Travelog for: Cheerio

We went out on the roof to get some sun before leaving on my trip.  I will miss hanging out here.  Then I got into my box and started arranging my stuff.  Mom, better count the TVs, one of them might stowaway.  LOL, quack quack.  By the time you read this I will be flying off farther away than any of my mom’s other TV’s ever have.  Wahoo, I’m off.  I’m sending hugs both directions. 

Cheerio

Hi Mummy,
I arrived in Germany! My host Katja had to pick me up from the post office, because she was not at home yesterday, when the postman tried to deliver me. She told to me through the box that we would visit a friend. As soon as we would have been there, I'd have been released.

Here I am!



Katja was really happy about the postcard, the souvenir (Katja LOVES fridge magnets ), the delicious chocolate and she also loved my book, which I will carry with me around the world.

I already met three more ToyVoyagers. They are Lady from Germany, K-Bear from Finland and Miss Lillith from the Netherlands.

We spent some time in the garden, enjoying the sun and becoming yellow from pollen. Thankfully I am already yellow

In the afternoon we went out with Katja's friend and her dog. In the garden I saw lots of yellow flowers.





We went to Wupper dam, one of three barrier lakes along the river Wupper. Here we took a long walk.

Where is the water?



Katja told me that we would have to walk for about 20 minutes until we reached the dam.



Unfortunately we walked away from the lake, but through a really lovely rural landscape.











We played among the dandelions.





Although we walked along some farms I did not meet any ducks. Maybe next time ...



The fresh air made me tired, so I will go to bed now.

Bye
Cheerio

Hi Mummy,

today went to the neighbour city Wuppertal, to Scharpenacken, a former army training area. This area was used for military purposes until 2004 A.D as a shooting range. Today there is a local recreation area with vast open areas.

A lot of people come here with their dogs to let them run and play. Because it is very windy here there are also some people with their kites.







Here you can see my new friend Pepe, the dog. he was taking a refreshing bath in the creek.



Bye
Cheerio

Hi Mummy,
yesterday it started raining. Usually nobody likes rain, but Katja told us that everyone was waiting for rain after some sunny and warm weeks. She said if we wanted our lakes filled and the nature green, we would need rain.





It's my host's birthday and she had to prepare dinner for her friends who visited us in the evening. Our host is a (almost ) veggie, so we had to make lots of delicious vegetable dishes.

First we prepared tomatoes with mozzarella.







Next we helped to fill mushroom heads with cream cheese.



This was quite easy. The mushrooms will be baked later.



Katja bought tons of different cheese.



This looks like a good party!



In the meantime the cheese tray was nearly ready. We had cheese from Spain, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands and of course Germany.



Katja's daughter is a cook in a restaurant (not yet, her final examination will be in May und June). She prepared gravlax, the half of a salmon.



Finally everything was ready and the guest were here. Now it's time to celebrate, not for taking photos



A friend brought this plate with antipasti - delicious!



Bye for now
Cheerio

Hi Mummy,

today we visited Wuppertal. Wuppertal is the neighbour town of Remscheid, famous for the Monorail Suspension Railway (Schwebebahn). 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.

Two thirds of the total municipal area is green belt: Woods, meadows, gardens and fields. From any part of the city it is only a ten-minute walk to one of the public parks or shady woodland paths.

When we got out of the bus we immediately saw the Schwebebahn.



Katja told us that we would visit the botanical garden and the city centre. On the next photo you can see one of the stops of the Schwebebahn in the background.





Wuppertal is situated in the valley of the river Wupper, the city centre is in the bottom of the valley, the botanical garden is on top of the slope of the valley, on a hill called "Hardt". On our way there we walked along the local court and the district court.





There is also a Schwebebahn stop at the district court, it is rebuilt at the the moment in it's original historic style.



In front of the court you can see the flags of Germany and North Rhine-Westphalia, the German state where I'm staying at the moment.



There is a sign showing the way to the botanical garden. Katja told us that more than 400 stairs are built into the slopes of the valley, so pedestrians can get easily uphill. She also told us that we would have to walk some of them today Here is the first one ...



...and another one.



We needed about 15 minutes to reach the botanical garden. There are large greenhouses in the entrance area. The botanical garden was founded in 1890 as a school garden.



You can find the former country house of textile manufacturers named Eller, which contained a villa (built 1820), orangery, residential and farm buildings, and the Elise Tower (built 1838) which provides the garden's focal point.







He is a small pond, full of common duckweed.





Here you can see the Elise Tower once more.



I saw this funny looking Handkerchief-tree, also known as Dove tree.



Than we walked through the large Hardt park, back to the city.



Flowers like a carpet



We rested here near this fountain.



Than it was time to walk downhill, back to the city centre.



We walked through a lovely housing area.



Soon we reached the city centre with the city hall, the building with the tower.



In front of the city hall you can find this historic fountain.



We walked along the pedestrian area.



What a funny statue! It is called "A new day at work".





We went back to the river Wupper. Here you can see another Schwebebahn stop. Every stop is built in a completely different style. This one is a very modern one.





Next to the modern stop you can find this old bridge.





