Travelog for: Snegovik

Hey ! look !!! I'm far from the sun of Miami !!
You could believe it is snow, but it is just frost in fact.


Mistigree went to work with her bike and I can tell you I was not reassured on the road because it was slippery !!


The reason why I came to Mistigree's work today is that there was a Christmas meal in the student refectory where Mistigree uses to eat every day (she doesn't work here and she's not a student but she can eat there though !)
They had decorated the refectory with moss, pine cones and clementines for the occasion .


And of course the tables were festive as well !
What I got in my hands is a card to show I did well reserve and pay my meal some days before !


As an entrée, we had a little glass (called "verrine" in French) with something that tasted like salmon with cream, and then a slice of some kind of "foie gras".


Then I feasted on a guinea fowl leg served with roasted potatoes, mushrooms and carrots (I was afraid they cut my nose to serve it for the meal !)


Before the dessert, we had some cow cheese with black cherries marmelade.


And of course... a Yule log as a dessert ! I chose a caramel one and it was delicious !! After the meal Mistigree returned to work. As for me I had a little siesta on her desk !

I moved to Ger last Saturday. It is the village where Mistigree's parents live. We're going to spend Christmas here with her family.
I met Mistigree's nephew and we got the job of the Christmas tree, so I helped him to bring the decorations from the attic to the room where the Christmas tree had to be.


I even dived into the garlands just for fun (and also to make Mistigree's nephew laugh!)


Hey ! A snowman ! I like his white and blue squared scarf !


Here is the result of our co-operation ! A Christmas tree a little bit loaded, but it is not Christmas every day, don't you agree ?


Then I installed the crib with Mistigree's nieces. It is the same characters as when Mistigree was a child, so they should have at least 35 years and even more ! Not everyone in the family believes in Jesus, but they used to have a crib though !


As the donkey was lost (or broken ?) we replaced it by an elephant, and I even put a tree inside his trunk !

Hopefully there is a chimney here. It doesn't work anymore, but it will allow Father Christmas to come down here !


Mistigree's nieces made some drawings and they hang them on the chimney as a present for him ! They even wrote some words to ask him if he could sign a paper for herselves (yes, like a star !)


While everybody was sleeping, I stayed near the chimney when suddenly I heard a big BANG !! It was Father Christmas, but poor him, he landed his head in the flowers !


I helped him to get up but I must say he's a quite heavy man !


He told me he was a bit in a hurry because he had many others houses to visit, and therefore I suggested to help him in his task.


He had plenty of gifts for everybody. Hopefully they were all marked with little tags and the name of the appropriate person.


Some of the gifts were so heavy that they needed to be carried by the both of us !


Well ! What a hard job to be Santa Claus ! It is so exhausting ! Hopefully we managed to place all the presents for everybody to find them around the chimney the day after.


Before leaving, he wrote a few words for Mistigree's nieces. It says "Dear children thank you for your beautiful drawings" !

This is me after all the presents have been opened !


Usually, there is a midnight supper for Christmas, but Mistigree's family prefers to have a meal the day after. As I wanted to be helpful, I dressed the table.


And then... I waited to be served ! You will notice that the papernapkins suit to my nose !


As an entrée, we had some smoked salmon with mini tomatoes and some different flavours yummy tartlets



I was then assigned to the toaster to make some toasts for the "foie gras" (Mistigree is the only one in the family who doesn't like it !!!!)


To change from the stuffed turkey that people usually eat for Christmas, there was beef in a pastry case served with roasted potatoes and mushrooms.



I smelt the wine to see if I had a glass served or no...


Yes, I did and it was delicious !


There were no Yule log as a dessert because Mistigree's nephew is allergic to eggs, butter, milk and all sort of things, so we just ate some fruits (anyway, we were full !) and Mistigree gave me some "papillottes" also. I don't know how to translate that in English, but they are chocolate sweets.


Inside every papillotte's wrapping, there is a paper with an anecdote written on it. This one was about a parisian club of chocolate crazy persons that was created in Paris at the begining of the XX century !

Let me introduce you to Absinthe. She's a really pleasant dog but she has tangled hair and... she's a bit stinking too !


Therefore Mistigree decided to give her a bath and I helped to apply the shampoo.


Yuk ! Look at this dirtiness !


After the bath, she was smelling good and I jumped on her back for some dog-riding !

We have come back to Toulouse today, and as Mistigree did not have time to prepare her Christmas tree here in Toulouse before Christmas, we did an after-Christmas tree ! Or I should better say : I DID the after-Christmas tree alone.
Mistigree gave me this big box where she stows her Christmas decorations.


WOW !! All these things !! Most of them are violet or claret because Mistigree likes those colours.


Have you seen my new scarf ?? It is like a feather boa !!


Mistigree is not fond of traditionnal garlands, therefore she prefers to use feathers as a garland, or little pompoms.


I enjoyed very much all the different decorations. There were balls of course...


