Around the World With Kyle the Crocodile

NEW BLOG ADDRESS!

2008-12-01T13:11:00.002-05:00

Hi all. My blog has moved to a new and improved site. Click the link below to see it:

www.kylecrocodile.com

Katie's Travels to South Dakota

2008-11-20T09:46:00.019-05:00

Hi everyone! After some delays because of snow, I finally made it to Mt. Rushmore and South Dakota.

It's a long way from Raleigh to South Dakota. I had to take two airplanes -- one from Raleigh to Chicago, Illinois, and then a second plane to Rapid City, South Dakota. Rapid City is in the western part of South Dakota, on the edge of the Black Hills. The hills are really dark green because they are covered by Ponderosa Pine forests, which look black from a distance.

Rapid City is called the City of Presidents because there are life-size bronze statues of the Presidents of the United States on downtown street corners. There are four statues at an intersection. This statue is of President John F. Kennedy, 44th President, and his son John. It was fun to have my picture taken with them.

At the same intersection, there are statues of Andrew Jackson, our 7th President; Martin Van Buren, our 8th President; and James Polk, our 11th President. Did you know that Pres. Polk was born in North Carolina?

I found this sign just outside of Rapid City. Reptile Gardens has the world’s largest collection of snakes, lizards and crocodiles.

Because it gets very cold in South Dakota in the winter, the reptiles all live under a gigantic walk-through skydome.

I loved visiting Mt. Rushmore National Monument! Aren’t these the biggest statues you’ve ever seen? In 1924, a man named Doane Robinson wanted to be sure lots of people visited South Dakota. He thought that if there were enormous statues of famous people from the Wild West, visitors would come to visit his state. He imagined giant sculptures of Lewis and Clark, Buffalo Bill Cody, and the great Sioux warriors. He wrote a letter to a sculptor named Gutzon Borglum, who was busy designing a giant sculpture at Stone Mountain, Georgia. Has anyone seen the sculpture at Stone Mountain?

Mr. Borglum decided that it would be a better idea to carve sculptures of four of our presidents. He chose George Washington to be a symbol of the birth of the United States, Thomas Jefferson who expanded the country through the Louisiana Purchase, Abraham Lincoln who preserved the Union, and Theodore Roosevelt who built the Panama Canal and visited the Black Hills many times. President Coolidge helped dedicate the beginning of work on the monument in 1927, and it took 14 years for the crew to drill, blast and chisel the faces in the mountain. The flag of every state is on this walkway to Mt. Rushmore. Can you find North Carolina’s flag?

I found it - even though the wind was blowing hard and wrapped the flag around its pole.

This is the base for our state’s flag. It tells when North Carolina became a state. Did you know that North Carolina was the 12th colony to become a state?

You can see the faces of our presidents here. Thomas Jefferson was supposed to be carved on the left side of President Washington. The workers started Jefferson’s face there, but when they were almost finished, they found out the rock was too soft to carve his lips. That’s why President Jefferson is on President Washington’s right side.

Starting from the left, you can see President Washington, President Jefferson, President Roosevelt and President Lincoln:

This is Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor who designed the monument. He died before the monument was finished, but his son Lincoln finished the job - and he also carved this sculpture of his father.

Mt. Rushmore is so beautiful. I hope you can visit it someday.

These sheep help cut the lawn at Mt. Rushmore. They came to South Dakota from Canada. Their coats are really warm. That’s a good thing because it’s very cold here in the winter.

At night, there are lights on the monument.

In my next post, I will tell you all about Custer State Park!

Carlyle's Second Day in Baltimore

2008-11-13T13:20:00.014-05:00

Hi again. Here are the rest of the pictures from Carlyle's trip to Baltimore with Sean and Zachary. It looks like they had lots of fun. Do you have any questions for them?? If so click "comments" at the end of this post. --Kyle

Carlyle spent the night on the warship USS Constellation with Cub Scout Pack 352.

Carlyle with Sycamore Creek 5th graders and Webelos Christopher, Zachary and Sean. These fine young men are with Cub Scout Pack 352.

Carlyle manning the wheel aboard the USS Constellation.

Carlyle ringing the bell for meal time on the USS Constellation. Dinner included a choice of beef stew or vegetable soup with hard tack crackers, dried fruit and lemon water.

