The Grand Canyon

Thursday.
Being in Flagstaff, we couldn't miss out on the Grand Canyon! But with all our morning routines and little delays like a broken waste water hose cap we only reached the National Park at 1pm.
There were quite a few people in the park already, but only little compared to the crowds during the summer months. We parked in lot E and walked over to take the red bus towards Hermit's Rest which, due to road construction only operates until Hopi Point. Already at the 1st of the 4 stops, the view is awesome!

A squirrel catches our attention, jumping up and down the rocks, getting as close to the rim as possible. We decide to walk the 1.1km over to the next bus stop that takes us along the rim with ever new views appearing in front of us. Of course, we're tempted to go closer to the rim than the trail suggests. And we try, but this tickeling feeling in my tummy keeps me from overdoing it. Sitting on a large stone at the rim, taking in this gigantic view - I have no words to describe that!

(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)

Time is running, so we hop back on the bus towards the 4th and last stop, Hopi Point. Over here, you can even see the river down at the bottom of the canyon giving you an idea of its depth. Just incredible!
In the nearby IMAX theatre, we fly through the Canyon, take a rafting tour and learn some history about it. Pretty amazing!

But we have to leave, put a couple of miles on the meter. Williams' main street is kind of cute with at least some Route 66 flair.
Its RV park only offers Wifi in its laundry, but if the owner puts us 'really close to it, then we should get some signal'. No, thanks. This RV park doesn't look that nice anyway.
So we continue through Ash Fork (just as run down as most of the places along the route, and also no internet at the RV park) towards Seligman. On our way, we're waiting for the sunset at 6.58pm, but at 10 to 6, the sun's still quite high up in the sky. Strange. Did we miss a change in time zones? Or does Arizona boycott daylight savings time? We might have read something about that...
An hour later the sun sets beautifully in front of our cameras.

(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)

Thanks to late registering we'll stay at the KOA campground in Seligman, but we'll only get the coupon for the wifi the next morning. Bad luck.
We walk over to the motel that has a pizza joint attached, but looks so shabby and empty that I first ask if there was any pizza left for us. And there was! 2 large spinach and 1 large hawaii pizza feed the 5 of us. We're stuffed! Giggeling and laughing we sign a souvenir dollar for the owner and crawl into our beds.

Miles travelled by RV: 197
Current location: Seligman, AZ
Next stops: Kingman and Bullhead City, AZ

Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona*

Wednesday.
We're leaving the campground and go looking for an ACE hardware store where my brother hopes to finally get his MagLite 6. On the way we cross downtown, but none of us really wants to get out of the car for some sight-seeing. It is still snowy/rainy - not enjoyable at all. Next disappointment: No MagLite 6 here either. Maybe they'll at least have those shoes Sebastian wanted in Gallup's Walmart (they didn't have his size in the one in Canyon, TX, and he's been asking for a Walmart ever since)...
He's lucky as is the rest of us. We all find one thing or the other so at least this little shopping was successful today.

(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)

Back on I-40 towards Flagstaff. There are a couple of touristy points on our schedule today, but the snow gets thicker and thicker. After only half an hour with the snow piling up on our windshield, strong winds, and trucks passing like it were the easiest driving conditions, we give up and stop at a gas station, stocking up on gas in case we need to overwinter somewhere *smile*
The cashier is very slow (this gas station is our first one without self-service), he had cleaned his modem yesterday and had trouble with it ever since. So no credit card payment here.

Meanwhile, the snow has stopped. We continue westwards, reaching the Petrified Forest National Park around 1pm. Given the unsteady weather we are expecting to keep it short, just drive those 28 miles through the park. But already the first view onto the southern rim of the Painted Desert lets us jump out of the car to take in the view - and tons of photos. *smile*
It is still chilly, but we stop at almost every view point and spend almost 3 hours in the park - definitely a must-see in better weather!

We're trying to speed up to reach Flagstaff stopping in Winslow ("Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona", The Eagles), at the Meteor Crater (to discover that it is closed for today; it' 6:35pm already), at the Twin Arrows which look even more run-down than my travel guide depicts. That's what you call 'Faded glory' I suppose. Mom's more practical: Someone travelling Route 66 in 10 years will find hardly anything left with all this wear and tear. The last gas price at the (also closed) gas station attatched shows 1.369 per Gallon, so it's definitely been a while...

