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Travelog for: Cody Otter

At Home in Graz, Austria - 25th October 2011

By: dani_claudia

Can't wait to meet you in your hometown!  :rolleyes:

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* Posted Oct 25, 2011, 6:47 pm Last edited Oct 28, 2011, 2:37 pm by dani_claudia [Quote] [View just this post] Go to the top of the page


Miami, Florida, United States - 24th November 2011

By: tarepanda

Hi Mommy! Just want to let you know that I have safely arrived in Florida!

I will send you some pictures soon!

* Posted Nov 24, 2011, 9:02 pm [Quote] [View just this post] Go to the top of the page


Miami, Florida, United States - 28th November 2011

By: tarepanda

Today is my first outing!! 

My host likes to read and is a member of  BookCrossing.  In fact, all my other TV friends here come from her BookCrossing friends. Right now, they are playing a BookCrossing monopoly game, which means that they have to release a book based on the square they land.

Today, we are visiting some food trucks.  Next to me is Genoveva from Germany.  As she bores handsome teeth like me, we have become fast friends.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/2011/SDC13705.jpg 

This truck is called 90 Miles.  The name comes from a monument in Key West, the southern most city in continental U.S., that says 90 Miles to Cuba.  This truck sells Cuban food.

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While I am curious to try Cuban food, Bally the Bookcrossing mascot drags us to another truck called  Yellow Submarine.

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Bally shows us the menu... the yellow sub looks good.

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We place our order.

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The hotdog has chopped pineapple on top, so it looks yellowish.  it's delicious indeed!

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Afterwards, we help Bally release a yellow book by the truck.  Mission accomplished!!

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* Posted Feb 10, 2012, 4:06 am Last edited Feb 10, 2012, 4:07 am by tarepanda [Quote] [View just this post] Go to the top of the page


Miami, Florida, United States - 6th December 2011

By: tarepanda

Today we go to the Miami Library Book Sale.

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There are books everywhere!!

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Look we have some great finds!  Our host usually get a few boxes to last her for releasing the whole year.

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Afterwards, we go inside the library. 

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We go up to the second floor where the audio books are.

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Here we are!

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The library also has computers to use.

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Time to check out!  This is the self service counter where you check out the books by running them through the scanner.

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* Posted Feb 27, 2012, 2:49 am Last edited Feb 27, 2012, 2:53 am by tarepanda [Quote] [View just this post] Go to the top of the page


Miami, Florida, United States - 30th January 2012

By: tarepanda

As Chinese New Year is coming up, we help our host prepare her favorite New Year dish, turnip cake (Lo Bak Go).  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnip_cake)  My host makes it every year for the new year.  She brags that she cooks a really good version of it, when she gave it to her boss to share with his Chinese parents, they said it's the best they ever had.  : )  You can find the cake in Chinese restaurant dim sum too, but they are not as good. ; )

First we have to prepare the ingredient.  We used dried shrimp, dried scallop and mushroom, and we have to soak it in water first.

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Next we chop up some sausage.

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Now we stir fried it with some cooking wine, soy sauce and sugar.

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Next is the preparation of the turnip, or daikon.  We use 5 lbs for one round of cake.  We clean and peel them.

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While my host's grandma had to shred them by hand, now it is a breeze with a food processor.

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We cook the radish, then add the mixings in.

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We prepare the flour mix.  It's half rice flour and half corn starch in a small bowl of water. 

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We put the radish mixture into a deep pan and stir in the flour mix.

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We have to steam the mixture for 45 minutes.  While we are waiting, we prepare some cilantro.

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Let's see if it's ready!  We stick a chopstick into the cake.  If it comes out clean it's good.

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A little garnish with cilantro and sesame on top, and it's done!! 

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* Posted Mar 10, 2012, 4:43 am [Quote] [View just this post] Go to the top of the page


Tamarac, Florida, United States - 6th February 2012

By: tarepanda

Today we go with our host to the Chinese Buddhist Temple to celebrate Chinese New Year.

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They have some cute monk statues around the building.

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Look, they hang up a lot of red lanterns so it looks very festive.

