Travelog for: Gulliver

We walked along and when we reached the "Museums Quartier" I discovered something strange: It looked like little white men were walking down a big black cube. When we came closer our host explained Glory and me that the black cube was a museum for modern arts and we recognized that there were really white men walking down from it. Really funny!

A few days ago our host showed me how to make a typical Austrian dish: Schweinsbraten. It was quite a lot of work to make all these round things called "Knödel" but everything tasted sooo delicious then!!

Guess what happened lately!!

Unfortunately Glory and I had to spend a night at a hospital! Oh no, you don't have to worry, no-one of us is ill but our host had to do a night shift so she took us with her. Our host showed us how to examine somebody and Gulliver and I practiced it alot. It was great fun! Luckily we are both very healthy bears so we were able to go back home again on the morning.

Today we spent a wonderful sunny afternoon at Schönbrunn Palace. There, in former times the Habsburg family had their summer residence and our host told us that it is nowadays Austria's # 1 tourist attraction!

We didn't go inside the castle but we had a loooong walk through the beautiful park with all the sculptures and fountains and we also went up to the point of view called "Gloriette". The view from there was wonderful!

And then - guess what we did then! Yep, we went to the zoo! Incredible how many different animals we met there - even bears. So I fullfilled another mission today and I'm very proud of that!!!

I'm having a great time here in Austria! I'm in good company with Eldon, another wonderful bear from the UK, Sputnik, a funny alien and Glory the little Americain bear.

Last weekend we went to Wachau with our hosts. Wachau is a beautiful valley at the longside of river Danube. It is an UNESCO world heritage site and it is very beautiful. It's famous for its long history, the wineyards placed in terrasses and for the apricots planted there.

We visited a little village called "Dürnstein" which was very nice. There is a beautiful blue tower there just next to the river, we went for a walk through the wineyards (no wine at this time of the year ;() and then we climbed up all the way to the old castle. It was pretty exhausting but the view was wonderful from up there!

At the castle - have a look, what a beautiful view!!

I had to leave Austria and started my trip to Hungary today. I've heard that I'll go on a journey with my new host so I hope I'll arrive there in time.

After a very long travel I've arrived safely in Hungary. It was not an easy journey, as the international post got messed up, and I ended up  back in Austria, instead of Hungary at the first try! Who would have thought things like that still happen in the 21st century? I have to admit, I acted like a hero back in my envelope: I was trapped in there with superdelicious chocolates, and I didn't eat any of them, not even when my envelope got damaged, and I could have pretended that tey were lost. That's how much I've grown already!

Anyway, I finally arrived in Hungary - successfully missing the whole journey to Sweden, but I really hope I will get there anyway. I try not to think about it too much, because I'm sure it was my destiny to miss my chance to see Göteborg. It couldn't be anything else, right? It must be destiny.

I didn't really see anything of Budapest just yet, only my host's grandma, to whom I have arrived. She made some comments that my jumper is dirty and should use some washing. I objected strongly, though I have to admit, she might be right. I'll think about it.

After I spent about two and a half weeks in an envelope, it must be understandable, that I need some rest. Also, tonight is going to be Daylight Saving, and I'll get to sleep and hour less, before we head off to work tomorrow morning.

Goodnight to all of you. Here is a picture of me, freshly out of my torn up envelope. You can tell I was exhausted, can't you?

Sorry for the lack of updates, everyone. The thing is, the past few days, actually almost weeks lacked excitement at all. Whenever I started to feel bored, I got reassured, that this condition is only caused by a disastrous and chronical illness, called deadline. I already knew, that anything with the word "dead" in its name can not mean anything good.

The good thing is, it has passed. My host's symptoms (no sleep whatsoever, frantic typing, and consuming riddicolous amounts of cocoa) peaked at the night before the deadline, and after that they just passed like they never existed.

And because I was such a patient and nice bear, I've been promised, that tomorrow we will go somewhere and do something. I know this sounds vague, and I beleive it's probably due to the fact, that we have no articulate plans. But I've been told, that I'm going to meet someone famous.

Stay tuned!

You won't believe what happened! I indeed met someone famous. Someone REALLY famous. You see, 11th of April is the day of poetry and also the day of literature in Hungary. This is due to the fact that one of the greatest Hungarian poets, József Attila (Attila being his "first name", as it turned out, in Hungary people use their family name first and given name second. I've already known this about Japan and China and Korea, but Hungary is news to me. They explain that they originate from the far east just as well. Whatever.) was born on this day, back in 1905. Also, one of the most influental Hungarian writers, Márai Sándor (Sándor is the Hungarian version of Alexander) was born in the 11th of April in 1900. There you go. So today we celebrate every kind of literature...

And so did I! I got to meet the most famous playwright in history ever. Even though he is supposed to died some 392 years ago on his own birthday, and meeting him would be considered impossible. He is located in a small and homely bookshop in the city centre. (I was a bit concerned, as we spend actually almost all our time in the bookshop my host works. She told me that it usually is not as bad, but there is something messed up with the number of the hours one has to work in April) But here is the photo, to document it all:

It's me and the late Mr. William Shakespeare. He told me some quite interesting things. Mostly about love and ladies. I think I'll be able to use them in some ways. I hope at least. Because someday I hope I'll find and marry a pretty bear girl.

Today we had to do some work. Thankfully not in the bookshop once again. You see, I don't think at all that life in a bookstore would be boring. But I'm not allowed in the actual store, just in the dressing room and the kitchen, because the manager of the shop does not approve of plush bears in orange jumpers in her shop. (She doesn't even approve plush bears without their orange jumpers. We tried.) But today we did some real work. Of course, most of it was done by the humans, as I couldn't possibly lift their stuff.

