Last Supper

As a goodbye my familia cooked me a final meal. We started with an antipasto which is what you guys would call an appetizer. That was mostly pasta. Then we had a primo which is the first course, we had chicken. We then, had a secondo which is like "seconds" or a second course. That was fish. Finally we had dessert, which was my grandmother's famous gellato. Its kind of like ice cream and sherbert mixed. Well anyway I'm going to miss my flight if I keep talking so bye!

Hey guys. Yesterday I went to a cycling race and i got to meet Eddy Merckx!! The race for charity and the money went to one of the children's hospitals. For those of you who don't know, Eddy Merkx is the best- known sportsmen in all of Belgium. He won the Tour de France five times and took over one hundred and eighty major titles!! I was so excited when I got to meet him. He was a really nice guy and it meant a lot to me that he tool the time to talk to his fans. Eddy Merckx is my idol. He has inspired me to take up cycling and exercise, and eat healthier.

Talk to you guys later. Bye. :)

Hey guys. I went to the candy store the other day with my mom. I'm sure most of you know that Belgium is known for its chocolate. We have a large variety of chocolate, from the original piece of chocolate to the very interesting piece of chocolate covered bacon. I got enough chocolate to last me six months.

Belgium makes 172,000 tons of chocolate per year. There are over 2,000 stores in Belgium that sell only chocolate. When you calculate that out it mans that each person eats 22kg every year, or 61 grams every day.

I have to go. Bye. :)

Hey it's Dora again. I went downtown yesterday with my mom, dad, and brother, Benard. We went to this fancy restaurant because my brother is only in town for a few days before he has to go back to college. Did you know that french fries or 'french frites' as we call them here, were invented in Belgium!? It's one of my brother's favorite snacks. You have probably also heard of Belgian Waffles. If you ever visit Belgium I highly recommend trying some. We are also known for our large selection of beer. We have over 400 types of beer and each one has its own specific glass. Well, I have to go. Bye. :)

Sports I Play in Germany

Germany's national sport is soccer the national team has won the world cup three times. Another famous sport is tennis. Germany is the world leader in tennis, track and feild, and cycling. Boris Becker made tennis famous in Germany when he was the only 17 year old to win in wimbledon

Football.

Today I heard some of you Americans say italy looks like a boot. I can understand that, but then I heard another rumour that Sicily looks like a football. I don't understand that part. I don't know what football is for you guys, but we play it with our feet. I think you call our football soccer, but next time could you say "American Football" so I would know exactly what you mean. Just for clarity I will call my football soccer, but really is it neccesary to have two words for one thing?

Zufälligkeit (Randomness)

A bird's eye view of Switzerland.

A picture of the Swiss Alps that my mom took.

My brother, Alix, skiing(obviously). I took this picture.

The Swiss flag. My dad took the picture.

A Swiss Chocolate bar! YUM! =)

Picture of Switzerland's captial, Bern.

Yuletide in Estonia! :)

Some traditions in estonia is a holiday Yuletide. It begins with St Thomas day on December 21st. It is kinda like Christmas, but it starts ealier and last longer. I enjoy Yuletide because it is a time for the family to come together and relax. Every year, my family alsways decorates the town and have dinner parties. This has actually been a tradition for more than 350 years! WOW! It is so much fun for my family! Its over on January 6th. When Christmas Eve comes (December 25) my family surrounds the floor with straw, as a symbol of Jesus's birth. Then, my parents give all of my brothers and sisters new clothes and we all go down to the Christmas Eve service and a dinner party afterwards.

Coat Of Arms

One thing that I think everyone should know is there family history. Everyone should at least know where there ancestors came from, and know what there coat of arms looks like.

A coat of arms is an arrangement of bearings, or symbols, usually depicted on and around a shield, which indicates ancestry and distinctions (That is an official deffinition). Each symbol has a different meaning and everones coat of arms is different. They can help you learn a little bit about your family history, and alot of them are really cool!

Here is my coat of arms that I found on this really cool website that has alot of Irish coat of arms. I was able to find out what my friends coat of arms looked like and found out a little bit about there history as well! My father has a copy of our coat of arms hanging in our family room. Anyway I have always thought that the coat of arms is really cool, and wanted to show you! If you live in the United States you could look up coat of arms and find out your family history.

