such nice weather again!

But guess what happened sometime before we arrived at our destination? Right Katharina's camera dies because the bettaries were empty...  :mad:  :(

But we had a good time and I could sleep all of Sunday because we stayed up way to late for a little TV like me!
-[Dino]-


Posted May 2, 2012, 4:48 pm
Hey mom!

Today Katharina planted some seeds of garden cress on a piece of cotton. She told me that the cress will grow very fast and that we could nearly watch it grow. So I suggested we could take a picture every day to see if she is right. And that's what we are going to do now.

So here is the first picture after planting the seeds. I'm really excited mom!
-[Dino]-


Posted May 2, 2012, 4:53 pm
Looks as if Katharina had been right. After only one day I can already see the little plants! Wow!  :cyclops:
-[Dino]-


Posted May 2, 2012, 4:55 pm
Look 2 days after planting the seeds there are already real plants growing! I'm really excited when we will be able to taste them. Can't be long now!  B)
-[Dino]-


Posted May 2, 2012, 4:58 pm
Look how they have grown until today!  :o I hope we can already taste them tomorrow or the day after. *paws crossed*

And the weather here is so so nice - to look at! But it's way too warm to go outside. This high temperatures came very suddenly at the end of last week and I'm hoping they will go down until the weekend so we can hopefully go out again.

xoxo Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted May 23, 2012, 7:21 pm
Look how tall they had grown over night and how many "plants" there are!!  :o

Katharina said tomorrow we could probably finally taste them!  :cyclops:
-[Dino]-


Posted May 23, 2012, 7:25 pm
This morning I could finally try the cress. I was very excited!  :o

Sadly, I didn't really like the taste. It was a little bit too strong for me...  :(

Luckily, all the cress didn't have to go to waste because Katharina and her hamster really it. So I gave my share to her hamster and couldn't believe how fast she had eaten everything up and was looking at us as if asking for more. Funny creature this hamster!  :p

xoxo
-[Dino]-


Posted May 23, 2012, 7:37 pm
Hi mom,

today Katharina told me that she will go to a cosplay convention the first Saturday of June. Well, it's not really a real convention, rather a day of celebration of the biggest Japanese community of Germany in Düsseldorf. (If you want you can have a look here. The page is available in English.) But Katharina and some of her friends will go there to cosplay and so will many other people. Katharina sad she had been there last year as well and it was really great. So they will go again this year.  :)

Below in picture you can see what Katharina will dress up as. (Just without the hats and cloaks and cats. ;) ) And she promised to show me the costume this weekend at her parents' house. Woot!  :D

<3 Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted May 23, 2012, 7:42 pm
Look mom,

tonight I got my picture taken with the Wollmaus finally. She was up early and so we sprang to the opportunity!  :D

But she was still very tired because she had just gotten up. Unbelievably though she didn't object to having a picture taken. I know I don't like pictures of myself when I've just gotten up!  :o

<3
-[Dino]-


Posted Jul 9, 2012, 4:33 pm
Hi Mom!

As I told you we went to the Japan Day in Düsseldorf.  :D

Katharina had to get up 5:30 in the morning. Luckily for me, she had packed her bag already the night before and I was in it of course. So I could continue to sleep.  :p

We went to the train station in Minden and met with some of Katharina's friends there. Everyone was dressed funny, but Katharina told me everyone dressing up as fictional characters was called "cosplay" and that it is one of their hobbies. Well, seems interesting enough!  B)

Mom, I went in a train again!  :cyclops: I could look out the window or sit on Katharina's lap comfortably. It was a nice ride although with 3 hours it was quite long...
-[Dino]-


Posted Jul 9, 2012, 4:49 pm
After having arrived in Düsseldorf Katharina and her friends searched the right way to the Japanese Garden. I had to stay inside the bag to be safe and not get lost in this big city with all those people around for the day.  :o

Finally after they had found the right garden I was allowed to come out. I could hear them talking from inside the bag and they were all very happy when they had found the garden because last year they went to wrong garden. But ssshhh, I'm not supposed to tell you that!

We saw so many things there!  :cyclops: It really looked like a place I could imagine being found in Japan. They did a great job with it I find!  :D Katharina took lots of pictures and now I'm going show them to you!  B)

But I have to say one more thing Katharina was so mean!  :mad: Can you see the big fishies in some of the pictures? I wanted to catch one of them, but Katharina held me too tight for escape! Mean, just mean!!  :mad:
-[Dino]-


Posted Jul 9, 2012, 4:56 pm
Here, you can see Katharina's friends dressed up as the Japanese school band K-On from a manga and anime.

