In the largest town in Caerphilly County, South Wales

 "To be born in Wales ... with music in your blood and with poetry in your soul, is a privilege indeed."

-- Brian Harris
==================================================================
(in South Wales) Caerphilly (Welsh: Caerffili), the largest town in Caerphilly County, it lies within the historic borders of Glamorgan. Tradition has it that a monastery was built here by St Cenydd, a 6th-century Christian hermit from the area's Gower Peninsula. The Welsh cantref in the medieval period was known as Senghenydd. Around 75 BCE, a fort was built by the Romans, who occupied it until the mid-2nd century.
+ Following the Norman invasion of Wales in the late 11th century, the area of Sengenhydd remained in Welsh hands. By the middle of the 12th century, it was under the control of the Welsh chieftain Ifor Bach. His grandson Gruffydd ap Rhys was the final Welsh lord of Sengenhydd. In 1267 Henry III recognized Llywelyn ap Gruffudd as Prince of Wales, and by September 1268, Llywelyn had secured northern Sengenhydd. Gilbert de Clare had begun to consolidate his own territorial gains, starting the construction of Caerphilly CastleShown here) in 1268. The castle, which served as a buffer against Llewelyn's territorial ambitions, was attacked by the Prince of Wales' forces before construction was halted in 1270; it was restarted again in 1271 and continued under the Red Earl's son, Gilbert de Clare, the 8th Earl of Gloucester. Caerphilly Castle, the 2nd largest in Britain, remains an example of 13th century military architecture and is the second largest in Britain.

+The original town of Caerphilly grew as a settlement south of the castle by De Clare. After the death of Gilbert de Clare in 1314, Edward II became guardian of his three sisters and heiresses. In 1315 he replaced de Badlesmere with a new English administrator, who persecuted the people of Glamorgan. Then, the region suffered from a serious famine.

+ Llywelyn Bren, the great-grandson of Ifor Bach and Welsh Lord of Senghenydd, later incurred the wrath of de Turberville, who charged him with sedition. Llywelyn appealed to Edward II to control his agent, but was ordered to appear before Parliament to face the charge of treason. Llywelyn fled and prepared for war. On 28 January 1316, Llywelyn began an an attack on Caerphilly Castle. He captured the constable outside the castle, but could not break into its inner defences. His forces burned the town and started a siege.
+ At the beginning of the 15th century the castle was again attacked, this time by Owain Glyndŵr, who took control of it in the early 1400s. Repairs to the castle continued until at least 1430. A century later the the castle in ruins with a single tower being used as a prison. In the mid-16th century the 2nd Earl of Pembroke used the castle as a manorial court, but in 1583 the castle was leased to Thomas Lewis, who removed stonework to build his nearby manor, the Van. The Lewis family left the manor in the mid-18th century when they purchased St Fagans Castle.

In the town of Donegal, in the northwest corner of of Ireland

 "When your location is a snowy mountain in the winter, the obstacles are pretty extreme." -- Travis Rice

===================================================================
(in the northwest corner of Ireland) Donegal is the island's northernmost county. In terms of size and area, it is the largest county in Ulster and the fourth-largest county in all of Ireland. Uniquely, County Donegal shares a small border with only one other county in the Republic of Ireland – County Leitrim. The vast majority of its land border is shared with three counties of Northern Ireland: County Tyrone, County Londonderry, and County Fermanagh. This geographic isolation from the rest of the Republic has led to Donegal people maintaining a distinct cultural identity and has been used to market the county with the slogan "Up here it's different". While Lifford is the county town, Letterkenny is the largest town in the county.

+ Donegal’s population is concentrated largely along the coasts and river valleys. The main towns are Donegal, Buncrana, Ballyshannon, and Letterkenny. The Foyle and Finn basins are intensively cultivated, but the rugged western seaboard is unsuitable for cultivation. Agriculture consists of tillage and the raising of cattle, sheep, and poultry; the chief crops are oats and potatoes. Killybegs on the southwest coast is the main fishing port and a fish-processing centre. Salmon are caught in the Rivers Finn, Foyle, Erne, and Gweebarra. With the county’s scenery and its many beaches and golf courses, tourism is important. In west Donegal, which remains an Irish- (Gaelic-) speaking region, woolen garments are made by hand, and Donegal tweeds are woven at Convoy. The county has light industry. Modern railway lines no longer serve Donegal, though railway enthusiasts in the county maintain a railway heritage center.

