United Kingdom

United Kingdom

By Ryan 

                                   History and facts

Located in europe, The United Kingdom consist of Great Britain,Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. northern Ireland is the only state that borders another country ,The Republic of Ireland. The capitol is London. Its form of government is a Constitutional Monarchy and a parliament system. Located off the continent europe. The united Kingdom has fourteen over seas territories. these are remnants of the british empire, which was at its height in 1922.

Site seeing and places to visit

There are many great places  to visit in the United kingdom. Some cities to visit are London, Edinburg, Glasgow, Manchester, the Shetland Islands, Bath, York, Cardiff, Cornwall and many more. London is known for its entertainment, history, art, romantic, culinary, shopping, nightlife, luxury, and family. Best time to visit there is April-July and September-December. Edinburgh is known for its culture, arts, history, nightlife, entertainment, and golf. Best to visit May-November. Glasgow is known for its culture, culinary, entertainment, shopping, and golf. Best time to visit is May-November.

Culture and Ethnic Groups

The United Kingdom has many religions cuisine's and ethnic groups. They have white, south asians, blacks, mixed, and chinese. The United Kingdom has no official language, however 90% of people speak english. so basically english is considered the official language. Individual countries prefer their indigenous languages; welsh, cornish, and scottish gaelic are also spoken along with english. Majority of people in the UK follow Christianity, most whom are Protestant. However there is also Roman Catholics, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists.

Iceland by Covey

Iceland
Their are flights all year from London, Glasgow, Copenhagen, Manchester, Oslo, Paris, Stockholm, Berlin, and Warsaw.
Seasonal flights are in the cities, Minneapolis / St. Paul, Toronto, Orlando, Halifax and Helsinki.
Summer flights only are in the cities, Alicante, Barcelona, Bergen, Berlin, Billund, Stavanger, Madrid, Milan, and Munich, Aalborg, Basel, Bologna, Eindhoven, Frankfurt, Friedrichshafen, Gothenburg, Geneva, Krakau, and paris.
Winter cites are Friedrichshafen and Alicante.

Iceland Express also operates flights between Copenhagaen and Akureyri.

COME TO ICELAND

North Iceland offers the best pristine nature, breathtaking landscapes, and vibrant cultures. Obviously Iceland is the place you want to visit. You can book your stay useing Visit Iceland, the offical gateway to Iceland!

ICELANDIC CULTURE

Icelandic culture is deeply rooted in ancient heritage. Literature has always been the cornerstone of Icelandic culture, from the ancient Sagas, to the works of the Nobel Laurate, Halldor Laxness, but all forms of art are thriving in Iceland, form film and to design and find arts. 

INVEST IN ICELAND

Positive business environment, abundance of competitively priced renewable energy, solid infrastructure,  skilled workforce, minimum red tape and a range of incentives for new direct investments make Iceland an attractive location for a range of business. Learn more from Invest in Iceland. 

THE WEATHER OF ICELAND

The warm North Atlantic Current ensures generally higher temperatures than in most places of similar latitude in the world. Iceland's winters are mild and windy while the summers are cool which is typical for Scandinavia. The possibility of volcanoes is something to keep always in mind. Iceland's highest air temperature recorded was 30.5°C (86.9°F) in 1939 on the southeastern coast. The lowest temperature was -38°C (- 36.4°F) in 1918 at Grímsstaðir in the northeast of Iceland.



Italy by Raoul

Italy

come to Italy where we have great attractions, if you re looking for fun we have great action.
we are best known for our great spaghetti, come have some Italian food because you're not leaving all ready.
We have a great countryside and our fashion is very in.
Come to one of our famous rivers and bathe away all of your sins.
We also have very great poets even better than me, come to Italy and you will see what you dream to see.
Our sports include soccer, rugby, and cricket.
Drive as fast as you want and you probably wont get a ticket.
Our country is bleeding and oozing with art
if you don't know what you're looking for just go ahead and start.
we have great trade in our city of Milan
if you don't like war, you'll have great fun!
We became a republic government in 1946,
Come to a shoe store and get some Italian kicks
If you want history, we're the place to go!
We'll teach you something you already know!
We have great music as you probably knew that too!
We sing the blues but don't turn blue!

