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Buongiorno, Bowen,

Venice is generally considered to be insanely crowded, but when we were traveling in Italy a few years ago Michelle realized that the crowds would be less than usual so we jumped on the chance to visit.  It’s pretty amazing.  There are no ‘roads’, only sidewalks and canals, so you either walk or take boat taxies or gondolas everywhere.  The Grand Canal winds through the middle of the group of 118 islands that makes up the main part of Venice.  There are also many miles of alleys and lanes to explore, and in a quiet corner we found a man who makes Carnival masks by hand.  Venice was still pretty crowded, but it is a place that everyone should visit at least once if they can.

-Uncle James

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Kon'nichiwa, Bowen,

While we were on that side of the world for business in Singapore we decided that we should stop over in Tokyo for a few days on the way home.  Tokyo metro is very large, about half the size of Houston metro, but the population is 10 million MORE people than TEXAS.  We stayed for a few days in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo and ate everything we saw.  In the picture of the sunrise you can see Mount Fuji on the horizon, an active volcano and a very common subject of art and photography in this part of Japan.

-Uncle James

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Hey, Bowen,

Singapore is an island country in a neat corner of the world where many countries are islands large and small.  Because Singapore is right in the middle of a major ocean shipping route there is a lot of business that happens there, which is why I went there for business.  The name ‘Singapore’ comes from a word meaning ‘lion city’, so their mascot is the “Merlion”.  Singapore is also famous for its vast variety of food styles (again, because it’s in the middle of a major trade routes), particularly the Hainanese Chicken Rice which is simple and amazing.

-Uncle James

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Bonjour, Bowen,

The more time we spend in France the more we love it, and that’s especially true for the Provence region in the southeast part of the country.  It’s rustic and not too crowded and there is some amazing food.  We spent one trip driving around very old hilltop towns like Gordes and Les Baux.  Les Baux is where Bauxite ore gets its name, and Bauxite is where we get most of our aluminum from.  (Most people don’t think that’s as neat as I do.) Provence also has a lot of Roman ruins, including an amphitheater in Arles that is almost 2000 years old and is still used for events.

-Uncle James

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Ahoj, Bowen,

There is actually a fair amount of Czech heritage in the central Texas region, so it was fun to spend a few days in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.  The Charles Bridge is kind of the ‘center’ of everything and is very famous.  The town is pretty amazing, the architecture and the squares are stunning, and I love the food.  One of the local specialties is a pickled/marinated cheese called Nakládaný Hermelín - I love pickled anything and I love cheese, so I really loved this.  Michelle wasn’t as big a fan.  At all.

-Uncle James

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Guten Tag, Bowen,

We have been to Germany many times, and our affection for Munich is a major reason for that.  The center of town is called the Marienplatz and is where the famous Rathaus and its glockenspiel draw crowds every day, and not too far from there is one of my favorite places in the world, the “Victualienmarkt”, which is an open-air food market that is over 5 acres in size.  There are also many large parks called “Biergartens” which are lovely to sit in and eat and drink and talk and relax.  One of them is the largest in the world with seating for 8000 people! It’s called the “Hirschgarten”, or “Deer Garden”, because the local nobility used to use the area to hunt deer.  Today they keep some of the deer in the park next to the seating areas.

-Uncle James

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Good evening, Bowen,

Sobrino do Botin is the oldest restaurant in Madrid, Spain, the restaurant and its famous roast pig are mentioned in Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises.  Even though you really need to make reservations, we were able to sneak into a last-minute cancellation and got to experience some very classic madrileño cuisine.

-James

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Florence, Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy

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Florence, Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy

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Florence, Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy

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Howdy Bowen,

Florence is the capital of Tuscany in central Italy - it’s considered “the birthplace of the renaissance” and there is some amazing architecture and art and food here.  The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, or “Duomo”, is the iconic heart of the town and is one of the largest churches in the world.  Italian food is pretty much always excellent, but maybe a little more so here in Tuscany.

-Uncle James

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Howdy, Bowen,

Because I’m very fond of a particular beverage that comes from Dublin we came here for my birthday, and one of our first stops was for traditional Irish beef stew in the famous “Temple Bar” area, and it was among the best stews we’ve ever eaten.

-Uncle James

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Hej Bowen,

I had to run to Denmark on a business trip and I stayed a few extra days to check out Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark.  This part of the world (Europe and Scandinavia) seem to love their festivals in the summer months, I bumped into two very large ones while I was here.  The very typical food here is called “Smørrebrød”, very particularly made “sandwiches” that are really a lot of fun food piled on a piece of rye bread.  (One is usually a decent small meal.). There are some very old streets and canals here with some very interesting buildings and restaurants.  “The Little Mermaid” was written here by Hans Christian Anderson so 100 years ago a sculptor gave the town a 4’-tall sculpture of the mermaid for the harbor, and that is now considered one of the least impressive famous tourist attractions in the world.  But I waited my turn and took a picture of it anyway.

-Uncle James

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Hey, Bowen,

Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is an amazing city with amazing Hungarian food.  We took a boat tour on the Danube and saw amazing views of the Parliament building and of Buda Castle.  Budapest is also famous for its cafes like the Cafe New York, and for its public “baths” (swimming pools, really) like the Geller Baths that Michelle and I visited.

-Uncle James

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Hi Mason!!!

Before I became a teacher at Nichols Intermediate, I was a wildlife biologist for Cape Buffalo and White Rhino in South Africa.

