USA: Sights

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood

Hollywood is a district in the central region of Los Angeles, California, in the United States.

It is famous for being a home of the entertainment industry, including several of its historic studios. Hollywood is also a highly ethnically diverse, densely populated, economically diverse neighborhood and retail business district. 

Places within Hollywood

* Sunset Boulevard
* Crossroads of the World (America's 1st outdoor shopping mall)
* Dolby Theatre ( Academy Awards)
* Hollywood Forever Cemetery

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Golden_Gate_Bridge_.JPG

* Walk of Fame (since 1958 )
* Wax museum
* Knickerbocker Hotel
* Hollywood sign (built 1923)

 The Golden Gate is the strait that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate. It took over 4 years to build it and was opened in April 1937. It costs $4 - $7 for a driver to cross it. The bridge is 2.7km long, 27m wide and has 6 lanes. Over 110,000 vehicles use it daily. It has been declared one of the wonders of the modern world.

http://www.lighthouseinn-ct.com

Alcatraz Island is located in the San Fracisco Bay, 2.4 km offshore from San Fransisco. Often referred to as "The Rock", the small island was first used for a lighthouse, later as a military fortification, a military prison (1868), and a federal prison from 1933 until 1963.  Beginning in November 1969, the island was occupied for more than 19 months by a group of Aboriginal people from San Francisco who were part of a wave of Native activism. In 1972, Alcatraz became a national recreation area and was opened for locals and tourists. 

http://www.vvng.com/disneyland-raises-prices/

Disneyland Park, originally Disneyland, is the first of two theme parks built in Anaheim, California. It was opened on July 17, 1955. It is the only theme park designed and built under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. 

Walt Disney came up with the concept of Disneyland after visiting various amusement parks with his daughters in the 1930s and 1940s.  Over 650 million guests visited the park between 1955 - 2011 and there are over 65,000 jobs supported by the Disneyland Resort.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_canyon

The Grand Canyon is carved by the Colorado River in the state of Arizona. It is contained within and managed by Grand Canyon National Park, the Hualapai Tribal Nation and the Havasupai tribe.  

The Grand Canyon is 446 km long, up to 29 km wide and attains a depth of over 1,800 meters. Nearly two billion years of Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. 

For thousands of years, the area has been continuously inhabited by Native Americans who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. Some tribes have considered it a holy site and made pilgrimages to it.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Statue_of_Liberty_7.jpg

The Statue of Liberty is a sculpture on Liberty Island in the middle of New York Harbour, in Manhattan. The statue was a gift to the United States from the people of France. The statue is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tablet evoking the law upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independende, July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue is an icon of freedom and of the United States: a welcoming signal to immigrants arriving from abroad. From ground to the torch it is 93 metres. It was opened in 1886, but has been closed for the public on various times because of restoration, weather and safety.

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com

http://www.boomsbeat.com

Yellowstone National Park is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of  Wyoming.  It was established in 872 and is the first national park in the world. The area is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful Geyser.Yellowstone National Park spans an area of  8,983 km², comprising lakes, canyons, rivers and mountain ranges. Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in North America and is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest supervolcano on the continent. Hundreds of species of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles have been documented, including several that are either endangered or threatened. The vast forests and grasslands also include unique species of plants. Grizzly bears, wolves, and free-ranging herds of bison and elk live in the park. Forest fires occur in the park each year; in the large forest fires of 1988, nearly one third of the park was burnt. Yellowstone has numerous recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing and sightseeing. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_needle

The Space Needle is an observation tower in Seattle, Washington, a landmark of the Pacific Northwest, and a symbol of Seattle. It was built  for the 1962 World's Fair, which drew over 2.3 million visitors, when nearly 20,000 people a day used its elevators.

