Greece

Greece is a country in southeastern Europe. Greece has the twelfth longest coast line in the world at 8,498 miles in length. Approximately 14 thousand islands are part of this country, and only 227 of them are inhabited. Eighty percent of Greece is mountains.

Modern Greece has its roots in the civilization of ancient Greece. It is the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, Western literature and historiography, political science, major scientific and mathematical principles, and Western drama, including both tragedy and comedy. The ancient Olympic Games were celebrated every four years by the Greeks; they were abolished in 394 AD by the Emperor.The Modern Greek state was established in 1830, following a victorious uprising against Ottoman rule.

Athens, Greece capital, is home of The Acropolis, built in the fifth century BC, the Acropolis Temple, the Parthenon, Temple of Athena and Erechtheum are considered the greatest architectural accomplishment of classical Greece. Ancient Agora located below the Acropolis, was the commercial and civic center. People used these buildings for a wide range of political, educational, philosophical, theatrical, and athletic purposes.

Other interesting places to go to are the amphitheater of Epidaurus, the reconstructed palace at Knossos and the Ionian Islands.

Jerusalem, Israel

Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, though not internationally recognized as such. With a population of 763,800 residents, located in the Judean Mountains, between the Mediterranean Sea and the northern edge of the Dead Sea, modern Jerusalem has grown far beyond the boundaries of the Old City. Jerusalem is also considered as the holy city to the three of the major Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Visiting Jerusalem during Holy Week (a Christian holiday celebrating Jesus death and resurrection) is a whole different experience, within the old city, in an area of ​​half a square mile, one can find some of the most sacred places in the world: the Holy Sepulchre and the Via Dolorosa, worship by Christians; the Western Wall, holiest site for Jews, and the Temple Mount, the most important sites in Islam after Mecca and Medina. These divine and human wealth are protected by the beautiful white stone walls, almost five miles of defenses eight feet wide and twelve high, topped by 34 towers. This strength is perforated by eight holes; doors throughout the centuries have allowed the pilgrims to approach their gods. One of them, The Damascus Gate, that dates from 1537, also called in Arabic “Bab Al Hamoud”, means "gate of the column," referring to a monolith Roman victory that in the past stood in the square outside. The most controversial of all the doors is, precisely, the one that remains sealed, the Golden Gate, which many refer to as the Eternal Life Gate or Gate of Mercy, located on the east wall of the citadel, facing the place where the sun raises. According to Jewish tradition, this is the door through which the Messiah will enter Jerusalem when he returns. The door dates from the seventh century, the first Islamic period of Jerusalem, but remains sealed since 1541. The passage of time has seen the old citadel of Jerusalem changed hands and face, but one thing remains unchanged: the belief of thousands of Christian pilgrims, Jews and Muslims to cross the wall by any of its doors and enter in places that blanket, is a way of approaching God.

The status of the city now days, and especially its holy places, remains as an issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Israeli government has approved building plans in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City in order to expand the Jewish presence in East Jerusalem, while prominent Islamic leaders have made claims that Jews have no historical connection to Jerusalem, alleging that the 2,500-year old Western Wall was constructed as part of a mosque.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina, it is also known as the “Paris of south America”. It is the second largest city in South America. It was founded more than 400 years ago, but it was virtually created at the end of the 19^th century. With the beef boom of the 1880s, the city’s Hispanic colonial buildings were leveled and replaced in the image of Paris. It was time of tremendous wealth. The center of the city is where all happens. It starts with the Florida walkway, and has other recognize avenues life Avenida Santa Fe, where all the boutiques are located, La Plaza San Martin, where a statue commemorates one of the only heroes of Argentine history. Other good places to shop at are at Avenida Cordoba. The presidential house is called Casa Rosada, for the tint of its masonry. It stands in the Plaza de Mayo. San Telmo, one of the oldest neighborhoods, where you will find tango bars and antiques shops, with a 19^th century architecture. This city counts with a subway system, which is the first subway ever build in a Spanish speaking country. It was inaugurated in 1913, and it is a high-yield system providing access to various parts of the city.

