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Part Four - Europe |
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"Europe is so well gardened that it resembles a work of art, a scientific theory, a neat metaphysical system. Man has recreated Europe in his own image." --Aldous Huxley, Do What You Will, “Wordsworth in the Tropics” (1929)
THE existence of Europe is the basis of the historical development of the modern world. For more than a century, and through education and politics, public opinion has tended to develop the consciousness of nationality and to stress the importance of the nation-state, while leaving Europe in the background as a vague abstraction or as nothing more than a geographical expression.
WHAT is Europe? If Europe is connected to the greater landmass of Eurasia, then what defines Europe? Your text correctly points out that Europe is a people and a way of life, and its defining characteristics are human, not environmental. Three paramount human traits identified as European are the Christian faith, the Caucasian race, and the Indo-European family of related languages. Our virtual field trip will contain many of these European traits, but our trip will also examine the changes Europeans have made to the physical landscape, and how they have adapted to this landscape.
THE first stop on our European virtual field trip begins with Ireland, an island 302 miles long and 189 miles wide, with a coastline of 3,500 miles. You have the opportunity to visit all 32 counties of Ireland and to see how the approximately 5 million Irish live in the Republic. To further our understanding of Ireland, we are invited on a virtual tour of this Irish island and its people.
On our way to the United Kingdom we stop in Scotland, where we learn about their geography, economy, infrastructure, culture, humor, music, language, and history of the area. If you are interested in the historic settlement patterns, visit the historic atlas of Europe.
From Scotland our virtual field trip leads us to England, where we gain an understanding of current urban structure by examining medieval English urban history. We also have time to muse about the Politics of Travel, wondering if tourism is just colonialism in another guise.
LANDING in England, we find ourselves on the beaches of Dorset, examining the rock cliffs of Bridgeport Sands, where our English countryside virtual field trip starts in earnest. Our first stop is Durham Cathedral and Castle, where you can also tour the surrounding peninsula and visit the University of Durham. We also stop off in Wales for a tour of their castles. Next, we visit the city of Canterbury, where a tour has been arranged in such a way that a view in one direction is complemented by the same view "behind you."
FOR our introduction to English urbanization, we enjoy a virtual field trip around London, where we enjoy seeing Buckingham palace, the world's products on display at Harrod's, policy being made at Whitehall and Parliament, and our spritual life renewed at Westminster Abbey. We visit Covent Gardens, the Canary Wharf, and the Tower of London before heading off for the continent.
Driving by car from Britain to France by way of the Channel Tunnel, a high-technology achievement by both Britain and France, we arrive in Calais very quickly and efficiently.
OUR first stop is at Normandy, where we experience the allied invasion of France during WWII. Our tour continues through France with the French Toursist Office as our guide. One thing we told ourselves is that while on this tour of France we are going to learn something about the French pastry.
BEFORE leaving France for Spain, a quick tour of European Cathedrals would be in order, since so much of modern European culture and history is represented by these edifices. We'll see Notre-Dame, Chartes, Strasbourg, and learn about the history of Gothic in all of its forms.
The next stop on our virtual field trip is Spain, and a lesson in the appreciation of Andalucia bullfighting. Before leaving Spain for Italy, we stop off at Barcelona, one of the most beautiful cities of the world.
OUR first stop in Italy is Venice, with its unusual canal transportation system and the danger of the city's sinking. Our next stop is Florence, home of the Italian Renaissance. Our final field trip in Italy is the eternal city of Rome, where Giulio Mecocci is ready to take us on a motorcycle tour of the Eternal City. We say goodbye to Italy and head northward to Germany.
THE first place we want to visit and to pay homage is to victims of the death camps by way of Voices of the Holocaust, where we can hear the stories of the camps. The next stop on our tour of Germany is with the VirtualTourist and is a good place to continue our virtual field trip in Germany. You can locate any city in Germany and find out what the city has to offer in the way of tours, sightseeing, and history. Here is a good place to begin a virtual tour of Berlin, the capital of Germany.
It's time to bring our European virtual field trip to a close. We have by no means covered the whole of Europe.
FOR those hearty adventurers willing to push ahead with Europe, we encourage you to visit The Scenic Route, a first-class site for virtual tours of 42 European countries, from Albania, Andorra, and Austria, through Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Serbia and Montenegro. Each of these tours is expertly presented using an interactive map of Europe and links to appropriate tour sites. Most of the photographs on these tours were taken by one person with a singular narrative throughout. These are excellent tours.
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