Learn, Travel, Art: 2014-05-18

Friday, May 23, 2014

Picture and Word of the Day 5/23/14

Picture of the Day 5/23/14

Town Hall, Munich, Germany
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_Town_Hall_Munich_Germany.jpg

Word of the Day 5/23/14

Word: Maktaba

Language: Swahili

Meaning: Library

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Picture and Word of the Day 5/22/14

Picture of the Day 5/22/14

Capri, Italy
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capri_-_Italy.jpg

Word of the Day 5/22/14

Word: Köntös

Language: Hungarian

Meaning: Gown

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

My top 20 places to explore in my lifetime: May, 2014

Here is a list of the all the places I want to go to in my lifetime and the reasons why--enjoy!

1. Athens, Greece

Seeing the Parthenon and all the other buildings on the Acropolis would be AMAZING!

Parthenon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Parthenon_in_Athens.jpg

2. Crete, Greece

Minoan culture, anyone?

3. Istanbul, Turkey

Justinian! I can practically hear the Hagia Sophia calling my name.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hagia_Sophia_(5_Aug_2008).jpg

4. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Christ the Redeemer--plus, I've never been to South America.

5. Amsterdam, Netherlands

I want to see the canals (and not just because of the Fault in Our Stars) and of course, the Rijksmuseum!

6. Hadrian’s Wall, Scotland

I've been to Scotland before, and I think I actually drove right past this monumental wall without seeing it.....why past self???!

7. Pompeii, Italy

Again, I've been to Italy, but we only went to Milan, Rome, Florence,and La Spezia. I love Roman culture, so seeing these ruins and the vivid frescoes is going to be fantastic.

Villa of the Mysteries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Roman_fresco_Villa_dei_Misteri_Pompeii_011.jpg

8. St. Petersburg, Russia

Although I would not like to be a Russian peasant, I would like to be a tourist at the Hermitage Museum.

9. Moscow, Russia

Who wouldn't want to see St. Basil's Cathedral (built by Ivan the Terrible), the Kremlin, and Red Square?

10. Nairobi, Kenya

My father was born here, so I would like to go with him and see where he grew up.

11. Mumbai, India

My father's family is Indian, so it would be neat to visit my ancestral "homeland." Also, I want to see the Taj Mahal in Agra.

12. Stockholm, Sweden

The numerous Fjords and viking culture are awesome.

13. Giza, Egypt

I am dying to see the Great Pyramids and the sphinx of Khafre.

14. Luxor, Egypt

I am also biting at the bits to see the Temples of Amun-Ra at Karnak and Luxor--and the Nile River!

Temple of Karnak
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karnak_temple_9463.JPG

15. Auckland, New Zealand

I find the Maori culture interesting, and I can see where Lord of the Rings was filmed....

16. Patagonian Desert, Argentina

I have a strange fascination with the beauty of deserts--apparently National Geographic does too.

17. Buenos Aires, Argentina

I would like to see the Casa Rosada; the history of the Perons is interesting as well.

18. Berlin, Germany

Let's see...the Brandenburg Gate and the amazing Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Need I say more?

19. Dubrovnik, Croatia

I saw a picture of the historic walls ringing the city and the glorious Adriatic sea. It would be neat to see Diocletian's palace at Split, too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dubrovnik_wall.jpg

20. Prague, Czechoslovakia

I've never been to Eastern Europe, so this centrally located city seems like a good place to start.

Picture and Word of the Day 5/21/14

Picture of the Day 5/21/14

Cortège des Princes, Dresden, Germany
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cort%C3%A8ge_des_Princes.jpg

Word of the Day 5/21/14

Word: Baru-baru ini

Language: Malay

Meaning: Recent

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Picture and Word of the Day 5/20/14

Picture of the Day 5/20/14

Llano Estacado, New Mexico, Texas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Above_Llano_Estacado_2.JPG

Word of the Day 5/20/14

Word: Tunnelbana

Language: Swedish

Meaning: Subway

Monday, May 19, 2014

Plan My Trip to Scandinavia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_Norway

Day one: Travel day
· Fly into Bergen Airport, Norway
· Account for jetlag
· Visit Mount Floyen and the Funicular scenic park (bring an umbrella because Bergen rains frequently!)

