French McDonalds

There is a casino right next to McDonalds!  Bella's friend wondered if they bet with French Fries instead of chips?  Bella loves fries, so she would be happy to just hang out at the McDonalds.

Anne at the White House

Cool!

This is Anne at the White House.  She thinks it is so amazing that she is right outside the president's house.  Did you know that President Theodore Roosevelt was the one to give it the name, White House?  According to the White House official website, there are 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, 3 elevators and 6 levels in this famous house.  Anne wonders why this place is so big.  She thinks that if it were up to her to build, it would be much smaller.

Le Chateau Fort de Nice

Bella has a pretty night view of Le Chateau Fort de Nice.  It is a very old fort that overlooks beautiful Nice, France.

Anne at the Monuments

Under repair

Anne's friend let me know that the Washington Monument is under repair due to earthquake damage.  The Washington Monument is an obelisk. An obelisk is a building that is a pillar shape with a pointed top.  They are usually built as monuments or landmarks.  This obelisk was built to honor George Washington, our first president. Anne is sad that it is in this condition.  The original construction took 36 years, from 1848-1884.  Hopefully the repairs won't take that long.

This is the Lincoln Memorial.  It is another national monument.  It is in honor of the 16th president, Abraham Lincoln.  It is located across from the Washington Monument.  Anne wishes she could sit with the president, but the statue is actually very large.  She wouldn't want to get lost and miss out on the rest of her travels.  

This is the Iwo Jima memorial.  It is also known as the Marine Corps War Memorial. It is a military memorial statue.  It is just outside the Arlington Memorial Cemetery.  This statue is cast in bronze.  It is actually one of the largest bronze statues.  Anne likes that the flag does not come down at night like most flags.  It flies 24 hours a day.  The memorial is based on a picture taken of 5 marines and 1 navy corps man placing the flag on Mt. Suribachi during the battle of Iwo Jima in World War II.  Although it is based on something that happened in WWII, the memorial honors all marines who have served.

Anne goes to Washington

This is the Capitol Dome.  The United States Congress meets here.  Anne wishes that she could join in on one of their meetings.  Even though it might be boring, it would be neat to see congress in action.

This is Anne in the Capitol Building.  She is standing with the statue of King Kamehameha, which represents the state of Hawaii.  She thinks it is cool to be with this statue, because King Kamehameha was the first to rule over all the Hawaiian islands. Anne also loves his headdress. 

Anne visits the National Museum of Natural History

The most famous diamond in the world.

Anne started her adventure at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, in Washington, D.C.  This is Anne with the Hope Diamond.  It is also known as Le Bijou du Roi which is the King's Jewel in French.   It is sized at 45.52 - carats.  A carat is a unit used to measure the mass of gemstones and pearls.  It is a Deep Blue Diamond.  The Diamond gets its Deep blue color from boron if the Diamond is exposed to ultraviolet light it has a red glow.  Anne thinks it is beautiful and thinks it is sad that it is too big for her to wear.

This picture was taken in the Smithsonian fossil collection.  At first Anne thought the dinosaurs were alive, and she screamed, "AAAAHHHH!"  But then she found out that these are fossils, and that dinosaurs are extinct.  Then she learned that the museum has a huge collection of dinosaurs of all sizes.  The first dinosaurs were small and then over time became the largest creatures on earth.  The National Museum of Natural History website has a lot more information, like virtual tours, dinosaur information and the tree of life activity.

Night Promanade

La Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France

Bella is having fun riding on her friends pretty, pink helmet watching the beautiful Mediterranean Seashore.  She has the perfect seat for a great bike ride.  She is thankful for such good traveling friends. 

Bella takes off from Honolulu Airport

This is at the Honolulu Airport, where Bella is about to take off for France.  She is enjoying a refreshing soda before she takes off for her long flight.  Next stop, New Jersey.  She hopes that she will get treated to another soda when she gets there.

Bella and her friend, have arrived in New Jersey!  They are both very tired.  Bella is wondering if the soda is as good in New Jersey as in Hawaii.  

But, before a treat, you must wash your hands.  Good travel tip!

Yum!  Yup, it is still delicious.  Maybe even a little better after such a long journey.

Next stop, FRANCE!

Bella

This is Bella.  She loves all things French.  She likes to eat Socca {it is a flat cake with custard inside}that you can get in Nice, France.  She also likes to dress up, paint and watch her Mom prepare French cuisine.  She is my newest doll and is already in France on her first journey!

Anne

This is Anne with an e.  She is inspired by Anne of Green Gables.  Ice cream is one of her favorite treats.  She is excited to go on her first trip soon.  She will be traveling with one of Eve's old passing doll friends.  In the future she hopes to eventually travel to Prince Edward Island.

New Doll in NYC

Alice was in NewYork and having a blast!  She enjoyed tea at  Alice's Tea Cup (how appropriate), went to Bloomingdales, and ate at Gaek Korean Restaurant.  It was a great trip thanks to one of her great traveling friends.   