They wanted to have a picture with me because I were and I qoute "soooo cuuute"!  :D

From when Katharina pulled me out of her bag they were all over me asking questions and wanting to look at me! :) So we explained about toyvoyagers and told some of my stories. :)
-[Dino]-


Posted Jul 9, 2012, 5:19 pm
We spent the whole morning in the Japanese Garden. But we had to go sometime because we wanted to check out the real Japanese celebrations at the River Rhine.

Mom, can you see all those people? I have to admit I was a little scared, but Katharina took good care of me!  :)

Because of all these people we couldn't really see anything Japanese (people everywhere) and so we only saw the Japanese flag. :)
-[Dino]-


Posted Jul 9, 2012, 5:31 pm
Before we went back to the train station to catch our train home, Katharina took me along the Rhine for some sightseeing. :)

We saw big ships and bridges and of course a lot of water!  B)

It was such a sunny day that everyone got sunburnt - except for me. I was lucky for the second time that day!  :p
-[Dino]-


Posted Jul 9, 2012, 5:39 pm
On our way home we went through Porta Westfalica and saw the memorial for the German emperor William I while the sun was just about to set. It looked very beautiful and was a nice end to a great day! :)

Mom, I had so much fun today and I saw so many new places and things! Hope you enjoyed all these pictures!

Yours, Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Jul 9, 2012, 6:12 pm
Hey Mom,

today we had our own private British Day! :)

Katharina and I spent the night at the house of two of Katharina's friends and started the next day with an English breakfast - scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, jam, orange juice and of course tea. *yumm* We also had sausages, but they were still on the stove when the picture was taken. ;) That was the best breakfast I had in a while! B)

After cleaning the dishes and kitchen - or in my case waiting for the dishes and kitchen to be cleaned  :p - we all rolled (because we were so full) into the living-room to watch the first season of \"Downton Abbey\". Katharina's friend had even printed out invitations. Wow!  :o
It's a really funny show! I hope I can watch the second season sometime, too.

Somewhere in between episodes it was time for tea!  :cyclops: So we had tea, leftover cupcakes from yesterday, chocolate chip cookies and homemade shortbread. *double yumm*
So, yeah, it wasn't the Queen of England, but close enough - at least for now. ;)

Everything today was very delicious. If I keep like that I'm sure I'll come home weighing doubly what I did when I left... But it was definitely worth it.  B)

xoxo
Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Jul 12, 2012, 8:08 pm
Hi mom!

Today Katharina went to the doctor's office and came back with an envelope. This envelope looked suspiciously like the one I had arrived in.  B) So when she put it down I bounced on it and tried to find out what was inside.

And guess what mom: I really found a another TV inside. Twixx arrived from Wales!  :cyclops: He brought a postcard and told me a lot about his adventures. We talked late into the night. I think I might have found a new friend!  :D

But I'm wondering, do humans always bring TVs home when they go to the doctor's office??  :thinking:

Maybe I can get an answer to that question eventually...

Talk to you soon mom!
Your boy Scritches <3
-[Dino]-


Posted Jul 12, 2012, 8:18 pm
Mom,

today I was very helpful!  B)

Since Katharina had gotten a booster shot yesterday at the doctor's her arm hurt and she couldn't really move it.  :(

But because she had another doctor's appointment this morning at an eye specialist and they had drawn a blod sample and hadn't managed to put a strong enough cover over the spot it looked kind of *eeew*. So we helped her put a band aid over it.  ;)

As I'm a little heavier than Twixx I held down the big piece of band aid and Twixx cut off a little piece. Together we pulled off the sticky parts and put in on the spot.

I was a very good boy today and Katharina promised to take us out once the weather was better and she could move her arm again. :)
Excited!  :cyclops:

Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Aug 4, 2012, 7:55 pm
Look mom!

It's still raining here!  :( This summer is very wet...  :stare: Hope it will get better soon!

xoxo
-[Dino]-


Posted Aug 4, 2012, 8:00 pm
Mom,

it's so boring here because we can't go out!  :( So we tried some acrobatics to pass time!  B)

Look at what we can do!

Twixx showed me how a headstand is done and then I tried it myself. Look! I can do it all by myself now!  :D

And yes, sometimes we fell, but we had so much fun!!  :cyclops:

Scritches xoxo
-[Dino]-


Posted Aug 4, 2012, 8:04 pm
To make things even worse Katharina had a lot of studying to do for an oral exam in two days.

We wanted to study, too. But tell you what, studying is soooo boring! Even worse than rain!  :o
So we decided to read a book instead. Katharina recommended the one she is reading at the moment to us. I liked it. :) And it's definitely better than studying!

The only good thing about studing is that there are always cookies or some other type of sweets around. Yummy!  :cyclops:
-[Dino]-


Posted Aug 4, 2012, 8:22 pm
Hey mom!