Cape Buffalo and Rhinos are know as the "Big 5" and apart of the "Dangerous 7." Rhinos are critically endagered and it was my job to help with population management on ranches that specialized in Rhinos. It is difficult to have black rhinos on farms, so most of them are specifically white rhinos.

Though primarily herbivorous, Cape buffaloes can become aggressive when provoked, making them a formidable force in the wild. They hold a prominent place in African folklore and wildlife, symbolizing both the majesty and the challenges of the African wilderness.

I worked mostly in  two places in South Africa for three years before moving to Texas. Thabazimbi and Gravelot. Gravelot was close to Kruger National Park. Your Bitmoji is located next to a Cape Buffalo that was on one of the properties that I worked with that was close to Kruger.

Fun fact: It takes about 7 days to fully go through Kruger National Park and you can camp in certain areas. My favorite part was watching the baby elephants play in the river while we had lunch.

I would love to come talk more with you about my life in southern Africa!

Have fun traveling the world!

<3 Mrs. Latham

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Dear Keelie, Marlene,
Serengeti National Park was a 3 day search for animals in their natural habitat. It took us 3 days to finally spot the cheetahs!  It was so neat to hear them call or "meow".  The park is 1000s of acres to allow the animals to have plenty of natural space.
I slept in a tent and it was normal for some animals to come into camp but thankfully only small ones like the cutest weasels and herons. Elephants and giraffes were neat to see in the distance and I could just imagine how native people would have viewed these huge animals on the plain.

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Dear ABE, JULIAN, & MASON,
Mt. Killmanjaro is the tallest freestanding mountain in Africa. It takes 5-6 days to hike and aclimate to the lower oxygen so you can breathe. The stars alone at night were worth every sore muscle! You pass through 5 levels of land such as rainforest and tundra. Pictured are 150-250 year old trees, Lava mounds from long ago formations that have slowly eroded, Milky way galaxy visible at night, and the Top of the mountain at Sunrise!

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Dear Max,
Cabo on Baja California Peninsula in Mexico, is a beautiful location with a mixture of Ocean, desert, city, and tourist activities. The beach had the most sea glass I've ever seen! One of our favorite things was to ride ATVs in the desert along the Pacific Ocean. We stopped at water caves and camel riders and dry river beds. We were definitely dusty!

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Dear Hunter,
Štramberk, Czechia (Czech Republic) is a tower that was used to defend the area during medieval times. It allowed the Czechs to save the area from the Turks. It allows you to see into Poland about 130 miles away.

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Dear Gavin,
On weekends in this small country of Czech Republic, you will find families gathered on Saturday morning for truck shows, farmers' markets, and children's puppet shows like this one.

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Dear Roman,
Music is a huge part of culture in Europe and most weekends  or some evenings you can find the countryside meeting up for music and dancing!

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Abby I,
Prague, Czech Republic is beautiful and this is of our dinner view of a world famous bridge and the castle in the middle of the city.  Prague is the biggest city in the small central European country and is known as one of the best cities to visit.
Mrs. Leavins

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Dear Matthew,
I hope one day you get to explore the world! This video is of a plane ride to the mountains and around glaciers. The view is of the glacier melting and the movement it has made over the years.
Mrs. Leavins

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Dear Andres,
This is the 4th of July show in place of Fireworks in Alaska that is gaining popularity. There is only about 4 hours of nighttime in July so instead, they launch cars off the cliff for entertainment. It is so fun to cheer and do something a little different.

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Dear Brynnleigh,
Alaska was bigger than I realized, even though you know its big, it is something else to experience it. It took us over 12 hours to drive into the Denali National Park and only sometimes can you see the top of the mountain if you are lucky. Pictured is the road that our bus had to take and only 1 bus at a time was allowed since it was so steep and narrow going up as close to the mountain as we could. We were not able to see the top of the Mountain but still got to see so much.  What looks like cotton is actually the pollen seed of local plants and it made it look like snow in July. We saw bears, moose, beavers, chipmunks, many predator birds, and other animals while walking and driving around the park.

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Dear Willow, OOH-AAH point is a small hike that is well worth the view!

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South Kaibab Trail, Grand Canyon Village, AZ

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South Kaibab Trail, Grand Canyon Village, AZ

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South Kaibab Trail, Grand Canyon Village, AZ

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Dear Willow,
One site you will see when visiting is the donkeys and horses they use to carry people and supplies to the bottom near the Colorado River of the Grand Canyon. The trail is very small and we had to stop and stand off to the side to let them pass. You have to stand on the inside because you sure don't want to stand where you could fall off the trail!

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Dear Willow,
The Grand Canyon is truly a breathtaking spot. I hope one day you get to visit for yourself!

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Axel and Mrs. Ellis at World famous Museum with great historical works of art.

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Axel and Mrs. Ellis at the Eiffel Tower. No building in Paris near the tower can be higher than it. That means, everywhere you go in Paris, you can spot the tower!

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Axel and Mrs. Ellis visiting Notre Dame in Paris, France.

