Germany

This week I went to Cologne, Germany. I will be talking in this blog about different things I have experienced in Germany. The first thing I will talk about is the food in Germany. Every city in Germany has their own beer. The beer of Cologne is Kölsh. This seems to be the preferred drink in the  region, at least for adults. A common food is "Schweinshaxe." This was delicious. It is pig knuckle or ham hocks.   

One thing that Cologne is famous for is a big cathedral. It has a crypt inside it that hold the fingers of the three kings who traveled to Bethlehem. The towers are approximately 515 feet tall.  There are two towers on it and they were built by hand.  When they had finished building the south tower many years after the north tower was built, the south tower was taller by just seven centimeters. We climbed 2/3 of the way up. You can't go any higher unless you go on ladders at that point. 

This is one the towers on the cathedral.

I really enjoyed Germany and thought it was very fun.

The European Union

The European Union

The European Union is a collection or gathering of countries in Europe.  The members of the Union have decided to help each other in many different ways.

The European Union was founded November 1, 1993.  The big reason it was formed was to bring Europe together after World War II, the end of a divided Germany with the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the end of the Soviet Union in 1991. The European Union would work for peace around Europe.        

The 12 stars on the European Union flag are not related to the number of countries in the European Union; instead, the number 12 is traditionally the symbol of perfection and unity.                                      

Today the European Union is made up of 28 countries but there will be more to come.  Some countries can't join because of their laws. Vatican City is a complete monarchy, you just don't hear about the king because he is the pope.  Because Vatican City is a complete monarchy without elected representatives,  it is not allowed to join the European Union.

The European Union's currency is the Euro.  Not all of the European Union members use the Euro. The United Kingdom for example uses the Pound.

Europe's Currency

Pound

In the United Kingdom we use the pound. It uses bills and coins. Scotland uses the same currency but the icons on it are different. The United Kingdom Pound is currently worth 1.55 U.S. Dollars. The pound is split up into 100 pence like a dollar. The pound was only split up into 100 pence in 1971. 

There are 1,5,10,20, and 50 pence coins and, 5,10,20, and 50 bank notes.    

Unlike many other types of currency the coins and banknotes in the pound currency vary from region to region. Some places in the United Kingdom such a Scotland have more valuable bank notes such as a 100 pound bank note. Scotland also has a 1 pound bank note.        

This is Edinburgh castle which I visited.

Euro

The Euro is a different currency used by a lot of other european countries. These countries are Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Vatican City.  There are 23 countries that use the euro. All of these countries use to have their own currency. They changed to the euro because having different currencies for each country makes it a lot harder for trade. Also if you are visiting a different country you would have to constantly change currencies. The euro was created on January 1, 1999. Bank notes and coins started to circulated in 2002. 

Having such a valuable bank note in a currency is quite rare. This is because if someone managed to counterfeit it they could get a lot of money. The 500 euro bank note has a lot of codes on it so people cant counter fit it.

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How I arrived in Leeds, England

How I arrived in Leeds, England 

On 22nd of July we left Tuscaloosa, Alabama to go to Leeds, England on the AM-Track Train. 

This is the train route I took.

We then arrived in New York City on the 23rd of July. We saw two plays. One was Around the World in Eighty Days. The other was Monkey Journey to the West which is a Buddhist tale.

I took this picture from the Queen Mary II

On the 27th of July we left New york on the Queen Mary II. The Queen Mary II is the largest ocean liner in the world. It has a planetarium, a ballroom, a theater, has 157,000 horse power, has an estimated weight of 150,000 gross tons, and is approximated to cost 800,000,000 to make.
(See more information at these to web-sights)
http://cruises.about.com/cs/shipprofiles/a/queen_mary_5.htm
http://www.cunard.co.uk/cruise-ships/queen-mary-2/

We arrived in Southampton, England on the 3rd of August. We then took a train from Southampton to Leeds England. 

We got on the train in Bournemouth and rode up to Birmingham. Then we changed trains in Birmingham and rode up the yellow line to Leeds.

We arrived in Leeds, England and are currently there.

The door in the middle is our house.

Why I'm Going to Leeds, England

Welcome to Benjamin Trost's Blog!

I am going to Leeds, England from July 27, 2013 to August 2014. Me and my family are going to Leeds because every 7 years my parents can have a little break from working to do writing. I will be back for 6th grade. Every month or so I will be writing back to the Tuscaloosa Magnet School about different aspects of leeds such as education, food, pets, activities etc.. I will be going to Leeds on a boat called the Queen Mary II. This trip will be a week. I hope you enjoy my blog!

Queen Mary II

Leeds on a Map of England