We exit the interstate in Winona (Don't forget Winona!), not much to see here, but the road leads a bit into the San Francisco Mountains and we enter Flagstaff from the north. The first campground offers neither Wifi nor showers - what a no-go! *smile* The second one, a KOA again, is way better in terms of its equipment so we stay here, taking a walk to a nearby BestBuy for an external hard disk to put all the photos on (still no MagLite for my brother) before our frozen microwave dinner. 10 for 10 Bucks was the offer - it shows or rather it tastes, but not all that good *g*
Oh well. Mom asks to go out for dinner tomorrow. She has not yet been to KFC, so that's on our list of must-do's *smile*

* The Eagles

Miles traveled by RV: 225
Current location: Flagstaff, AZ
Next stops: Grand Canyon and Williams, AZ

Ice (cream) and snow

Tuesday.
Albuquerque's Old Town is kind of cute with those adobe houses and matching decoration. It's pretty touristy of course, but well worth a visit and perfect for some ice cream out in the sun.

(more pictures at http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)
Going east for a couple of blocks on historical route 66, here called Central Avenue, we get scared when we're supposed to go underneath Hwy 25 with only 13'11'' clearance on a very steep underbridge. The instructional video we watched back in Denver indicated a clearance of 12 ft, the rental staff even spoke of 14. Now this bridge shows clear signs of others who have tried and failed, so we don't want to risk ruining our AC unit on top of the car. We turn around and head west towards Gallup, stopping a couple of times on the way. Our travel guide suggests arriving in Gallup at sunset, so we have some time to spend.

On our way we cross Rio Grande a couple of times, but it is somehow disappointing: it is not that grande... Maybe last year was a dry one.
The travel guide also tells about Mount Taylor, the bald mountain, for at about 3000 m height there are no more trees. But where is it?

(more pictures at: http://galerie.photo-fisch.de)

In Budville we stop at some abandoned trading post for some coffee - gotta make it ourselves. There's not much left here of those golden days of Route 66. Looking straight ahead, down the road, we finally see Mt. Taylor, which really looks kind of naked around its top.

In Villa de Cubero, Hemingway is said to have written his 'Old man and the Sea'. He definitely found enough solitude here. *smile*
Through San Fidel, past abandoned gas stations, motels, and shops that suggest better times, into McCarthys. Easy enough to discover the little mountain-hugging Santa Maria de Acoma church. A little later we're impressed with black lava rocks covering the ground for miles.

Grants, Prewitt and Thoreau are just further small places along the way that leeds to the Continental Divide, also called the Nation's roof. Up here, all rain water to the left flows into the Pacific ocean, to the right it drains into the Atlantic. The Indian market nearby is already closed, so we miss out on 'rubber-tomahawks and other indian kitsch' as our travel guide calls it.

Now we really want to reach Gallup as it is slowly getting dark. We still need a supermarket and have to find tonight's campground. The latter seems to be a real treat. At 8:02pm its owner, John, assigns us a spot that was reserved until 8pm. 'It's your lucky day,' he says.
Next to our site, there's another Cruise America motor home - the first one we see - but there's no sign of its owners, not tonight and not the next morning, when we find it is snowing! It doesn't last, but still we're worried about the road conditions. Do we have to skip the Grand Canyon?

Miles travelled by RV: 179
Current location: Gallup, NM
Next stop: Flagstaff und Williams, AZ

A small town called Las Vegas

Another KOA campground - with wifi! *g*

Before uploading my last post in a small town called Las Vegas, NM, this morning, we left our campground in Santa Rosa, heading for breakfast at Denny's. For the first time during our trip we had some trouble finding free internet access, finally finding a public network near the uni campus in Las Vegas. Apart from that, there was not much more to see; only our favorite 'nothing'.
We continued through sleepy little places along the route towards Santa Fe, which was quite charming somehow. Almost a bit European, but certainly with a strong hispanic influence.



