Bärtram: My Fiesta Mexicana Farewell Party

Hi to all,

sorry for not writing for such a long time!
I was really busy, travelling with Tim and Mareike from British Airways. I can say - these Sales People have an interesting live....

Let me try to summarize, how I have spent my last weeks in Frankfurt:

My stay started with several Sales Calls with American Express Global Travel, HRG in Germany and Austria, FTI, Egencia, Travelstar Austria, Ruefa Austria and I was glad to see how these travel agency chains support British Airways in Germany and Austria!

I flew with Air Nicky over the Alps to Vienna to see some customers. From my hotel room I could even see the famous Sissi Castle and the Stephans Dom (Church).

From all that travelling I developed some back problems, but due to german healthcare, I was able to receive medical treatments and massages.

Fortunately I was taken to Austria for a skiing holiday and I relaxed in the Sauna.

I even went Bowling with the Amex Account Management and BA Sales Team. Unfortunately I was a little small.....

It was time to say goodbye to my dear Iberia Colleagues. We went out for dinner to one of the traditional Apfelwein-Restaurants (Applewine Bars) in Frankfurt, where we enjoyed some good food with new friends.

A few days later, the German BA Sales Team took over the Sales Activities for Iberia and we all went to Madrid to see the new office and meet our new colleagues. What a flight! I have never seen the snow-capped Pyrenees before!!

At Karneval I was taken to Düsseldorf and Cologne, where people are going crazy for 5 days. I have met several relatives and made a lot of new friends. Even Mrs. Merkel - the german chancellor - stopped by!


What a journey!!! Here are a few images that I took during this time:

But now it's time to go home and reunite with my family!
To raise money, I organised a farewell party and cooked four huge pots of Chili for my friends and colleagues that I have spent so many good times with. I'm really sad to leave.

Have a look at my farewell pictures. Let me say that I had a great time in Germany, I made many new friends and learned a lot of new things that I do not want to miss anymore.

I will come back!


See you all in London,
Bärtram

Pilot Ted - Arrived safely in London :-)

Hello!!!

That was a VERY turbulent journey I just had from Austria - very windy! I can't believe we have finally made it to London for the Teddy Bear Picnic - I thought it would never come.

Here's me arriving in a very wet and windy London. I hope the Teddy Bear Picnic has some good heating equipment to keep us all warm.

I have missed London so much, especially the snacks they have here. I couldn't resist picking up a selection of my favourite chocolate bars before I left the Airport. I will share them with the other Teddy Bears attending the picnic.

It has been a tremendous journey for me and my fellow bears flying across Europe and we would like to thank you so much for your help and donations.

You can still donate to help our great cause at the following link:

http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/AsOne

Big hugs,

Pilot Ted

Hello, I am ZArnold from South African and I live in Johannesburg with Cristina Graham.

I have been waiting for this very special moment to tell you all about the exciting week that I had last week.

It was the launch of the A380 in Johannesburg. I flew to Cape Town because I heard that the A380 was going to fly over Table Mountain. Well it really was worth the trip!

The next day I was back in Johannesburg. I took the Gautrain from Sandton to OR Tambo International Airport Johannesburg. I was invited to go on a two-and-a-half hour flight on the A380 where I enjoyed champagne afternoon tea (I drank orange juice!), music from Freshly Ground and Buskaid, as well as a fashion show from Harrods of London. I really enjoyed Zolani Mahola the lead singer from Freshly Ground singing through the cabins. She has the most amazing voice and I do hope that she noticed me.

Today, 12 Feb 2014, the inaugural flight from London to Johannesburg takes place so I hope that a lot more teddy bears get to fly on this beautiful new aircraft in the future! What a privilege it was for me.

Pilot Ted - Touching down in Austria

Hallo friends,

Hope you're all well?!

I have arrived in Austria and I can't wait to go exploring. My fellow teddy bear's have told me a lot about this Country. Did you know it was the birth place of the famous music composer Mozart?

The picture above is of me relaxing in the Captain's chair just after landing - I was exhausted!! I think I may need to get a slightly smaller chair.

No time to rest though as I need to search all over Austria for other teddy bear's who are coming to London with me to have a teddy bear's picnic. This is to raise money for Flying Start, a charity in association with Comic Relief, aiming to give disadvantaged children a flying start in life. It's a fantastic cause and one which I am flying all over Europe to raise money for.