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Near the entrance is a big incense burner.

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I say a little prayer, make a wish and insert the incense into the burner.

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It looks very festive inside too!

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The lanterns are made to look like lotus flowers.  Aren't they beautiful?

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This is the main hall where the Buddha statue is.

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We see more of the cute statues.

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This is a beautiful bronze bell.

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What are all these little lanterns hanging on the tree?

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We donate some money, so we get a little lantern.  We write our wish for the new year on the attached plate and hang it on the tree.  I hope our wish comes true!!   

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It's lunch time!!  We line up in the dining hall to get our food.  At the temple, all food is vegetarian and cooked by volunteers.

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Yummm... very healthy, and very delicious!

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There is a gift shop area. 

They have a big section of books and CDs.

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Lucky charms, bracelets and more.

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They have some paper lantern.

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This is a weird looking puppet.

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There are many type of food and snacks.  Some of them are home made by volunteers, some are vegetables and fruits donated by farmers and wholesalers, and some of them are imported from Taiwan.  Our host always get something when she visited the temple. 

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We see a lot of paper strips hanging from the ceiling.  Our host tells us that at Lantern Festival (the last day of New Year, on the 15th day) a popular activity is to play riddles.  Each piece has a riddle on it .  If you know the answer you can take the riddle down and claim a prize.

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Can you guess the answer to this riddle?

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What are these?  My host says it's lion head but I am not sure if they look like the lions I know.  Maybe Chinese lion looks different?

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Anyway, let's take a picture in the lion's mouth!

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There is some kung fu performance.

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The drummer's beats quicken.  I wonder what is coming up?

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Wow look at the dragon!!  It's very lively!

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Uh oh~!  Looks like it tangles itself up while chasing the ball!

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Here comes the lions!!

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The lions stand up real tall, by having one performer standing on the shoulder of other.

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Now on to some quieter performances. A lady plays the flute.

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And another does a sword dance.

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What a fun experience this is!

* Posted Mar 25, 2012, 5:14 pm Last edited Mar 25, 2012, 5:23 pm by tarepanda [Quote] [View just this post] Go to the top of the page


Miami, Florida, United States - 24th February 2012

By: tarepanda

Today the weather is very nice, so we go visit the U Pick farm.

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We found some delicious strawberries!

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These are the little flowers from the strawberry plants.

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They are very juicy and delicious.  We pick and eat to our hearts' content.

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Next we look for some tomatoes.

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We find some Roma tomato.

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The cherry tomato is very sweet so we decide to get them.

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We also pick a few green peppers.

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Here we are, enjoying ourselves among the parsley.

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The basil doesn't look too great but we decide to get a little just to cook with pasta.

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They have a field of flowers too, like sunflower, for people who want to take a bunch home.

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For those who don't have time to pick the fruits and vegetables themselves, they can get it at the stall.

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When we get home, our host scramble an egg with some of the tomato and chives we just got, with a bit of goat cheese too.

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Mmm it sure is tasty!

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* Posted Apr 2, 2012, 10:46 pm [Quote] [View just this post] Go to the top of the page


Lake Worth, Florida, United States - 4th March 2012

By: tarepanda


Today we go to Lake Worth for the street painting festival.  It's the largest of its kind in the U.S.

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They close off a few streets and the artists paint on them.  The beginning section is drawn by students.  They may be young but they paint very well.

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The event goes from Saturday to Sunday.  It takes a lot of hours to paint.

This one is very colorful!

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Here's a painting of Nemo and his friends!

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Looks like sea turtles is a popular theme.

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This is a manatee, an endangered sea mammal found in Florida.

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And a Florida beach!

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The painter paints his own dog in this one.

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And this man paints his wife.  It's very beautiful.  We debate whether she will be very moved by this or she will complain that he makes her look too fat. : D

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The artist draws grid on her copy, so she can reproduce it accurately on the street.

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This is so beautiful.  It's a shame to remember that when the festival is over, the art will not remain.

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Besides street painting there are other arts on display too.  This stall sells palm frond art.  Frond is the base of a palm leaf.

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This man is pretending to be a bronze statue.