The tower is 184 m high, 42 m wide, and weighs 9,550 tons. It is built to withstand winds of up to 89 m/s  and earthquakes of up to 9.1 magnitude. It has an observation deck at 160 m and a gift shop with the rotating SkyCity restaurant. From the top of the Needle, one can see not only the downtown Seattle skyline but also the Olympic and the Cascade Mountains, Elliot Bay and surrounding islands.Visitors can reach the top of the Space Needle by elevators that travel at 4.5 m/s. The trip takes 41 seconds, and some tourists wait in hour-long lines. 

http://www.boomsbeat.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the state of Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city known primarily for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and nightlife. The city calls itself as the Entertainment Capital of the World. Las Vegas is the 31-st most populous city in the United States, with a population at the 2010 census of 583,756 ( 1,951,269 in the metropolitan area). Established in 1905, Las Vegas was incorporated as a city in 1911. The city's tolerance for various forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of Sin City, and this image has made Las Vegas a popular setting for films and television programs. 

Places within Las Vegas

*Las Vegas Strip
* Las Vegas Boulevard
* National Atomic Testing Museum
* Elvis Museum
* Adventuredome (indoor amusement park)

http://www.boomsbeat.com

Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls located between Canada and the United Stated. They form the southern end of the Niagara Gorge. From largest to smallest, the three waterfalls are the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. The Horseshoe Falls lie on the Canadian side and the American Falls on the American side, separated by Goat Island. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls are also located on the American side, separated from the other waterfalls by Luna Island. Located on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario. The three falls combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world, with a vertical drop of more than 50 m. Horseshoe Falls is the most powerful waterfall in North America, as measured by vertical height and also by flow rate. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide. 

The Niagara Falls are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of  hydroelectric power. 

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http://www.allyosemite.com/nature/giant_sequoia_groves.php

Yosemite National Park lies in the central eastern part of  California reaching the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain. Most of the over 3.7 million people who visit Yosemite each year spend their time in the 18 km² of Yosemite Valley. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, Giant Sequoia groves, and biological diversity.

The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dean_Franklin.jpg

sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota. Sculpted by Danish-American Gutzon Borglum and his son, Mount Rushmore features 18 m sculptures of the heads of four US presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The idea was given to sculptors to promote tourism in the region. Construction on the memorial began in 1927, and the presidents' faces were completed between 1934 and 1939. Upon Gutzon Borglum's death in March 1941, his son  took over construction.

Countries and Adjectives

Country	Capital	Adjective / Nationality	symbols
1)Estonia	Tallinn	Estonian	cornflower
2)Finland	Helsinki	Finnish /  a Finn	sauna
3)Sweden	Stockholm	Swedish / a Swede	Volvo
4)Norway	Oslo	Norwegian	fjords
5) Denmark	Copenhagen	Danish / a Dane	Lego
6) Latvia	Riga	Latvian	Karums
7) Lithuania	Vilnius	Lithuanian	basketball
8) Poland	Warsaw	Polish / a Pole	apples
9) Germany	Berlin	German	sausages
10) Holland /the Netherlands	Amsterdam	Dutch	windmills
11) France	Paris	French	wine
12)Greece	Athens	Greek	temples
13) Spain	Madrid	Spanish / a Spaniard	oranges
14) Ireland	Dublin	Irish	harp
15) Great Britain	London	British	humour
16) England	London	English	red rose
17) Scotland	Edinburgh	Scottish / a Scot	bagpipe
18) Wales	Cardiff	Welsh	daffodil
19) Russia	Moscow	Russian	vodka
20) Japan	Tokyo	Japanese	sushi
21) China	Beijing	Chinese	hieroglyphics
22) Australia	Canberra	Australian	kangaroo
23) New Zealand	Wellington	New Zealander	kiwi
24) Canada	Ottawa	Canadian	maple
25) the USA	Washington D.C	American	bald eagle
26) Italy	Rome	Italian	fashion

Roald Dahl

Famous Scots

Do you know them? Did you know they were born in Scotland?

1. James Watt (19 January 1736 – 25 August 1819) was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer who  improved the steam engine. This was the beginning of the Industrial Revolution which brough great changes to his native Great Britain and the rest of the world. He developed the concept of horsepower  and the SI unit of power, the watt, was named after him.

2. Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson (13 November 1850 – 3 December 1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and  travel writer. His most famous works are Treasure Island, Kidnapped and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. A literary celebrity during his lifetime, Stevenson now ranks among the 26 most translated authors in the world. Leading lighthouse engineer Thomas Stevenson was his father. He found it hard to go to school, mainly because he didn't make friends easily and he was often ill, so he had tutors at home. He had lots of twists and turns in his life. He married an American woman and his health issues took them to live on an island in Samoa where he died at the age of 44.

3. Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (known as Tony Blair) was born 6 May 1953 in Edinburgh. He is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007.  He resigned from all political positions in June 2007.

3. Sir Thomas Sean Connery was born 25 August 1930 in Edinburgh. He is a Scottish actor and producer who  is best known for portraying the character James Bond, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. In 1988, Connery won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Untouachables. His film career also includes such films as Marnie, The Name of the Rose, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Indiana Jones and the Last Crucade, the Hunt for Red October, Highlander, Murder on the Orient Express, Dragonheart and The Rock. He was knighted in July 2000. Connery has been polled as "The Greatest Living Scot" and "Scotland's Greatest Living National Treasure". In 1989, he was proclaimed "The Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine and in 1999, at age 69, he was voted "The Sexiest Man of the Century".

4.Ann "Annie" Lennox, was born 25 December 1954 in Aberdeen. She is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s , she and fellow musician David A. Stewart went on to achieve major international success in the 1980s as a group Eurythmics. Lennox is the most recognised female artist at the Brit Awards, winning a total of eight awards. Lennox embarked on a solo career in the 1990s with her debut album, Diva (1992), which produced several hit singles including "Why" and "Walking on Broken Glass" To date, she has released five solo studio albums and a compilation album.



5.  Andrew Barron "Andy" Murray was born 15 May 1987 in Glasgow. He is a professional tennis player, ranked World No. 2,  Murray has been ranked as British No. 1 since 27 February 2006. 1. At the 2+12 US Open, he became the first British player since 1977, and the first British man since 1936, to win a Grand Slam singles tournament, when he defeated Novak Djokovic in five sets. At the 2012 Olympic Games, Murray defeated  Roger Federer in straight sets to win the gold medal in men's singles, becoming the first British champion in over 100 years. In 2013 he became the champion at Wimbledon. Murray attended Dunblane Primary School and  was present during the 1996 Dunblane school massacre, when Thomas Hamilton killed 17 people before turning one of his four guns on himself. Murray took cover in a classroom. Murray married his long-term girlfriend Kim Sears in 2015. The couple own two Border Terriers.

6. Gordon James Ramsay was born 8 November 1966 in Johnstone, though grew up in England. As a teenager he was a keen footballer. He is a celebrity chef, television personality and restauranteur. He has been awarded 15 Michelin stars in total and currently holds 14.
Ramsay is known for presenting TV programmes about competitive cookery and food, such as the British series Hell's Kitchen, The F Word, Ramsay's Best Restaurant, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and several others. Ramsay's reputation is built upon his goal of culinary perfection. The chef has also become infamous for his fiery temper and use of strong language. Ramsay married Tana, a Montessori-trained schoolteacher, in 1996. The couple have four children.

7. Sir William Wallace(died 23 August 1305) was a  Scottish landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. In 1305, Wallace was captured in near Glasgow and handed over to King Edward I of England, who had him summarily hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason and crimes against English civilians. Since his death, Wallace has obtained an iconic status far beyond his homeland. Wallace is also the subject of epic film Braveheart.

8. Alexander Graham Bell was born 3 March 1847 in Edinburgh. He was a scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone.Bell's father, grandfather, and brother had all been associated with work on elocution and speech, and both his mother and wife were deaf, profoundly influencing Bell's life's work. His research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices which eventually culminated in Bell being awarded the first US patent for the telephone in 1876. 





