Posted Jun 11, 2011, 2:29 am
Posted Jun 26, 2011, 4:42 am
Posted Dec 4, 2011, 3:39 pm
Today I arrived in Germany. I was welcomed by Mr. Scraps (from Austria), OttoLux (from Luxembourg) and by PinkLady (from the Netherlands). I was really happy to get out of the envelope.
Here is me with the others.
Love you,
Candyfloss
Posted Dec 4, 2011, 3:40 pm
today we went to a shopping mall in Essen, called Limbecker, as it was raining.
In this shopping mall is a quarter called "Amsterdam"
I met Dobby from Harry Potter. Do you know him? He died in Harry Potter 7.1
And do you see this huge chandelier? I had to take pictures with it.
Again I sat in a christmas tree and I saw a "band". They were playing christmas songs.
In the end I had the chance to go to the christmas market as it stopped raining. It was full with it's lights.
On our way home we had a coffee from Starbucks.
Love and miss you mummy,
Candyfloss
Posted Dec 9, 2011, 4:30 pm
today my hosts sister had parent-teacher meeting and so she went as her mum didn't have time. So she showed me the school she visited until 2001 and worked there until summer. It's a school just for girls who want to pass her GCSE's.
Afterwards we went into the city and the christmas market in Ratingen.
Candyfloss
Posted Dec 9, 2011, 4:33 pm
Posted Dec 9, 2011, 4:36 pm
On his picture you see me reading the declaraion of Independence
Posted Dec 9, 2011, 4:39 pm
Posted Dec 18, 2011, 1:59 pm
today Mr. Scraps left us and PinkLady was given to her next host. So I'm alone now with my host mummy.
Posted Dec 18, 2011, 2:00 pm
Posted Dec 18, 2011, 2:01 pm
Posted Dec 18, 2011, 2:01 pm
Posted Dec 18, 2011, 2:02 pm
Posted Dec 23, 2011, 3:03 pm
Posted Dec 23, 2011, 3:03 pm
In the evening we went through Ratingen (Homberg) and found some interesting houses and lights which aren't that common here in this city.
Posted Dec 23, 2011, 3:04 pm
The first picture shows the old fire station, the second picture the protestant church (turning 100 in 2012), the third picture the catholic church (about 1,000 years old - oldest in Ratingen), fourth picture the library of the catholic church, fifth picture a frame house and the sixth picture an old latern.
Posted Dec 23, 2011, 3:05 pm
Afterwards she got a ticket for "Swan Lake" and even the DVD of Swan Lake from her Grandfather.
And in the evening we wrapped the last gifts for christmas
Posted Dec 23, 2011, 3:06 pm
Posted Dec 26, 2011, 4:46 pm
today was Christmas eve in Germany. Well, I was a bit confused as I'm not used to celebrate on December, 24th but we did.
At first we went to the Catholic church in my hosts part of Ratingen. We had to be there one hour before the mass started otherwise we had to stand all the time. So we were there around 4.15 pm and luckily we got one of the last seats.
After bringing the bag to the seat we got the opportunity to take a look into the hay box, they have in the church. It isn't that big, but it's one of the populars over here.
At 5 pm the mass started and we hadn't the chances to take any pictures. But why should I take pictures during a mass as well, hunh? It's just a priest telling something about Jesus (in this case about his birth). But after the mass we (me and the other two ToyVoyager) got the opportunity to sit onto the altar. Do you see us?
Afterwards we went to my host granny, where we hang around the decoration at first. Okay, she didn't really decorate her house as she thinks, she's too old to do so.
Then we got some food. Nothing special but the typical German Christmas dinner: Potato salad and sausages.
As we weren't hungry anymore, we went to the living room, where we saw some gifts. Not that much, as they were more expensive ones and not big, cheap ones.
We unwrapped them and talked and laughed a lot and after a while, we decided to go to my hosts mothers appartment.
And again we just hung around in the decoration. For example in the city of snow or we hung around with a moose, who was singing all the time through.
Around midnight we finally went back home. As you see, it was quite busy in the end.
Luv and miss you,
Candyfloss
Posted Dec 26, 2011, 4:48 pm
As it was raining all day we didn't do anything else except watching DVD's. But as soon as the weather changes we will go out and I get to see more of West Germany.
Candyfloss
Posted Dec 28, 2011, 5:11 pm
today we went to Bochum and the stage door of Starlight Express, a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. We had to take the train first, where we went to Essen. Afterwards we changed to a train to Bochum and then we finally arrived.
For coming to the theatre, we passed by the Revier-Power-Stadion, where the Vfl Bochum, (a soccer team) often has its games. But acutally my host told me, that they aren't that good at the moment, as they're just playing the the 3rd league.
It just took us two minutes from the stadion to the Starlight Express Theatre. It's quite huge. Here you see me in front of the theatre.
In front of the theatre, there's an old steam train with a carriage, with all roles of the musical on it. As the musical is about trains and the world championship, it really fits to it. So I took a picture with the steam train and also with the carriage, which shows following parts:
- Bobo, the French TGV
- Ashley, the smoking car
- Espresso, the Rome-to-Milan Express
- Red Caboose,
- Rusty, the young steam train
- Pearl, the observation car / first class car
- Electra, the Electricity train
- Dinah, the dinning car
- Greaseball, the Diesel engine
- Dustin, the big hopper
- Poppa, the old steam train
Then we finally went to the stage door. Normally we were supposed to take pictures with different actors from around the world (99% of them are from an English-speaking country). But we didn't even see anyone of them. So next time. Instead of taking pictures with the actors, we took a picture in front of the stage door sign (Bühneneingang) and a picture, which shows Greaseball.
