Travelog for: Twixx

Hello from London
we took the subway - called London Tube - and drove into the city.



First stop: Piccadilly Circus.
Ironically, here it rained briefly, but that didn't bother us.
We marveled at the giant billboards, the traffic and the crowds.



Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space in London's West End.
In 1811 the Prince Regent, later King George IV wished a boulevard that should begin in St. James's and lead to the Regent's Park. He commissioned the best known architects of the time, John Nash, to fulfill this wish. After eight years of construction, the masterpiece in 1819 was completed.
London's citizens was a commemorative street to Earl not enough. They decided to collect donations to erect a monument.  Finally, 1893 the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain was inaugurated, which is known as Eros Fountain today.



However, the winged figure on the tip should not represent Eros, but the Angel of Christian Charity.
The prudish citizens did not like the almost naked figure and jeered and mocked the builder.
Today Piccadilly Circus connects Shaftesbury Avenue, the Haymarket, Coventry Street. (Towards Leicester Square), Regent Street and Lower Regent Street, Piccadilly and a small side street, the Glasshouse Street.
After thoroughly looking around we ran on.







Around the next corner we looked at the fountain "The Horses of Helios"



In Greek mythology, Helios was the sun god.
The task of Helios was to steer the sun chariot across the sky, which was drawn by four stallions. Impressive.

We took Regent Street to Waterloo Place and passed the monument of King Edward VII.



At Waterloo Square, stands the Duke of York Monument.
The Duke of York Column was built between 1831-1834. It rises to a height of about forty meters.



Prince Frederick Augustus, better known as the Duke of York, was the second son of King George III. As commander of the British army, he soon realized that the army was outdated and the Duke introduced significant reforms to modernize and improve the army.
Shortly after his death in 1827, donated all British troops a day's pay for the construction of a monument in honor of the Duke of York.
Continuing on our way we saw The Mall with Admiralty Arch.







This road we'll visit later.

Our goal was to Horse Guards Parade.



Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground near Whitehall.
It is the site of the annual ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the monarch's official birthday.
The course is open to the west, there adjoins the St. James's Park. The other three sides are bordered by buildings. The Old Admiralty Building and the citadel of the Admiralty is located on the north side,



on the east side Horseguards, the former headquarters of the British army, now headquarters of the Household Division.



To the south borders the treasury office (HM Treasury) and the rear part of 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Part of the wall of HM Treasury.





We crossed the square and came to the courtyard of the Horse Guards.




Coincidentally, just held an inspection.















Poor guys. There were some red heads.



But - the Queen's personal Life Guard must be in good shape.

That's Horse Guard seen from the street.





We used a narrow street close to reach St.James Park.





A royal squirrel.



Shaun the Sheep.



Spread all over the city are differently designed sheep figures.



They collect for seriously ill children.

Enough for today.

Kisses from London
Twixx

Hello mom
after a good night's sleep and breakfast, we started the next day.



Today an extensive city tour is on the program.



Hop off at Buckingham Palace.
The first thing we saw was the Queen Victoria Memorial.





The Victoria Memorial is a 26 m high, built in honor of Queen Victoria of Great Britain figures group.
At the top stands the gilded goddess of victory.



1911 revealed and built of 2,300 tonnes of marble.
The palace gate with the royal arms.



And that's Buckingham Palace - the official residence of the British monarch in London.





775 rooms, more than 1,000 windows, 450 employees and approximately 50,000 persons participating annually in events on the palace grounds.
Impressive numbers. (It's said that the Queen didn't like the palace - she calls him her London office)
The Mall (0.93 km) is the avenue of the capital and the first stage of the sovereign on his journey either to the Houses of Parliament or to the Horse Guards parade ground. It extends from Buckingham Palace in the west to Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square at its eastern end.



We walked along the Mall and discovered the monuments of "Queen Mum" and her husband, King Geoerge VI.



We reached Trafalgar Square, the largest public square London's.









In the middle of the square stands a monument to Admiral Nelson, built by the citizens of London - in gratitude for the victory of the English over the French and Spanish in the Battle of Trafalgar.
The Nelson's Column with the Admiral at the top is as high as Nelson's flagship HMS Victory from the keel to the mast top (51 meters) and was built in 1842. At the foot of the column there are four lions bronze sculptures.
Also on Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery.



The Displayed governmental paintings collection includes around 2300 paintings from the 13th to the 19th century.
That's St. Martin in the Fields.



Hop on to St Paul's Cathedral.









And then directly to the London Eye.





The London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel, is at a height of 135 meters  currently the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe.



The London Eye has 32 air-conditioned almost entirely of glass shaped gondolas.



It takes nearly 40 minutes for a rotation.
A little pleading and begging and Jasper bought Tikets.



What a great view over the city.











This road is called Strand.



