Travelog for: Orange

Have you heard of Bookcrossing? We met all these people who like to read and exchange books. We talked with a little boy especially who was really nice. And you know what? The coolest thing happened - I found a book with another goldfish on it. I took it home with me.

I'm so excited. I did my first little outing today. Swan took me and my new friend Wolle to the post office. That's where I'll be traveling from in the future. Wolle is another ToyVoyager. She stays with Swan most of the time. We checked for mail in the post office box. And we sent a postcard; I helped put it in the mail slot.

Oh, we sent out again. This time there was lots of snow and it was cold. It was very exciting to play in the snow even though I got cold fins.  I'm happy that Wolle came with me so we could keep each other warm a bit.

Later in the day, we went to an Italian Restaurant. I liked the crunchy salad, but there were also mussels to eat.

But what was most interesting was this crooked tower that Wolle and I are posing in front of. It's called the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It looks like a fun place. I want to travel to the real tower some time and climb up there.

Do you know what Bookcrossing is? Well, we went to this meeting and there were lots of books on the table. I met a nice boy and we talked a little.

Also, another awesome thing happened. I found a book that had a goldfish on it, just like me. I was able to take it home.

We went to something called a BookCrossing Convention. I'll update you about that later. We had lots of adventures. 

The most exciting news is that we met some other ToyVoyagers. I will be traveling with them and their host to Florida. 

Yesterday when we went to Old Town Alexandria, we met, to our surprise, some other TVs!  Needless to say we are very excited!  Mommy didn't know the other host, so it was pure coincidence to see someone else taking pictures with her toys.  I mean, how often do we go out and see our fellow travelers?  We took a picture together.



Tonight we have dinner at the hotel for the [url=www.bookcrossing.com]BookCrossing[/url] Convention.  It is the 10th anniversary celebration.  I meet my new friends again and we chat about where we have been and where we want to go. 

Here I am, with Wolle, Lenny, Mocha, Snuff and BineHH.



We talk about where we have been and what we want to see.  When they hear that I have hardly been to anywhere, they invite me to visit Florida.  I feel so excited, and very happy that my mommy lets me go!! 

Florida!  Here I come!

Oh, turns out I am not heading to Florida yet.  My friends haven't seen enough of Washington DC yet, so I offer to show them around town.

Today we go to the National Zoo.



We get to see the Giant Panda.  It's kind of hiding behind the trees, but we are still very excited.



We release a book about Giant Panda here.



There are lots of pandas here in the gift shop! 



We check out the small mammals.  This one is a monkey with a funny face.



Can you spot the tiger in the cave?  We release a tiger book here too.



We say hi to a whole family of lions.  Lenny is especially excited.



This is a praire dog, although it doesn't look a bit like a dog to me. 



We release a book at this Praire Dog statue.  The book is titled The Blue Fox, but since that part of the exhibit is closed we release it here.  It has been caught!!

Today my new friends offer to treat me to a cup of tea!

We find this tea shop in Georgetown.  Founded in 1751, the city of Georgetown is much older than the establishment of the city of Washington.



We enter the shop. 



The decoration is very traditional Chinese.  Gosh, I don't feel like I am in America at all!



The shop sells a lot of tea and paraphernalia, like teapots, magazines and more.



On the shelf are many jars of tea with different names: Dragon Well, Jade Cloud, Golden Needle, Monkey King, Oriental Beauty, Silver Needle, Hairy Crab, Chrysanthemum Oolong... What interesting names!!



Wow look at all the different tea pots!!  They are made with a special clay from China.



Let's find a place to sit!



We read the menu to select our tea.



Now we wait for the water to boil!



We ordered a tea called Floating Lantern.  I don't see how it looks like a lantern, but my host tells me to be patient.



Look!  After a few minutes, the bud blossoms.  How beautiful it is! And it tastes very good too!

Now on to more sight seeing!

The Old Stone House is the oldest standing building in Washington, D.C. and the last Pre-Revolutionary Colonial building on its original foundation.  The lot was purchased in 1764 for one pound, ten shillings.



The original house was only one story high but later owner added two more floors.



The hearth in the kitchen is large enough to heat the whole house.



The family dined in the dining room on the second floor.  The clock was built in the early 19th century by the owner of the house then. There was a dumbwaiter to transport food from the first floor kitchen to the dining room here.



On the same floor is the master bedroom.





We climb up the narrow stairs and reach the third floor, where the children's bedroom is.

Next we visit Georgetown University.  It's a very famous university.  Found in 1791, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States.  Among its alumni are Bill Clinton, King Abdullah II of Jordan, as well as many royalties and head of government from other countries. 

The main campus is just over 104 acres (0.4 km2).  Healy Hall, built in Flemish Romanesque style from 1877 to 1879, is the architectural gem of Georgetown's campus, and is a National Historic Landmark.