Love,
Candyfloss
Posted Dec 28, 2011, 5:11 pm
today another ToyVoyager, called Hami, arrived in my hosts house. He's from Hamburg, Germany and we helped him to come out of his package.
Cheers,
Candyfloss
Posted Dec 29, 2011, 4:51 pm
today my host wanted to show me the main city of Ratingen. Okay, we didn't really get the opportunity, but nevertheless, I want to tell you something about Ratingen now, so that you finally know, where exactley I am.
So: Ratingen is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, about 12 km northeast of Düsseldorf. It's history begins in the Middle Ages and so it was settled the change of the century. But it was not until the 13th century as it received city rights. At the beginning of the Industrial Age, the first manufacturing plants opened in 1783. In Cromford the first mechanical spinnery of Europe opened, which is now part of the "Rhine Industy Museum." In the Napoleonic times, it became part of the city of Berg and in 1815, into the Kingdom of Prussia. Nevertheless it got independed again in 1929 and in the meantime several important international enterprises, such as as Vodafone and Esprit maintain their main centers in Ratingen.
Here you see me in front of the church "Sanct Peter and Paul", which was build as a Romanic church in the middle of the 12th century and the first part of the 13th century. In the end of the 13th century it was finished with some elements of the gothic art. At the end of the 19th century the church was changed as architect Henry Wiethase told them to do. During World War II the church was partially destroyed but the damage has been eliminated after the war. In the 1970s, the facade was restored and the interior space renovated and redesigned according to the liturgical requirements of Vatican II. 1996 to 1998 was followed by further renovations after the east towers threatened to collapse.
That's all I can show you of the main city of Ratingen as it started to rain then. Maybe next time
Love and miss you,
Candyfloss
Posted Jan 2, 2012, 11:06 am
today has been a quite busy day, as it was new years eve and my hosts birthday as well.
So it all started with a breakfast in the morning, where her mother, brother and sister came around and where she got the first presents. Do you see me in this stuff?
In the afternoon, we went to my hosts grandmother /-father, where we ate cake. It was something like a redwine cake and a Russian cake. Don't know what it is called in English.
In the evening we went to my hosts mother, brother, sister where we had some amazing Fondue. It was quite yummy.
Okay, it sounds like we were eating all the time and yeah, somehow we did. Next to talking and laughing a lot.
I hope you had an amazing start into the New Year.
Cheers,
Candyfloss
Posted Jan 8, 2012, 4:40 pm
I've to apologize my host just made one single update this week. But due to the rain and two storms we weren't able to do anything.
Nevertheless, we've been at Starlight Express stage door again and this time we met just two actors. Finally. But I’ve also to add, that we didn’t spend so much time there.
The actors we met are called Jos Hoetjes and Edd Hall. Both are Swings here. This means, they cover lots of parts here, if someone is injured or sick or on holiday. Most male Swings cover around 10 - 15 parts.
Jos is by the way from Christ Church, New Zealand. He already played Ruhrgold, the German Intercontinental Express (ICE) in the Tour-production of Starlight Express in New Zealand. One year later he moved to German, for being Ruhrgold for a year. Since June 2011 he's a swing.
Edd is from Essex, England. He also toured through Canada, Mexico, India and the Netherlands with another musical. After doing some musicals he decided to go to Starlight Express. Since 2009 he's over here as a Swing.
That's it for today.
Love and miss you, mummy.
Candyfloss
Posted Jan 16, 2012, 4:33 pm
today we visited the South part of the part of Ratingen where I currently live. It's called Ratingen-Homberg. Ratingen-Homberg is a village with around 5000 inhabitants, where 4000 live in the new, south side we visited. By the way, did you knew that Homberg's first document goes back to the year 1067. Okay, you don't see it in the south as it was extended in the 1970's. And still, there are tons of fields we walked through. Just have a look at the pictures.
We started our trip at the street. But from the street you already have this amazing view.
We started to go through the fields and found this little farm, which can also be seen from the street as it is right at the beginning.
Furthermore we found different signs for cafes. They are far away and unfortunately we didn't go there.
An avenue
In the back, there are the houses of Ratingen-Homberg-South. Hard to see, I agree, but they are there!
We four ToyVoyager hanging around in some cut downs of the trees
An old house at a lake, which is going to be demolished this year. Sad because I think it would be so romantically living there.
We sitting on a tree trunk and resting after a walk of two hours
This is a small lake, where the children come to feed the ducks
The way to the lake (and of course the way back)
Behind the lake there is a forest. We even went through this.
We finished at the firehouse, which is the last building at the south side, before going back to the north. We are going to discover the north side as well.
It was a quite fun and long day.
Miss and love you,
Candyfloss
Posted Jan 23, 2012, 5:56 pm
we really have to apologize again. But due to the test my host has to take in the next 1.5 weeks we didn't spend a lot of time next to studying (and due to the weather as well). We didn't forget you and I should say that we're going to see a lot after her tests, if you don't wanna send me to my next host.
Nevertheless, here's a picture of us sitting in the English Linguistics and Language Lecture
And here, we're studying for American Literature.
Love and miss you,
Candyfloss
Posted Feb 1, 2012, 5:44 pm
today we've been to a city called Heiligenhaus. Heiligenhaus is next to Ratingen and connected through the fields.