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There are a lot of reproduction of classics, all nicely done. 

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Here's a picasso!

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Not a classic, but rather an impressionist painting of Darth Vader!

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There are some food booths too in case you get hungry.

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They get a bit tired from kneeling on the street to paint, and do a little dance.

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I guess cigar and fine arts kind of go together...

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Oh look!  Harry Potter!

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Pussy in Boots!

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Some artists complete their work already while some are still hard at work.

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So many paintings, and they are all simply amazing!  It's hard to imagine how they can accomplish this kneeling or lying on the street! 

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* Posted Apr 14, 2012, 4:28 am [Quote] [View just this post] Go to the top of the page


Miami, Florida, United States - 11th March 2012

By: tarepanda

This week we go with our host to Tarpon Springs, which is on the west coast of central Florida.  The city has the highest percentage of Greek-Americans of any city in the US, beginning back when the first Greek immigrants arrived to this city during the 1880s, hired to work as divers in the growing sponge harvesting industry.

The farmers market is open today, so we go to take a look.

There are lots of vegetables, including local tomatoes and strawberries.

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This stall sells home made jams and peanut butter.  We get some kumquat jam that is excellent.

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The bread looks delicious too!

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That looks yummy... not... yuck!  That's dog biscuit!!

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Now this is sounds better - cheese!!

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And some local honey sounds good too.

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There are some plants for sale.

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The soap and sachets smells really good.  We pick a jasmine soap and a verbena sachet for the car.

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As for food - needless to say you can go Greek here!  Gyros anyone?

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/2012/SDC14234.jpg

* Posted Apr 30, 2012, 2:34 am Last edited Apr 30, 2012, 3:12 am by tarepanda [Quote] [View just this post] Go to the top of the page


Tarpon Springs, Florida, United States - 11th March 2012

By: tarepanda

My friend Genoveva the German rat is having a craving for beer, and I certainly won't mind a glass myself.  Our host has been very nice to scout out some good spots.

Today, we go to a Saint Somewhere Brewery, for a Happy Ending Brunch!

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Looks like they get some good stuff here!

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This tank is used for boiling the grain.

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This is the fermentation tank.

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Hey look where the bottles come from!!

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These beers are ready to be shipped to bars for use on the tap.

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Now time to sit down for a gulp!  They specialize in saison.    The one on the left is orange juice mixed with saison. 

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We also enjoy some scrambled egg, potato, empanada and pancake.  What a nice Sunday brunch!

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/2012/SDC14261.jpg

* Posted May 1, 2012, 3:03 am [Quote] [View just this post] Go to the top of the page


Tarpon Springs, Florida, United States - 13th March 2012

By: tarepanda

Today we go around downtown Tarpon Springs.

We go to the Greek Heritage Museum, which unfortunately is closed.

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We take a stroll around the park next to the museum.  It is nice weather.  The trees have Spanish moss hanging from them, giving them a romantic aura, or a ghastly look, depends on your take.

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Look there is a little squirrel friend!

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We have a good time at the park.  Wish we packed some picnic!

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This is a monument for His Holiness Bartholomew, arch bishop of Constantinople, who visited in 2006.

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The park is right by the bayou. 

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Some days you can see manatee swimming here. We see two, but it's hard to catch them on the camera though, as you don't know when or where they will peek out from the water. 

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The bayou leads out to the Gulf of Mexico.  There are several spots for people to unload their motor or man-powered boats, like these outrigger canoes, to go out to the gulf.  Or they can just paddle around inside the bayou and along the waterways leading out to the sea.  Looks like water here is too tame for surfing!!

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This house here looks very pretty!

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We walk up to the main street.  This is the St. Nicholas Cathedral.  It is modeled after Hagia Sophia.

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The statue is a memorial for those residents who fought in the wars.

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You can see the Greek flag flying.

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We spot a Greek bakery across the street.  We are not hungry so we will visit another time.

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* Posted May 4, 2012, 5:08 pm [Quote] [View just this post] Go to the top of the page


Tarpon Springs, Florida, United States - 14th March 2012

By: tarepanda

This is the room we are staying at.

