Denmark

I had big hopes of finishing all 196 countries before 2017 was over. It was supposed to be my 'year-long' project. But, that just didn't work out. I came to terms a few months ago that it wasn't going to happen, and my new goal is to finish up with the Olympics, where we could be doing country stuff anyway. 

Denmark marked the last country of 2017, 30 short of my goal. But, with Asa not working (likely most if not all of January), we shouldn't have a problem knocking them out. We'll all be together for all our meals, unless of course we go out and about. 

And, Denmark isn't such a bad country to end on. It's consistently been rated the 'happiest country in the world. Plus, with the holiday's a country that embraces 'hygge' (pronounced hooga), or a warm cozy feeling, it all goes together perfectly. 

So while you're in Denmark, take in the happiness, the cozy-ness, the history of Vikings, the famous foodie hot spots, and the fairytales. 

Because Denmark is the land that brought us Hans Christian Anderson. His works from over 175 years ago are still entertaining audiences. (You guys, his work The Snow Queen inspired the movie Frozen!) But, he's also known for the Emperor's New Clothes and, most importantly The Little Mermaid. 

Which brings me to our last Landmark of 2017: the statue of the Little Mermaid. It's a symbol of the city and the country as a whole. It was sculpted and put into the harbor in 1913. It's only 5 foot 5 inches tall, but she holds a special place in the heart of all Danes. 

There's so much to explore in Denmark, it might be taking one of the top spots of countries I'd like to visit in Europe. 

You're never more than an hours drive from the sea, and you can drive right over a bridge to Sweden! That's if you don't take your bike, because Danes love their bikes (50% of the people in Copenhagen, the capital, commute to work on bike). 

Also, I hear they enjoy irony, which is like my favorite! Though, I'm not sure I can get behind eating salty licorice with a glass of milk. And don't even get me started on pickled herring. 

But it is the birthplace of some pretty cool things. 

They invented the loud speaker and magnetic storage. 

Legos were first made in Denmark in 1932. They were named after the danish phrase leg godt (meaning 'play well") and were designed by a a Danish carpenter, and today over 10 million lego bricks are made at the lego factory. 

They are also the birthplace of amusement parks! The first one opened in Denmark in 1583, and the second one opened just down the road! Tivoli Gardens (the second one) is currently home to the world's oldest operational wooden coaster on the planet (it's been running since 1914!)

Danes have contributed to the world too. It was  Danish architect who designed the Sydney opera house. 

Now Denmark is a small country. Sure, there's over 300 uninhabited islands, but the whole land mass comes in under 17,000 square miles. It ranks as the 132nd biggest country in the world. 

Unless of course you include Greenland, which belongs to Denmark. Then it comes in as the 12th biggest country in the world. 

Greenland is the world's largest island and an autonomous Danish dependent territory with limited self-government and its own parliament. Denmark contributes two thirds of Greenland's budget revenue, the rest coming mainly from fishing.

Most of our country books don't include Greenland, but the boys wanted a quick overview and our big one we display had a two-page spread for Greenland. 

Trademarks of Greenland include: dog sleds, glaciers, icebergs, Inuit people, igloos and kayaks (the word actually comes from the Inuit language). 

Also fun fact: in Greenlandic, numbers only go up to 12, after that there is only 'ameriasoorpassuit' which means many (or you can always use Danish numbers). 

The boys made their postcards. 

Hayden's included some modern buildings and a REALLY happy person. 

Peyton's, of course, included a nod to Dyrehavsbakken, the first amusement park in the world. 

And Calib's featured inventions from Denmark including the Sydney Opera House and legos. 

For Denmark dinner, we had cooked apples, Roasted Root Vegetables with four Danish Cheeses, Frikadeller Meat Patties with Sauce (over noodles), and danishes, or Wienerbroad (Vienna Bread) as it is known in Denmark. 

Quick history there from google: "Although today known world-wide as "Danishes" these pastries did not originate in Denmark, but were brought to Denmark by Austrian bakers, particularly from Vienna in the 1850's when Danish pastry workers went on a long-term wage strike. ... This is why these types of pastries are called Viennese (wienerbrød) in Denmark." 

This dinner earned four spoons up, and two down. 

Peyton didn't love any of it. Calib said the sauce over the meat and noodles was too sweet. Everyone but mom and I were not fans of the root veggies. (The sweet potato turned them off, I suppose). 

We colored Denmark and Greenland in a bright red color. 

Next Up: 2018! And our last 30 countries! 

Rwanda

Back in the center of Africa for our next country, Rwanda, the 'Land of a Thousand Hills'. And surprisingly, it holds the record for having the most women in parliament out of any country in the world. 

Sadly, this country is most well known for the 1994 genocide. Hutu extremists who had taken a Hutu majority in the government targeted the Tutsi people. An estimated 500,000 to a million Rwandans were killed  during the 100 days period in 1994. 

