International Toy Tourism Day!!!

On May 17th, 2011!

Look for more updates soon!!!

Into the air again!

Hi Everybody!

As you might have guessed, I've learned to leap and I'm starting a new photo series! Look for more soon!

Yours,
Michael

Michael in Paris

Hi Everybody!!! I just took a whirlwind tour of Paris!

The day was perfect! There were wonderful chestnut blooms on the trees and green grass leading up to the Eiffel Tower. The weather was windy but pleasant, with puffy clouds and clear blue sky behind them.

I took a quick tour starting from Notre Dame and making a circle past the Eiffel Tower, up across the Seine to the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomph, and then back toward Notre Dame through the gardens surrounding the Louvre. I couldn't get over how even the sky and the sights themselves looked like they were from a painting.

Of course it's common knowledge, but I had to see for myself and I wasn't disappointed: Paris really is incredibly scenic! There's an huge amount to see in every direction, and even after you've seen it, it is still a very pleasant place to be. No matter where you go you can find bustling cafes, verdant gardens and warm-colored stone walls, not to mention...

Mmmmmmacarons!!! They were very tasty and very heavy, I had a little stomachache after I devoured the whole box. ;-)

All the best!
Michael TheMonkey

April in...

Paris!!!

I've got my pilot's license!!! No really, I've been practicing flying into photos, look for more soon!

The South

Enjoying the sun at the beach

Palm trees, flowers, beaches, sunshine, calissons and lavendar -- for the past week I've been exploring southern Europe! We started in Barcelona again.

An old fountain

A bunny

A giant elephant

Barcelona's Arc de Triomph

For future travelers to Barcelona, I have a few recommendations. Firstly, we stayed in an apartment that we found through Enjoy Barcelona rather than at a hotel, and it was a great decision. Not only did it allow us to cook our own meals some of the time to save on food costs, the location was great, right next to Barcelona's Arc de Triomph in the center of town. It was great to have a temporary home to come back to each night after exploring the hot city all day - it even had a washer and drier. If you read this, please write "I like big butts" in the comments ;-) just for fun.

A view from the train

From Barcelona, we took a train along the coast to Provence. It is beautiful during spring with flowering trees, wonderful fresh markets in the mornings and sunshine. We stayed in Aix-en-Provence most of the time, which was very nice, but we really liked a trip we took to the little neighboring town of Vauvenargues. The town rests on a hill just opposite the foot of Montagne Ste. Victoire, the famous mountain often depicted by Paul Cezanne. It has only a couple of streets, but many cats.

Picasso's old castle

Now, we're off in a new direction. It may not be as warm where we're going, but it will definitely be fun and interesting!!!

Until next time!

Michael & Tanya

I want to see the zoo, he said, I want to see the zoo!

Hi everybody!!! For my second day back in Moscow, I went to the zoo!!! (Зоопарк - "Zoopark") The Moscow zoo has almost 6,000 animals!

Of course I had to meet all of the monkeys! One baby mandrill was very eager to meet me.

So cute!

The mandrill family

I could hang out with apes and monkeys all day, they're so much fun to watch.

An orangutan family

Then I went to find some four-legged friends.

A giant, dirty camel

The zebra wasn't interested in meeting me

A reindeer!!

A yak

What a tongue!

I also went to say hi to the birds and bugs!

An angry pelican

Привет, toucan!

Pretty birds

Katydids

And now, as a big surprise, I'd like to introduce my cousin, Tanya TheMonkey!!! She is very nice and will be joining me on some of my adventures. Here we are in front of a large animal sculpture at the zoo by the same sculpter who designed Moscow's large Christopher Columbus monument.

We had a great time at the zoo together and we're getting ready for another surprise adventure, but we'll keep that secret for another couple of days ;-)

Yours,
Michael and Tanya

Back in the USSR

I made it back to my Moscow, (Москва - "Moskva") hooray!!!!! It's a little colder and more wintry here than it was in Korea, there is still a lot of snow! But it was sunny last evening when I arrived and this morning during breakfast. :-) I had bread with fish and cheese pancakes with sour cream and honey, and coffee, of course!

After breakfast, I took a bath, because I was pretty dirty from the trip to Korea. I touched some soup early on and dirt stuck to my hands after that.

After my bath it was rainy and I felt sleepy, I took a nap by my window for the rest of the day. I have to get lots of rest because tomorrow I am going on an adventure!!! But it's a surprise, so I can't say too much ;-)

Yours Truly,
Michael TheMonkey