My host showed us the trail / bicycle path from Heiligenhaus to Essen. It opend around a year ago and that's why colored shoes are hanging at the beginning of this trail / path. It used to be bicycle until the change of the year.
Around the trail we found this amazing painting. It shows all important buildings of Heiligenhaus. Acutally there isn't much.
While walking on the path we had to cross this bridge. It used to be a part of a train.
We just had a short walk as my host had to study again.
Love and miss you,
Candyfloss
Posted Feb 16, 2012, 5:19 pm
today we had a break of 3 hours, as a lesson didn't took place. So we went to the Rhein in Düsseldorf. It's one of the most important rivers in Germany. But unfortunately it was soooo cold that we couldn't stay longer than 15 minutes. It was around -10 °C. Cold, isn't it? But amazing weather. Anyway.
Here we are at the first point, after crossing the "Altstadt", one of those long drinking miles.
Here you see the Rhein.
An old watch at the riverside.
This ship is there for ages. It doesn't move anymore and if you're at the Rhein in Düsseldorf, you just have to know it and take a picture of it.
And the tower for TV at the Rhein. Acutally it was planned to go there but it was definately too cold!
Buildings at the other side of the Rhein riverside.
This is a ship museum, which is also at the Rhein.
That's it for today.
Love and miss you,
Candyfloss
Posted Feb 16, 2012, 5:28 pm
today my host and her friends booked a trip to London. Here you see me sitting in front of the PC, checking the Screenshots one of her friends made for checking what they might book. Later on they met in the city and booked it. Maybe I'm still around, if my mentor is about to go to London?! Then I join her as well.
Love and miss you,
Candyfloss
Posted Feb 16, 2012, 5:34 pm
due to the fact that it is still too cold to go out, my host and I decided to learn how to compose songs. She had a book from the Berklee Press (I guess you know it?!) and we tried to compose some stuff.
Cheers,
Candyfloss
Posted Feb 16, 2012, 5:42 pm
it's still sooooo cold. We had some friends coming over for playing some games. We were allowed to play with them. Here you see us, playing a game called "Australia" and in the background you see some koalas. My host is such an Australia fan. It's not funny anymore. Everywhere koala, kangaroos, the Australian flag and so on. Crazy.
Mummy, I miss you
Candyfloss
Posted Feb 17, 2012, 12:10 pm
today was such a sad day, as we had to say goodbye to our friend Hami. He's now going to the South of Germany.
Goodbye Hami, it was such a pleasure to meet you!
Candyfloss
Posted Feb 20, 2012, 2:38 pm
again we were in Bochum today. Exactely at Starlight Express. Okay, we weren't lucky to see some of the actors, but today we went there for watching the show
Here's me inside the theatre... The roof of glass was just amazing and I could see the rain.
A painting on the wall (near the roof). It's Electra, a character of Starlight Express
Here I caught a glimpse who's acting which character
Sad it's so dark, but the stage is just huge.
Here's another picture... As you see, there's a mainstage as well as two levels for skating around. It's the world biggest musical stage and every new actor is just impressed to see this stage.
Love,
Candyfloss
Posted Feb 20, 2012, 2:42 pm
today there was the promised Carnival parade. It was amazing and loud at the same it. Got tons of Candies afterwards. But mummy? It was sooooooo cold. Around 1 °C. Yesterday it was also snowing so I wondered if we'd be able to watch the parade today.
Btw you wonder, what Carnival in Germany is about? I copied something for you from Wikipedia
"Although the festival and party season in Germany starts on 11 November at 11:11 am, the actual Carnival week begins on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. German Carnival parades are held on the weekend before and especially on Rose Monday, and occasionally on Shrove Tuesday as well in the suburbs of larger cities. The Carnival session begins each year on 11 November at 11:11 am and finishes on Ash Wednesday with the main festivities occurring around Rosenmontag; this time is also called the "Fifth Season."
In German-speaking countries, two distinct varieties of Carnivals are held. The Rheinish Carnival is held in the west of Germany, mainly in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland Palatinate, and is famous for celebrations such as parades and costume balls. Cologne Carnival is the largest and most famous. On Carnival Thursday (called "Old Women Day" or "The Women's Day"), in commemoration of an 1824 revolt by washer-women, women storm city halls, cut men's ties, and are allowed to kiss any man who passes their way."
But here are the pictures:
Some people in the city. 30 mins until the parade starts.
During the parade
Also during the parade
Some people, who had to walk the parade
Some horses
Love and miss you,
Candyfloss
Posted Jul 17, 2012, 7:02 pm
I arrived to Russia today at last! Ooh, it was long travel...
At first I got out of my package and looked round. Where are everybody?
I brought gift! Beautiful and lovely!
Oh, finally! My new friends came! I can learn much more about life in Russia from the same travelers, as well as me. How exciting!
I made friends with Kioko - he is such a good giraffe. He presented to me a tasty chocolate to make more cheerful to me to livein my new house. Thank you!
Posted Jul 17, 2012, 10:40 pm
Today my host took me into bowling! Oh, I’ve never visit it before, I hope, it would be fun!
First of all, look, what an amazing building it is! Everybody can understand that there is something exciting inside
Which ball should I choose? Mmmm... I will take the pink one!
Let's aim…
Come on, little ball!!
I can't understand, am I winning or not?
I am sure that I won!
