Travelog for: Jack the Cat

In the afternoon we and some members of my host's family club from their church went on a walk from Bruchsal to Unteröwisheim. We had dinner in a Besenwirtschaft called Kannenbesen. A Besenwirtschaft is a tavern selling homegrown wine. They only open the tavern for a part of the year. We all enjoyed the walk there, although it took about 2 hours to walk there - ok, we had been a bit slowly, because we talked too much.


We also walked through nice loess hollow-ways.

In the evening we finished the filling for the Biskuitkuchen (sponge cake). We used rhubarb and 2 eggs, sugar, Vanillepuddingpulver (custard powder) and rhubarb of course.














Then we had to cut the cake in two layers and fill it with the rhubarb cream.










We only decorated it with a bit powder sugar on the top layer.

Today I helped my host to correct some tests of her third graders. They had to answer questions to the theme weather.

Today I want to show you the recipe for my host's most favorite white bread.

At first we need 1kg white flour, dried yeast, 600g water, 25gr margarine (if you don't have a cooked potato - and we had no) and 25gr salt. We had to leave the yeast dough alone for a longer while until it looked like this.






Then we rubbed the dish with margarine and powdered it with flour.

For Easter Sunday we baked another rhubarb cake.




At first we had to read the recipe. It is the one in the middle, although they used gooseberries there.




Then we started to prepare the dough.












We had to cook the rhubarb.




The pot seems to be a bit small




Another pot for custard.










Then we had to fill the baking dish with the short pastry.




In the afternoon at our host's parents home we were allowed to eat a piece of our cake. It didn't look that well this time, because the whipped egg whites was just too flat.




They also had another cake, but it wasn't selfmade.




In the evening we ate some coloured Easter eggs.

We are still on Easter break, that's why our host asked us, if we would like to walk with them to a house called Odenwaldhütte, which is in Bruchsal too. The weather was nice, that's why we all said yes. They had lunch there and then walked back home with us. We had to walk one hour each way - really a lot for our short legs.




On our way home we saw this cross.




Next to the new apostolic church we looked down on Bruchsal.




After only a few footsteps more we saw the backside of the building called Sancta Maria.

Today is the day of the big wedding in London. All tvs decided to sit in front of the tv and watch tv for hours. We even found a British flag. You see, that it was 9.30am, when we finally sat down.

We saw so many people on the road, who tried to see the lucky couple.




We saw many people in interesting uniforms.




This couple was interesting too. The boy-tvs took a look at David Beckham and the girl-tvs on his wife with her funny hat.




Oh, who is coming here? We're excited.




It's William and his brother Harry. They really look good - that's what the girl-tvs say




The queen and her husband and prince Charles and his wife are coming too.





Oh, exciting, exciting. Here's the bride. Who sees her dress first?





How cute! These little girls and boys and the bride's sister on the way to the church.




The bride arrived at the church finally. We want to see the dress!




Oh, how beautiful!




William and Harry




The church is really big and the way very long. They even put trees in the church.




It is 12pm plus some minutes and finally Williama and Kate are together in front of the priest.




Here they say their marriage promise.





He gives her the ring. We learnt, that in Great Britain it isn't unusual, that only the bride wears a ring as sign of her marriage.




They sind "Jerusalem".




Then they played a fanfare especially composed for the wedding.




Here they all sing "God safe the queen".




Then they all walk out of the church. Take a look at the train.




What a joy, when they walk out of the church door.




The weather is fine, that's why the climb in an open carriage.




That's the queen and her husband in a closed carriage. It was scary, when they climbed in it.




Finally William and Kate arrive at the palace,




while others are still on the way.




It was fascinating to see how disciplined those thousands of people walking behind the police until they finally arrived at the palace too.




Finally the royal family shows up on the balcony.




We are waiting for the kiss and then there were two kissed, but we missed the second.







At last the royal air force flew over the Buckingham palace.

It is a special day today: the 10th birthday of my host's nephew. Usually they live in Karlsdorf, but they are on holiday on a farm in Grafenloch, which belongs to Wolfach-Kirnbach. He and his family invited us to come to visit them at this lovely place. They even organized beautiful weather, so we had been able to sit outside in the sun. We went on a one hour walk in the forest and I loved to see the mountains, woods and interesting houses, the Black Forest house.


We took this photo next to the house. What a nice view!




These cows belong to the farm.












Here's the Black Forest House. The typical Black Forest farmhouse - also referred to as a Black Forest house – has been built in this form for hundreds of years. You will find it mainly in the central and southern Black Forest. Here you can read more about those houses.






The left and middle house you can see belong to the farm were we were today.




All buildings except the one on the top belong to the farm. Maybe you see, that there are some clouds - a little thunder came, but it avoided the house so we were able to sit outside and drink coffee and eat cakes.




