By Wendy Wang (Age 14)
It’s summertime: school’s out, the sun’s out, and it’s time to relax and have fun! For Voice K, we couldn't relax yet, we had to get ready to fly to Europe. On July 1st, after getting off an eight hour flight, we began our three-week adventure. We’re shaking it up this summer: instead of relaying the commonly visited attractions that everyone knows about, we are introducing amazing places that people miss out on. Voice K hereby presents some of the “hidden gems” of Europe – some crucial destinations yet to be in the spotlight.
It’s summertime: school’s out, the sun’s out, and it’s time to relax and have fun! For Voice K, we couldn't relax yet, we had to get ready to fly to Europe. On July 1st, after getting off an eight hour flight, we began our three-week adventure. We’re shaking it up this summer: instead of relaying the commonly visited attractions that everyone knows about, we are introducing amazing places that people miss out on. Voice K hereby presents some of the “hidden gems” of Europe – some crucial destinations yet to be in the spotlight.
Amsterdam, City of Canals AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Did you know that in Amsterdam, there are more bikes than people? There are practically no cars since there isn't enough space. The streets are narrow, but not at all crowded. One thing that Voice K learned upon arrival is that Amsterdam is a city of canals, much like Venice. From the sky, the city’s canals form a web.
Netherlands is also the home of tulips, as you can find an entire street that sells a wide variety of tulip bulbs.In the downtown, we visited the Anne Frank House, Netherlands is the home of tulips Stonehenge, one of the seven wonders of the world Amsterdam, city of canals an inspiring memorial of the World Wars. Anne’s diary has been sold worldwide in many languages.
Did you know that in Amsterdam, there are more bikes than people? There are practically no cars since there isn't enough space. The streets are narrow, but not at all crowded. One thing that Voice K learned upon arrival is that Amsterdam is a city of canals, much like Venice. From the sky, the city’s canals form a web.
Netherlands is also the home of tulips, as you can find an entire street that sells a wide variety of tulip bulbs.In the downtown, we visited the Anne Frank House, Netherlands is the home of tulips Stonehenge, one of the seven wonders of the world Amsterdam, city of canals an inspiring memorial of the World Wars. Anne’s diary has been sold worldwide in many languages.
| Netherlands is also the home of tulips, as you can find an entire street that sells a wide variety of tulip bulbs.In the downtown, we visited the Anne Frank House, Netherlands is the home of tulips Stonehenge, one of the seven wonders of the world Amsterdam, city of canals an inspiring memorial of the World Wars. Anne’s diary has been sold worldwide in many languages. |
Lodon,England
Stonehenge, One of Seven Wonders of the World Almost everyone in London either walks or takes public transit. We did the same, and skipped the taxi. Our fi rst stop was the London Bridge, then we visited the London Tower. There, we saw the world’s largest diamond, at 530 carats. No joke, it was about the size of my fi st! Talking about money, not too far away was the rich part of town. A lot of famous celebrities have stayed there, including the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. He was eventually banned from a certain hotel since his fans would block the entire intersection!
Have you ever heard of the seven ancient wonders of the world? Well, one of them is in England. If you guessed the Stonehenge, you are correct! The stones are colossal, and the biggest one weighs about 40 tons. That’s about the size of a large truck. How Stonehenge was constructed remains a mystery. After all, back then people didn’t have tow trucks or cranes.
Have you ever heard of the seven ancient wonders of the world? Well, one of them is in England. If you guessed the Stonehenge, you are correct! The stones are colossal, and the biggest one weighs about 40 tons. That’s about the size of a large truck. How Stonehenge was constructed remains a mystery. After all, back then people didn’t have tow trucks or cranes.
Our second goal in England was to relive the moments of Harry Potter.
From where J.K. Rowling got her inspiration for Harry’s lightning shaped sure to see it all! If you have time, take a stroll in Oxford University and visit the building where the Hogwarts’ dining hall was based upon. At King’s Cross Station, there was even an entire shop dedicated to Harry Potter, filled with wands, posters and other gizmos from the wizardly world.
From where J.K. Rowling got her inspiration for Harry’s lightning shaped sure to see it all! If you have time, take a stroll in Oxford University and visit the building where the Hogwarts’ dining hall was based upon. At King’s Cross Station, there was even an entire shop dedicated to Harry Potter, filled with wands, posters and other gizmos from the wizardly world.
PARIS, FRANCE
Palace of Versailles Garden Bonjour, bienvenue! Hello, welcome to Paris, the elegant capital of France. Voice K was quickly drawn to the beauty of the Palace of Versailles, built by King Louis XVI for his wife. The ceilings of the palace are hand-painted, picturing clouds, people, food and nature. The palace is famous for its striking gardens, so vast you can’t even see the end of it, even from the top of the palace! Inside, it’s like a fantasy from Alice in Wonderland.
