Countries & Cultures of the World, Then & Now, Volume II: The Pacific, Former Soviet Union, & Europe

In this volume the author first takes us to the SOUTH PACIFIC. We begin in the Phillipines. In Fiji we visit many isolated villages on three islands, and enjoy the kava ceremony, their singing and dancing. In Tonga we go to church and learn how mats are made and why they are so important. After Western Samoa we stop in Hawaii, then enjoy Tahiti's Polynesian and French culture. We follow Darwin, looking at the wildlife in the Galapagos Islands. We swim with sharks and dodge barking sea lions. The author criss-crosses New Zealand and Australia, sometimes staying with friends met on a prior trip. Next, the author takes us on three trips through much of the former SOVIET UNION, noting the good and bad points of socialism. We then take a slow trip in a van in 1995 through the three Baltic countries and learn why they were so anxious to become independent. We follow the author through nearly every country in EUROPE, beginning in Greece and Turkey. We learn the history and background of each of the Balkans as we travel through them. Why they have had so many wars? What is their future? Albania is struggling after Hoxha's isolating the country, in an attempt to keep out revisionists. Bulgaria and Romania are trying to change from socialism to capitalism. We continue by land north through parts of the former Yugoslavia, to Poland. We see how some peoples are lost when the blinders of socialism were removed in various countries. After trips to all of the Scandinavian countries we compare East and West Germany. The author has become proficient in German and Italian, and fluent in Spanish and French. He has completed 14 "total immersion" language courses abroad and has lived with many families in Europe. He tells us the history of each of the countries of Europe. He describes in detail the cities and countryside of Germany, Italy, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and nearly all other European countries. The author hiked across England on the Coast To Coast Walk, in Scotland's Highlands, and in Germany's Black Forest and Alps. We visit most of Europe's great museums, many castles, and other tourist sites. The author compares the economics and cultures of the European Union with that of the U.S.A. The author describes many anecdotes with a sense of humor.