Afterwards we went food shopping at Albertson's, hoping for a campsite equipped with a BBQ grill - and our hopes were heared. At KOA in Bernalillo, we met an extremely friendly host who, even though there were no grills at the individual sites, went to fetch one with his little golf car.
Another camping addict from Washington, D.C., told us to buy an RV, it was worth its money and he even had 3 TVs in his.
So we had our first, very delicious BBQ in the very mild evening air, deciding to repeat this as soon as possible, since there's still some meat left and also I forgot to buy marshmallows. No BBQ w/o marshmallows! *smile*

Anyway, tomorrow we'll visit Albuquerque, NM, and continue towards Gallup. We already booked a camp site in the real Las Vegas in Nevada, the one very close to the Strip. We're planning to be there this weekend.

Miles travelled by RV: 195
Current location: Bernalillo, NM
Next stops: Albuquerque and Gallup, NM

A Day Without Wifi

It is Sunday evening and we're at Santa Rosa Lake State Park - without Internet! We're coping somehow *g*
Like my dad and my brother I am preparing my post offline, hoping that we'll find an open Wifi net tomorrow.

Yesterday we visited Palo Duro State Park with its awesome red rocks, driving and walking through the Canyon, taking even more great pictures. Pretty amazing! The sun is up, and without the wind, creates a good summer heat. We're peeling off our clothes and I am finally walking in flip-flops, feeling really american *smile*.

Afterwards we drove into Amarillo, walking a small part of 6th Street which is part of the Historic Route 66. There's a Sidewalk Sale going on - typical flea market junk, but fun still *smile*
Our next stop turns my brother into the proud owner of a black cowboy hat (Afterwards he'll look into the mirror more often than ever before and take pictures of his shadow in the red desert sand *g*). It's the perfect accessory for the first Route 66 roadside attraction: The Big Texan Steak Ranch.

They are advertising a free 72oz. steak for free if you can eat it within an hour. My younger brother considers for a moment, and declines, but after his 21oz. steak regrets not having tried it. While the rest of us eat modest 6 to 12oz. steaks, there is actually someone taking on the bet, but failing piteously. Their hall of fame claims someone ate this huge piece of meat within less than 9 minutes!!! We are speculating about how to achieve a thing like that, but enjoy the evening with our 'small' portions and live music (even at our table!) from a sweet trio, each of them at least 72 years old, I guess.

Miles travelled by RV: about 90
Location: Canyon, TX
Next stops: Santa Rosa, NM



I woke up late on Sunday morning (at least later than usual), so there was no time to write. After a nice hot shower and breakfast we left our campground and went west on I-40, Stopped at the famous Cadillac Ranch, left Amarillo behind. Finally we're on Route 66, just before its MidPoint. It is just like the travel guides describe it and like we have imagined: There's nothing *smile* 'Nothing' has become our running gag: nothing here, nothing there, nothing pretty much everywhere. Of course, this 'nothing' is not true. Again, we're impressed with the space, with the flat land that lets you see so very far - 'This land is so flat, you can see for two days,' they say. The road goes straight on for miles on end and, for a change, my dad makes my mom drive a bit.
Some of the small places along the road look long deserted, but a particularly nice point is Adrian, TX, home of the Midpoint café and a sign marking the geo-mathematical center of the Route 66. 1139 miles either way and a lovely café inbetween. Lots of Route 66 memorabilia paired with the charm of an old 60's diner. Loved it!
After a cup of coffee and my first BLT on this trip, we continue towards Santa Rosa, where we visit a little Route 66 Car Museum with shiny (still or again?) cars from the 30's to 70's and lots of related bits and pieces. Very charming!

Our last stop for the day is Santa Rosa Lake State Park, where there's a little more space to the left and to the right of your RV and you're surrounded by a beautiful scenery. Even though there are BBQs attached to each site and the sun is still sending some warmth, we decide not to head into town again to buy meat, but to enjoy those last sunny hours of the day down at the lake.
Mac'n'cheese at those outdoor picnic tables, a board game during sunset. Heaven!



Miles travelled by RV: 194
Current location: Santa Rosa, NM
Next stops: Las Vegas, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque, NM

The way to Amarillo

It is 7am and I am still somewhat tired. Actually I am up at the same time as the days before, but we have 'lost' one hour when we entered Texas, since they are on Central Time, not Mountain Time like CO and NM.

