Week 9 (Day 56): LAGOS (NIGERIA)

                                                                                                VENICE

LAGOS                  

 



 

Our Powerhouse Journey Around the World continues. We have now travelled 4,050 miles from Venice to the city of Lagos in Nigeria.

Lagos is a Port and the most populated city in Nigeria.  It was formerly the capital city of Nigeria.  Lagos has become the fastest growing city in Africa, and the seventh in the world.  With a city population of 21 million, Lagos spans an area of 51,820 sq miles.

 

 

Capital City of Nigeria: Abuja      Monetary Unit: Nigerian Naira (NGN)

 

The main districts of Lagos are the Mainland, Greater Lagos and the Islands.  Crime is a risk throughout Lagos.  Visitors, as well as residents, have experienced armed muggings, assaults, rape and kidnappings. Due to widespread poverty, all tourists should take extra precautions when travelling in Lagos.  The city has experienced violent clashes among street gangs known as "Area Boys'.  These boys can be found hanging around at night time under bridges, and can easily spot tourists.

 

With Lagos being such a large, crowded city, you should always be aware of pickpockets. It is therefore advised to leave your bag and camera at home. Instead, wearing a money belt would be advisable.  However, as always apply Powerhouse Self-Defense's rule of PROI: PREDICTION of misplaced situations, that is being aware of anything that appears out of context.  RECOGNITION of potentially harmful behavior.  OBSERVATION of your surroundings.  Look for street signs and landmarks.  Know exactly where you are at ALL times.  INTUITION: Trust your gut and when in doubt, both feet out!

 

Some of the most popular places for tourists to visit are the National Museum, The Nigerian Conservation Foundation and Victoria Island Beach.

 

 

Nigerian National Museum



 

The Nigerian National Museum houses a collection of Nigerian art that includes pieces of statuary and carvings and archeological exhibits.  The museum was founded in 1957 by the British Archeologist, Kenneth Murray.

 





Nigerian Conservation Foundation

 

The Nigerian Conservation Foundation is a non-profit organization that works to preserve the natural resources and biodiversity of Nigeria.

 

Victoria Island Beach

 

Victoria Island Beach is the most frequented beach in Lagos, with numerous activities and numerous bars and eating establishments.

 

It is advisable NOT to take photos when in Lagos.  People are often offended by this, and you are likely to be yelled at, for not asking permission. It is prohibited to take photos of any official buildings.

 

GENERAL SAFETY IN NIGERIA

 

Expats become targets for criminals, as they are generally thought to be wealthy.  Unfortunately, kidnapping of expats is very common, as the kidnappers would expect large ransoms from the international companies that the expats work for.  Additionally, carjacking is common. It is therefore highly advisable to keep all doors and windows locked.

 

As corruption is prevalent in Nigeria, you cannot assume that law enforcement officers will protect you.  Perpetrators see expats as easy targets and an easy way of getting money.  It is very important to remember that if you are confronted with such a situation, to comply calmly!

 

EMERGENCY SERVICES NUMBER: 199

 

NIGERIA FUN FACTS:

 

1. Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups.

2. Nigeria is one of the oldest locations of human existence, which dates back as far as 9000 BC.

3. Nigeria boasts the largest diversity of colorful creatures, such as butterflies.

4. Nigeria has the 10th largest proven reserves of petroleum worldwide.

5. The Nigerian Movie Industry is ranked the second largest producers of movies, just slightly behind Bollywood.  The Nigerian Movie Industry is known as Nollywood.

 

OUR POWERHOUSE JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD CONTINUES. WHERE WILL WE BE NEXT WEEK?

Jennifer Riis-Poulsen is the Founder & CEO and also a 2nd degree black belt, who formed Powerhouse Self-Defense as a response to the ever-increasing statistics on emotional and physical attacks on females each year. She made reducing these statistics a mission and personal goal and has set out to develop a comprehensive, HOLISTIC personal safety and empowerment program focused on awareness and powerful techniques to build courage and confidence. For more information visit http://powerhouseselfdefense.com

 

 



 

 



Week 8 (Day 49): VENICE (ITALY)

 

                                                 LONDON

                                                                                                  VENICE

Our Powerhouse Journey Around the World continues. We have now travelled 943 miles from London and find ourselves in the beautiful city of Venice.

