Alf meets friends in Denmark & Sweden

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After leaving the farm in Weista, Germany and his friend Millie Alfie headed, with Thea & Beryls the purple Campervan of course, to Northern Germany.

The first place they stopped was called Lindeburg Heidi.  The campsite had a dog park outside the reception – with a dog house and water bowl as well as a parking sign.  Alf was very happy to have his own little house.

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The campsite also had a little beach area with these funny seats.   What do you think Alf is thinking in this picture?

 

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I think Alf was thinking ‘these chairs are  comfortable but I prefer my purple chair’.

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The next day Alf and Thea went on a horse and cart ride around the common.  This is where the heather grows, it wasn’t in bloom yet but it was pretty anyway and fun to go on the horse and cart.   You can see Alf on the cart here and the horses that were pulling it.

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After the ride they got on with their days drive – which was a very long one.   It took Beryl, Alf and Thea on a dirt track, the autobahn which is a very fast motorway and through the centre of Hamburg – a bit city.

By the time they reach their next stop which was in Plon by the lake they all needed a rest.  And they were lucky to have a great camping spot right by the lake.   There was a lot of rain overnight but not too much the next day so they decided to go on  trip across the lake in a boat in search of somewhere to have for lunch.

 

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Alfie had a great big German sausage for his lunch.   This is him looking up at the sausage – whilst he was waiting for it to cool done.

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On the way back it looked like it was going to rain so Alf wore his rain coat.   As you can see from the picture he nearly had the top deck of the boat to himself – he just had to share it with Thea.

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From Plon Alfie and Thea drove in Beryl to  Denmark.  That meant that Alf was leaving Europe and entering Scandinavia.  There are five main countries in Scandinavia – Denmark, Sweden and Norway, Iceland and Finland.  Alf was going to visit three of them on this travels.

All three countries have similar flags – just different colours.

It was very wet and windy in Denmark.  Alfie doesn’t really like the rain but it was OK because he could stay dry either by staying inside Beryl or by wearing his raincoat when he was outside.   They spent about a week in Denmark visiting castles.  The castles were all beautiful and very majestic.   Alf couldn’t go inside all of the castles but he had a good look and sniff around the gardens.

 

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One of the castles also had a few exhibitions – with lots of cars and dolls.

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Denmark is made up of three different main areas – Jutland which is the mainland and connected to Germany.  Then there are two islands; Funon and Zealand.   To get to these islands Alf and Thea had to drive across two big bridges.

When they were in Funon they stopped at a lovely campsite near a beach.  Alf quite liked the beach, but what he really liked doing was  eating the grass beside the beach.

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From the island of Zealand they had two choice of how to get to Sweden – they could either drive over a very high bridge or take a ferry.  They decided to take the ferry.  Can you spot Alf in Beryl on the Ferry??

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When they got off the Ferry in Sweden it was unfortunately still a bit wet and windy.  But the views were beautiful, you could see for miles and miles – rolling green hills.   That night they camped by the beach again.  Alf ran around the beach like a puppy dog, he had a paddle, caught some sticks and then rolled in the sand.

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When they got back to Beryl from the beach it was a little chilly – so Alf got all wrapped up in Thea’s poncho.  He doesn’t look very happy about it does he?  Do you think he looks better in the poncho or his rain coat?

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Whilst travelling around Sweden they took some time to explore the beach – can you spot Alf in the first picture having a look around?

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This is Alf on another beach in the sunset.   There were cows on the beach too, but luckily they didn’t mind sharing it with Alf.SONY DSC SONY DSC

 

Alf and Thea were a bit thirsty after their walk on the beach so they stopped for a drink.  Can you tell which is Alf’s drink and which one is Thea’s?

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Another days drive and they arrived in Gothenburg, which is the second biggest city in Sweden.   When they were walking around town they saw a shop called Igor the Dog.  They had to go in and see if Igor was there – and he was.

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A little later  they stopped for a drink and lunch and Alf met another friend.  There were lots of nice and friendly dogs in Gothenberg.

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On this travel so far Alf has been on boats, trains and buses – and in Gothenberg he got to go on a tram too.

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After a day in the City Thea and Alf jumped in Beryl and headed into the countryside.  Alf finds walking around a city tiring, so one day is enough.   Luckily when they got to their next stop it was sunny – so much so that Alf sat under the umbrella for shade.  Later he moved into the  shade of some pine trees and had a big sleep.