Fact Of The Day: In 1998, Parks Canada unveiled a monument to Irish immigrants on Grosse Ile in the St. Lawrence River. Irish immigrants were quarantined on the island before they entered Canada. In the 1830s, thousands of Irish people died of cholera there and in the 1840s, thousands more died of typhus and were buried on the island.

Hello all readers! This is Victoria! I am sad to say this will be my last entry. I just heard from my husband that I will soon be returning to the states. I have been having a really nice trip hear too. I hate to hear that I have to return home. Today I got to hang out with my cousin. We went to the Linlithgow palace. It was a very historical palace. It is managed by Scotland. It was really amazing. Apparently it is open to the public all year round. It was really interesting. After we left there, we came home and my cousin repaired a nice home cooked meal. I must go though because I have to pack. Thank you all readers for reading about my experiences in United Kingdom.

Climate & Landscape in Italy

The sea on Italy's east coast is called the Adriatic. The Ionian Sea is to the south of the peninsula. The Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia, the two largest islands in the Mediterranean, are off Italy's west coast. Between these islands and the mainland is the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Ligurian Sea is off Italy's northwest coast. The Italian climate is varied.

Health Care in Italy

All Italians are covered by the state's health plan. There are 322,000 doctors in Italy, one for every 177 Italian residents. This is more doctors per person than in any other European country. Because health care is so widely available, Italian life expectancy is relatively high: 80 years for women and 74 for men.

Photos that mean alot to me while living in Iceland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My gorgeous house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A market in Reykjavik

A fancy restaurant located in Reykjavik

People swimming in the hot springs in Iceland

My fuel efficient car

School in Germany

My School system in Germany is extremly different from americas from what i have heard. From ages 6 to 14 we go tthrough public school like the americans. At age ten we go ato one of four different types of school. When a student starts school for the first time he or she is given a Kindertüte which is a cone filled with treats and candy and when they are seniors they make a monument or dedication and on the last day of school they reviel it and leave it at the school forever.

Family

Hey there. Elizabeth again. Sadly, this will be my last post. No questions please. Anyways, today I will share with you about the typical English family. English family has changed drastically since the twentieth century. While it was once headed by two parents, now there are more single family homes than ever before. Most couples live together as boyfriend and girlfriend rather than husband and wife. Not many of these couples ever get married. Maybe about 60% of them do share vows. In the past, couples had babies only after they were married, now about 40% of the whole English population start families out of wedlock. People are getting married at later ages now and many women do not want to have children immediately after getting married. They prefer to concentrate on their jobs and put off having a baby until late thirties.

Well I hope I have educated you enough on my country to where you feel comfortable enough to pay us a visit. Hope you decide to. Farewell all.

My Estonian Hound

Hey, its me Aili! Im so happy! My parents bought us a dog! Its an Estonian Hound. My dad bought it to help him hunt. Estonian Hounds are famous for there incredible hunting skills with wild goats! He is also our little watch dog for around the house when my dad isn't out hunting with him. He is about a year old now, and my dad got him from a famous breeder of Estonian Hounds. He is medium sized, and has the softest fur i have ever felt. He can be alittle agressive towards us, but my dad is still helping him train.

Spiritually in Italy

Most of the religion in my country are Roman Catholic. Christianity came to Rome about 10 years after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Early Christians were persecuted by the Romans, but eventually Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. During the Middle Ages the pope, the spiritual head of all Roman Catholics, ruled an influential state in central Italy. Rome became the centre of the Catholic world and a place of pilgrimage.

Today my familia had to escape

from our home with all of our belongings. The mafia raided my town. I have heard that you have had something similar to that where you live. As soon as we heard a bang and a scream in the street, we knew what was happening. It was just my luck that we lived in Sicily, their strongest point. I think we might have to live with my uncle, Wario Milano. The only thing is I don't like my uncle that much because he has a bad habit of gambling and betting more than he can pay.

Greece Pictures Rox My Sox

The Cities in Greece are so pretty. Some look over the water. And this one, the village of Oios is very old and has been around for a long time.

These are some of the many apartments in Greece. They are very nice and homey.

This is the Parthanon. It is located in Athens, Greecce.

Family in Italy

In Italy our families have some similarites and some differences from Americans. Children have a special place in Italian society. Although the birth rate is low, the extended family remains important. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins are often invited to share family celebrations and Sunday dinner.