Happy Birthday to Panama!

English Harbour, Antigua. *Photo from Wikipedia November 1 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Antigua and Barbuda from the United Kingdom in 1981. The islands were inhabited by three successive Amerindian (Pre-Columbian peoples of the Americans) societies. The islands were neglected by the first wave of European colonization, but were settled by England in 1632. Under British control, the islands witnessed an influx of both Britons and African slaves. In 1981, the islands were granted independence as the modern state of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Barbuda is a twin-island country lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic

Bosnian meat platter *Photo from Wikipedia March 1 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina from Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992. Christianity arrived in the 1st century, and by the 4th century the area became part of the Western Roman Empire. Germanic tribes invaded soon after, followed by Slavs in the 6th Century. In 1136, Béla II of Hungary invaded Bosnia and created the title “Ban of Bosnia” as an honorary title for his son Ladislaus II of Hungary. During this time, Bosnia became virtually autonomous, and was eventually proclaimed a kingdom in 1377. The

World-famous Vienna State Opera. *Photo from Wikipedia October 26 is National Day of Austria, celebrates the anniversary of the Declaration of Neutrality in 1955. Formally, the declaration was promulgated voluntarily by the Republic of Austria. Politically, it was the direct consequence of the allied occupation by the Soviet Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France between 1945 and 1955, from which the country was freed by the Austrian State Treaty (May 15, 1955). Since then, neutrality has become a deeply ingrained element of Austrian identity. Austria’s national holiday on October 26 commemorates the declaration. Austria was dominated by