Travelog for: Mister_Right

Hi Mummy,
we travelled to Stuttgart today. We got here by plane from Duesseldorf. We are visiting Katja's friend fam-united. Her husband picked us up here at Stuttgart Airport and we drove to Bruchsal than.

Hi Mummy,
we arrived at Bruchsal after an hour.

Bruchsal is a city at the western edge of the Kraichgau, about  20 km Northeast of Karlsruhe in the state of Baden-Württemberg.

We met Katja's friend here. Soon we took a walk.





Soon we reached he most significant church in Bruchsal, St. Peters Church, where the last of the Bishops of Speyer were laid to rest.





I had a good overview over this street with old houses from here.





We went to the city centre than and took a look at some pretty old houses.







River Saalbach is running through Bruchsal. This river is an Eastern feeding river to River Rhine.



I found another teddy bear close to my current home



On our tour through the town we came back where we started, at the church. There is a graveyard behind it.





We went home than for a while, because it was too hot outside.

In the evening we went out once more and went to Belvedere, which was originally designed as a Manor for fun and games, to which a shooting house was added for use in the shooting competitions often held by the Court.







Belvedere is situated high above the city centre. We had a great overview across the city from here.



Here you can see me with those ToyVoyagers hosted by olgamaus and those hosted by fam-united. Penny-Bo and Carlisle went with us to Bruchsal, but they are now hosted by Petra.



That's all for today.

Love
Mister_Right

Hi Mummy,
in the morning we visited an Asian garden in Münzesheim. This garden belongs to a therapy center for alcohol and drug addicts. This garden is one of the most impressive Asian gardens in Europe. All buildings and works of art are made by patients of the therapy center based on antique models. The garden is about 5.000 m² large, it is open for patients and visitors.





First we saw a pond with water lilies. It was surrounded by a fence with pretty little sculputres sitting on the balustrade.









Almost everything is made of ceramics; the benches, figures, statues and more.





We entered the "Blue Grotto" than. It is a small round room, which is almost completely blue inside. The ceiling is made of blue glass bottles, which were put into the concrete with their bottoms to the outside, the walls are covered with blue tiles and the floor also. Have a look ...









Here you can see the bottles. Daylight is coming into the grotto through those bottles and creates a surreal atmosphere.





In a surrounding wall there are holes with special stones from all parts of the world. Volcanic rock, flintstone, a piece of Berlin Wall and more. Here we found a piece of rock from Grand Canyon.







On an island in a pond you can find a cafe.



Of course you can find a wooden red bridge here.





I really like this garden.

We are on our way to Heidelsheim now. We stopped the car here to show you the beautiful landscape.

We went to Heidelsheim than. Here we saw an old standpost.





We saw pretty old houses here.





Here you can see the city gate.





The next photo is showing the Katzenturm "(cat tower). It was the home of the warder. It was built in 14th century at the highest point of the town. It was the warder's job to watch the town and warn the people if there was a fire or enemimes coming.



This is one of the churches here.

In the evening we went to Michaelsberg, which is a hill in the district Untergrombach, about 270 m high. A chapel was built there in 14th century, the one you can find there nowadays was built in the 1740 years. Michaelsberg is a pilgrimaga site.

This area is one of the first nature protection areas. It is a landmark at the Upper-Rhine.

We went here for having dinner in a nice prestaurant. After we ordered our meals, we took a look around.

Here you can see the restaurant and on the left side part of the chapel.





This is the chapel.



We had a fantastic overview from Michaelsberg.



Than we returned to the restaurant.

Dinner is coming - yummy!

What is looking like the left-over of a storm-flood are delicious Maultaschen (muzzle bags), a Swabian (Baden-Württemberg) specialty food, consisting of an outer layer of pasta dough with a filling traditionally made of minced meat, spinach, bread crumbs and onions and flavored with various spices. Because Katja is a veggie, she ordered Maultaschen with a spinach-an-leek-filling, with onions and topped with melted cheese.



It's wonderful, I can tell you

In this region they also make a lot of wonderful beer. We had a large beer in a stein.



As you can see it was already getting dark than, so we went to the edge of the hill once more to enjoy the sunset.







Bye for today
Mister_Right

Hi Mummy,
it's our last day here  with Katja and fam-united. So we went into town to visit the baroque castle.

Close to our house we saw grapes growing along a house.



We went there through the city centre.



In this pretty buiding the local tax office is situated.



We reached the castle than. Sorry, it is called "Château", which really sounds better.





The Château of Bruchsal was built in the baroque style of the mid 18th century starting around 1720 and served as the official residence of the bishops of Speyer. Its center was a three-winged building. In World War II the Château was badly damaged as a result of the aerial bombings aimed at Bruchsal and burned out completely. The large central part of the building was reconstructed (well into the 1970s) as a museum.







In the park we saw fountains and statues.



