Brugges, Belgium

Merry Christmas!
It's been a while since we've last spoken, and I'm afraid I have some sad news.  I am afraid my cover as Maika's secret suitcase partner has been compromised!  I was getting ready to hop into her trusty luggage for a trip to Belgium. I'd been saving up all my extra snack points (I'm on the new Weight Watchers plan. That Jennifer Hudson is an inspiration.) for waffles and chocolate when suddenly I was kidnapped!  Well, bearnapped...

A mean gray mouse tied me up and left me in the back of Maika's closet where I could only see old issues of People magazine and mismatched shoes.  Then he jumped in her purse and went on the trip with her instead of me!  I would have been much more upset if Maika didn't bring me back the most delicious chocolate--and if I didn't get a chance to read up on the latest gossip.  That Ryan Gosseling sure is dreamy.

When Randy (the mean gray mouse) returned from his trip, I found these pictures on Maika's camera.  Thought you might enjoy the little bit of Belgium he got to see!

The list of prohibited items in the Chunnel

Maika and Scott traveled from England to Calais, France under the water! The Chunnel (Channel Tunnel) was formally opened in 1994 and is 31.4 miles long! (Don't bring ferrets.)

The Chunnel carries passengers in cars on these sweet trains.  ( I had to find this on Wikipedia, because I was left at home in a closet. Stupid mouse.)

Brugges is the capital and largest city in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish region of Belgium.

The whole city smells like chocolate--just like this giant chocolate aardvark!

 

There's this cool old mote surrounding the whole city where you can take boat rides!

Belgian waffles!  You can get them topped with whatever you like, and people carry them around like funnel cakes!

Randy the Mouse in the lace, for which Brugges is famous.

I bet he thought this was about a mouse...

The good news is I have been freed and will soon be traveling again!  Have a happy New Year!

Pictures from Dubai!

Sunset in Dubai--notice the Burg Kalifa, the world's tallest building!

They even built an entire golf course here, in the middle of the desert!

Me and my new friend David, Maika's coworker from Germany

Can you guess what this says?

At first I was scared to go to the top of the Burg Kalifa, but they let bears ride the elevator, which goes 10m per second!  It only took 14 seconds to reach the top!

The view from the deck at the top of the Burg Kalifa made me think we must be back on the plane!

If you use your bear vision, you can see the beginning of a man-made group of islands they are constructing to resemble the world.  It will be a giant resort where guests can choose their "country."

This huge building houses the Armani Hotel, lots of businesses, and private residences.  They call it a vertical city.

My first meeting with a gold ATM.  I didn't know that's where humans get their gold.  Seems impressive to me!

Back on the ground after our journey to the top.  The Burg Kalifa is right next to the Dubai Mall, the biggest mall I've ever seen! It's structurally designed to resemble a flower, and is tested to survive every kind of weather.  Don't tell my science friends, but I was even more impressed by the pictures of Tom Cruise filming the newest Mission Impossible movie here!

A nice shady stop outside the Dubai Mall

Not only does this mall have an indoor ice rink and a full scale fashion runway, it has a waterfall with cliff divers!

You may not know, one of my many talents is cliff diving.

Dubai from the ocean, which was really warm when I stuck my toes in it!

There's an entire outdoor stroll full of restaurants along the ocean where people hang out every night.  On Wednesdays there's even a night market.

Did you guess?  It's my favorite! Starbucks!  The only difference is they didn't offer decaf coffee and they had never seen a Gold Card.  Bears need their caffeine. 

What a cool way to end my trip to Dubai, a walk at night along the Marina...

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Most of my bearfriends are staying warm inside caves or other people's backpacks, but not me!  I am sunning myself on the rooftop of a crazy cool hotel in Dubai. 

That's right, I've once again hopped a plane and landed in a new place.  Dubai is in the Middle East, and is the place to be in between Europe and Asia.  I got to spend some time with locals, and I learned quite a bit!

At first I was nervous about coming here--you know, because I don't wear any clothes.   I was worried I would need to cover up completely.  I quickly found out that everyone is accepted here.  There are people  from all over the world here!  Many of my new British friends vacation here because it is so warm.  I met lots of people from India who work and live here.  I even made friends with a couple of llamas who live in the desert!  Don't let their image fool you--llamas are actually quite friendly.

Dubai as a city feels very new, and there is more new construction than I've seen anywhere.  If I were an architect, I would be very happy here, because it seems like a playground for new ideas in building and structure.  Most people live in high rise condo buildings, rather than in houses with big yards like I was used to in the United States.  