Yesterday morning, after a hot shower and an egg and bacon breakfast we hit the road - on the way to Amarillo.
On our way, we stopped at Capulin Volcano National Monument. Very scenic views - and we haven't even been to the very top. (Check out my brother's website for photos!)
We even caught a bit of colour, better put sunscreen on our next shopping list!

While driving, again, we admired this 'Nothing' that surrounded us. Kind of a running gag for us now: Why are you going to Colorado? There's nothing to see! - That's why we're going! - You have been to the US; what did you see? - Nothing! *g*

In Amarillo, dad had to stop at that Big Texan Steak Ranch to take a look. You'd think he'd take us out for dinner, but no, at least not yesterday. Tonight maybe.
Instead we continued to Canyon where he'd hoped to find the campground at Palo Duro State Park, but we end up at Palo Duro RV Park. So what! It's cheaper than the KOAs we have been to before and not bad either *smile*
Our evening program is provide by Canyon's Walmart Supercenter: Subway dinner and a little shopping spree.
Nighty night!

Current location: Canyon, TX
Miles driven: 262
Next stops: Palo Duro Canyon State Park and Big Texan Steak Ranch, Amarillo

A few small repairs

First thing this morning was calling travel assistance about that funny battery. They decided to have it replaced and send us to a repair shop in Colorado Springs. We also asked the staff there to have a look at the leak we have discovered in the morning when we filled up the freshwater tank. Travel assistance claimed it was just an overflow from filling too much water into the tank, but the mechanics and us thought it was something else, a crack in the tank maybe. So we decided to go over to Cruise America's Colorado Springs branch and had the poor lady there do her very first RV repair *smile* The problem was a little valve, that was supposed to be shut. Easy enough to fix it then.

We hit the road again around one o'clock, skipping the Garden of Gods since the sky took on a threatening kind of grey. Rain and snow fell, so we were happy to get away, driving south and even past Pueblo (the campground doesn't offer Wifi, so dad had already taken it off the list *g*), past Trinidad (which we had planned on staying at tonight), into Raton, NM. The sky opened up and we even had some sunshine along with the view!



We were so amazed by those long, straight roads... Don't think we have those at home. Not enough space in our country *smile*

In Raton we found shopping places right across the street, perfect to satisfy the happy campers' needs. After dinner, prepared by our on-board-cook Sebastian, we had a glass of wine and then curled up in our beds - that's where we still are *smile*
The heather's going on and off at a cozy 16°C (~60°F), the sun is up and so am I - time for the rest of the crowd to open their eyes!

Miles travelled: 160
Current location: Raton, NM
Next stop: Amarillo, TX

The frost alert woke me up

Good morning everyone!

This has been our first night in the RV, the first night on a campground.
Again everyone is still asleep, so I'll take advantage of that. It was the little thermometer my Dad installed last night that woke me up. At 20 past 5! It was 2.8°C - about 37°F - but no need to worry at that time of day. Didn't know how to turn it off so I just took the little sensor inside. Unfortunately I couldn't go back to sleep afterwards. Ah well... Blogging time *smile*

So, let's get you updated.
We went to pick up the RV around 11am yesterday after a large breakfast at Denny's. It was pretty easy to get through the pick up process. We watched a little video, did some paperwork and were allowed to put our stuff into the RV. Pretty easy, pretty amazing (Remember, this is our first time travelling by RV *smile*)
Dad had tons of questions, walked around, tried this and that. He had read about a billion forum threads beforehand about virtually everything on RV's and their rental... He brought a long list of things to check and so my brother discovered there was a latch broken on one of the rear windows. Anyone could just enter the vehicle from the outside, just by sliding that window. We asked for assistance and since they couldn't fix it, were given another RV. So, move all your stuff and do the checks again (We were all a bit ... how should I put it ... irritable maybe, 'cause we felt my dad overdid it a bit. But then, we'd be made liable for any damage in the end, so better check beforehand...)
Anyway, we finally got everything settled - I imagined the rental staff to sigh in relief - and left the rental to return the other rental car.
Afterwards, still pretty close to the airport in Aurora, we made a coffee-toilet-shopping stop. We bought dinner and breakfast stuff, things my dad had read we would need, and marveled like people marvel in supermarkets in a foreign country *smile* We ever got our first shopping card from King Soopers.
When we stowed away all our groceries, we discovered the RV battery was low, almost dead. Big worry! It must have something to do with the fridge, but how do we know... We decided to start driving to charge it up, so that's what we did. The Colorado Springs KOA campground office was already closed, but there's always a self-registering available. Everything else went ok, the hook up to water and electricity, yummy Mac'n'Cheese dinner, even Internet *smile* Only the water heater was a bit weird, didn't heat up but leak, so we decided to leave that for the morning.