+ The name Donegal was extended from the town to the county, which was made a shire in 1585. The ancient name was Tyrconnell (“Land of Conall”). Conall, with his brother Eoghan, conquered northwestern Ulster in approximately 400 CE and founded the kingdom of Ailech; its capital was at the concentric stone fortress known as the Grianan of Ailech on a hill west of Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Eoghan took Tyrone and Inishowen for his share, and his descendants, the O’Neills, ruled central Ulster. Conall took Tyrconnell, which his descendants, the O’Donnells, ruled. The remoteness of these areas enabled them to escape serious interference from the Anglo-Normans. Following the defeat of the Irish cause in 1603, however, Hugh O’Neill and Rory O’Donnell took flight secretly to the European continent in 1607. The county was immediately included in the plan for the plantation of Ulster, and its history thereafter merged with that of Ireland.

In the port city of Glasgow, on the River Clyde in Scotland

 With a disarming blend of sophistication and earthiness, Scotland's biggest city has evolved over the last couple of decades to become one of Britain's most intriguing metropolises.

===================================================================
(in west-central Scotland) As Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow is famed for its culture, shopping, and people. Spend your day exploring a wide range of fascinating free museums and galleries, enjoying the UK’s best shopping outside of London, and taking advantage of tips from friendly local people on the city’s hidden gems -- then choose from 130+ weekly musical events for a special night out. Glasgow is also the perfect base for exploring more of Scotland, with great connections to the Highlands and the islands.

+ Glasgow is well known for its rich heritage and welcoming people. The only city with an underground railway station in the country, the place is home to major businesses in the country making it a financial hub. Not to mention the sporty side of the city (it hosted the 2014 commonwealth games which attracted sports lovers from all over the world and are now considered a major hub for football enthusiasts.) It won’t come as a surprise to most people that Glasgow is quite a popular tourist destination. It’s a lively, exciting city like no other, and there’s always something new to see or do. This city is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the UK. It has a rich history, beautiful architecture, and some of the best pubs in the world. Some of the common family-friendly destinations include RSPB Lochwinnoch Nature Reserve, lush green Barshaw Park, and the exotic wildlife of Clyde Muirshiel.

+ This port city on the River Clyde in Scotland’s western Lowlands is famed for its Victorian and art nouveau architecture. Its presence is pure proof of the rich legacy of the city’s 18th–20th-century prosperity due to trade and shipbuilding. With the years passing and the world evolving, Glasgow has now become home to some of Scotland’s best cultural attractions, set to entertain its visitors.

+ Glasgow grew from a small rural settlement close to Glasgow Cathedral and descending to the River Clyde to become the largest seaport in Scotland, and the tenth largest by tonnage in Britain. Expanding from the medieval bishopric and episcopal burgh (subsequently royal burgh), and the later establishment of the University of Glasgow in the 15th century, it became a major center of the Scottish Enlightenment in the 18th century. From the 18th century onwards, the city also grew as one of Britain's main hubs of oceanic trade with North America and the West Indies; soon followed by the Orient, India, and China. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution, the population and economy of Glasgow and the surrounding region expanded rapidly -- to become one of the world's pre-eminent centers of chemicals, textiles, and the engineering.industry.

In the charming village of Grindelwald, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland

 Switzerland is a small, steep country, much more up and down than sideways, and is all stuck over with large brown hotels built on the cuckoo clock style of architecture. -- Ernest Hemingway

===================================================================
(in the canton of Berne in south-central Switzerland) Grindelwald, a beautiful holiday destination, is a charming village in the Bernese Oberland, surrounded by majestic mountains and glaciers. It is a paradise for nature lovers, skiers, and hikers. Grindelwald is also a historic destination, where the English explorers and mountaineers first discovered the beauty of the Alps in the 18th century. You can visit the Alpine Museum, the Glacier Gorge, or the Jungfraujoch (the highest railway station in Europe).

+ Grindelwald is a marvelous place to experience the Swiss culture, cuisine, and hospitality in a breathtaking setting. This mountain village is embedded in a unique Alpine landscape at the foot of the Eiger north face. It is the diversity of the glacier village that makes it so attractive. Eiger village is a great starting point for the best excursions to the Jungfrau region, such as Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe, First, Kleine Scheidegg, Männlichen, or Pfingstegg.

+ This village is a monumental wall of rock that inspires and intimidates in equal measure. Grindelwald’s Alpine pastures are idyllic and cable-cars make it easy to hit the trails for scenic mountain lookouts, the Grindelwald Glacier, and lakes. When decked with snow, this landscape serves up dozens of ski trails and sledging runs. Its sublime natural assets are indeed film-set stuff; the chiselled features of the Eiger's north face, the glinting tongues of Oberer and Unterer Glaciers and the crown-like peak of Wetterhorn will make visitors stare and swoon.

