Benin, or Republique du Benin, lies in West Africa. Prior to 1990 Benin was called Dahomey, a kingdom comprised of several ethnic groups from the Abomey plain. The Republic of Benin is bordered by Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Niger. Benin is one of Africa’s strongest democracies. Europeans began arriving in Dahomey in the 18th century. The Portuguese, French, and Dutch established trading posts along the coast and traded weapons for slaves. This region was known as the Slave Coast because of the numerous slaves that were shipped to the Americas. Today, a majority of the population live on the Bight of Benin, the southern coastline. The official language of Benin is French as it was France that governed the area beginning 1872. However, many of the indigenous languages are still spoken. Benin was called French Dahomey until 1960 when the region gained full independence from France. French Dahomey was... Read the Rest →
Benin, or Republique du Benin, lies in West Africa. Prior to 1990 Benin was called Dahomey, a kingdom comprised of several ethnic groups from the Abomey plain. The Republic of Benin is bordered by Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Niger. Benin is one of Africa’s strongest democracies. Europeans began arriving in Dahomey in the 18th century. The Portuguese, French, and Dutch established trading posts along the coast and traded weapons for slaves. This region was known as the Slave Coast because of the numerous slaves that were shipped to the Americas. Today, a majority of the population live on the Bight of Benin, the southern coastline. The official language of Benin is French as it was France that governed the area beginning 1872. However, many of the indigenous languages are still spoken. Benin was called French Dahomey until 1960 when the region gained full independence from France. French Dahomey was... Read the Rest →
Belize lies on the eastern or Caribbean coast of Central America and is bordered by Mexico to the north and (partly) to the west. The remainder of the west and the south of Belize is bordered by Guatemala. Belize is the least populated country in Central America. Belize is a diverse society that was the only nation in the region with a British colonial heritage that also has cultural ties to the Caribbean and Latin American countries. Territorial disputes between the United Kingdom and Guatemala held up Belize’s independence until 1981. The history of Belize predates European influence as it was originally populated by the Amerindians (Caribs, Arawaks and Mayas). Mayan civilization spread from the Yucatan Peninsula, to the north, down to Belize. Mayan civilization flourish in Belize from around 200-800AD and begins to decline in the late 800’s to 1000AD. The first Europeans arrived in 1511 when shipwrecked Spanish... Read the Rest →
We have reached Belgium on our “Tastily Touring” adventure. You can’t say the word “Belgium” without thinking chocolate. And, in light of the current issue of Food network magazine, “The Chocolate Issue”, we could not have “landed” in Belgium at a better time. But, before we become consumed in chocolate talk, let’s learn a little about Belgium. In 1830 The Kingdom of Belgium became independent from the Netherlands. It was occupied by Germany during World War l and World War ll. Belgium is a founding member of the European Union and a member of NATO. Located in Western Europe and bordered by Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea, Belgium is at a European crossroad and could be considered a European melting pot. Belgium derives its name from the Belgae, a Celtic tribe and during the past two millennia has been influenced by cultures: Roman, Germanic, French, Dutch, Spanish... Read the Rest →
There is no more dramatic a condition than that of war. War is the antithesis to love which makes war the most extreme backdrop for a love story. We are in awe of the struggle for the very thing that keeps us human and sane during a time that pushes humans to their breaking point. Sometimes love prevails and cushions the harsh realities of war and at other times it succumbs. In either instance, when we read a book or watch a movie, we will cry. We cry when love succeeds through the strength of the individuals and we cry when it cannot endure, when the price of love is too high. After a small survey of coworkers and friends we found that some of the most popular love stories set during wartime are: Atonement, From Hear to Eternity, Gone with the Wind, Dr. Zhivago, The English Patient, Pearl Harbor,... Read the Rest →
Belarus, once under the government of the USSR, gained its independence in 1991. Currently bordered by Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, The Republic of Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. Belarus is among 15 countries that were once a part of the USSR and are now a Newly Independent States (NIS). However, Belarus has maintained a close relation with Russia unlike any of the other countries formerly a part of the USSR. Belarus shares a long and rich history with the many other countries in Eastern Europe. Inhabited since prehistoric times the first record of permanent settlements dates back to the 6th century AD. Ruled by the princes of Kiev, Mongols, Lithuanians, Poles and Muscovites, Belarus finally came under Russian control under the rule of Catherine the Great in 1772. It wasn’t until the dissolution of the Soviet Union that Belarus finally became independent. Alexander Lukashenko has... Read the Rest →
