Wednesday 29 August 2012

GERMANY



BERLIN -- THE REICHSTAG


BERLIN - 
BRANDENBURGER TOR  
DURING COMMUNIST TIME 
THE EAST GERMANS TURNED 
THE HORSES AROUND TO
  LOOK DOWN ONTO THEIR SIDE. 
AFTER THE UNIFICATION 
THE HORSES WERE 
TURNED AROUND AGAIN

Germany is in the Middle of Europe between the Alps and Scandinavia. It isn’t the largest country in Europe but has the biggest population after Russia and had the strongest economy.

Most of Germany’s landscape has high mountains, low hills and plains. The hills are covered with dark forests and castle still watching over orchards, vineyards and fertile plains. The Northern Lowland has mostly sandy soil which is not very fertile. It is covered with heath and pine forest.  Big rock boulders can be seen frequently which were left behind from the Ice Age. The far south is bordered off a huge mountains range called the Alps.






 BAVARIAN ALPS


NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE WHICH WALT DISNEY COPIED FOR HIS DISNEY LAND


THIS AND VARIOUS OTHER CASTLES AND PALACES BUILT BY KING LUDWIG II ARE ALL IN THE ALPS AND HAVE A GREAT MANY VISITORS 




The climate is moderate and crops of potatoes, maize and wheat grow well. Cattle graze in the damp and mild north-west and also in the valleys of the mountains. Pigs, cattle and poultry are kept in large battery units near cities. The reason for this ways of farming is that winters are extremely cold with heavy snow.

Germany has a number of large cities. Many of them like Munich and Dresden were capitals of independent states.  Bavaria and Saxony came to be part of the German Empire in the century before last.  The cities inherited splendid palaces and museums.



FEDERAL STATES

Germany has 16 Federal States or Lander. The government of each state is responsible for education and all other aspects.

Till the credit crunch Germany was one of the leading economical powers of Europe and the world. West Germany had a good name for the high quality of products. East Germany was a supplier to Russia till 1990 when communist Russia collapsed. Their factories were neglected and could not compete on the Free Market. They had to be demolish and rebuilt. During this time there was great hardship and unemployment.

Agriculture is not very profitable in the West. In East Germany there were the collective units established by the Soviet Union. After the collapse the poor supply and packaging suffered in sales on the Free Market.
The Autobahn (motorways) which Hitler started in 1930 has vastly improved and so did the railway with high-speed trains right through the country on the mainline network. The conditions in East Germany of their motorway, railways, canals and telecommunication was more than poor after 45 years of communism. After the fall of the wall West Germany had to rebuild the whole East Germany.  It nearly bankrupt West Germany but the country was recovering till the credit crunch.


THREE EMPIRES

There were German tribes in Roman times. In 962 AD King Otto I united all the German-speaking people of north-central Europe.  He was crowned by the Pope and became Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. This lasted till 1806 and was ruled by the Habsburg from Vienna.  During this time it covered Austria, the Czech Republic and parts of Hungary.  Germany was ruled by 400 separate princes, dukes and bishops.


THE ROMAN EMPIRE

In the 19th century German-speaking people demanded to be united.  In 1871 the German princes asked the King of Prussia to be their Emperor or Kaiser. The chancellor of Kaiser William I was the famous Otto von Bismarck.

Rivalry and other problems which came ahead by the shooting of Crown prince Ferdinand and it led to WWI in 1914. After the war Germany’s economy was a full blown inflation. This ground bred Nazism and Hitler promised jobs and a new Empire the third Reich. At first jobs were created by starting the Autobahn, productions but also a built-up of ships and air crafts. By the time the top men still from the previous regime realise what he really was aiming for; they had an attempt of killing him but failed. After that it was too late because the Nazis tightened their already stranglehold and it led into WWII.  During all this time Hitler gave Germany’s darkest deed. He had 6million people killed, mostly Jews.


THE FOUR ZONE AT 1947
After 1945 the Allies occupied Germany and divided it into four zones. USSR’s section became East Germany while the rest were the Federal Republic of West Germany. The West was a fully democratic state with a capitalist economy.  East and West Germany were finally reunited in 1990.



