Cyprus

Hi there,

This time we are going less far than before as I will describe this island: Cyprus. For those who don't know where is it, it's in South of Turkey. 

Fisrt of all a wee time of history because this island is free only since 1960 form the British occupation. This country is separated between the Greek North and the Turkish South. It's hard for them to live in the same place because for each of them almost the whole territory is theirs.

Sorry for hunters but it's not an island for you! The government is fignting for the wildlife preservation or for preserving forests. It has few others goals like to clean the water because of the industrial pollutants, the wildlife is also threatened.

India

Hi there

Today you will uncover this amazing country ! One of my flatemates is born in the South of India, so she gave me few pictures to show you his beauty. There is a hudge diversity of landscapes in all the country. 

In the picture below there is a man who is saling his product in a market. 

This picture was taken in Buddhist monastery in Kadogu (Coorg) which is a district of Karnataka, it's in South West of India. This place is known for its flowers, his coffee, pepper and cardamom and its "brave warriors". 

The Golden Temple in Bylekuppe (below) is one a the mot famous temple in this area. This temple is well known by tourists because it has a diffrent type of architecture from the others. 

There is a man in North of India, who has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren, so in total 160 people. They live all in the same house and they are all happy together as one of the wives said her husband is fair with everyone. 

China

Hello !

This year a friend of mine is living for 6 month in China, in Wuhan fro a traning period. Thanks yo him I'm able to do an article about China but especially to havi his first impressions when he arrived in the city.

Obviously, the first question that I asked him was: do you wear an anti pollution mask? Then he answered Hell no! but he hopes not to have one because of the pollution. However he explained me that the pollution is very important in the city he can't see the a real blue sky ...

Then he said me the cost of life is very cheap ! You can eat a lunch for 1-2€/£. This city, Wuhan is a very huge city with 10 millions residents. So you have to take the bus/metro during more than 1 hour to go elsewhere 

This picture is a famous shopping street like many others over there.

Belgium

Today I'm writting with my tears for Brussels. It will be a special article espacially for people who were in the airport or the subway this 22nd March, their families and friends. I want to wish them to be brave against those poeple who did that, because it's not thanks to anger that we will be able to see again our close friends. 

"I say if you fight terrorism, it's based in fear, but if you promote peace, it's based on hope" Greg Mortenson

South Africa

Hi there!

This beautiful picture was taken by a friend of mine, who had an amazing chance to go visit different places in South of Africa. Thanks to her I can show you one of the places with the most variety of popultaion in earth: Cape Town. 

The picture below was taken in the muslim district. This area is known for the colorful houses but she told me during her journey she had a guide and he told her to not order any alcohol as it's not allowed in islam.

Go to her website she has a lot of awesome pictures about South Africa and more! 

Unfortunately this postcard landscape is just a wall between the tourist view and the reality. Actually Cape Town is the most violent city in South Africa and is among the top 10 most violent cities in the world.

United States of America

Hello !

Today you will uncover the fight between the american and the scottish culture and one of the states in USA : Georgia ! A friend of mine is living there in Macon almost in the middle of this state. This article was made thanks to him (Avery for those who know him). 

The first shock was the night life in Paisley during the week. It means there is nothing to do here the night ... but in his city restaurants are opened until 11 pm at least. 
The first good point for Scotland are the public transportation, that's true that here buses and trains connect almost every cities.

About food: american are known to eat very fat, however it's possible to get a meal fatter or healthier with options. What's more my friend felt frustrated with the little range of food in Paisley as you have some chinese places, regular restaurants or very fat and tasteless take away. In Georgia it exists even in little cities more different types of food.

A surprising thing: I thought we could see only here a lot of people with weird color in their hair (green and purple in the same head!). But I was wrong as they are larger people in USA who die their hair. So I can't imagine which colors they choose.

