FernholzGEOG1470

Today I will be visiting two locations in Paris, France. Paris is the capital as well as the largest city in France. It is the home of nearly 2.2 million people.  Site 1 – Our first site was the Eiffel Tower located in Paris, France. The Eiffel Tower was named after an engineer by the name Gustave Eiffel who also designed and built the tower. The tower is locally nicknamed as “La dame de fer” which is French for “French Lady.” The tower was built from 1887 to 1889 and was the centerpiece of the 1889 World's fair. The Eiffel Tower is one of the most visited monuments in the world. It is 330 meters tall, which is about the same height as an 81-story building. It is also the tallest building in Paris. The tower has three different levels that we were able to visit. We were able to eat at restaurants on the first and second level. On the top level, we were able to stand on a platform that was 906 feet above the ground. We climbed 300 stairs to both the first and second level. We were ...

Today I will be visiting two sites in North Africa. I will be spending the day in Cairo, Egypt. Cairo is the capital of Egypt and is the largest city in the Arab world. Cairo is the home to 21 million people.  Site 1 – Our first stop in Cairo was the Great Pyramid of Giza . The Great Pyramid of Giza is known to be the oldest and largest of the pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex. This pyramid is also known to be called the Pyramid of Khufu. It borders present-day Giza located in Greater Cairo. Out of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and is also the last one to remain together. According to Egyptologists, the pyramid took twenty years to build and was built as a tomb for a pharaoh by the name Khufu. It is predicted that the pyramid was built in the 26th century BC. The pyramid is about 480 feet tall and nearly 750 feet long. It is constructed from two million pieces of granite and limestone. While visiting the Great Pyramid of Giza, we...

Today, I will be traveling to Sub-Saharan Africa. Follow along as I visit two sites in Nairobi, Kenya. Nairobi is the capital of Kenya and is the home to nearly 4.4 million people.  Site 1 – The first site we visited was Uhuru Gardens Memorial Park located in Nairobi, Kenya. It is a commemorative park that resembles independence from the British Empire on December 12th, 1963. The word uhuru is Swahili and means freedom. During our visit, we saw two different monuments. The first being the Mugumo tree. The tree was planted on the Union Jack also known as the former Flag of the Colony of Kenya but was removed and replaced with the Flag of Kenya. The flag is also significant to the Kikuyu people. The next monument we visited was the independence monument. It was built in 1973 and is a twenty-four-meter-high column. It supports a pair of classes hangs and a dove of peace. This monument resembles the declaration of independence on December 12th, 1963. It also resembles the inauguration...

Today, I will be traveling to the Caribbean. I will be spending the day in Havana, Cuba. Havana is the largest city and the capital of Cuba. Havana is also the home to 2.13 million people.   Site 1 – Our first stop in Havana was Morro Castle . The castle was named after the three biblical Magi. It is also a landmark that guards the entrance to Havana Bay in Havana, Cuba. The castle was designed by an Italian engineer by the name of Battista Antonelli. The castle was originally owned by Spain, but it was soon taken over by the British in 1762 but was then returned to the Spanish under the terms of a treaty a year later. On the site is a display on the lighthouses of Cuba. It once served as a school for lighthouse keepers. There was once a watchtower, but it was attacked by the British in 1762. The Faro Castillo del Morro lighthouse was added in 1846. A small path at the end of the wall offers views of the ocean crashing onto the rocks 20 meters below. On one side of the castle ...

Today, I will travel to Latin America! I will be visiting two sites located in Rio de Janeiro (Rio), Brazil. Rio is the second most populated city in Brazil and is the home to nearly 6.75 million people. Site 1 – Our first stop was Parque Lage Park located in Rio de Janeiro. It is a public park that is nestled at the base of the Corcovado in the Jardim Botanico region. Although it is a quiet park for most tourists, it is known to be featured in music videos for many famous artists such as Snoop Dogg and the Black-Eyed Peas. Parque Lage was once owned by an industrialist named Enrique Lage and his wife, who was a famous singer at the time. Located on the property was a mansion that was remodeled in the 1920’s by Mario Vodrel, an Italian architect. During the 1960’s, the land was transformed into a public park and trails were made through the subtropical forests of Tijuca National Park that surround the mansion. At the park, we saw an aquarium, a cave, old stables, and a tower that rese...

Today, I will be traveling to North America! I will be spending my day in New York City, New York. New York City is located on the southeastern side of the state of New York and has a population of around 8.80 million people. Site 1 - My first stop in New York City was the Statue of Liberty . France presented the statue to the United States on July 4, 1884. Without its pedestal, the height of the statue is equivalent to a 15-story building. The statue was built in France but was taken apart and shipped in crates across the Atlantic oceans. Once it reached the U.S, it was reassembled in the state of New York. The statue was designed by the sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and took 21 years to create. Bartholdi and a group of Frenchman decided to build a monument to represent American freedom. The statue is a popular tourist attraction for many first-time New York visitors. While visiting the Statue of Liberty, I climbed 22 stories or 354 steps where I was able to look out of 25 diff...

 Hello, my name is Riley Fernholz and I live in Alexandria, Minnesota. Alexandria is located in Douglas County and has a population of 13,045. I am excited for you to learn about my trip around the world.