Today Katharina had her oral exam. We kept our paws crossed the whole time! And ourselves, too for that matter. (Katharina's nice handbag is very small if you want to take two TVs around. ;) )

Because the exam went really well we went into town afterwards to take some more pictures.  B)  :)

First we saw these men climbing up the house!  :o

Then we went on to a part of town where they kept some of the old buildings. We couldn't get any closer because the gate was closed unfortunately...
But we saw a nice windmill and wanted to go there until we realised it was only painted on the wall.  :o A job very well done!  B)

After that we went to see the theater and the cinema! Katharina said the cinema is very nice and has nice prizes for students on special days of the week.  ;)

I wanted to look out of Katharina's bag the whole time, but she always told me to get back in when she noticed me looking out... *sigh*

On the way back to the city center we also came across this lovely old building where some lawyers are located today!  :o

When we came back into the city center we saw a miniature replica of the city of Hildesheim. It was very nice to look at. And mom look how big we were in comparison to the wee buildings!  :p (Btw this replica shows Hildesheim in 1641. What a loooong time ago!  :o )

Our last stop was the Zuckerhut (sugar loaf) building. It looks very nice and unique!

But since two hours had passed and it was getting quite late we cut our sightseeing short because we were getting veeery hungry and had still to decide where to get dinner...
-[Dino]-


Posted Aug 4, 2012, 8:26 pm
After getting home we immediately had dinner. We were sooo hungry by then!

We decided to get a nice sandwich from Subway and a Coke to celebrate Katharina's success today.  B) It was really yummy!!  :D

After dinner we headed straight to bed. It had been a very long and exciting day for us all!

Talk to you soon mom!
Your Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Sep 3, 2012, 12:08 pm
Hey mom! <3

Today I'm writing from Bonn. Katharina and some of her friends went to a big, big cosplay convention this weekend. It's called AnimagiC.

Of course we had to get up way too early (at 4 a.m.) to get here and have some time left to enjoy ourselves.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't nice at all!  :stare: It was raining really bad by the time we got into town... By the time we got to the convention we were soaked!  :( Even worse: they didn't have any outdoor tickets left so we couldn't even get in. So we searched for cover in an underpass where we spent the better part of the day just sitting and waiting for the rain to stop...  :(

When it did for a short while I got this picture taken. It's at the river Rhine where all the cosplayers without tickets always gather to have fun.  B)

But we're staying overnight and now everyone's hoping for better weather tomorrow. *paws crossed*
-[Dino]-


Posted Sep 3, 2012, 12:18 pm
Today the weather was great!  :D

And everyone got a ticket to be allowed on the outdoor space.  :) The outdoor tickets were green this year. I like the colour! Katharina said the tickets last year were pink. *eeew*

We also got to hear some nice acts on the stage. For example a girl singing some intros of anime shows.

And the big highlight of the day were the taiko drummers! It was so great to see and hear them perform!  B) :cyclops: Can you see all those people who came to hear them?

Today was a great day at least! We had so much fun, but everyone was tired on the train home...

Yours Scritches

-[Dino]-


Posted Sep 3, 2012, 3:29 pm
Hi mom!

Today Twixx went on his way home. I said good bye to him before Katharina took him to the post office.
Safe travels and great adventures in the future Twixx!  :)

It was really nice having another TV here and I'm a little sad.  :( But Katharina said there will be another cosplay convention this coming weekend where she'll take me. And this time we're really, really hoping for good weather. *paws crossed* I'm excited!

Talk to you soon mom!
Scritches <3
-[Dino]-


Posted Jun 19, 2013, 12:46 pm
Hello Mom!

I'm doing fine here in Germany.  :) And after such a long time I want to continue to tell you about my adventures here.

Today I went with Katharina to visit another cosplay convention. This time we went to Kassel. The Connichi is held there every year in September.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EFsaFZeakWg/UcGEKTRy13I/AAAAAAAADkA/qBlNN1kxvkw/s640/CIMG6257.JPG

The Connichi takes place in the Kongress Palais and the surrounding gardens. If the weather is nice you don't even need to buy a ticket because you can spend the whole day outside. :)

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UsTbToXik-0/UcGEKN1HhBI/AAAAAAAADkA/vC9LYJqnScI/s640/CIMG6255.JPG

Of course there are always many cosplayers around. Everywhere I looked I saw people dressed in costumes of their favourite characters from anime & manga or books & TV.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Dj61tplg6uQ/UcGEIXat7lI/AAAAAAAADkA/M_mQSuugA0A/s640/CIMG6252.JPG

This one was a crazy costume. It had two busts on the shoulders - a little like in cartoons when people have an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Xs-rlKE6z0c/UcGEICeqfNI/AAAAAAAADkA/BCBrL8HvRhE/s640/CIMG6253.JPG