Carlyle at the head of the Captain’s table at the beginning of his watch. As dawn breaks, he rests his head on the table, slipping off to sleep…

Carlyle succumbs to his weariness by crawling into the Captain’s berth, where he was found by his shocked watch mates. Luckily the Captain was topsides and didn’t find out!

Carlyle late for duty! Night watch is now over!

Dawn at the National Aquarium (building with pointed glass top and neon lights) on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Carlyle visiting Amazon crocodile relatives at the National Aquarium in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Oh My Gosh! Is that Carlyle catching a ride on a dolphin during the dolphin show at the National Aquarium??

Carlyle on his way back home to North Carolina on Interstate 95 south. He had a fantastic weekend trip to Baltimore, but it was nice to head back home to Raleigh!

Carlyle in Baltimore

2008-11-12T11:25:00.001-05:00

My brother Carlyle, just got back from his trip to Baltimore with 5th graders Sean and Zachary. Here are some pictures they took and what they had to say about the trip. There will be more pictures posted tomorrow. --Kyle

Carlyle is buckled in for safety on the 300 mile trip north to Baltimore, Maryland.
Carlyle’s first stop is before the ramparts at historic Fort McHenry, where in September 1814 Major George Armistead and his men held off the invading British Navy inspiring Francis Scott Key to pen “The Star Spangled Banner”.

Carlyle was found sitting on the cannon balls in front of one of the big guns at Fort McHenry.

Carlyle takes part in the 30 ft x 42 ft Star Spangled Banner ceremony nearly 194 years after the original was raised in defiance against the invading British forces.

Carlyle, two Sycamore Creek Crocs and one future croc on the ramparts of Fort McHenry, overlooking the entrance to Baltimore Harbor where British naval forces unsuccessfully threw rockets, bombs and cannon balls to dislodge the Americans.

Pratt Street Pavilion and downtown development at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Check back tomorrow to see where Carlyle spent the night (it's really neat)!

My Family

2008-11-07T15:37:00.000-05:00

Hi! I've gotten some questions about my siblings, Katie, Carlyle, and Kirby, so I thought I'd introduce you to all of them.

This is Katie:

She's the most daring and adventurous of all of us. Katie likes to climb -- an unusual trait for a crocodile, but Katie is unusual! Her pink and purple make her really stand out in the crowd. We're lucky to have such a cool sister.

This is my younger brother, Kirby.

He's still a bit skittish around people and hasn't spent too much time at Sycamore Creek yet, so when he does come for an extended visit be sure to make him feel welcome.

And this is Carlyle:

He just got back from Baltimore and will have lots of pictures and stories about that soon.

We all love to read, write, and explore new places. Thanks for making us feel so welcome at Sycamore Creek!

Election Day

2008-11-04T09:39:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone. Today is Election Day. I went to the polling precinct early this morning, but even so I was already the 500th voter there! Wow!

Before I went to vote, I read about all of the candidates and looked at a sample ballot.

After I voted, I got this sticker:

Why do you think it is important for people to vote?

The Peabody Ducks

2008-10-31T07:17:00.007-04:00

Hello from Orlando! Yesterday afternoon I went to the Peabody Hotel and watched the ducks. There are five ducks who live at the hotel and are taken care of by Duck Master Dave and his assistant.

At 9:00 a.m. every morning, Duck Master Dave leads the ducks from their home in the Duck Palace to their daytime home in the hotel lobby where they splash around in the fountain. People can sit and watch them, but you're not allowed to feed or touch the ducks.

Then at 5:00 p.m. every evening, they make their way back to the Duck Palace. I watched the parade for the afternoon journey back to the Duck Palace. Dave rolls out a red carpet and sets up a special staircase for the ducks. At exactly 5:00, the ducks' theme song plays, Dave makes an announcement, and the honorary duck master of the day helps Dave to lead the ducks through the hallway to the elevator.

In the afternoon, they are anxious to get back to the Duck Palace and eat dinner, so on most days, the ducks run very quickly through the lobby. They then run into their own special elevator.

After they get off the elevator at another floor, they run down the hall to the doors. They know it is nearly time to eat, so they run very quickly!

Then they go outside, en route to the Duck Palace. If they run too quickly, they need to wait for Dave to catch up to them so he can open their door and they can walk up the stairs and into their house.

