Travelling
Secondary Comprehensive School
№ 662
Report
“Travelling”
Made by Adamyan Ashot
A student of the 9th form
Consulted by
Agarkova Natalia Nikolayevna
Moscow
2006
Introduction
Traveling
is one of the ways of discovering new countries.
Millions
of people all over the world spend their holidays traveling. They travel to see
other continents, modern cities and the ruins of ancient towns, they travel to
enjoy picturesque places, or just for a change of scene. Its always interesting
to discover new things, different ways of life, to meet different people, to
try different food, to listen to different musical rhythms.
Those who live in the country like to go to a big city and spend their time
visiting museums and art galleries, looking at shop windows and dining at
exotic restaurants. City-dwellers usually like a quiet holiday by the sea or in
the mountains, with nothing to do but walk and bathe and laze in the sun.
Most travelers and holiday-makers take a camera with them and take pictures of
everything that interests them - the sights of a city, old churches and
castles, views of mountains, lakes, valleys, plains, waterfalls, forests;
different kinds of trees, flowers and plants, animals and birds.
Later, perhaps years later, they will be reminded by the photos of the happy
time they have had.
People travel by train, by plane, by boat, by car, by bike and on foot. People
travel to have a holidays or to have business. If people have business trips
they choose the fastest transport. They often travel by plane or by train. It
is very expensive but it is very fast. And if people want to have a rest they
choose traveling by boat, by car, on horseback and etc. When you travel by car
or by bike you can stop where you want.
All means of travel have their advantages and disadvantages. And people choose
one according to their plans and destinations.
If we are fond of traveling, we see and learn a lot of things that we can never
see or learn at home, though we may read about them in books and newspapers,
and see pictures of them on TV. The best way to study geography is to travel,
and the best way to get to know and understand people is to meet them in their
own homes. The best way to study geography is to travel, and the best way to
get to know and understand people is to meet them in their own homes.
What
attracts tourists to Russia?
Russia has always been a
country of mystery attractive for foreigners. There are lots of villages and
towns in Russia famous for their specific crafts: painted boxes in Palekh, wooden
tableware in Khokhloma and toys in Dymkovo. Thousands of foreigners visit Russia to enjoy the typical Russian log houses, decorated with wood carvings.
Tourists like to visit old Russian towns and
cities famous for their ancient architecture. They are especially attracted by
Russian orthodox cathedrals, churches and monasteries. One of the most
interesting old cities in Russia is Novgorod, or Novgorod the Great, as it was
called in the old times. It is a treasury of architecture, painting and applied
art created over the 11th to 17th centuries. The first records of the city on
the Volkhov River date back to the year of 859. Now Novgorod has expanded far
beyond its former limits. It is an important industrial and cultural centre,
located on the busy highway linking Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The focal point of the city is the Detinets,
or the Kremlin. The present-day Kremlin stems largely from the 15th century.
Several alterations made in the 16th and 17th centuries were minor and did not
affect its appearance. Novgorod’s contribution to the development of Russian
culture is outstanding. No other city excels Novgorod in the number of ancient
monuments of architecture. The Novgorod Museum of History, Architecture and Art
shows visitors the history of the medieval Novgorod. Its artistic value lies
primarily in its collection of medieval icon painting.
There is a lot to see in Russia, but first of
all foreign tourists visit the capital of our country, Moscow, its political,
economic, commercial and cultural centre. They dream of visiting Red Square,
which is called the heart of Moscow. Perhaps, the most ancient monument of Red Square is St. Basil’s Cathedral. With its nine beautifully painted
cupolas, it is a real masterpiece of ancient Russian architecture.
If
you come to Moscow for the first time, you should by all means visit the
Kremlin, which is very impressive. 
On the territory of the Kremlin you can see
old cathedrals, the Bell Tower of Ivan the Great, the State Kremlin Palace, the Tsar Cannon and the Tsar Bell, the biggest cannon and bell in the world.
The tallest Kremlin tower, the Spasskaya Tower, has become the symbol of the
country.
If you leave the Kremlin by the Trinity Gate
you will come to the Alexandrovsky Gardens. The first thing to do in the
Gardens is to stand by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, still and silent. Not
far from the Alexandrovsky Gardens, behind the Bolshoi Kamenny Bridge, you will see Christ the Saviour Cathedral, with its huge beautiful gilded dome.
