Introdution to Slovakia ( Slovak Republic)

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Slovakia is a beautiful country, full of gorgeous mountains, rivers and incredible castles. Mostly landlocked, it does have access to the Danube River on the southwestern border with Austria and Hungry. It also shares borders with the Czech Republic in the Northwest, Poland to the North, Ukraine to the East and Hungary also to the South.

Slovakia has a total area of 18,928 square miles (49,035 square kilometers).


Elevations rise from a low of 308 feet (94 meters) at the Bodrok River to a high of 8,711 feet (2,655 meters) at Gerlachovsky peak, in the vicinity of Poprad to the North. Areas range from rugged mountains to rich, agricultural plains.

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Bratislava, the capital, is a city of 441,453 people, in the Southwest on Danube.

Image provided by ginfo.wz.cz      

The total population of Slovakia
is 5,488,339 (July 2013 est.)
                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

The people of Slovakia have had a tumultuous past, being combined with The Check Republic, occupied first by Nazis, then controlled as a satellite state of the Soviet Union. And finally an independent country in 1993. Today it is a member of the European Union, uses the euro for currency and is governed with a Parliamentary Democracy.

Introduction to the Netherlands

I went to Amsterdam 3 times. It is so beautiful and I had so much fun every time I went, but of course  it has problems like every big city in the world.

On the fun side, you can explore Amsterdam like the Dutch, from the seat of a bicycle. You will see that a bicycle is the favorite form of transportation for the people of Amsterdam and the best way for tourist to get around. From your bike, you can cruise by the curved canals, gabled architecture, famous districts, and even the well publicized smoke houses. A short ride in any direction brings you to any one of the famous museums and I am sure you will find a few surprises along your route.  For example, delicate Delft statues and table ware and markets with red and yellow wrapped rounds of cheese can be found in any of the border towns you pass by. Many have lovely sandy beaches that are ideal for a picnic if you are out of Amsterdam.  As you ride out into the countryside, you will find picturesque windmills and in the Spring, fields of magnificent tulips.

However you may see problems in Amsterdam as well. Recently, the Dutch have been seeing more crime that you would expect. I will talk about crime later so be sure to check out my "Being Safe" section.
 
Population of the Netherlands is 16,805,037 (July 2013 est.)
Area is 16,033 sq miles (41,526 km²)
Language is Dutch
Capitol is Amsterdam

Have a great trip  and safe trip to the Netherlands.

Introduction to Hungary

Hungary is in Central Europe bordered by Slovakia to the north, Austria and Slovenia to the west, Croatia and Serbia to the south, and Romania and Ukraine to the east and north-east. The nation was created when a branch of Uralic speakers migrated from their earlier homeland near the Ural mountains and settled in various places in Eastern Europe. They eventually captured the Carpathian Basin between the 9th and 10th centuries. Hungary has a democratically-elected, parliament, the National Assembly. The majority of the population speaks Hungarian and the country is 35,919 sq miles (93,030 km²) in area.

When I was younger, I wonder where the name "Hungary" came from and I discovered that there are several possible origins. The most accepted origin was from the name of the Ungri tribe which lived in the steppes of Russia and eventually dominated the area now know as Hungary. Medieval Latin would have added the H prefix to create the word Hungri.

Today, the population of Hungary is just under 10 million. However the are large populations of descendants of the original Ungri line found in Europe and the United States.
The language they speak is Hungarian.


The capital of Hungary is Budapest, the "Little Paris of Eastern Europe".  It has become the delight of European youth because of its vibrant nightlife, youthful atmosphere, and world class classical music. Scenically located on the banks of the Danube, the architecture and unique culture has resulted in a listing in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Here you will find remains from the Ottoman Empire, Roman Empire, and Austrian Empire. While the city is actually divided into 23 districts, it is usually referred to as Buda and Pest, the two sides of the Danube.

Introduction to Austria

Austria is a such beautiful country, I was there twice and will go back when I have a chance.

The beauty of the mountains, valleys, lakes, the Alps ... nature is breath taking. There is a mix of landscapes with glaciers, meadows, alpine valleys, wooded foothills, rolling farmland, vineyards, river gorges and cities like Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck. If you never had a chance to visit Austria, please consider going.  It is a "must see" . You will want to experience "all" that this great country has to offer.



Vienna is the capitol of Austria. The government system is a federal republic. The country has a population of 8.4 million who use the Euro as it currency and speak German.

Geography

Austria is a landlocked country in Central Europe with an area of 32,377 sq miles (83,855 km²). It's bordering countries are:

• North - Czech Republic and Germany
• East - Slovakia and Hungary
• South - Switzerland, Italy, and Slovenia
• East - tiny Liechtenstein

Internally, West and South Austria are located in the Alps while the rest of the country is mostly flat.



  

Introduction to Poland

Bordering on Germany in the west, the Baltic Sea 
and the Kaliningrad region of Russia in the north, 
Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine in the east, and the 
Czech Republic and Slovakia in the south, Poland 
is the ninth largest European country. It has a area 
of 312.685 km (120.727 sqm) and a population of 
40 million.

The official language is Polish and religion is Roman 
Catholic (95%), Orthodox (2%), Protestant (1%)

Currency: 1 zloty (PLN) = 31 cents.


Poland offers a variety of attractions:

1. Wild scenery in the south with skiing and hiking
2. Stunning old towns of Krakow, Zamosc and Gdansk
3. Wilderness of the Bialowieza National Park
4. Water sports in the Masurian Lakes in the north.

Stunning Cities

• Krakow - the old royal capital - is acclaimed for its many precious architectural monuments and a unique friendly atmosphere
• Gdansk, Wroclaw, Torun or Kazimierz Dolny rank among the most beautiful places in northeastern Europe
• Warsaw, virtually destroyed during WWII has been completely reconstructed
• Several Polish castles and palaces (accommodation possible) 
• Ancient salt mine in WieliczkaElblag canal).

National Parks
Poland has twenty-two national parks with varied landscape - seaside,
lake districts, marshes, highlands and rocky mountains. Tatra, Mazury,
Biebrza, Narew, Wolin Island or Bieszczady have outstanding scenic
beauties and famous spa resorts.

Introduction to Ireland

It is important to avoid confusion about what is and what is not Ireland. The island of Ireland has both the Republic of Ireland and territory of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland. See the map below. Ireland was under British rule for hundreds of years, regaining its independence from Britain in 1921.
For this article, I will be referring to the Republic of Ireland. Dublin is the capital of the Republic of Ireland and its largest city.

The Irish are a proud people, know to have strong opinions which they share loudly in their local pubs over strong dark beer and Irish whiskey. The people speak English with a heavy brogue and some Gaelic, the ancient language of Ireland. You may hear some refer to Ireland as Erin, a romanticized version of Erie (pronounced AIR uh). That is the Gaelic name for the county.  Ireland also has long been known as the Emerald Isle, because of the rolling green countryside and pastures for sheep.


The 6.4 million people in Ireland are spread across 26 counties. Some Counties are famous in their own right such as Waterford, known for its delicate cut glass and Done-gal, famous for its tweed cloth.

The Irish also have a reputation as warm, friendly people, skill as writers and storytellers. Population is 6.4 million.

The Irish have a long history that includes many hardships and struggles. In the 1840's, a potato blight and the starvation and disease that followed caused the deaths of about a million people and at least as many people left their homeland. After this famine, a shortage of jobs and other problems caused emigration to continue. As a result, little more than half as many people live in Ireland today as lived there in 1845. This is a great little book to guide you around Ireland.
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