A Holiday To Remember Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hyde Park

Hyde Park is in the centre of London and it is a famous area for many rock concerts. In 1536 Henry VIII procured the manor of Hyde and used it as a deer and hunting park. The park was eventually opened to the public in 1637 and it is considered to be one of the largest parks in London.

The Serpentine river divides the land where Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park are situated. Activities such as cycling, jogging, rollerblading, horse riding, nature studies etc. are seen in these areas. I bumped into Nicole Kidman who was jogging at the time and I happily took many snaps of her and the Queen's horses who were trotting past as well.

Answer: Burial

Stonehenge is in Wiltshire's Salisbury Plains. It is a circular looking structure composed of very large stones carved from sandstone, dolerite, rhyolite and volcanic ash. Scholars and scientists are still debating how and why these stones have been brought to this area from as far away as Wales and many believe it is a religious site.

The mounds that you can see around the stones and further afield have been discovered to be burial sites where the remains of hundreds of cremated bodies were buried.

Answer: France

In 1986 Britain and France discussed the need for a rail tunnel that would provide a cross-Channel link between them. The very fast train called the Eurostar, which can travel at speeds of 300 kilometres per hour, was built to accommodate passengers who wished to travel between the two countries. Brussels is also a destination of the Eurostar and it has been in operation since 1994.

In the future, new destinations will be introduced to make travel quicker and easier.

Answer: Both of these

The Red Light District is also called Rossebuurt by the locals and it is an area where prostitutes are legally able to work. In October 2000, prostitutes were allowed to showcase themselves and work all over Holland provided that they paid taxes. Brothels, sex shops, museums and many restaurants can all been seen in this area, which is considered to be one of the safest places in Amsterdam, due to the many police and personal body guards employed by the women.

The Red Light District is a popular and beautiful place for tourists to visit, with its many canals and 14th century architecture.

Answer: Polder

In about 8AD the Frisian people (Germanic people) first settled in the Netherlands. They wanted to reclaim land from the North Sea, so they built terpens which were the first dykes built which would hold back the sea. A dyke is an area of land that is built up over time, that is higher than the sea level and which will keep the sea water away from fertile land.

This area of land is called a polder and in the 1200s windmills were used to pump the excess water from this area. Nowadays the windmills have been replaced by electric or diesel pumps.

Answer: Zlotys

The Polish community uses currency called zlotys which come in the form of 200,100,50,20 and 10 zloty notes and 1,2 and 5 zloty coins. One zloty equals 100 groszy which come in 1,2,5,10,20 and 50 groszy coins. The shops, trams, bars and public toilets would not exchange our larger notes so we had to make sure we had plenty of small coins.

Whilst visiting one of the many squares in Poland we came across a movie set where extras were needed to walk past two young actors. Of course I couldn't resist and so I joined in and became part of the action.

Answer: All of these

The Czech Republic is surrounded by Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland. It has about 10 million people and its capital city is Prague, which has nearly 1.5 million inhabitants (2008). Prague has a rich cultural heritage and unique architectural styles such as Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque to name a few. Mozart was a regular visitor to this city, which houses the Estate Theatre where he conducted his "Marriage of Figaro" in 1787.

A famous personality born in the Czech Republic is Ivana Trump who was once married to Donald Trump, the famous American business magnate.

Answer: The Danube River

A few hundred metres from our hotel we walked among many historical sights ranging from the State Opera House, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Parliament, City Hall and Belvedere Palace, which was the former residence of Prince Eugen. This palace has a very large and precious collection of artwork from the painter Gustav Klimt.

The river that flows through Vienna is called the Danube River and it starts in Germany, travels through many capital cities and ends in the Black Sea. The famous Austrian composer Johann Strauss, traveled down the Danube many times and composed the famous waltz called the "Blue Danube" (On the Beautiful Blue Danube is the translation for the Austrian name for this waltz) during one of his trips.

Answer: Riesling wine

The Benedictine Abbey was once owned by the Babenberg family who ruled Austria from 976 AD until the 11th century when the Hapsburgs took over. It stands high on a hill overlooking the Danube River and the various hills, which have layers and layers of grape vines all over them.

The Abbey is well known for its Baroque architecture and houses a school, church, Imperial Staircase, a 12-room library full of medieval manuscripts, the prelate's courtyard, abbey terrace and a southern wall overlooking the town.

The monks have owned the Abbey for 900 years and to support themselves and the restoration of the Abbey, they produce their own famous Riesling wine. Our guide told us that the left side of the Abbey was kept for the Imperial family, who only visited three times since the monks took over. Two hundred and fifty servants came with the countess who bought her own bed with her.

Answer: Sydney Kingsford-Smith International Airport

Sydney airport's origins date back to the 1920s when the area was officially called an aerodrome. It was renamed Sydney Kingsford-Smith International Airport in 1953 after the famous Australian pioneering aviator called Charles Kingsford-Smith. The airport is situated next to Botany Bay where Lieutenant James Cook landed in 1770. Planes from the airport fly over many houses whose residents complained to the authorities about the noise pollution. Now the planes are not allowed to fly between the times of 11pm and 6am. Luckily my flight arrived safely at 9am after a long 9 hour flight from Bangkok.