Did You Know...? Godfrey, the best-known leader of the First Crusade (1096), was born at the Castle of Bouillon. Tongeren claims to be Belgium’s oldest town, predating the Roman era when it was a provincial capital. The World War I poem, “In Flanders Fields,” inspired the use of poppies as
Did You Know? Bay of Fundy tides rise to 53 feet, for the world’s highest tides. The fictional heroine of Longfellow’s epic poem, “Evangeline,” hailed from Grand Pre. Port Royal was Canada’s first permanent European settlement (1605). The strong tides in the Bay of Fundy reverse the flow of the
Did You Know? In one tide cycle, more water flows through the bay than the amount of water in all the world’s rivers. Arthur Ganong, president of Ganong Bros. chocolate makers for 40 years, ate three pounds of chocolate daily. The American traitor, Benedict Arnold, took refuge from the American
Did You Know...? The unique Black Forest cuckoo clock originated around Triberg in the 18th century. The Romans, who were first to tap the area’s thermal springs, gave the Black Forest its name: Silva Nigra. In Baden-Baden, 211,400 gallons of 156F waters rise daily from 12 thermal springs. The Oberammergau
Did You Know? Banff is Canada’s oldest national park, dating from 1885. Wood Buffalo National Park is a UNESCO site larger than Switzerland. Elk Island National Park is completely fenced in. The population in Banff, the town, is limited to 10,000. Water flows to three oceans from the Columbia Icefield
Did You Know ... ? Arnold Schwarzenegger was born the son of a policeman in Graz in the alpine foothills. Maria von Trapp sold rights to the story that became “The Sound of Music” for $9,000. Salzburg-born Mozart’s full name was Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. “Silent Night” was first
Did You Know? Australia has 21 of the world’s 25 deadliest snakes. The fastest recorded speed for a kangaroo is 40 miles per hour. Australia’s giant Gippsland earthworm can measure up to 10 feet long. Daintree is the world’s oldest living rain forest, more than 110 million years. Kangaroo and
Did You Know...? Assisi was the birthplace of three canonized saints, St. Francis, St. Clare and St. Rufinus. Cimabue’s 13th century fresco of St. Matthew broke into 120,000+ pieces during Assisi’s 1997 earthquake. Umbria is Italy’s only region with no coastline. The so-called Peace Prayer of St. Francis was written
Did You Know? The Burren in western Ireland is home to more than 70% of Ireland’s native flora. A 16th century pirate queen, Grace O’Malley, patrolled Ireland’s Atlantic waters for 50-plus years. The Ceide Fields are the world’s oldest known field systems, nearly 6,000 years old. The 1952 John Wayne and Maureen
Did You Know ... ? Tiberius in his last years presided over the Roman Empire from Capri accompanied by his heir Caligula. Richard Wagner used the Villa Rufolo in Ravello for the magic garden in the opera, “Parsifal.” The town of Amalfi in the 11th century was an independent republic,
