The Lincoln Memorial & The Battle of Gettysburg

 

The Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC. A fitting memorial for the great man. Sit on the steps & reflect on his achievements, whilst looking across National Mall. Perfect late in the day. Washington DC is easy to visit if you are travelling by train from New York City like I was - Penn Station is in the heart of Manhattan & the train station in DC is opposite the Capitol Building!

The South couldn't win the American Civil War or 'War of Succession' as the South called it, right? Not so fast, Lincoln was not politically popular at the time before the Battle of Gettysburg. You have to remember war is a political act for a political purpose. If the North had suffered a big defeat in General Lee's campaign in the North then it could have dramatically changed the result of the upcoming election. That was the aim of the strategy. This is a great presentation by historian Steve Knott on the lead up to the Battle of Gettysburg at the US Army War College (above). 

I would love to visit Gettysburg, because I studied American history, and I've read so much about the campaign. Maybe on my next trip to the United States. 

SURPRISING cultural differences between ICELAND and AMERICA

I have not been to Iceland yet, but its definitely on my list to do. Maybe next year. In many ways Iceland as described in Hfarna's video is similar to the Nordic countries I have visited - Finland, Sweden & Norway. However, you can buy beer in the supermarket, but for spirits you have to go to the special government owned shop. I understand that this was to curb alcohol abuse.

I hate carpet, and yes it is true, that most Nordic homes have wood floors, not carpet like in many homes in the Anglo-Sphere. Although this is slowly changing with many people installing timber flooring in my home country Australia. You take your shoes off at the door in every Nordic country I visited.

Nudity - I had a German girlfriend who grew up in a nudist family, which is quite common in Germany. In Finland you are generally nude in the sauna, however I've been told it is mainly segregated unless you are with close friends. The Finns have a saying, "everyone is equal in the sauna." In general, we in the Anglo-Sphere have more of a problem with nudity.

Hfarna raised the fact that in Iceland everybody, including teachers, are called by their first name. This is the same in Finland too. In Australia we have to call them by their title. Nordic countries are probably more committed to the concept of equality.

In conclusion, I like Hfarna's videos and her take on the differences between Iceland and the United States. I really like Nordic countries and their practical way of dealing with life. I think we can learn a lot from Nordic countries.

What did you find interesting from the video?

You Know You're Dating a Finnish Woman When...

Haha, this is funny, but kinda true. Nordics have a different idea of dating, and like most things they do its very practical.

#WorldEconomicForum Iceland will reopen to tourists next month. �� Read ...

Wow, this is really smart by Iceland. By testing every tourist & using the Contact & Trace APP this will avoid every tourist having to quarantine for 14 days like most countries, and therefore increase tourism to their country.

I really like Nordic countries, because they are just so practical in so many things. The rest of the world have so much to learn from them.