Look Mom, we saw someone who looked like me! He is blue, too!  B) He was just a whole lot bigger. But then he couldn't see very well (even though he has such big eyes) so he needed the person on his left to point him in the right direction.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ibAGO2s3djE/UcGEIVQz8pI/AAAAAAAADkA/EeVxaKZmfTI/s640/CIMG6254.JPG

We also saw these funny guys.  :p Katharina said she thought she knew them from her childhood from some kind of TV show, but she couldn't remember which...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pNUEIN75I-o/UcGELnMrOtI/AAAAAAAADkA/uqznP_lkluY/s640/CIMG6259.JPG

We spent a really nice and sunny day in Kassel and when it was time to go home I curled up in Katharina's backpack and slept for the whole train ride.

xoxo,
Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Jun 19, 2013, 9:32 pm
Hi Mom!

Today Katharina took me on a day trip to Bremen. :)

Of course we went by train. Here you can see the main station of Bremen:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kIDNYzed6Bc/UcGEgGflkTI/AAAAAAAADkA/B5DKO6SQsds/s640/CIMG6436.JPG

The day before our trip Katharina had a look at wikipedia and decided what to visit. As Bremen is only about 70km of where she lives she has been there many times, but this time she looked for the most interesting things to show me. :)

On our way from the train station to the city center we came by a lovely little park with nice trees and flowers and a little river.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-OmbMidiQ3u4/UcGENWaVdlI/AAAAAAAADkA/flchWxkT3zc/s640/CIMG6292.JPG

After having crossed the little river we saw a real windmill and a field of flowers. I thought that's what the Netherlands have to look like, but Katharina said that there are also other places without windmills. ;)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J0m00bRGJjM/UcGENWgoCqI/AAAAAAAADkA/0sapH_1J6Vo/s640/CIMG6296.JPG

A little way from the nice windmill we saw a group of pigs on the street with a shepherd. They weren't very talkative because they are only statues, but Katharina said the pigs are famous. Well, if she says so...

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-sI1cKrHBd7I/UcGEPQfBjzI/AAAAAAAADkA/ufaxCbfSds0/s640/CIMG6300.JPG

Bremen has many old and historical buildings. :) Near the city center we saw these houses:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-kJEd5F61JA0/UcGEPE00h2I/AAAAAAAADkA/utswQqVwTL8/s512/CIMG6309.JPG

Then we searched around the Town Hall for the most famous animals in Bremen - even more famous than the pigs in Sögestraße. And finally we found the statue of the Town Musicians of Bremen!  B)  :cyclops:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jQJCRdpbi_o/UcGEPwtBYGI/AAAAAAAADkA/11H8a_fzjcA/s512/CIMG6312.JPG

If you touch the legs of the donkey it's supposed to bring good luck your way. But only if you touch both legs at the same time!

After Katharina touched the donkey's legs we went around the town hall to the market place where we saw Roland:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-D88t1zkcpNU/UcGEQ6IAePI/AAAAAAAADkA/r-L5ROm1FT4/s512/CIMG6316.JPG

Both the Town Hall and the Roland statue are UNESCO WHS.

We only had to turn around 180° to see the next sight: the Bremen Cathedral. It's a very impressive building!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sqP8wr8WFvo/UcGERBPN9JI/AAAAAAAADkA/UhcSQHSbpR8/s512/CIMG6318.JPG

On the other side of the Town Hall we saw these 2 guys:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2bVAh6hunys/UcGER9yzpRI/AAAAAAAADkA/sMVpCpcwWys/s640/CIMG6324.JPG

And just opposite we saw a statue of Bismarck. Otto von Bismarck became the first Chancellor of a united Germany after the 1871 Treaty of Versailles. He was a famous German politician in the 19th century.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8B-HRajmcLI/UcGETUdEH4I/AAAAAAAADkA/MtsRpX5f6eE/s640/CIMG6330.JPG

Apart from so much history we also saw a nicely decorated gully cover:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Wb2FZdJY_Ts/UcGETjCKv_I/AAAAAAAADkA/wh6A1IA8e7s/s640/CIMG6336.JPG

The key is an important symbol of the city of Bremen. It can also be found it in the coat of arms. Katharina taught me a German saying: "Hamburg is the gate to the world, but Bremen has the key."