^{9. Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a light Scots dialect.  He also wrote in standard English, and in these his political or civil commentary is often at its bluntest.} As well as making original compositions, Burns also collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His poem (and song) "Auld Lang Syne" is often sung at Hogmany (the last day of the year), and  " Scots Wha Hae" served for a long time as an unofficial national anthem of the country.

Scotland

Scotland from lucystardust

Concert Halls, Theatres

Wembley Stadium in London

It opened in 2007 and was built on the site of the earlier Wembley Stadium which was demolished in 2003. With 90,000 seats it is the 2nd largest stadium in Europe and the largest stadium in the UK. In international football, the stadium hosted the Gold medal matches at the  2012 Olympic Games, and will host both the semi-finals and final of EEFA Euro 2020. Record attendance took place 17 May 2008 in a football match between Portsmouth and Cardiff City, though most of the music concerts have been very close to total sell out.

Some of the concerts

• On 16–17 June 2007, Muse became the first artist to sell out the new Wembley Stadium
• On 11 September 2008, Madonna performed
• U2 performed to a record 82,000 fans each night on 14 and 15 August 2009. The U2 360° Tour stage was designed to cater for fans positioned behind the stage.
• Eminem became the first rapper to headline at Wembley Stadium
• One Direction performed at the stadium as part of their Where We Are Tour on 6, 7 and 8 June 2014

O2 Arena

The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of  The O2, a large entertainment complex in Greenwich in London. It is named after its main sponsor, the telecommunications company O2. The O2 Arena has the second-highest seating capacity of any indoor venue in the UK, behind the Manchester Arena, but in 2011 took the crown of the world's busiest music arena. It has  seats for 20,000 visitors. It took 4 years to build it and was completed by June 2007. Concerts take place weekly, in addition to international and national tennis tournaments, basketball, darts, boxing,  even skating and horse shows, to mention a few. 

One of many  West End theatres

West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of "Theatreland" in and near the West End of London. Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London. In 2013 ticket sales were 14,587,276. There are about 40 venues in West End. 

Musical Wicked

The longest-running musical in West End history is Les Miserables ("Hüljatud"). It overtook Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, which closed in 2002 after running for 8,949 performances and 21 years.

Prince Albert Memorial

The Albert Memorial is situated in Kensington Gardens, directly to the north of the Royal Albert Hall. It was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband, Prince Albert   who died of  typhoid in 1861. The memorial is 54 m tall and took over ten years to complete

The Royal Albert Hall

Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall  best known for holding The Proms concerts annually each summer since 1941. It has a capacity of up to 5,272 seats. Since its opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from several performance genres have appeared on its stage and it has become one of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings. Each year it hosts more than 350 events including classical concerts, rock and pop, ballet and opera, sports, award ceremonies, school and community events, charity performances and banquets.

The BBC Promenade Concerts, known as "The Proms", is a popular annual eight-week summer season of daily classical music concerts and other events at the Hall. Founded in 1895, each season currently consists of more than 70 concerts in the Albert Hall. Many people's perception of the Proms is taken from the Last Night, although this concert is very different from the others. It usually takes place on the second Saturday in September, and is broadcast in the UK on BBC Radio 3 and TV channels BBC 2 and BBC1.  The concert is traditionally in a lighter with popular classics being followed by a series of British patriotic pieces in the second half of the concert. People often wave Union Jacks and wear patriotic clothing or symbols.

The Royal Albert Hall before classical musical concert

Shakespeare's Globe

The first permanent public playhouse, known simply as The Theatre was constructed in 1576. It was soon joined by The Curtain. Both are known to have been used by William Shakespeare's company. In 1599, the timber from The Theatre was moved to South London where it was used in building the Globe Theatre. 14 years after it was opened, it was destroyed by fire. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614 and closed in 1642. A modern reconstruction of the Globe, named "Shakespeare's Globe", opened in 1997 approximately  230 m from the site of the original theatre. It has no roof and only Shakespeare plays are performed from April till September there. It is open to tourists a year round. 

Photos taken by teacher Evelyn