Travelog for: Lenny Lion

We said farewell to Charlie B. today.

We had some apple pies.

Have a safe journey little mouse.

It's party time! It is Captain Caramel's birthday.

There's a candle on the cake.

After the cake, we played with these balloons!

On our way home, we went via Magna, an industrial science museum set in an old steelworks near Rotherham/Sheffield.
There were 4 zones. The first zone we went to was Water.

A whirlpool exhibit.

Part of a water exhibit with a water wheel.
Next, we went to Fire.

This is a fire tornado.

Lighting isn't that good for photographs with the fire tornado.

Next stop was Air. This is a musical exhibit with tubes and things.

The exhibit can be quite noisy.

We then went for a game of Air hockey.

The air blows through holes in the table and lifts up the puck ever so slightly.

This is a frequency exhibit with little polystyrene balls bouncing.

This is a different frequency.

Before going on to the final area, we caught some of the Big Melt show, a reconstruction of how they made steel. This is the arc furnace.

We went to the final area, Earth. The set up is quarrying "rocks" and these get picked up by the children and taken somewhere by wheelbarrow before going on conveyor belts and distributed either back to the "quarry" or to a chute.

Can you see the "rocks" on the conveyor belt?

We've already said goodbye to Pippi, regit brown, Captain Caramel and Baconella.
Mummy, is this a new visitor?

Let's open it up.

I hope he can squeeze through this hole.

Yes! he's free. Hello, my name is Lenny Lion, nice to meet you Frankie_Blue

Today, Royal Mail issued some nice stamps and my mummy went out and bought some.

Do you like them?

Today, mummy got two parcels in the post

I wonder who our new visitors will be!

The new visitors are Belka and my brother, Rendolph

Some of the toys are going away on their travels tomorrow, so we thought we'd have a game of Cluedo playing in teams

However, we spent far too much time chatting instead of concentrating on the game and we all drew the 8th clock leaving the crime unsolved.

Mummy, thank you so much for finding someone for me to go and visit. 3 of my siblings are also off on their travels.

I'll write soon, I promise 

Hi Mommy,

I barely have time to unpack my stuff and settle down when we are off travelling again!  Today we arrive at the airport.  We are all so excited!



Are we there yet?  Are we there yet?



After we arrive, we are all very hungry.  We go to a place called Nando's Peri Peri Chicken.  It's Portuguese style African grilled chicken.  I am not sure what that means... only that it tastes delicious but a bit spicy.





For dessert, we got some nata pastry.  It has egg custard in it.



Then, we arrive at the Union Station train station.  Opened in 1907 it  was a very busy transportation terminal until trains ceased to be the major mode of transportation.  After some disuse, the station was reopened with shops inside and today is again one of the busiest place in Washington.  We come here to join a bus tour of the monuments.



Our first stop is the Jefferson Memorial.  Thomas Jefferson is
an American Founding Father and the third President of the United States.



In the background you can see the Washington Monument.



This is the statue of Jefferson.  On the wall are excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, written in 1776.



Next we visit the Roosevelt Memorial.  Roosevelt can be said to be the most popular American president because he served president for four terms, a total of 12 years (he died 5 months after his third re-election)!

Hmm, I guess Roosevelt is really popular!!  We couldn't get close to take a nice picture!



We took a picture with the statue of his dog, Fala.



This statue represents a man listening to Fireside Chat, a series of broadcast where the president talked to the American people, reassuring them during the war and the Great Depression.



On the wall is etched part of a speech he gave during WW2:

"I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen men coughing out their gassed lungs. I have seen the dead in the mud. I have seen cities destroyed. I have seen 200 limping, exhausted men come out of line—the survivors of a regiment of 1,000 that went forward 48 hours before. I have seen children starving. I have seen the agony of mothers and wives. I hate war."



Hmm, I think he sounds like a nice president. I would vote for him too!

This statue is a relatively recent addition to the memorial park.  It shows Roosevelt in a wheelchair.  His disability was not publicized during his life, but after his death people put up this statue to show that a person is not limited by disability.