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The house has a beautiful patio where we can see the sea.  We like to read, use our computer or have our meals here.  The light sea breeze makes it very comfortable.

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Ahh... What a beautiful place this is!  I can live like this everyday.

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We enjoy watching the sun setting into the sea.

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* Posted May 4, 2012, 5:33 pm [Quote] [View just this post] Go to the top of the page


Dunedin, Florida, United States - 15th March 2012

By: tarepanda

We are getting thirsty again!  LOL.  Today we go visit Dunedin Brewery, the oldest microbrewery in Florida.

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The outside looks pretty good, almost like a German beer garden.  Let's see what's inside!

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The brewing tanks here are much bigger than the other one we went to.

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The inside has a cosy, funky atmosphere which we like immediately.

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Let's check out what they have!

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We have an apricot peach Ale and a gold ale.  They are both very delicious.  Also ordered some fried cheese curd, chicken wings, and more.  Yummy!

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/2012/SDC14343.jpg

* Posted May 5, 2012, 5:20 am [Quote] [View just this post] Go to the top of the page


Tarpon Springs, Florida, United States - 17th March 2012

By: tarepanda

Today we go visit the Sponge Docks, which is the popular tourist destination in Tarpon Springs.

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We walk along Dodecanese Avenue (named after the Dodecanese Islands of Greece).  There are a lot of Greek restaurants and shops selling sponges and Greek souvenirs.

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This is how a sponge boat looks like.  While a 1894 newspaper article reported that Tarpon Springs did over a million dollars of business a year in the sponge industry, today there is hardly any sponge harvesting done here, due to costs and other factors.

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This statue is a memorial to the divers. 

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Look at all the sponges!  Most of them are imported from where costs are lower.

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We find this friendly sea turtle.

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Oh Mommy!  Help! I don't want to be shark dinner!

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What a scare!! Now we need some food!

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Gyros is a Greek specialty.  You can see the stacks of pita bread and the roasting meat.

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Yum!  It's so delicious.  The bread is soft and warm, and the tzaziki sauce creamy.

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We also have a Spanakopita, spinach pie, which is very flaky.

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Dessert time!  We go a few doors down to a bakery.

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Look at all the baklava, flans, cookies and more!  My mouth is watering!

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Our host gets some of her favorite, the diples.  It's a thin waffle rolled up like a tube, with honey drizzled over it. 

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What a fun trip but sadly it's time to go home. 

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We pass the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.  The Travel TV Channel rated the Sunshine Skyway #3 in its special on the "Top 10 Bridges" in the World.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/2012/SDC14412.jpg

* Posted May 6, 2012, 4:24 am Last edited May 6, 2012, 4:34 am by tarepanda [Quote] [View just this post] Go to the top of the page


Redlands, Florida, United States - 31st March 2012

By: tarepanda

Today we visit a place called Cauley Square.  This is originally a railroad depot from 1903.  Now, much of that downtown area, with its dozen of buildings, are preserved. 

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The railroad is long gone, except for this little train here.

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We walk around the village.

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Most of the little houses are converted to either shops or restaurants. 

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This weekend there is a Renaissance Festival going on.  Let's check it out!

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What are these colorful things?

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It's a society of glass blowers showing their work.

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There is a booth for pan flute.

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This lady is playing some lovely music on the harp.

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There are many volunteers and workers dressed up in medieval clothings.

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All these clothes look very interesting!

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If you want to, you can go ahead and buy an outfit to join them!

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Reward offered for my head!

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I guess this rocking horse is like what our roller roaster is now!

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These people are educating people about birds of prey.

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Looks like we stumble into the camp of a crusader?

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The sign looks medieval but the food definitely is not!  Ceviche?  Chili cheese fries?  And pray tell what is Peruvian donut?

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/2012/SDC14456.jpg

Methink'st the medieval lords and knights will be stumped by the drink menu of pina colada and mojito too! 

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u314/azuki726/toy%20voyagers/2012/SDC14461.jpg

* Posted May 6, 2012, 5:50 am Last edited May 6, 2012, 5:54 am by tarepanda [Quote] [View just this post] Go to the top of the page


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