And therefore it is necessary to celebrate! Traditional Russian food... oh, no, it isn’t cooked here. Well, sushi then? How can I pick them up...
And let’s drink a cranberry mojito. Looks great.
In this building there is an excellent desktop hockey. I will beat you, Peeta!
And while we are here, I can ride in a car. Turn right, turn right!!
Posted Jul 24, 2012, 10:24 pm
This weekend we’ve visited Kremlin!
Wow, I think, I should come to Moscow again, because it is such a wonderful place and has such an interesting history! My host thought that I should know everything about it, but of course, now I can remember only a small part.
This is the Troitskaya Tower - the tallest tower of the Moscow Kremlin. Its current height on the side of the Alexander Garden together with the star is 80 m. Today, the gate of the tower is the main visitors' entrance into the Kremlin. And the view is so beautiful!
Here you can see the Kremlin Senate, a building within the grounds of the Kremlin. Initially constructed from 1776–1787, it originally housed the Moscow branch of the Governing Senate, the highest judiciary and legislative office of Imperial Russia. Currently, it houses the Russian presidential administration and is a highly secured and restricted area closed to the public. At present, only the southern corner façade, opposite the Tsar Cannon can be viewed.
Then we saw the most interesting exhibits of this museum – the Tsar-Bell and the Tsar-Cannon.
The Tsar-Bell was made of bronze and it is currently the largest bell in the world, weighing 201,924 kilograms, with a height of 6.14 metres and diameter of 6.6 metres, and thickness of up to 61 centimetres. The bell is decorated with relief images of baroque angels, plants, oval medallions with saints, and nearly life-size images of Empress Anna and Tsar Alexey. Unfortunately, before the last ornamentation was completed, a major fire broke out at the Kremlin in May 1737. The fire spread to the temporary wooden support structure for the bell, and fearing damage, guards threw cold water on it, causing eleven cracks, and a huge (11.5 tons) slab to crack off. The broken piece weighs 11,500 kilograms, you can compare it with the crowd around – it’s as tall as a man! Some people believe that on Judgement Day, it will be miraculously repaired and lifted up to heaven, where it will ring the blagovest (call to prayer).
The Tsar-Cannon was cast in 1586 in Moscow, by the Russian master bronze caster Andrey Chokhov. Mostly of symbolic impact, it was never fired in war. Per the Guinness Book of Records it is the largest bombard by caliber in the world. The very low ratio between its calibre and the length of its barrel makes it technically not a cannon, but a stylized mortar. The Tsar Cannon weighs 39.312 tones and has a length of 5.34 m. Its bronze-cast barrel has a diameter of 890 mm, and an external diameter of 1,200 mm. The spherical cast-iron projectiles located in front of the cannon - each of which weighs 1.97 tons, were produced in 1834 as a decoration.
Of course, there are many other cannons in Kremlin, but they don’t look so impressive, do they?
Then you can see The Ivan the Great Bell Tower - the tallest of the towers in the Moscow Kremlin complex, with a total height of 81 metres. It was built in 1508 for the Russian Orthodox cathedrals in Cathedral Square, which do not have their own belfries, and is said to mark Moscow's precise geographic centre. The Ivan the Great Bell Tower today contains 22. Of these, 18 small bells hang in the base and in the middle of the bell tower. Of the four large bells, one is named the Upsenskij Bell, and weighs 65.5 tons. It rings traditionally among the largest religious festivals such as Easter, and was made in the early 16th century.
Next building with great triangle golden roof and domes is The Cathedral of the Annunciation (Blagoveschensky sobor). It was originally the personal chapel for the Muscovite tsars, and its abbot remained a personal confessor of the Russian royal family until the early 20th century. Compared with the other major Kremlin cathedrals, the Annunciation Cathedral has slightly smaller dimensions. It is also built in a more traditional style, as it was created by local architects from Pskov, rather than Italian expatriate architects. The most characteristic feature of the building is its nine golden domes, and roof with rich kokoshnik ornamentation in an ogive form.
This beautiful cathedral with frescos is The Cathedral of the Dormition (Uspensky sobor). The Cathedral is regarded as the mother church of Muscovite Russia. In its present form it was 1475-79 at the behest of the Moscow Grand Duke Ivan III by the Italian architect Aristotele Fioravanti. From 1547 to 1896 it is where the Coronation of the Russian monarch was held. In addition, it is the burial place for most of the Moscow Metropolitans and Patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church. However, one of the most important cult images of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Theotokos of Vladimir kept at the Cathedral from 1395-1919 is now at the Tretyakov Gallery. Near the south entrance to the Cathedral is the Monomach Throne of Ivan IV (1551).
Verkhospassky Cathedral with eleven small golden domes was constructed by tsar Michael Fedorovichem in 1635-1636. From this temple the ladder conducted to a seigniorial platform where decrees, orders of the tsar were read to boyars, and the tsar presented boyars and near people birthday pies. Divine services in it aren't made.
The Cathedral of the Archangel is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Archangel Michael. It was the main necropolis for members of the Tsars of Russia until the relocation of the capital to St. Petersburg. It was constructed between 1505 and 1508 under the supervision of an Italian architect Aleviz Fryazin Noviy on the spot of an older cathedral, built in 1333.
