RING RING
(Offensively Stereotypical German Accent) Hallo are you stuck in ze lockdown again?
And you miss travelling to other countries yes?
Well why not fake a whole round-the-world trip
using buildings in Paris
and then post it on April fool’s day?
The viewers will find it very funny.
What?
- Ok thank you bye.
Dunno who that was.
Hello and konnichiwa!
It is April 1st 2021 and I’m in Japan,
and this is the one of the student halls of residence
here at the international campus of the University of... Japan.
It was built in 1929 and designed by the architect Pierre Sardou.
(He doesn’t sound very Japane...
oh I see!).
Anyway it’s my first time in Japan
and I would love to stay here for longer
but we’ve got a whole planet to get round
so on we go!
And anyway from here it’s only a short hop over the Pacific Ocean to sunny Mexico!
This is one of the student halls of residence
at the international campus of the University of Mexico.
And of course one way that you can tell you're in Mexico
is that all the buildings here
have the word "MEXICO" written on them
in capital letters.
And next up it’s a big one
because we’re going to cross the border into the US
and visit one of the world’s most famous sights,
Lady Liberty herself.
America’s most American statue
is of course French,
she was designed and built back in Paris,
and during that process they made a ¼ size bronze model of her
which apparently ended up on an island
somewhere in the middle of the river Seine.
Hmm, I should go and visit that when I get back.
While we're here there is a nearby tower that we can visit too
and it would be rude not to wouldn’t it?
(are you trying to get me thrown out of the country?)
Right, now it’s time to head all the way across the Atlantic Ocean
to see the beautiful Islamic architecture
of the Great Mosque of Morocco.
It was completed in 1926,
and was inspired by the al-Karaouine mosque in Fez, also in Morocco.
Although the minaret was based on one in Tunisia.
One word of warning though,
the mosque serves great food at very reasonable prices,
and that seems to have attracted a lot of French tourists.
And while we're in Northern Africa,
well, it wouldn't be a round the world trip without visiting Egypt.
This is the obelisk of Luxor,
one of a pair of obelisks that were carved to stand at the entrance of the ancient city.
Coincidentally the other one ended up in Paris I think.
It was involved in an exchange deal where the French sent Egypt a mechanical clock.
Unfortunately when the clock arrived in Egypt it was faulty.
Centuries later it’s still here
and still doesn’t work.
You can genuinely tell the time more accurately with the obelisk.
Next up we’re going to Europe
and there’s just time for a quick visit to Luxembourg
before we arrive in Russia.
This is the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral,
opened in 2016 by the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky,
and it's a modern take on classic Russian architecture.
There’s also a cultural centre next door
which is open, in Vladimir’s words, to:
"anyone interested in the history of our country,
our scientific and cultural accomplishments,
and for those who want to learn Russian."
Hmm. Maybe I should learn Russian!
(What do you mean I'm "not quite Bald yet"?)
Only two more countries to go now
and first up we’re back in Asia
and we're visiting India.
This is the original Indian Pavillion from the World Fair of 1878.
It was designed by a man called Caspar Purdon Clarke
who was regarded as an expert in Indian architecture
because he’d seen some pictures of it
and he’d also been to Iran and Syria.
(Can I just apologise to literally the whole of India?)
And last but certainly not least, we’ll end our world tour in China.
This is the enormous Chinagora Hotel and Restaurant,
designed by the architect Liang Kunhao
and built here in China in 1992.
The architect was inspired by the famous Forbidden City of Beijing
as you can tell by all the barriers and keep out signs.
And that’s about it for our round the globe adventure!
Please let me know in the comments which countries you enjoyed the most
and which ones you found borderline offensive because you’re actually from there.
Also if we happen to hit a large subscriber milestone by the time this goes out
then there might just be another viewer challenge coming up
based on what you’ve just seen.
Keep your eyes open for that if you want to join in.
Meanwhile thank you for watching this slightly silly video
and I will see you soon.
(Right. How do I get back home?)
This video was not sponsored by Marks & Spencers.