Well, here I am on another Canadian journey! Have you read about my first thrilling trip in the book Flat Stanley and the Intrepid Canadian Experience? Well, this time, instead of BEING a snowboard, I decided to experience the Canadian snow on a new and recycled green version. It was sweet! I went to one of Mrs. H's favorite places to ski, Quebec, and had the snowboarding adventure of a lifetime. It's a good thing I wore my helmet because I came pretty close to some of those gigantic pine trees in the middle of the slopes. "Better safe than sorry", my mother, Mrs. Lambchop, always says. I think that's her second favorite expression, after "Hay is for horses". Here I am posing in my last photo opp. Check out the snowboard.
The reason I'm in Canada is because my friend, Justin, sent me to visit his cousin. Canada is our North American neighbor, and is an amazing place. Did you know that it has ten provinces and three territories? It doesn't have states like we do in the USA. Here is a map of the country.
[image from http://www.historiann.com/]
Justin's cousin Lori lives in eastern Canada near the Atlantic Ocean. She first took me to Halifax harbor to check out the city. Much of Halifax was destroyed by a fire about 100 years ago. Now, it has been rebuilt and is beautiful.
We continued our tour, and she surprised me with a visit to see Theodore Tugboat, who was anchored right in the harbor. In Canada, he is the star of his own tv show, but I remember seeing him in back my rounder and younger days on the Thomas The Tank Engine show. "Hey!", I mean "Hi Theodore!"
The Elephant Walk
Later in the visit, Lori and I visited Mastodon Ridge, which was a very cool place in Nova Scotia. Mastodons are hairy herbivores who are relatives of today's elephants and cousins of the wooly mammoths of yesteryear. They became extinct about 10,000 years ago. I really thought it was awesome to see this giant model. Even though I usually prefer flat animals like snakes, I was imagining how cool it would be to be so enormous and round. My mind started to wander as I daydreamed about what my life would be as a mastodon.
We were a part of a large group exploring the park on that cold wintry day. It's a good thing I was wearing a warm and shaggy sweater! The sky quickly started to darken, so the park rangers herded our group to the parking lot. We slowly and clumsily lumbered over the slippery ice and snow toward our car. Lori was going to deliver me to the Canadian post office. "Can I ride in the trunk?" I begged her. "Why?" She asked, with a strange look on her face. I couldn't explain it, but for some reason, the the word trunk kept popping into my head. My mind cleared a little, and somehow I knew that I would soon be safely buckled into the back seat. So I slowly got into the car, buckled up, and fell asleep in my envelope.
February 2, 2011-Groundhog Day-Is It Spring Yet?
I awoke when I was halfway across the Atlantic Ocean in the cargo hold of a Lufthansa airplane. Why is there all of this grass in my envelope? I wondered. Where are all of the snacks I like to eat, like Wheat Thins and Slim Jims? I was very confused. So I pulled out my new flat cellphone, and checked the date. It was February 2, Groundhog Day. Curious about Punxsutawney Phil's prediction, I texted Arthur to get the answer. It was so great that Jake had taught me how to text when we were in New Hampshire. "No Shadow" he texted back. I had to think quickly. Not seeing his shadow means an early spring. I guess that means that I'll have to get in all of the skiing, tubing, and boarding that I can as soon as I return to the USA. Does that mean no more snow days? I wondered hopefully. Slowly, I fell back asleep in my envelope.
February 3, 2011- European Vacation
"Guten tag," I heard faintly. Was I still dreaming? "Guten tag," I heard again. What on earth does that mean? Now, it was all coming back to me. I was in Germany, and these strangers smiling down on my must be Conor's family. "Hello," I responded. I quickly slid out of my grassy envelope and was ready to begin a new adventure.
Germany is Central Europe most populous nation. Check out the map below to see where it is located.
[image from http://www.strategypage.com/]My friends told me that we were actually in southern Germany, and that in a few days we would be visiting the city of Munich. As I warmed up in the kitchen, we had a fantastic breakfast of blintzes, which were a lot like pancakes. I relaxed, and thought about how wonderful it was to have the chance to slowly tour the beautiful countryside and just take it easy for a few days. I looked outside the window, and noticed that there was just a bit of snow on the ground.
My hosts treated me just like family over the next few days. To help them out, I even offered to help with a household chore. For each meal, I had to set the table and put out the dishes, flatware, and napkins. We often had spaetzle noodles and bratwurst sausage to eat. I always cut the sausage in half lengthwise to make it flatter. My favorite dessert was the deliciously horizontal apple strudel. Here I am, chilling in the back yard after a big meal.
February 5, 2011-Smart Traveling
After a few days of getting to know my new German friends, we left to tour the city of Munich. We got onto the famous Autobahn highway, and traveled for several hours by Smart Car. I've always wanted to ride in one of these cars, for obvious reasons. Everyone moves very quickly on the Autobahn. With the window open, I had to do my best to hold on tightly so I wouldn't fly away!
