Monday, April 3, 2017

Croatia Postcard

Ginny!!~
     I got your last letter! I can't wait to see you in two weeks! 
     Yulina and I arrived in Croatia last night. We're staying in a hotel called Hotel Bellevue, and it's so big and fancy. The food is really good there too! 
     Today, we visited Krka National Park in Central Dalmatia. It's a protected area with astonishing natural scenery. This place is best known for its numerous waterfalls and natural pools of clear water. It extends along the 73km River Krka, which floods through a canyon 200 meters deep. The area's remoteness also attracts monks, and the sights are also a major part of the region.
     Krka National Park is truly breathtaking, and we should go together someday~ But first, you need a tour around Taiwan. I'm so excited!! See you in two weeks!! 
     Love you! <3
Love,
Hannah

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Croatia News

EGGSPRESS - FIRST EGG CAFE OPENS IN ZAGREB
Looking for a perfect brunch spot that serves delicious, high-quality food? Then Eggspress is the eggcellent spot for you!
This week Zagreb opened its first omeletterie, located in Ulica Jospia Rudera Boskovica 11. The menu includes various egg dishes such as omelettes, scrambled eggs, sunny-side-ups, poached eggs, eggs benedict, egg salad, and even tasty egg desserts to wrap up the meal.
What better is it to also have all natural, fresh ingredients? The eggs come from local farms, and the bread is in Korica. Everything else comes straight form the Dolac market.
With already a five-star rating on TripAdvisor, Eggspress crowding with popularity. As teenagers are posting their Instagram pictures and food bloggers are snapping photos, why don't you try some of their Eggs Benedict?

Read more: http://www.croatiaweek.com/eggspress-first-egg-cafe-opens-in-zagreb/


NEW AIRPORT JUST OPENS IN ZAGREB
The media was invited today inside the new Franjo Tudman International Airport in Zagreb, for a sneak peek just before the official opening.
  The 310 million euro-terminal has four floors, spanning a total of 65,000 square meters. It had taken 3 years of strenuous work to build, and it is now open to everyone. The opening ceremony will begin in the morning of March 21st, starting with the chanting of the Croatian Anthem, followed with the cutting of the ribbon.
Remember to tune in on MZLZ, the airport's concessionaire, to watch the ceremony!

Read more: http://www.croatiaweek.com/video-take-a-tour-inside-new-zagreb-airport/

HOSTING THE MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP
Union Cycliste Internationale has recently announced that the Croatian island of Losinj will host the World Cup next year. In April of 2018, the first rounds of the Mountain Bike World Cup will be held.
Up to 300 people from all over the world will compete on the small island up in the northern coast in hopes to win the golden trophy and the title. They will be competing for two days, April 21st and the 22nd.
This World Cup event will be the biggest downhill race in the country's history. They are planning this as a huge opportunity to promote the island as a travel destination since a lot of media will be there.
Read more: http://www.croatiaweek.com/croatian-island-of-losinj-to-host-mountain-bike-world-cup/

Croatia Journal

Thursday, December 31st

    "Bok!" we shouted, as we spotted a pedestrian on the street of
That's how you say hello in Croatian, the official language of the Republic of Croatia. It's also one of the Slavic languages, that developed since the migration of the Slavs in the 5th century.
    The friendly pedestrian stopped to reply,
"Hello. How are you enjoying Croatia so far?"
We were completely stunned. It turns out that 80% of Croatians are multilingual, and in that group of people, 81% can speak English.
    She went on to give us a tiny lecture about her first language, and guess what we found out?
    Okay, so there are 3 variants of the letter "C". I personally found that extremely confusing and unnecessary. Because having one "C" was enough. For me.
    Hannah, on the other hand, who is more open-minded argued that they must have had a reason to add those extra letters.
    The lady interrupted our argument and went on to explain that the extra letters were devised in order for the distinguished sounds (that we obviously do not have in English pronunciation).

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Sunday, March 26, 2017

Italy Journal

Monday, December 28 Venice Italy Shopping District

     Oh my god, the clothes Yulina and I brought were so not for this trip. Because both of us think that we look like trashbags around here. Everyone walking the streets of Italy are wearing clothes that are so fashionable! For such a normal day! Well, we should have known when we learned Rome was in top ten for Top Global Fashion Capitals in 2012. We also saw everyone wearing sunglasses, which I guess was because the sun seemingly never stops shining in Italy. Right now, we're at the Venice Italy Shopping District, and it's so cool! It's basically paradise for people interested in fashion, and there are SO many shops! There are shops that sell masks, clothes, accessories, food, vegetables, and so much more!
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https://www.google.com.tw/search?espv=2&biw=1464&bih=774&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=venice+italy+shopping+streets&oq=venice+italy+shopping+streets&gs_l=img.3...5358.6571.0.7002.7.7.0.0.0.0.181.650.0j4.4.0....0...1c.1.64.img..3.0.0.ZPnKFtTQp7w#imgrc=vMdMp1J8NOqX9M:
https://www.google.com.tw/search?q=italy+street+fashion&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjGkeyLvPTSAhVX5mMKHedeCdAQ_AUIBigB&biw=1464&bih=774#imgrc=0WQ4FnPDchTppM:

Tuesday, December 29 Leaning Tower of Pisa

     Standing beside the Leaning Tower of Pisa is truly intimidating. It feels like the whole building could fall on you any second!
     We learned a lot of things about this tower. This tower is a church's belltower. The height is 56.67 meters on the highest side, and 55.86 meters on the lowest. There are 251 steps to the very top of the tower. Its construction started in August 1173, and ended in mid-1399. It took so long because it was interrupted several times by war. We also found it funny how Pisa got its name in 600 BC from a Greek word that meant "marshy land."
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Wednesday, December 30 

