Travelog for: Blue Rat

Hello! My name is Blue Rat and I live with Oksana in Novosibirsk, Russia. I've never traveled abroad, but I'd love to see other countries. Today my dream will come true-Oksana's friend is going to Greece, Athens and she will take me with her! I feel very excited now! It's my first trip!
Wish me good luck!

Here I'm in Greece!!! It's almost summer here- I can see palms, green trees, lots of flowers!








And here I'm with tangerines! I can see how they are growing. We love tangerines in Russia.



And here I'm in the SPA:


and near the swimming pool:


I could see some fortress there:


And of course I could see many Christmas decorations, Christmas trees in Athens:

Finally I've come home! I like my trip to Greece, but I missed Oksana much! When I arrived home I found here Minerva and Curly- they are toyvoyagers from Miamy (USA). We are good friends now.
Today Oksana took us to the playground where we coold play. It was very funny there! We saw many sculptures made of snow.

Today we help Oksana to decorate the Christmas tree:

Today I've said goodbye to my new friends and now I'm on my way to Steve and Helly. I'm going to them to England! I feel so-o happy that very soon I will see England! Wish me a nice journey!

Hurrah,

I've finally arrived in England and my journey was far quicker than Isambard's one to Russia!

I look forward to having many exciting times while I'm here.

Hurrah! The sun came out and it was a glorious day, so I went for a walk around Calne.

I followed the Calne Trail. Pierre Bear came with me and he and I shared the photos of our walk.

Calne was first refered to in AD955, although it's probably much earlier.

The name comes from the Celtic word - col aun - which means a current of water, so my first stop was the River Marden.

It was because of the river that the town became famous in the Middle Ages for the local woollen industry. The river was used to 'full' the cloth - 'Fulled' = beating the cloth in water and with fuller's earth to make it shrink and felt.

After a brief stop at 'Doctor's' Pond, (see Pierre Bear for photos) where a famous doctor did many of his experiments I stopped at an old mill. This was a corn mill. It's now a house but I listened carefully and could hear the mill race rushing beneath the path.

The big window at the side of the house was where the corn would have been lifted through into the mill.

I then stopped to look at St. Mary's Church. It is the largest church in the area and referred to locally as the cathedral of North Wiltshire.

In 1645 Roundhead troops used the church to stable their horses.

I wanted to go inside but it was locked. There is apparently a plaque which commemorates Dr. Ingenhousz who is now believed to have invented the vacination for small pox and not Jenner.

Next stop, the Alms Houses.

The doors are so small. I didn't think you could possibly see just how small they were so I asked Steve to stand by them so you can get an idea.

Helly's niece calls them 'The houses for little people'.

After the houses 'for little people' I walked with Pierre Bear around the Green.

What a fascinating collection of buildings. The first one I stopped at was the Weaver's House. It's name is rather strange as it was probably built to house machinery for carding and spinning fleece into yarn, so would have been a workshop.

The machines would have been powered by horses.

Next stop was by the houses built for the wealthy clothiers - see - Pierre Bear . These were - and still are - very grand houses.

Behind them I could see little courtyards surrounded by houses. These buildings never used to be houses but were places where the cloth was finished off. After it was 'fulled' it was hung by the river on wooden 'tenter hooks', hence the expression 'waiting on tenter hooks'.

Continuing my walk around The Green I came to a couple of houses which form part of a 16th century building, although only the cellers and stone spiral staircase remain. The house was refaced in 1758. Dr Priestley stayed here from 1772 - 1779. He discovered oxygen.

I'd love to be able to see the staircase. I wonder if there are ghosts in the cellers?

Continuing on I came to the former Boys' School. The Green is surrounded by old schools. It was founded in 1557 and is in a Gothic style.

Pierre Bear took photos of the other schools for me.

Finally I finished my tour of Calne on Butchers' Row. This row of shops probably got its name during the Middle Ages.

This row of shops was once a parade of Butchers' Shops. They used to nip across the road into the Churchyard to sharpen their knives on the graves - Pierre Bear climbed on top of one.

I then walked a little further on and found a shop window full of pigs - not real ones. A reminder of when Calne was famous for its bacon.