The land of Rome

Rome's early history is shrouded in legend. According to Roman tradition, the city was founded by the twins Romulus and Remus on 21 April 753 BC. The legendary origin of the city's name is the traditional founder and first ruler. It is said that Romulus and Remus decided to build a city. After an argument, Romulus killed his brother Remus. Then he named it after himself, Rome. The Roman Empire really began when Emperor Augustus (63 BC - AD 14; also known as Octavian) founded the participate in 27 BC, which was a monarchy system which was headed by an emperor holding power for life, rather than making himself dictator like Julius Creaser had done, which had resulted in his assassination on 15 March,44 BC. At home, Emperor Augustus started off a great programmed of social, political and economic reform and grand-scale reconstruction of the city of Rome. Rome is the national capital of Italy and is the seat of the Italian Government. The official residences of the President of Italian Republic and the Italian prime minister, the seats of both houses of the Italian Parliament and that of the Italian Constitutional court are located in the historic centre. The state ministries are spread out around the city; these include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is located in Palazzo Della Farnesina near the Olympic stadium. Rome enjoys a typical Mediterranean Climate that is characteristic of the Mediterranean coasts of Italy. It is at its most comfortable from April through June, and from mid-September to October; in particular, the Roman “ottobrate” (which can be roughly translated as the "beautiful October days") are famously known as sunny and warm days. Rome is a city famous for its numerous fountains, built in all different styles, from Classical and Medieval, to Baroque and Neoclassical. The city has had Fountains more than two thousand years, and they have provided drinking water and decorated the pizzas of Rome. During the Roman Empire, in 98 A.D., according to Sextus Julius Frontinus, the Roman consul who was named curator aquarum or guardian of the water of the city, Rome had nine aqueducts which fed 39 monumental fountains and 591 public basins, not counting the water supplied to the Imperial household, baths and owners of private villas. Each of the major fountains was connected to two different aqueducts, in case one was shut down for service. During the 17th and 18th century the Roman popes reconstructed other ruined Roman aqueducts and built new display fountains to mark their termini, launching the golden age of the Roman fountain. The fountains of Rome, like the paintings of Rubens, were expressions of the new style of Baroque art. They were crowded with allegorical figures, and filled with emotion and movement. In these fountains, sculpture became the principal element, and the water was used simply to animate and decorate the sculptures. They, like baroque gardens, were "a visual representation of confidence and power." Tourism is inevitably one of Rome's chief industries, with numerous notable museums including the Vatican Museum, the Borghese Gallery, and the Musei Capitoline: in 2005 the city registered 19.5 million of global visitors, up of 22.1% from 2001. In 2006 Rome has been visited by 6.03 million of international tourists, reaching the 8th place in the ranking of the world's 150 most visited cities. Rome is also the 3rd most city in the EU, and its historic centre is listed by UNESCO as a World Herit. Public monuments and buildings, such as the Vatican Museums and the Coliseum are amongst the world's 50 most visited tourist destinations (the Vatican Museums receiving 4.2 million tourists and the Coliseum receiving 4 million tourists every year).

Norway Random Fact

Two centuries of Viking raids into Europe tapered off following the adoption of Christianity by King Olav in 994. Conversion of the Norwegian kingdom occurred over the next several decades. In 1397, Norway was absorbed into a union with Denmark that lasted more than four centuries. In 1814, Norwegians resisted the cession of their country to Sweden and adopted a new constitution. Sweden then invaded Norway but agreed to let Norway keep its constitution in return for accepting the union under a Swedish king. Rising nationalism throughout the 19th century led to a 1905 referendum granting Norway independence. Although Norway remained neutral in World War I, it suffered heavy losses to its shipping. Norway proclaimed its neutrality at the outset of World War II, but was nonetheless occupied for five years by Nazi Germany (1940-45).

Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999.

Russia, Conect-a-cut, Morrocoooo

Next stop is Russia- its suppost to rain when we get there. I hope we packed an extra umbrella!!Conecticut is suppost to be cold there too... did I pack an extra sweater? hope soFor Morroco we're going to see the Mediterrainean Sea if we dont get to when we are in Egypt. And also hope to tery the lamb there I here its great!

Rome

Our first trip is a great way to start off this amazing vacation. Romes history is really interesting. Evidence of stone tools, pottery and stone weapons attest to at least 10000 years of human presence. One of the symbols of Rome is the Colosseum (70–80 AD), the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire. Rome is a city famous for its numerous fountains, built in all different styles, from Classical and Medieval, to Baroque and Neoclassical. Public parks and nature reserves cover a large area in Rome, and the city has one of the largest areas of green space amongst European capitals. Often overlooked, Rome's medieval heritage is one of the largest in Italian cities. Rome is a nation-wide and major international centre for higher education. It boasts a large variety of academies and colleges, and has been a major worldwide intellectual and educational centre, especially during the Renaissance, along with Florence.

We are visiting Egypt's great massive landmarks to learn about its history and ancient culture.The Nile Valley was home to one of the oldest cultures in the world, spanning three thousand years of continuous history. When Egypt fell under a series of foreign occupations after 343 BC, each left an indelible mark on the country's cultural landscape. Liturature constitutes an important cultural element in the life of Egypt. Egyptian novelists and poets were among the first to experiment with modern styles of Arabic Liturature, and the forms they developed have been widely imitated throughout the Middle East.Egypt is famous for its many festivals and religious carnivals, also known as mulid. They are usually associated with a particular Coptic or Sufi saint, but are often celebrated by all Egyptians irrespective of creed or religion.

Heres a Map ! gunna be a great trip!!!We are first going from Santa Clara to Rome (6260 Miles). Then from Rome to Cairo, Egypt (1327 Miles). From Egypt to Morocco (2400M). Then we will go to Russia (1650M). from there we go to Finland (4205). Connecticut is afterward (5296). Norway will be our last trip (4566). Our flight will be off at 4:00pm and go out 43 days latter at 2:00am