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Dear Axel,
I was in France, Germany, and Luxembourg for 18 days. I traveled with the University of Texas at Tyler. It was a class studying history, my favorite class! The weather there is much like New York because of the latitude it’s located in. It was beautiful weather for our journey. Daylight seemed to last forever.
What I remember about the food is they each a lot of cheese and crusty loaves of bread. Yum! The pasties are scrumptious! The one thing I refused to eat was baby octopus in my seafood platter. Sorry, I’m not that brave.
The people are wonderful, friendly, helpful and kind. They love food, music and nature. They asked constantly if they were speaking English correctly.
I visited many outdoor cafes, museums, beautiful parks, and historical landmarks. I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower, wow! I rode a slow boat down the Seine River. It winds through the middle of Paris. It’s so beautiful and exciting!
Our group also toured several World War II sites. These sites were more solemn. I cried several times thinking of the men and women that fought to stop the evil dictators of that era. I’m grateful the good triumphed over evil. I know this year with Mrs Leavins you will learn a great deal about our big beautiful world. I hope I’ve shown you a few interesting places.
It’s a pleasure writing to you. Have a wonderful year Axel. Perhaps we will meet one day.
Sincerely, Mrs Ellis

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Hi Angel! Welcome to Colorado! The fall picture is in Georgetown, CO. It's a local tourist town with fishing activities, small business shopping, and clear water so you can see all the fish in the lake.

Colorado is known for its beautiful fall colors, however, the window to see the colors change is about 1-2 weeks.

The bottom picture is Estes Park and this picture was taken about a month later than the one in Georgetown! This is also a tourist town and it is known for its drive-thru scenery. The total time to drive through the entire park will take at least one hour, and that's if you don't stop for pictures. It is well worth it though because the views are spectacular. There is also a large herd of Elk living in the area and they coexist with the people, sometimes lounging in people's yards!

Colorado is a beautiful state and has the cleanest water I've ever had. It is worth a visit!

Hope you enjoyed CO!

Valerie

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Gage, We are at an Elephant reserve in Zimbabwe. This was a great experience as we rode the elephants through their land for about 45 minutes. Love Granny and Papa

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Gage, We are at the Colosseum which was an amphitheatre built in Rome. It could hold as many as 50,000 spectators and was famously use for the Gladiatorial Combat. Love Granny and Papa

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Gage, We were very cold when we had this picture with the Matterhorn in Zermatt. You can ski and hike the mountain. The town of Zermatt has no cars in it. People walk or ride the train to get around. Love Granny and Papa

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Gage, Behind me is the city of Jerusalem in Israel. This is sight has so much of the Bibles
History. The sights we saw made the Bible come to life and being there made it special

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Batu Caves, Gombak, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia

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Batu Caves, Gombak, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia

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Batu Caves, Gombak, Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia

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Zane,
Malaysia is a very interesting country with lots of fun places to visit. One of those places is the Batu Caves. I really enjoyed visiting them! At the entrance of the Batu Caves is a large statute of the Hindu god of War Murugan. It is the largest statute of Murugan in Malaysia and it took three years to build. It may look like its been there forever but it was only built in 2006. However, the batu (meaning rock) caves have been around for millions of years. The Batu Caves are an amazing geological wonder, but they are also a place of worship for those practicing the Hindu religion and people must be respectful when they enter. They also must be dedicated because there are 272 steps to climb before entering the mouth of the caves.
Malaysia is a warm place. I went in the summer and it was very hot (around 90 degrees but very humid so it felt like it was over 100 degrees most of the time). Malaysia is a very beautiful country and Kula Lumpur has massive twin towers and lots of restaurants and buildings. It reminded me of New York in the U.S. Tourism is a big thing in Malaysia but so are business and finance. Malaysia has a lot of religious influences. We visited one town that had at least 20 different places of worship from churches, mosques, Hindu temples, and Buddhist temples. It was amazing to see all the religion and culture come together in one place. I didn't ask many questions about the school system here, but I did see children playing at a school.
-Shayla Smith

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Green Elephant Sanctuary Park, Soi Cherngtalay 1, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thailand

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Green Elephant Sanctuary Park, Soi Cherngtalay 1, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thailand

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Green Elephant Sanctuary Park, Soi Cherngtalay 1, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thailand

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Zane,
Phuket, Thailand is filled with amazing things to do and to see.  One of my favorite things was bathing elephants at the Green Elephant Sanctuary. Asian elephants have suffered a lot due to people mistreating them. However, there are many places that act as safe spaces for them including the Green Elephant Sanctuary. There you an feed elephants. (They suck up bananas like a vacuum cleaner and eat lots of them. It was so much fun to watch). You also get to bathe them. (They love the water). Each elephant has one person who stays with them almost all the time and they have a very special bond. All of the elephants we interacted with were adults because the babies play a little too rough but they are very cute. While they may weigh a lot Asian elephants aren't as tall as you think. They are between 7 and 9ft tall. Most of the elephants at the sanctuary were female and were typically only a little over 7 ft tall. (Ok so that is still pretty tall, I just though they were much taller).
Thailand is a small country of less than 73 million people. (There are over 330 million people in the U.S. by comparison.) It is very tropical and generally pretty warm all year round. Children go to school there but they have to pay for school according to my tour guide. She also explained that the school year was a little different there than in the United States. Kids go to school from around May to March instead of our August to May or June. I did find out that they go to school around 7 hours a day just like in the U.S.
- Shayla Smith

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Gage, Granny and Papa visited Fiji. It is a beautiful Island to see. We captured the sunrise on the beach. Love this Island

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Dear Angel,

Welcome to the Sahara Desert! It is the largest hot desert in the world and the third-largest desert overall, smaller only to the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Arctic! The dunes, or desert hills, can reach up to 180 meters in height, which is almost 200 feet tall. It also covers 11 countries.

The money in Tunisia is called Dinar (dee-nar) and $1 is the same as 32 cents in Tunisia! Tunisia is known for the fruit known as Dates. Dates have a natural sweetness and rich flavor that are great for baking, and cooking, and can even be made into sugar! PurDate is a company that crushes dates into an organic sugar and in doing so, provides jobs to women who have experienced a hard life.

