The Kingdom of Sweden, like its neighbors Denmark and Norway, is best remembered by historians for its status as the one-time legendary home of Scandinavia’s Vikings (going as far back as the 8th century AD). From that time until approximately the 11th century, the seafaring Vikings voyaged into other parts of Europe (from UK […]
Tourists visiting Scotland will surely come across a country with a lot of history. At least some of it goes back to the days of the Roman Empire, which extended as far northwest at England and Wales –then known as “Britannia” (occupying for periods of time portions of present-day Scotland, confirmed by the presence of […]
The Scandinavian country of Norway has a rich history that goes back to the Vikings from 800 AD to 1066 AD. The Vikings’ quest for conquest of foreign lands resulted in establishing towns in Ireland and Normandy (France), battles with King Ramiro in northern Spain and the Moors in southern Spain, treks as far east […]
The country of Latvia, like its northern neighbor Estonia, was a victim of geography throughout time, due to its location facing the Baltic Sea. Back in the 13th century, German invaders converted the local population to Christianity and formed the crusader state of Livonia (together with parts of Estonia). A conflict called the Livonian War […]
The northwest European country of Ireland, which is just west of the island of Great Britain, traces its origins back to the prehistoric era (when Gaelic Ireland first existed – extending its time into the 17th century). British rule over the entire island of Ireland occurred in the early 1600s (with latter colonization of Northern […]
Saint Lucia is a volcanic island in the eastern Caribbean (covering an area of 617 square kilometers) which was initially discovered by French colonists, which named the island after Saint Lucy of Syracuse. The French made the first permanent European settlement there in 1643. However, the island changed hands constantly between French and British control […]
Providenciales – this island, known by many as “Provo”, has an area of just 38 miles, and happens to be the most developed island in Turks & Caicos. Most international flights arrive at the Providenciales International Airport (PLS). Its beautiful white sand beaches have received accolades from Conde’ Nast magazine and by the World Travel […]
The Turks and Caicos islands, which were said to have been discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, were claimed by several European powers before the British secured control of them. The islands were never actually settled until the late 1600s, when a group of Bermudian salt collectors established a foothold there. Loyalists leaving the newly-born […]
Iceland, a once-unpopulated country, was first settled by Norwegian Vikings, with a settlement in the country’s capital (Reykjavik) established back in 870 AD. Since then, Iceland has been subjected to rule from both Norway, as well as by fellow Scandinavian power Denmark — including the 17th century, when Denmark and Norway were under a […]
Finland (the easternmost part of Scandinavia) is a young country compared to its neighbors, such as Sweden and Russia. Along with previous Viking penetration of Finland during its existence, this country was a part of the Kingdom of Sweden from the 13th century to 1809 (when most of what’s now Finland was ceded to the […]