Please sponsor my journey on the link below and I will continue to post about my fantastic adventure that I am having along the way.

http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/AsOne 

Over and out,
Pilot Ted

Pilot Ted - Poland Pick Up

Hi again!

Just landed in Poland to pick up some more bears for the Teddy Bear Picnic in London - I'm so excited to be reunited with all my friends and family again I wish I could just go there now. However, I have a duty to carry out and my fellow bears are depending on me to pick them up from various destinations in Europe.

Here is me in the cockpit of the plane addressing the passengers via the on-flight communications system. What do you think of my Captain's hat? I think it's slightly too big for me. Do you know where I could find a smaller one?

I had a chance to visit Poland whilst I was there and it is so beautiful! My friends showed me around Wroclaw - the largest city in Western Poland. Look at this amazing square with brightly coloured buildings surrounding it. Have you visited before? I really recommend it.

Tomorrow I am jetting off again on pursuit for more teddy bears to take to London with me. I am sad to be leaving Poland as I really enjoyed the culture here, but I am more and more excited to arrive in London in a few weeks time.

Thank you so much to everyone who has already supported the great charity we are raising money for: Flying Start, in association with Comic Relief.
Please visit our donation page to help us reach our target

http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/AsOne

I'll post again when I arrive at my next destination (it's too dangerous to blog whilst flying!!)

Big hugs,

Pilot Ted

London Ted - Chinese New year

Happy Monday! Happy Chinese New year!

Did you know this weekend was Chinese New Year celebrations?

I did not manage to go and enjoy the biggest Chinese New Year Celebration outside Asia, but I can tell you a little bit, as my friends were telling me all about it!

The Chinese New year dates are determined by the lunar-solar Chinese calendar, which means the dates changes every year (similar to some other celebrations, including Easter, Ramadan, Diwali).

Besides the parade, you see dragons visiting shops, it’s said that the dragon needs to visit your shop, so it scares all the “bad influence” and “bless” the place for a prosperous New year.

This is the year of the Horse, for those born during Horse years (1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990 or 2002) are cheerful, witty, talented and good with money.

All in one, it’s a fun and colourful celebration.

Sorry for the lack of pictures this time! L

Before I forget… I am still trying to get money to fly my family back to London, so they can attend the Teddy bear picnic we will host to kids from different schools and nurseries! Please donate, and support us!

http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/AsOne 

Alternatively, you can donate using paypal here...

*disclosure - if you use paypal in this page, we may be charged an admin fee.

PS. I was not there as my friends from India Vishal and Ramiz were going back to India, and I went to say goodbye!  (below you can see my picture with them)

London Ted learns to dance cha-cha-cha

Today, we one brilliant dancer and entertainer came to my work and was teaching how to dance... Anton Du Beke. (very famous in the UK, for a dancing show).

The Flying Start team are launching great campaigns through our website!!! (I am a proud Flying Start Fund raiser!!!!)

This is Anton's website if you want to know more about him.

I am so happy I learn a little bit of cha-cha and managed to take a picture with him!

Thank you for the picture and the cha-cha lesson, Anton!!!!

Don't forget to donate to Flying Start through our webpage, so we can bring my family to host the teddy bear picnics and teach kids about our projects, languages and charity.

Big Hug! London Ted.



Alternatively, you can donate using paypal here...

*disclosure - if you use paypal in this page, we may be charged an admin fee.

London Ted - going to "Teddington", Middlesex

Who would guess that there is an area called Teddington in the UK?

I heard there is a nice palace there, and I went to check it out...

My first port of call was the beautiful, magnificent Hampton Court Palace.
 Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in the historic county of Middlesex; it has not been inhabited by the British Royal Family since the 18th century.

It was originally built for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, a favourite of King Henry VIII, circa 1514. Today, seeing Hampton Court shine majestically in the bright sun was fabulous.

 I was also tempted to take a boat trip on the long-winding River Thames but didn’t want to risk getting my t-shirt wet! Anyway, I think Richmond borough is the prettiest borough I’ve even seen. I then made my way to Teddington Lock. Teddington Lock is a complex of three locks and a weir on the River Thames in England at Ham in the western suburbs of London. The lock is on the southern Surrey side of the river.

