If it's Tuesday, This Must be Belgium - 7/29/08

I've posted the answers to the bears now...see below. 

Another Tuesday, another If it's Tuesday, This Must be Belgium.

Let's see...where to this week?  Germany perhaps?  Let's try Germany.  In fact, let's travel to Stuttgart, Germany...home of the bears.  Bears?  Yep, bears. 

I thought for a change of pace I would focus on one interesting display I came across recently in Stuttgart.  For a limited time only they have on display bears from around the world.  They are called "United Buddy Bears" and are focused on the idea of "The Art of Tolerance."  Each participating country was given a blank bear to paint any way they wanted.  Then all about 150 of them were placed around the fountain near the old palace (in the Schlossplatz).

So, rather than just tell you...let's play this as a game.  I'll show the photo of a bear (or two) and see if you guess the country?  (Come back later to see the answers, which I'l post on Thursday).  I'll start you off with an easy one (#1). [USA]

Okay, that was too easy.  How about these two that are in the news a lot these days.  The bears were lined up alphabetically, so they stand side by side in that order but also sit side by side geographically.  This should be fairly easy (#2). [Mexico (left) and Monaco (right); I apologize for this, but it seems I was thinking Iraq/Iran and posted the wrong photo.  Oops]

This one should be fairly easy as well.  Look closely.  Hmmm, way to easy (#3). [Cuba]

This one may take a little bit of thinking.  Look closely at the markings and the bit of a metaphor thrown in as a subtle point (#4). [Israel]

A little scuba diving anyone? (#5) [Croatia]

This one was really interesting (#6). [Panama]

Make a new plan, Stan? Bring the China and don't forget to sea the Caspian. Hmmm, enough hints?  (#7) [Kazakhstan]

Remember one of my recent posts?  Look closely at the artwork style on this bear (#8). [Spain; note the pottery shard style of Gaudi from Barcelona]

Another country in the news a lot lately.  The image on the front is quite telling, as well as the vistas depicted (#9). [Afghanistan; note the mother and child crying]

Another easy one, perhaps?  A big event to begin there soon (#10). [China, of course]

 This one totally fascinated me.  Now I definitely have to expand my travel schedule (#11). [El Salvador]

A little green, a little blue, a little bear for me and you (#12). [Moldova; like it says on the front of the bear :)]

That's all for now.  I bearly fit these into the post :)

Let's see how well you all do.  Some are easy, some take a little thought.  Try not to cheat.  I'll post the answers on Thursday, so you have a couple of days to guess what bear is from where.

Thanks for visiting and commenting on this week's edition.  Next week, perhaps more of Germany...perhaps something on the different thinking of Europeans relative to energy and the environment...perhaps something completely different.

[Thanks all]