Day two: BERGEN
· Peruse the Rasmus Meyer Collection (famous for its’ numerous Munch’s)
· Drink in the view from atop the Rosenkrantz Tower
· Be dazzled by the Hardanger Fjord (a fjord is a narrow strip of water between high, often jagged cliffs)
· Eat at the “No Stress” bar at Hollendergaten 11, Bergen 5017

Hardanger

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardangerfjord

Day three: BERGEN
· See the Lysoen and Ole Bull's Villa (a famous violinist) on a small, quaint island; a ferry takes visitors there
· Take the Funicular Floibanen (a funicular is a cable car going uphill); enjoy the view and don’t forget to look for Mount Ulriken
· Tour the Norwegian Fisheries Museum (Norgen Fiskerimuseum)

Day four: BERGEN TO ODDA (3 hours)
· Odda has beautiful views of mountains, fjords, rocks, and snow. The most famous rock is called Trolltunga.
· See Låtefoss waterfall
· Visit the The Norwegian Museum of Hydro Power and Industry

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:L%C3%A5tefoss_Vikne.jpg

Day five: ODDA
· Day trip to Folgefonna National Park; again more amazing Fjords, wildlife (including dippers and wagtails), and 10,000 year old artifacts from ancient Norwegians!
· View the small villages or “hamlets” that surround the national park

Day six: ODDA TO STAVANGER (3 ½ hours)
· Visit the Norwegian Petroleum Museum (Norway has many resources such as oil, coil, hydropower, forests, and fish!)
· See the “Swords in Rock” formation. It commemorates Harald Harfagre uniting Norway into one country in 872 CE. Harold was supposedly the “first king of Norway.” Learn more about it here
· End the day by walking along Jaeren beach (note the rocks and the clear waters)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_R%C3%B8ed

Day seven: STAVANGER TO ARENDAL (4 ½ hour)
· Take a taxi boat to Lyngør, an old fishing village
· Go to Svårthylkyrkja (crazy name!)
· Peruse the fish markets of Pollen (this is the actual market’s name)
· View the Torungene lighthouses (accessible by taxi boat)

Day eight: ARENDAL
· Hike from Gjerstad to Vegårshei; the route between is forested and relatively untouched by human intervention
· Take a boat to Merdo, a small island off the coast of Pollen
· End the day with a drink at the Fishermen’s Pub

Day nine: ARENDAL TO OSLO (around 4 hours)
· Smell the flowers from the floral market of Stortorvet
· See the neat looking Parliament building, “seat of the Norwegian National Assembly from 1866.”
· See a performance at the Oslo Opera House

Day ten: OSLO
· See the Akershus Castle and Fortress (Akershus Slott og Festning)
· Visit the Norwegian Folk Museum (it is an open air museum with historic Norwegian houses!)
· Relax on the Huk Paradisbukta Beach
· Go on an Oslo Food Tour

Day eleven: OSLO
· Go to the National Museum - National Gallery (it has many paintings by Munch)
· Visit the Medieval Ruin Park in the center of Oslo
· See the Sorbraten Farm (appointment only)
· Marvel at the Oslo Cathedral (Oslo Domkirke)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_Cathedral

Day twelve: Fly from OSLO to STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
· Walk around in the Stockholm Old Town
· Stroll in the Norrmalm neighborhood

Day thirteen: STOCKHOLM
· Marvel at the 17th century shipwreck at the Vasa Museum
· Take a day trip to the Drottningholm Palace
· Stroll in the Millesgarden
· Go on a Stockholm Pub Crawl

Day fourteen: FLY HOME FROM STOCKHOLM
· Hope you enjoyed your trip!

Tripadvisor

Picture and Word of the Day 5/19/14

Picture of the Day 5/19/14

Old Town of Stockholm, Sweden
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stockholm_old_town_2002.jpg

Word of the Day 5/19/14

Word: Opékač topinek

Language: Czech

Meaning: Toaster

Pages