In addition to staying the night here, I rode a camel, held a fennec fox, and visited one of the filming locations for Star Wars. We even visited Luke Skywalker's house!

In this region of Africa, the people are Arabic-speaking Muslims. They were very hospitable and generous in accommodating us. I was there to teach English as a second language to students that were your age! By learning English, the students will be able to hold good jobs to help provide for their families and they will have opportunities outside of their towns that will impact the rest of their lives. It is a crucial skill to have if the students wish to work in the capital or abroad.

Thank you for being on this journey with me!

Ms. Valerie

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The northern most point of Norway. We took a ship up the coast of Norway stopping at towns along the way to deliver mail and supplies.. It was as cold as it looks!

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Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, Studio Tour Drive, Leavesden, Watford, UK

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Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, Studio Tour Drive, Leavesden, Watford, UK

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Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, Studio Tour Drive, Leavesden, Watford, UK

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On our trip to London we took the subway to the train, took the train to the bus, took the bus to see where the Harry Potter movies were filmed.   We saw the great room, Harry's room under the stairs, Hagrid's hut, the bank in Gringotts alley.
The Potions classroom and the wand shop were amazing to see. I want to go back!

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On our tour of Israel we toured Jerusalem, went to Bethlehem, and to the Deal Sea and Jordan River.

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Edinburgh Castle, Castlehill, Edinburgh, UK

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Edinburgh Castle, Castlehill, Edinburgh, UK

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Edinburgh Castle, Castlehill, Edinburgh, UK

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A Big castle on top of a hill. The crown jewels of Scotland are kept here. Everyday at one in the afternoon they fire a cannon from the top of the walls.

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The medieval town of Ronda, Spain is built on a cliff overlooking a deep gorge. Though it was an old town... it had a McDonalds!

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Monument to the Discoveries, Av. Brasília, Lisbon, Portugal

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Monument to the Discoveries, Av. Brasília, Lisbon, Portugal

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Monument to the Discoveries, Av. Brasília, Lisbon, Portugal

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Our visit to Lisbon, Portugal included a visit to this monument dedicated to the brave explorers who went to sea and discovered other lands. This monument faces west across the Atlantic ocean toward the Americas..

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Great Wall of China, Huairou District, China

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Great Wall of China, Huairou District, China

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Great Wall of China, Huairou District, China

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We had an amazing trip to China, walking on the great wall.  To be walking on an ancient man made structure that can be seen from outer space was so unbelievable...

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This is a Rainbow fish, which is one example of the many beautiful colored fish you would see diving here.

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Dear Adalyn,
This is a view of a coral reef system, or an underwater canyon, making homes for many species and creating an special ecosystem.

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Fiji offered many new species, I had never seen before! Here is a BLUE starfish.

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Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

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Dear Student,
Fiji diving trip at a depth of 85 ft was a trip of a lifetime. I got to experience multiple dives and see many fascinating fish, corals, and Sealife in the Pacific Ocean.
Fiji is known as begin halfway between the equator and the south pole. Is is considered to be on the continent of OCEANIA (or mixture of island plus Australia).  Fiji is considered to be an archipelago of more than 300 islands.  I flew overnight and it took me about 18 hours from Texas.  The natives are decedents from CANIBALS - yikes!  Their culture was very simple and poor country. I saw kids playing soccer everywhere and they had native dances at our dinners.
I traveled on boat most to get around. One location we dove at took us 45 minutes to reach.
Each reef was known for different coral formations and allowed different species homes in the areas. Diving was peaceful and brilliant colors of corals and aquatic animals allowed many dives to feel differently.
It will be hard to find a  diving place more beautiful than Fiji's coral reef system!

Kayla Garrett

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A zoo outside Cairns that you could pet the kangaroos.

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Outdoor movie theater in Syndey.

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Kimberly, an Aboriginal (native people to Australia) playing a Didgeridoo which sounds like a horn. It's been around for thousands of years and was developed by cultures that lived along the northern coastline of central Australia.

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Great Barrier Reef

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Hello Wyatt,
Since you didn't ask about any particular location and I see there hasn't been anything posted about Australia yet, I'll share some information about it first. Then, I'll try to sharea little about Asia as well, since that's where most of my travel as been. I visited 4 cities in Australia. It's about the size of the US, so it'd be the equivalent to visiting 4 cities on the east coast from Maine to Florida. In Cairns (more northern) the most memorable moment was snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately it was not the greatest weather, but still an amazing experience. I also took a skybox over the rain forest and visit a zoo. The kangaroos were close enough to touch. I did also see kangaroos in the wild (like deer here), but I never got any pictures of them.

Brisbane was further south and probably my favorite city. It felt more like home. I remember seeing several street performers. The aboriginal man was the most memorable.

In Syndey (even further south) I visited the well known sites like the Opera House and Bondi Beach. My memorable moment there was actually when my hostel was evacuated at midnight for a fire.

The last place I'll share a photo from is outside Melbourne (very far south). Melbourne was a mix of modern and historical buildings. I took a bus ride to the southern coast, which was the most memorable part of that city. The scenery was beautiful.

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A delicious snack.

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An entire building filled with street food type restaurants.

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Street food stand

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Street food stand

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Waffles and ice cream. A popular dessert served at coffee shops.

