Situated in Northern Europe, Sweden is neighbour to Denmark, Norway and Finland. The very north of the country borders on the Arctic Circle, and is home to the Saami people. Like all Northern European countries, winter days are short whilst summer days are long. Sweden has the distinction of being named a 'land of the midnight sun' along with her arctic circle neighbours.
Sweden is renowned for creativity in technology, science and business and for the invention of the Nobel Prize, a prize that has been awarded to 7 Swedish individuals. A great achievement for a country with a small population.
The Swedish institute has an exhibition to celebrate the 300th anniversary of a famous Swede's birth. This scientist was an influential thinker in the fields of botany and ecology, and was been described by the playwright August Stringberg as "... a poet who happened to become a naturalist."
Visit the Swedish Institute and find the room dedicated to our thinker
What did he have to say about the spectacle of nature? (Clue: there are 2 slideshows in the room.)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Swedish%20Institute/70/212/30
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Morocco - Food
Morocco is a North African country famous for the Mosque created for King Hassan II in honour of his 60th birthday. Inaugurated in 1993, the mosque is the 2nd largest in the world after the Masjid-al-Haram in Mecca. Morocco is an ethnically diverse nation, with a history of cultural mix created a vibrant diversity, a heritage that the country wishes to protect. Morocco successfully integrated indigenous cultures with external influences. There are two main ethttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifhnic groups in Morocco, Arab and Berber, with dialects of both the Arab and Berber languages being spoken. Morocco is famous for the diverse cuisine around the world, with ingredients such as spices, Harira, saffron, olives and lemons.
The country has a number of mountain ranges, the tallest of which is the High Atlas, the largest in North Africa. The mountains are inhabited by the Berbers, who are famous for one particular dish found all over the world in Moroccan restaurants.
Visit Virtual Morocco, Casablanca and find the marketplace. Can you find the name of the distinctive traditional cooking dish used to cook the famous dish mentioned above?
Clue: Look for a big red I sign near the potted plants round the back of the main market.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Casablanca/135/87/26
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Germany - Art
Dresden has been well-known in recent times for the destruction it suffered during the Second World War. Prior to this, however, the city was famous for her engineering and art galleries. In 1933 , the Ihagee kamerawerk created the first Single Lens Reflex camera, and in 1936 the first SLR camera that used the standard cine film, the Kine-Exacta. Exacta cameras also included innovations such as attachments that allowed for medical and scientific photography.
The purpose-built art gallery in Dresden, the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister or Old Masters Gallery, is home to an impressive art collection. You can visit the gallery in Second Life, and take an audio tour.
- When you go into the gallery, don't forget to pick up your headphones at the bottom of the stairs on the right-hand side.
- Go to the top of the stairs and through the first gallery. You should go past the board showing your location.
- In a gallery room very near here you should find a painting numbered 1010. There is a small audio symbol underneath. Click this to listen to the commentary.
- This painting is of Diogenes in the market place by Jacob Jordaens.
- Who is Diogenes looking for in the marketplace?
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dresden%20Gallery/123/128/26
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Wales - Landscape
Wales is one of the 4 countries that constitute the United Kingdom, and is a bilingual nation with a culture often centred around the ancient indigenous language of Welsh. Heavily industrialised during the 'Industrial Revolution', Wales nevertheless sustained a vibrant culture of education, language and performance related arts to name a few. Every year, the National Eisteddfod takes place in a different town or city and the festival is the largest performance arts festival in Europe.
Wales is also renowned for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Snowdonia National Park was created in 1951. The highest mountain in the Wales in Mount Snowdon.
Visit Snowdonia and take the train up to see the Welsh sheep on mountain side.
What is curious about the faces of these sheep?
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Cymru/193/96/24
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Japan - Architecture
Japan is an island nation which is home to 3,000 islands , and the tenth largest population in the world at 128 million in habitants. Japanese history has been characterised by periods of cultural isolation, but in recent history Japan has embraced modern technology and culture to become the world's 2nd largest economy and a world leader in technological innovation.
Japan is also renowned for a rich tradition of crafts, performance and ceremony with many tradition such as the tea ceremony or Kabuki theatre famous across the world. Modern culture such as Manga and Anime have also proved to have popular appeal outside Japan.
Like all nations, Japan has a rich military tradition. Kumamoto Castle, built in the 16th Century, and was considered impregnable at the time of its construction. The castle's designer, Kiyomasa enjoyed an excellent reputation for his architectural skills due to the innovative defensive design features of Kumamoto.
Visit Kumamoto and go to the top of the castle.
What device is there to look through, and what do you see?
If you see Chikao-san (the SIM builder) ask him for a notecard on Kumamoto
http://slurl.com/secondlife/KUMAMOTO%20JAPAN/181/197/36
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