BERLIN WALL

Since 1945 the East German economy had a steady decline and by 1961 it was almost at rock bottom. It was further weakened by nearly 2.5 million people migrated to the West. The East Germany government had to do something drastic. They built a system of fortifications along the country’s western boundaries encircling West Berlin. People became more desperate and tried to escape by any sort of methods like risking jumping from nearby houses into no-man's-land and climbing of the other side into West Germany while the Stasis (the East German State police) kept shooting and the West border guards had to stand there and watch it. Many, many died there and they were mainly youngsters. One particular person a 20 year old was lying shot in no-man's-land bleeding heavily and the Stasis would not let the West Germany go and rescue him. He called for two hours. Afterwards, nobody was ever prosecuted for any of these murders.

East German people who escaped told stories of constantly being watched and if under any kind of suspicion you went into prison or Siberia. The government called for a political meeting within half-an-hour and even if your mother was dying at home you were supposed to come. When they were thinking of escaping, many through the Underground of Berlin first, they could not take anything with them in case they were checked at the East Berlin section. Not even a photo of their family. It was nothing but dictatorship and people still, even today, belief in communism or socialism which is a cover up.


RIVER RHEIN
There are so many beautiful  countrysides it will take several visits to see most of them. A boat trip down the Rhine which starts in Switzerland and ends into the North Sea is absolutely unforgettable. Between Frankfurt and Koeln is the the most spectacular stretch for tourists. Up on the hills there various castle 



RIVER DANUBE

The Danube originates in the Black Forests Germany and flows through ten countries until it reaches the black sea. There are many beautiful sights along the way but a boat and cycle trip will be an experience worthwhile the effort.


The Harz is a mountainous area and well known for skiing and even more so for wander ways in the summer. It is incredible beautiful and with lovely little villages and small town.


THE WANDER WAY 
IS ON THE RIGHT
STOLBERG IN HARZ



Thursday 16 August 2012

ANDORRA -- SKI RESORT AND SUMMER HOLIDAY



CAPITAL ANDORRA-LA-VELLA
The principality of Andorra lies high up in the Pyrenees Mountains. According to legend it is supposed to be independent since the times of Emperor Charlemagne.  If it is true it would nearly 1200 years ago.

Andorra is one of the smallest countries in the world. However, it is divided up into six parishes. Each parish has a separate valley. Winters are cold and the mountains have plenty of snow. It is a favourite to skiers and in the summer for mountaineering. The highest peak is 3000m.

ANDORRA SKI RESORT

On the mountain side sheep and goats are grazing. In the valleys are tobacco, wheat, rye and potatoes are growing. The cigarettes are made local. Andorra has not a lot of industry but it produces plenty of electrical power from small hydroelectric schemes.

LOW TAXES
Andorra great attraction to tourism is their low taxes. Especially in the markets there are no taxes added and buying your Christmas presents or wardrobe will reduce you holiday spending. It is estimated that more than 10 million people yearly visit Andorra.

The Andorrans are mostly Roman Catholics and Catalan is the official languages. It is the same language in Catalonia which Spanish region is next to Andorra.

POLITICS
Andorra is governed by the President of France and the Bishop of Urgel. This makes the country semi-independent. Urgel is a town in Spain but next to the border and diocese includes Andorra. There is a council o 24 members and they were elected by the heads of the families living in the six valleys. They run the affairs of the country.

CASA DE LA VALL 
ANDORRA'S PARLIAMENT



The capital is Andorra-la-Vella but it is no bigger than a large village and has about 15,000 inhabitants,
The whole population  is around 51,000


CALDEA SPA
NATURAL HOT SPRING



Wednesday 15 August 2012

PORTUGAL



CAPITAL LISBON
Portugal is on edge of the European Continent. It was once a great empire. Today it is a relative poor country. It stretches along the most of the Atlantic coast of the Iberian peninsular in the southern-western tip of Europe. The islands of Madeira and the Azores belonging to Portugal but are thousand of kilometres out in the North Atlantic.

A number of rivers have their start in Spain and flowing through Portugal into the Atlantic. Lisbon is their capital. It lies on the river of Tagus which starts in Spain near Madrid. On the north side of the Tagus the land is mountainous, cold and wet. The southern side is dry grasslands and rolling plains. The Algarve on the south coast is a semi tropical region. It is very popular with tourist.

