Travelog for: Sampson

Hi Everyone!! I am Sampson, I am so happy to be out of the store, and with a great family! I have two brothers, one is 4 and one is 5! They are really fun. My new mom actually has arranged for me to travel the world. I am so excited!! I have visited with @Sierra and @Smokey (they are both about to go on adventures) about what a Toy Voyager is and I am really excited to get started!! I cant wait to show my travels with my family

Hi Mummy,
I arrived in Germany today!

I landed in a city called Remscheid, situated in the German state North Rhine-Westphalia.

I was welcomed by my first host Katja and a whole flock of ToyVoyagers. There is even another giraffe among them

Let me introduce Squirt, Fiona, K-Bear, Levi, Clifford and Kirin to you.





Love
Sampson

Hi Mummy,
as soon as I arrived here we went to take a walk because the weather was so nice. Katja told me that nobody knows how long this weather will last.

Soon after we started we reached the municipal park with an elementary school it it.





We went downhill through the park.



We reached a district called "Hasten" than, one of the oldest districts of the city. Here you can see lots of nice old houses, mostly half-timbered houses or houses which are covered with slate.

We saw this garden center, already selling spring flowers.



Katja told us that we would pick up a friend who wanted to walk with us. Can you see the rangy landscape?



Katja's friend is living in a housing area with mostly one family homes.



More lovely landscape around ...









This was a lovely trip, but it is cold here! About 0°C.

Bye
Sampson

Hi Mummy,
Katja took me, Kirin and Levi out for a walk today. We went with her brother-in-law and his dog Bertie. We started in Hohenhagen, a housing area in Remscheid.



Can you see the television tower? It is built on the highest point of the municipal area of Remscheid.



We walked along open fields on the left side and a business area on the right side.







A little rest ...





These are the very first flowers in the forest (except of snowdrops in the gardens).









Too soon we reached the car ...



Bye
Sampson

Hi Mummy,
today I met Katja's pets - three cheeky ferrets!

This is Zaehnchen.



And here are Brighty and Shiva, the one in the laundry basket.



They are extremely curious



Bye
Sampson

Hi Mummy,
today we made a trip to the neighbour city Wuppertal to take a long walk.



In Wuppertal they have a walking- and cycling trail built on a closed railway track, it is called "Sambatrasse". Is is beginning in Wuppertal-Cronenberg and is leading to Wuppertal-Vohwinkel, about 10 km long. We walked a short part of it in Cronenberg. Here one of the old trains is parked.



From a bridge we had a fantastic overview. In the background you can see the city centre of Remscheid, situated on a hill, with its two characteristic towers of the city hall and the water tower.



In Cronenberg we walked through the town center.



Cronenberg is an old district with lovely old houses.



Springtime is coming!



An arboretum is situated here, a collection of trees. Fiona was eager to see the trees of North America, so we walked along the trail showing those trees.







We also found some pieces of artwork in the forest, like this carved mushroom.



At the end of our tour we found a map.



When we walked back home, we saw more signs of springtime in the gardens.



I had fun watching my shadow in the late afternoon sun



Bye
Sampson

Hi Mummy,
Katja showed me around in the city centre today in her lunch break. First we went to buy some treats for the ferrets.

Here you can see the water tower, the one you can see from far aways next to the city hall.



This building belongs to the shopping mall, it is part of the parking deck.





We bought the treats for the ferrets in a large pet shop.





This is the central bus station.



An adult education centre is situated here.



From here we made a short side trip to a nearby cemetary.



We went back to the city ...



The shopping street is beginning here.



This is the main entrance of the shopping mall. The large fountain won't start running until late April.





Unfortunately we had to hurry back to work than.

Bye
Sampson

Hi Mummy,
we met Katja's friend today to take a walk together. First we had a look at the flowers in her garden. This is a blooming willow.



We went to Wuppertal-Ronsdorf than to take a walk in the surroundings of the dam.



It is only a really small dam. We found this information board, showing how the dam was constructed.



Katja told us that once a restaurant was situated in this lovely house.





Parts of this area belong to Wuppertal and some to Remscheid. We went through a hamlet which belongs to Remscheid, also with lovely old houses.



This is a rural area.





We went through another hamlet, this one belongs to Wuppertal.



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Here we also found spring flowers in the gardens.