 The large bow shaped weir stretches across to Teddington from an island upstream of the lock which also acts as the centre point for the two bridges making up Teddington Lock Footbridge. I caught up with some of my bird friend here and had a little natter... I then decided I’d look up Teddington Studios as it’s just a 2-minute walk from the lock. The studios have produced world famous programmes over the years including Harry Hill's TV Burp, The Green Green Grass, After You've Gone, My Hero, Reggie Perrin, Not Going Out , Men Behaving Badly, Pop Idol, Birds of a Feather, Parkinson, Black Books, Tommy Cooper, The Benny Hill Show, Bless This House, George and Mildred, Man About the House, This is Your Life, Opportunity Knocks, Morecambe and Wise and many more. 

I was not just awe-struck but star-struck! Sadly though, in 2014, this historic building that made so many people famous will be knocked down and replaced by apartment blocks. I’m so glad I made this trip to this special place that is steeped in history. At around mid-day, I decided it was still a bit early so decided to take a stroll in Bushy Park, one of the Royal Parks. I heard they had dear, and guess what I met them, which was awesome!


 One selfie I took was with one that was peeing – hee hee… I also saw a few of my Teddy cousins in the back of a car but could not help them as the car was locked.

 Shame… I made friends with a couple of hounds who were sipping cappuccinos in Costa and got a couple of pics together. One of them allowed me to sit on his head whilst his owner took our picture!

 After my walk I was feeling a bit parched so did some wine-tasting in a local wine store. My cheeks were pink when I left there, so went home and had a nice cuppa tea.

Thank you auntie Bharti for taking me to Teddington, it was really nice to go somewhere different, and the experience was sensational!

 I also wanted to say thank you for those who are supporting me and my family, bringing them to London by donating on our website.
http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/AsOne

We do not have much time, please donate and support our cause.. otherwise my family won't be able to join me in the Teddy Bear Picnics we will host for children, and tell about their adventures!

Big hugs.. London Ted.

Alternatively, you can use paypal here...

*disclosure - if you use paypal in this page, we may be charged an admin fee.

London Ted goes to the Tower of London

Guess where I went???? The Tower of London!
Wow! Such a fantastic place!!!

I went to the Tower of London, it's such an interesting place! Although it looks like a palace, it was a prison, a fortress, it currently exhibits the jewels of the Crown, and has some tours, festivals and an ice ring during winter.

Not too far, you have the London Bridge, HMS Belfast battleship, and if you are lucky and the weather is nice, you could walk by the Thames, towards Westminster, Big Ben, etc...

So.. if you want to find more about the Tower of London, the official site is:
http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/

I also recorded a video there, and will post it soon, for now, I just wanted to say thank you for those who are supporting me and my family, bringing them to London by donating on our website.
http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/AsOne

It's important to remind you that we do not have much time, and we need to get enough funds so my family can be here together so we can as one single team host our teddy bear picnics to children from nurseries, schools and tell them about our adventures.

So, please donate!

Big hugs.. London Ted.

Alternatively, you can use paypal here...

*disclosure - if you use paypal in this page, we may be charged an admin fee.

Pilot Ted - Introduction

Hello everyone,

My name is Pilot Ted and I transport passengers (both people and other teddy bears) across the globe. I absolutely LOVE flying planes.

I'm traveling across Europe from Russia to get to London in time for my family's teddy bear picnic (happening in late February / early March). The above picture is me before leaving Russia - do you like my pilot's outfit? It's cool, right?

I need to make many stops throughout Europe to pick up lots of other teddy bears who will be attending the picnic also. I will keep you up to date with my travels.

The point of all of this is us teddy bears are raising money for a charity called Flying Start, in association with Comic Relief.

Comic Relief is a UK charity, which is working to create a just world, free from poverty.
It was launched in 1985 from a refugee camp in Sudan. Ever since then, it has been working to help poor and disadvantaged people turn their lives around. Click here to find out more.

We are aiming to give disadvantaged children a Flying Start in life!

If you enjoy keeping up to date with my progress and want to get involved, please visit our fundraising page:

http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/AsOne

I'll give you an update on my travels shortly...

Thanks!
Pilot Ted


Alternatively, you can use paypal here...

*disclosure - if you use paypal in this page, we may be charged an admin fee.

London Ted - The Tube (Video)

I hope you like my first video... sorry for my camera moving up and down a little bit, selfies is one thing, recording a video is much harder!
Please donate to bring my family together, so we all can meet and tell kids in nurseries, charities and schools about our adventures, in our Teddy Bear Picnic!

http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/AsOne
Alternatively, you can use paypal here...