Foreigners are usually surprised by the number of churches and cathedrals in
and around the city. There are also a lot of beautiful palaces, old mansions
and monuments in Moscow.
There are more than 80 museums in our
capital. The largest museums are the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, whose
collections include works of art of the ancient Orient and ancient Egypt, and the State Tretyakov Gallery, which houses a rich collection of Russian painting
and Russian icons. Other unique museums in Moscow are the State History Museum, the All-Russia Museum of Decorative, Applied and Folk Art, the Polytechnical Museum and many others. Moscow is famous for its theatres, too. The
best-known of them is the Bolshoi Opera House. Drama theatres and studios are
also very popular.
One of the most famous sights of the city is
the Moscow Metro and a journey by Metro will be unforgettable. In the Metro you
do not feel as if you’re underground. This is due to the unique architecture
and the artistic design of the stations, which are more like palaces. No two
stations are alike; most of them have their own appearance.
Of course, every foreigner should visit St. Petersburg, the second largest city in Russia and one of the most splendid cities in
the world. It was founded in 1703 by Peter the Great at the mouth of the Neva River. Now it is an important industrial, cultural and educational centre.
St. Petersburg is indeed a
wonderful city: at every turn there is something to catch your eye. The Winter Palace, St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Peter-and-Paul Fortress, and the Admiralty Building attract thousands of tourists from every corner of the world. Petersburg’s many museums house some of the world’s most famous art collections. The
Hermitage and the Russian Museum, for example, contain the richest collections
of pictures in the world.
The
city is called the Northern Venice, because there are 65 rivers, branches and
canals there with artistically decorated bridges. It’s also famous for its
beautiful white nights.
There
are a lot of Hero-cities in our country. And I would recommend that my foreign
friends visit one of them. Volgograd is a legendary city, because here in 1943
the Soviet Army won the great and glorious victory over the fascists. The city
was completely ruined during the war, but now it is a beautiful city again. It
stands on the banks of the great Russian river Volga. The symbol of Volgograd is the Mamaev Hill. It was the centre of fighting during the heroic defence of Stalingrad. Now there is a great memorial there. Besides, you can visit the Stalingrad Battle Panorama Museum, which is situated on the bank of the Volga River. The centre of Volgograd is the Square of the Fallen Heroes. In the middle of it there is
a granite obelisk and the common graves of the heroes of the Civil War and the
Great Patriotic War. At the foot of the memorial you can see the Eternal Flame.
Now Volgograd is a big industrial and cultural centre.
There
are a lot of other interesting towns and cities in Russia, which are all worth
visiting.
I have never travelling to other countries but would like
to visit London.
London is one of
the largest cities in the world. More then 10mln people live in London and its suburbs. London is a city of striking contrasts. Here one can come across
the past and the present, the old and the modern, live side by side in mutual
tolerance and respect.
In
London, one can see architecture of different centuries and styles. It is
inseparably connected with the history of the city. The Romans, the Saxons and
the Danes settled here in turn, after them came the Normans, and brought the
French civilisation. London survived the Plague and the Great Fire, which
followed in 1666. During the Fire all wooden houses were smashed to the ground
and a New London, London of stone with bigger houses and wider streets was
built. During the World War II, many buildings of great historic value lay in
ruins and today the face of London is changed.
Traditionally
London is divided into several parts: the City, Westminster, the West End and
the East End.
The
city first started in the place, which is known as the City. It is the Heart of
London, it’s commercial and business centre. It occupies a territory of a
square mile. During a day, it is full of people, nearly half a million people
work there.
The
West End is the richest part of the city with its beautiful avenues, parks and
gardens, grandhotels, theatres and fashionable shops. It is a symbol of wealth
and luxury.
While
the City is the money of London and the West End is the good of London, the East End is the hands of London, that built the banks of the City and
beautiful mansions and hotels of the West End. It is a district, inhabited by
the workers. There are many factories and the Port of London there.