Bye
Sampson

Hi Mummy,
today we had wonderful spring weather. Katja told me that we would take a walk with two friends and later will have lunch. Katja and her friend invited the third lady to a sushi lunch as a birthday present.

We went to Luettringhausen, one of several districts in Remscheid. It is an old district, so Katja showed me lovely old houses there. First we walked along one of two churches in the small city centre.







We found a replication of an historic mail box from the 1880's years. It is still in use nowadays.



From here we took a walk to a nearby valley. Look, spring is coming!!!





In the forest the soil is partly covered with anemones.



There are also a few houses in the valley. You can find a lot of those half-timbered houses here, they are typical for the "Bergisches Land", like this region is called.







We even saw deers - they were rushed by a tractor.



We went back through the city centre.



Than it was lunch time!



Katja told me that later we would visit an historic industrial site.

Bye
Sampson

Like I already told you we visited an historic industrial site in the afternoon, the Wülfing Museum. We visited an Easter market here.

This place once was a cloth mill, situated at the River Wupper in Radevormwald-Dahlerau. This company was founded in 1674 A.D. in Lennep, nowadays a district of Remscheid. Companies like this usually were established close to rivers because the machines were run by water wheels. Later the factory was one of the first one which was run by electricty which was gained from water turbines, steam engines and power transmission by line shaft.

Today the whole complex is under monument protection. Today still people are living in those old dwellings, the museum is situated here and other parts are still used by different companies.





Here you can see a model of the whole complex, embedded in the surrounding landscape.





We went back to Katja's friend than to spend the rest of this wonderful day relaxing in the garden.

Bye
Sampson

Hi Mummy,

today we met Katja's friend Kerstin and took a walk with her and her dog.

We went to Wuppertal, to Scharpenacken, a former army training area. This area was used for military purposes until 2004 A.D as a shooting range. Today there is a local recreation area with vast open areas.





A lot of people come here with their dogs to let them run and play. Because it is very windy here there are also some people with their kites.







Lots of trees and bushes are blooming.



Bye
Sampson

Hi Mummy,
we took a walk along the river Wupper today, in Solingen, the neighbour city. We started our trip in Balkhausen, a small hamlet in this rural area. Here we saw a lot of those typical half-timbered houses.





Most of those houses have a garden.



We met a ladybug sitting between the flowers.



You won't believe it, this ladybug is also a ToyVoyager, her name is Lady.

Lady told us that she hibernated in a nearby barn. She even told us that she knew our host Katja, she already was hosted by her! So Lady decided to come with us.

Such a lovely rural area!





Finally we reached river Wupper, in the background you can see it in the bottom of the valley.





This is river Wupper. Katja told us that usually there would be more water.





This place for resting is made of the old axis of a water wheel.



This old factory building is now a dwelling house.



We crossed the river here.









We rested in the country inn "Wupperhof" for a while, enjoying the sun in the beer garden.





We had a large beer



We even found more toys here, relaxing in a beach chair.



We tried to persuade them of also becoming ToyVoyagers, but Teddy Bear and Bunny liked their life in the beer garden.







What a gigantic cooking plate!



We had to walk back to the car than.

Part of the river can be separated here, this part of the river a protect zone for fish, so they can grow to adult size. Angling is forbidden here.



Bye
Sampson

Hi Mummy,
today it was time to say good-bye to all my friends in Germany. Katja helped me to pack my things and to look for a cardboard.



I'm on my way to miapearl now!

Bye
Sampson

I think I have arrived. I can hear the voices of a penguin, a bear, something going quack...

Let me out of here!

They heard me and said

"Welcome to Wales."

Hello Mum,
My host decided just to take me out with her family for the day to Llandudno

First off were some refreshments in a bookshop's cafe.

Shall I have water or shall I have a herbal tea?

This weekend, there is a Victorian Extravaganza with funfair rides, some old, some new.

They also had traction engines.

This one is nice and shiny.

And has been well kept and looked after.

Look at that big wheel. My host's son and husband are on it.

A lot of the rides have organs on playing music.

There were also a lot of newer fun things. Fun in the jungle!

There's a giraffe up there, hello bro!

I'm Mickey!

I'm Minnie!

I'm a sailor!

Some fun signs a shop sells!
We had a good time!