The plants are rich and varied from tropical plants to others more often seen I colder climates. Pines, elms and oaks are mixing with palms, cacti and mimosas. Not a lot of large wild life.

Agriculture
A high number of people are working in agriculture which is very high in comparison to its neighbouring countries. The main food crops are wheat, in the southern regions and maize and potatoes in the northern regions.

Portugal is famous its port wine which is grown in Oporto. The region is in the north. The Portuguese fisherman are still going out to sea and bringing the sardines and other fish in. This is another well known export. The country’s other export are textiles, cork and wood.

Previously in history mining was not very encouraged in Portugal. Nowadays they built several large hydro-electric schemes on major rivers. With the new available electric power the mini industry is producing tungsten, tin, copper, manganese and iron.

Language
The Portuguese language is widely spoken in Brazil. Although the Portuguese language differs from Spanish but when two people meet it is possible for them to understand each other.

For 60 years Portugal was ruled by Spain. They have one thing in common that is bull fighting.  However, the Portuguese bullfight is not killing them. It is a test of the horseman to ride so skilfully that it prances in front of the bull to entice the bull to charge repeatedly.

GUIMAERES CASTLE  IS KNOW AS THE CRADLE OF PORTUGAL


THE BATALHA MONESTRY BUILT IN 1385 AND IT KNOWN AS ONE THE BEST GOTHIC BUILDINGS.   WORLD HERITAGE SITE

History
Portugal is also known for great seafaring traditions.  In the 15th and 16th century it was the Portuguese explorer who ventured out into the open sea with very small ships. Still believing the world is flat which shows their limited knowledge and great courage to face the open oceans with no knowledge where they going. They must have experienced huge storms and with their size of ships it must have horrendous. They explored and discovered so many oceans and continents.

They founded many colonies and the Portuguese Empire included Brazil, Angola and Mozambique. The trade from the Moluccan spice islands made Portugal the richest country in Europe.

MANUEL II  -- LAST KING OF PORTUGAL
The wealth and empire did not last and it crumbled. The monarchy fell in 1910 and military rule started in 1920. It lasted till the revolution in 1974. With in two year democracy was established and 10 years after it joined the European Union.

THE ALGARVE


PORTUGAL  - AZORES

Monday 6 August 2012

BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA


SARAJEVO
Bosnia-Herzegovina Republic in the Balkan Peninsula. Before 1992 it was one of six constituent republics of Yugoslavia.
Bosnia-Herzegovina is a small country and would fit into Spain 10 times. It used to be part of the Yugoslavia and borders with other countries with similar history. Serbia on the east, Montenegro on the south and Croatia on the north and west border.

HERZEGOVINA -- NEUM COAST







DINARIC ALPS


DINARIC ALP
The country’s main mountain range is the Dinaric Alps which forms a western border on the Croatian side and cross the north of the country. From the north-west to south-easy across Bosnia are limestone ridges and gorges. There lies a barren limestone plain called the Karst. The only fertile land you will find is in the south, in green mountain hollows called poljs. The Sava and its various smaller rivers are the country’s water supply.
Bosnia has freezing cold winters because of its high altitude apart from the Adriatic coast which has milder and warmer weather. 
HISTORY
The region of Bosnia was inhabited as early as the Neolithic Age. The Illyres or Illyrians moved into the territory in the early Bronze Age. Then in 4th century BC the Celts migrated into the area and made the Illyrian either move on or integrate.
The Illyrians started a conflict with the Romans in 229 BC but the annexation was not finalized till 9th AD. During this period Romans moved in and Roman soldiers were encouraged to move there.
To begin with, the area was called Illyria till the Romans occupied it. When the Roman Empire split from 337 till 395 then Dalmatia and Pannonia became Western Roman Empire. It is also thought that the region was conquered by the Ostrogoths in 445. Then it went to the Alans and the Huns. In the 6th century the Byzantine Empire conquered the region. The Slavs, Eastern European people, were defeated by Avars in the 6th century.

