Travelog for: Domino

Hi Mom!

Today is sorta sad because it is time to say goodbye to my host-Parents.  But at the same time, I am very excited because Host-Mom informed me that I will be spending Christmas in Germany!

We woke up this morning and there was a light cover of snow on the ground... looks like it snowed a bit last night!  Host-Dad said that it was unusual to be this late in the year and with no heavy snow on the ground yet.


...not enough snow to make a snowman 

Host-Mom gave me a hug in the privacy of her car before taking me to the post office where I will be sent on my way!



Can't wait to see my next host!

Missing you lots,
xo Domino

Hi Mum,

I arrived at Bruchsal just in time to help decorating the house.

I will come back soon and tell you more about the place I'm right now and of course about the toyvoyagers, especially puppies, I met for the first time.

Bye, Domino

My host told us, that it is time to write a list of cookies, we want to bake. It seems, that she plans to bake a lot. As she is ill right now, it might take some time to get things started.



There are many more toyvoyagers here, who all want to help us baking the cookies. You can't imagine, how loud it can be with so many tvs around




Oh, what's that sound. It is so loud outside, that we can hear it over our babbling.

It's big ready-mix truck in nice colours.

It is Saturday before 1rst of Advent and we decided to start decorating the house. This is a Christmas Crib Scene for windows, which our host regularly sellotapes to the window of their dining room each year.

Later the door bell rang and the postman brought a small package. We were so excited, because we all waited for another puppy. Guess, who it was? - Moony from blackcat.






He told us a lot about his life.




Then we started to do some own paper crafts. We asked for paper, scissors and pencil and started to cut and glue this wonderful star. Everyone had to do some work, but it seems, that our host forgot to take photos of each of us, while we did our work.
























When we started to glue the parts together, we invited all the other toyvoyagers at our place to join us and see the star grow.










Chuckle shows you, how the finished star looks like. He is as proud as if he would have created it by himself, although we puppies have done the work. But it makes us even more proud of this fascinating star.

Did you know, that we dogs are able to do such wonderful stars? I really didn't, but after we finished the star yesterday, we decided to try a new one. It seems a good way for dogs to do such crafts, it is kind of meditation. - I didn't know, that dogs can meditate until yesterday, but they can. It makes us calm, that's what our host says. She seems to love it, when we are calm and not as loud as we are, when we tvs are all together.




All the other toyvoyagers came too and told us, that they would do the work today. You should have been here. It wasn't that calm and silent in that moment as we all barked at them.




Finally we were alone again and we started to fold the paper for the new star.










Then we started to cut lines into the paper.







Those nosy toyvoyagers! Here they are again. Our pieces for the star were finished, so it was no problem this time. They told us, that they only would watch and not talk. Who wants to believe this?








Here we start to sellotape the pieces - from one side, then turning the piece and sellotape from the other side.










At last everyone helped to glue the five pieces together to one star. Even the other toyvoyagers were allowed to help us.

Stars are really fascinating - so here comes star number three. This time all toyvoyager worked together, although on the photo it seems, that only one dog did the work.

Yesterday it was 1rst Advent and today we have a nice meeting with pastry and tea. Our host's singing teacher came to join us. It was her last singing lesson with this nice teacher, so she and her son invited her to visit them at home. She was also her son's and daughter's singing teacher.
We lighted the first candle and sat down in the middle of the table - our host was very delighted






This is a few out of the kitchen window. You see the snow? It's a pity, that our host still isn't well enough to go outside with us.




Our star also found a place at this kitchen window.

Maybe you know, that my host works as a teacher. Right now she is class teacher of 3rd graders. She loves her job and she loves her class. She always talks about her kids and she doesn't only mean her own children, but her pupils. A few days ago she went to a book shop in the inner city and stayed there for hours. We all wondered, why she didn't come back home again. Today she showed us, what she had done. She went there to search for books for the Advent Calendar for her pupils. She didn't buy the books from her own money, but recieved the money from their parents. But she bought the books and before she bought them, she thought and thought, which book would be good enough for which child. She and the female book seller really enjoyed it - that's what she said.

Take a look at all the books. There are 19 books for her 19 pupils.

The next day we had everything done, the packages were wrapped in Christmas papers and the pupils' names were in the little sacks. So our host could take the Advent calendar with her to the school. She told us, that she reads an Advent story each morning in the first school hour. At first they light the candles of the advent wreath. At last she asks one pupil to go to the Advent calendar and open the number for the day. The pupil, whose name was told there, gets up and draws out one of the packages out of the covered basket. The name on the package tells then, who will recieve it. This way three pupils have to do something each day.

This late afternoon we drove to Münzesheim. We thougth, that we could visit the Japanese Garden there - we've already heard a lot about it. But it was already too dark, so we had to stay inside. We were at an occupational therapist with our host's daughter. She had some problems at school with other pupils of her former class bullying her. She now tries to get more self-confidence here. I think, it is a really nice woman and a nice place, too.

It's the fourth of December already. Today we found a lot of snow outside, so we ran to play in it and have a walk. At first we found a trail in the snow in front of the front door.






At first we took a photo of the kindergarden, which is next to the church St. Peter. It has some nice Christmas decorations.




We turned to see to the baroque church St. Peter. It is one of the few buildings of Bruchsal, which survived World WarII. It is closed, so we had no chance to go inside, but maybe we will go there during the Christmas Time.




Next to the church St. Peter is the graveyard of Bruchsal. You have to walk up and down there, so it is rather difficult for older people to walk there.






Here you see the back side of the house Sancta Maria. You will see the front side later. The grey wall on the left side belongs to the new apostolic church. You maybe can imagine, how steep the ways of the graveyard are, when you see, that we look down on Sancta Maria right now and even this house is higher than the entrance we were at first.