Tall mazes are complete with a series of fountains, with neatly trimmed hedges and trees, and statues guard each corner of the path. The garden goes on for kilometers, and we were quite reluctant to leave the peaceful scenery.
We also visited Toulon, the first military port of Europe, a small French city. The port is filled with yachts, and if you look a little further, you can see the French navy. However, the thing that surprised us the most was the fact that there was palm trees everywhere. Tropical palm trees in France. We’re sure that changed your impression. Who says you can’t have a beach party in France?
Tall mazes are complete with a series of fountains, with neatly trimmed hedges and trees, and statues guard each corner of the path. The garden goes on for kilometers, and we were quite reluctant to leave the peaceful scenery.
We also visited Toulon, the first military port of Europe, a small French city. The port is filled with yachts, and if you look a little further, you can see the French navy. However, the thing that surprised us the most was the fact that there was palm trees everywhere. Tropical palm trees in France. We’re sure that changed your impression. Who says you can’t have a beach party in France?
TURKEY
Blue Mosque in Istanbul No, the country’s name has nothing to do with turkeys. However, its culture is quite different compared to the rest of Europe, and it was nice to experience something new.
We visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, but it wasn’t really blue. Anyways, to enter woman need to cover their head and arms, and wear clothing past the knee. For men, they
are required to wear long pants. Unfortunately we forgot, but fortunately we were given scarves to wrap around our heads. It is much harder then it seems, as we were struggling miserably to keep the scarves in place. Other than that, the visit was spectacular.
We visited the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, but it wasn’t really blue. Anyways, to enter woman need to cover their head and arms, and wear clothing past the knee. For men, they
are required to wear long pants. Unfortunately we forgot, but fortunately we were given scarves to wrap around our heads. It is much harder then it seems, as we were struggling miserably to keep the scarves in place. Other than that, the visit was spectacular.
ITALY
Pizza! Spaghetti! More pizza! Voice K learned that Italy’s food is indeed only a little taste of what the country has to offer. There was so much that we visited: Venice, Rome, Florence and Naples.
Did you know Naples is famous for their giant lemons? They are bigger than my head, and they taste amazing with shaved ice. We drove along the coast, and admired the mountains and the blue waters.
The ancient ruined city of Pompeii is also situated in Naples. The city was buried under 24 layers of soil and ash after the devastating volcano eruption. Even now they’ve only uncovered a small portion. The volcano is still active today, and yet many people live right beside it!
Did you know Naples is famous for their giant lemons? They are bigger than my head, and they taste amazing with shaved ice. We drove along the coast, and admired the mountains and the blue waters.
The ancient ruined city of Pompeii is also situated in Naples. The city was buried under 24 layers of soil and ash after the devastating volcano eruption. Even now they’ve only uncovered a small portion. The volcano is still active today, and yet many people live right beside it!
GREECE
Acropolis in Athens When people think of Greece, many think of the Greek gods. We did too, and visited Acropolis in Athens. It is also known as “Mount Olympus”. We saw the Parthenon, the grand temple dedicated to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. Beside it was a smaller temple dedicated to Poseidon, the god of the sea.
The island Mykonos is a lesser known destination, but it definitely shouldn’t be missed. The island’s unique trait is their clear blue waters, sandy beaches and the fact that every house on the island is white. In Mykonos, every house is the “white house”.
The island Mykonos is a lesser known destination, but it definitely shouldn’t be missed. The island’s unique trait is their clear blue waters, sandy beaches and the fact that every house on the island is white. In Mykonos, every house is the “white house”.
Beach in Mykonos
MADRID, SPAIN
Gaudi To Voice K, the capital of Spain looks even better at night. Even past 10pm, the streets are busy and lights are shining. We saw Gaudi, arguably one of the most impressive cathedrals in the world. The details etched on the walls are unbelievably intricate, and guess what? It’s still not done! The cathedral started its construction in 1883, and it’s still building today.
Even though we were on vacation for a month, we’ve only covered a small part of Europe’s sight-seeing and doing. Europe has so much to see, but we’ve only had so much time. Don’t worry, we are sure to return to Europe in the future to explore new cultures and new countries. For now, our trip is done, but what about yours? Think of all the amazing places waiting for you Gaudi, one of the most impressive cathedrals in the world to explore!
Even though we were on vacation for a month, we’ve only covered a small part of Europe’s sight-seeing and doing. Europe has so much to see, but we’ve only had so much time. Don’t worry, we are sure to return to Europe in the future to explore new cultures and new countries. For now, our trip is done, but what about yours? Think of all the amazing places waiting for you Gaudi, one of the most impressive cathedrals in the world to explore!
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