I am convinced that if imagination were a bear, he would make his home here!  They've built a man-made marina, an indoor ski mountain with real snow, and the tallest building in the world!  Across the bay is Atlantis, the biggest hotel in the world.  They built an island in the shape of a giant palm tree and are in the process of building another resort that resembles the entire world.  I've heard that once it's finished, people can come back and decide which country they want to stay in and then enjoy a hotel room in their specific "country!"  

There is so much to see and do here, so I will write more soon!  In the meantime, I am going to go convince Maika to buy me Rosetta Stone so I can learn to read and write Arabic...

Across the Pond!

I was right! That prolonged journey stuffed inside a bigger suitcase than normal was worth it!  I left North Carolina and landed in England!

Once my eyes adjusted from the dark and I got away from the smelly jeans I was squished up against I realized what a cool part of the world this is.

We landed at London Heathrow airport.  It's a huge place with people coming and going to every corner of the world.  From there we drove (on the wrong side of the road) two hours north to a small town called Lakenheath.  Maika's husband Scott is in the Air Force and he is now stationed at RAF Lakenheath.  "RAF" stands for "Royal Air Force."  I thought Maika was just joking when she said she carried a crown with her and sometimes asked for people to bow.  Apparently she does have royal ties.  Maybe if I play my cards right she'll introduce me to the Queen.

I have so much to learn about England!  Currently I'm living in a hotel on base, but if Maika and Scott ever take my advice on where to live, rumor has it we will move into a permanent home in one of the surrounding towns. 

Everything here is so old and historic.  I almost can't believe any of it is real because it all looks like what you find in a fairy tale.  I'm pretty sure my ancestors were the real bears from Goldilocks, which certainly took place close.  They even call oatmeal "porridge," so it has to be true.

Asheville Continued

The Biltmore Estate was so huge it deserves two posts. 

According to our tour guide, George Vanderbilt built this house as a way to do something truly great with all the money his father left him from the railroad business.  It took one thousand men six years to build it, and the entire time George never told his family what he was doing!  I guess when they all live far away and phones and internet aren't popular, you can keep a secret like that! 

The house opened on Christmas Day of 1895.  Today it looks like a castle you might find in Europe, so just think about what it must have looked like when it first opened! 

I wanted to stay and move into one of the 250 rooms (including 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces), but Maika promised there was more adventure still to come.  We spent a few more days exploring Asheville.  It's a really cool artsy place with plenty of things to see.  We even climbed up a trail to a waterfall that was so beautiful I thought it was from a movie.  And it was!  Maika said something about a movie called The Last of the Mohicans that has a famous waterfall scene.  Can you believe it?  I was at that waterfall!

Our trip to Asheville was great and I would love to go back.  But pretty soon I was back in my seat in the suitcase.  It's been a long trip in here so far and it's very dark.  My bear watch (which is always accurate) is telling me this flight is going on 7 hours, so we must be headed somewhere far far away.  Stay tuned to find out where I go next!

Asheville, North Carolina

It is absolutely beautiful in North Carolina, especially in the fall.  We landed at a big airport in Raleigh, North Carolina--in an area of the world they call the "Research Triangle."  There are three main cities that all contribute to research medicine and technology: Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.  We didn't spend much time here, though, because Maika and her husband Scott were headed on vacation in a place called Asheville.

Asheville is a 4-hour drive west of Raleigh.  The drive was beautiful, because the leaves were changing all kinds of bright colors and it smelled like crisp apples in the air.  (I know this, because unlike my bear friends, I truly enjoy a good apple cider.)

We visited the Biltmore Estate, the largest home in America!

The journey begins!

This is going to be one amazing ride! 
I'm Jake, a blogging bear with an insatiable sense of adventure.  For the next seven months, I am traveling the globe learning all about geography, history and general fun.  My master, Lauren is a fantastic girl in the sixth grade at Elkhorn Middle School in Omaha, Nebraska.  I am so grateful she sent me on this trip!
I began my journey when Lauren met a super cool gal named Maika.  She's a friend of Lauren's neighbor who drove Lauren to school on a crisp fall day in September.  Lauren seemed to trust her, so I will too!
My first trip with Maika was fantastic.  She took me all the way from Omaha, Nebraska to Asheville, North Carolina!  I'll write about that and upload pictures soon. 

You won't believe the cool things I am seeing.  Follow me on Twitter to keep up!  @TrackJake

Stay tuned.  Much more to come!

Your Friend,
Jake The Bear