+ Skiers and hikers were attracted to its charms in the late 19th century, which makes it one of Switzerland’s oldest resorts -- and it has lost none of its appeal over the decades, with geranium-studded Alpine chalets and verdant pastures set against an Oscar-worthy backdrop.

+ A fine example of a Swiss ski resort, Grindelwald has slopes for all experience levels, plus plenty of snowy activities for those who don’t ski, such as sledding, hiking, or snowshoeing. (After a long day, nothing is better than lingering over a pot of Swiss fondue and a glass of crisp wine, as they plan the next day’s adventures.)

+ The village is scattered on the slopes of the Lütschine Valley (Lütschental), part of the Grindelwald Valley in the Bernese Oberland (highland), southeast of Interlaken. The Grindelwald Valley is shut in on the south by the Wetterhorn, Mettenberg, and Eiger (peaks rising above 10,000 feet (3,050 meters), between which are two famous ice streams—the Upper and Lower Grindelwald glaciers. On the north it is sheltered by the Faulhorn range; on the east is the Grosse Scheidegg Pass, and on the southwest are the Kleine Scheidegg and Wengernalp (crossed by a railway), dividing it from Lauterbrunnen.

In the city of Graz, southeastern Austria

 “At the Winter Solstice, the wind is cold, trees are bare, and all lies in stillness beneath blankets of snow.”

— Gary Zukav
====================================================================
(in southeastern Austria). Graz, this country's second-largest city (after Vienna), is its most relaxed and an instant heart-stealer, with abundant parkland, a sea of red rooftops, and a narrow rivergushing through its center. A beautiful bluff -- connected to the center by steps, a funicular, and a glass lift -- is the city's signature attribute. there is a youthful energy here, with several modern buildings, a vibrant arts scene, and an upbeat, student-fuelled nightlife. This extends to both sides of the Mur River.
+ Graz is known as a college and university city, with four colleges and four universities. Combined, the city is home to more than 60,000 students. Its historic Altstadt (Old town) is one of the best-preserved city centers in Central Europe. In 1999, the city's historic center was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites and in 2010 the designation was expanded to include Eggenberg Palace on the western edge of the city.

+ Graz lies between the Styrian Alps and a wide, fertile basin, the Grazerfeld, about 95 miles (155 km) south-southwest of Vienna. In the 9th century there was something of a fortress on the Schlossberg (Castle Hill), a rocky cone (470 meters high) that dominates the city. The name Graz is derived from gradec, a Slavic word meaning a "small fortress.” First mentioned around 1128–29, it received town rights about 1240 and became the center of Steiermark (Styria) during the Middle Ages and the residence of the Leopoldine Habsburgs after 1379. Its fortifications, built in the 15th–16th centuries, withstood numerous sieges by the Hungarians and the Turks. Protestantism was established in Graz about 1530 and flourished until oppressive measures by the archduke Karl of Inner Austria (Styria, Carinthia, Carniola) restored the authority of Rome. During the Napoleonic Wars, Graz was held by the French in 1797, 1805, and 1809. A trade center in the 17th and 18th centuries, it developed rapidly in the 19th century due to the interest of the archduke Johann, and was constituted a city in 1850.

+ The Schlossberg fortifications were blown up by the French in 1809, and the site was laid out with parks after 1839. The old clock tower (shown here) and the belfry (1588) survive as prominent landmarks. The most notable buildings in the city include the Renaissance Landhaus (the meetinghouse of the Styrian estates), the armoury, the Town Hall, the 11th-century castle (now used as government offices), St. Aegidius Cathedral, and the adjacent mausoleum of Ferdinand II (a native of Graz and Holy Roman emperor (from 1619–37).

+ Graz is home to many museums, including the Joanneum Provincial Museum (Steiermärkisches Landesmuseum Joanneum), founded in 1811 by the archduke Johann. The Kunsthaus (“Art Gallery”) is devoted to bodybuilder, actor, and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger (a native of Graz).

In the city of Kaiserslautern, southwest Germany

 In the late 1940s, the Kaiserslautern area became the largest U.S. garrison outside the United States (known as the Kaiserslautern Military Community).

==================================================================
(in southwest Germany's state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest.) In Kaiserslautern, the summers are comfortable and partly cloudy and the winters are very cold, snowy, windy, and mostly cloudy.

Kaiserslautern is a scenic city in the wooded hills of the Palatinate Forest. This landscape had been a royal estate since the days of Charlemagne, and the “Kaiser” in the city’s name comes from the Holy Roman Emperors Frederick I (Barbarossa) and Rudolf I, who resided here in the 12th and 13th centuries.

