TRAVEL
BOOKS (DESCRIPTION OF PLACES)
VISITING
BERLIN
Potsdam is the
Versailles of Berlin, where Frederick the Great once invited Voltaire to
philosophical discourse in his rococo retreat of Sans Souci. Within Berlin
itself, Charlottenburg shows that Prussian princes were as hooked as any
on palatial splendor. The proud equestrian statue of Frederick the Great
rides the range in the stately boulevard of Unter den Linden. Another bold
relic of Prussian power is the Branderburg Gate, built in 1791 as a symbol
of German destiny and topped with a bronze chariot, intended - rather hopefully
in light of later events - to portray the triumph of peace.
In the nineteenth century Berlin boomed into a mega-metropolis and in
1870 became the capital of a united Germany. Its builders were inspired
by Greece and Rome, but nowhere was the dream of antiquity pursued so single-mindedly.
A walk through Mitte reveals a mighty set piece of bombastic urbanism.
On Museum Island you see an astounding array of neo-classical monuments
and Schinkel's masterpiece, the Old museum. Somehow, it seems quite appropriate
that the Pergamon Museum should contain the Processional Way and Ishtar
Gate from Babylon.
Even the barrack-style terraces in the workers' quarter of Kreuzberg were
given the full treatment, at least on the outside. In the suburb of Grunewald
some of the rich villas are miniature palaces, once home of the most affluent
enclave, the old wealth still whispers and you could be on a different planet.
Along the lakeshore naturists sunbathe as if Grunewald were still, quite
literally, their Garden of Eden.
Task
Directions:
Reconstruct the text by filling the gaps using one word only.
Then send to your instructor an e-mail message with the 10 words only. Include
in the subject area of the e-mail the words "Travel books, task1."
BRATISLAVA
Almost unnoticed by 1……. of the world, a new central 2………
slipped onto the international stage a couple of years ago. While attention
was 3….. on the carnage in former Yugoslavia, Slovakia peacefully
split from its former Czech partner to 4…..its place in Europe's community
of nations, showing that nationalism need not be destructive.
Now its capital, Bratislava, is 5….. the path set by its neighbours
Prague and Budapest and is enjoying a similar cultural and culinary renaissance.
At less than an hour's 6……. From nearby Vienna, the border
is open and relaxed. Bratislava offers visitors to Austria a chance 7….
easy reach to sample a different kind of nightlife, more relaxed and slower
- 8……, to the more formal expensive venues offered by
Vienna. A massive restoration project has seen the wonderful Hapsburg architecture
of the city's old town 9………to its 10………..glory.
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