The Grand Kremlin Palace was built from 1837 to 1849 on the site of the estate of the Grand Princes, which had been established in the 14th century on Borovitsky Hill. Designed by a team of architects under the management of Konstantin Thon, it was intended to emphasize the greatness of Russian autocracy. The Grand Kremlin Palace was formerly the tsar's Moscow residence. Thon's palace is 125 meters long, 47 meters high, and has a total area of about 25,000 square meters. It includes the earlier Terem Palace, nine churches from the 14th, 16th, and 17th centuries, the Holy Vestibule, and over 700 rooms. Now it carries out a role of smart president residence of Russia. Important nation-wide ceremonials pass in its halls, such as delivery of the state awards or credentials. You can see that big national flag is lowered on the spike. It means that Russian president is out now, but he could come back every minute!
Posted Sep 15, 2012, 3:29 pm
Today I want to describe you amazing Mediterranean Sea. To swim there is a real pleasure. Water is very warm, sun is hot, people are polite and pleasant
The best pastime - to lie, sunbathe, get a tan and drink cocktails!
I like to build sand castles, there are many shells for an ornament on a beach
Mother of my host helps me to float on a rubber ring because I am very small and can fall in a hole
Nearby in the sea there is a floating platform where it is possible to climb up, take a rest and sunbathe. And during a storm it's very cheerful to drive!
The fantastic pier is on a beach. There are trees, plank beds, mattresses and chairs on it.
So soft and convenient!
Also there are lifebuoys - if somebody needs help. Don't worry, while I am here, everybody are in safety
And surely flags - Turkish one, hotel's one and the guarding organization's one
If you got hungry - there is a small and free cafe with a buffet on a beach. Can you imagine, it is possible to sit and admire the sea and eat a lunch! But I will tell you about food next time, this subject simply can't be passed!
Posted Oct 18, 2012, 7:21 pm
Do you remember tons of different food that I show you in this hotel? Well, can you believe that we want more?
Owners of hotel provided very useful option for people who bothered to eat in the general dining room. You can choose restaurant a la card twice a week! There are a lot of them - a grill, fish, Arab, Japanese... As my host is a vegetarian - we chose Italian one.
Look, a real menu! And linen napkins! And cloths! And the food is carried by the real waiters! I started to forget all this magnificence for a week of a food in buffet! And the best thing - visit of restaurant is included in accommodation cost!
So, what will we take? I suggest beginning with salad with mushrooms. And on snack - toasts with garlic. And do not forget about the most tasty olives!
And the most delicious and popular Italian dish… pasta!
Which one do you prefer? Creamy Pasta with Shrimp (non-vegeterian) or Pasta Arabiata (translated as angry pasta)?
Owners really tried to bring a spirit of Italy in this restaurant! When you think about this country, what best-known photo comes to your mind? Certainly, I Hold the Tower of Pisa! Well... We tried to fix it together... But nothing helps!
Ah-ah-ah! It seems that falling, we broke the well-known Italian amphora! What a pity that wine wasn't in, because that end of day would be ideal!
Anyway, when we went out of doors, it was very dark, therefore illumination was turned on for a fountain. It blinked white, yellow, red, green, blue... Sometimes it is pleasant to simply stand and look at a beautiful view at few minutes... Especially, if your stomach is full of a yum-yum!
Posted Nov 3, 2012, 8:16 pm
So, we choose a journey to one of the most famous sights of Antalia - The Ecological Natural Park. It covers the territory of 40 000 m2 and is the first flora and herpetofauna (plant, reptile and amphibian) park establishment in the world. Ekopark now is a shelter for many plants and reptiles that are under danger of extinction.
Thus, professor Selami Tomruk created a new home for rare plants and reptiles and expose their unique beauty and importance to the public. All in all Mr. Selami Tomruk devoted 36 years of his life to studying reptiles and amphibians.
For some reason, the first animal which we meet in the Ekopark is a chicken.
It’s a Silkie - a breed of chicken named for its atypically fluffy plumage, which is said to feel like silk. The breed has several other unusual qualities, such as dark blue flesh and bones, blue earlobes, and five toes on each foot (most chickens only have four). They are often exhibited in poultry shows, and come in several colors (red, gold, blue, black, white, and partridge).
In addition to their distinctive physical characteristics, Silkies are well known for their calm, friendly temperament.
Among the most docile of poultry, Silkies are considered an ideal pet. Hens are also exceptionally broody, and make good mothers.
Ok, it's is going to be something interesting - a reptile! A giant snake, if you want to be clear. I think they are so dangerous!
Although pythons are typically afraid of people due to their high stature, and will generally avoid people, special care is still required when handling them. A three-meter long Burmese python can easily kill a child and a five-meter long (around 16.5 feet) Burmese python is certainly capable of overpowering and killing a fully grown adult.
And the next creature is even scarier – a cobra! Turks call it Naja. Although several genera share the common name, Naja species are the most recognized and most widespread group of snakes commonly known as cobras. All species in the genus Naja are capable of delivering a fatal bite to a human. Most species have strongly neurotoxic venom, which attacks the nervous system, causing paralysis, but many also have cytotoxic features which causes swelling and necrosis, and has a significant anticoagulant effect.
Some also have cardiotoxic components to their venom.
Who is as terrible as cobra? Crocodile! It’s so huge! What is the most famous and curious thing that you know about crocodiles? That they cry when eat their victims!