We then visit Lincoln Memorial, built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.  The memorial has been the site of many famous speeches, including Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.





On the wall is The Gettysburg Address,  delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War and considered one of the greatest speeches in American history.  It begins with the phrase "Four score and seven years ago."



Last we visit the Vietnam War Memorial.  It's too dark to take pictures.



This is the directory listing the names of those who fought in the war.

Today we go to visit Old Town Alexandria.

We have to take the Metro.  First we need to get a ticket.



Let's wait for the train.



Here it comes!



Let's check the map to make sure we get off the right station.



Old town Alexandria was first settled in 1749, and is a historic district.



This is the city hall.



Across from it, is the Gadsby's Tavern.



It was built around 1785, and is a U.S. National Historic Landmark.



What's so special about this place?  George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were among its customers.  President Andrew Jackson spent the first night of his presidency at the tavern; he sneaked out through a window of the White House because he didn't like the inaugural party, and walked to the Tavern!



In front of the city hall is the Market Square.  It is believed to be one of the oldest continuously operating marketplace in the United States, (from 1753 until present day) and was once the site of the second-largest slave market in the U.S.  Today it contains a large fountain and extensive landscaping, as well as a farmers' market each Saturday morning.  We released a BookCrossing book at the fountain.



We walked to the Founders Park.  The riverfront area was called West Point in the early 1700's, and was the first important European settlement along the waterfront, leading to the founding of the town Alexandria.



Behind us is the Potomac River.





It's a beautiful walk along the shore.







We stop by this tree.  It is planted in memory of the daughter of one of host's friends.  The 10-year-old girl Becky was killed when riding a bicycle. 



The Torpedo Factory Art Center is so named because it was, no kidding, the U.S. Naval Torpedo Station during the wars!  When the war ended, the building was eventually given to a group of artists to use as studio.



It may be hard to believe but we came across some other TVs by chance!!  Their mommy is Swan.  We take a group picture together.

Tonight we have dinner at the hotel.  We are here in Washington DC for a special event, the 10th anniversary of BookCrossing.



The organizers and the president.  They dyed their hair different colors for a fundraiser for this event.



Even the U.S. President, Obama, is here to celebrate!!



This cheese platter is arranged to look like Ballycumber, BookCrossing's mascot.



The participants talk about books while we try to put together the Capitol building (after accidentally taking it down like a Godzilla...)

Today we visit the National Museum of the American Indian.  It's the newest addition to the National Mall Smithsonian museums.

Outside the museum are some sculptures of tipis, the tents that some tribes live in.  We released a [url=www.bookcrossing.com]BookCrossing[/url] book about Native Americans there.



Here is a beautiful display of figurines. 



Here are some metal crafts.



This is a statue of Pocahontas, I think.



The first part of the exhibit is Our Universes, and introduces the creation myth and cultural philosophies of different tribes.  It examines the past 500 years of history from a Native point of view.



Here is a display of ceremonial objects.  Including some corns, animal horns and gourd.



These are some scary masks!



But this one is almost cute!



These are parkas made by Alaska Natives. 



A beaded doll, boots, and a baby carrier.



This part of the exhibit Our Lives, focusing on the cultural, social, linguistic and political issues of Native people and communities in the 21st century.



It talks about issues they face today, such as keeping their traditions.



There is also an exhibit of contemporary arts created by Native Americans.



A display of eating utensils outside the restaurant.  The restuarant features a Native-inspired menu that represents five different regions of the Western Hemisphere. Entrées include fire-roasted cedar-planked salmon, buffalo burgers, Indian fry bread, tamales and other dishes.



Here is an exhibit of watercrafts. 

This one called outrigger canoe is used in Hawaii.  The outrigger float is called the ama, and helps stabilize the boat in wavy conditions.



This is a canoe made with animal skins.



This boat is made with some kind of weed or grass.



We sit inside this kayak.