Early Middle Ages the Slavs, who had a tribal social structure, migrated into the Balkan. The Frankish came into the region in the late 9th century. The South Slavs became Christians but Bosnia and Herzegovina converted later.
In the High Middle Ages the Kingdom of Hungary and the Byzantine Empire contested the area between them.
Early 12th century Bosnia emerged as an indepentent state and was ruled by a local ban (title of local rulers).
Ban Kulin ruled for three decades and brought prosperity to the region. He signed a treaty with Venice and Dubrovnik. Kulin also brought Catholicism into the country and declared the Bosnian Church as heretical which it was.
After Ban Kulin's death Bosnia became a power-struggle between the Subic and the Kotromanic families till the early 14th century. In 1322 Stjepan II Kotromanic became Ban. He died 1353 and during his reign territories in the north, west, Zahumlje and part Dalmatia was annexed.
His nephew Tvrtko was crowned on 26 October 1377 as Stefan Tvrtko I.  He was king of Rascia, Bosnia, Dalmatia and Croatia. After his death in 1391 Bosnia fell into decline.
The Ottoman Empire conquered Bosnia in 1463 and Herzegovina in 1482. The Ottoman Era lasted from 1463 till 1878. However, in 1875 a peasant uprising who led to the Russian intervening and this led to war with Turkey from 1877 till 1878.
At the Congress of Berlin it was decided that Bosnia and Herzegovina to be placed under the administration of the Austro-Hungerian Empire. The Empire formally annexed the region in 1908. The Serbian Nationalists were completely against it and it let to the assassination of Austria's Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914.
The assassination developed into the start of the First World War.
1918 Bosnia and Herzegovina were annexed to Serbia and in 1946 the two provinces became a joint republic within Yugoslavia.
After the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989 the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina voted for independence and it was established in 1992.
Soon they were plunged into a civil war because Bosnia Serbs were being help by Serbia and took provinces for themselves, ejecting all Bosnia Muslim and Croats.
United Nation and NATO intervened but had little effect. 1995 the US managed a peace settlement between Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia at Dayton, Ohio.
As you can see Bosnia and Herzegovina always had, for some unknown, a very turbulent history. In spite of all that it is a beautiful country worthwhile for a visit. It also has many monuments and sight seeing due to its ever changing invaders.


BOSNIA -- IGMAN MOUNTAIN
WILDLIFE
Bosnia is half covered with forest. They still have a great wildlife and it includes wildcats, wolves, grey bears and mufflons, lynxes, weasels and otters but it is no doubt endangered.



BOSNIA - MOSTAR
POPULATION
Before the civil war the republic had three main ethnic groups. 44 per cent Muslim, 31per cent Serbians and 17 per cent Croatians but today it is hard to get a correct statistics. They all speak Serbo-Croatians. The Muslims and Croats use the Latin alphabet and the Serbs use the Cyrillic alphabet. They are also various religions. Muslims practise Islam; the Serbs Serbian Orthodoxy; and the Croats are mostly Roman Catholic.
The population used to be mainly in agriculture but during the civil war they fled to town and cities for safety. Bosnia economy was ruined with the civil war and the money has no value. However, the black market is more than flourishing.  Both results are always the end product of wars. Yet will people ever learn. Now a lot of the farmland had been destroyed.
The country’s industry was mainly in Serp occupied areas but 80 per cent of it had been destroyed. From the 1990 a small textile and food-processing industries started again but not so significant that the country could recover from the civil war. It would better to use its natural recourse such as agriculture, timber and valuable mineral recourse. 
BEGIN OF DEMOCRACY
The 1991 constitution of Bosnia allows for a government structure. There are two chambers: a 130-seat Chamber of Citizens and a 100-seat Chamber of Communes. The voting age is 18 and the election is won by a majority. A collective seven-member presidency serves four years. The there is a president of the presidency who will voted again after one year.
Like other surrounding countries Bosnia was also part of the Ottoman Empire and then of the Austria-Hungarian Empire. After 1946 it became part of Yugoslavia, under the Croatian Communist, Josip Broz Tito. The Bosnian Serbians wanted Bosnia to be province rather than a republic. Tito war a good leader and Yugoslavia was easiest communist country and open to West to be visit. Tito died in 1980 and ethnic tension grew. At the beginning of 1990 Bosnia Serbs declared alliance to the Serb-dominated federal Yugoslavia. The rest of the country demanded independence. Bosnia-Herzegovina became independent in 1992 was recognized by the EU and the USA.
Civil war broke out between the Muslims, The Bosnian Serbs (supported by Serbia) and the Bosnia Croats (supported by Croatia). This war has been going on and caused nothing but heart break and ruins. There were cease-fire but no peace-plan could be established. Muslims were heavily attacked by Serbian soldiers. The city of Sarajevo was under siege by Serbian troops from 1992 till 1996. NATO bombarded the Serbian troops heavily.
SARAJEVO THE OLD CITY