On our way to Böttcherstraße we took a slight detour to see the weigh house of Bremen. In former times (from the Middle Ages to the 18th century) it was where all goods merchands wanted to sell had to be weighed.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-754li3B2UTU/UcGEUkQQdMI/AAAAAAAADkA/y-ZtX5tEsbE/s640/CIMG6340.JPG

After that we finally reached Böttcherstraße.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kE4DhO7hwuQ/UcGEV87e7RI/AAAAAAAADkA/3wlMoiswrD0/s640/CIMG6350.JPG

It has a lot of unique achitecture and art sculptures and we took several pictures there.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MDbTvtfQYto/UcGEV-2i4yI/AAAAAAAADkA/XPQ8AjGqG5c/s640/CIMG6349.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-vsYYs9zxBns/UcGEWZ13JcI/AAAAAAAADkA/csSw5BLo7kI/s640/CIMG6351.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Tn7lLeP-vhw/UcGEYxEZQHI/AAAAAAAADkA/_S4AwnzO4-U/s640/CIMG6365.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OBSDS_fctlg/UcGEaXFkhgI/AAAAAAAADkA/9kf7ZzUP0GU/s640/CIMG6382.JPG

We also found the plate on which the legend of the Town Musicians is verified because the leg bone of a donkey was found in a basement.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-I70r2NMWdIg/UcGEXL_o3pI/AAAAAAAADkA/5vh7hebjn4o/s640/CIMG6355.JPG

These are the windows of a little manufacture for hard candy in Böttcherstraße:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dfePc8l30T0/UcGEYMil8qI/AAAAAAAADkA/LmljRAcWEzM/s640/CIMG6357.JPG

You can watch the people work inside. It was very fascinating to observe.

And we found an old blue mailbox. Usually all German mailboxes are yellow nowadays, but there are a few old ones left. Those are much nicer decorated than the plain yellow ones.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gD8Kj3zEl3w/UcGEYlIg5TI/AAAAAAAADkA/XAkPXdB4TzE/s640/CIMG6364.JPG

We also saw a plate commemorating the first non-stop flight Berlin-New York of the "Condor", a heavier-than-air craft. The plane was built in Bremen. On its way to and from New York in August 1938 it made two record flights.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-rMgz8bEqnnc/UcGEZj6Q-EI/AAAAAAAADkA/7c39G3eYtwo/s640/CIMG6371.JPG

On our way from Böttcherstraße to the river Weser we saw this nice painting of the Bremen skyline:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nD4887i4Hw8/UcGEa7ju2EI/AAAAAAAADkA/9MR7o7wvCUs/s640/CIMG6386.JPG

After walking all through Böttcherstraße we went to the river Weser.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-lhru1PkWPsY/UcGEbnQElsI/AAAAAAAADkA/lTHz-ftlarg/s640/CIMG6389.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FKG-3CtiVNI/UcGEcrlkfbI/AAAAAAAADkA/gOmKxGfwCmk/s640/CIMG6395.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VNpSAp7nFTQ/UcGEcsiKbXI/AAAAAAAADkA/0nvbhmTFVbA/s640/CIMG6404.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-w0x9hgntaZs/UcGEdRDjHEI/AAAAAAAADkA/X2K_ze3Qlu4/s640/CIMG6405.JPG

Along the river we went to another famous part of the city: the Schnoor.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-V4mqReD_7TA/UcGEeSaTuPI/AAAAAAAADkA/ptXyf6TIha4/s640/CIMG6420.JPG

It's a very old part of Bremen with very small alleyways and lots of cobblestone.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7CpbM1urkRA/UcGEd6dNe-I/AAAAAAAADkA/OK2-OMnV_u0/s512/CIMG6418.JPG

At the beginning of the Schnoor district we saw a souvenir shop selling different translations of the story of the Town Musicians of Bremen:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-1DSetdQW5_U/UcGEfSuu9mI/AAAAAAAADkA/3EiCM6g7iig/s640/CIMG6431.JPG

Just walking around the Schnoor we came to an end of the district and walking along the street for a couple steps we saw a shop selling Christmas stuff all year round:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-OU5wm9n4nnY/UcGEfYACo8I/AAAAAAAADkA/r4ztznW_m1Y/s640/CIMG6426.JPG

I found it a little bit crazy to see Christmas decorations in September, we overheard some people talking about how they wanted to buy something for the upcoming (in 3 months mind you) Christmas celebrations. Well, to each their own!

On our way back to the train station we came by this memorial:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-MIwm8A3-XFU/UcGEhXkTvhI/AAAAAAAADkA/XxX_fWxIRdQ/s512/CIMG6441.JPG

It's a piece of the Berlin Wall. Here in Bremen it is the Monument against War and Violence.

The last thing we saw before walking back to the train station was the Übersee-Museum (overseas museum). It is a Natural History and Ethnographic museum right beside the train station.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-lhS3BErSsd4/UcGEhO8qraI/AAAAAAAADkA/pe47KRDINuI/s640/CIMG6439.JPG

It was a wonderful day in Bremen (we had really nice weather too) and we saw soooo much of the city. *phew*

I'll show you another German city next time I'm writing, mom. Katharina said we'll be visiting a friend of hers soon!  :cyclops:

Yours Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Jun 20, 2013, 6:41 am
Hey Mom!

