europe | Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News

By: Charlotte Aver

Trabant at 12. Internationales Maritimes Fahrzeugtreffen, 18 August 2018, by Matti Blume via Wikimedia Commons

The Trabi is a car from the Soviet Union. They were produced from 1957 to 1991 and they were made quickly and were not solid at all.

The Soviet Union made it so that it was the only car that a person could own. The Trabi’s were free to the public if you got on the waitlist. However, it could take up to fifteen years to actually get your car after being put on the waitlist, even though it was free it still had a cost. The Trabi’s were made quickly and by hand and therefore were not sound. They were thin and fragile: the windows were hard to roll up or down, the bottoms of the cars were thin enough to break, the seats had no cushion to them and they broke down all the time. Though it was free it was bad quality and would take years to get to you.

An oversight that was made while the Trabi’s were being made was that there were no spare parts, so when they broke down there was nothing to fix them with, making the fifteen years you waited for the car useless.

The people that drove Trabi’s were everyday people where as the leaders all drove Mercedes. This goes to show that communism, which was the Soviet Union’s goal, is impossible to achieve with humans because humans are incredibly susceptible to corruption and selfish desire.

During the 1980’s there was a huge push to tear down the Berlin Wall, which happened in October of 1989. During this time there were many slogans and sayings that were used about freeing East Berlin, one of them was “free the Trabi” because it was a car that only existed on the east side of the Berlin Wall. After the Berlin Wall fell there was a section left up and artists from around the world were invited to come and paint murals on the wall; this section of wall is now known as the East Side Gallery. One artist painted the Trabi breaking through the wall and by painting this immortalized the saying “free the Trabi”.

The Trabi is a true symbol of the people of the Soviet Union and East Germany, how they lived and what little they were given by their government.

By: Isabel Strack

Image taken from: https://www.vecteezy.com/

Paris

Paris is one of the best places to travel because it is a major European city and a global center for finance, diplomacy, commerce, art, fashion, gastronomy, and culture.

Paris has many great stores to shop at. The shopping experiences in Paris make it worth the visit.

Paris has leading roles in science and arts, as well as its early and expensive system of street lighting. In the 19th century Paris became known as the city of light.

And lastly, from many bucket list attractions like the Eiffel Tower, your first visit may feel magical, but even if you return dozens of times you will never run out of new things to see and do.

Hawaii

Hawaii is one of the most popular places to visit. Hawaii has very beautiful scenery like their gorgeous beaches. They are very well known for their famous beaches as well. From the idyllic shorelines of Waikiki to the wild black sand on Hawaii’s big island.

Hawaii has amazing wildlife whether it is whale watching season or seeing the tropical birds, to dolphins. You can watch the green sea turtles and how they behave in their natural habitat as well.

And lastly, you may want to visit because they have beautiful volcanoes. You are able to go on many tourist helicopter rides to see these mountains up close. The Hawaiian islands were formed by the volcanic eruptions deep under the ocean.

Bali

Many people like to travel to Bali because they have amazing beaches. They have big collections of gorgeous beaches. These beaches can range from white sandy coastlines to limestone cliffs.

Another big reason people like to visit is because they always have beautiful weather. Bali is always nice and warm because it is 8 degrees south of the equator which is why Bali is a top option for beach lovers.

And lastly, another reason to visit is because they have great restaurant options. Some of Indonesia’s best restaurants are right in Bali; some of them are even in the “World’s 50 best restaurants.” Those are just some of the many reasons why Bali is an amazing place to visit.

Greece

Greece is a very popular place to travel and here is why. Greece has great hiking spots. They have many hills and mountains that have beautiful views and are perfect for people who love to hike.

Greece has very nice beaches. Greece has over 6,000 islands which means that they have a lot of beaches. The sand is alway very soft and clean and the ocean is always clear and clean.

They also have amazing Greek food. They are very well known for their olive oil; they’re even in the top 3 olive oils. They also make amazing dairy products, like their Greek yogurt.

Rome

Many people enjoy visiting Rome and here are some of the reasons why. Rome is the capital of Italy and is a beautiful place.

Rome also has very beautiful weather. Temperatures in spring hover around 65 degrees but can occasionally reach to 80 degrees. Which means it can never be too hot or too cold.

Rome also has amazing Italian food. They have many different dishes but are most known for their spaghetti or Alfredo. They also make amazing pizzas in their stone ovens that can cook the pizzas to perfection. There are many different reasons why Rome is amazing to visit. These are just some of the main reasons.