*disclosure - if you use paypal in this page, we may be charged an admin fee.

Ursinho Zeca Brazil - Introduction (Portuguese version available)

Hi! I am Zeca Brazil bear.

My brother London Ted is hosting a Teddy bear picnic in London, and I need money to get back to London, so I can tell kids from nurseries, schools and other charities Flying Start fund about Brazil, and teach some Portuguese, as I am born here, in Brazil.

If you can help me getting there, please donate to http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/AsOne and I will be really thankful!

I live in Brazil and will tell you my stories about this big and fun country here.

As many Brazilians may be reading this blog too, I will post English here, and Portuguese at the bottom of this post, as the national Language in Brazil is Portuguese.

Many people think Brazil is quite far, and a small country, but its size is slightly smaller than the United States, so it's the 5th biggest country in the world.

So, as it is quite big, it may be challenging to fly around, but I will try to talk about few different regions so you can learn a bit more about this exotic country.

I am in Sao Paulo, the biggest city here, with more than 11 million people living here, making it the most populated city in the southern hemisphere.

There are so much to talk about Sao Paulo, the metro, the lifestyle, the food, and other things, but I just wanted to say hi, and tell you I will join my brothers and sisters to give you some flavour from Brazil here every now and then.

For now, big hugs from warm Brazil!

Portuguese version:

Oi! Eu sou o ursinho Zeca Brasil.

Meu irmão em Londres, o Ted Londres está preparando um piquenique com ursinhos de pelúcia em Londres e eu preciso de dinheiro para voltar para Londres, nesse piquenique eu vou falar sobre o Brasil e ensinar português para crianças de escolas, creches e outras entidades de caridade afiliadas ao "Flying Start", já que eu sou brasileiro.

Se você puder me ajudar, estamos aceitando doações através do website http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/AsOne . Ou nossos amigos da British Airways do Brasil podem ajudar...

Eu moro no Brasil e vou contar estórias sobre esse grande país.

Como você pode notar, a parte acima foi escrita em "Inglês”, uma vez que várias pessoas de outros países estão lendo esse blog também.

Para muitos, o Brasil e longe e pequeno, mas na realidade o Brasil um pouco menor do que os Estados Unidos, sendo o 5o maior pais do mundo.

Já que o Brasil é tão grande, fica mais difícil viajar e voar, mas eu vou tentar escrever sobre os diferentes estados para que você possa aprender um pouco mais sobre este país tão exótico.

Eu moro em São Paulo, cidade mais populosa aqui, com mais de 11 milhões de habitantes, e a cidade mais populosa no hemisfério sul.

Nossa, tem tanta coisa pra contar sobre São Paulo, o metro, o estilo de vida, a comida, e outras coisas, mas nesse post, eu só gostaria de me apresentar, e falar oi, e me juntar aos meus irmãos e irmãs, que devem estar ansiosos por notícias minhas, e aprender um pouco mais sobre o Brasil.

Um abração, ursinho Zeca do Brasil.

Alternatively, you can use paypal here...

*disclosure - if you use paypal in this page, we may be charged an admin fee.

Grias Gott!

Hello everybody out there. My name is Bärtram and you have already met my brother in law, London Ted. Ted is the boyfriend of my sister who lives in my hometown, the great city of London.

Today, I’d like to take the time to introduce myself to you and to tell you a bit about me and about our charity.

I first came to Munich for a visit to the famous Oktoberfest about 7 years ago and found out that I really liked it here. So I decided to stay for an exchange program with the Munich University, which also offered me the chance to study the German language, the beautiful country and the rich culture.

During the last 7 years I have made a lot of friends and have seen many places in Germany and its neighbour countries. But I have always missed my family, which is spread all over the world. I feel that after all these years of being separated, it’s finally time to go home and have a big reunion.

Unfortunately, I studied the German Beer culture that well that I’m lacking money to make my way back home to London.

At Munich main station, I have met two nice guys from the British Airways Sales Team, who were in Munich for some Sales Calls. They were quite friendly and took me to Frankfurt, which is already 300km closer to home.

But now I’m stuck again. Would you like to help me getting back to London and finally reunite with my folks?

Being separated globally from each other, we all have made different experiences of children in need and now know how important it is to raise awareness and help to raise money for charity.