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Korean BBQ

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Cuttlefish drying

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Kennedy, an interesting fact I didn't share before is that different countries use different types of chopsticks. Most of Koreas were metal. Other countries used wooden or plastic. They would also be different shapes some more rounded, some more flat.

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Kennedy, I spent 3 years living in Korea, so most of my experiences are from there, but I traveled several other countries in the area, so I can share some information from other countries as well. I'll do my best to respond to all your questions. Asians in general eat a lot of rice. It's severed with every meal. I remember staying at a home during a weekend and I was severed rice, fish, kimchi, and some other dishes for breakfast. I had already lived there for a bit, so it didn't surprise me, but it was far from a normal breakfast for me. Thankfully all the usual American food were also available somewhere. They even had an On the Border in my city, when I was craving some Tex Mex. Instead of peanut butter and jelly, kids take kimbop in their lunches. It's a seaweed wrapped rice roll. I'm also going to share a picture of cuttlefish drying. It was a popular snack food. It would be along the lines of a bag of chips. They actually sold it at movie theaters as a common snack.

I never really had any scary moments. I always tried to be very cautious of my surroundings and choose locations that were safer for travel. I did have an awkward moment when a cab driver cut in front of someone and they got mad. They were both out of their cars yelling at each other. I wasn't sure what to do, but after a couple minutes the driver got back in and we continued on our way. Public transportation in most countries I went to was always great. Easy to use buses, trains, and taxis.

I think the only time I truly felt homesick was when I missed my brother's wedding. Other than that, I'd occasionally miss things from home, like a dryer. The usual way to dry clothes was to hang them outside. I had a drying rack I used in my apartment. Most people live in apartments, and most apartments had a veranda (enclosed porch), so I'd place the rack in there and open the windows.

I definitely had lots of memorable moments. The one in going to share is when Korea was doing well in the World Cup. The usual packed streets would be desolate while the games were on. If they played in the middle of the night, you'd still hear cheering down the street, because everyone was watching. They had gatherings around the city for everyone to gather and watch together. It was neat to witness and be a part of the community during that time.

I'll share some pictures of food from different places and the World Cup crowd. Most of the pictures are street food stands. The fish stand is a pastery along the lines of a stuffed waffle. They were delicious. This picture is from a different Asian country, but they were my favorite winter snack in Korea. The starfish and other similar picture of a long row of stands were from Beijing. Oh, and I forgot to share that my favorite Korean food was Korean BBQ. You grilled your own meat at your table. They served you lettuce and common sides like kimchi and rice. It was always delicious. Also, they served waffles and ice cream as a common dessert item at coffee shops.

Let me know if there is anything else I can share or particular types of scenes you might be interested in.

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This is the tree that they say Robin Hood Lived in and hung out around. I enjoyed visiting Sherwood Forest on my visit to England.

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I went to visit family in Carmen, Cebu Philippines one summer several years back. We did some shopping, explored the culture, and had beach time as well as time in the mountains while we were there. The Philippines is a poor country, and most people don't have cars. They ride bicycles, drive motorcycles, or take a taxi for multiple people which they call a jeepney. The Filipino people think very highly of Americans, and once we went into a store and some girls were giggling and pointing at us and waving. When I smiled and waved back, it made their day. I felt like a famous person!!! Also, we stopped at a stand on the side of the road where we bought these sweet rice cakes called bibingka and they were delicious.

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New York City is the biggest city I've ever visited. My favorite part other than seeing all the amazing buildings was of course Times Square where people are everywhere. You'll definitely see some interesting characters which you will get to take your picture with for a donation. Another favorite thing I did there was go to see the Broadway Show--Wicked. Definitely an unforgettable experience!

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Maggie Valley, North Carolina is one of the most beautiful places I've been and it's located right here in the United States. You are surrounded by mountains when you are in town which is the valley, and there is so much to do and see. There are beautiful rivers that come off of the mountains and also lots of waterfalls. Watch out, though! There are bears that roam around the mountains and they will try to come around you, especially if you have food!

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Cozumel, Mexico is a fun place to swim with dolphins and snorkel to see what it looks like under the sea. No we didn't see Ariel, but we saw barracuda, lots of different types of fish, sting rays, as well as a couple of baby nurse sharks in some coral.

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Costa Maya, Mahahual, Quintana Roo, Mexico

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Costa Maya, Mahahual, Quintana Roo, Mexico

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Costa Maya, Mahahual, Quintana Roo, Mexico

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The beach and golf cart rides were fun while I was in Costa Maya. These swings were fun as well as some hammocks to relax and soak up the sun.

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There are lots of fun things to do in Roatan, Honduras. Our group got to go horseback riding on the beach, go to the iguana farm where there were TONS of iguana, zip lining in the jungle, and we also got to hold sloths and pet monkeys.

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Hi Bowen,

This is John Chace, I’m 11 years old.  I like to travel to Colombia because my Mom’s family lives there.  Colombia is in South America.  The city of Barranquilla in Colombia is most famous for its Carnaval and last year I was lucky to be there during the celebration.  They have beautiful beaches and weather.  When I’m there we go to the beach to eat breakfast or lunch, it is very nice to have that kind of plan on a regular day. Soccer is their favorite sport and people get very excited when their team is playing.  If you will have the chance to visit the biggest stadium in Colombia, don’t miss it.  Latin American soccer is something special and very passionate – live it once with them, it’s worth it.