And here we are: family is slowly waking up. We'll call travel assistance about the battery if it still is low, then decide what to do today. Garden of the Gods is said to be a must-see, so we might do that. Then continue on to Pueblo, Co.

Have a good day!

Miles travelled by RV: about 120
Current location: Colorado Springs, CO
Next stop: Pueblo, CO

Our adventure begins...

Hi everyone!

We have arrived in Denver, Colorado, yesterday.


Immigration was alright - we were split up into different queues only to be told we'd better stay together. No big deal really. No, we don't have fruit in our luggage. Enjoy your stay. Bye bye.

All our luggage arrived with us, without any damage, and the two cherry jars and the two cherry liqueur bottles didn't break either.

We were taken to the car rental place to pick up a huge white Chrysler, that we took for a scenic ride through Denver. It was a little tricky to find our hotel, but all it needs is a call to find out the Bryant Street you are on is not quite the one where the hotel is located upon *smile*.
After check-in 4 of us went for a little walk in downtown and had a yummy fast-food dinner while the 5th was sound asleep in his hotel bed *g*. Ah well, there's always take-out.

The last thing we did was getting up to the 14th floor of our hotel, to the Skybox, to have a little nightcap (aweful beer *yikes*) and to enjoy the Denver city lights.

Now it is almost 7 in the morning. Everyone else is still sleeping - but I get to have the computer, hehe. Today we are picking up the RV and returning the rental car before heading towards Colorado Springs where we'll catch the first campground on our route. Stay tuned!

Miles traveled by RV: 0
Current location: Denver, CO
Next stop: Colorado Springs, CO

Getting ready....

for our big trip.

We have started a family blog about the trip, but we'll write it in German, so I'll try to keep you updated in English over here.

We'll fly into Denver, Colorado, on Tuesday where we'll pick up our mobile home the next day. The trip then takes us to Amarillo, Texas, where we'll get onto the famous Route 66. The Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco are on our list - stay tuned to read how we get along during the 3-week-trip and if we can stick to our schedule!

Mooch a book!

Do you know BookMooch?
It's an excellent way to give away books you have read and to receive books from other moochers. So far I have mooched with people in New York, Portugal, the UK, and Germany. Great thing!

Here is a selection of books I am giving away. Happy mooching!



Get free books from BookMooch.com

Oh dear blog, I have neglected you so badly...

I really have...

Lots of things have changed ever since I lasted posted here.
Thesis finished, job found, moved... now settling in.

I am now living in a really gorgeous appartment right next to work which is very convenient in the mornings and for lunch breaks :) Only disadvantage: My boss sees me doing all those ordinary things like changing tires on my car (Yep, I bought one - a real must up here) or going over to the park in my jogging clothes. Well, you can't have everything, can you? But I do have a brilliant view over to the sea from my place. I'll soon put up some pictures to prove it :)

Long time no read

Just received a letter from my dear Irish friend. She included a poem which I am gonna post to everyone - Don't Quit!

Don't quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow-
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out-
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things seem worst that you must noch quit.


Fits my mood very nicely.
Lots to think about at the moment plus all "daily" stuff: writing a diploma thesis, tutoring 1st year students in programming (they have 4 weeks left till their exams), trying to reconcile my mice and to find them a new terrarium...

Don't quit!

Birthday Mail and a day in Bremen

What a surprise when I opened the compartment of this funny Packstation, the Deutsche Post-locker for self-pick up.

The box didn't look like it came from somewhere in Germany - quite exciting to find it came from Brasil!

My dear "Brasilian brother" Felipe had ordered a birthday present for me - awesome! I think my favorite are the pale pink (sorry for the pic) earrings...