... but also a little Christmas tree, a fairy, a cage (that Mistigree bought 12 years ago in England, and she likes it a lot !), a chair (!), a moon, an amphora, a lady gnome, books (as Mistigree is doing Bookcrossing)... I must say her decorations are very eclectic !



There were also 4 Santa Claus !





A feather star on the top...


... and we have a perfect after-Christmas tree !


I also met a friend snowman, he's called Néron ! Mistigree usually brings him to her work for Christmas, but this year she forgot to do it !


It is a very small snowman as you can see !

Mistigree and Mood who are (very old !) school friends are going to spend New Year's Eve together (they are not fond of big fiesta with many people !) and they are going to give each others their Christmas presents. Therefore I helped Mistigree to wrap Mood's presents.


Look at those strange boots that Mistigree is going to offer to Mood !!! She told me that Mood likes warm clothes (and pink colour) and that she chose them herself.


In the evening, Mood came with Amara Anthea, I was so excited to meet her !


At 8 pm, we watched Nicolas Sarkozy, the new French president who was expressing his New Years greetings to the French. Mistigree watched him to laugh at him above all she told me, as she's not fond of him ! I can not say, I don't know him, and ToyVoyagers are apolitical I explained to Mistigree.


We ate very yummy toasts with dried meat (it is called "viande des Grisons" and it comes from Switzerland) and tzatziki (from Greece)


And then, just salad (but with many things inside : walnuts, croûtons, lardons...) and a mushrooms tart. It was enough because wewere already full just after the toasts !!



What I prefered was the dessert, a kind of Cappuccino mousse.


Mood and Mistigree opened their gifts and Mistigree was happy : she's got a new plush that she adores ! It is a black and white cat called Huckelberry. She told me she won't make him travel (or maybe just with her) because she doesn't want him to get lost !

Here we are in year 2008 !! Happy New Year kristl !!! I miss you !! I miss you so much that I need to eat to forget that I miss you !!
For breakfast we had a "galette des rois" (Twelfth Night cake). Usually it is only eaten from the 6th of January, but... I couldn't wait and I wanted to taste it before !


I got the charm, but I wonder if Mistigree did not give me the part with the charm on purpose so that I am happy !
The charm was... a rugby player !! (Rugby is THE local sport here !)


HIP HIP HOORAY FOR KING SNEGOVIK !

We went to the town centre today and we saw they had replaced the Christmas scenery in the courtyard of the townhall by something else...


In fact they have hung little pupills drawings representing Christmas time or New Year wishes. It is a good idea and it was very pleasant to look at ! It was so colourful !


"Joyeux Noël" means "Merry Christmas" in French.


And "Bonne année" means "Happy new year".


I found this drawing perfect to represent ToyVoyagers because it represents the earth and all the different people living on it !


Of course, there were snowmen drawings too.


That one has the same profile as me !

Today, the natural history museum of Toulouse opened again ! It was closed for years for it to be renovated ! We did not go to see it because there would have been too many people and Mistigree prefers to wait some weeks before visiting it, but in the town there were some things to celebrate the reopening, such as this giant egg...


... or those footprints on the ground that lead to the museum if we follow them !


Nothing to deal with the museum this time, but they also installed a little ice rink on the Capitole place (where the Christmas market was held) ! I did not try it because the last time I skated on the ice, remember, I felt down !

Mistigree told me I had to leave tomorrow. I asked Calixte (a black duck who seems to be a tough customer !) to help me hanging my tag on my scarf.


He read my tag with much attention and asked me to tell him about ToyVoyaging ! I think I've attracted a new follower because after that, he asked Mistigree if she could register him on the website !


Mistigree took a last picture of both of us, but maybe we will meet again later during our trips, who knows ?

Here we are... ! I left France this evening !
Ready to visit Pandamao in Germany !

Climbed out of the box today - a small crowd of curious toyvoyagers was waiting to warmly welcome me. Also Sylphide and Tenderbear had arrived at the same day. We're going to have a lot of fun 

Today Barthélémy wanted to visit the "Alter Südfriedhof" (Old South Cemetery) so I just came along.

This is what I read about the cemetery:

It is a little known fact that Munich's oldest green area is 450 years old, that it's in the heart of town and that it's a cemetery - the Alter Südfriedhof. The cemetery is something of a conservation area and bears unique testimony to the city's cultural history. Its romantically overgrown graves, tombs and mausoleums pay homage to distinguished Munich figures - artists, architects, master builders and scientists.

In the plague year 1523 graveyards within the city walls were so overfilled that a new cemetery - the "Äußerer Freithof" - was opened outside the city gate at the Sendlinger Tor. The cemetery wall and all the buildings were later destroyed as a preventative military measure in the Thirty Years War. Well into the 18th century the cemetery was looked on as a poor man's burial ground. In 1844, a new section designed by Gärtner was added and it continued to be Munich's central burial ground up to 1868.

The cemetery suffered severe bomb damage in 1944-45. Today, only a quarter of the graves are identifiable and many are in urgent need of renovation. Work is underway.