Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Egypt














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For more background information please visit:
 http://prezi.com/5qbxy0itmlkn/untitled-prezi/                             




History:

Egypt is a country with an immense cultural mix. In every major city in Egypt, you will find traditions that remain from the time of the Pharaohs. In other parts you will find pure tribal customs that were brought in by many invaders throughout the centuries. Egypt is predominantly Muslim, but a large minority of Coptic Christians and a melange of other religions make the country an exciting destination for religious, secular and ancient cultural festivals.


By: Marylin Vargas




                                                                                     





                                       

- The Pyramid of Giza is the largest pyramid in the world and it belongs to the second king of the fourth dynasty, Khufu.





                                                                                                         http://www.historvius.com/giza-49/




- Valley of the Kings is in Lu xor , Egypt was once part of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes . From the eighteenth Dynasty to the Twentieth , pharaohs of Egypt were being buried there when they died.



http://www.historvius.com/valley-of-the-kings-414/

Food:

http://www.king-tut.org.uk/ancient-egyptians/egyptian-food.htm

Egyptian food and drink varied according to status and wealth. The ancient Egyptian dined at low tables and ate with their fingers. Wealthy Ancient Egyptian were served their food on dishes made of gold, silver, bronze,and faience.

Meats                                                                      
- Beef
- Mutton
- Goat
- Pork
- Antelope
- Gazelle
- Chickens
- Pigeons
- Herons
- Cranes
- Geese
- Pelican




                                                       Main Dishes - Fish
                                                       - Catfish
                                                       - Tuna
                                                       - Mullet
                                                       - Perch
                                                       - Crap

By: Dominique Haynes

                                  


Places to Visit

Pyramids of Giza:


A trip to Egypt just would not be complete without a visit to the Great Pyramids of Giza. We all agreed this would be our first stop. The mysterious structures are the pyramids of Thru Khafra, and Menkaura. The largest pyramid Khufu's is 455.4 ft. We had to stand back quite a ways to actually see the whole thing.



                           




Cairo:


Cairo is the capital of Egypt and rightfully the culture center of the country. The city is full of bazaars (shops/stores) where you can see exactly what is found in Egypt. The streets are lined with restaurants so access to Egyptian cuisine is not a problem.
                              




Valley of Kings:


This is the location at which some of Egypt’s most prestigious pharaohs were buried. It is also known as Biban El Moluk. It has a lot of mummies along with treasure that has been stored or buried that we have not found yet. This is also the site where archaeologists found King Tut.
                         




Egyptian Museum:


Being that many of the Egyptian treasures that were found in the tombs are now in the museum, we had to stop by. The treasure is under high security. This is the place to go if you’re wondering about Egyptian artifacts.

                                        


By: Lauryn Mcmiller

Monday, March 4, 2013

Greece


Greece

Greece achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring island and territories, most with Greek speaking populations. In WW2, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-1944), fighting endured in a protracted civil war between royalist supporters of the king and communist rebels. Following the later defeat in 1949, Greece was able to join NATO in 1952. Greece is the same size as the U.S state of New York. 1/5 of the land that makes up Greece is islands.

www.mapsofworld.com


By: Marilyn Vargas








Culture ( Food)

- Greek cookers mostly use olive oil , vegetables and herbs, grain and bread, wine,fish, and various meats. Like lamb , poultry , rabbit , and pork. Also olives , cheese ,  eggplant , zucchini , and yogurt.

 

 














By: Dominique Haynes



Places to visit

An ancient wonder in itself, Greece is one of the most renown places to visit.  We had no trouble choosing this as our trip destination.

Athens: Parthenon and Acropolis



One of the main places you think of when you travel to Greece is Athens, the renown city it’s known for.  Well you better believe this is the first place we traveled.  We visited the Acropolis and saw the Parthenon up close.  The building of the Parthenon began in 447 BC and was completed by 432 BC.  It has been many things such as a temple, fortress, church, and mosque.  We are so glad we go to go.













Melissani Cave:


The next place we visited is Melissan Cave.  This is actually a lake that was covered until the roof fell down which revealed the beautiful lake.  It was originally a spot of worship for tribute to Pan and the nymph Melissanthi.  We sailed into the lake through an underground tunnel to get inside.  The water is ultramarine so it was a gorgeous blue-green color.






Little Venice:

This was the most fun place to visit because of all the parties and celebrations that go on throughout the night.  It is on the edge of the beach.  There are so many colors and music.

Anchilleon:

Anchilleon was a place we loved visiting.  It is a palace in the village of Gastouri.  It was dedicated to Elizabeth (Sissy) the Empress of Austria for her summer retreat.  It is also a hotel so you have the option of staying there.










RELATION TO SHORT STORY :

Of course the famous Funeral Oration by Thuducys/Pericles speech was made in Athens, Greece.  Of course, we had to stop by and visit where this inspirational speech was made and to see the glorious city of Athens he bragged about.

By: Lauryn Mcmiller

Friday, March 1, 2013

Argentina




History

- It was state terrorism in Argentine and guerrilla warfare during 1970’s by the government. Between 9,000 and 30,000 people disappeared. People were abducted or murdered.  Government forces also abducted pregnant women or women with young children. They place the babies and children with families that they choose then they killed the mothers. Government  was kidnapping people who was close to government people or writers.






By: Dominique Haynes








Argentine Culture:


Most Argentine's are primarily of European descent, which separates them from other Latin American countries where European and Indian cultures are more mixed. Culturally and emotionally, Argentine's often seem more European than Latin American. 




- www.kwintessential.co.uk




By: Marilyn Vargas

Places to Visit: 


Argentina is a beautiful place to visit.  There are countless places to see and visit.  Here are just a few places we visited.


Iguazi Falls:

This is one of the most visited attractions in all of Argentina.  It receives about 1 million visitors a year.  It actually has about 275 individual waterfalls and cascades.  Because of all the convenient catwalks, we were able to stand on the edge without being in danger.




Pento Moreno Glacier:

We made a major switch today as we traveled from Iguazi Falls.  Instead of the Sunny fall, we went to see this 250 km (area), 30 km (length) piece of ice and we were all amazed.  Just like at the Falls, there were walkways that allowed us to get up close and personal with it.  We definitely had to wear some heavy clothing.  Brr!!!



Quegrada de Humanuaca:

We liked visiting Quegrada de Humanuaca.  It actually is a ravine with fascinating rock formations.  It is 150 km long and it’s also more than 2,000 meters above sea level.  This was amazing because we were able to see all the multi-colored hills and rocks.




RELATION TO SHORT STORY:

The Museum of Horrors:

As we read in our short story and found out from our background information, the Dirty War was real, and devastating.  More than 30,000 people died.  Out of respect and curiosity, we decided to visit the museum.  The “museum” is actually a public memorial to the “disappeared”.  It was a grim visit, but also educational.






Colon Theatre:                                   

This is where we visited next:  The Colon Theatre or as Argentine s pronounce it, Teatro-Colon.  It is one of the best acoustic buildings in the world.  It has 7 levels and seats 2,478 people.  None of us were true opera lovers but we wanted to visit some place different just to say we had, and we were pleasantly surprised by the fun we had.  The building within itself was beautiful.




By: Lauryn Mcmiller