Venice is a city in northeastern Italy that is made up of a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges.  The city spans an area of 160.1 sq miles and has a population of 270,843.

 

 

Capital City of Italy: Rome       Monetary Unit: Euros (EUR)



 

The City of Venice (Venezia) welcomes around 50,000 tourists a day and is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world for its art and architecture. Venezia is a city of small islands with a maze of canals that thread through it with more than 400 bridges to allow for the flow of foot traffic.

 

For the most part, Venezia is considered one of the safest cities in Europe. Violent crime is quite rare, and unlike Rome, Italy's capital city, police are not that visible, even though Venezia is highly populated with tourists each year.  Some of the most popular tourist attractions include The Grand Canal, Piazza San Marco, Saint Mark's Basilica, The Rialto Bridge and Vecchia Murano Glass Factory.

 

 

Grand Canal









 

The Grand Canal is one of the major water-traffic corridors in the city of Venezia.  Public transport in the form of water buses and water taxis, is provided for commuting within the city.  Many tourists enjoy exploring the canal by Gondola.

Piazza San Marco

 

Piazza San Marco is the main public square in Venezia.  It is famous for its huge flock of pigeons that are drawn to the square by tourists ready to feed them.  Napoleon once referred to Piazza San Marco as the drawing room of Europe.

 

St Mark's Basilica

 



 St Mark's Basilica is Venezia's most famous Roman Catholic Cathedral Church. It is known as the 'Church of Gold' due to its opulence and its gold ground mosaics.

Rialto Bridge

 

 

The Rialto Bridge is the oldest bridge across the Grand Canal.  It is the dividing line for the districts of San Marco and San Polo.

 

Murano Glass Factory

 



The Glass Factory is located on the Venetian Island of Murano.  It has been known for its fancy glasswork for centuries. You can watch the glass blowers in action in the factory.

 

As Venezia is a highly popular tourist destination, caution and common sense should always be used.  There is a certain amount of pickpocketing, so it is therefore always best to keep all your belongings in secure pockets and bags.  As always apply Powerhouse Self-Defense's rule of PROI: PREDICTION of misplaced situations, that is being aware of anything that appears out of context.  RECOGNITION of potentially harmful behavior.  OBSERVATION of your surroundings.  Look for street signs and landmarks.  Know exactly where you are at ALL times.  INTUITION: Trust your gut and when in doubt, both feet out!

 

VENICE CRIME

 

As previously mentioned, Venezia is one of Europe's safest cities, with very rare incidences of violent crime.  However, an ongoing crime problem is the offer of counterfeit designer bags and belts sold by unlicensed street vendors.  Unfortunately tourists tend to play right into this by purchasing knock-off items such as Prada or Louis Vuitton. However, it is not only sellers, but also the buyers of these goods that are subject to heavy fines. Venice has implemented a program called "Bad Bag" that warns tourists not to buy bags from street vendors. The local police are on the alert for these types of sales and if you are caught purchasing them, you may very well be taken to the police station.

 

EMERGENCY SERVICES NUMBER: 112

 

VENICE FUN FACTS:

1.  Many famous people were born in Venice, including the Playwright, Giacomo Casanova, the Explorer, Marco Polo and Composer, Antonio Vivaldi.
2.  Only 3-4 Gondolier Licenses are issued each year.
3.  When at the markets, you should NEVER EVER touch the produce. You must tell the vendor what you want and they will give it to you.
4.  Venice contains 7,000 chimneys, that come in 10 different styles and shapes.
5.  Venice is sinking at the rate of 1-2 millimeters a year.

OUR POWERHOUSE JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD CONTINUES. WHERE WILL WE BE NEXT WEEK?