The expression comes from an ancient anecdote that crocodiles weep in order to lure their prey. An alternate explanation for the expression's origin is that crocodile tears cannot be authentic because crocodiles cannot cry; they lack tear ducts. Yet this is a myth: Crocodiles possess lacrimal glands which secrete a proteinaceous fluid, just like in humans, though tears will only be visible after a crocodile is out of the water for a prolonged period of time, and the eyes begin to dry out. However, while crocodiles can and do generate tears, they do not actually cry.
And the last animal that gave me a chance to take a good photo is a green iguana! And what a great shot, don’t you think so? First I decided that it is really tamed and it doesn’t care about people and TV.
But then my host told me that if cornered by a threat, the green iguana will extend and display the dewlap under its neck, stiffen and puff up its body, hiss, and bob its head at the aggressor. If threat persists the Iguana can lash with its tail, bite and use its claws in defense. The wounded are more inclined to fight than uninjured prey.
There is a small restaurant Near this Ekopark – Botanik. I think that its owners pay to excursion bureau, so each guide brings tourists here after Ekopark visiting.
It looks so unusual! First of all, IT STANDS IN A RIVER!
If you have enough time and money, you can catch a trout in this river for yourself! The water is so clear you can literally see fish!
But we don’t want to wait, so we prefer free salad and especial unleavened bread. Looks bright!
Who else like bread? Geese! Oh, they look scary! I’d better give them everything.
Posted Dec 19, 2012, 8:07 pm
Today my host has taught me, how to cook falafel - a deep fried patty made from ground chickpeas. She said that it’s a wonderful source of protein for vegetarians and that it’s a traditional dish for eaten throughout the Middle East. I tried to make as many photos as I could.
First you must take ground chickpeas (near 150 gr.) and soak them in water over night the day before cooking. You can see, that they really change their size! I compare them with the dry ones.
Then chop and blend ground chickpeas in a food processor until the beans are the consistency of fine bread crumbs.
Chop the green and slice the onion.
Put everything in large bowl.
Mold the falafel mixture into small patty on the spoon and drop into oil to fry to keep the color an even brown on all sides.
When they are a medium brown color, remove the balls and drain on a paper towel for a minute. Serve warm and fresh!
Posted Dec 31, 2012, 1:38 pm
It’s New Year's Eve today and I’m so happy! Me and my host will celebrate this holiday at home with her family and close friends. You know, in Russia New Year's Eve is now celebrated similarly to Christmas, just without the religious aspect of the holiday. My host has been worked hard till 30th December, so we decide to dress up a fur-tree today! Hooray!
First of all, let’s go and find the most beautiful tree ever! Good for us that a market is near our house! So, forget about snow and cold, let’s search some holiday mood!
There are tens of trees inside and some of them are packed into a grid, for convenience of storage and transportation so they are very compact.
Look at this one, it’s so small!
We have chosen this one, not so small and not so thin, perfect for our room. It’s my host’s father, Lev (Lion in russion), on the photo.
The fur-tree is almost free and becomes stout..
My host’s fur-tree toys are stored in box on the top shelf of a wardrobe. There are a lot of toys here, old and new, glass and plastic. My host told me that the oldest one - a toy glass alarm-clock, was put on a fur-tree by her great-grandmother! It is excellent tradition - to buy every year some new toys, but also to leave the old ones. You can feel proximity of generations.
So, let’s start!
OK, now we should hang up electric garlands so the fur-tree will be sparkle beautifully in the evening. Oh, I’m a little bit confused...
It’s look fantastic!
Wow! Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost) and Snegurochka (Snow Maiden) have come to us for a party!
I already wrote that in Russia New year has no relation to religion, therefore Ded Moroz isn't similar to Santa Claus! My host has told to me that earlier, Ded Moroz was a wicked and cruel sorcerer, ruling over frosts. According to legend, Ded Moroz liked to freeze people and kidnap children, taking them away in his gigantic sack. Parents were said to have to give him presents as a ransom in return for their children.
However, under the influence of Orthodox traditions, the character of Ded Moroz was completely transformed, later adopting certain traits from Santa Claus.
And the modern Snegurochka is depicted as the granddaughter and helper of Ded Moroz. But in another story, she is the daughter of Spring and Frost, and yearns for the companionship of mortal humans. She grows to like a shepherd named Lel, but her heart is unable to know love. Her mother takes pity and gives her this ability, but as soon as she falls in love, her heart warms and she melts.
I wish you a Happy New Year! Happiness, good luck, love and more sweet surprises next year!
Posted Jan 10, 2013, 6:50 pm
Today we decided to visit one of the most well-known church of Russia - Cathedral of Christ the Saviour! With an overall height of 105 metres (344 ft), it is the tallest Orthodox church in the world.
When Napoleon Bonaparte retreated from Moscow, Emperor Alexander I signed a manifest, 25 December 1812, declaring his intention to build a cathedral in honor of Christ the Saviour "to signify Our gratitude to Divine Providence for saving Russia from the doom that overshadowed Her" and as a memorial to the sacrifices of the Russian people.
The cathedral took many years to build and did not emerge from its scaffolding until 1860. The painting were overseen by Evgraf Sorokin and thereafter some of the best Russian painters continued to embellish the interior for another twenty years. The cathedral was consecrated on the very day Alexander III was crowned, 26 May 1883.
After the Revolution and, more specifically, the death of Lenin, the prominent site of the cathedral was chosen by the Soviets as the site for a monument to socialism known as the Palace of the Soviets. This monument was to rise in modernistic, buttressed tiers to support a gigantic statue of Lenin perched on top of a dome with his arm raised in the air.