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Cenotes Hacienda Mucuyché, Mucuyché, Yucatan, Mexico

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Cenotes Hacienda Mucuyché, Mucuyché, Yucatan, Mexico

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Cenotes Hacienda Mucuyché, Mucuyché, Yucatan, Mexico

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A Cenote is a natural cavern resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock  that exposes underground rivers.  The water temperature is typically 77-78 degrees.  A hacienda is a Spanish word for a large estate or plantation with a fine house.  This particular place is named El Cenote Carlota Emperatriz De Mexico.  Charlotte a Belgium born Princess who married and Archduke from Austria,  traveled to Mexico to become the Emperor and Empress in 1864 for a short time.  Charlotte ruled as regent during her husband’s absences and is considered the first woman to rule in the Americas.   She is also recognized as the first to enjoy leisure swims in the cenote that were mainly used for drinking, irrigating crops and ritual purposes.  Rachael Ryan

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Mayapan in the Yucatan of Mexico, is the last great Mayan Capitol.  It is believed the city once had a population of 12,000 within the city walls, which was 4 sq. miles and an additional 5,000 people living outside of the defense walls that surrounded the settlement.  Archaelogist believe the city began in the year 1000 A.D and was a powerful urban center that became a political and cultural force in the Yucatan.  The Maya civilization is believed to of settled in villages and farmed as early as 1500 B.C.E.  At its height, Maya civilization consisted of more than 40 cities, each with a population between 5,000-50,000.  They quarried immense stone and cut it for their pyramids, temples, palaces, plazas and courts for playing ball.  The used advanced techniques of irrigation and terracing for their farming.  They had a hieroglyphic writing system using paper made from wild fig trees and highly sophisticated calendar and astronomical system. Rachael Ryan

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Hello Colton,
When me and Madison went to Europe we went to Venice, Italy one of the most beautiful city. This is a picture of the Throne Room in The Doge's Palace. One of the reasons why it's famous is because, that's the palace jail that Giacomo Casanova escaped from. On Jan 5, 1757 Casanova escaped from jail. He was said to be a romancer. While we was there in Italy we also got to ride on the gondolas. They say that sometimes Venice is under feets of water.

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My Dear Colton,
While me and your sister was in Europe our first stop was Munich. There is a cathedral named Frauenkirche (The Cathedral of Our Dear Lady') in Munich. It's so beautiful love the cathedrals in Europe. But this one was pretty neat. This one had the Devils Footprint in it. Teufelstritt, or Devil's Footstep, at the entrance. This is a black mark resembling a footprint, which according to legend the devil made a deal with the builder to finance construction of the church on the condition that it contain no windows. The clever builder, however, tricked the devil by positioning columns so that the windows were not visible from the spot where the devil stood in the foyer. When the devil discovered that he had been tricked, he could not enter the already consecrated church. The devil could only stand in the foyer and stomp his foot furiously, which left the dark footprint that remains visible in the church's entrance today. Would love to take you one day

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Hello Colton,
This is Notre-Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris) In 2018 Me and your sister went to Europe for 17 days we seen so many places and this was just one of our stops. Paris was so pretty. I've always wanted to go see this medieval Catholic cathedral. it was built from 1163–1345. But had many modifications over the years. It has some beautiful stained glass windows and priceless artifacts. We seen it about a year before a great fire on April 15 2019. It burned for 15 hours. It Damaged most of the roof and the timber spirelet over the crossing, some of the glass, and artifacts. The cross that's in one of the pictures I posted was the only thing standing after the fire was out. It's still a beautiful cathedral.

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Kings Camp Private Game Reserve, Hoedspruit, South Africa

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Kings Camp Private Game Reserve, Hoedspruit, South Africa

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Kings Camp Private Game Reserve, Hoedspruit, South Africa

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Dear Ben,
Our last and final destination was Kings Camp Game Preserve. Here we went on safari. It truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We saw all sorts of animals; hyenas, giraffes, zebra, gazelle, elephants, a lazy leopard napping in a tree, and even a rhino. During our safari travels we visited a place that rescued and raised baby lions to be released back into the wild. Here is a picture of me with one of the ones that couldn't be re leased into the wild. He had been hurt as a cub and always had a funny look on his face. He turned out to be pretty nice but I was still pretty cautious when near him.

When we werent on safari we would go into the villages. There we would shop at the local outdoor markets. Artists and craftsmen had the most beautiful things on display. We even purchased some things and brought them home with us. But you know that you see those things around the house still.

One day while walking around town your dad came across a warthog, like Pumba from Lions King. That warthog chased him for almost half a mile. I laughed so hard!

The women there don't use shopping carts and some folks don't have cars. They carry their goods on the top of their heads all the way home. It is very impressive indeed.

At night for dinner, we would eat lily pad and sausage soup and I even ate a few roasted bugs. They weren't too bad.

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Dear Ben,
From Cape Town, we traveled North to Zimbabwe. While there we visited Victoria Falls. Victoria Falls is a town in western Zimbabwe and a gateway to the massive waterfall of the same name. Here, the Zambezi River plummets over a cliff and into the Boiling Pot before flowing through a series of gorges. The falls are so loud it is hard to hear the person next to you talking. It was an incredible sight to see. Breathtaking!

The Devil’s Pool, a natural infinity pool, is on the edge of a sheer drop. Some people are courageous enough to go into the Devil's Pool (I have included a picture here). We weren't but your dad did stand at the very edges of the cliffs and looked down. He about scared me half to death.

After we left the falls we went on a riverboat cruise where we drifted right past hippopotamuses. That was probably my favorite part of the whole trip.