The name originates from the old English language and means similar to the German shore or riverbank.
Unbelievable but before the construction of the Thames Embankment the road ran right next to the River Thames.



We take a break.

See you later
Twixx

Hello everybody
after a few Crisscross rides (this will continue so) we ended up at the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.





The Palace of Westminster (often called Houses of Parliament) is a monumental, built in the Gothic Revival style building. The palace is located in the City of Westminster on Parliament Square, close to the government buildings at Whitehall. It was declared a World Heritage Site along with the Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church by UNESCO.





The most famous part of the palace is the clock tower with the bell Big Ben. (since 2012 officially named Elizabeth Tower)



That's Parliament Square,



and this the famous Westminster Abbey.
(shooting in the church was not allowed - unfortunately)





That's St.Margaret's Church.



We said hello to Mr. Churchill



and moved on to Hyde Park.

We entered the park by Queen Elizabeth Gate, also known as the Queen Mother's Gate.
It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993 to celebrate the 90th birthday of her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
The centerpiece of the door shows a red lion and a white unicorn.



Hyde Park is 1.4 square kilometers, along with Kensington Gardens 2.5 and thus larger than the Principality of Monaco.

We strolled along the Serpentine Lake



and came to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain.





Next stop was the Albert Memorial.



The Albert Memorial consists of a nearly 60 meters high, carried by four pillars, canopy. Under this sits the four-meter-high statue of Albert.



It is reminiscent of the husband of Queen Victoria.
Directly opposite is the Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences - the usable part of the memorial.
In the Albert Hall several types of major events take place: from symphony concerts (for example, the Proms) about pop concerts to boxing matches.



Last place on today's tour was Kensington Palace.
Although this palace looks a bit like a factory, he has experienced a lot.



Queen Victoria was born here. Princessin Diana lived here until her death - just as Princess Margaret, the sister of the Queen.
And now it is the London home of William and Kate.
We went to our London home and then to bed.





It was a long, eventful day.
Twixx

Hello,
Thursday was our last day in London. Only a short day and still soo much to see.
We had to limit ourselves to the essentials.
Past modern buildings



and ancient pubs



we drove towards Tower.

We crossed the famous Tower Bridge.



The bascule bridge - built in neo-Gothic style - was opened in 1894.
1977 - to celebrate the silver jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, the metal parts of the Tower Bridge were painted in the British national colors red, white and blue. This color scheme remained until today.

After a walk over the bridge





we headed to the Tower of London.





Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London (the official name) is a fortified complex of buildings along the Thames at the southeast end of the City of London.



The ring castle with two fortification rings served the English and British kings, among others, as a residence, armory, workshop, warehouse, Zoo, garrison museum, mint, prison, archive and execution site.



Originally, the tower was built in the 11th century as a fortress of William the Conqueror against potentially hostile citizens of the city of London.



UNESCO declared the Tower in 1988, a World Heritage Site.

We walked around the Tower, through the Tower. Upstairs and downstairs.





This is "The Shard"



completed, it will be Europe's tallest building.





Behind these walls are the crown jewels.



The crown jewels of the kings and queens blinded us. Gold and jewels - so big and so much, you can't imagine.
Photographing was unfortunately "strictly forbidden".

Jasper tried to explain everything to us, but we could barely keep anything.





Too many impressions.



Ooh - a story stayed with me:
In Tower live six ravens.
The legend says, if the ravens leave the Tower, the kingdom will perish.
Thus the Ravens can not fly away, the wings are clipped, and a "spare Raven" is held.
Haha, so cunning.
This is one of the six.



At the end of our London trip we took a boat trip on the Thames.



Last impressions of a beautiful journey.











That's it from London - next time again from Switzerland.

Twixx

Hello Mom,
barely right at home, we were able to greet the next guest.





NiliHH came with many sweets and a beautiful postcard.



Big group hug - and





Welcome to our gang!



Big hug
Twixx

Hello home
as our weekend trip turned out (heavy thunderstorm, the road has been spilled) Jasper comforted us with a pizza.





A pizza from sweets.




Bye for now
Twixx

Hello There,
we will take a trip, no matter what the weather report says.
We make our way to Flims in canton Grisons.
There lies on 997m above sea level, tucked away in the woods, one of the most beautiful mountain lakes of Switzerland - the Caumasee.
The first view of the turquoise lake let us cheerfully start.





Through wild meadows



and unspoilt woods brought us our path to the viewing platform Conn.





First impressions of the gorge.













This is the platform.





"Il Spir" (swifts) is called this platform for their birdlike appearance.
It extends diagonally across the 400m deeper Anterior Rhine Gorge.







Then it was time for a break.
Apple pie and coffee gave us the strength for the way forward.



Wild strawberries, mushrooms and escargots were our companions for a certain time.