My friend was again frustrated with the little number of activities suggested by the Uni, as in his school they want to have engaged students in activities or opinions. Here except sports and some meetings once a week you don't have many things to do linked with the Uni. For him it's propably linked with the fact that people want to avoid the rain !!!

Those pictures are taken by my friend it's around his university.

Germany

Hello!

I borrowed a picture to my flatmate as I have never been in Germany, however I really want to go there at least to see the Berlin Wall memorial. Because I like rise my knowledge about the war and especially what regular people did during this period to help other people who were nothing for them.

This picture comes from the East Side Gallery probably. When the wall in Berlin has been built during the WW2 on the Western side of the wall many paintings appared because the wall was not protected but on the East part the Wall was just white or grey. Thus after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 the eastern part of the wall has been painted also.

If you think the France was THE country of the bread you were wrong. It's Germany !!! They have 300 different types of bread and even a museum about it.

Dubai

Hello !

Today I'm talking about a beautiful city situed in the United Arab Emirates: Dubai! It's known for his luxury shopping or his unreal achitecture like the Burj alArab (the famour tower with the sail form) or this one the Infinity Tower.

As it's THE city of lack of proportion I will detail you the most crazy things that exist in Dubai. Some of you will already know some facts like the Palm Jumeirah is doing like a palm, but you won't know certainly that Dubai bought enought sand to fill in 2,5 times the Empire States Building. It's also possible to see a lot of gold in walls in Burj alArab, you can cover a quarter of a soccer field with all this gold. And then there is the Dubai Mall with 1200 stores !!! but also its ski runs and I think they want to import penguins (if you want to celebrate your birthday with them? )

Poland

Hi !

This picture has been given me by one of my flatmates who lives in Lublin in Poland. She showed me some pictures of her city and it's a very beautiful city. This hudge city is placed near the border with the Belarus and the Ukraine.

Today I'm talking to you about history in Poland because there is a stereotype about Poles: they are all anti-semitic. But that's false (or at least for the majority). The main example is during the 2nd World War the Nazis did the Holocaust. Unfortunately anybody teach in the scholl (in France) that in Poland it was the only country with the capital punishment for entire family to save jews! However that didn't stop Poles to save Jews because they rescued at least 450.000 Jews from the Holocaust.

Since this event, the Holocaust is in all minds and nobody wants to begin that again but for people who lived that, this fear is still there against strangers.

Finland

Hello !

Today I'm talking about one of my flatmate who lives in Finland. It's her who gave me this picture (beautiful for me). She explained me that almost all the residents live in Helsinki or at least in the south. There are more tourists in the north only during winter as Santa Claus is living in Lapland. I would like to add two pictures for this article to show you Helsinki and the country but it's not fair for the other articles. 

So I chose this one, it's one of the most famous square in the capital. If I don't do any mistake, outside of the picture just on the left there is the parliament (Eduskuntatal).

The good news for Helsinki it's that the city is ranked at the 2nd safest city in the world just after Luxembourg.

Saint Pierre et Miquelon

Hello everyone !

Today It's a little bit different than the other times as I've never been in this island. I don't know how but I'm really attracted by it, as I want to go there one day, at least to visit it in the same time of the United States. For those who don't know where is this island, it's next to the Canada in the Atlantic Ocean.

The official language of the country is the french as it's an overseas collectivy of France. However the population is speaking also english (with last British occupation) and Spanish (but almost no more today).

The funny thing is during the beginning of the 1900's it was not the fishing industry the best profitable but the smuggling of illegal booze !

France

Hello !

Today it's a special post for me as I'm French. I will show one of my picture of the city where I'm living for 5 years. My city is Saint-Etienne it's next to Lyon for people who don't know it. (And for French people: no I don't care about the fight between local people Stephanois/Lyonnais)

This picture was taken during the christmas market from a ferris wheel. It shows the main square of the city with little houses to buy local food, local craft, hot wine, churros, crepes ...

I will change my anecdotes for this post because I have too many things to say. I will talk to you stereotypes about French are they true or false.