On December 5th 1931, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was dynamited and reduced to rubble. It took more than a year to clear the debris from the site. Some of the marble from the walls and marble benches from the cathedral were used in nearby Moscow Metro stations. For a long time, these were the only reminders of the largest Orthodox church ever built.
The construction of the Palace of Soviets was interrupted owing to a lack of funds, problems with flooding from the nearby Moskva River, and the outbreak of war. The flooded foundation hole remained on the site until, under Lucy Khrushchev, it was transformed into the world's largest open air swimming pool, named Moskva Pool.
Finally, in February 1990, the Russian Orthodox Church received permission from the Soviet Government to rebuild the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The restorer Aleksey Denisov was called upon to design a replica of extraordinary accuracy.
A construction fund was initiated in 1992 and funds began to pour in from ordinary citizens in the autumn of 1994. In this year the pool was demolished and the cathedral reconstruction commenced. About one million Muscovites donated money for the project.
The monument is located in the city center therefore you can enjoy such beautiful views of the old, not reconstructed quarters of Moscow around!
Especially I like this bridge - very popular place for wedding ceremonies and simply walks.
On the right you can see one of the chocolate factories oldest in Moscow, and also Peter the Great notorious statue on a ship. So many people consider that it is ugly, but it can't be demolished. The designer Zurab Tsereteli is known as a friend and favorite of Moscow's former Mayor, Yury Luzhkov, and the artist has received many municipal art commissions in recent years, such as the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
The Peter the Great Statue in Moscow was designed by the Georgian designer Zurab Tsereteli to commemorate 300 years of the Russian Navy, which was started by Peter I of Russia. At 94 metres, it is the eighth tallest statue in the world.
And at the left - a view which is often printed on postcards - the Kremlin ashore. Do I need to say anything else? Fantastic!
And the monument to emperor Alexander II the Liberator of Russia from a serfdom, in fact, from slavery, is located near the temple. Alexander is represented in a military uniform and with an imperial cloak.
The five-meter bronze figure is placed on a stone pedestal with a graceful colonnade. Behind the back of the emperor two bronze lions sit. They, as a plan of author Alexander Rukavishnikov, symbolize old traditional Russia.
Posted Feb 23, 2013, 4:56 pm
Today my host suggested me to visit a place where it works. It is a huge complex of the buildings, called the Moscow City. I will show it to you next time, and today we will concentrate on a collection of huge nested dolls which is on the top floors of one of skyscrapers.
The exposition represented this country at the Russian national exhibition in Paris in 2010.
All exhibits were made manually, all nested doll were worked by 15 masters. To achieve exact bends and rotundities, they had to use ancient equipment of a soaking of a tree.
This great panorama opens from an entrance on a platform where nested dolls registered. In the foreground - Gzhel (at the left) and the Vologda lace (on the right).
The nested doll on the right is executed in style of the Russian imperial porcelain available only to crowned and very wealthy persons. Zhostovo's ornament (in the center) arose at the beginning of the 19th century, at the same time with emergence of many workshops on production of the painted varnished products from a papier-mache in Moscow area. Modern Zhostovo exists as well in the form of a list on metal. The Dymkovsky toy (at the left) exists on the lands near the Vyatka-river more than 400 years. Each toy is unique since from a molding and to a list it is step by step created by one master. For production local red clay and river sand is used.
Hokhloma (at the left) arose in the second half of the 17th century in the north of the Nizhny Novgorod province near the settlement of the same name, and still remains to most known of types of the Russian list on a tree.
Roots of the Mezensky list (on the right) leave far to those centuries when Slavic tribes only started being formed, and reached popularity peak in the middle of the 19th century.
And here art of varnish painting of Mster arose at all so long ago - in 1932 in Mster's settlement of the Vladimir region the former icon painters created it, relying on traditions of an iconography, but having shown and innovation.
Here you can see art of varnish painting of Fedoskino, arisen at the end of the 18th eyelid. Among fedoskinsky miniatures of 19-20 centuries there are many carefully executed copies of pictures of the Russian artists in which masters brought also characteristic fedoskino features.
Palekh miniature — the national trade which has developed in the settlement Palekh of the Ivanovo region. The varnish miniature is executed by distemper on a papier-mache. Usually caskets, jugs, brooches, a panel, ashtrays, hairpins for a tie, needle cases etc. are undersigned. Typical plots of a palekhsky miniature are borrowed from an everyday life, literary works of classics, fairy tales, and songs. Works are usually performed on a black background and undersign gold.
How do you like exhibition of nested dolls? I like it very much! But the host says that it is not real nested dolls, because all dolls have to own faces!
Posted Mar 3, 2013, 7:31 pm
An estimated 250,000 – 300,000 people will be working, living, or visiting the complex at any given time, when it is finished. There are some towers that are built right now, for example this one, known as Evolution Tower. Each floor of it will be twisted 3° in relation to the preceding one, totaling 135°.
Now it contains 7 towers with such names as Mercury Tower or Federation Tower and many smaller buildings with Expocenter and Terminal.
Naberezhnaya Tower is an office complex consisting of 3 individual office buildings underconnected to each other via a common basement totalling approximately 150,000 square metres of rentable area of office and retail space. Block C was completed in 2007. At 268.4 meters, this 59-story tower remained the tallest skyscraper in Europe until the City of Capitals was completed in 2009.