Dave told us all about these ducks and their lives. Their home, the Duck Palace, was built specially for them. It has a roof that lets rain through the ceiling, and has a rubbery mat on the floor that the ducks like to walk around on and sleep on. If it rains, the ducks stay in the palace as they love to play in the rain. Dave said that the ducks are usually very sleepy the next morning after a big rain storm, because they stay up all night to play!

This is a picture of the Duck Palace:

If it is too cold outside (below freezing temperatures - which is rare in Orlando), the ducks stay inside the hotel and camp out in a suite just like people! They stay in the bathroom and fill up the bathtub with water so the ducks can play in the bathtub. But they don't like that nearly as much as the Duck Palace. They get confused and would rather be in their own home.

The most difficult day of the year for the ducks is this coming Sunday, when Daylight Savings Time ends because it throws off their schedule. They are anxious and ready to go back upstairs to the Duck Palace, but they have to wait around for an extra hour, which makes them angry. So they squawk to let people know they're not happy with the delay.

The hotel has two sets of ducks. Each set of five serves a six-month tour of duty, and then they go back to the farm for a six-month vacation. When they are on vacation, the female ducks lay eggs and ducklings are born. Ducklings grow very quickly -- within 3 months, they are entirely grown and can take care of themselves. They can even fly by that time. They are independent, too -- ducklings feed themselves immediately. The mother duck points out food, but ducklings eat on their own, even when they are only a day old!

The ducks I got to see are Duck Master Dave's favorite group. They are very well behaved. In two weeks, they will go on vacation to the duck farm and a different group will come to the hotel for 6 months.

Duck Master Dave suggested that if you want to feed ducks at the park, to feed them dry dog food. He said it won't make them sick. He also gave me a list of books about ducks to share with all of you.

My sister, Katie, is preparing for her first big trip. She is leaving soon for South Dakota. Before she leaves, she will visit Sycamore Creek so she can meet lots of you. Look for Katie next week. Then we will follow her travels to Mt. Rushmore and other exciting places! I can't wait to see where she goes and learn about her travels.

Questions from Belgium and France?

2008-10-23T13:50:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. I just got back from my trip to Belgium and France. It is nice to be home. On Friday, I will be back at Sycamore Creek -- but just for one day! Next week, I will be going to Orlando so I can go to a conference to learn more about technology. I won't be going to Disney, but I am excited about learning new things at the conference.

Before I leave for my next trip, I will post a few more pictures from my trip and I will answer any questions you might have about Belgium and France. Post your questions here, and I will be sure to answer them!

Brugges

2008-10-23T08:18:00.010-04:00

Hi everyone. During my last day in Europe, I took a trip to Brugges, a city in the northwestern part of Belgium. It is a beautiful city, filled with many of canals and cobblestone streets. I think this might be my favorite place I have visited so far. It was so quiet and peaceful.

In the center of the old part of town is the Grote Markt ("Big Market") where there are lots of shops and restaurants.

The belfry, a large medieval bell tower, is on this main square.

I went into a medieval church and saw a famous sculpture by Michaelangelo, Madonna and Child.

One thing that I noticed was that people seem to ride bikes much more than they do in the U.S. I saw lots of bikes wherever I went.

European Union Parliament

2008-10-21T03:21:00.005-04:00

On Monday, I went to the European Union (EU) Parliament. The EU is a group of 27 countries from Europe that work together on issues of interest to all of the member countries such as the European economy and environmental issues. The buildings here in Brussels are their headquarters. Representatives from the different countries come here to meet with each other and pass laws. Everything is written in many different languages, and there are lots of flags from all of the member countries displayed throughout the EU buildings.

The buildings themselves are very modern, with lots of shiny glass on the outsides of the buildings. It looks very different than most of the other parts of the city which were built several hundred years ago. These buildings were all constructed in the past 15 years.

I went on a tour with lots of people from other countries. We were each given a small machine with headsets that explained what we were seeing. The machine could be set to talk in any of the member countries' languages except Gaelic. Where is Gaelic spoken?

When I was there, the Parliament was meeting in Strasbourg, so our tour was allowed to go inside of the room where Parliament usually meets. It is referred to as the "hemicycle." Here are some photos of me in the hemicycle.

When I get home, I want to learn more about the European Union. Here's a link for more information if you want to learn more, too: http://europa.eu/index_en.htm.