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They only stayed in the forest campsite for one night before moving on to Lake Vanern – which is the largest fresh water lake in Sweden.

The weather was lovely and sunny so they stayed there for three nights.   At the lake Alf met some more friends.  As well as saying hello to his new friends he had some nice walks in the trees and played sticks on the beach.  Of course, he still found time to have a few naps in his favourite chair.

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Their final stop in Sweden was on a very pretty campsite.

Now Alf doesn’t usually like walking on wooden decking, but he was very brave and walked all down the long path.   Until he had enough and then he just sat down and waited for The.  Alf was tired and wanted to go to bed.  He also thought it might rain, and wanted Thea to hurry up so they could get to bed before the rain started.

As usual Alf was right – it started raining about 5 minutes after they got inside Beryl.  There was a big thunder-storm that night.  The loud claps of thunder made Alf jump a few times.  Even though it made him jump he knew there was nothing to be really scared about so he soon went back to sleep.

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The next day they got another ferry.  This ferry was going to take them all the way to Norway.  It had a special area for dogs, with cages for them to sit in.  Alf looked in and around the cages, but decided he much preferred the chairs.

 

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Can you see the eyes on the big red truck that is parked just behind Beryl on the ferry?

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After a couple of hours on the ferry – they arrived in Norway.  The first thing they did was find somewhere that Alf could have a little walk and a wee.  He was very good and kept his legs crossed all the time they were on the ferry.

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The campsite that night was right in the middle of the countryside there weren’t many people around and no other dogs.   But there was  a funny vehicle that Beryl parked next to – it looked a bit like a mini tank.

 

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On their second day in Norway they had a big drive – probably the biggest of their trip yet.  They had to drive up the top of a mountain and then drive through snow across the mountain until they came down the other side.    To get down the other side they drove in a tunnel that was like a corkscrew – it was very strange.

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As soon as they got out of the tunnel they stopped at the first campsite – where Alf met this mountain goat.

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After meeting the goat, Alf could hear lots of noises and wanted to find out what was going on – so he stood up on the back seat to have a look.  There were trucks coming into park and fill up their pick ups with goods to take over the mountain – Alf watched them for ages – he was fascinated to see what they were doing.

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The last few days had been a bit tiring so Alf and Thea stayed in their next stop for a few days.   It was in a place called Voss right on the edge of a lake, with mountains all around them.  It was the perfect place to relax for a few days.

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Alf didn’t know it yet – but their next stop was to see some friends from England.

 

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Alf finds a new friend in Weista

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When we last left you Alf was in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, well since then he has been in Germany and Denmark which is in Scandinavia.

The first place Alf went to in Germany is Weista to stay on the farm which belongs to Joob and Antonius who are friends and relatives of Oma and Opa (Thea’s parents).   On the farm Alf met Millie Moo and fell firmly in love with her.

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Whilst he was on the farm he got to meet some other animals too including sheep and cows.

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He also got to drive a tractor – well sit in it and pretend to drive it.   I bet you would love to drive a tractor.   I know that Mckenzie would.

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About 15 minutes walk from the farm house is a log cabin set by a lake.   Alf had great fun running there with Millie one day.  Thea rode the bike and Alf ran beside it – which he though was far better than getting inside the horrible trailer – if a bit tiring after a while.

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In this picture you can see Joob pulling Alf up from the lake.  Joob and Thea though Alfie wanted to go for a swim – but in fact he had found some bones there from a BBQ and was trying to get hold of them.   He did get some and through they were absolutely delicious.SONY DSC SONY DSC

 

This is the farm house and if you look closely you can see Alf by the door looking out after Millie who is running out to see what Thea is doing.

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Thea took Alf’s bed up stairs for him to sleep in but he took one look at the great big bed and decided that he was going to sleep in the bed instead.  It was extremely comfortable and once he got snuggled in there was no way he was moving.SONY DSC

 

This cows had just been put in the field for the first time ever – that is why there are in the cage because they need to get used to it first.   Can you imagine what it must look and smell like  having lived inside the barn up until that point.   I bet they thought it was fantastic – if a little scary until they got used to it.

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After a few days rest and exploring on the farm Alfie and Thea got back into Beryl and back on the road to continue their adventure.  They were heading up into the most northern part of Germany so they could get to Denmark.

