Santa Sophia

Santa Sophia is located in modern day Istanbul (once know as Constantinople and before that, Byzantium). It was built for the first time in 573 by the christian roman emperor Justinian. When it was finished he boasted that his temple was better than King Solomon's. But then the Asians and the Turks attacked the city and captured it and everybody thought that the king would destroy the christian art and the alters. But fortunately he decided to spare the church and turn it into a mosque and it has been to this day forth.

St Basil's Cathedral

St Basil's is a cathedral that is in Moscow the capital of Russia. It is located outside of the Kremlin. It was built by Ivan the Terrible. When Napoleon invaded Moscow in 1812 he marveled at the beauty of the cathedral and he wished that the architect who had built it would come and build something like the it in Paris. The cathedral is made up of lots of small rooms rather than one big room. It is on one side of the Red square. 

The Parthenon

The Parthenon lies in Athens Greece and is part of the Acropolis. The Parthenon was once very beautiful temple built to honor the god Athena but it was wrecked, robbed and almost destroyed. The Parthenon was built in 438 B.C. and some of the most inspired sculptors and artists were called to build it. One of the best sculptors ever a man named Phidias was called to build a marble band of figures at the top of the Parthenon. 

Here are some pictures of the Parthenon.

This is the Parthenon.

 When we went to the Parthenon it was under construction.

 GO BUCKEYES!!

My family went to the Greece in 2010 to visit some of our friends who lived there. We got to see a lot of cool stuff on that trip! 

Pompeii

Mt. Vesuvius destroyed the city Pompeii in the year 79. Many people where killed and only a few survived. Mt Vesuvius lies in Italy right next to Pompeii. Here is a letter from a eye-witness named Pliny a poet: 

I was living with my uncle when Vesuvius erupted. My uncle wanted a closer view of the explosion so he got into one of his boats and sailed over to get a closer view. When he got to the bay he said "bring me to shore" and he went straight to a friends house. My uncle wanted to soothe the household so he cheerfully (or with the appearance of it) sat down to eat dinner. Then he and his friend wondered if they should flee or stay put. They decided to go to the shore to get a better look and they tied pillows to their heads to protect them. My uncle got some smoke in his lungs and had to sit down. When the smoke cleared two days later he was found dead. Me and my mother were still in our house and when I saw the black smoke come down I told my mother to flee. Many called to the gods to save them and more cried that there was no gods. Finally when it was over Pompeii had been buried. 

Many people escaped but over two thousand died trying to find their loved ones or their loved possessions. Not till 1748 did people take interest in Pompeii and not till 1860 did people start clearing away the ashes.

  

St. Peter's cathedral

St. Peter's cathedral is a humongous cathedral that was built in the year 45 AD in place of pope Nero's amphitheater. The amphitheater was a place where Nero held gladiator fights and killed people for their beliefs.  People decided to build a church were St Peter was killed and this is where St Peter's was built. St Peters took a long time to build and many architects planned the building. Even Michelangelo painted some of the huge dome. The dome is as big as an skyscraper! You have to climb 40 flights of stairs to get to the top of the dome! 

Matterhorn

Matterhorn is the biggest mountain in the Alps which is in Switzerland and has a evil reputation for killing climbers. Matterhorn was thought to be unclimbable until 1865 when seven climbers and their guide made it to the top. But on the way down disaster struck for one of the climbers slipped and went over the edge pulling three more with him. Matterhorn is 14,780 feet tall and the author of the this book once scaled Matterhorn. If you wanted to climb Matterhorn some of the equipment you would need is : cleated shoes, ice axes and warm clothing like a sweater or a coat or even some gloves. 

Book review: Amos fortune

Amos fortune is a book about a African prince who is captured by slave traders and sold to a family in New England. There he buys his freedom and buys freedom for his soon to be wife. But unfortunately she dies and Amos is alone. But then he buy freedom for another women named Violet and her daughter Celyndia and marries her and then they move to town called Jaffrey. There they build a home and Amos who works as a tanner has a good place to work. In Jaffrey there is a family that is very poor and needs help, and Amos lends them money and helps them. Amos fortune is based on a true story. I would give this book a 7 out of 10.