Crowns & Cathedrals
A quote from Martin Luther King Jr, “Faith is taking the first step when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
Editor’s post: This post will continue to evolve as I do.
Welcome back, fellow explorers, to the Around the World series. A journey designed to spark curiosity, broaden global perspective, and offer a simple, approachable way to get familiar with every country on the map. Each post is a short, thoughtful stop in roughly six-countries per chapter, moving continent by continent.
Today’s chapter is titled “Crowns & Cathedrals” where thrones, domes, and struggles for faith shape both skyline and soul. These nations sit at Europe’s symbolic heart, layered with legacy, ceremony, and sacred tension.
This time we begin our journey through three powerfully distinct places: Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City. Each carrying influence far beyond their size, each with a story that reverberates through the past and into the present. Let’s begin.
My hand-drawn flag of Ukraine
UKRAINE
Official name: Ukraine
Pronunciation: yoo-krayn
Capital: Kyiv
Official language: Ukrainian
Location: In Eastern Europe in the Northern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: Poland, Belarus, Russia, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia
Most known for: Landmarks, such as golden domes
Fun fact: Birthplace of world’s first constitution back in 1710’s
Most recent article: Women entrepreneurs from Ukraine met during the Women’s Entrepreneur EXPO 2025 to build a more compassionate and peaceful world (UN Women, 2025)
My knowledge: I’m more familiar in recent years
My hand-drawn flag of United Kingdom
UNITED KINGDOM
Official name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Pronunciation: yoo-nai-tuhd king-dm
Capital: London
Official language: English
Location: Island country off the Northwestern coast in the Northern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: Near Ireland
Most known for: The Royal Family
Fun fact: Where cheese rolling is a sport
Recent news article: What went right this week: a recycling revolution, plus more (Robin Eveleigh, 2025)
My knowledge: I’m a little familiar
My hand-drawn flag of Vatican City
VATICAN CITY
Official name: The State of the Vatican City
Pronunciation: va-tuh-kuhn si-tee
Capital: Doesn’t have one as it functions as a city-state and therefore is it’s own capital
Official language: Italian and Latin
Location: Within Italy in the Northern Hemisphere
Surrounding countries: Italy
Most known for: Global headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church
Fun fact: Is the world’s smallest country
Recent news article: Vatican City: How the world’s smallest state is governed (Paola Arriaza Flynn & Diego López Marina, 2025)
My knowledge: Not too much
As we wrap up this chapter of “Crowns & Cathedrals,” it’s clear that these nations: Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City, offer more than just historic landmarks or iconic imagery. They hold tension and tradition, reverence and resilience. From sacred halls to sovereign thrones, they remind us that belief whether in faith, identity, or freedom, shapes more than just borders.
Travel lesson? In places layered with ceremony and conflict, listen deeply. Sometimes what’s unspoken through body language, silence, or tradition, teaches you more than a tour ever could.
If you’ve visited, lived in, or were born in any of these countries, I’d love to hear your story. Your perspective adds depth to this journey. Let me know in the comments or messages, and stay tuned, our next flight in the Around the World series, takes off in just three days.
If you want to look ahead or even look back on some of the adventures thus far, click here for the itinerary.
As a signature of my blog, I’d like to end this post with a suggestion to “Pass on kindness.” There’s no time like the present to Inspire Those Who Inspire You. Acts of kindness, no matter how big or small, can have a direct, positive impact on someone else. Go out there today and change someone’s life for the better!
***These are my personal opinions and may not be those of my employer.***
