La Corse or Corsica?

Shayna and I had a very interesting discussion regarding how countries refer to other countries. We found it strange that different place call the same location by different names. Why do we call a city Vienna, while Austrians call it Wien. Praha vs. Prague, Germany vs. Deutchland, Burgundy vs. Bourgogne. It seems so arbitrary and in our opinion, we think that there should be a single name that everyone in the world calls a given place.

Sometimes, a country translates a name for example how the French refer to the US:
The United States vs. Les Etas Unis

Sometimes, a name is just too hard to pronounce:
Hungarians refer to their country as Magyar Köztársaság

Let's be honest, Japan is a lot easier than 日本国

The problem is that when I tell my French friends that I went to Prague, they don't know what I am talking about.

Solution.....I have no idea....but in my opinion, its an interesting topic to think about

(I feel like Andy Roony could do a great piece on this)

La Corse

It all began when I was reading Eric Clapton's autobiography. When he mentioned that this was the most beautiful place he had ever been, I became interested. While Corsica was once controlled by Italy, it is now a department of France. Called "The Island of Beauty" by the French, Corsica was unlike anyplace I have ever been. Mountains, beaches, crystal-clear, turquoise waters. It was interesting to experience the combination of a beach culture and the French culture.







One of the most interesting things about Corsica is that despite being controlled by France and speaking French, they are very independent and consider themselves quite different from the French. The first woman we talked to upon arriving in Corsica was quick to point out that while they were French, they weren't French.


The views from our two hotel rooms:
When we traveled from Bastia to Calvi, we were instructed to a "train stop" that wasn't much more than a slab of cement. There was no train station, no employees, no other travelers, nothing. Needless to say, we were a bit nervous regarding whether or not a train was actually going to stop and pick us up from here:

Picture of the Year: This stray dog decided to follow us for a good hour. Shayna was freaking out/laughing uncontrollably because the dog kept licking her (sorry Shayna....just so funny)... Despite several attempts to ditch the dog, it continued to follow us wherever we went. After finally ditching the dog, we sat down for dinner, only to see the dog following two girls who seemed to be trying some of the same dog-ditching tactics that we had tried.

Shayna's visit: Paris

The best part about Shayna's visit was that I got to do a lot of the things that I had been wanting to do, but hadn't quite done yet. Because Shayna had already been to Paris, we were able to do a lot of things that were off the beaten path.

We went to Parc de Buttes-Chaumont, a large public park in Paris. It was beautiful and had a great view of Sacre Coeur.


We went to L'Orangerie in the Tuillerie gardens in front of the Louvre. The museum contains huge Money paintings that are the length of the entire room.

We had a picnic in Place de Vosges.



We went with my World of Wine class to Lavinia, the largest wine store in Paris.

We got to go in the room where les vins fragiles (fragile wines) are kept.
Shayna treated me to a bottle of wine...


A link to Shayna's blog about her Paris food experience:
http://www.missmenunyc.com/search/label/Everything%20but%20the%20Kitchen%20Sink

Corsica at a Glance

Dear Friends and Family

I don't think I am going to be able to come home in July... or ever. I'm sorry.
Love,
Zach

South Wales

After flying to Bristol to meet up with Atif, we headed to Swansea, Wales with a few of his friends.
We slept in the city of Swansea, but took a bus to Rhossilli Beach during the day. Most signs in Wales were in English and Welsh.
Let's just say it was really windy!

Out from the beach were two islands that could be reached by walking across tide pools during low tide, me and one of Atif's friends decided to walk out to the islands and hike to the top:

We were walking on top of huge piles of mussels in order to get out to the islands.



After crossing the tide pools, looking back to the mainland. The whole area that isn't green is underwater during high tide.


At the top:


After the long hike, we went to a beer garden over looking the beach for some chips:

London

I loved London. The city had great food, great sights, and great history. I felt very comfortable there. First, I could understand and communicate with everyone around me. It was nice being able to explore a new city without having to point to things or ask if people spoke English. Second, the food (including what is served in restaurants and what can be found in grocery stores) was quite similar to what I am used to back home. They had beef jerky and cream cheese to name a few of the things that are hard to come by in Paris. This being said, I didn't really feel like I was in a foreign city.

Atif's friend John came with us to London.

Royal Albert Hall:The London Eye
Very helpful signs:
Katy Miller and I at Trafalger Square:
Katy and her boyfriend, Scott
Atif, his friend from Singapore John, Katy, Scott, and I
We took a day trip to Greenwich:
View of London from the Royal Observatory:

Abbey Road Studios:


The crosswalk from the cover of The Beatles' album:

Incredible fish and chips: