Dream Trip Passport

to My Favorite Historical Places

By: Doug Smith

Greetings From London, England!

I arrived in London today and toured the Cabinet War Rooms that were built for Winston Churchill and his top advisors during World War II. These war rooms contained special conference rooms, wall-sized maps on the walls and a

special ‘hot-line’ to the White House so Winston Churchill could help lead England during WW II.

Greetings from Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England

Here I am at Blenheim Palace which is where Winston Churchill was born on November 30, 1874. Blenheim Palace belonged to Winston

Churchill’s grandfather. When he was 7 years old, Winston Churchill left Blenheim Palace to

go to boarding school. Blenheim Palace is located about 100 KM northwest of London.

Greetings from Versailles, France!

Right here at the Palace of Versailles, the Treaty of Versailles was signed to end WWI. The Treaty

of Versailles was signed June 28, 1919 to end the war between Germany and the Allied Powers.

The Palace of Versailles is located about 30 km west of Paris.

Greetings from Normandy, France!

Right here in Normandy, the Allied Forces landed on the beaches in 1944 during World

War II. The Normandy American Memorial and Cemetery is located on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach which is one of the beaches

where allied forces landed. This Memorial and Cemetery honors American soldiers who risked

their lives and died in Europe during WWII.

Greetings from Berchtesgaden, Germany!

Now I’m in Berchtesgaden, Germany where Adolf Hitler’s mountainside retreat called the Eagle’s Nest

is located. The Eagle’s Nest was a 50th birthday present to Adolf Hitler so he could have it for a retreat

and entertain dignitaries. It was taken over by the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division on May 4, 1945.

Eagle’s Nest can only be reached by bus or on foot. If you walk, it takes 2 hours to reach the Eagle’s Nest.

Greetings from the Spanish Port of Palos!

Well, there's only one thing I feel when being here at the Spanish Port of Palos, Spain – the history. This is where Christopher Columbus sailed off to the ocean blue in 1492. Christopher Columbus and is crew set

sail on the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria to find a western sea route to the West Indies. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella gave Christopher Columbus the

ships and a crew of about 90 men to go on the voyage.

Greetings from Constantinople!

Here I am in Constantinople which is the capital of the Byzantine Empire and is a wealthy and thriving Y1K city. It is located on the Bosporus

Strait which connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. It is an important center of

trade because of its location with all of the trade routes. People trade ivory, furs and silks here.

Greetings from Vinland!

Here I am on an island off the east coast of North America. The island is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of St.

Lawrence. Lief Ericson, a Viking explorer, discovered this island in 1003. At the time, the island was called Vinland. Today, it is

known as Newfoundland. When Lief Ericson sailed from Greenland, he had a crew of 35 men with him. After spending the

winter in Vinland, he and his crew sailed to Greenland to bring back people to settle on the island. They settled on the northern

tip of the island.

Greetings from Kiev!

Now I’m in the city of Kiev which is located on the Dnieper River trade route. It is located south of

Novgorod and north of Constantinople. Kiev became a major city because of trade with the

Byzantine Empire, but by 1240 A.D., Mongol invaders from central Asia captured the city and

completely destroyed it.

Greetings from Disney World!

Disney World is one of the greatest places to visit, in my opinion. One

thing that makes this place so great is its originality. As you walk through

Disney World, you can feel all of the memories it holds!

Citations

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/915777http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/211695http://www.fotopedia.com/items/jmhullot-8UJvDXSVz1shttp://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-26282003http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/337533 http://stefanmarkov.com/family/index.php?m=06&y=10&d=02&entry=entry100602-102755&category=2http://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvar/112595404/http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-2353048240http://www.research.ibm.com/people/d/dfb/screensavers.htmlhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/sylvar/112595404/