(Jonas Numeier, Munich, Germany). Top ten things to see in Germany

1.Brandenburg Gate Located in the city center of Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate was built in 1788 and is Berlin’s most famous landmark. During the Cold War, it was a symbol of German division and is now a national symbol of peace and unity. It drew visitors who used to climb an observation platform to get a quick look of the world behind the iron curtain. 2. The Reichstag Situated north of the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag was built to house the German Parliament of the German Empire in 1894. With its huge glass dome, it is one of Germany’s most visited attractions. In 1933, the building was severely damaged after it was set on fire. The full restoration hasn’t taken place until the German reunification in 1990. 3. Cologne Cathedral It took over 500 years to build this huge Gothic cathedral. It was completed in 1880 and is the most famous religious building in Germany. Its two 515 feet high towers serve as the defining symbol of Cologne’s skyline. 4. Hamburg Port Covering almost 40 square miles, the port of Hamburg is one of the world’s largest cruise ship terminals. It is also known as the Gateway to Germany and is best explored by boat. After taking a boat trip, you should visit harbor side promenade and enjoy the views of Hamburg. 5. Marienplatz in Munich The Marienplatz is the heart of the city of Munich and has been it’s main square since 1158.  The square is surrounded by many historic buildings such as both the old and new town halls of Munich. Both are Gothic Style buildings. The new town hall is famous for its Rathaus-Glockenspiel. Every day at 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. you can enjoy the chimes and the miniature knight show on the front of the town hall’s tower. 6. Church of Our Lady Just 30 minutes from the Marienplatz you can find the world famous Frauenkirche. It’s a Gothic style building which took just 20 years to build, from 1468 to 1488. Most of the church’s interior was destroyed during WW2, but one attraction that survived is the Devil’s footstep. This is a black mark resembling a footprint, which according to legend is where the Devil stood when he laughed at the windowless church that had been built. In Baroque times the altar would hide the one window at the end of the church.

7.Neuschwanstein Castle This fairytale-like castle located in the southwest of Bavaria was built in the 19th century for only one person, Ludwig II, King of Bavaria. More than 1.4 million people visit this castle annually and enjoy the beautiful views. Neuschwanstein was used by Disney to illustrate some of their castles, like the one from Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. 8. English Garden Also located in Munich, the English Garden is a large park in the center of Munich. With an area of 1.4 square miles, it is one of the world’s largest urban parks and even larger than the Central Ppark in New York. The park features a lot of attractions, like a Japanese teahouse, hike trails, many watersport activities and a lot of beer gardens and restaurants. 9. Olympiapark The Olympiapark in Munich was built for the 1972 Summer Olympics. It contains a stadium, many sports halls, a big Olympic tower and an Olympic village. You can do almost anything in this park, from water sports to soccer to tours through the Olympic Stadium, where you can also attend concerts. 10. Bavarian Alps The Bavarian Alps are Germany’s most beautiful areas. It’s the perfect place for hiking in the summer and for skiing in the winter. You’ll find Germany’s tallest mountain, the Zugspitze,there,  rising more than 9,700 feet in the air.