We have great names like my name is Raoul
and Mario Monti is a huge fool!
We have great scenery and a two thousand year old city!
We have so much confidence no need for self pity!
We have great food like shrimp and pizza
If you wanna real sight visit the tower of piza!
You can call it Italia if your feeling happy,
careful with our waitresses they can get a little snappy!
Italy is awesome if you really think about it

don't think that in Italy you're without it!

Its all food in Europe you see,
because we are all the same like you and me HEY RALPH

Poland Brian

Poland by Brian 

Hey ever wanted to go to Poland? Probably not but Poland is officially known as the Republic of Poland. The largest city and the capital is Warsaw.

                       

 Poland is the birthplace of many distinguished personalities , among which are: Mikołaj Kopernik, Fryderyk Chopin, Maria Sklodowska Curie, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, Kazimierz Pulaski, Jozef Pilsudski and Pope John Paul II. Great polish painter Jan Matejko devoted his monumental art to the most significant historical events on Polish lands, along with the playwright, painter and poet Stanislaw Wyspianski. Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz  was an example of a Polish avant-garde philosopher and author of aesthetic theories. 

Pope John Paul II

Polish Literature dates back to the 12th century and includes many famous poets and writers such as Jan Kochanowski, Adam Mickiewicz, Boleslaw Prus, Juliusz Slowacki, Witold Gombrowicz, Stanisław Lem and, Ryszard Kapuscinski. Writers Henryk Sienkiewicz,Wladyslaw Reymont, Czeslaw Milosz, Wislawa Szymborska have each won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Also a renowned Polish novelist, who wrote in the English language, was Joseph Conrad.

Wladyslaw Reymont

Artists from Poland, including famous composers like Chopin or Penderecki and traditional, regionalized folk musicians, create a lively and diverse music scene, which even recognizes its own music genres, such as poezja spiewana and disco polo. As of 2006, Poland is one of the few countries in Europe where rock and hip hop dominate over pop music, while all kinds of alternative music genres are encouraged.

Chopin

Check this out if you are a fan of going to church or want to check these buildings out Polish cities and towns reflect the whole spectrum of European styles. Romanesque architecture is represented by St. Andrew's Church in Kraków, and characteristic for Poland Brick Gothic by St. Mary's Church in Gdańsk. Richly decorated attics  are the common elements of the Polish Renaissance architecture, like in City Hall in Poznań. For some time the late renaissance, so called mannerism, most notably in Bishop’s Palace in Kielce, coexisted with the early baroque like in Church of SS. Peter and Paul in Kraków.

St. Mary's Basilica

I hope you want to go to Poland someday no well ok.

Veronica's Travel Blog for Greece  

 Greece is a very exciting place. There is a lot of fun facts to learn, people to meet, sites to see, and food to eat. To sum it up, Greece is pretty awesome! Greece is located at the southeast end of Europe

 

There are so many things to do in Greece, you will never go bored. The climate is subtropical; summers are long, hot, and dry. Winters are short and mildly wet. And since its warm, why not try visiting a beach, such as Balos, Navagio, or Sarakiniko. Or go touring the streets of Greece’s capital, Athens, or go out and see the magnificent ancient ruins.  Go sailing  the Mediterranean Sea, or go shopping in the Kolonaki quarter. Make sure that you trade in your money for Greek money, the Euro; one U.S dollar is .74 Euros. Try canoeing, climbing, windsurfing, and maybe even skiing. And for you sports lovers, go see Greeks national basketball team or football team play.                                    

Balos                  

Parthenon

Greece is full of ancient history, with many ancient buildings, including temples, theaters, and stadiums. Try going to see the Parthenon, the Erechtheum, and Temples at Paestum, the Athenian Treasury, or the Theater at Epidaurus. Explore all the ruins of ancient houses, where people once happily lived, climb the famous Mount Olympus or any of Greece’s many mountains, or go see an active volcano, such as Santorini's Nea Kameni.                                                                                                                             

Gyro

 Hey, since you’re in Greece, why not try Greek food? Greek food uses olive oil, vegetables and  herbs, grains and bread, wine, fish, and various  meats, including poultry, rabbit, and pork. Olives, cheese,eggplant, and yogurt are also important.  Nuts and honey are used in Greek dessert. The grain in Greece is mainly wheat and barley and important  veggies are tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes,green beans, okra, green peppers, and onions. Some dishes include Gyros (which are pretty much Greek tacos), Stifado (meat stew),Spanakorizo ( spinach and rice stew), Baklava, ( layered dessert pastry filled with nuts and drenched in syrup), and Fakes ( a lintel soup). Some Greek recipes have been passed down from ancient times. Greek food is cooked and seasoned in many different spices such as oregano,mint, garlic, onion, dill and bay laurel leaves.

