A Day in Britain

Today I arrived in Norway. I Decide to do some research about it since I was interested in its culture. Here is what I found.

Capital city: Oslo
Language: Bokmal Norwegian
Government type: Does not say
Area (Square Miles): 125,020
Population: Doesn't say
GDP Per Capita: $59,100
Main religion: Lutheran
Main ethnicity: Norwegian

My first landmark I visited while in Norway is the Oscarsborg Fortress. Completed in 1853, Oscarsborg Fortress was built to protect Oslo from hostile foreign forces and played a pivotal role in Norway's World War II defenses. German forces attempted to occupy Norway and ran into stiff opposition at this fortress in 1940. Bombed into submission by German forces and used for quartering German soldiers, Oscarsborg and Norway eventually fell under German occupation.

My second Location I decided to scout out in Norway was the Urnes Stave Church. Estimates suggest that over 1,300 stave churches were built in Norway during medieval times. Approximately 30 remain today. Urnes Stave Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has survived centuries of weather and wear to provide a medieval cultural experience to thousands of tourists each year. In addition to marveling that this church was made of wood in the 12th and 13th centuries and is still standing.

Quotes from USA Today travel guide

While I was in The Netherlands I decide to do some research on the country's specifics. Here is what I found.

Capital city: Amsterdam
Population: couldn't find
GDP per capita: $40,500
Language: Dutch
Religion: None
Ethnicity: Dutch
Area: 16,040 sq miles

When I arrived in Amsterdam I first thought myself that I was going to see some of the most notable canals of the city

Keizersgracht

(literal English translation: Emperor's Canal) is the second and widest of the three major canals in the city centre of Amsterdam, in between Herengracht and Prinsengracht. It is named after Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Herengracht

Herengracht (Patricians' Canal or Lord's Canal) is the first of the three major canals in the city centre of Amsterdam. The canal is named after the heren regeerders who governed the city in the 16th and 17th century. The most fashionable part is called the Golden Bend, with many double wide mansions, inner gardens and coach houses on Keizersgracht.

Singel

Singel encircled the medieval city of Amsterdam. It served as a moat around the city from 1480 until 1585, when Amsterdam expanded beyond Singel. The canal runs from the IJ bay, near Central Station, to the Muntplein square, where it meets the Amstel river. It is now the inner-most canal in Amsterdam's semicircular ring of canals. The canal should not be confused with Singelgracht canal, which became the outer limit of the city during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th Century.

250px-Amsterdam_airphoto

While I was in Amsterdam I also took the liberty to visit the Van Gogh museum and here is what i learned.
This modern museum houses some 200 paintings and 550 sketches showing Van Gogh in all his moods. This biggest in the world collection, combined with hundreds of letters by Van Gogh, and selected works by his friends and contemporaries, form the core of the museum's collection.

250px-Van_Gogh_Museum_Amsterdam

Quotes from USA Today Travel guide and Wikipedia

Today while on my plane I decided to do proper some research on Russia. Here is what I found.

Capital city: Moscow
Population: 143,420,300
Area: 6,592,769 sq miles
Government type: Communist (supposedly)
Main Religion: Russian Orthodox
Main Ethnicity: Russian
GDP per capita: Could not find

When I landed in Moscow I figured my first Objective would be to go see the Red Square. I did some research on the Red Square and here is what I found. Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod. As major streets of Moscow spread from here in all directions, being promoted to major highways outside the city, Red Square is often considered the central square of Moscow and all of Russia. The second monument in Russia I was going to see was The Kremlin. I also did research on this monument.

325px-RedSquare_(pixinn_net)

Erected in the 12th century, the Kremlin is a walled fortress inside the capital city, Moscow. The cathedrals within the walls of the Kremlin are examples of 15th century religious architecture in Russia. The complex also contains the Armory, Grand Kremlin Place and the Senate Building erected under the aegis of the state government of the Soviet Union, according to Frommer’s. The Moscow Kremlin, sometimes referred to as simply the Kremlin, is an historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River (to the South), Saint Basil's Cathedral and Red Square (to the East) and the Alexander Garden (to the West). It is the best known of kremlins (Russian citadels) and includes four palaces, four cathedrals and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. The complex serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

300px-Moscow_Kremlin_from_Kamenny_bridge

Quotes from Wikipedia

I arrived in Italy last night at around 7 p.m and decided to do some research. Heres what i found.
Capital city: Rome
Language:Italian
Government type: Democratic Republic
Area (Square Miles):116,347
Population:60,681,514
GDP Per capita:$30,700
Main Religion: Roman Catholic
Main ethnicity: Italian

My first thing to do in Italy is to visit Rome. Of course while i'm in Rome i'm going to see the Roman Colosseum an I also decided to do some research on this. Did you know that the Colosseum was first called the Flavian Amphitheatre or in Latin, the Amphitheatrum Flavium. This was after Vespasian and Titus who had the family name of Flavius. It was used for gladiatorial contests, and other shows like animal hunts, in which animals would hunt and eat prisoners; or in which gladiators would fight against animals. There were also executions of prisoners, plays, and battle scenes; sometimes it was filled with water to fight sea battles. The people of Rome could go into the Colosseum without any costs; it was free.
Shortly after being done with my tour of the Roman Colosseum I decided to Visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Here is what I found out about it. After the third floor was built in 1178, the tower started to lean, due to having a small three-meter foundation in soft soil. The design of this tower was bad from the beginning. Construction was stopped for almost 100 years because the Pisans were often at war with Genoa, Lucca, and Florence.

Quotes from wikipedia

Today I awoke at around 9 am and drove to the English Channel Train station to take me to France. While on the train I took the liberty to look up some of the basic facts about France. Here is what I found.

Capital city: Paris
National language: French
Government: Democracy
Area (Sq miles): 643,053
I could not find their population
GDP per capita: 33,200
Main Religion:Roman Catholic
Main Ethnicity: Celtic & Latin W/ Teutonic

And so I arrived in France. My first thing on my agenda is to visit the Eiffel Tower. Did you know that The Eiffel Tower (French: La Tour Eiffel,nickname La dame de fer, the iron lady) is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris, named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Erected in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair.
The next item on my agenda is to visit the Louvre. I also gathered some information on the Louvre. The Musée du Louvre -in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre—is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, France, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement. Nearly 100,000 objects from prehistory to the 19th century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square meters.And so ended a long Day in France.

Quotes from wikipedia