Our landmark is the Memorial Center in the capital city of Kigali, where over 250,000 people are buried in mass graves. The Kigali Memorial Center opened in 2004, and features a museum, a wall of names and a rose garden. There are six major centers in Rwanda that commemorate the Rwandan Genocide. 

In the last 20 years, however, Rwanda has come a long way and is now a relatively stable country. It still has high crime rates, some political instability, and sporadic outbreaks of violence. But, Rwandans make up for it in their spirit of resilience.

While Rwanda was once divided by it's tribal divisions, they are making strides to come together as one. There are no Hutus or Tutsis anymore, just Rwandans. 

But that doesn't mean Rwandans have forgotten their roots. Traditions are still carried in basket weaving and dancing. 

There is also the country's most popular and ancient form of art. Imigongo are brightly colored shapes and patterns made out of... cow poop! It's colored using chalks and clay and highlights their love of flora and fauna. 

The people today are more forward thinking than we probably give them credit for. 

The Smart Kigali initiative gives free access to wireless internet on public buses, in hospitals, taxi parks, commercial buildings and restaurants. 

Over 90% of Rwandans have access to health insurance, and as such life expectancy has risen by ten years in the last decade. 

Between 2006 and 2011 a million Rwandans got themselves out of poverty, thanks in part to a program that provided a cow to families in need.  

They've upped primary school attendance to 91%. 

In 2007, they were the first country to ban plastic bags in an effort to help the environment. 

On the last Saturday of every month, every Rwandan, starting with the President, participates in Umuganda, a day of national community service. Through Umuganda, Rwandans have built schools, medical centres, hydroelectric plants, and rehabilitated wetlands to create highly productive agricultural plots, and cleaned their cities, towns and villages – making Kigali one of the cleanest cities in Africa.

And they have a lot to protect. It's a stunning country, with scenic hills and savannahs, striking volcanoes, and fascinating tropical forests hiding from unique birds and insects. 

It's also home to the dwindling population of mountain gorillas, and people take gorilla trekking safaris to see these awesome creatures in their native habitats. The Virunga Mountains that straddle the borders of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are home to around 480 mountain gorillas, more than half of the world's entire population (the rest live in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda).

The boys made their postcards, which I forgot to take pictures of when they were out- and then somehow got them to flip weird (Asa isn't here to fix it, so I'll just have to deal). 

Hayden's featured cow poop paining, and a volcano. 

Peyton's feature the hills, and butterflies (they have LOTS!) 

Calib's featured the mountain gorillas. 

I thought we might have a hard time finding something for Rwanda that I was excited about, especially because they really like their food spicy. (Also I was not super excited about 'Nile Perch', because 1. I can't find Nile fish here and 2. Fish- Blah!)

I did take the opportunity to order some Akabanga, this chili oil they put on potatoes. They are also fans of Peri-Peri, but we've been out of that for awhile now. 

You can get it off of Amazon, but it comes in a dropper and that's intimidating (although you know Peyton and Asa loved that). 

I actually ended up finding something I was excited about, though. I went with a little roadside stand type of dinner.  The Akabanga, or the Peri-Peri- or ketchup or mayo even can go on jacket potatoes, we had some corn and bananas, and rounded the meal off with grilled beef brochettes. 

We also served (root) beer in cans like they would in Rwanda in a traditional bar, although you can also hallow out a gourd (pardon me, I was fresh out of gourds). 

This meal earned five spoons up. 

The meat got a little overcooked, there was craziness that night and it was sort of an opsies, but the marinade was good, and we could surely try them again and I'm sure we'd be happy with them. 

The spice lovers in my family were also fans. Admittedly, I skipped the Akabanga on my potato. 

And, drinking out of cans made for a fun little quirky addition to dinner. 

We colored Rwanda in a bright yellow color, to the west of light green Tanzania, the east of dark purple Democratic Republic of the Congo, and south of bright blue Uganda. 

That's 165 down, 31 to go! 

Next Up: Denmark

Paraguay

I want to be all caught up on my country blogs before the new year, and tomorrow we have plans- meaning tonight is it for me. So, I'm going to blur through these next three, though it is a little tricky because Asa is out with Hayden and Calib, and it's just my mom, Peyton, and me watching four dogs who require a lot of attention lately. 

Paraguay is often called South America's 'forgotten' country anyway, so it doesn't need a big old blog, right? There's football (soccer), a huge beef industry, and impassable jungle roads. What more do you need to know? 

Paraguay is at the geographical heart of South America, right there, landlocked, in the middle of the continent. 

But once upon a time, Paraguay extended all the way to the sea. It was a war in 1865-1970 with the triple alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay where Paraguay lost not only much of its terroritory, but also two-thirds of all adult males. 

Back before the war, Paraguay was one of the richest countries in the world. It was the only country to have railway transportation. 