                                              

                                                                                                                                                                            

Greek Christmas

The customs and ways of Greece is interesting. They have many myths that include strange creatures and gods. Greek literature includes poetry, drama, philosophy, and history. The Greek people are very superstitious and religion means a lot to them, Greek traditions and festivals are all religious (like Christmas), and the main religion is Greek Orthodox. The people all mainly speak Greek, with a little bit of Macedonian. The Greek people are all warm and hospitable. When invited into a Greek home, arriving 30 minute late is considered arriving on time, and you are to be very polite at the table.       

                                              Russia

It is about 17 million square kilometers. It is 1.8 times larger than the U.S. in size. The capital is Moscow with a population of over 10 million. St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, and Nihzniy Novgorod are also considerably large as well. There are broad plains and low hills west of the Ural while in Siberia there is largely tundra and coniferous forests. The Ural mountains seperate west Russia and Siberia. The caucasus are along the southeren border. Climate is northern contintental. The population as of August 2011 is142.9 million people. The annual population growth is 0.07. Ethnic Groups as of 2002-(Russian 79.8%) (Tater 3.8%) (Ukrainian 2%) (Bashkir 1.2%) (Chuvash 1.1%) (other 12.1%). Religions are Russian Orthodox, Islam, Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestant, Buddhist, and other. Russian is the official langauge but there is more than 140 langauges and dailects. 99.4% of the country is literate. Life expectancy is 63 years for men,75 years for women. The government is a federation type government. There are several political parties.  Some want the  government to be a communist country once more (A.K.A KPRF) while others are extremly liberal (A.K.A. LDPR). Other parties are the Yabloko, Just Russia, and the patriots of Russia. In 2010, 1.477 billion    

$ were made.

The averge growth rate is  4%. Their main resources are petroleum, natural gas, timber, furs, precious

metals, and other metals. Agriculture prouducts are Grain, Sugar beets,sunflower seeds, meat, and dairy proudocts. They manufacture automobiles, farm equipment,advanced aircraft, aerospace,mining and extractive industry, medical and scientific instruments, and construction equipment. Russian is also the language of such giants of world literature as Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Pasternak, and Solzhenitsyn. About 8.1 thousand students attend higher eduacation at their choice of 1108 facilities.Russia's human rights record remains uneven and poor in some areas. Despite significant improvements in conditions following the end of the Soviet Union, problem areas remain. In particular, the Russian Government's policy in the North Caucasus has been a cause for international concern. Although the government has recognized the need for international human rights standards. There are, however, some indications that the law is becoming an increasingly important tool for those seeking to protect human rights. Russia has several great  tourist areas like the Kremlin or the Saint Petersburg museum. Russia's premier hotel is the metropol.

                      

Aubree (SLOVAKIA) You must see it!!!

                           Slavakia - The Place to Be!

High Tatras

Hey is your family looking for a nice vacation to go on?   Do you just want to get out of the house? Well I have the perfect place for you!!   If you answered "YES" to all those questions then you need to come to Slovakia  . Slovakia is known for its amazing mountian range the "High Tatras." They are a magnificent range of mountains dotted with villages and deep peasant traditions. These villages have wooden huts that are popular destinations with rich history, beautiful greenery, mountain streams, and caves. So if you like hiking, climbing, and exploring then you must come and see all that Slavakia has to offer.

For those of you who LOVE history and culture there is plenty here to keep you busy for the duration of your vacation.  Pictured right is the amazing St. Apostle Altar which is the largest wooden altar in the world.  It is located in the Church of  St. Jacob located in Levoca and built in the 14th centry.

To the left is Spis Castle, which happens to be the largest castle complex in all of Europe.  This castle was built in the 12th centry and sits 200 meters above the surrounding area on top of a dolomite rock.  REMEMBER - If interesting is what you want - Interesting is what you will get!

Now look at this! - It is the Dobsinska Ice Cave.  This is one of the
largest ice caves in Europe.  Total length of the cave is 1483 meters,
and 515 are open to the public from May to September.  In addition,
this became the first electrically lit cave when they installeled
electricity there in 1887.  You don't want to miss this.