French Guiana

The French Guiana is located in northern South America. It is a French colony that has 220 miles of coastline. Since European colonization in the 17^th century this territory has been held by France, and when slavery was abolish African American slaves, brought in to work the plantations, were replaced by indentured laborers from other parts of the French Empire. In 1946 it became and overseas department of France, and in the 1960s a satellite space exploration center was established at Kourou, which brought jobs and urban development. There are different native groups in the rainforest areas, and communities of Noir Marrons, descendant of African Slaves.

Cayenne, the capital, has some interesting colonial buildings like The Musee Departemental, which has a mix of historical and archeological artifacts, and the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur De Cayenne.

Other interesting places to go in the French Guiana are: Kaw Marshes, 40 miles southeast of Cayenne, is an area of forest, rich birdlife and inhabited. Montsinery, 27 miles southwest of Cayenne, a botanical hiking trail leads to the Annamite Penal Colony, where deported indo-chineese were detained. And Cacao, a village south of Cayenne, is inhabited by a Hmong community.

Park City, Utah

Park City, Utah was originally settled by a Mormon apostle, Parley Pratt, in 1860. The pioneer set out to discover new parts of Salt Lake City and embarked on a wondrous new town, Park city. The town immediately flourished due to its large amount of gold and silver located underneath its mountains. The silver mine of Park City opened in 1870 and is still available for tours today. I personally have had the opportunity to visit Park City and took the tour of the silver mine. We took an elevator hundreds of feet underground and were told ghost stories about past miners who have died while working in the mine. In recent years Park City has become known for other things more touristy than mining. One main attraction is the Sundance Film Festival. Every year, for two weeks in January, celebrities gather in Park City to enjoy a film festival put on by non-profit organizations. All films selected for the festival are independent films. I had the opportunity to visit Park City during the festival and enjoyed every moment of it. Festival activities include celebrity watching, movie watching, and nightlife beyond imaginable. Sundance Film Festival only happens for two weeks a year and the celebrities all leave the town after the festival is over. For anyone who wishes to visit Park City during less crowded weekends, I recommend going to the world famous Ski Resorts, Park City Mountain Resort. Park City Mountain Resort is open year round and offers skiing or snowboarding in the winter and hiking or mountain biking in the summer. I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to visit Park City twice already and I cannot wait for a chance to go back again.

Seville, Spain

Seville, the cultural and financial capital of Spain is situated in the south by the Guadalquivir River. It is more than 2000 years old. It was known as Hipalis during Roman times. It was conquered by Arabs during the VIII century. That is why it counts with different monuments like La Giralda, an 800 year old tower, built as the minaret (slender tower, usually build by Muslims, with a balcony to go and pray) of the cathedral. Now days it is considered to have the best view of Seville.

Other monuments that most tourists go to are the Alcazar which took 500 years to be built, the Torre del Oro and the Town Hall. The Town Hall was built in the 16^th century. Other places to visit in Seville are The Museum of Fine Arts of Seville, the Palace of the Countess of Lebrija, the Parque de Maria Luisa and the Alcazar Gardens.

Seville has two main festivals Semana Santa (Holly Week) and La Feria de Sevilla (Seville Fair). The first one is recognized internationally because of the beautiful procession and the second one is a week of dancing, drinking and socializing. During the fair women wear the traditional flamenco dresses.

One thing you don’t wanna miss if you visit Seville is to watch the flamenco dancers and the gypsy street performers and to try the tapas, small dishes usually eat as appetizers.

Panama

Panama is situated between Colombia and Costa Rica, is the southernmost country in Central America. It was part of Colombia and in the early XIX with the help of the United States it seceded from Colombia. Afterwards the US army corps of Engineers built the Panama Channel and in 1977 the Panama Channel was given back to Panama.

When I went to Panama a year and a half ago I was really amazed by the Panama Channel and by how pretty the city is, but what really called my attention was to see the mix of two different cultures. In one hand you see grocery stores, small towns and people that are pretty similar to how they are in Colombia. In the other hand you see the downtown with high rise buildings; you see the channel with all of the visitor’s attractions and tours to go around, and the roads that are similar to the ones in the US. So I was really amazed by this contrast of cultures is like they built their own culture taking a little bit of both. Definitely what I liked the most was to visit the Panama Canal, I was amazed by the how it works and the fact that its been working for almost a century its pretty amazing to me.

I liked Panama a lot, the beaches are beautiful, the city is very fun and shopping is super cheap!