Travelog for: Roots Bear

Hi mum,

When we got home from Groningen, a new tv had arrived!

We heard some strange sounds coming out of the envelop...



What is that???



It's TheOutsider!!



Hugs Roots

Dear mum,

In the province of Groningen, the village Warffum is every year an international dance-festival called Op Roakeldais. This is in the dialect of Groningen and means something like 'hoping for the best'.



People from all over the world come to Warffum for this festival that takes about a week. Dancegroups from for example Mali in Africa:



China:


Colombia:


Georgia:



The Netherlands:







South-Africa:



Guam:

'

Venezuela:



Mexico:



Poland:



On these photo's they where all getting ready for the parade in the centre of Warffum. It's a beautifull Dutch village.











After this we went to the hobby market. Marjolein bought some presents for her father who's 50th birthday is today. In the Netherlands is costum to buy mustard for people who are 50. And the also say that when you are 50 'you say Abraham'. So Marjolein also bought some stuff with Abraham on it. When a women is 50 the will 'see Sara'.

In a big tent some groups from the parade also danced on stage during a performance called 'The world dances in Warffum'.

These are the Scottish:



And Colombia:





Then it was time to go back to Groningen with the train. It's a journey of about half an hour.









It was a very cool and also hot day!!

Hugs Roots

Hi mummy,

A new tv arrived today! It's Claire! She is here because she is coming with us to Italy!



Atfortunately for her the weather was very bad today! But I guess she is used to that because she is from the Netherlands.



Love Roots Bear

Hi mum,

I went back to Groningen! We ate at a Tapasrestaurant. Tapas are little Spanish snacks. We ate lots of stuff like spare ribs, dates, lambs, melon in honey and lots more. And for dessert a chocolatecake!! The restaurant had some beautiful and colourfull stairs!! After diner we had some drinks on the Marketplace called the 'Grote Markt'. We also went to a bar called the Newscafé and to the cinema. To the movie called In Bruges. It was a weird but cool movie. All and all we had a really nice night in Groningen! And atfortunately the cat Garfield of Marjoleins parents still ran away when he saw me! Well, I can tel you he looks like his mother Dribbel, he is also black only a bit bigger, mencats are always bigger then women.

Best wishes,

Roots Bear

Hello,

In Nieuweschans, in the province Groningen, was a very cool festival today. It was called Celtic Midsummer Festival (in Dutch:Keltisch Midzomer Festival).



It was so cool! Lots of people where dressed up.









Asterix and Obelix where even there! There was a battle between the grown-ups and the children and the children won everytime! Of course I was cheering for them



We had beers and spare ribs.



And we danced to Celtic music from the Dutch band Rapalje. And the German band called Faun.







Marjolein coloured a candle and her boyfriend Kasper got a very cool stone mug with 'Rapalje' on it! They also bought special tea. Marjolein's mother bought lots of juwelery and she flirted with Obelix! He didn't have a shirt on and was getting very red in the sun. So she offered him some sunblock!

I had a great time!!

Hugs Roots

Hi mum,

Finja, the little bear tv arrived today. She is here to come with us on our trip to Italy. We will be leaving this monday! We are all very excited!

Hugs Roots

Dear mum,

It's almost time to leave for Italy! We will leave tomorrow from Den Bosch at 7:30 am with the bus to our first stop in Beek, wich is near Arnhem. From there we will get into the bus, that will get us to Italy! Firstly we will stop in Germany, near Freiburg, for a good night sleep in our first hotel. Tuesday we will continue our journey and in the evening we will arrive in Toscane, Italy! But I will not tell too much already, I will update as much as possible!

I have already learned some Italian:

Yes: sì
No: no
Thank you: Grazie
You're welcome: Per favore
Here you are: Prego
Fantastic: fantastico
I don't speak Italian: non parlo italiano
Do you speak English?: parla inglese?
0: zero
1: uno
2: due
3: tre
4: quattro
5: cinque
6: sei
7: sette
8: otto
9: nove
10: dieci
What time is it?: che ore sono?
Goodday/morning/afternoon: buongiorno
Goodevening: buonanotte
Hi: salve/ciao
Welcome: benvenuto
How are you?: come sta?
Have a nice meal: buon appetito
See you later: arriverderci
Have a nice holiday: buone vacanze

I will speak to you in Italy soon!