The Art Museum and the Grand Place

2008-10-19T14:52:00.005-04:00

The first thing I did today was go to the Musees Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique (Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium). Here are some pictures of the interior of the museum. My favorite thing in the lobby was this globe:

If you look at it from far away, it just looks like a globe. But look at a close-up picture:

It is made out of BUGS!

The museum is split into two sections: ancient art and modern art. I spent most of my time in the modern art area. I got to see lots of interesting things. I could see myself in this mirror -- which was a work of art!

Two of my favorites were these paintings. They also look different up close than from far away. What is this type of art called? The first painting is La Seine a la Grande-Jatte by Georges Seurat, and the second was painted by Paul Signac in 1906.

Here are a few more photos of me enjoying the art at the museum:

After the museum, I went to the Grand Place, the main square in Brussels, which was filled with all sorts of interesting things to see and smell and taste. I saw tons of chocolate stores, and I even got to taste some chocolate that was made in a chocolate fountain! I made a new friend there too.

I went into a book store and saw a copy of Harry Potter in another language. Which language is this?

For dinner, I ate some Belgian specialties: mussels, french fries, and a waffle for dessert. It was delicious!

The Comic Museum and Upper Town

2008-10-19T14:45:00.004-04:00

On Saturday afternoon, I got a chance to go to the Centre Belge de la Bande Dissinnee (the Belgian Comic Book Center). Some of my favorite cartoons such as the Smurfs and Tintin were created in Belgium.

Central Brussels is divided by a hill into Upper Town and Lower Town, and there are many stairs up and down the hill connecting the two. At the top of the hill is the Palais Royale (the Royal Palace).

The Belgian flag was flying when I walked by, which means that the Belgian king, King Albert II, is somewhere in Belgium.

Here are a few photo from St. Michael's Cathedral, which was built between 1200 and 1500 -- around 700 years ago! I didn't know there were buildings that were so old.

There are so many languages spoken here. I have heard lots of French, Flemish, German, Dutch, and English. I don't know much about Flemish. Could someone share some information with me about it?

French is the official language in Belgium. A few French words I have learned: oui (yes), bonjour (hello), au revoir (goodbye), merci (thank you).

Train Trip to Brussels

2008-10-19T14:39:00.003-04:00

Today I learned that traveling doesn't always go as expected or planned -- but it can still be lots of fun when that happens. My train from Lille to Brussels was delayed, and so I waited for several hours in a very cold train station. A cup of hot chocolate warmed me up, and I had my first French croissant. It was filled with chocolate and was very flaky and tasty.

Eventually, I got on a different train (also headed to Brussels). While I was waiting for the train to leave the station, all of the lights in the train went off and everything got dark. Then there was an announcement from the train conductor who told us not to worry, that the train was having electrical problems but the conductor would fix things within ten minutes. But then, after a few more minutes, there was another announcement that everyone should get off of that train and catch another train on its way to Brussels. That train appeared after a few minutes, and after only thirty minutes, we arrived in Brussels. I was very happy to get here at last!

I went to check in at the hotel, and made a new friend right away -- Savvy, the fish, who lives at the hotel. Here is a picture of me and Savvy.

At the hotel, I noticed that plugs for my electrical equipment don't fit into the wall, and travelers plug computers and other things into some sort of box that then goes into the outlet. Why? Here is a photo:

I was very sad to say goodbye to my new friend, David, and leave France (and hope to see much more of France on another trip sometime in the future!), but I am excited to be in Belgium.

More from France

2008-10-17T14:05:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone,

I just had another great day in northern France, but I have lots of questions for all of you. I took a photo of the dashboard in the car which had lots of things that were unfamiliar to me. What do the numbers and words mean? And what is 14 degrees C? It was cold here, but I don't think it was below freezing.

The money here is also different from what I've seen in the U.S. The money is called "Euros." Is this the type of money used everywhere in Europe or is every country different?

I'm also including a photo of some fresh cheese that I got at a local farmer's market. It was very good.

Tomorrow morning, I have to get up very early and get on a high-speed train back to Brussels. Then I will get to explore Belgium! I'm really looking forward to eating waffles and chocolate. I'll post more photos and stories soon.

More soon!

Kyle

A Day in Genech

2008-10-16T12:05:00.010-04:00

It's been a busy day seeing Genech, the town where I'm staying in northern France.

