Finishing the Trip

        After Rome, I visited Athens, Greece, and it was really neat. Athens is the capital of Greece, which is Northeast of the Mediterranean Sea. The exact location of Athens is 37˚ North, and 23˚ East. Like Rome, Athens also has a Mediterranean climate, meaning warm, almost hot, dry summers, and cool, almost cold, wet winters. Some of the main exports in Greece are food and beverages, petroleum products,chemicals, and textiles. Athens does not interact with the environment in a positive way. Pollution has become a big problem in Athens. 

           The number one thing I wanted to see, and ended up seeing, was the Acropolis in Athens. It was so interesting to me. I was amazed by the architecture of buildings such as the Parthenon. Another interesting thing was the Athens Planetarium. I was spectacular. I was blown away by the things I saw.

            The main thing I got out of this trip was visiting the Athens Planetarium. I love astronomy, so planetariums are very enjoyable to me. Another thing I got out of this trip was learning how a lot of architecture in different cultures were inspired by the Greeks. I take back what I said about Paris, Athens might have been my most favorite trip.

I had so much fun backpacking around Europe! I learned a lot of new things, and maybe I'll get to visit Europe next year too. I'll never forget this journey!

Parthenon image from:
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/greece/athens-parthenon

Show from Athens Planetarium. Image from:
http://www.igogreece.com/EN/?area=news&id=739

Then to Rome

       Paris was probably my favorite trip so far, but I had a lot of fun in Rome. Rome is the capital of Italy, which is located on the Italian Peninsula. The exact location of Rome is 41˚ North, 12˚ East. Rome has a Mediterranean climate, so it was really warm the whole time I was there. Many of Italy’s main exports are food. Some of the exports are fruits, vegetables, soybeans, grain, olives, beef, dairy products, and fish. Rome interacts with it’s environment because nature is their main export. They use the earth by growing crops and raising cattle for beef and dairy products.
     
        Rome has a very famous and interesting history that goes back two and a half thousand years. The most interesting thing about the culture to me was the architecture. I learned that many famous american buildings were inspired by roman architecture, like the dome in the Capital Building, and other political buildings. Well I was there, I saw the Colosseum, which was a giant amphitheater. Another interesting thing was all the music. I learned that Rome was an important centre for music, so I visited the Parco della Musica, a public music complex. The Parco della Musica consists of three indoor concert halls, and a fourth open air theatre. 

          
        The main thing I got out of this trip was the experience of seeing the Colosseum. I’ve learned a little about in school, but I can’t even describe how big it was. It was probably the coolest thing I’ve seen on my trip. Another thing I got out of this trip was visiting Vatican City, the smallest country in the world. Vatican City was in Rome, and it was very neat. My favorite part of Vatican City was seeing St. Peter's Square. I had a blast in Rome!

Inside view of Colosseum image from:
http://yelenacasale.blogspot.com/2012/01/friday-art-history-feature-colosseum.html

The Parco della Musica image from:
http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=10078

Outside view of Colosseum image from:
http://traveling-piont.blogspot.com/2011/03/colosseum-of-rome-pictures.html

Next Stop, Paris!

The Eiffel Tower
image from: http://www.visitingdc.com/paris/eiffel-tower-picture.asp

     Madrid was really fun, but I think Paris is going to be one of my favorite trips. Paris is in Northern France. France borders Spain, Switzerland, Germany, and the North Atlantic Ocean. The exact location of Paris is 49˚ North, and 2˚ West. Paris has an oceanic climate, meaning it get’s warm, but not hot in the summer, and cool, but not cold winter. France's main exports are machinery, transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, iron and steel, and beverages.

     One of the most interesting cultural traits was the Eiffel Tower. It was so cool. I learned that it was meant to be a temporary entrance ark to the 1889 World’s Fair, but they decided to keep it. After I went to the Eiffel Tower, I went to an art museum called the Louvre. It was amazing. I saw many famous works of art, including the Mona Lisa. In the front, there was a big glass pyramid. The food was also delicious. I tried lots of cheeses.

     I am so glad that I got the experience of going to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The elevator ride was so cool. I am also glad that I got to try so many new foods. Paris was great!

The Louvre Glass Pyramid
image from: http://www.planetware.com/picture/paris-louvre-glass-pyramid-f-prlouve3.htm

Beginning The Journey

Flag of Spain image from:
http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/europe/european-union/spain/flag/index.htm

         My first stop was in Madrid. Madrid is the capitol of Spain, a country in the West of Europe. It is also the largest city in Spain. The exact location of Madrid is 40˚ North, 3˚ West. Madrid is located on the Iberian Peninsula. The leading exports of Spain are machinery, motor vehicles, foodstuffs, and other consumer goods. Madrid has a semiarid climate. Madrid has a positive impact on the environment, because they plant a lot of trees. In fact, Madrid has the second highest amount of aligned trees in the world.  I got lucky on my trip, and it didn’t rain once. 


         One of my favorite things that I did was seeing a bullfight. I’ve always heard stories about them, but I’ve never seen one in real life, and It was a lot more exciting then I thought it would be. Another thing I really enjoyed was the Real Madrid game. I love soccer, and Real Madrid is one of my favorite teams, so it was awesome to watch them play. It was a great game, and they beat FC Barcelona 4-3. I also loved the food there. My favorite was a dish called chocolate con churo, which is a churo dipped in chocolate, and it was delicious. I had so much fun in Madrid.

Real Madrid Vs. FC Barcelona
image from:http://www.voltbet.com/real-madrid-barcelona-copa-del-rey-voltbet-betting-preview-18-jan/

Bullfight image from:
http://www.interestingtopics.net/bullfights-id-90

Chocolate con Churo image from:
http://www.123teachme.com/learn_spanish/spanish_kids_new_year_spain

Intro to my Trip

Welcome to my blog, Backpacking through Europe with Evan. This blog will describe my fictional one-month trip around Europe, and the four stops I make there.

Before we begin with my blog, though, let me tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Evan Landry and I was born on July 4^th, 1999. I am the oldest of five children. I live in Dedham, a small town outside of Boston, Massachusetts. I love to play soccer, and play with my younger siblings. I also have two dogs named Teddy and Oreo. I am in 6^th grade at Dedham Country Day School.

The first stop of my journey will be in Madrid, Spain. My second week will be spent in Paris, France. Then, in the third week, I’ll be visiting Rome, Italy. My final week will be spent in Athens, Greece. I can’t wait to visit Europe.