------------------------------------------------------------------

Next day: Emilia coming to visit! She'd spent half a year in Bonn and her last stop in Germany would be lovely Bremen.

She arrived around noon we started by walking through city center - stopped by the Bremen Town Musicians :)
The Schnoor quarter is definately a must - cute houses in tiny streets...
Last thing we did was visiting Botanika, a rhododendron museum in the middle of rhododendron park. Ok, not too much to see in winter, but still nice! Who would have guessed there's so many different kinds of rhododendron?



Too soon it was time for Emilia to catch the train back to Bonn - shared it with soccer fans (Werder Bremen vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach 2:0) and people returning from Karneval sessions...

New kitchen

Here's our new kitchen!

After 25 years they finally decided to change all kitchens which meant emptying the old one on Wednesday night and on Thursday morning watching the caretaker working ;)

What's new:

• Fridge ist bigger ;) And it has a freezer compartment - Ice Cream!!!
• Hobs are no longer on top ot the fridge - which is wise but now they are right in the middle - weird!
• Layout of the shelves is different, seems like there's less space now

What a mess behind and underneath: found coins and an old scratched ABBA record in there....

The unhappy hamster

Programming results came through: 13 out 27 failed, a lot more should have, including all 1st-year's...
Next chance for them is mid-March.

Damn, 15 weeks of working with them and still it didn't get into their heads. What can we do? How to teach programming to novices ? Any suggestions?

This is how we're teaching it: Java-Hamster-Modell (german only)

Busy, busy, busy

How busy life has been - last blog was more then a month ago...
Project is done - well, almost done. Still have to write a documentation. As well as writing out the presentation a friend and I gave on SAP NetWeaver.

Last year ended being busy - this year started in just the same way. Lots of things to think about!

But, starting on Friday: Vacation! At least a little bit. Going home for 2 weeks - birthday time ;)

Lots of plans for next semester: writing my diploma thesis (still deciding about the subject ;), tutoring again, hopefully continuing spanish and sports, and, and, and...

And the best: People coming to visit! Emilia from Finland will come to Bremen for a weekend, Felipe from Brasil comes in early July and - yes - we're going to watch the soccer semi-final in Dortmund! Keeping my fingers crossed for Mari to be able to join us in Berlin afterwards!

So much about my plans ;)
Keeping myself busy, busy, busy....

Merry Christmas!

Days have been extremely busy - those quiet holidays forming a nice contrast now. Doing nothing, eating a lot, only doing what I want to do... Awesome.

Received 2 SuDoku books for Christmas (among other things) - haven't even finished my own yet... Didn't get any snow though - no surprise actually. It's been way too warm for days now...

Watched a documentary on Santa Clause village today, recognized the Post Office and remembered the good time I had up in Rovaniemi, Finland, last February. The whole trip was more than awesome - something to remember for the rest of my life!

So that's it, lazy holidays :)

Christmas is coming

Ever since I looked out of the windows this morning seeing the snow that had fallen overnight, I am in the Christmas mood.
Now I am ready to buy Christmas candies and listen to Christmas music.

Funny, 'cause last year, I didn't really get that feeling. Not until I arrived at my parents' house on the 22nd of December.
We have been to Strasbourg to see those famous Christmas markets, singing carols all along the way in the car, but still the "real" feeling only came on that date.

Probably it's because of the snow - even though it's not much and it has almost gone now, but I feel all excited for Christmas to come.

Thank God it's Friday

Week went by in no time. Busy, busy, busy.

Laptop's been okay for a while now. Should I put away the monitor now? Bet it starts all over again ;)

Decided to participate in "Weihnachten im Schukarton" (Christmas in a shoe box) some weeks ago. Bought all kinds of stuff and took some I already had at home:

• scarf, hat, gloves,
• toe socks,
• pencils and coloured pencils,
• writing books and a colouring book,
• playing cards (Sorry, Abel, but it's for a good purpose),
• a teddy bear,
• chocolate,
• tooth brush, tooth paste, soap, cleaning towl
• pony tail holders, cream
• ...

Had a hard time closing the box. Had to leave out the drawing pad and one little notebook.
Hope the little girl who receives it will like it.