This stop is the central stop in the city centre Elberfeld, it is built like a station with shops and bars in the basement.



Here is another  historical bridge.



This distinctive building is the company building of a savings bank. It's skywalk is leading to another building, crossing two different streets.



Here is the other building, the tower is mirroring in the reflective frontage.



I love this artwork sculpture



Here is another stair to climb.



From here we had a great overlook across the city.



The historic concert hall is a wonderful building.





We had actually planned to take the bus home, but because the weather was so great we decided to walk towards home and take the bus later. We had to walk uphill for some time than, Katja knew a short cut across the university area.

Here were not only stairs to walk uphill, but also a large bridge, enabling you to cross one or two streets. In the background you can already see the university buildings.



More stairs to walk ...



The university was built in the early 1970s years.





When we walked further uphill, we could see the university in it's whole monstrosity.



When we reached the top of the hill we had missed the bus for only three minutes, so we decided to walk a bit further. Here on the communication-road to Remscheid I liked it much more.





Here we finally waited for our bus. In the background you can see the city centre of Remscheid, also situated on a hill, about 10 km apart.



I will also show you a zoomed photo. One of the two characteristic towers belong to the city hall, the other one is a water tower.



This was an exciting trip!

Bye
Cheerio

Hi Mummy,
today we took a short walk in the city centre when Katja went to buy some things in her lunch break.

At the beginning of the shopping street you can find this large sculpture, showing two forceps as a symbol for the tool producing industry here.



This is the main entrance of the shopping mall with a large fountain in front of it.





In this lovely traditional house they are selling flowers and home decoration.



Not far from here you can find the public library ...



... and the central bus station and the company building of the local newspaper.



We had to back to work than.

Bye
Cheerio

Hi Mummy,
today another ToyVoyager arrived, Gaspode from Great Britain.

In the evening we watched the final show of "Deutschland sucht den Superstar", the German equivalent to "American Idol".



In the end a boy called Pietro was determined as the winner.



Bye
Cheerio

Hi Mummy,
today we went to Maastricht in the Netherlands. The daughter of Katja's friend is going to college there. She spent the weekend at home and had to return to the college. We had to drive about 90 minutes to get there.

Maastricht is known as a city of history, local folklore, culture and education. The town is popular with tourists for shopping and recreation. Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river (in Dutch and German: Maas) in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands.

Thankfully the wonderful historic old town was not destroyed in World War II. We started our trip at the river Meuse.





We took a walk in the old town - restaurants and bars everywhere!



Here you can see the city hall, built in 17th century.



The lovely house in the background (the one with the clock) once was the court house, the "Dinghuis". Nowadays the tourist information centre is situated here.



Strolling around we found the lovliest places.



We reached the central place in front of the basilica.



A fun fair is taking place here!





We tried to take a photo of the basilica, but it was not possible due to backlight and the fun fair. So we walked around for another while.



At least I can show you a small part of the rear side of the basilica  (I know that it is n ot really impressing ).



We found really picturesque places and lanes.



In a small park we found the statue of Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan, one of the Musqueteers of the Guard. He died died at the Siege of Maastricht in the Franco-Dutch War in 1673 A.D.





We also found a large tree, forming sort of a tent.



That was a lovely trip.

Bye
Cheerio

Hi Mummy,
today we took a walk in the city. On the first photo you can see one of the churches in the city centre.



We walked towards the station than.



Two years ago a new station was built and opened. Now a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists is built to make it easier to reach the station. Until than you have to cross several streets to get there. The bridge is made of four ready-made parts of steel. Two weeks ago the last piece was delivered. Now everybody is waiting for the bridge to be completed.



This is the view  from the station to the city centre.



Here is one more photo, also showing the new bridge.



Katja told us that the "Trasse des Werkzeugs" (Route of Tools) is starting here, a lane for cyclists and pedestrians which was built on a closed railway track for freight trains. Remscheid is widely known for it's tool producing industry, many tool producing companies were sponsor of this lane, so it was called "Route of Tools". It is about 5 km long, connecting the city centre with the district Hasten.

Along the route you can find find many industrial complexes, partly still in use, partly more or less dilapidated. You can also find some artwork.





Still close to the station, we walked along a steelworks.



Here you can see signs with the logos of some of the sponsoring companies.











We left the Route of Tools to walk home.



Katja told us that we walked about half of the lane, maybe we will walk the other half this week. Oh, we would be home soon - I can see this church from the living room window!



By the way, I am living here at the moment, in the attic storey.



Bye
Cheerio

Hi Mummy,

I am living in the city centre of Remscheid, but in one of the older parts which were not destroyed in World War II like large parts of the city centre did. So you can find many old buildings here, mostly built in the late 1800's and early 1900's years.





From here we went to the municipal park. There is a pond with ducks and turtles.



Katja told us that the pond nearly fell dry because there was nearly no rain within the last ten weeks, so the fire department filled about 150 cubic metres water into it a few days ago.



The local observatory is situated here in the park.



The city centre of Remscheid is situated on top of a  hill. When we left the municipal park the streets were going straight downhill.