In the center of the campus is a bronze statue of John Carroll.  He was appointed by Pope Pius VI as the first head of the Roman Catholic Church in America, and is the founder of the university.



The cherry blossoms on campus are blooming beautifully.



Completed in 1933, the White-Gravenor Building houses several classrooms, the Georgetown College Dean's Office, The Office of the Undergraduate Admissions and the university registrar.



Ignatius of Loyola was s Spanish knight and the founder of  the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).



There is a little pond next to it with some kois inside.  I say hi to them.



Let's sit down and play some chess!

I continue to show my friends around town.  We walk along Pennsylvania Ave. 



We reach Washington Circle, where you can see a statue of, who else, Washington on a horse.



This is Renwick Gallery, another Smithsonian art museum.



This is LaFayette Park, in the center is a statue is President Andrew Jackson.



In the four corners are statues of foreign Revolutionary War heroes, from France, Poland, and Prussia.



This is the White House Press Center.



This tree looks interesting, like it's growing flowers on the branches!



Across from Lafayette Square, on the other side of Pennsylvania Ave, lives a very important person...



Yes, ... the President of United States!!  Hello Obama!!



Next to the White House is the U.S.Treasury Department. 



And here's the headquarters of the National Geographic Society.



The Democratic donkey and Republican elephant.  These two animals are used to represent the two parties in U.S. government.



We see this beautiful building but now cannot remember what it is!

On the last day of our visit, we go to the National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum. 



Downtown Heritage Trail is composed of 21 poster-sized signs that gives interesting facts which link the history of the city to the history of the nation. According to this sign, Abraham Lincoln walked right where we are standing now!  The museum used to be the Grand Hall of the Patent Office, where Lincoln’s second inaugural ball was held, and the Office was used as a hospital during civil war.



The first section we visit has American folk arts. 





The giraffe is made with bottle caps. 



Next we visit the protrait museum where different styles of protraits, paintings and sculptures are displayed. 



They are very famous American writers: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and.. mmm... we remember it as Poe but can't say for sure. 



Now this one I recognize! It's Joan of Arc!



And these two also!  Previous Presidents Clinton and Bush!

After the museum we all feel hungry.  Chinatown is just a few minutes' walk away. 



At this restaurant, a lady is making dumplings.  She is breaking the dough into small pieces which she then roll flat to use as skin for wrapping the stuffing in. 



We go in and order pork dumpling, BBQ with rice, and beef noodle.  They make the noodles in house too. 



Mocha brags that he has tasted better ones in Hong Kong but for me they are pretty good.

Afterwards, we have to head to the airport. Yay! we are finally heading to Florida!  I wonder what adventure awaits me? 

Yippy!!  We are travelling!  My new host tells me that we are going to do something very interesting.  We are heading south, to a place called Key West.  The word Key actually comes from Spanish Cayo, which means a small island.  At the southern tip of Florida, there is an archipelago of 4500 islands, and Key West is the westernmost of the inhabited islands.



We drive along the Seven Mile Bridge.  You can see another bridge to our side.  That's the old bridge built in 1909-1912 and destroyed by a hurricane in 1935.  This bridge has been filmed in movies like  True Lies, 2 Fast 2 Furious and the James Bond film Licence to Kill, as well as in the car show Top Gear.



After 3 hours of driving, we arrive at Key West!



We are here for a event called Key West Paddle Board Classic.  We will paddle 12 miles to circle around the island.



A lot of people have gathered at the starting point at Smathers Beach already.



Everybody looks very fit and sun tanned.



This is a shop for renting stand up paddleboards.



There are many different types of boats.  These two are kayak and outrigger canoe.



Here are surf ski, kayak, stand up paddle board and stand up kayaks.



This one is kind of like your regular rowboat, called a dory.  It's open at the end so any water entering the boat can drain away easily, and waves can go through without capsizing the boat.



Our host is very excited about this outrigger canoe, because it looks like the one she has at home. 



Some of her friends are on this 12-men outrigger canoe. 



As for us, we are riding in this, a dragon boat!!  It can sit 20 people.



Let's take a picture with the dragon!



Wow, people are leaving the shore to go to the start line!!  How exciting!



The trip around the island is a lot of fun.  We pass through waves and calm water, we see beaches, mangrove, and hotels.  Sadly we do not take too many photos though, because our host doesn't want to be taking pictures while other people are paddling hard.  We don't want to get thrown out of the boat. 



You can see the finish line behind us.  People stand up there to cheer for the paddlers.  The fastest ones take a little two hours, the slower ones three or even four hours.



Now we can sit on the beach and relax!!  I must say it's a beautiful day.  I am liking Florida!  Hey where is my margarita?