It is very small town -- there are only around 2,000 people who live here. I think I've seen more cows, horses, and chickens than people!

I've gotten to drive around see lots of the countryside, but I also went for a walk -- my very own Crocodile Mile.

Here are some photos from the street where I'm staying.

Some of you have asked what I'm eating. I've taken some pictures of a few of my favorite French foods. "Chocolate pot" is sort of like chocolate pudding -- and it is very yummy. Yogurt and orange juice are two things I like to eat at home, but I took pictures because I liked the packages which are in French.

I also really like Nutella, which is sort of like peanut butter but is made out of chocolate and hazlenuts. It's very tasty, especially on bread or bannanas.

Where Am I?

2008-10-16T11:40:00.004-04:00

Several of you have asked for details about where I am right now and where I'm going, so here's a map so you can follow along:

View Larger Map

First I flew to Brussels, then I took a train to Lille (France) and now am staying in Genech (France), a small town near Lille. I will be going back to Belgium over the weekend and will have lots of exciting trips to cities in Belgium for a few more days before I return home to Sycamore Creek.

Flying

2008-10-16T06:48:00.009-04:00

Hi everyone. My first flight was GREAT. I got to meet the pilots and see the cockpit of the plane, which was a lot of fun. Everyone was so nice.

Here's a photo from the flight, tracking our flight path. What does "Caroline du Nord" mean?

The plane trip was very long, and I slept most of the trip across the Atlantic. I even had my own seat on the plane.

It was lots of fun to meet the flight attendants and make new friends on the plane. It wasn't scary at all, and I can't wait to get to fly again. By the time we landed, it was morning in Brussels, which was confusing because it seemed like it was the middle of the night.

After the plane, I had to take two trains and eventually got to Lille, France. The second train was a special kind of high-speed train. It was going to London. I thought London was on an island, so how is that possible?

Some pictures from the trains:

And a picture from the train station in Lille.

It was a very long trip, and I am so happy to finally be here! Keep sending me questions. Have a good day at school!

The Airport

2008-10-14T13:20:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone! I just got to the airport for my first trip. It's very busy here -- lots of people, activity, and noise like at my home at Sycamore Creek.

I just got caught up with checking the blog, and now I'm about to board the plane. Is flying scary?

More news soon!

Help Me Pack

2008-10-13T12:57:00.002-04:00

First, thanks for your support and for leaving me comments. They are fun to read! I'm very excited to start seeing the world. I'll miss everyone here. I'm sad I'll miss the Crocodile Mile, but I'll be walking a lot over the weekend (in my Croc shoes of course) so I'll be thinking about all of you.

I'm leaving for my trip to Belgium and France tomorrow and I'm trying to pack my suitcase so I am ready to go. But, I can't figure out what I need to take.

I'll mostly be in Brussles, Belgium. Can you help me decide what type of clothes I should take? Can I wear shorts or will I need a coat? Should I pack an umbrella?

Maybe you can go to http://www.weather.com/ or another weather website with your parents or teacher and lookup the weather in Brussles, Belgium. Let me know what kind of weather I will see by leaving me a comment (click "Comments" below...and remember, no last names).

Thanks for your help!!

Greetings

2008-10-09T09:56:00.006-04:00

Hello to you all. My name is Kyle the Crocodile, and I'm the mascot for Sycamore Creek Elementary School (that's me up there on the playground). Welcome to my travel blog! I'm going to be going to some exciting places and you can follow me around the world.

I'll write about what I'm doing and post some pictures too. Who knows, maybe I'll even put up a video or two.

What's the best part of all of this? You can post a comment to me when I am away and ask me questions about where I am. I'll do my best to answer your questions as soon as I can (sometimes I might not be able to reply until I get back to school).

You can also go into Google Earth (it's right there on the computer desktops at school) and type in my location. You'll be able to "fly" in from space to see where I am.

I also have a challenge for you! See how much information you can find out about where I am. You can tell everyone what you found by posting a comment.

So, how do you post a comment?? See the word "comments" at the bottom of this post?? Click that and type in your message to me. To keep everyone safe, please don't tell me your last name -- first names are all I need! Don't worry if you don't see your comment right away, I need to read them before they go out for everyone to see.

That's it! I'll be going on my first trip next week to France and Belgium (where is that??). I'm sooo excited!

I'll talk to you from the road.