There are four statues symbolizing the four seasons. This is the statue for winter.





Another four statues are symbols for the four elements. This is the one for earth.





FoxForce decided to come with us. We was staying with fam-united for some time. Now it's time for him to move to another place.



All ToyVoyagers which visited Bruchsal today were sitting on this tree.







We went back home than. It was so hot that it was hard to bear. On our way home we walked through another park. Here we saw the old keep of a medieval castle.



We also saw this statue here. Is is a symbol for international understanding.



We hurried home than. We had to pack our things and lunch was waiting for us. In the afternoon we have to get back to the airport.

When we came home Petra's kids had filled the pool. Katja made a paper boat for us, so we could take a boat ride in the pool.

In the afternoon we went to Stuttgart airport to fly home again.

From the roof of the car park we could see the famous Bosch-Parkhaus (Bosch-car park). It spans across the motorway A8.
The car park has space for 4200 vehicles on five stories. The logo is the second largest illuminated sign in the world and the biggest logo in the world after the unlit Hollywood Sign.





We went to the airport than, checked in and went to the visitors terrace. From here we could see some planes landing and starting.





On the visitors platform they have an exibition of old planes and helicopters. We had a look at them.







At 17:15 it was time to go to our gate than. From Duesseldorf we went home by train.

Bye
Mister_Right

Hi Mummy,
Katja went to the public library today. She took me and Lucy K with her.

Here we are in front of the public library.





Katja had a look at the audio books first. She chose one of Elizabeth George.



I can see only books.





Here are the cooking books.



You can find novels on the second floor.



That's all for now
Mister_Right

Hi Mummy,
we took a walk today in the neighbour city Solingen. We walked along the River Wupper for about 6 km and than back.

First we went buying some things in a nearby wholefood-shop. We parked the car and had a look across the valley, where our trip will start.



I saw lamas on a meadow, but they did not come closer. Katja has to cuddle every animal in sight





This is River Wupper.



You can find many old houses in the valley, they are called "Bergische Häuser" (Bergisch houses) because this reason is called "Bergisches Land".



This house (house?!) is completely overgrown with Virginia creeper. It was a factory building once.



This is a really pretty landscape.



This donkey was willing to be caressed behind his long ears



This hamlet is called "Unten-Rüden". This seems funny because "Rüde" is the German word for a male dog.



It is a rural area here.







The first acorns!



Behind those flowers River Wupper is flowing. Do you also know impatients in England? They are also called "Touch-me-not".



After a 10-km-walk we finally rested on a thick branch for a while (Oops - River Wupper is flowing underneath our feet).



Bye
Mister_Right

Hi Mummy,
today we made a long walk again. Katja showed us Schloss Burg, a medieval castle in the neighbour city Solingen. We walked there through the environment of Remscheid.

We walked through one of the valleys, several creeks are running here.



You can find steep rocks along the path.



We reached Solingen-Unterburg than, a really old district.









We had to walk uphill to reach the castle, which is situated high upon a hill above the River Wupper.



Behind the trees you can see the castle, still some time to walk.



We went to this outlook pavilion.



Wow! What a wonderful view! In the valley you can see Solingen-Unterburg.



the ceiling of the pavilion is painted with the crests of the surrounding cities. The one with the lion and the sickle is the one of Remscheid.



Finally we reached the castle.

Schloss Burg was built in 1133 by Count Adolf I von Berg on a hill above the river Wupper.That's why this region is called "Bergisches Land". Many people believe that it's name refers to the landscape with hills and valleys. (For those who do not speak German: The German word for mountain or hill is "Berg", so many people think that the name "Bergisches Land" means "land with many hills" )

About a hundred years later it was enlarged by Count Engelberg II von Berg. This is the guy on the horse in the courtyard.

In Thirty Years War (17th century) many parts of the castle were destroyed. It was rebuilt then, but it was used for industrial purposes for many years. In the end of the 19th century they began to rebuild it as it appears today.

In the castle courtyard you can find souvenir shops and shops whose owners are doing an "old" handcraft. For example someone makes soap, another makes brushes, then you can buy things that were used by knights for the kids, like swords and helmets. 

The following photos were taken in the courtyard.











This monument is showing Count Engelberg II von Berg.











Here all sorts of wine are sold, especially wine made of fruits like apples, red currants, blackberries and more.



We also visited a shop where wool is sold. The shopkeeper was working at her spinning-wheel.





Katja bought double pointed knitting needles here, made of rosewood.

If you don't want to walk to the castle, you can use the ropeway. Here you can see how steep this slope is.



We walked home than.



We had to cross River Wupper, which is flowing through Solingen-Unterburg.



We also walked underneath Germany's highest railway bridge, Muengsten Bridge. It is 107 m high.





My feet are aching and I am sooo tired ...

Bye
Mister_Right

Hi Mummy,
we visited Düsseldorf today.

Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The city is situated on the River Rhine, and is renowned for its many events and also for its fashion and trade fairs. We went here by train and started our trip at MediaHafen (Media Harbour), a former harbour which is now a modern business quarter.

First we saw an interesting building called "Stadttor" (city gate).



This is the old harbour, now a modern business quarter with a lot of interesting buildings.



We walked towards River Rhine than.



There is a bridge overspanning the inner harbour. From here you have a great overview.



From here you can also take a good photo of Rheinturm (Rhine Tower), a telecommunication tower with a rotating restaurant behind the windows.







Katja showed us the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia, the parliament.





Finally we walked towards the old town of Düsseldorf, along River Rhine Promenade.





Close to the city the promenade is full of bars.



We saw that one of the excursion boats was just coming home. It should start its tour about 10 minutes later, so we decided to make a boat trip. The trip was supposed to last for about 90 minutes.





From here I had a look at the Altstadt (old town). The Düsseldorfer Altstadt is known as the longest bar in the world (»längste Theke der Welt«), because the small old town has more than 300 bars and discotheques.



We were off than, downstream first.







In the meantime the boat made a turn and was going upstream.







We went into town than.



This is part of the Altstadt with its many bars and pubs.



We enjoyed a Altbier here, a special beer which is only brewn in this region.



Next I will show you the old city hall, situated in the old town.





We bought some postcards and a funny fridge magnet.



This is the famous Königsallee, a shopping street where you can find exclusive clothings, jewels,shoes and other accessoires.





We were already on our way back home when I saw this monument showing one of the former German Emperors.

Hi Mummy,
we took a walk today with Katja's parents. We went to Hueckeswagen, a small town in the "Oberbergisches Land". A lot of woodland and rural area belongs to the municipal area of Hueckeswagen. We parked the car and walked to a very special place first.



Almost nothing but green around





Katja showed me a place with war graves of 44 Russian soldiers, who were sent here in World War II to work on farms as forced laborers. They died of typhus.



This is the little chapel of the cemetary.



The cemetary itself is a pretty place, shaded by old trees.



There are two signs, both in Germand and Russian, with the names of the 44 soldiers.







We continued our walk to Wupper dam.

Here you can see the river in the valley.



The touch-me-not is a pretty flower, but it does not smell good.



This is a really pretty place.





We reached the dam than.







The next photo is a zoomed one, showing a nice part of the dam.



We walked for about an hour. Here I saw an elder bush.



Dark clouds were coming.



On the surrounding meadings I saw a lot of cows and horses.





Suddenly it started to rain, but only for a few minutes. Can you imagine what I saw next?

A wonderful rainbow!





Bye
Mister_Right

Hi Mummy,
we made a trip to Wuppertal, which is the neighbour town of Remscheid, famous for the worldwide one and only Monorail Suspension Railway (Schwebebahn). Wuppertal is the largest city of the region "Bergisches Land" with about 355.000 inhabitants.

We met Katja's friend BlackCat here. BlackCat had tickets for a concert in the evening, it will take place in a stone pit. The main act is Razorlight, the German band Kilians will be performing first.

But it was only afternoon and so we took a walk around the city.

Here is a first photo taken from the bus station with a first view across the city centre.



When you enter the city centre the first thing to see is the Schwebebahn.



The trains are coming in and out every five minutes. Barney was here also the first time, he arrived at Katja's home just today. He was as amazed as me to see such a funny train.



The suspension railway travels along a route about 13 kilometres long, about 12 metres above the surface of the river Wupper and approximately 8 m above the city streets. At one point the railway even crosses the A46 motorway. The entire trip takes about 30 minutes.

We walked into the city centre than. Here we are in front of one of the shopping malls.



We took a group photograph here, next to a funny fountain. I am sitting here with my new friends Pinkz, Nippy, Barney and the TVs which are travelling with BlackCat.



In the shopping mall they have an exhibition showing desert animals. Katja soon found her favourite. It is not a reptile but a furry one.



A sand rat. Katja loves rats, she is keeping pet rats herself.

The next photo is showing the city hall with a market place and a large fountain in front of it.









We walked along the pedestrian area than.



I saw this funny statue here. It's name is "A new day at work". I have never see you doing a handstand before going to work, Mummy. Katja says she would also be going to work with doing it every morning.



"Luisenviertel" is a pretty quarter with lots of bars and restaurants.



We decided to walk along river Wupper for a while.

So here is the Schwebebahn again ...



This is one of the most modern stopping points.



We went inside the train station to have a look at the incoming trains.







The boy at the window was making jokes for us



The Schwebebahn is crossing the streets at some points.



We reached a quarter where the worldwide known chemical industry concern Bayer is situated. Pharmaceuticals are produced here.







We decided to take a ride with the Schwebebahn to get to the concert.

We were waiting for our train.





The concertgoers cannot get to the stone pit themselves, they will be taken there by shuttle bus.