Today we took another train and went to Braunschweig (Brunswick) where one of Katharina's friends lives.

She picked us up at the train station and wanted to know what I wanted to see. She said they had nice old buildings. So I agreed to visit some of those.

First we went into the gardens of an old church and wandered around. We had to be careful not to be hit by chestnuts though. And some places were cordoned off by some red and white plastic rope.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--yEpUTaWVKA/UcGGj2ibfuI/AAAAAAAADkA/VdLxzHSuRuI/s640/CIMG6450.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-TtiAdSMexec/UcGGkBtflsI/AAAAAAAADkA/MgoNaVpLhqI/s640/CIMG6451.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mN6UIQhWcj8/UcGGj1YQhvI/AAAAAAAADkA/Om0vMWUsM6I/s640/CIMG6452.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_fXPZlvsnFM/UcGGlmX0_JI/AAAAAAAADkA/lamYoCE4Tzg/s512/CIMG6453.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-RY6e8y2piJA/UcGGmUYLLUI/AAAAAAAADkA/_4a9ZacXRok/s512/CIMG6454.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-kDEnHgVDRK0/UcGGmsRuImI/AAAAAAAADkA/tcXdbOakY1Y/s512/CIMG6455.JPG

Then we went into the city to have something to eat and saw this big old building:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_rMU2o5uwPY/UcGGnOV0KDI/AAAAAAAADkA/7zZmKQ_qkgM/s640/CIMG6461.JPG

After that we went around to a little recreational area and the Brunswick Cathedral.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WQlelecM_8A/UcGGpY_45mI/AAAAAAAADkA/v6x2yMUNNGc/s640/CIMG6466.JPG

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-xW8OJE9d2tc/UcGGn6BtEGI/AAAAAAAADkA/lBZfYEGQneo/s640/CIMG6462.JPG

On the way back to where Katharina's friend lives we saw the Town Hall. It's a very old and impressive building.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-3VSDjhHkj-Q/UcGGpI6PfjI/AAAAAAAADkA/llZA9KrS-ZQ/s512/CIMG6465.JPG

We also saw a statue of a lion. Since the Middle Ages the lion is the symbol of Brunswick.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-L7M_6Co8n5o/UcGGqo2mFHI/AAAAAAAADkA/f9I1saNLvWY/s640/CIMG6469.JPG

On our way back we saw more nice buildings:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2X8YXoRk9sk/UcGGpkYdU9I/AAAAAAAADkA/fNA0ML8dm6E/s512/CIMG6467.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-58WyCKpGbjE/UcGGrOtfGqI/AAAAAAAADkA/TsnVIGseq5Q/s640/CIMG6471.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-VLBY1SrUJXE/UcGGtRbi54I/AAAAAAAADkA/UI8oeBy1KDw/s640/CIMG6474.JPG

And we also saw a former ditch around the oldest part of town:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6G_OVA7wvkQ/UcGGr7QrTLI/AAAAAAAADkA/sBzFN94vU3I/s512/CIMG6472.JPG

We also some tea at the apartment where Katharina's friend lives, but I was so tired and slept all through everything until we were home again.
I dreamt of one day becoming a big lion like the one we saw! That would be really cool!  B)

Talk to you soon, mom!
Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Jun 23, 2013, 3:57 pm
Hey Mom,

today we went by train for only about 10 minutes and got off already again in a little town. Katharina didn't want to tell me where we were headed exactly. She said it should stay a surprise.

First we saw a piece of rail and one tensile axis on top.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7kvlVzz1pxI/UcGG0AMpRRI/AAAAAAAADkA/yN9vMULUJ0g/s640/CIMG6571.JPG

The little town of Nordstemmen is famous for its sugar factory. We saw it in the distance on our way out of town.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-mHcsqJz160U/UcGGyv49n2I/AAAAAAAADkA/nsM7st_FBjM/s640/CIMG6559.JPG

And then after some more steps I could finally see our destination in the distance up on top of a hill: Marienburg Castle!  :cyclops:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_WC06ouRSdo/UcGGufgntaI/AAAAAAAADkA/CCL98rGo2QQ/s640/CIMG6478.JPG
-[Dino]-


Posted Jun 23, 2013, 4:12 pm
Schloss Marienburg (Marienburg Castle) is situated on top of a hill called Marienberg (Mary's hill) a little way out of the town of Nordstemmen.