My host works in The City of Capitals. It is a multifunctional complex, including twin tower skyscrapers, located on plot 9 in the International Business Center Moscow City in Moscow. The City of Capitals, symbolising Moscow and St. Petersburg, was completed in 2009. The "Moscow Tower" is taller than Naberezhnaya Tower and was the tallest in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and in Europe with a height of 301.60 metres, until the construction of the The Shard in London, England, exceeded this height on 17 January 2012.
More than half of the top floors are taken up by an entertainment complex, office suites, and large apartments. The Сity of Capitals consists of two towers - the 76-level "Moscow Tower" and the 65-level "St. Petersburg Tower". Floors 17 and 18 of both towers are offices. The entire complex sits on a main lobby consisting of 6 underground floors and 4 aboveground floors of public space. The upper floors of the base structure contain shops, a fitness center, presentation halls, and restaurants.
The height of towers is simply unimaginable, it exceeds 300 meters for some of them. You can see the Bagration pedestrian bridge that connect two part of this quarter. What a fantastic view!
Posted Mar 24, 2013, 5:13 pm
Today we visited one of my host’s the most favorite places in Moscow - the Novodevichy Convent! Its name, sometimes translated as the New Maidens' Monastery, was devised to differ from an ancient maidens' convent within the Moscow Kremlin. Unlike other Moscow cloisters, it has remained virtually intact since the 17th century. In 2004, it was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Novodevichy Convent was founded in 1524 by Grand Prince Vasili III in commemoration of the conquest of Smolensk in 1514. It was built as a fortress at a curve of the Moskva River and became an important part of the southern defensive belt of the capital, which had already included a number of other monasteries. The Novodevichy Convent was known to have sheltered many ladies from the Russian royal families and boyar clans, who had been forced to become nuns.
The Preobrazhenskiy church is constructed over a northern entrance of the monastery. It is well visible from the neighboring area.
We can get a bird's eye view of a monastery at the beginning of excursion.
The oldest structure in the convent is the six-pillared five-domed cathedral, dedicated to the icon Our Lady of Smolensk. Extant documents date its construction to 1524–1525; yet its lofty ground floor, magisterial proportions, and projecting central gable are typical of monastery cathedrals built at the behest of Ivan the Terrible. Most scholars agree that the cathedral was rebuilt in the 1550s or 1560s; it was formerly ringed by four smaller chapels, in an arrangement reminiscent of the Annunciation Cathedral in the Kremlin. Its frescos are among the finest in Moscow.
The cathedral may be a focal point of the convent, but there are many other churches. Most date from the 1680s, when the convent was thoroughly renovated at the behest of the regent Sophia Alexeyevna (who, ironically, would be incarcerated there later). The blood-red walls and crown-towers, two lofty over-the-gates churches, a refectory, and residential quarters were all designed in the Muscovite Baroque style, supposedly by a certain Peter Potapov. In the old cathedral, a new bowl for holy water and gilded carved iconostasis were installed in 1685.
An arresting slender belltower, also commissioned by Sophia, was built in six tiers to a height of 72 metres (236 ft), making it the tallest structure in 18th-century Moscow (after the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Kremlin). This light octagonal column seems to unite all major elements of the ensemble into one harmonious whole.
Especially interesting story is connected with this tower. After Peter I dethroned his elder sister, tsarevna Sofia, and forced her to the nun in 1689, she lived in this Naprudna tower. The kind brother decided to entertain his sister, and hanged out dead soldiers and her guards on trees under windows of her cell.
But you cannot hang everybody. Even having become nun, Sofia found possibility to leave a wall of the dungeon for the purpose of love adventures. Today it is considered that the tower (or spirit of tsarevna Sofia) can grant the desires connected with love! It is enough to write it on a wall, to enclose a note between bricks or simply ask very strongly. Do you believe in it?
Like other Moscow monasteries (notably the Danilov and the Donskoy) the New Maidens' Monastery was coveted by the Russian nobility as a place of burial. The Napoleonic hero Denis Davydov is also buried in the grounds. In 1898, the so-called Novodevichy Cemetery was opened without monastery walls. Anton Chekhov was one of the first notables to be interred at the new necropolis, and Nikolai Gogol was later reburied there too. During the Soviet epoch, it was turned into the most high-profile cemetery in the Soviet Union, with the likes of Peter Kropotkin, Nikita Khrushchev, Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, Konstantin Stanislavski, Boris Yeltsin, and Mstislav Rostropovich being interred there.
Especially I like figures of angels - often it is female graves, the inconsolable spouse gave them a statue
Now we left the monastery constructed 500 years ago. At once behind a local pond the modern city begins - skyscrapers are seen on the horizon. Two different worlds incorporate here. Hey! Can you see a duck?
Let's take a farewell look at monastery walls - how beautiful it is!
Monument "Let pass to ducklings" was established in Moscow, on the square avenue opposite to the Novodevichy Convent in 1991. It is an exact copy of a monument in Boston, in the USA. The sculptural composition was created by the architect, the sculptor and the restorer Nancey Shen. The plot is taken from the old fairy tale written for the American kids by writer Robert Makkloski many years ago. In it it is told about mother duck looking for a convenient and safe place for the family. On the way they meet many people. Someone treats them with a peanut, and policemen block off traffic to help ducklings quietly cross the road. In Moscow the monument appeared as a sign of friendship between the USA and the USSR. It was Barbara Bush a's gift to Raisa Maksimovna Gorbacheva.
Now the monument is adored by children - I hardly found second for a good photo!