Then we reached again the Caumasee. The short rain shower caused a particular mood.



This color - something truly special.





We enjoyed the rest of the way.











After five hours we arrived back to our starting point.
A last look at this beautiful lake.



Maybe I'll be back someday.

Hugs and kisses
Twixx

Hi mom
we deserved an Oscar. An Oscar for whining.
First it was too cold, then it was too wet and now it's too hot.
But it's really too hot. For days, temperatures above 35 °.
We can barely drag ourselves out to the balcony.
Between all the vegetables - which like the weather - there are a few cool spots.

















Eating a cake and do nothing - that's the best.




Bye for now
Twixx

Hi Mom
while we enjoyed the sun on the balcony, Jasper brought us a newcomer.



The little sheep comes from China, introduced herself as Rachel and brought beautiful postcards and sweets.





We warmly welcomed and gave her a big group hug.



Then we enjoyed a leisurely afternoon together.



Love
Twixx

Hi mommy
Today we took a hike to the Schwendi lakes.
The Schwendi Lakes lie between Gamser- and Chäserrugg (two of the seven Churfirsten mountains) in a hollow in a sheltered flat moorland of national importance. When the Schwendi glacier about 14,000 years ago melted, he left the hollow in which the lakes were dammed. In the following millennia caused by siltation of the lake shore gradually the moors.
A funicular took us to 1340 meters above sea level. Here we started our hike.
We had a nice view of the opposite side of the valley. There we saw the Schafberg and the Säntis.







After about an hour we reached the first lake.





On an information board was everything worth knowing about the formation of mountains and moorland.



On a boardwalk we went deeper into the bog.



The lakeshore can only be reached through a single web. This of course was crowded.
So we contented ourselves with this sight.



We walked on and marveled at the many, various bog plants.



Up here the plants bloom between May and September. Therefore, the meadows are now very colorful.









We have also discovered such romantic places.



Even lotus flowers grow here.



And a lot more.



This is the second Schwendisee. Because you reached its water surface only by a marshy reeds, it is much quieter here.
On a bench, we rested and gathered strength for the descent. After all, it was necessary to overcome 300 meters in altitude.





Last panorama before descending, Jasper knees tremble already.



Here we go.



Safe and happy back home greets you
Twixx

Hi mom
Today was hiking again. We climbed two of the highest mountains of the 7 Churfirsten. Chäserrugg (2262m) and Hinterrugg (2306m).



Because it was so hot in the morning (26 °), we took the cog train for a large part of the way.
Once at the first summit, we were able to recover us at 14° and fresh wind.





Then we took the "Flower Trail," to explore the summit.
The first part of the trail led along the northern summit ridge.



We saw lush Alpine pastures,







many well-known







and even more flowers and herbs whose names we did not know.







We admired rock formations,



and far below us appeared out of the haze the Walensee.











The Seez Valley



On these meadows you can see ibexes on cooler days.





Then we headed for the second summit.



No pictures of the ascent: Jasper had enough to do to climb up the narrow rocky staircase.
60 m shaky knees and we could again out of the backpack and enjoyed a beautiful view of the Thur valley





and the new mountain station on the Chäserrugg.



This avalanche control holds back approximately 163,000 cubic meters of snow.



At this abyss - and the view to the next summit ends our walk today.



Safe in Jaspers backpack we were on our way home.
Jasper climbed and we dreamed of meadows, flowers and ibexes.

Kisses
Twixx

Hi mom,
the last weekend we spent at Lake Thun.
Jasper helped her daughter and family move house.
Actually, a trip was planned to the Jungfraujoch for Sunday.
The weather was unfortunately too bad: snow at -2 °.
So we spent Sunday in Thun and made a boat trip to Spiez.
We had the choice: by bus or by boat to Thun. Of course, we chose the ship.







It looked very gorgeous.



Arriving in Thun, we walked along the river Aare.





Over old bridges with magnificent flower arrangements





and through underpasses with a special look,



we arrived at the old town.









Then our way led us over many, many stairs up to the castle.



A few years ago it was still used as a prison. Today a Museeum, a photo gallery and a restaurant are housed there.



Near the castle is the town church.



Then we went back to the dock and boarded the ship to Spiez.
The ride was enjoyable and we saw many nice places on the lake shore.







In the distance we could see the mountains Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau.







In Spiez arrived, we took a tour of the village.





We saw the castle



and a blimp.



Spiez is nice, but nothing special - a typical holiday village.
That was my weekend.

Greetings and kisses
Twixx

Hi mom,
Today it was time to say goodbye.
I GET HOME.
With a large cake Party my adventure "Switzerland" comes to an end.









The best wishes of my friends join me on my journey.























Jasper's sad, but she wishes me all the best - and hopes that I can fulfill my last Life Mission.

My greatest wish: to see you again.
Twixx