I have been told a long and uneventful story of how the house they used to live in got messed up, and there were stories of false debts, some not exactly legal inheritances and things like that - to be honest, I stopped listening about five minutes in the story, so I can't tell you all of it. But believe me, it was complicated. The point is, that it seems, that someday this summer they will be able to move back to their own house, only the house is not quite ready for someone to live in.

So we helped with that. At first, we had to get up awfully early, about 6 in the morning, so we were out in the house at 8. We spent the morning and the early afternoon by laying down laminate flooring. It is supposed to look like parquet made of cherry trees. As I have never seen a cherry tree in my life, I cannot agree nor disagree. But in the end it looked good, even though we spent about 3 and a half hours by getting right the pieces below the threshold.

When we were finished with the floor, we covered it with some plastic sheets and paper, and started to put on wallpaper. It was harder than we imagined, so we only managed to stick on two sheets before it went dark, and as there is no electricity just now in the house we had to leave.

As my host has to go to work tomorrow once again, I asked if I can stay with her father for the next few days. (They live in different households, you see, as her parents are divorced - she lives with her mother and me, and her father lives with someone else, and most of the time, without me. But he helpes with the house she and her mother will move to someday, so I suppose it's okay.) It was not easy, but finally I was allowed to stay. So stay tuned for more adventures!

To tell the truth, just after we took my host out in front of her door and I was left alone with her father I was a little scared. I almost backed out of the whole situation. I am of course a fierce little bear, I travel the world, and all that, but still it is kind of hard getting to know new people all the time. I think this whole social phobia issue is getting serious, and I have to work on that.

So I tried to pull myself together, and there were things that helped. I was allowed to try my paws at driving, thoug I was not that successful, as my feet couldn't possibly reach the pedals. But hey, at least I tried!

Also, when we reached home I got introduced to some other toys. They were not voyagers though, so I had my concerns. But they seemed to be nice, and we decided to have a party, but then the humans interfered, saying that I need to go to bed early, as we are going to church early in the morning. It turned out that they are religious, and every Sunday they go to church and they even sing in the choir. I was not really a fan of the idea, but I tried to be polite, so I smiled, and obediently went to sleep.

Also, I can't let my preconceptions lead me - I had my doubts about meeting that Shakespeare guy, and he turned out super nice, so maybe even going to church can be fun.

You won't believe it! The most amazing thing happened! Going to church WAS fun. Of course it was cold and there was a lot of monotone talking, but still, it was highly spiritual. But...

You see, what they didn't tell me that it was not only a church - this is a basilica. Which means a great big church, like a cathedral, but the Pope (yes, the Pope himself, although I'm not sure which one) given it some special rights. It is big! It is some 96 meters tall, and the like. It is called St. Stephen's basilica in English, named after the first Hungarian king ever, but his Hungarian name is István. And his own mummified right hand is still there, and is displayed in the basilica itself. It is a bit spooky but still is cool! Sadly I didn't really have too much time to look around, as we arrived almost late, so we had to run up the stairs to the choir. There was some singing, and later the organ joined in. And by the minute I first heard it, I just knew I have to try my paws on it. Of course I didn't mention it right then, it would been rude to interrupt.

But when all the singing was finished, I whispered into the ears of the choristed, and he told me if I behave, he will let me try. I was so excited!

Just after the people were out of the basilica, I could try my paws at the organ. I was very nervous to touch the keys, but when I finally did, it did sound amazing. The voice just filled the place, and not only the place, but really, everything in the whole world. The chorister laughed and said I was a natural. Sadly I once again couldn't do it properly, as my legs were once again too short to reach the pedals. What a shame! Still, I really enjoyed playing on the organ, and I was so good, that I later gave some advice to the chorister himself. I think he was relieved that I'll be going away soon - I might be his competition. But all together he acted nice, so I have nothing to complain about. Plus in the afternoon I was returned to my host. I didn't even realize how much I missed her.

And when I realized I missed her, I had to think about Sarah at home, who I miss even more badly. I asked my host to check out on her, and I got kind of jealous, that she is hosting other toyvoyagers. However my host helped me understand that she misses me just as well, and she also needs to have some company.

Still, I think I like it better when I have some adventures, and I don't have time to think about all this stuff.

Today was a great day. We had to spend the morning inside, as the chimney-sweepers promised to come today. They have been here once before, but then nobody was home to let them in, and they left a quite unfriendly message saying that if we all die from a badly functioning chimney, it will be all our fault. (Well, that's what it basically said, maybe not in these exact words, but still.) But fortunately today my host had a day off, so we stayed at home and waited for the sweepers. They were supposed to come sometime between 8 and 12 AM, so we had to get up about 7, but they didn't come. After that we went out to the main gate to check the dates - and it was all crossed out and it said that they will come sometime between 1 and 4 PM. So we waited some more.

In the morning I wanted to take a photo with them, but after all the waiting, I didn't. So right after they were gone (I was kind of happy to see how scared were they of the dog) we went out. We went to the same bookstore where I met Mr. Shakespeare, but today he didn't really feel like talking. But we visited some friends there, and after they closed at 5 PM we went on a random walk.

It was great to be finally out of the flat, so we walked all around the city, crossing bridges over the Danube, climbing on the hill in the middle of the city, and down from there, up to the Buda Castle. Later tonight we checked on the map, and it was almost 20 kilometres we walked. Sadly, given the ad-hoc nature of our little trip we didn't have the camera with us. But I hope next time we will - and I also hope there will be a next time.

Budapest, to be honest, appeals to me. There is something magnificent in it. It sure smells a lot, and it is noisy, but if you watch it with the eyes of a tourist, which is exactly what I try to do, then it suddenly becomes lovely.