As
for me, I cannot imagine London without Thames. In fact, painters and writers
regard the river as the source of inspiration. Turner, Monet, Canatello painted
it countless times and their impression of the river in all seasons can be seen
on the walls of museums, throughout the world. Pope, Spensor and many other
poets sang it in their poems. The most famous books about the Thames are ‘Three
men in a boat’ by Jerome-k-Jerome and ‘The wind in the willows’ by K. Graham.
If there had been no Thames, there would be no London. It was born many
centuries ago in the place, which is known as the City. The City is not only
the centre of business. It’s the burth place of London. London was born in the
place not far from St. Paul’s cathedral hundreds of years before our era. It
was called Lynn-din (the lonely port) at that time. After the Norman Conquest,
it became Londinium.
If
you want to get some glimpses of London, you’d better start sightseeing with
the Tower of London, that comes first among the historic buildings of the city.
It was built as the fortress after the Norman invasion of England in 1066. It has been used as the Royal Palace, as an observatory, an arsenal and a
prison. For many visitors the principal attraction is the Crown Jewels, the
finest precious stones of the nation.
A
twenty minutes’ walk from the Tower will take you to another historic building
– St. Paul’s Cathedral, the greatest of English churches. It was built by a
famous English architect Sir Christopher Wren. St. Paul’s Cathedral, with it’s
famous Whispering Gallery, is considered to be a masterpiece of Renaissance
architecture. In one of its towers hangs one of the largest bells in the world
– Great Paul.
Not
far from Cathedral is Westminster Abbey. It was founded by Edward the Confessor
in 1050. The best part of the Abbey is a wonderful chapel, dating back to the
16th century. It is famous for its magnificent architecture. There are many
monuments and statues there. Many English kings and queens are buried there.
Since William the 1st, almost ever monarch has been crowned in this great
church. One of the greatest treasures of the Abbey is oaken Coronation Chair
made in 1300. On the south side of Westminster Abbey is Poet’s Corner, where
the greatest English writers are buried. Here also are memorials to
Shakespeare, Burns, Byron, Scott and so on.
Across
the road from Westminster Abbey is Westminster Palace, which is spread
magnificently on the north bank of the Thames. It is a remarkable example of Gothic
architecture.
The
Tower of London has a very interesting story behind it. It was begun by a man
who was not even English, William of Normandy. At the time he was the cousin of
England's Kind Edward. It all started because William became outraged when
Edward backed down on his promise to give the throne to William and ended up
giving the throne to his English brother-in-law, Harold. William sailed his
army across the English Channel to conquer England. On October 14, 1066, he met
Harold at Hastings and conquered him. On Christmas Day later that year, William
- now called William the conqueror - was crowned King of England. Immediately
after William took over as king, he built forts everywhere. One stood in the
southeastern corner of London, near an old Roman wall on the north bank of the Thames River. William ordered that this fort be removed in 1078 to be replaced by a huge
stone stronghold. This would be the "symbol of his power, a fortress for
his defense, and a prison for his enemies". (Fisher, 1987) He named it the
Tower of London.
The
Tower was finished twenty years later, rising nearly one hundred feet high,
with its walls fifteen feet thick in certain places. Inside was a chapel,
apartments, guardrooms, and crypts. The Tower was protected by a wide ditch, a
new stone wall, the old Roman wall, and the river. This was done to secure the
fact that this tower was a prison that no prisoner would escape from.
The
Bishop of Durham was probably the Tower's first distinguished prisoner. He was
very fat, greedy, and unpopular. He was dragged to the prison by his brother
with his servants and bags of money. But the Bishop lived very well inside the
Tower because he could bribe the guards with gold. One night in February,1101,
he gave a huge banquet with a lot of food and liquor. When he had gotten the
guards very drunk, he pushed his bags through a window and slid down a rope to
freedom.
Around
the year 1240, King Henry III made this tower his home. He whitewashed the
tower, widened the grounds to include a church, a great hall, and other
buildings. He renamed the entire new area the Tower of London, and renamed the
Tower the White Tower. Although the tower was still a prison, Henry had turned
the White Tower into a breathtaking palace. He entertained many important
visitors, many of which came with animals as gifts. Near the drawbridge of the
tower, Henry built the Lion Tower, a zoo where visitors would be greeted with
roaring beasts. Here is a map of the tower.