Before we drove home, we played a while at the water. But then some more clouds came and we had to hurry, because this time the thunderstorm reached our place too. We were lucky to sit in the car, before it started.

Before we drove home we drove to Heidelsheim to bring my host's son and his girlfriend home to her family. She lives in Heidelsheim, one of the suburbs of Bruchsal.

There is a medieval tower, the Katzenturm, next to their house. You can read more about Heidelsheim here.

I'm back in Münzesheim again. My host says, she loves this park and I love it too. I watched some ducks with their kids here.




























I found this nice flower and thought to pick it up for you for Mother's Day. My host told me, that this wasn't a good idea, but she asked me, if I would like her to take a photo with me and the flower and send some Mother's Day greetings and so here we are: Happy Mother's Day








Here you can see a piece of the Berlin Wall.

Hi Mum,

today we drove to Bad Neuenahr to celebrate a 60th birthday. For us it was more interesting, that we celebrated at an ostrich farm. I've seen so many ostrichs there - big, old, small, young.
We didn't walk through the farm, but drove with a little sort of train. The engine didn't work well at first, so we had to climb out of the waggons and go a few steps, but then everything was fine again. It took us about 2 1/2 hours for a way you normally need 1 1/2 hour. We were really tired, when we climbed into our car to drive home again - another 2 1/2 hours drive. Nevertheless it was a great day.

Bye, Jack





We zoomed, so you can see the ostrichs better.









Face to face - okay, you don't see me, but we looked in each others eyes.

Happy Mother's Day!

I want to send you these flowers via internet.



We are at my host's parents home to have lunch together. We will eat asparagus, Schnitzel in breadcrumbs, potatoes, mayonnaise and sauce hollandaise. Yummy, yummy!

Did I tell you, that Bruchsal and surroundings are famous for asparagus?





We've seen some blackbird babies, but it was just impossible to take photos of us with them, so here is just a photo of them.




At home again Petra's husband bought some icecream - yummy again.

Hi Mum,

there's such a beautiful weather today, that we toyvoyagers asked our host to take us with her and her daughter, while her daughter delivered a magazine called Konradsblatt.

At first we walked into the palace garden and I had a first look at the palace from far. I hope to come a bit closer next time.

Here you see one of the chestnut alleys.




From the same place you have a good view to this street with old houses.




Can you understand, that I want to get close? It looks really beautiful.



In the palace garden you find some statues. Four of them show the four seasons (winter, spring, summer, autumn) and four of them show the four elements (water, fire, earth and wind). Here you see the element water.




There is a nice pond in the palace garden, where you find ducks.




These houses also belong to the palace area. Behind this house you see the tower of the church St. Damian and Hugo.




The left part of this photo shows the church building. You see, that you have to walk a bit to come to the church tower.




We also stopped at this parking site. You can see me twice




From this place I had been able to see the middle part of the jailhouse. It's a really interesting building. Maybe I can take another photo of it later.




This was the last stop, before we drove home again.

Hi Mum,

today I watched the Eurovision Song Contest. Here's Lena from Germany singing "Taken by a stranger". All my hosts like this song and we too.








IHere is the group from Iceland,






these men are from Ireland




and the one from Sweden - cute, isn't he?




Countdown for voting

Estonia




Greece




Russia




France




Italy - we liked them too




Switzerland - much too less points for her




United Kingdom




Moldavia - crazy hats




Germany




Romania




Austria




Azerbaijan - it belongs to the European radio community or something - not sure about the right word for it. They won the Contest this year.




Estonia




Iceland




Serbia - it reminded our host of the seventies




Georgia




The tv hosts Judith Rakers and Stefan Raab







Between the songs they showed little movies of people of the song contest countries, who live in Germany. On this photo they are all together.



The motto of the show was "Feel your heart beat"




Anke Engelke also was host of the show.




She did a good job - the other two also did really well.




Stefan Raab at his best - making music




12 points goes to Malta - we had such a fun hearing, that most people say goes to, even if there are more than one point - and you can't give one point.







It is so late now and we are so tired, that we will fall in our bed now - we only have one bed for the toyvoyagers here, although there are so many at this home.

Today is the Summerday parade through Bruchsal. Pupils of Grundschule (first to fourth grade) and children of kindergarten walk together with their teachers thought the streets and sing songs about winter leaving and summer coming now. It's something like throwing the winter out of the town now and welcoming summer. Therefore they created special flowers small and big or they wear special clothes - e.g. some were dressed like frogs. Petra and her class were among these people who carried the big blue flowers (the first in the row of blue flowers). At the end of the parade - in front of the palace of Bruchsal - they burn a snowman and all children and many other people watch the event there, too. Today they had been really lucky, that the weather was fine just for the right time, because a short time before and just after the snowman had been burning it started to rain and thunder heavily again. We don't have photos of the burning, because Ralf stayed at his mother, where he took all the other photos.