This is what a Smart Car looks like when traveling in Germany. Even the license plate is different. At least with our small car, we didn't have any trouble finding a parking spot in Munich.
When we arrived, one of the first spots that we visited was City Hall. The enormous building looked like a beautiful castle.
The next day, we visited a famous War Memorial. From a distance, it looks like it's just the right size for me, doesn't it?
The winter sun warmed my face but the breeze chilled my body. I started thinking about how I really could use a vacation. All of this travelling and table setting can really tire a boy out! I smiled as I realized that I would soon be heading to the Caribbean Sea to take a cruise with some friends. So, I stocked up on some sunscreen, packed my towel and swimsuit, and was on my way! Danke, Conor's family. The visit to Deutschland was wunderbar!
February 9, 2011-Heading Home
As my plane again flew over the Atlantic Ocean, I started to think about my own family. Valentine's Day was just around the corner. I decided to stop in and visit them when my cruise was over. I knew that they'd be glad to see me, and I was even looking forward to seeing Arthur again.
February 10, 2011-Cruisin'
I arrived in Miami, and had to find my cruise ship. How would I know which one my friends are on? I know that they told me that it had dozens of balconies, several pools, and a large deck, but so do all of the ships here. I took out my cell phone and texted my friend Robert. Where R U? I texted. He answered quickly, and in no time flat, I was climbing the gangplank. "Do you have any luggage?", asked the steward. "No sir, it's just me and my envelope," I stated. "Well, you are staying on the Promenade Deck, room 111. Watch your step, please."
I headed quickly to find my friends. Since I knew that the safety drill was starting soon, I wanted to locate them and find a life jacket that would fit me. Due to my size and lamination , I was pretty sure that I could float in an emergency, but rules are rules. The ship's horn blasted and I covered my ears. When the safety drill ended, Robert and I checked out the Kids' Club and the wave pool. "Cowabunga!" was all I could say. I hoped there were boogie boards on the ship. We played and splashed in the pool all afternoon, and I could barely feel the ship moving. Dinner that night was a Hawaiian luau. Guess who won the Limbo contest? I admit that I have an unfair advantage due to my size, but the judges placed a special lei around my neck and awarded me the grand prize of my own limbo set to take home. Aloha, Arthur!, I thought mischievously. Later that night, Robert and I climbed into our bunk beds and said good night. The ocean waves gently rocked us to sleep.
February 11, 2011-More Cruisin'
As the ship cruised the sea, we cruised the ship. Robert and I checked out every corner, and we still found time to swim and play all of the video games in the Kids' Club.
I had so much to eat at the buffet table, that I was starting to lose my 2-D shape. One night, we had dinner with the Captain, and he almost sat on me! To apologize, he let me wear his Captain's cap for the night, and even let me steer the ship. With a boat of that size, I wasn't able to move it off course too much, to the relief of the other passengers.
The next day, we left the ship and visited a beach on a tropical island. I climbed a tree and picked a coconut. Did you know that the coconut is one of the world's largest seeds? Robert's mom and dad rented mopeds, and we climbed on back. What a great way to spend a day at the beach, I thought as we zoomed around. But soon, our cruise was over, and they sent me on my way. I was homeward bound!
February 14, 2011- Valentine's Day
It was so great to be home! We were all very happy to see each other. While my mother, Mrs. Lambchop, prepared my favorite dinner of flat crust pizza with extra pepperoni, my father, Mr. Lambchop, challenged me to a game of checkers. I could see several easy jumps ahead of me, but I just couldn't bring myself to force my dad to king me. I like playing with just single flat checkers. So, in the true spirit of the day, I generously let him win. After the fun was over, Arthur called me into the dining room. "Stanley, you got a special Valentine from a secret admirer," he told me. I panicked. I had no idea who it could have been from. Could it be a girl from my class? Could it be Calamity Jane from The Mount Rushmore Adventure? What about that girl I rescued from the crumbling building? I was really kind of embarrassed, because the card said that I was her hero. There were also WAY too many hearts on it. I started blushing and turning valentine red. It was quickly spiraling into a terrible day!
Even worst of all, she had sent me red roses! I started to feel kind of sick. Then I saw Arthur doubling over and holding his stomach. Why, he was laughing! Laughing at me! After hearing the noise, my mother came in and wanted to know what was going on. It turned out that Arthur had made the hand, and put my mother's flowers with it. She insisted that he apologize to me, and suggested that we play a game together so we could patch things up. So, with a smile on my face, I told him that I had just the right new game in mind...
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Fast forward to a busy week at school. I had a lot of work to catch up, especially since the next week would be vacation time again. Check back in a week to see a few of the exciting places I traveled to!
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