But the war has had long reaching devastating effects. Modern Paraguay is largely based on political uncertainty and economic hardship. Since the 1980's, the country has been trying to make its way to a more modern market economy. 

It has worked for some but the distribution of wealth is wildly unequal in Paraguay with 80% of land held by 2.5% of the population and 161 people controlling 90% of the country’s wealth. It's not uncommon to see horse-drawn carriages traveling the same areas as luxury vehicles. 

Paraguay may seem to be lagging behind a bit, but they are home to one of the seven wonders of the modern world, the Itaipu Dam. While it isn't exclusively theirs (it is located on a river between Brazil and Paraguay and the governments worked together to build it), it is the world's second largest hydro-electric power plant. 

It produces 90% of Paraguay's energy, and it also features a nightly light show and views from the central lookout. 

Paraguay is proud of their Guarani heritage, and besides Spanish Guarani is an official language It's spoken by more than 4.5 million people (out of a population of around 7 million). Guarani is an onomatopoeic language, meaning many of the words sound like what they are describing.

We learned some other fun facts about Paraguay. 

They have a bird, called the bare-throated bellbird that can be heard a mile away! 

Most people lack a doorbell, so when you arrive at someone else's house you have to clap! 

Tea is their favorite drink, specifically yerba mate, which smells like fresh cut grass

A traditional dance includes stacking bottles on your head and dancing around. (Obviously the more bottles you can balance, the more experienced you are). 

Dueling was only outlawed in 1992. (There's a common FALSE fun fact out there that you can still duel if both parties are blood donors, but that's not true). 

And finally, Paraguay has the only flag that is not the same on both sides. They are similar, but one side shows the national coat of arms, the other the seal of the treasury. 

The boys made their postcards. 

Calib's featured clapping instead of ringing doorbells. 

Peyton's featured a lady with bottles on her head. 

And Hayden noted the jaguars that can be found in Paraguay, and the loud bird. 

For Paraguay dinner we had Sopa Paraguaya, a Cheese and Onion Corn Bread. 

We also had Chorizo Hot Dog with Chimichurri Sauce. Asa also made salsa and guacamole, all recommended toppings for the hot dog.  We also had carrots, strawberries and bananas. 

 This dinner earned five spoons up. 

We were all pretty 'meh' on the cornbread. It didn't taste like... anything really. It was bland, bland, bland. But those hot dogs, um, please put chimichurri on my hot dog forever. Like, forever. 

We colored Paraguay in a purple color next to orange Bolivia, pink Brazil and blue Argentina. 

That's 164 down, 32 to go! 

Next Up: Rwanda 

Lebanon

As we whittle down our project, I'm trying to leave at least one country in each region to give us one last 'trip' around the world, meaning Lebanon will be our last country in the middle east for awhile (we have Oman left). 

Lebanon is often called 'God's country on Earth', in part due to the 1500 year old Cedar Trees that is not only featured on the flag, but are believed by many to be 'Cedars of God', planted by God's hands.

 Though the dominant religion in Lebanon is Muslim and Christian, Lebanon is one of the most religiously diverse countries in the middle east. But that has come with its fair share of issues. Between 1975 and 1990, the Christians and Muslims split Beirut and were embroiled in a disastrous Civil War. 

Even today things are still rocky (just look at the 2017 most memorable moments), and as you would expect in a country with violent extremist groups, there us a U.S. Travel Warning, telling all US Citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon. (Sidenote: I do not love the new U.S. Department of State Travel Warnings page). 

Some people, however, say Lebanon can be safe if you're smart about where you go, and for sure stay away from the Syrian boarder (there's even a Wikipedia page about it). 

Despite its troubles, Lebanon has a lot to offer. With its gorgeous green valley, 140 miles of Mediterranean coastline,  and wine regions, Lebonon could be a travelers dream. 

Our landmark sits just off the coast of Beruit. The rock arches, called Pigeon Rocks, are a stunning natural landmark. It's popular in the summer to take boats out around them to have a closer look. 

Lebanon has a rich history. The country, in name at least, is said to be 4,000 years old. (The name Lebanon even appears in the Bible). 

 Egyptian, Greek, Persian, Roman, Arab, Crusader, and Ottoman ruins are scattered throughout the country, and all the important ones are easily accessible. 

And although not much remains, the southern Lebanese coast is where the ancient Phoenician Empire was born (shout out Spaceship Earth, "Remember how easy it was to learn your ABC's? Thank the Phoenicians, they invented them!" 

The Phoenicians were the original people of Lebanon, and their empire rivaled all the best (Greek, Roman, Egyptian), they're also considered the first seafaring people. The word Phoenicia was the ancient name of Lebanon, which translates to 'land of the purple', because the empire was built on the trading of Tyrian purple dye that was squeezed out of a rare sea snail. (If you wore the color purple, you were totally a VIP back then!) 