This is a house which is typical for this region. You can often find houses which are covered with slate and also half-timbered houses. They usually have green shutters.





We decided to walk through a nearby woodland area.







We left the forest close to a district with some old industrial complexes. Katja told us that Remscheid is well known for its tool producing industry since the late middle ages. Industrialization began in the valleys where water wheels were running the machines. Close to the valleys you can still find old and also new industrial sites, often close to dwellings.









The next photo was taken in a parallel street of the street where my first photos was taken. No more lovely traditional houses ...



... but here in the parallel street to the opposite direction you can still find them.



Bye
Cheerio

Hi Mummy,

we visited Katja's nephew today, he was celebrating his 12th birthday. He is living with his family in the district Lennep, the second largest urban district.

We walked through a small park first.





Lennep has a historical old town, rebuilt afer the last devastating major fire in 1746 A.D. Many houses are under preservaton order.

A part of the town centre is still surrounded by remains of the former city wall. We werew sitting on this wall.





Typical for the townscape are narrow lanes.







This is the market place, the farmer's market is taking place here twice a week.















Katja told us that the founder of the x-rays, Wilhlem-Conrad Roentgen, was born in Lennep in 1845 A.D.. She showed us the Roentgen-Museum.



Katja grew up in Lennep, she also showed us her school.



When we visited Katja's family we played in the garden.






Bye

Hi Mummy,
in Katja's lunch break we took a short walk in the city centre. First she showed us the city hall, partly hidden behind a scaffolding. Its tpwer is 48 m high, so you can see it from the surrounding cities.



On  the large open space in front of the city hall you can find a pillar with a lion on top of it. The lion is the heraldic animal of Remscheid.



We went through the shopping mall.


Here you can see the central bus station.



Here you can also find the adult education centre.



Katja told us that she will go to the cinema this evening, they are showing a filmed version of one of the most famous German operas - Der Freischütz (often translated as "The Freeshoter" or "The Marksman". This opera is considered as the first important German Romantic opera. The premiere cast was in 1821 A.D. I hope she will enjoy it.



Bye
Cheerio

Hi Mummy,
today we took a walk in the afternoon, to one of the older districts, to Hasten.

Hasten is a district about 2 km apart from the city centre, surrounded by woodland. You can find shops and restaurants here.



You can find many traditional houses here.









Houses like the following one are usually under monument protection, which means that you have to comply with the directives regarding exterior apperance, interior design regarding wall coverings and floors, for example.



The Patrician villa on the following photo was built in built in the late 1780 years. It once was the house of a rich factory owner, nowadays a museum is situated in this lovely building.










Those old houses were built close together.



Bye for now
Cheerio

Hi Mummy,
yesterday another Toyvoyager arrived, it's Ellie Muh, she brought Willy W. back home.



In the afternoon we visited Germany's highest railway bridge, Muengsten Bridge (Müngstener Brücke). We took a walk through the forest to get there.









Soon we reached the river Wupper in the valley.



On our way to Muengsten Bridge we saw the shop of  an artist blacksmith.



This shark is great to keep obtrusive neighbours from your estate



We reached Muengsten Bridge than. The bridge is the highest steel railroad bridge in Germany. The bridge is 107 metres (351 ft) high, 465 metres (1,530 ft) long and spans the valley of the river Wupper, connecting the cities of Remscheid and Solingen. It was built from 1893 until 1897. Unfortunately it is closed for more than a half year now due to repair works. The railway complany neglected this bridge for decades, now it has to be restored and fortified extensive and costly.



Due to several weeks without rain the river Wupper is shallow at the moment.



A leisure park was built under the bridge some years ago. This café was opened last year.



They also have a kiosk and a crazy golf here.





We decided to walk a bit further through the forest. When we left the park and walked on in the forest we had to walk steep uphill. The steep slopes are cliffy.



Even from a larger distance we were not able to see the whole bridge!



We found a bridge to cross the river.



We were exactly under the bridge!



Fossilized footprints?!



No! Katja told us there were many pictures, sayings and so on were into ground and rocks by stone cutters.

We reached this lovely outlook pavilion.



From here we had the best view to Muengsten Bridge.



Walking back to the car meant walking uphill again, really exhausting!



On our way home we had to buy a few things. In the eveining were want to do nothing but watch TV.

Bye
Cheerio

[email=null]Hi Mummy,
today we took a long walk in the surrounding valleys.

We walked to the southern districts of the city. Here is a housing area, nearly in the bottom of a valley. Remscheid is situated on a hill, so you have some districts along the slopes of this hill and also some them in the surrounding valleys.



We had to walk uphill to cross another hill. From here we had a good overlook to the city centre of Remscheid and to the vast industrial sites in the vicinity of the railway.



Just one more housing area and we reached the forest.



We had to cross a small creek here.



I also saw fish ponds.



We followed this creek for some time. Can you see those old millstones which were worked into the bank reinforcement?











Even in the forest you can find some houses! The signs are showing different bicycle routes.



From here we had to walk another 30 minutes straioht uphill to get home.

Bye
Cheerio
Cheerio.