The European Alphabet

By Mariah NeuhauserPeriod 7

F is for Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand is an indie post-punk art rock band that hails from Glasgow, Scotland. The quartet’s, consisting of Alex Kapranos, Nick Mccarthy, Bob Hardy, and Paul Thomson, band name is derived from an Austro-Hungarian monarch whose assassination sparked the beginning of World War I.

(Source: http://www.nme.com/artists/franz-ferdinand#biography)

R is for rugby

Rugby is often noted as the “patriarch” of football. Many refer to William Webb Ellis as being the inventor of rugby in the year 1823. Early forms of football and rugby were played in the Middle Ages by the Welsh, Cornish, Celtics and the Vikings. Rugby has received much notoriety as being a “violent and brutal game,” and has since been outlawed in the past by various regions in Europe.

(Sources: http://www.ombac.org/ombac_rugby/rulesofrugby.htm and http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/originsofrugby.htm)

A is for Anne Hathaway’s Cottage

Anne Hathaway was allegedly born in 1564. Hathaway was the wife of William Shakespeare. Hathaway’s cottage is actually an Elizabethan farmhouse that consists of twelve rooms. Portions of her estate date back to the 15th century. Over ninety acres of land are included with her estate, consisting of rolling hills and a picturesque garden. Hathaway’s cottage, and other Shakespearean estates are all viewable by the public on a daily basis.

(Sources: http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-anne-hathaway.htm and http://www.stratford.co.uk/prop3.asp)

N is for natural hot springs

Bath Spa, Somerset in England is home to natural hot springs that are around 114 degrees Fahrenheit. The natural hot springs in Bath are a geological phenomenon. Due to Bath’s geology, Bath seems like an unsuitable place to form hot springs. The Roman bath pictured above was built nearly 2,000 years ago.

(Sources: http://geolmag.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/144/4/741 and http://visitbath.co.uk/site/things-to-do/roman-baths-p25681)

C is for Cathedral Notre-Dame

Cathedral Notre-Dame is a gothic cathedral located in Paris, France. Construction on the cathedral began in the year 1163 under the direction of Pope Alexander III. The main builders included Jean de Chelles, Pierre de Montreuil, Pierre de Chelles, Jean Ravy, and Jean le Bouteiller. Construction on the cathedral ended in the early 14th century. The cathedral underwent renovations within the past few centuries to restore the sacristy, the stain glass windows, and the organ.

(Source: http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/Building-history)

E is for the Eden Project

The Eden Project is an environmental organization based in Bodelva, Cornwall, England that promotes the beauty and welfare of the planet. At their organization’s headquarters, you will find bountiful gardens hidden from plain view by large domes. The Eden Project does wonders by trying to help conserve our ecosystem.

(Source: http://www.edenproject.com)

L is for Lord Byron

Lord Byron was born in London, England in the year 1788. His first poetry volume, published in 1806, was titled Fugitive Pieces. He took his seat in the House of Lords in 1809. One of the more famous poems written by Byron is titled She Walks in Beauty.His literary works are often compared to the works of Percy Bysshe Shelley & John Keats.

(Source: http://englishhistory.net/byron/life.html)

G is for Giant’s Causeway

The Giant’s Causeway is a rock formation located in Northern Ireland. The causeway was formed by cooling lava from volcanic eruptions. The ancient Celtics thought the giant named Finn McCool created the causeway by building this large “highway” that connects Ireland to the island of Staffa in the Hebrides to bring his sweetheart over to Ulster. (Source: http://www.geographia.com/northern-ireland/ukiant01.htm)

T is for Trilby

A trilby is an informal hat with a soft, wide brim. The word “Trilby” comes from the name of the female heroine in the French novel Trilby by George du Maurier. The Trilby is also known as a snap-brim hat. Hats were often used to determine social class in the late 19th century and early 20th century, especially in England. The Trilby was often worn by countrymen.

(Source: http://www.lockhatters.co.uk/historyhats.aspx and http://www.hathistory.org/dress/felt.html)

L is for lutefisk

In Scandinavian, “lutefisk” means “cod soaked in plutonium.” While I don’t care much for this acquired taste, lutefisk has been around since the Viking era. Lutefisk came about when frightened villagers from Bjaastivik cooked some Vikings a special meal in retaliation of their brute ways. Instead of soaking cod in plutonium, they soaked the cod in lye, which made for a rather macabre meal. It turned out that the Vikings actually enjoyed the “lutefisk,” which prompted them to bring the recipe back to Scandinavia where it is now a national delicacy.

(Source: http://netnet.net/~pineaire/Lutefisk.html)

W is for William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth was born in Cumberland, England in the year 1770. He became friends with fellow writer Samuel Coleridge and co-wrote various literary successes. He gained popularity with the public when he wrote Poems in Two Volumes. His most famous epic novel, titled, The Prelude, has sparked much controversy over which version of this novel is superior, the 1805 or 1850 version.

(Source: http://www.victorianweb.org/previctorian/ww/bio.html)

S is for Schwarzwald

Schwarzwald, the German name for the Black Forest, is a 4500 square mile area of forest land, waterfalls and mountains in southwest Germany. The cuckoo clock is made in the Schwarzwald region from the vast variety of trees. The infamous Black Forest cake and the Castle Newschwanstein also call Schwarzwald “home.”

(Source: http://www.cometogermany.com/places_to_visit.htm and http://www.about-germany.org/regions/blackforest.php)