Hugs Roots

Dear mum,

Today was a traveling day. I am in France now, just over the bourder with Germany. Our hotel is very good, the bed nice and soft, and there is a swimming pool! Too bad it is too cold to swim. And because we are soooooo tired, we just went to sleep!



Apart from the nice bed, the view from the window wasn't all that.





Because there wasn't much to do in Sausheim, I decided to take a look in the minibar.





Woohoo let's have some drinks!!



We had a nice diner, a good night sleep, and after breakfast it was time to really go to Italy!

More traveling today! We went across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Wow I'm seeing a lot af the world today! I will show you some photo's of Switzerland.





This is the bus I am traveling with and will be traveling with for the next days.



We went through the Gotthard Tunnel and after that we almost where in Italy. Just a few kilometres now!



Our first stop is in Toscane. The town in called Montecatini Terme.



We took a strowl through the town.



There wasn't much time, so we went back to our hotel, had some diner and went right to sleep!

Time for the holiday to begin! I started in Pisa and saw the Tower of Pisa!!



This building is where people are baptisted in.

After our visit in Pisa, we had some wonderfull lunch in the mountains of Toscane. We tasted lots of wine and olives made from the people who live in the farm.

Then it was time to go to Lucca. Lucca is a wonderfull old city with lots of beautiful buildings and old squares.









This square used to be an amphitheater. They build houses on top of it, but it still has the shape of the theater.

Florence is the place to be, lalala Florence has to be the most beautiful city I have ever seen! Did you know that every year lots of tourists end up in the hospital because they are overwhelmed by the beauty of Florence? It's called the Stendhal Syndrome after this man called Stendhal. He is the first person of who it is known he fainted after seeing Florence. His heart stopped pumping and he coulnd't breath. Thank God none of us had these problems but it is such a beautiful city!

Santa Maria Novella



Campanile next to the Basilica San Lorenzo


Basilica San Lorenzo



Duome (Santa Maria Del Fiore)





Saint George (from Saint George and the Dragon) made by Donatello



The tourguide of the trip told us a story about this George. Donatello made this statue and showed it to his master. He asked him if there is anything wrong with George. His master answered: Yes there is something wrong. Donatello of course wanted to know what this was. But his master simply answered: I won't tell you, you have to find out yourself. Donatello wondered and wondered, he looked at George and he could not find anything wrong with him. He got ill of these doubts. Donatello got so sick, that at one point he was actually dying. On his deathbed he asked his master: Please tell me, what was wrong with Saint George? His master said: He doesn't breath. He looks so real, if he breathed he could just walk towards us. And then Donatello could die in peace.
It's a wonderfull story, but in reality Donatello lived happily ever after, after making this statue. But it's a good story

David (waiting for Goliath) made by Michelangelo.



This is not the original David, that one is savely in a museum.
It stands on the Piazza Della Signoria.



Ponte Vecchio

The fifth day was a bit of a travelingday. We went to Siena first, but after that to our new hotel in Fiuggi. First Siena. This is a very old city from the Dark Ages.



It has a very famous square: Piazza Del Campo. The people of Siena call it the most beautiful piazza of the world. It has the shape of a shell.



Every year this Piazza turns into a racecourse. When the 'Palio' (horseraces) takes place, every person from Sienna goes to the Piazza. They stand on the inside of the square and the horses run on the outside.





Every part of the city have a horse in the race. And it doesn't matter if the jockey makes it to the finishline, when the horse makes it, the horse wins. Sometimes accidents happen because the jockey doesn't ride the horse on a sadle.





Duomo di Siena





We walked around the city for a bit and we had some really good pizza! Funghipizza (mushrooms) on the Piazza Del Campo.

After our visit to Siena, we travelled to Fiuggi. From this town we are going to Rome! I can't wait! Here are some views from thr bedroomwindow, looks pretty doesn't it?