+ The city is home to Ramstein Air Base, one of the largest U.S. overseas military installations and the headquarters of U.S. air forces in Europe. Several of the city’s old buildings survive despite severe damage in World War II.

+ The cultural heart of the western Palatinate, Kaiserslautern has a variety of schools and museums. The university in the city was founded in 1970 as part of the Trier-Kaiserslautern University joint campus, which became autonomous in 1975. In the year 2000, K-Town (as Kaiserslautern is affectionately known by those of us who spent a good bit of time here) hosted the inaugural Rhineland-Palatinate garden show, thus conceiving a magical themed park, with dinosaurs and a genuine Japanese garden. For culture the Pfalzgalerie is replete with high-profile Impressionist, Expressionist, and contemporary German works.

+ The historic center of Kaiserslutern dates to the 9th century. It is 459 km (285 mi.) from Paris, 117 km (73 mi.) from Frankfurt am Main, 666 km (414 mi.) from Berlin, and 159 km (99 mi.) from Luxembourg.

+ Kaiserslautern is now home to about 100,000 people. Additionally, some 45,000 NATO military personnel are still based in the city and its surrounding district (Landkreis Kaiserslautern), contributing approximately US$1 billion annually to the local economy.

+ In World War II, Allied bombing destroyed more than 85% of this city. The railway and several main roads were primary targets, with the heaviest attacks occurring on 7 January 11 August, and 28 September 1944. On 20 March 1945, as the last of the 1st Army crossed the Rhine river at Remagen, the U.S. 80th Division, 319th Infantry, part of the 3rd US Army, seized Kaiserslautern without resistance. The city became part of the French occupation zone after the war. The establishment of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate was ordered on 30 August 1946 as the last state in the western occupation zones by ordinance No. 57 of the French military government under General Marie-Pierre Kœnig. Little reconstruction took place until the currency reform of 1948. The pace of the economy remained slow until 1952, when construction for newly established garrisons of American troops brought economic growth to the area.

In the city of Heidelberg, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg

 "I heard a Californian student in Heidelberg say, in one of his calmest moods, that he would rather decline two drinks rather than one German adjective."

-- Mark Twain
====================================================================
(in the German state of Baden-Württemberg on the Neckar River) Heidelberg is is one of southern Germany’s most charming destinations. Frequented by writers and intellectuals in the 19th century, overlooked by a 13th century castle, and home to Germany’s oldest university, Heidelberg is a great place to visit any time of the year. (Winter, is a magical time in this romantic city.)

+ The city is part of the densely populated Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region. Heidelberg University, founded in 1386, is Germany's oldest and one of Europe's most reputable universities. The city is a scientific hub in Germany and home to several internationally renowned research facilities adjacent to its university, including the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and four Max Planck Institutes. The city has also been a hub for the arts, especially literature, throughout the centuries.

+ Heidelberg was a seat of government of the former Electorate of the Palatinate and is a popular tourist destination due to its romantic cityscape.

+Heidelberg is located on the eastern edge of the Upper Rhine Plain, at the place where the river Neckar leaves its narrow valley through the Odenwald mountains and begins the last leg of its journey across the plain towards Mannheim, where it merges into the Rhine River. It was devastated in 1622 during the Thirty Years’ War and almost completely destroyed by the French in 1689 and 1693, so most of its important buildings are in the Baroque architectural style rather than Gothic medieval.

+ Although Heidelberg remains primarily a university and residential city, it has also developed a significant industrial base. The main business, however, is the tourist trade; several million people visit the imposing Heidelberg Castle every year. Although devastated by the French in 1689 and 1693 and then struck by lightning in 1764, this magnificent red sandstone structure still dominates the city. Though construction began in the 13th century, the most notable work was done in the Renaissance and includes the Otto-Heinrichsbau and Friedrichsbau. In the cellar of the Friedrichsbau is the Heidelberg Tun, an enormous wine cask with a capacity of 49,000 gallons (185,500 liters). The castle can be reached from the lower city by a cable railway, which continues to the summit of the Königsstuhl (massif). The only other buildings to escape razing in 1693 were the Heiliggeistkirche (Holy Ghost Church), the Marstall (formerly the Royal Mews), and the Knight’s House. Other landmarks include the Old (or Karl-Theodor) Bridge, the Town Hall, and the Jesuitenkirche.

+ The Philosophenweg (Philosopher’s Way), a path that overlooks Heidelberg’s Old Town from the north side of the Neckar; it takes its name from the university professors who found the view conducive to intellectual pursuits.