In South Africa, there are monkeys everywhere! All different types and sizes. Our tour guide warned us that the baboons were smart enough to open car doors. And, that they would often do so with the intention of looking for food. We learned that they could at times be aggressive. And so we were always careful to lock our doors. There were also little Vervet monkeys everywhere. They are very curious and friendly animals. They love shiny things like coins and jewelry. One night while lying in the bath of our bungalow I heard a ruckus. Of course, I thought it was your dad messing around with something. When I went to check to see what it was I discovered it was a mama Vervet monkey with her three little babies. They were up on our dresser going through my purse.  I let them stay awhile and was able to take some really great pictures and get very close to them.

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Dear Ben,
We flew from San Fransisco across the North Atlantic Ocean to London. It was such a long flight! When we got to the airport we were starving. So, we decided to get some breakfast and you know what they served us? Beans on toast. Yuck! It was awful but in London it is a very popular dish. Quickly after breakfast we got back on the plane and flew from London all the way to the most Southern tip of the continent of Africa. To a place called Cape Town. Oh man, what a beautiful place Cape Town is. Bustling with traffic, shops and restaurants and the most colorful houses. And there is ocean surrounding the whole city. And, in that ocean are some of the most deadliest sharks in the world. In fact, there are so many sharks that some people have the job of shark spotter. They sit up on the cliffs and watch for sharks and when there is one in the water next to where people swim they will waive a big black flag to let the people know it is not safe.

Overlooking the city is Table Top Mountain. It is called that because it is flat like a table. Some people do climb to the top but we chose to ride a cable car. The cable car suspends in air and takes you all the way to the top. And, even though I am not afraid of heights I have to say even I was a little scared.

Next stop, Zimbabwe!

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Dear Ben,
In 2010, your dad and I traveled around South Africa with your grandparents, and aunt, and uncle. We saw so many beautiful places, met the most generous people, and saw the most incredible animals! For your project, I have included multiple photos that describe where we went and what we did and saw while we were there. I am excited to get the opportunity to share this adventure with you! So, buckle up because off we go!

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Bridge Between Continents, Hafnir, Iceland

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Bridge Between Continents, Hafnir, Iceland

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Bridge Between Continents, Hafnir, Iceland

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Dear Adalee, the Bridge Between Continents (Midlina) is less than a thirty-minute drive from the Keflavik International Airport. It is a footbridge about 15 meters (50FT) long that crosses a rift between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. When you cross the bridge, you walk from Europe to America in seconds. Imagine telling your friends you walked all the way from Europe to America. Happy travels! - Kayla Christiansen

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Dear Adalee, Another stop on the Golden Circle is the Geysir geothermal area. "The Great Geysir" is not active. This is a photo of Strokkur. While we were exploring the park, we saw this geyser erupt about every 10 minutes. In this photo, you may notice the tiny humans on the other side of the geyser for a little context on the height of this eruption. Happy virtual travels! - Kayla Christiansen

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Dear Adalee, We rented a car and took a trip around the Golden Circle. If you get a chance to go to Iceland, I highly recommend this day trip from the capital, Reykjavík. One stop along the Golden Circle is Gullfoss Falls. I saw a prior post with a picture of the falls, so I am sharing a view of Langjökull Glacier. We saw this while exploring the falls. The Hvítá river travels from this glacier to help create the phenomenal Gullfoss Falls. Happy virtual travels! - Kayla Christiansen

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Gage, The Peruvian women are showing us their colorful wool. They dye the wool from plants that are grown in their area. They make woven textiles to sell or trade. Peru is a great country to visit. Granny Pam Schoenst

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Gage, Granny is in Petra. It is called the Lost City because the entrance is a narrow gorge. I was on the camel at the Treasury monument. Petra is half-carved into the rock and it looks like buildings. It is a World Unesco Site. Granny Pam Schoenst

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Gage, We saw this family of Lions on our Safari. They were resting in the sun. We saw several Lions along the way. Kenya has all kinds of wildlife and beautiful Pelicans and birds. Love Granny Pam Schoenst

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Burj Khalifa Tower - Burj Khalifa Blvd - Dubai - United Arab Emirates

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Gage, We are standing in the tallest building in the world and and looking at the Palm Islands which are manmade. Granny Schoenst

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Burj Khalifa Tower - Burj Khalifa Blvd - Dubai - United Arab Emirates

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Burj Khalifa Tower - Burj Khalifa Blvd - Dubai - United Arab Emirates

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Hi Gage, Granny & Papa are overlooking Dubrovnik. It is surrounded by an old city wall. Granny Schoenst

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Hi Gage, Granny is in Stonehenge, England. They are famous formations of standing stones set within the earth. A great sight to see in the fields. Granny Schoen

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Taos, New Mexico

Dear Easton,
Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
The bridge is 650 feet (a football field is 300 ft) above the river, the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge is the second highest bridge on the United States Highway system and the fifth  highest bridge in the United States.
As we walked across the bridge this morning, when cars went across the bridge you could feel the vibration as they passed you.  It that was a little unnerving. Next time you will have to go with us and hold my hand.

Grammy

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Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota 244, Keystone, SD

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Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota 244, Keystone, SD

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Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota 244, Keystone, SD

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Dear Easton,
Mount Rushmore located in South Dakota

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln are carved into the mountain at Mount Rushmore.

Each head on Mount Rushmore is 60 feet tall.  Their noses are roughly 21 feet tall, their eyes are 11feet wide and their mouths are 18 feet wide.  Overall, the project cost $989,992. and took 14 years to finish. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, established in 1925.
❤️Grammy

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Dear Easton,
Quito, Ecuador

*Did you know that if you stand on the equator, you will be exactly in the middle of the Earth? The latitude and longitude is zero.