     We just celebrated Christmas in Belarus, and it was awesome! The decorations were nothing like I've seen in Taiwan, and they were beautiful! 
     We learned there are a lot more holidays, other than just Christmas. January 6 is the Epiphany. It marks the 12th and final day of Christmas. A popular tradition in Rome is the la befana, which is a witch on a broom who brings candy and coal to children in their stockings. August 15 is the day that marks the beginning of the ferragosto, a public holiday in Italy. People usually close up shops and go to places like the beach or mountains. Many Italians also go to trips before or after the holiday.
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Italy Postcard

Dear Anna,
     Anna~~ How are you doing in Hawaii? I heard you couldn't really get used to the school there. I hope you have a lot of friends by now!
     Yulina and I are in Europe right now. I'm really sorry and sad you and Ginny couldn't come, but we can go somewhere else together next time! We went around Italy today, and we're going to go to Croatia tomorrow.  
     One of the places we visited today was the Colosseum in Rome. The name "Colosseum" is from the Latin word "colosseus," meaning colossal(extremely large or great). This was in reference to the gigantic statue of Emperor Nero that was apparently 98 feet high! But it was destroyed a long time ago so we didn't get to see it. We also learned that this oval amphitheatre has an area of 24,000 square meters, with a height of 48 meters. Emperor Domitian added a gallery at the top of the Colosseum to increase the seating capacity, but that's also gone.
     I hope we can meet soon, Anna, we really miss you!!~ You should come to Taiwan and visit us someday! Yulina really wants to hear what you think about Hawaii. I'll be waiting until you come back home!
Byeee!~~ <3
                                       Love,

Monday, March 20, 2017

Italy News

WHY ITALY'S ECONOMY IS ABOUT TO COLLAPSE

    The Prime Minister of Italy, Matteo Renzi, recently stated: "Governing the Italians is not impossible, it is merely useless." Economic reform attempts have not been reaching the hoped goals, and even the leader of the country is starting to lose hope.
    Italy's GDP has shrunken by 10% since 2007, and unemployment rates have risen from 12 to 13%. 15% of Italian industrial capacity is destroyed, and the total government debt is about € 3,885 billion. Considering that this cost is 259% of the country's annual income, it is likely that it will take decades to pay off completely.
All this damage has dramatically affected the economy - reducing employment and investment, and reducing growth potential in general.

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/why-italy-s-economy-is-about-to-collapse-a7091221.html

IS THE EURO FAILING ITALY'S ECONOMY?

    Many German economists have recently started to question the value of the Euro, which the Italian government has adopted for the past 15 years. This point was first made by Clemens Fuest, who works at the Institute for Economic Research, arguing that the Euro has not risen living standards since 2002.
    Critics say that these methods of economic organization exist to help unite the European countries. However, Fuest explains that such are political matters. The economic structure and policy must be judged and looked at first. He believes many people do not notice it now, but in the future, people will start getting dissatisfied and go against the Euro. The head of Germany's Ifo Economic Institute, seems to agree with this too:
"The head of Germany's Ifo Economic Institute believes Italians will eventually want to quit the euro currency area if their standard of living does not improve."

He says that it is foolish to stay in a system if it doesn't achieve the basic standard of an economy, and hopes that citizens will become aware of this. Fuest claims that if the use of the Euro continues, Italy is doomed to an economic disaster, just like what happened to Ireland, Finland, Spain and Greece.

Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2017/01/02/italy-might-leave-euro-says-leading-german-economist-probably-it-should-too/#55bd38ce5a18

5 SUSPECTED TERRORISTS NABBED IN ITALY

    Since the unexpected terrorist attack in Paris, police in Italu have been extra cautious about suspicious looking people around town.
    This morning, it was reported that five suspected members of an Islamic guerrilla group with links to Osama Bin Laden was arrested. The five men were found in Milan and are currently being held in the San Vittore prison in Milan.
    Milan prosecutor Stefano Dambruoso said that the five had connections with other terrorist groups in France , Germany, Belgium, and Britain. They are accused of trafficking in firearms and explosives, and also for producing false documents. It is suspected that the five men were believed to have planned an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Rome, but it yet to be confirmed.


Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=81288

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Belarus Postcard

Hey Ginny!
     It's been such a long time we've seen each other. I really miss you, and I hope we can go on a trip together someday. 
     Actually, I'm in Europe right now with a friend. Yesterday, we went to Mir Castle in Belarus. We went there after we heard that it is an outstanding example of the 16-century fortification art. It's a really famous castle, and there were SO many people there! My friend and I almost got separated. Well, it is considered one of the most important tourist attractions in Belarus. The tour guide told us a three-story palace was built along the eastern and northern walls of the castle which had forty rooms. An Italian garden was made to the north of the walls, and an artificial lake was made to the south.
     I don't really remember much of what else he said(you know I have really bad memory), but I remember him saying that during the Napoleonic wars, the castle was severely damaged. But in 1981, someone called Nikolai Svyatopolk-Mirsky(I only "remember" this because my friend was taking notes) brought order to his new property. If it wasn't for that person, we wouldn't have gotten to see anything beautiful there. 
     Anyway, Ginny, I really really miss you! We need to meet~ My friend also really wants to see you. You should come to Taiwan to visit and maybe we'll give you a tour around Taiwan. I'll be waiting!
     Love you!
Love,
Hannah