Jennifer Riis-Poulsen is the Founder & CEO and also a 2nd degree black belt, who formed Powerhouse Self-Defense as a response to the ever-increasing statistics on emotional and physical attacks on females each year. She made reducing these statistics a mission and personal goal and has set out to develop a comprehensive, HOLISTIC personal safety and empowerment program focused on awareness and powerful techniques to build courage and confidence. For more information visit http://powerhouseselfdefense.com

 

 

 





Week 7 (Day 42): LONDON (ENGLAND)

                                                                                                    COPENHAGEN

                                              LONDON

 

 

Our Powerhouse Journey Around the World continues, and we are now half-way through our circumnavigation of the World.  We have now travelled 772 miles from Copenhagen to our new destination of London, England.

London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom.  It spans an area of 13,690 square miles.  London had an official population of 8,308,369 in 2012, making it the most populous municipality in the European Union.  There is a diverse range of peoples and cultures within this city, with more than 300 languages spoken.

 

 

Capital City of England: London       Monetary Unit: British Pound (GBP)

 

Though London is a huge and busy city, it is considered relatively safe for the most part, though it is always best to take sensible precautions.  As a tourist it is best to plan your route before you leave your hotel.  Always keep your purse or wallet close to you and do not carry too much cash at any one time. Remember that cars drive on the left, so take extra care when crossing roads.

London is filled with many, many tourist attractions.  Some of the most popular attractions are The London Eye, Tower of London, Madame Tussauds, The Natural History Museum and Buckingham Palace.

 

The London Eye

The London Eye has become a major feature of London’s skyline, and has the best views of more than 55 of London’s famous landmarks.  The London Eye consists of 32 capsules , each weighing 10 tons and holding up to 25 people per capsule.  The journey on this famous attraction takes 30 minutes.

 

 The Tower of London

 

The Tower of London is one of the world’s most famous buildings.  It has been a royal palace, a prison and place of execution, arsenal, jewel house, as well as a zoo.  The Crown Jewels are housed in the Tower of London and guarded by the Yeoman Warders, otherwise known as the ‘Beefeaters’.
 

Madame Tussauds

 

Madame Tussauds is another major tourist attraction that displays waxworks of historical and royal figures.  It also includes wax models of film and sports stars.
 

The Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum houses a collection of the biggest, tallest and rarest animals in the world.  As well as an impressive dinosaur exhibition, it also boasts a life-sized blue whale and a 40-million-year-old spider!

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence and the primary workplace of the British monarchy.  The Palace is located in the City of Westminster.

 

London is divided into Boroughs, within which have neighborhoods.  One of the less safe Boroughs is Southwark.  West London is considered safer  and more upmarket than East London.  As always apply Powerhouse Self-Defense's rule of PROI: PREDICTION of misplaced situations, that is being aware of anything that appears out of context.  RECOGNITION of potentially harmful behavior.  OBSERVATION of your surroundings.  Look for street signs and landmarks.  Know exactly where you are at ALL times.  INTUITION: Trust your gut and when in doubt, both feet out!

 

2012 LONDON CRIME STATISTICS (According to The London Police Service)

Homicide: 7

Abduction: 61

Assault: 1,943

Sexual Assault: 288

Robbery: 166

TOTAL CRIME: 2,465

EMERGENCY SERVICES NUMBER: 999 or 112

LONDON FUN FACTS:

1. For almost a century London was the most densely populated city on earth.

2. Hitler had a plan to dismantle Nelson's Column and display it in Berlin.

3. Covent Garden is a spelling mistake.  The area used to be the market garden for a convent.

4. Waterloo Bridge was built mostly by women.

5. Until 1916, the famous Harrod's shop in Knightsbridge sold pure cocaine to the general public.
 

OUR POWERHOUSE JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD CONTINUES. WHERE WILL WE BE NEXT WEEK?
 

