The climate of Sweden is somewhat similar to Virginia because it has four seasons however it is slightly colder this is called a temperate climate. It borders the Baltic Sea, and the Gulf of Bothnia and forms the eastern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. However even though it has access to the sea it's economy mainly focuses on exporting timber rather than using the sea. On the note of the ocean and nature Sweden has been very committed to changing to renewable energy since the oil crisis of 1973, and used nuclear energy until the accident at Three Mile Island, which is a nuclear power plant near the Susquehana river. I think that I like Sweden because of their care for the environment; or rather that they accept that there is a depleting supply of oil ... read more

When I travled to Italy two summers ago I found Rome the most interesting and thought that some users or anyone else might want to learn about its history before they went there. The legend of how Rome was built says that Romulus and Remus who were twin brothers built the city in 753 B.C. It states that they were separated from their parents when they were born, but then a mother wolf who had lost her babies took them in. Eventually they grew up and founded Rome. Now here's reality, Rome was built about 3000 years ago (well actually the beginning of rome was founded then) a group of shepherd farmers from Central Europe fought towards the center of the Italian Peninsula. They then built a group of small villages along the Tiber river, which ... read more

Coimbra as I soon found out was originally the capital of Portugal in the 12th century (the first dynasty.) As I explore the area more I found that there was an incredible amount of history related to this town. For example it was a major trading area for the christians in the north and the muslims in the south. The city was the capital from roughly 1250 to 1255 A.D. As I learned about the history from my guide I also visited the Joanina Library. After going to see the old Cathedral I decided to eat lunch at a coffee house downtown which had delicious food and the coffee was incredible! The Joanina Library is part of the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest universities in Europe. Then I continued on my tour ... read more

I started my trip in Richmond, Virginia and took an hour drive to Dulles Airport in DC. It took a long time to go through security as it usually does, but at least it was easier to get my bag through customs there than in london (they're really restrictive on carry on size.) I find that it is much easier if I take a carry on with my things in a bag rather than check baggage because you don't risk losing your luggage and you don't have to wait for it at baggage claim. But when you carry on you bags it is harder for you to get through security in Heathrow Airport and since I'm American they pick me out to check and see if my bag fits the regulations. When I was traveling to ... read more