Next on your list of things to do here is visiting the largest wooden bridge in Europe.  This bridge over the river Malý Dunaj is 2.25 meters wide and 86 meters long.  Originally there was a similar bridge here that was destroyed by floating ice blocks in the river, but they rebuilt it in a record 9 days by using the locals recolection to reconstruct it.  This new bridge has been there since 1992 and soon you can see it too if you just come to Slovakia!

One of the main attractions is the Botanical Garden on Lomnicky Peak.  This garden sits over 2500 meters above sea level and despite the high elevation and low temperatures there are still many unusual and rare plant species there.  Plus if you make it up there - You can't beat the view. 


 Well are you coming yet?  Here are a few more tidbits about Slavakia.

    Slovakia Flag!!

There are three equal horizontal bands of white, blue and red exactly as on the Russian or Slovenian flag. These three colors are widely used on other national flags of Slavic origin: Russia, Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovenia, Yugoslavia, and some others. The Russian and the Slovenian flags even have the same horizontal stripes, but the Russian flag has no shield.  On the shield of the Slovakia flag, a double cross can be seen in the middle-left area. . Three mountains below the cross represent, the mountains of Matra, Fatra and Tatra.


                                                         

Bratisalava

                                                      
This is the Capital of Slavakia and also the countries largest city.  There is a population of 431,000.  Bratisalava is located in southwestern Slavakia and boarders both Austria and Hungry.  It serves as the political, culteral, and economic center of the country.  Definately a MUST SEE on your upcoming trip to SLAVAKIA!!  So go pack your bags and start an amazing journey in Slovakia a good place to be!!
                                                         

The Amazing Ukraine

The Amazing Ukraine

By Samantha 

Southern Ukraine

    The Ukraine is a place of wonder and beauty. It is the largest country in Europe, and is slightly smaller than Texas. If you can speak Ukrainian or have a helpful friend that knows how, it would be a very fun place to visit! With many adventures and sights to see, you will never be bored on your trip!

  The Ukraine is located in the South-Eastern part of Central Europe. The land is level and has rich soil, which is great for farming. Almost 54% of the Ukraine's land is arable. The climate is moderate. Winters are mild, summers are hot and dry. 

The People of the Ukraine

   

Because of great climatic conditions they are able to grow wheat, corn, vegetables, fruit, melons and berries. They also are one of the biggest sugar producers in the world. The Ukraine has many natural resources, such as iron ore, coal, oil, gas and clay.

    The Ukraine is the 4^th most educated nation in the world. 99.4% of Ukrainians aged 15 years and older can read and write and 70% of Ukrainians have a secondary education. The Ukraine makes up only 1% of the world’s population, but they make up 6% of the world’s top scientists.

Mykhailivskyy Cathedral in Keiv 

      Depending on the region of the Ukraine, traditions may vary from place to place. People welcome you as a guest and treat you with the most respect. But on the streets people do not usually smile. 

Andriyivska church in Keiv

      There are many amazing things to do in the Ukraine. From going to the beach, to going skiing, you can't possibly be bored! 

There are many churches in the country.             

Mykhailivskyy Cathedral in Sofiyivskyy Sobor is one of the most visited Cathedrals in the Ukraine. It is mostly famous for its beautiful mosaics and its amazing architecture. You can also go to Andriyivska church!

   

Skiing in the Ukraine

Skiing is a very popular winter activity. There are many mountains in the Ukraine, but one of the most popular is Mt. Hoverla! It is the highest mountain in the Ukraine and is part of the Carpathian Mountains. In the Chornahora region Mt. Hoverla is standing tall with an elevation of 2061 miles. People go for the fun of skiing, and in the summer, backpacking!

    

Borscht

If you're the type of person that likes to try new foods you should come to the Ukraine! There is a wide variety of cuisine! From spicy to sweet, There are many types of food. The most common type of Ukrainian dish is borscht! Borscht  is a vegetable soup usually made with beets as a main ingredient which gives it a vibrant red color. It is usually made with beef and served with sour cream.

     

McDonalds near Kyiv Railroad

      But if you don't want to try the Ukrainian food dishes, you can still go to McDonalds. The McDonalds near Kyiv Railroad station is the third most visited McDonalds in the world!

     There's no possible way to tell you all you can do in the Ukraine! So the best idea is to book a flight, find a hotel and have one of the best adventures of your life!!! With so many things to do you will never be stuck without something fun to do! Thanks for reading my blog! Hope you consider going to the Ukraine!