So my family and I decided that if we all manage to get back home by March 3rd, we will jointly support the Flying Start in the UK (please click here to read more). Please join me and my family to do good and donate money for our journey back home, for we can start our charity project.

I would be very grateful if you visit our Flying Start homepage: http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/AsOne

In the meantime, I will keep trying to make my way towards London…I will keep you updated about the experiences I make on my way.

Speak to you soon!

Thanks and big hugs!

Bärtam

Alternatively, you can use paypal here...

*disclosure - if you use paypal in this page, we may be charged an admin fee.

London Ted goes to the Big Ben!

Hi!

I finally managed to see the famous "Big Ben"!

At first, it's not as big as we may think, but nevertheless, it's beautiful...

So many tourists there!

I wonder if they all supported my family with £1 donation, we would not have to ask your contribution to our website.. http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/AsOne

To get here, I took the underground (also known as tube) and got off Westminster, once you leave the station, you cannot miss it!

It's name is in fact "The Tower Clock", but the big ben is the nickname of the bell that is inside.

There are 2 (or even more) theories of why it's called "Ben" (for Benjamin).
- It was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the first commissioner of works. (and as he was not small, he was known in the house as big Ben.
- It was named after a heavyweight boxing champion at that time, Benjamin Caunt. His nickname big ben was used in society to anything that was the heaviest in its class.

Interesting, huh?

If you want to learn more about the Big Ben, follow this link

Oh, as today is the 255th anniversary of the British Museum, I will try to go there this weekend to publish some pictures about the Museum... anyone have any good tips for me?



Alternatively, you can use paypal here...

*disclosure - if you use paypal in this page, we may be charged an admin fee.

London Ted at work

Hi!

I will be posting some more about London soon, but I am at work today...

Trying to raise money to bring my family to London..

If you can help.. please donate to Flying Start - http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/AsOne

This is a quick hi from me to you.. sending all my love.

How are you all doing today?

( Oops.. my colleague wanted to appear in the picture too :) )
Alternatively, you can use paypal here...

*disclosure - if you use paypal in this page, we may be charged an admin fee.

London Ted goes to the British Library

Hi!

I am London Ted and here, I am going to tell you about my visit to the British Library.

I was felling pretty lonely and missing my family (if you want to help bringing my family to the UK, please sponsor us http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/AsOne

Why did I go to the British Library? Someone told me it's a place where lot's of smart people go, to do some studies, and research, read books, and it is a very calm and interesting place to visit if you come to London, so I wanted to check that out!

It is located near the Tube station King's Cross and St. Pancras. (map)

Opening hours are here

They often have interesting exhibitions and a large number of books, manuscripts, information... because every single publication in the UK sends one copy to the British Library.

So many interesting things to do/listen and see there! They have podcasts, tours, galleries, sacred texts, maps, etc! Behind me, in that picture is a vast archive of books, that is on display.

I can assure I am now a smarter bear since my visit to the British Library!

If you are willing to learn a bit more... check their website.



Alternatively, you can use paypal here...

*disclosure - if you use paypal in this page, we may be charged an admin fee.

London Teddy - introduction

Hi!

This is my first post, and I should tell you a little about me to start.

My name is London Ted, I work with computers and I spend most of my day working... Oh, I live in England.

My family is spread around different places of the world, and I really miss all of them.

I am getting money for a charity called Flying Start, (click here to hear more about).

As a "fundraiser", I count on all of you to help my family to come to London... there will be some picnics, and we will give some nurseries and schools the chance to hear about our charity, teach some skills, including languages etc.. but they need the money to be able to get to London.

Also, we don't have much time as these events will happen around the end of February, beginning of March! And, unless we get enough money, they cannot fly and we won't be able to run these events.

I will post some pictures, videos and adventures while I am in London, telling you a little bit about this capital, some sights and historic landmarks... I hope it gives you an idea about where I live... my brothers and sisters will too post here, about their adventures where they live.

If you enjoy our posts, or if you are interested in getting more involved, get to our Flying Start homepage...

http://donate.ba-flyingstart.com/funraiser/AsOne

Thank you!
London Ted.

*if you have suggestions for me of places to go, please post below. And I will try my best to go and take some pictures for my readers!

Alternatively, you can use paypal here...

*disclosure - if you use paypal in this page, we may be charged an admin fee.