The campsite they stopped in that night was in a place called Lindeburge Heidi.   Alf thought it was very cool because it had a parking spot just for him and his other doggie friends.   There was a house and drink there  – which Alf thought was a brilliant idea as he was a little bit thirsty.   Can you see instead of a parking sign for a car there is a parking sign for dogs – very cool.

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The campsite had a little beach bit with a funky chair in which Alf and Thea sat in for a bit.

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After that Alf was a little tired so he had a snooze.

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The next day they headed off into the heidi – which is the heather land – where heather grows.  Unfortunately the heather wasn’t in flower that day – it comes out in August and September.   But that didn’t stop Alfie having a ride in a horse and cart.

 

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On the way back to Beryl the camper van they found this little pony.  Don’t you think she is pretty?

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The next drive was a bit bumpy.  After driving on a small country road, the road changed from normal tarmac to a dirt road – which made the drive very very bumpy – which isn’t very good when you are in a camper van.  SONY DSC

It wasn’t a very comfortable drive but it did mean they got to see these funny old Germany houses and barns.

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After a very long drive they stopped in a place called Plon which was by a great big lake.  This meant Alf got to go on another boat trip – this time the boat was quite big.

 

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After the visit to Plon they headed into Denmark.  This meant that they leaving Europe and going into Scandinavia.    In Denmark they visited some castles.   On one of the visits it was raining so Alf had to put on his rain coat.  Do you like it?

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At the first castle there was this beautiful peacock.  Aren’t the colours of his feather amazing.

 

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The castle also have a collection of cars, bikes and dolls.   There was even a a camper van – not as special as Beryl the campervan but still a pretty cool camper van.

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The campsite that night was by a beach – which Alfie got to explore.   He was a bit tired that day so they only went for a short walk – just long enough for Alf to taste the grass.   Alfie quite likes eating grass – not always but sometimes.SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC SONY DSC

The next day they visited another castle – they don’t let dogs go into the castles so you can Alfie waiting here whilst Thea had a quick look inside.

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That’s it for now.  The next stop on Alfie’s adventure is to Sweden.  But before he goes Alfie thought you might like to see where he sleeps when they are in Beryl   He and Thea sleep in a tent on the roof of Beryl – it’s quite cosy.   Night night.

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Alf visits four countries in two weeks

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Alf’s has been on his adventure for two weeks now and has been to four different countries already.   He started in England, then drove to France.  He only stayed in  France for a day before he, Thea and Beryl the campervan drove into Belgium.  After visiting Brugge and Ghent in Belgium, they all went to the Netherlands.

This is Alfie getting a bus into Brugge, which is in Belgium, rom the campsite.   Alf isn’t very good at waiting for buses, but he is learning to be patient.

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Alf particularly liked the smell of chocolate in Brugge.  There were lots of chocolate shops and he kept on trying to get Thea to let him go into one of them.   She wouldn’t take him, which he though was very unfair.  What Alfie didn’t realise is that human chocolate is very dangerous of dogs – so Thea was actually being kind to Alfie by not letting him eat the chocolate.

Alfie didn’t mind walking around a little bit with Thea but he really liked it when they stopped for a break – preferably in a bar.   He tried to get Thea to stop as often in possible so he could have a rest.  He quite liked the fact that Thea took his dinner out – so if they were out when it was time to eat he could have a picnic.

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The next day they drove on to Ghent – as you can see here sometimes when they are driving in Beryl, Alfie finds it a little boring.

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This is Alfie in Ghent on his first ever boat ride.  He didn’t mind it – the man who was driving the boat gave him lots of attention and that always makes Alfie happy.

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It was a bit hot – so Alf stoppped in a park for a little drink.   Alfie has his own special drinking bottle with a purple bowl attached.  Isn’t he a lucky boy!

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Next they went into the Netherlands – this is Alfie in a town called Zierikerzee.

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Then Alfie went to a big park with lots of flowers.   The Netherlands is very famous for growing tulips.   If you have a bunch of tulips at home they have probably been grown in the Netherlands.

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One surprising thing that has happened on Alfie’s adventure is that he has become a star in Japan!  Lots of tourists from Japan think Alfie is very very cute.   They stop to say hello and take his photograph.  When they go home to Japan they will be showing all their friends photographs of Alfie – and he will be famous in Japan.  How cool is that!