Jennifer Riis-Poulsen is the Founder & CEO and also a 2nd degree black belt, who formed Powerhouse Self-Defense as a response to the ever-increasing statistics on emotional and physical attacks on females each year. She made reducing these statistics a mission and personal goal and has set out to develop a comprehensive, HOLISTIC personal safety and empowerment program focused on awareness and powerful techniques to build courage and confidence. For more information visit http://powerhouseselfdefense.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 



Week 6 (Day 35): COPENHAGEN (DENMARK)

 

 

                                     COPENHAGEN

                                                                                                   ISTANBUL


Our Powerhouse Journey Around the World continues.  We have now travelled 1,646 miles from Istanbul to our new destination of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Copenhagen is the capital and most populous city of Denmark. It is the largest city in Scandinavia.  It is situated on the Eastern Coast of Zealand, 26 miles northwest of Malmo, Sweden.  The city of Copenhagen spans 29.81 miles and the metro area 1,170 sq miles

   

 

Capital City of Denmark: Copenhagen              Monetary Unit: Danish Kroner (DKK)

 



Considering Copenhagen is a big, busy city, it remains a relatively safe one.  The crime rates are low compared to other European cities.  Though with any destination, travelers should keep an eye on their wallets and purses.

Some of the most popular tourist attractions in Copenhagen are Tivoli Gardens, The Little Mermaid and The Rundtaarn (Round Tower). Tivoli Gardens is a famous Amusement Park and Garden.  It is the second oldest Amusement Park in the world.



Tivoli Gardens

 



The Little Mermaid is a 1.25 meters high, bronze statue, that was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale about a Mermaid that gives up everything to be with a handsome Prince on land.

The Little Mermaid Statue

 



The Rundetaarn (Round Tower) is a 17th Century Tower that was built as an astronomical observatory.  Today the Round Tower serves as an observational tower with amazing views over the City of Copenhagen.

Rundetaarn (Round Tower)

 



Nyhavn is also a very popular area, not just for tourists but for locals too.  Nyhavn is a 17th century, waterfront, canal and entertainment district.  The harbor is lined with bars, cafes and restaurants.  A fabulous place to just hang-out!

Nyhavn



Being such a busy area, there are always those 'opportunists' that take advantage of those just enjoying a good time, and so will try and pick-pocket you!  As always apply Powerhouse Self-Defense's rule of PROI: PREDICTION of misplaced situations, that is being aware of anything that appears out of context.  RECOGNITION of potentially harmful behavior.  OBSERVATION of your surroundings.  Look for street signs and landmarks.  Know exactly where you are at ALL times.  INTUITION: Trust your gut and when in doubt, both feet out!

COPENHAGEN CRIME

Overall, the number of reported crimes have remained steady over the last three years.  This includes violent crimes like homicides and assaults.  However, Danish officials frequently highlight the international aspect of crime, particularly in areas populated by first and second generation immigrant groups.  The rise in illegal immigration has also contributed to the crime rate.

Levels of violent crime remained relatively low in 2011, and reported cases of assault, harassment and murder have decreased slightly from 2010.  However, residential burglary rates have increased slightly, with a total of 44,896 reported, which is up two percent from 2010.  Additionally, there have been more burglaries occurring outside of Copenhagen in northern Zealand.  This area contains fewer apartments and more stand alone homes.

EMERGENCY SERVICES NUMBER: 112

COPENHAGEN FUN FACTS:

1. Copenhagen was once a walled city.  Passage was only possible at one of the town's three 'ports' - Vesterport, Oesterport and Noerreport.
2. Copenhagen has been rated as the world's top cities for cyclists.  City dwellers cycle a total of 1.2 km every day.
3. Copenhagen was rated the world's happiest city in 2007 and rated the fourth most expensive in 2009.
4. Around 30 percent of the Danish population (1.8 million out of 5.4 million) live in the Copenhagen Metropolitan area.
5. Copenhagen's harbor has been cleaned so well in the past decade that it is now clean enough to swim in the inner harbor.

OUR POWERHOUSE JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD CONTINUES.  WHERE WILL WE BE NEXT WEEK?

 

Jennifer Riis-Poulsen is the Founder & CEO and also a 2nd degree black belt, who formed Powerhouse Self-Defense as a response to the ever-increasing statistics on emotional and physical attacks on females each year. She made reducing these statistics a mission and personal goal and has set out to develop a comprehensive, HOLISTIC personal safety and empowerment program focused on awareness and powerful techniques to build courage and confidence. For more information visit http://powerhouseselfdefense.com