*The egg gravity trick is a popular demonstration that makes use of the fact that the earth is not a perfect sphere. On the equator, the earth’s diameter is actually slightly larger than at the poles. As a result, the force of gravity is slightly weaker on the equator than it is at the poles. This difference is enough to counteract the weight of an egg, allowing it to be balanced on the end of a nail. Of course, this trick only works on the equator; anywhere else on the planet, the egg would quickly fall over.                                                     *Another interesting property is how water moves clockwise or counter clockwise depending on which sides of the equator you are standing.  (You might goggle to watch)
*Our trip to Ecuador was to pass out Good Samaritan Shoeboxes to the children and have Christmas parties.   To my surprise not only did the children play but every age in the villages played.  The games were much like our carnival games (ring toss, bowling, face painting, crafts, etc.) Everyone got several pieces of hard candy as their prize.                                                    *A few highlights from the trip that come to mind few are the way the ladies dressed, everyone was so grateful for the parties.  The villagers took the leftover cardboard boxes from the candy and use as protection on their huts.

Thank you for asking me to share my adventure.
Love,                                                                Grammy

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Downtown McMurdo, McMurdo Station, Antarctica

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Downtown McMurdo, McMurdo Station, Antarctica

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Downtown McMurdo, McMurdo Station, Antarctica

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Hi Orion!!!  Here's some information about my trip to Iceland!

Iceland is the land of fire and ice.  It's a land full of volcanoes and beautiful waterfalls.  This waterfall was so incredibly huge and deep that I had a hard time describing it. As a matter of fact, we couldn't even see where the waterfall bottomed out because it was so deep!

While this was naturally beautiful, I think my favorite stop on the trip was actually a man-made place called the Blue Lagoon.  You should look it up.  It was amazing!

We went on this trip in December (right before Christmas). Because of it's location on Earth, Iceland does not get much daylight in winter months.  We only had sunlight from around 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  The rest of the time was pitch dark, or it looked like the sun was always going down.

Iceland is normally VERY cold and ICY in December.  However, the year we went, they were having an unusually mild winter. As a matter of fact, there was a cold snap in the weather in Jacksonville, it was actually COLDER in Jacksonville than it was in Iceland for a few days.

This waterfall was part of a day tour that we did called The Golden Circle tour.  We rode around in a van all day with other tourists visiting some of the beautiful waterfalls, gysers, and hot springs.

You asked what I had to adapt to - one thing that I had to adapt to for sure was the FOOD.  Iceland is an island.  It is not very big at all.  The people in Iceland are very self-sufficient, and do not really rely on the rest of the world to meet their needs.  They don't import food from too many countries.  We are used to eating beef and chicken here in the United States, and those meats are not available too much in Iceland.  The best meals I had were either vegan or vegetarian meals.  The food was delicious, but I did have to adjust to ordering differently.

Iceland is a tourist-friendly country.  Most of the people there speak English, and they took our American money when we went out to each and such.  I was able to just use my debit card to buy just about anything.

It is a very long flight (like 8 hours I think), so that is one hurdle to cross when you travel that far away.

One BIG BUMMER about this trip was we wanted to see the Northern Lights.  However, in winter, the clouds completely cover the sky most of the day and night.  Clouds blocked any view of the Northern Lights and I was so sad.  I literally cried the night before we left because I didn't get to see them.  I probably won't visit Iceland again, but I DO hope to see the lights on day.  My daughter, Aubrey, and I decided maybe we can visit Canada and see them there.

Good luck on your project Orion!

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Hi Paisley,
This is one of a BUNCH of covered bridges in Vermont! They are all so pretty! We went when it was fall, so all the leaves were changing colors. We don't see that much in Texas, but there were trees with red, yellow and even silver leaves! And it was nice to be away from the heat of Texas too! We went to Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Maine!
Regan

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Hi Pailsey,
This is Santorini, and island in Greece. There are a LOT if islands and we went to 5 or 6! This one is one of the prettiest. The buildings are all white and the roofs are bright blue and  they are built into the side of the hills. We walked up and had great views of the Aegean Sea.
Regan

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Hi Paisley,
This is the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. This was a trip I was supposed to go on in 2020 but thanks to Covid, I didn't get to go until last year! But it was worth the wait. Everything is old there, and there were a lot of people! You have to hike up a bit of a hill to get to the Acropolis but it's very interesting to see!
Regan

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Bran Castle, Strada General Traian Moșoiu, Bran, Romania

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Bran Castle, Strada General Traian Moșoiu, Bran, Romania

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Bran Castle, Strada General Traian Moșoiu, Bran, Romania

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Hi Elise,
This is Bran Castle, also known as Dracula's Castle in Romania! It's very pretty, but this is where all the scary stories about vampires come from! But what I remember is getting some really yummy bread out front! They had street vendors that had bread dough on a stick, and they roll it around and around over the fire and once the bread is cooked, it puffs out away from the stick, and then they roll it in cinnamon and sugar and chopped nuts and you can just pull the warm bread off the stick and eat it! It was delicious!
Aunt Neicy

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Hi Elise,
This is one of my favorite places in Buenos Aires called La Boca! It is famous for it's colorful houses, tango dances, and soccer team! We ate empanadas (which are a little handmade meat filled pie with a flaky crust and super yummy!) and listened to people on the street play music as we walked by. It's a very lively neighborhood!
Aunt Neicy