After the walk through the tulips – Alf made a quick stop at the beach but he was too tired to do anything other than have a quick snooze.

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As well as going on buses and boats Alfie has been on a metro train as well.  The train took him into Amsterdam.   Alfie didn’t like Amsterdam very much – there were far too many people.  So in typical Alf style he barked a lot  (and very loudly) just to make sure everyone knew where he was.  It was quite a clever move because it meant that no one stepped on him!

After a ride on another boat through the many canals in Amsterdam, Alfie had his picture taken at a coffee shop, stopped for a drink in a bar and had a picnic at a restaurant.

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That is it from Alfie for now.  Next you can read about his adventures in Germany.

Alfie goes on an adventure

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Alf had been thinking for a few days that he might be going on an adventure soon.  He had seen Thea take bags out to Beryl, their camper van.  When she took his bed out, Alfie knew they were definitely going away.  But he didn’t know where or for how long.   He thought it would probably be a for a few days or a week at most.

 

Alfie didn’t know at this point he was about to go on the biggest adventure of his life.

 

It was pouring with rain on the morning they headed off it so he only had a little walk.  He  wasn’t very pleased, but he was sure that he would get a better walk later, but he didn’t know where.

 

When Alfie and Thea first got in the van, they didn’t go far.  They only went just round the corner to say good-bye to Aflie’s best friend Leo and his second Mum and Dad.  When he got back in Beryl, Alf thought he might be there a while.  Now Alfie doesn’t mind car journeys but he does get a bit tired, so he snuggled up on the back seat and had a rest.  When he woke up they had stopped right where there was a special park that he could have a walk in.   After a little walk and a really good sniff.  Alfie liked nothing better than to have a really really good sniff.  It was quite possibly his favourite thing in the world, next to treats of course.

 

Thea said the next drive was only a short one, so he jumped into the front seat and looked out the window to see if he could figure out where they were going.  He saw a great big train, where they then drove on in Beryl.   Thea thought this was exciting, he wasn’t sure but decided it was OK.  Not as exciting as a big bag of treats of course.

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The train took Thea, Alfie and Beryl the camper van under the channel all the way to France.   When they got off the train they only had to drive for half an hour before they got to a lovely campsite.   The first thing Alfie did when he jumped out of Beryl was to take a great big deep sniff – hmmmm – it smelt a little different, but quite nice, so he was happy.   Even better the sun was out, so after a little wander around the campsite, Alf settle down for a snooze in the sun.  Going on an adventure was areally quite tiring.

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Alfie has a hair cut and tries out his trailer

Alfie has beautiful red hair and he really likes the way it swishes when he walks.  But it does make him feel very hot when the weather gets warm.  So he was quite pleased when he had his hair cut.  It felt a bit strange to start with, but he is getting used it now and it is definitely cooler.  Mckenzie and Cerys both like it, they both said he looks like a teddy bear.

He has also been for a ride in his trailer – a little red carriage that is attaches to Thea’s bike.  The idea is that it will give Alf a rest when his little legs are sore – he only has short  legs and sometimes if he walks too far they ache.

Unfortunately Alfie really isn’t very keen on the whole bike and trailer combo.  And if Alfie doesn’t like something he thinks that everyone should know about it, so he barks a lot and really loudly, whenever he is in it!   You can see the trailer here in the picture and Alfie on the outside – where he is a lot happier.

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Time for a rest

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Alf always likes to have a rest after a walk and yesterday was no different. He was feeling particularly tired after a fun run around in the park.  The sun was out and there were lots of dogs to say hello too and lots of lovely smells to sniff.  One of Alf’s favourite things in life is a good sniff.

After his walk he decided it was time for a little nap on the chair outside the pub before heading home for dinner and a proper snooze.

Alf’s a winner

the winning shot

Alf was very surprised and pleased to find out this morning that he had won a photo shoot.  He didn’t even know he had been entered.  His best friend, Thea, had entered him into a competition and they were both really pleased when  he won.  He was chosen out of 70 other dogs.  Thea and Alf both think it’s because of his gorgeous red hair.   Alf isn’t really sure what a photo shoot is but he has been promised that there will be treats on offer so he is happy.

Alf doesn’t know it yet but he was due to have a hair cut in preparation for his big adventure this week.   He will be going to the groomers next week instead now.  Do you think he will like having his hair cut?