(Silvia Avanzi, Milan, Italy) Italy’s Top 10 Italy is such a beautiful place so it’s hard to find only ten of the most beautiful places. I recommend you to go during summer vacation because everything is better and you can see more stuff. 1 Amalfi coast  The sea is very beautiful, and the panorama as well. It’s in the south of Italy. I recommend you to go to see Amalfi, Capri and Positano, you can also visit other little cities but in my opinion those are the most beautiful. While you driving you can enjoy the view, of course you must be careful at the road. 2 Venice One of the most popular things about Venice is the Venice’s Carnival, I’m pretty sure in America Carnival doesn’t exist, but it’s always on a different day because it’s 40 days before Easter, during those days you should decide to give up on somethings, like don’t eat candy or stuff like that, that is call “fioretto” in Italian; now only old people do it. The Carnival consists of people wearing costumes of every type, like animals or cartoons but Venice is different and is cool. But the Carnival is not the only thing you can see in Venice; Venice is one of the most beautiful places in Italy. When you visit it you should take a gondola ride, it is like a very little boat above the water. Venice city is beautiful as well. Another thing in Venice is the Murano’s glass, it’s like a tradition of the city and it’s homemade.3 Rome Rome and Venice, are the most romantic Italian cities. Rome is the capital of Italy. It is also full of historical places like the Colosseum, St. Peter’s Basilica, Pantheon, Vatican Museums and Trevi Fountain. Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain are my favorite. When you go to the Trevi Fountain you have to throw in the fountain some coins and make a wish, it’s a tradition. 4 Naples Is where pizza was born, so if you go to Naples you must eat the real pizza. It’s a city in the southern part of Italy, near Mount Vesuvius, the still active volcano that destroyed Pompeii. You can visit; Mount Vesuvius, Naple National Archaeological, Castel Nuovo, a lot of beautiful churches and also the sea. One bad thing about Naples is that is not a clean city and also not safe. 5 Lago di Braies
Is a lake in the Prags Dolomites in South Tyrol. In the north of Italy there are some lakes, I live near Garda lake and is one of the most beautiful lakes in Italy, but in my opinion this is much better. 6 Cinque Terre  Is a string of centuries-old seaside villages on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline. In each of five towns, colorful houses and vineyards cling to steep terraces, harbors are filled with fishing boats and trattorias turn out along with the Liguria region’s famous sauce, pesto. 7 Florence Is home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. There are a lot of beautiful things to see, like Uffizi Gallery, Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Piazza della Signoria, Piazzale Michelangelo. 8 Milan Is a global capital of fashion and design, I love shopping in Milan. The most popular stuff to see is: Duomo di Milano, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. 9 Puglia Actually, it is not one of the most beautiful places to go, you can find better but since I was a child my family and I spent our vacation here, so is one of my favorite places in Italy, if feels like home. We always go to Peschici, a little town. But you can find cool stuff to see like: Alberobello, Tremiti’s Island, the Salento that includes Lecce, Otranto and Gallipoli (is where teenagers go to have fun), Santa Maria di Leuca and Castellana caves 10 Garda Lake In northern Italy, it’s the largest lake in Italy and known for its crystal water. And where I live, I always hang out here with my friends. There are some pretty cities like Limone sul Garda, Salo (where I go with my friends), Desenzano del Garda, Riva del Garda, Sirmione. You can also go to Rocca di Manerba and see the all the like from the top and I recommend you to wait for the sunset.

(Hannah Pippila, Helsinki, Finland) 10 Places to visit in Finland 1. Helsinki is the capital of Finland and definitely a place worth seeing. Helsinki has many places to visit and see on the mainland as well as on the islands like museums, churches and parks. The buildings have a very classic scandinavian style and the city is very beautiful especially in the summer. Renting a bike or an electric scooter is a good way to see and enjoy the city. 2. Suomenlinna, The fortress of Sveaborg was built in the late 1700’s to work as a military base, located in four southern islands of Helsinki. It is a beautiful place to visit in the summer and go see the museums, ruins and the buildings and have a picnic at the beach and learn about the history of Finland. 3. Lapland: If you prefer seeing snow instead of the sea, Lapland is the place to go to. You can go see Santa Claus Village where you can go visit Santa Claus during the Christmas season. You can also take a sleigh ride on huskies or reindeer to see the snowy views of Lapland. Lapland may be one of the most beautiful places in the world because of the clean nature. Lapland has the world’s cleanest air and Finnish people in general respect nature a lot. 4. Northern lights: A night in a glass igloo watching the northern lights in Lapland is an experience everyone should get to see. 5. Levi is the largest ski resort in Finland located in Lapland. It is the perfect place for people who love skiing with gorgeous nature and want to experience Finnish culture. Going to a sauna after a long day of skiing is the best way to enjoy Levi. 6. The SnowCastle of Kemi is a hotel made from ice and snow in Lapland. It is built every winter and you can go visit it and have dinner or even stay a night if you want the extreme experience. It is definitely worth seeing if you happen to visit Finland because I think it is quite unique. 7. Porvoo is a beautiful old city about 45 minutes to the East from Helsinki. It is known from the wooden colorful buildings in the old town and it is a great city to go see for a day visiting the different buildings, museums and cafes. 8. Turku is a riverfront city with interesting history and amazing architecture like the Turku cathedral. During the summer Turku has amazing festivals like Ruisrock which is the biggest festival in Finland. Turku has the Aura river going through the whole city which makes the city very beautiful with the buildings gathering around it. 9. The Åland Islands is a big group of islands on the west coast of Finland. Because of the islands’ history native Ålanders only speak swedish, the place even has its own flag and is in general very autonomous. Ålands capital city Marienhamn has a population of only about 11,000 people, but the people are all very happy and welcoming. Åland is full of old wooden buildings that make the islands beautiful. 10. Lemmenjoki National Park is the biggest national park in Finland located in Northern Finland. It has lots of beautiful rapids and lakes surrounding the forest that you can go take tours on a boat. If you want to see many wild animals like wolves, moose and bears this park is definitely the place to go to.