This type of totem is typical of Northwestern Native Americans.  Unfortunately we couldn't remember what is the story.  We think it's a squirrel and a coyote...



We visit the gift shop.  These dreamcatchers will trap bad dreams while letting the good ones pass through.



These wooden chickens are really cute!



Little toys made from Pevurian gourds.



Corn is a popular food of the Native Americans.  Here's some popcorn to enjoy!

We left the American Indian museum and continue on to the next one.  The Smithsonian Institution has a total of 19 museums and a zoo, all free entrance to the public.  Many of the museums are in an area called The Mall: Air and Space Museum, American Art Museum, Natural History Museum, Freer Gallery of Art,  African American History and Culture Museum, as well as American History Museum, which we are visiting next.  At both ends of the Mall you can see the Capitol building and the Washington Monument. 





Continental gunboat Philadelphia is the only surviving gunboat built and manned by American Forces during the Revolutionary War.  It was built and sunk in 1776.



This is a model of how the boat might look like.



Next we visit some exhibits about the children of presidents.  This is a toy house built for one of the children. 



A representation of the streets named after presidents. 



There is an exhibition about the First Ladies' dresses.  This one was worn by Martha Washington, George Washington's wife in the early 1780s.



On the left side is  white silk damask evening gown Julia Grant wore in the early 1870s.  The rose-patterned fabric was a gift from the emperor of China.  Lucy Hayes wore the gold damask and cream satin gown displayed on right to the White House New Year’s reception in 1880.



These are the dresses worn by Hilary Clinton and Laura Bush at their inaugural balls.



And this pretty white one was worn by Michelle Obama, our current First Lady.



Next we visit an exhibit about African American slavery.  It's very sad to read about the cruelty they endured.





American buffalos used to roam the land.  Now they are very reduced in numbers. 



The museum shows how people lived in the past.  It's a lot of work for small tasks, like washing clothes!!



This marble statue was sculpted for the centennial of George Washington's birth.  He is considered the father of the country.  The statue was modeled after Greek God Zeus, but unfortunately when it arrived in Washington, DC in 1841, it generated controversy and criticism. Many found the sight of a half-naked Washington offensive, even ridiculous.  In the end, the people decided to just build an obelisk.

Well, I don't find it so awful, but I imagine at that time people are not used to seeing people not properly dressed.



There's an exhibition about pop up books.  We really like that, the books are so beautifully crafted.



These open up as stars.



In the exhibit about transportation, this depicts the first automobile drive across the country in 1903.



Trains are very important, even today, in transporting goods, as well as people. 



This is how a school bus used to look like.



Finally at the basement level is an exhibit of Julia Childs.  She introduced French cooking to the Americans. 



The moved her kitchen into the museum.



She had many gadgets in her kitchen, from old fashion mortar and pestle to new electric blender. 

Tonight we have dinner at the hotel for the BookCrossing convention. 

We have the organizers explaining what the future plans are, and an author as guest speaker.  Then some members from Ireland come on stage to tell us about next year's convention in Dublin.  Wish I could be there.



We take a picture with Orange and Wolle, whom we met yesterday.  Orange decides to come with us to visit Florida.  We are so excited! 

Today we go to the National Zoo. 



We release a book about Giant Panda here.



There are lots of pandas here in the gift shop! 



We check out the small mammals.  This one is a monkey with a funny face.



There are lots of little animals like moles, monkeys, porcupines, squirrels and more, but they don't like posting for the camera.

Can you spot the tiger in the cave?  We release a tiger book here too.



I am so especially excited to see my friends.  Hmm, that lion is a lucky guy, with lots of girls around him.  I need to get some girlfriends too.



We also see a cheetah, the fastest animal on earth.  But of course, not as fierce as a lion is.



This is a praire dog, although it doesn't look a bit like a dog to me. 



We release a book at this Praire Dog statue.  The book is titled The Blue Fox, but since that part of the exhibit is closed we release it here.  It has been caught!!