Greece

4/29/11

Out of all the countries I have visited, Greece is by far the most historical. Everything the people here do has a story behind it. I wish I could have visited everything here, but I only had a couple of days left. The places I did visit, though, were great.
First, I went to the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It was a temple built in the 6th century for Zeus.It originally had 104 columns, but only 15 remain. Nothing remains of the statue of Zeus either, all thanks to the wind and rain.
Secondly, I visited the Santorini Volcano. It is definitely the most daring thing I have ever done in my life because the volcano is still active. The landscape is gorgeous, though. An eruption caused a crater, it filled with water, and now it is a lake. The island was formed by the volcano too. ( I thought that was interesting.)
When visiting the library in Athens, I ran across this artist and asked him some questions. This is how he responded.

1. Why are you an artist in Greece?
There is so much history here. It also has lots of stories I can depict through my work. I never run out of things to paint.
2. Do you earn good money in Greece being an artist?
Many people in Greece like history, so they buy my paintings of it. This makes pay good, but I don't really mind what I make because I love to paint. That is all that matters.
3. What do you paint most in your drawings?
One main thing in Greek history are the gods, so I draw them. I draw them because it makes me feel as though the stories will never die.

Lithuania

4/25/11

Lithuania is totally different than Norway and Ireland. It is still amazing, but the atmosphere is different. The people are nice, but not as friendly as the others. I won't let that ruin my trip, though.
My first exploration was of Gedimino's Castle. It is really interesting how it came to be because a grand duke (Gedimino) had a dream that it was God's will to build a castle there. It is strange, but I am so glad he did because when I got to the top, the view was amazing.
I also visited St. Anne's Church of Lithuania. It is a Catholic Church there. I didn't visit it because of the history really, but because of its' architecture. It is symmetrical, and is very "busy" on the outside with a Gothic look to it. The church is what you would picture an extremely old church looking like, medieval, but grand. Another thing cool about it was the fact that it is made out of 33 different types of clay.
When I was there, I asked the preacher a few questions, and this is what he said;

1. Is religion a big part of life in Lithuania?
Religion is a big part of life because there are so many problems in the world today, so people are turning to their religions to find answers and comfort.
2. What is the main religion here?
Roman Catholic is 79% of the citizens living here's religion.
3. Does the government support religious freedom?
The government does allow people to choose their religions because people in Lithuania are Russian Orthadox and Prodestant.

4/22/11

The plane ride over to Norway was rough because there were storms, but I made it here alive, thankfully. I am so glad I made it too, because this is another great country.
Here, I visited the Urnes Stave Church, which was built in 1150, and rebuilt two times. It is the oldest wooden church in Norway, and the most beautiful too, if you as me. There is amazing artwork on the exterior of the church that makes it so inviting. And then, when you go inside, it gets even better.
Even though it was a cold, rainy day, I went to Frogner Park. There are lots of plants there, but I don't think I have ever seen so many roses in my life. The sculpture garden in the park is cool, too. It has lots of sculptures of people. My favorite one is where bodies are just stacked on top of each other 20 feet up into the air.
While at the park, I met a police officer that answered some questions I had. Here is what he said in response:

1. Is there a high crime rate in Norway?
About 330,071 crimes are commited each year here, so compared to the United States, we have a low crime rate.
2. Are drugs a major problem here?
About 987 people out of every 100,000 a year get caught doing drugs in Norway, so it is not terribly bad. However, we still need to bring down the numbers of people doing them.
3. Do you think your government could do a better job keeping crime down?
No, they try the best they can, and they can not help the mistakes these people make. They educate them about good choices, and that is all they can do.

Ireland :)

4/19/11

I have been in Europe for two days now, and I love it. I'm already having so much fun, I can't wait to go explore more of it.
Ireland is the first country I visited. It is so calm here, and the people are really nice. I visited the city of Limerick on my first day, but that was just the beginning.
I went to the Passage Tomb in Newgrange ( an underground tomb made into chambers,) which is said to be the home of Oenghus, the god of love. Each of the chambers is filled with beautiful artwork from 3200 B.C.
Secondly, I went to King John's Castle. It was built in the 13th century, and showed an amazing veiw of Limerick City. As a souvenir, I got one of King John's old coins. Lastly, I took a tour of the Ox mountains. This was my favorite because I learned so many new things. The mountains are made up of metamorphic rock. I saw sheep farms, and the River Moy (the best- known salmon river in Ireland.) I also saw the highest point in the Ox mountains, which is Knockalongy, or "hill of storms."
My tour guide and I talked along the tour, and it turns out she is a parent of two little boys. I knew that this was a good opportunity to ask some questions, so i did. This is what she said:

1. Is it hard to provide for your family?
No, the government provides jobs for us citizens, so we can get the things we need.
2. Do you like your government now?
I do like it because we get to have some say in the government. I feel respected when the listen to our ideas, and having my thoughts being taken into consideration is nice.
3. Why do you live in Ireland?
My husband wanted to be a farmer, and we thought this was a good place. Also, the people are very nice, and my children can get a good education.