Byblos, Tyre, Sidon, and the capital Beruit are all among the oldest continuously populated cities in the world. 

Throughout history Lebanon has been occupied by at least 16  different countries. Lebanon in it's current form has only been a country since 1943. 

Lebanon was once known as the 'Paris of the Middle East', not only because of its beauty, but because of its cocktail bards, restaurants, nightclubs and fashionable districts. 

The boys made their Lebanon postcards. 

Calib's featured the ABC's and a boat for the Phoenician Empire. 

Peyton showed off Pigeon Rocks. 

And Hayden drew a cedar tree. 

With a new dog (yes, we adopted another and she is HIGH maintenance -- but getting so much better), I've felt bad for Asa. She was so high strung, she's needed to go running. (Like four miles a day running, which ONE isn't my thing, and TWO, she pulls way too much--- though we are working that). So, basically, Asa is running about four miles a day with her. So, to ask him to make dinner on top of it, just felt like too much. 

But when I found the recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma, I knew he'd be excited. An easy dinner and he'd get to use his beloved instant pot! 

We rounded on the meal with bananas,  authentic Lebanese Tabbouleh, and Batata Harra (Lebanese-spiced potatoes) 

This dinner earned five spoons up. 

We've had Shawarma before, and the boys all really enjoy it. Almost everyone had seconds. But those potatoes, let me tell you, they were some of my favorite potatoes we've had on this journey around the world. And we are at country 163 here people, that's a lot of potatoes. 

We colored Lebanon in red on the Mediterranean, to the west of light blue Syria, and to the north of orange Israel. 

That's 163 down, 33 to go! 

Next Up: Paraguay 

Bulgaria

Bulgaria is often overlooked by its big neighbors Greece and Turkey, but it still offers travelers a unique vacation. From the beaches of the Black Sea to the snow-capped ski slopes, to the sheep yogurt stands and  the Orthodox Monasteries, Bulgaria is a land of hidden treasures. 

Among all the Monasteries, the most famous is the Rila Monastery, which was named after its founder, the hermit of Ivan of Rila. Founded in the 10th century, today it houses 60 monks, but is still a key tourist attraction. 

Outside the monastery looks like a fortress. It contains a library, and was key to preserving the Bulgarian language and culture during the rule of the Ottoman Empire. 

Established in 681 AD, Bulgaria is one of the oldest countries in Europe. So it is no surprise there's a ton of history packed into this country that's about the size of Virginia. It is a country that in form, survived Byzantine and Ottoman rule, the Balkan Wars, and both World Wars. 

It's a country who honors its history. 

They still perform a fire ritual of dancing on hot coals. 

And they still exchange red and white woven bracelets called Martenitsi's on the first of March every year, leaving the bracelet in a tree when they see it come into bloom (a traditional that dates back centuries). 

There are carvings that date back to the 8th century, and the world's oldest gold was found here in 1972. 

It's a country with underrated wine (it's the birthplace of Dionysus!) and great cheese to pair it with. 

But it is also a country full of roses- lots and lots of gorgeous roses. In fact, about 80% of all rose oil (which is used in perfumes) comes from Bulgaria's 'Rose Valley'. You need one million roses to make a liter of essential rose oil. That makes it more valuable than gold. 

There are just over 7 million people living in Bulgaira today, but they are currently experiencing 'negative population growth'. It is said to be the only country in the world to have a smaller population today than it did in 1950. 

The boys made their Bulgaria postcards. 

Calib's featured a guy skiing, because you can do some cheap skiing in the mountains of Bulgaria. 

Peyton made the Rila Monastery and a guy carrying a ton of roses. 

Hayden's featured the wrestler Rusev, because apparently he'd been waiting all year to get to Bulgaria just to put Rusev in his postcard. 

For Bulgaria dinner we took a little help from Trader Joes, who sells 'product of Bulgaria' eggplant garlic spread. They also have the roasted red pepper spread, but we've had that before and enjoyed it, so I decided to give this one a try. (The boys were not so much a fan of the eggplant one, even though they tolerate the red pepper one). 

Bulgaria was held on a braces tightening day for Calib (and he got this crazy bar in the back too- ouch!) So we had to go with something softer, as we do on those days. Enter Mish-Mash, and peaches to round out the Bulgarian breakfast for dinner.  

This dinner earned four spoons up. 

Everyone liked the mish-mash but Hayden, which is a little odd because he is a big feta fan. Whenever he makes himself a salad, he's always asking me if we have any. I guess he just didn't enjoy them in the eggs. 

We colored Bulgaria in the same orange-ish color as Russia, along the coast of the Black Sea. to the north of blue colored Greece, to the east of  red Serbia, and to the south of purple Romania. 

That's 162 down, 34 to go! 

Next Up: Lebanon