Having researched a few Caribbean Islands since we began Tastily Touring (previously Worldly Wednesday) we have discovered that the Arawak Indians were the original inhabitants of many Caribbean Islands. Around 1200 the Caribs, coming from Venezuela, conquered the Arawak population on the island of Barbados. By the 1500’s the island of Barbados would be uninhabited due to frequent slave trading raids led by the Spanish. The Caribs were either taken as slaves or fled to other islands. The island of Barbados is located most easterly of the Caribbean Island chain, northeast of Venezuela. Barbados gets its name from the Portuguese as they sailed to Brazil. Los Barbados, or bearded-ones, was chosen by the Portuguese explorer Pedro a Campos. The island had many fig trees, which had a beard-like appearance. Despite the frequent visits by the Spanish, Barbados was first settled by the British in 1627. On May 14th 1625 Captain... Read the Rest →
Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 when Bengali East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan. Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma. Bangladesh has a population of about 140 million, making it one of the densely populated countries of the world. The According to the Bangladesh ministry of Foreign Affairs, the majority (about 88%) of the people are Muslim. Over 98% of the people speak in Bangla. English however is widely spoken. Bangladesh is in the low-lying Ganges–Brahmaputra River Delta or Ganges Delta. This delta is formed by the confluence of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers and their tributaries. The soil deposited by these rivers has created some of the most fertile plains in the world. Most parts of Bangladesh are less than about 40 feet above the sea level,... Read the Rest →
Bahrain, or the Kingdom of Bahrain, its official name is a rather small island state in the Persian Gulf, just north of Qatar. Bahrain is an archipelago of 36 islands located off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. The four main islands are joined by causeways. In Arabic, bahrayn is the dual form of bahr (“sea”), so al-Bahrayn means “the Two Seas”.The official language is Arabic, but English is very widely spoken and is the principal language of commerce. According to the US Department of State Bahrain is one of the most densely populated countries in the world; about 89% of the population lives in the two principal cities of Manama and Al Muharraq. Approximately 66% of the indigenous population is originally from the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. When looking up the culture at Bahrain Tourism it was very interesting to note that after clicking on the tab “About Bahrain”... Read the Rest →
Imagine warm, soft sandy beaches, a slow, relaxing breeze blowing through the coconut palms and the soft lapping sound of the translucent aquamarine waters glistening under the sun. Then you hear, in the distance, a deep, rich voice crying out, “Coconuts!” A smiling face approaches as you open your eyes and ponder the thought of eating a fresh coconut, opened in front of you. Nothing can replace the experience of enjoying this tropical treat in its purest form as you rest in a tropical paradise. But, you can enjoy the next best thing, coconut candy (recipe below). Coconuts are an iconic island food. We love fancy, tropical drinks in coconut shells, we think of the islands when we see or eat coconut. You will find coconuts to be readily available for consumption on any of the 30 inhabited, out of the 700 Islands OF the Bahamas. Spanish explorers introduced the... Read the Rest →
The maps I gazed at during geography class, before the collapse of the Soviet Union looked a lot different than the ones my children use. The USSR was such a huge part of how I viewed the world. The map of my childhood is no longer. Once part of the Soviet Union the Baltic States consider themselves to have resumed their pre–World War II sovereignty upon their separation from the Soviet Union. And, now there are at least 15 post soviet states in the world. These are 15 independent states that seceded from the USSR and they are known at the FSU (Former Soviet Union) or NIS (Newly Independent States. One of those countries is Azerbaijan and like Armenia (which is a post soviet country) they are located in the Caucasus. The Caucasus Mountains give the name to the region known as the Caucasus. The mountain range between the Black... Read the Rest →
When asking friends what first popped into their minds when they thought about Austria was nothing short of the typical American response. One friend began singing,”The hills are alive with the sound of music….With songs they have sung for a thousand years!” Hmmm. I asked them to give me another image that popped into their minds. Another friend replied, “Edelweiss.” Then she broke out into song, “Edelweiss, Edelweiss, every morning you greet me. Small and white, clean and bright you look happy to meet me.” I had no idea my friends were such Sound of Music aficionados. The conversation continued and it was generally agreed that the following images were, to us, Austria. (I’d like to add that none of us has ever traveled to this beautiful country.): Alps, edelweiss, pastries, sausages, Arnold Schwarzenegger and classical music. It will be my great pleasure to visit Austria this summer when I... Read the Rest →