There is a nice garden, which belongs to Sancta Maria. Do you see the little church tower on the left? It is the tower of the city church. There is another small small piece of the tower of the church St. Damian and Hugo, when you look well peer at the branches. This church belongs to the palace of Bruchsal.




This is the front side of Sancta Maria. It houses a catholic school for social education and more. There still live some Franciscan nuns.




We only had to walk down this street from Sancta Maria to our current home. You see the working place - nobody is working right now because of the cold weather.




When we came back, we found some more trails in the snow next to the trail we've seen at first. Who might this have been?





It was so cold, that we didn't want to stay outside any longer, but our host said, that she first has to clean the way in front of the house again. We asked Chuckle to open the door.




He was a bit too small, so he asked Bluto and Scotty to help him, but they still weren't tall enough.





Hypno-Dog came to help them now. He climbed on their heads and Chuckle on his, but you see, they still didn't reach the lock.




Hypno-Dog called for Travelling Tuffy, who then climbed over their heads and sat down on Hypno-Dog's head and Chuckle sat on his head then. It was really heavy already.




Because they still were too small to reach the lock, I asked them, if I could help. Of course they let me climb over their heads and Chuckle sat on my head then. You see, that we still had no luck.




Chuckle called for Schnuffi to help them.




And then Kari came and also Mustang Monkey asked, if he should help Bluto and Scotty to carry all these other toyvoyagers on our heads.




We were really close to the lock now, but then it happened....! Oh God! I hope, nobody got hurt.




Thank God! Nothing bad happened to us toyvoyagers. Now we knew a bit better how to do it. So we were a bit faster in building the toyvoyager tower.






You see we had a different order now and we were building more a pyramid than a tower.






We didn't feel anything of the cold weather now. We really sweat already.




And yes, with Brinda's help Chuckle reached the lock finally.






He turned the key and then....




What we didn't think of was, that we all will fall down - except Chuckle, Scotty and Bluto. But we all were happy, that we had been successful. Maybe we can go on walks without our host every now and then from now on.





P.S. My host read this and she told me to tell you, that she will keep her key at a safe place from now on. You might feel better to know this, but we all still will try - oh, no eehmmm, I think, we won't try it again

After we had some rainy days and our host had been ill with laryngitis, we have the chance to walk in the snow again. This time we have more snow than last and everything is more beautiful. Even the wellknown church St. Peter. Last time we took the photo while standing in the graveyard area already. This time we are in front of the kindergarden.




We walked across the graveyard again and then out of Bruchsal into fields. Maybe you see the little yellow sign on the left side of the snowy road. That's the place-name sign of Bruchsal or it's end.




On the side of the road we found this cross. It is there for someone, who died in the 17th/ 18th century or something.




Then we walked through a [url=Sunken lane]hollow way[/url]. It is Hohlweg in German. It was so beautiful with all the snow on the trees and road.




Then we walked on a fieldway and had a nice view back to Bruchsal.







On our way we found another trail. If it was a deer?






I'm sure, that someone wonders, who left this imprints here.

In the evening we went to one of the Christmas markets in Bruchsal. It was the one, which only happens on the last weekend before Christmas. It's more modern style - that's what our hosts say, because there are such crazy lights on the palace wall. We enjoyed to drink a Kinderpunsch and to warm up standing next to a fire place. We saw several Christmas things to buy. It was so crowdy there, that we had no chance to take many photos.

This shows the first Christmas Market of Bruchsal. It always starts on the weekend of first of Advent and ends two or three days before Holy Eve. It is a really really small market but with a merry-go-round and with nice decorated houses. My hosts live only a few meters up the street - I'm looking to the street.




The front of the palace is beautiful in the snow at night.




Here you see the houses - tents- of the second Christmas market at the palace and the colourful stars on the palace backside wall.

It's that time of year again, when our host goes into her kitchen for hours and bakes and bakes a lot of cookies. This year we asked her, whether we could help her with her work. At first she seemed a bit hectic and not in the mood to let us join, but then we were allowed to watch and even help her baking.

Here you see Moony cutting the vanilla bean.



Paul Penguin adds the almonds.




Landroval tries to stir the dough. Wow, this mixer is heavy.




Even little Brinda helps. She gets the dough out of the mixing bowl.




Schnuffi writes the name of the cookie on the aluminium foil: Husarenkrapferl.





For the second cookies we need some almonds again. Hypno-Dog adds them to the dough.




Kari adds the flour




and Traveling Tuffy the sugar.




I like the cocos flakes, they are just as white as he I am. We need the flakes for cocos macaroones with marzipan.




Chuckle helps to stir the dough this time.




To put the dough on the baking plate we need someone really strong: Hypno-Dog.




Tuffy is waiting impatiently.



Brinda tries to show them, that she's also really strong.




After the dough for our Husarenkrapferl was in the fridge for about two hours, Paul puts them on the baking plate and does the last step before we put it in the oven.




While the Husarenkrapferl are baking, our host forms the Vanillekipferl.




Some Vanillekipferl are already baken, while some more are waiting for an empty oven.




That's how the finished Vanillekipferl look like.




We all try to help getting the cocosnut macaroones finished. We want to dip them in the melted chocolate.




Don't they look nice?







It's better to not show, how we looked like after the work was done.


Our host prepared another dough for Spitzbuben cookies. We are allowed to help cutting them out. For some of us it is hard work, but for others just as easy as climbing a tree.
















Umechan and Paul are really strong. They can roll the dough with the marmor rolling pin.






Then we are able to cut the cookies out again.