So even though I could already see it we had quite some distance to walk still.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_WC06ouRSdo/UcGGufgntaI/AAAAAAAADkA/CCL98rGo2QQ/s640/CIMG6478.JPG

After walking through a little forest and up the surprisingly steep hill (which was in fact quite dangerous for us because they probably didn't expect anyone to walk all the way up so they didn't build a sidewalk next to the sharp serpentine curves) we arrived at last.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aYtm6cHrRWM/UcGGvep1mMI/AAAAAAAADkA/L6Mm2ZdB1WI/s640/CIMG6481.JPG

It's so impressive to see the castle in its full dimension as opposed to from a distance!  :D
We even took a guided tour through the castle, but taking photos was stricly forbidden.  :(

Before the tour we went around the grounds for a little while though. It's beautiful up here!  :D

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-CaFsgpZbg-0/UcGGwmMUHPI/AAAAAAAADkA/gWtArrRj1Qg/s640/CIMG6489.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-C6TWBaRSnI8/UcGGyp0JDZI/AAAAAAAADkA/yjM8-CbANaE/s512/CIMG6536.JPG

We also saw this grumpy-looking guy at the gate:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-JJ2RW6796lI/UcGGxJdGdYI/AAAAAAAADkA/sOuca5TuP04/s640/CIMG6498.JPG

And the castle also has a big tower.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-eqf1SgPOLhY/UcGGwutmQ8I/AAAAAAAADkA/K7JtzOirsU0/s512/CIMG6497.JPG

It's possible o climb all the way to the top. We didn't go though because the weather was really cloudy and so the view wouldn't have been too good. It also started to rain a little. So we decided to go home a little earlier than planned...

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9G3aZ89bI70/UcGGzHx4imI/AAAAAAAADkA/592pvARIm2w/s640/CIMG6567.JPG

It was a really nice day and for once we didn't have to travel too far! :)

Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Jun 23, 2013, 6:25 pm
Mom, guess what!

Katharina took me with her on her trip to London!  :cyclops:

Yesterday we flew here from the airport in Hanover.  B) We arrived in our hotel in the evening very tired. So there are no pictures...

Today we went on a tour around the city on one of the red double decker buses and then we went by tube, bus and on foot back to the places we wanted to visit more closely.

Here I am in front of Nelson's Column:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tiIL-HR9GFs/UcGG0eQHAFI/AAAAAAAADkA/hRfpjuc0Rg4/s512/CIMG6629.JPG

I also saw Big Ben when it started to get dark:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ho8n6W7dX-A/UcGG0_w4sPI/AAAAAAAADkA/11jTQzdjlAk/s640/CIMG6640.JPG

I really like the colours in this picture. :)

We also wanted to see Buckingham Palace. It took us quite some time to get the direction right after exiting the tube. But eventually we found it when it was already dark.

Katharina tried to get a picture of me in front of the whole building, but you can't imagine how big the place is!  :o So we settled for a picture with most of the palace on it:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-fS77akF99HM/UcGG2BW_1jI/AAAAAAAADkA/15f_KGhuAgY/s640/CIMG6665.JPG

And look closely, mom. Can you see the flag? It means the Queen was home when we were there, but she didn't invite us for tea...
-[Dino]-


Posted Jun 23, 2013, 6:29 pm
Hey Mom!

Today I'm writing from the airport. I'm really excited to go somewhere by plane!  B) :cyclops:

Katharina didn't tell me where we are going though. Another one of her surprises...

I'll write to you from our destination once I know where that may be!
Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Jun 23, 2013, 6:39 pm
Mom,

today we visited more sights in London. :)

We stayed in and around the grounds of the Tower of London. It's a really massive area with lots of little and not so little buildings.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-JuwBWrFKEGM/UcGG2jgVYlI/AAAAAAAADkA/s8QEk5-L1iU/s640/CIMG6781.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_r6wdAM8jAM/UcGG3JJhgBI/AAAAAAAADkA/sIWkkHmc4d8/s640/CIMG6782.JPG

We also went in the giant ferris wheel London Eye when it was already dark. The ferris wheel was lit up and it was very nice to be inside and have a great look over the city!  B)

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dED7qDN-d9U/UcGG32lF9BI/AAAAAAAADkA/EGGxRr-J368/s640/CIMG6827.JPG

I'm sorry the picture is a little blurry, but with the ferris wheel moving it was very hard to take good pictures...  :(

Tomorrow we will be leaving again for Hanover. I'm sad this trip will be over already so soon. :( But tonight we will be celebrating a little becausse it's Katharina's birthday today. :)

Talk to you soon, mom!
Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Jun 23, 2013, 7:05 pm
Hello Mom!