Theodore Roosevelt's Birthplace

This way to another great National Monument in NYC...

Did you know:

Theodore Roosevelt did not like to be called Teddy?  His nickname was actually Teedy.

Teedy lived his first 14 years mostly inside because he had asthma?

His family was very rich?

He enjoyed nature very much?

This house is a nearly exact replica of his birthplace with almost all original furnishings?

The Teddy Bear is named after Theodore Roosevelt because he refused to shoot at a captured bear while hunting?

African Burial Grounds

In the time of early America, Africans were taken away from there homes and enslaved.  They were forced to work under harsh conditions for the Dutch and then later English settlers. The African Burial Ground is located in lower Manhattan.  This is where African slaves were buried and also one of the few places where they were aloud to hold on to some of their cultural traditions.  This sacred ground was just recently discovered after being under ground for over a hundred years.  Now it is a National Monument where you can learn about the lives of the first enslaved Africans in America.

This is Eve in front of the Sankofa symbol.

There are West African symbols around the African Burial Grounds Monument.  The Sankofa symbol means "learn from the past and prepare for the future."  Eve learned a lot at the Monument by watching a historical video and then visited the exhibit and helped her friend with her Junior Ranger booklet.  She learned so many things at this exhibit she would recommend it to anyone interested in history.

Here is a map of the original boundry of the African Burial Grounds with the current streets of New York.

Eve at the Met

This is Eve at the METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART.  She had a great time.  The museum has every kind of art you can imagine.  It is so huge, it takes up a whole city block.  Even at great BIG museums there are small things (like Eve).   In the gift shop there are mini pencils!   
              

"Just my size."

Eve's favorite painting was Shoes, by Van Gogh.  She loved the frame and the way the floor was painted.  

Eve visits Broadway!

Eve saw Newsies the musical.  She thought it was great.  Her favorite characters from the show were Jack and Davey.  She loved the part when they came up with a plan for their strike. 

After the show she got autographs from the cast.  Then she went out for cheesecake at Juniors in Times Square.  Junior's was delicious.  The cheesecake was fresh and cool.  She was very excited to be in New York!

American Girl Place

Eve enjoyed her time with her friend Kit at the American Girl Place. They went shopping and ate at the cafe. Kit got her hair done, and even had a spa treatment. They picked the perfect friend, a doll named Ruthie who they brought home with them after a wonderful lunch.  Kit and Eve had some quiche.  It was a very satisfying day.  When Eve finally got home she went right to sleep.  

Eve lands in New Jersey

Eve is waiting for the train.  The train is headed for New York City and Eve is so excited. She has saved up her money for an I ❤ NY tshirt.

Alice at the Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House (the white building in the back by the bridge) is in Sydney, Australia.  Alice must be so excited.  I wonder what she is thinking?  Is there an opera going on right now?  The Sydney Opera House is home to many kinds of performing arts like: dance, family entertainment, opera, talks, and theater.  When I visit there some day I want to see the Australian Ballet.

Map of Eve's Israel Trip

Click HERE to see a map of Eve in Israel

Eve in the Garden of Gethsemane

Ancient Olive Tree in Garden of Gethsemane

This is one  of the most famous places from the bible.  It is the garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives.  It is the garden where Jesus went to pray the night before he was arrested and then sent to hang on the cross.  He told his disciples before this to remember Him when they broke bread, which is like saying when they would eat.

The trees that are in the garden today are ancient olive trees.

Look at Eve here in the trunk of an olive tree.  This is a good shot of the trunk.  It looks grey and rough.  This spot is just Eve's size.

Eve viewing the garden

I think Eve is thinking, "This is really interesting.  The trees and the dirt are very different from what I am used to."

Eve with Camels

Eve saw a lot of camels in Israel.  In this picture she is posing in front of a picture of a couple camels.  It looks hot and sandy.  Did you know camels can live without food and water for many days?  The hump is full of fatty tissue to help them survive when food is hard to find.  Camels also have thick eyebrows that protect their eyes from the hot sun.
I think Eve is thinking, "Do these camels come in my size?"

Eve at the Dead Sea

Eve is at the Dead Sea!  It is one of the world's saltiest lakes.  It is called the Dead Sea because it is so salty, most animals can't survive there.  The salt also makes you more buoyant.   A lot of people who visit the Dead Sea will take pictures of themselves floating.  I saw a lot of pictures on the internet of people who took pictures of themselves floating and reading at the same time!
I think Eve is thinking that she could get on the water and catch up with her reading!!

Eve at the Western Wall

This place is called the wailing wall because people saw Jewish people mourning the loss of their temple at this site.  People come here from all over the world to pray.  They write prayers on paper and stick them into cracks in the wall.  This wall is very old and respected as a sacred place.  

Eve at the woman's section of the wall.