In
1377, when Richard II was king, the Tower continued to be a stronghold. But
four years later, on June 14, a group of overtaxed farmers stormed the Tower.
Richard and his brothers safely hid themselves inside. But the farmers found
the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Royal Treasurer, a tax official, and a
doctor. These men were taken to Tower Hill where their heads where chopped off.
Richard later made peace with these farmers. The leader of the farmers, Wat
Tyler, was beheaded. Richard was eventually thrown into a Tower dungeon, where
he was forced to give up the throne to Henry IV.
Several
monarchs died in the Tower of London. One was thirteen-year-old King Edward V.
When his father, King Edward IV died, his uncle Richard, the Duke of
Gloucester, plotted to take the throne for himself. Richard had the
thirteen-year-old king and his younger brother, the Duke of York, taken to the
tower. Lord Hastings, a royal officer, tried to protect Edward, but was
unsuccessful. Hastings' head was chopped off on the Tower Green, and Edward and
his brother were murdered. These murders most likely took place in the Garden Tower, which was later renamed the Bloody Tower.
Since
the Tower of London was so dangerous, King Henry VII formed a personal
bodyguard. Henry moved into the Tower in 1485 after killing Richard III in a
battle. His protectors were called the Yeoman Warders, who to this day still
guard the tower. King Henry was a very frugal man. He seldom gave parties and
tried very hard to avoid war, which both cost a lot of money.
After
the death of Henry VII, the Tower of London was never again used to house an
English queen or king. The dungeon was still used to hold England's enemies, and the Tower was still used for many celebrations. The marriage of King
Henry VIII to his second wife, Anne Boleyn, took place at the Tower on May 19, 1533. A huge party was thrown for the next 11 days at the Tower, topped off with an enormous feast.
But
the Tower of London was not always a place of celebration. On May 19, 1536,
Anne Boleyn was executed under Henry's orders at the Tower Green. Anne had been
accused of misconduct, but the plain truth was that she had born a daughter
rather than a son, who would become a future king of England. This daughter was
Elizabeth I, who would later become the Queen of England. Elizabeth was held
prisoner in the Tower for two months by the order of her half sister, Queen
Mary. Mary felt that her throne was being threatened by Elizabeth, so she
imprisoned her in the Tower. If you look really carefully, you can see Anne
Boleyn's Ghost about the tower. She will tell you about the royalty.
Elizabeth was
innocent, and people knew it, leading to a public outcry. Elizabeth was
released on May 19, 1554 (ironically, May 19 was the day on which Anne Boleyn
was married and killed, and the same day that Elizabeth was released from
jail.) In 1558, Elizabeth became the queen of England. She spent three days on
her coronation in the Tower, to symbolize that it was her duty to "take
possession" of it as the royal monarch of England. (Fisher, 1987) On
January 15, 1559, she left in a festive parade to be crowned at Westminster
Abby. Elizabeth would never return to the Tower.
In
1603, part of the Tower of London became a museum. King James I had ordered
that the royal jewels be kept in the Tower Jewel House and be put on display
for the Tower visitors. Though its roots trace back to a non-Englishman, the Tower of London has had a very interesting place in English history. It has been the sight
of murders, marriages, uproars, museums, and zoos. But the Tower of London will always be remembered as a "symbol of royal power, a fortress for the
monarch, and a prison for the monarch's enemies".
Conclusion
Many people like traveling and I am no exception to the rule. Some
people like to travel in winter, but most of them prefer to go travelling in
summer, when it is warm and the sun is shining brightly. There are people who
like to travel by train or by air. In this way they cover large distances and
see the far-off places. If a person likes the sea he decides upon a sea-voyage.
Nowadays young people travel on foot and like to go to the woods or to the
mountains. On a trip by air you dont see much, but you save a lot of time. If
you go by train, you get acquainted with new regions. A sea-voyage is very
pleasant if the sea is calm. The passengers enjoy watching the sea, which is
always ever so beautiful. Many people travel all around our country by car. I
believe that travelling is one of the best pleasures in the world.
Literature
1.
Encyclopedia Britanica 2006
2.
The official site The Tower of London
3.