Today we arrived back home in Germany. And even though we were all (Katharina's mom had gone on the trip as well) very tired,  we still had to look at the pictures Katharina took and the postcards we bought.  ;)

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jZWXxki3m5w/Ucc3xgqAQJI/AAAAAAAADkI/U4o7Z_HT0lU/s512/CIMG0090.JPG

It was a really nice trip - too short of course...

Now I am off to bed. *yawn*

xoxo
Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Jun 24, 2013, 11:31 am
Hello Mom!

Today Katharina took me on another of her surprise trips. We first went to the train station and from there to Hanover.

Do you remember when I was in Hanover in January 2012 and took a picture with the statue of Ernst August? Katharina said this statue is a popular meeting place for groups. The only difference: They meet at the other side, under the horse's tail.
So the meeting place is called "Unterm Schwanz" (under the tail).  :p

As I told you before Katharina has another somewhat unusual hobby: PostCrossing. And today she met other postcrossers in Hanover.

First we all went to the Lister Meile to shop for nice postcards. Look how many postcards there were:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jk1ggbKOlaQ/Ucc5vGOFIwI/AAAAAAAADko/0WfS7xH100A/s512/CIMG0062.JPG

And this was only one of the shops.  :o

And guess what, mom! I met other TVs!!  :cyclops:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-thjTEa3ClXQ/Ucc5vJ1d41I/AAAAAAAADkg/vkJunItOdSo/s512/CIMG0063.JPG

Here I took a picture with Joris and RedRudiTeh. They came all the way from Iran. Wow!

There were 2 little playmo guys Tommy_Annika from northern Germany (not as far away ;) ) as well.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Pj8zyX0dgqU/Ucc5vGUgyuI/AAAAAAAADkk/wsLCI6QKles/s512/CIMG0064.JPG

After shopping for a little while we all went to a nice Bavarian-themed restaurant to write and sign postcards of course and relax after walking in the heat.

Here you can see how a postcard looks once it has gone through the hands of every postcrosser present at the meeting:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lLWSldeemSY/Ucc5was6yxI/AAAAAAAADkw/VqOEklS5Vyk/s640/CIMG0066.JPG

Very colourful!  B)

When we arrived back home late in the evening I was so tired because the weather had spontaneously decided to turn on summer. We had over 30°C and sunshine all day.  :o So I went straight to bed.

Good night, Mom!
-[Dino]-


Posted Jun 24, 2013, 11:49 am
Hello again Mom!

Today we had to get up way too early at 4:45 am.  :stare:

Katharina said we were going to Hamburg today. I was very excited because I remember visiting Hamburg before with my previous host RikeH:D

We saw the most famous church of Hamburg: St. Michaelis

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-v6Z7DMyUZpA/Ucc5xNnuGsI/AAAAAAAADk8/bhq10djreNU/s512/CIMG0080.JPG

And we were also very lucky because the huge ocean liner Queen Mary 2 was in Hamburg for the day and we went to visit it.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_vkRiix9BDI/Ucc5x72ojjI/AAAAAAAADlM/jRdp0-j-ySc/s640/CIMG0083.JPG

We also went postcard shopping because it was another of Katharinas postcrossing meetings.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-m-1weX2iIWw/Ucc5xWltcnI/AAAAAAAADlA/texEb1gQ6DI/s512/CIMG0081.JPG

The weather was very nice. It wasn't quite as warm as two days ago in Hanover. :)

Of course everyone went to another nice restaurant to sign postcards. I had fun with the stickers everyone could put on the cards to distinguish between meetings and show which meeting each card came from.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-VPpkYsgJy8Y/Ucc5yZTxs9I/AAAAAAAADlQ/gsl6ldngUdc/s640/CIMG0085.JPG

After another really nice meeting and day in general I was also happy when we arrived home late in the evening because I was really tired. *yawn*

xoxo
Scritches
-[Dino]-


Posted Jun 24, 2013, 6:15 pm
Mom,

I'm so excited right now!  :cyclops:

Katharina came home from grocery shopping earlier today and brought a big brown envelope with her. She told me it was time for me to continue my travels. And she also said that I'll be seeing you soon again, mom!  :D

So, I climbed into my envelope:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bRM2QK7JMSI/Uch8yxWpBxI/AAAAAAAADlo/RxBsPsT3zVg/s640/CIMG0094.JPG

I hope I won't have to stay in here for too long because it's a little cramped in this tight space:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6cAA3r4mtAo/Uch8yxcuLMI/AAAAAAAADlk/dYORVIq3760/s640/CIMG0097.JPG

I'm really happy to go home again, but also a little sad that I have to leave here. I went on so many wonderful adventures here in Germany and even in the UK.

Katharina promised to send me off as soon as possible and she'll write you a pm once I am on my way to you. :)

See you soon, mom!
Scritches

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