All french people don't wear a French beret or neither a striped jersey.

We eat everyday a baguette.

We wash ourselves everyday and we use perfum but only when we are clean.

We don't drink wine to each dinner or everyday.

French people are not lazy even if we do a lot of stikes, but it's to defend our rights.

A huge bad thing about us: it's we are rude sometimes, but compared with Scottish people we are very rude...

Some French people speak english (I'm a proof of it) but as we don't have a right system to learn any languages, after school many people forget this language.

Spain

Hi there !

Today I will show you a beautiful country in the south of Europe, Spain. I went only in Barcelona but i really liked this place with the monuments and the architecture. This picture represents the parc Guëll it's a very famous parc with the multi color chameleon in mosaic. 

It's the second language spoken in the world before english and after chinese. 

What's more the name of the country changed many times during centuries. First North Africain people called it Iberia (which means land of river), after Greeks called it Hesperia (which means land of the setting sun, because of the place in europe). Then Carthaginians called it Ispania (which means land of rabbits) and finally the Romans latinized the name to Hispania and with the time it becomes España.

Italy

Hello everybody !

Today I will talk to you about Italia and more precisely Sicily because my aut is living over there. I went to see her and her family twice but it was a long time ago. As I'm a very organised woman, I didn't find my photos ... Fortunatly my cousin helped me and sent me some.

For some who don't know where is this island it's the football next to the boot whi is Italy.

This picture has been taken in Catania the city where is living my aut and all my cousins. It's a very beautiful city just next to the sea and not far from the Mount Etna which is still alive. 

First I have an advice for you, if you want to drive in the south of Italy you must be a warrior !

My story is a little more cultural today, it's about the history of this island. At the beginning it was a greek territory, then many different pupolation and religion went here like arabs, germans or jews.

Quebec

Hello there

Today I will speak about a contry that i really would like to go, but for the moment i don't have enough money and time. Then thanks to my father I can go during little moment to the "Parc Regional des Septs chutes". 

This picture represent a small village with a lot of snow and as you can see it's impossible to move with a car. So they don't have any choice to use ski-mobile to go grocery shopping.

I have some informations for you whose one is useless but funny. The first thing is a Quebecois is not a French but they feel european still. And about the funny thing is in the world there are only 2 cities with an exclamation mark in their name and one of them is in Quebec : Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!

Portugal

Hi everyone !

Today it's about Portugal I went in the south, in Faro, maybe you know where is it as it's a very touristic place during the summer especially for scottish people !

Thanks to my boyfriend to invite me there it was just an amazing journey !

It was very hard for me to chose a picture to represent well Portugal, there are all magnifique. This one is a church in Faro, almost all churches are with the same arabian style.

I'm talking about "La Festa de São João do Porto" it's one of the most famous party in the country it's during the 23rd June night. People have to hit beautiful girls 

on their head with a plastic hammer or garlic flowers.

Introduction

Hi everybody!

This is my fisrt post I will introduce myself a little and explain you the goal of my blog.

I'm a French student in the third year in Business in Scotland. For one of my class I had to create a blog about something that I like. And I thought during a week which subject can I pick up? Then I remembered that I want to travel a lot in different countries and meet new people with different cultures to exchange about the way they live.

If you want I speak about another country or a different city in a country that I already used just send, or correct a mistake of mine, send me a message :D I will be happy to do that !

In this blog I will provide you many pictures took by myself or my friends, or some times from internet if I've never been in a country and I will provide you each time a funny story or a part of the country history which is not famous. As all my flatmates travelled a lot I have many pictures to show you.

This year I'm leaving in Paisley in Scotland and I decided for my first picture to represent this area with the city Edinburgh as it's one of the most beautiful place (for me) in this country. 

In Scotland there is the most important ginger population (roux for french) in the Europe at least.

Feel free to let me a comment or to send me a message about something you like or you dislike in my blog. I'm aware about all submissions :)