Friday 3 August 2012

SYRIA



DAMASCUS -- 
JUPITER TEMPLE 
BUILT BY THE ROMANS
 IN 3RD CENTURY
But not at the moment, of course. However, the country has its beauty and great number ancient monuments which would attract tourist and be very interesting to see. It has such a wealth of ancient history. There is an whole city Palmyra full of ancient  monuments , The city was once the most important trading city. On the hill above the city stands  17th century Arab castle.

PALMYRA AND THE TEMPLE BEL


PALMYRA  AND THE ROMAN THEATRE  1ST CENTURY
On the |Mediterranean coastline Syria is border Lebanon and next to it is Israel.  Both countries were once part of a bigger Syria. On the northern border is Turkey and on the east Iraq. On the southern border is the kingdom of Jordan.

Behind the fertile coastal strip is the Jabal al-Nusaayriyah mountain range. Their height reaches about 1000n. Next to the eastern side of the mountains is a fertile arc of steppe. This area is watered by the Orontes and Euphrates rivers. There are also the cities of Damascus, Homs, Hama and Aleppo. On the south-eastern part of the country is the desert.

The coastal climate is hot dry in the summers and mild in the winters. Further inland it gets hotter and drier. In the desert there is hardly any rainfall. The country was once thickly forested. When the Caliph Haroun al-Rashid of the famous one Thousand and One Night travelled from Baghdad which is now Iraq to Raqqa it described us travelling under shady trees. Today is little vegetation left except desert scrub and hardly any wildlife.

Syria has no great oil wells except near Deir ez-Zur are some being developed. The country’s wealth is in agriculture.

In 1946 Syria became completely independent and great results have achieved in the fertile crescent area called al-Jezirah. Railways connect al-Jezirah and Aleppo and the Mediterranean coast.

1978 a dam was build at Tabqa on the river Euphrates. It created a huge lake Assad (647 sq km). It provides hydro power and irrigates great stretches of land which before were unusable.

Cotton is grown round the Euphrates Valley. Wheat is mostly grown in the south-western area near the Jordanian border. Both crops are mainly for the home and export. Tobacco, dates, citrus fruits and olives are other crops grown. The country is self sufficient in basic foods.

HISTORY
Most of the people are Sunni Muslims. There is also a minority of Shi’a, Druze and Alavite Muslims. President Assad and his people are Alawites. There are also quite a few groups of Christians. In two or three villages Aramic, the language of Jesus, is still spoken.

Syria previously was much larger. It included Lebanon,  Israel and Jordan.  This area was always of strategic importance. It lied on the trade routes from Europe and the Mediterranean to the east. The country was invaded by Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Turks. After WW2 it came under French rule and then it became independent.

The country became know for its rapidly changing of regimes. It stopped and started to settle down when the Baath party came into power in 1960. Baath means rebirth and it is to rebirth into a single Arab nation. The Baathist military leader, Hafiz al-Assad seized power in 1970 and had been in the president since 1971. He rules ruthlessly. In the city of Hama when there was an uprising in 1982 by the Muslim Brotherhood in 1982 and it was estimated that 25,000 people died when the government suppressed it.

Syria fought several wars in the Middle East. One war was with Israel and it lost the Golan Heights. The government encourages the fedayeen, the Arab guerrilla forces. They attack Israel regularly to restore the country back to Palestine. However, in 1991, Syria joined the peace process.

During the Lebanon civil war Syria intervened and has also political influence in the country’s affairs. Syria was all the time under protection of Russia. It started to reach out for the European and US support by being against Iraq in the Gulf War. This was quite a significant move by Assad’s regime after years of terrorism. 

The government keep two-third of the budget for military expenditure.

It is so sad that Syria is involved in civil war and destruction since the country is not only beautiful but has many monuments for tourist to visit. The contrasting country side would be interesting.  But there is the famous cruder castle, Krak des Chevaliers, and some of the oldest Christian monuments in the world.  Let's hope none of these wonderful ruins will be destroyed.  


DAMASCUS