A day out in La Falda, Cordoba, Argentina

Last Monday, my roommates and I had the opportunity to spend the holiday in honour of San Martin in La Falda, a little town in the Sierras of Cordoba and very close to the capital city, around 80 kilometres.

Encircled by mountains, this town offers plenty of opportunities and a lot of things to enjoy and explore nature. La Falda has inspiring mountain scenery. The region shows an irregular land full of hills and has a wonderful microclimate, ideal for outdoor activities.

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I’m going back to Venice!

Yes, we all know, Venice is absolutely amazing, and during my one week language course there I almost couldn’t believe it was for real. There are some clichés about Venice that I will try to avoid, mainly because they are true – it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and therefore there are also an abundant number of tourists, some places can also be quite pricey. But at the end of your experience in Venice that won’t be what you keep in mind, especially if you try to move away from the crowds.

It is surprisingly easy to find yourself in a peaceful street where you can actually experience the Venetian way of life (and practise your Italian language skills)! Exploring a bit further than the Grand Canal also gives you a nice perception of Venice; islands like Giudecca, Murano or Lido are only a boat trip away and aren’t usually so packed.

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Trastevere: The Heart of Rome

“Er Core De Roma”

Do you know how I spend my Sundays in Rome? In Trastevere, Rome’s best-kept secret!

From early morning, Porta Portese, in the heart of Trastevere hosts Rome’s flea market, where you can find 100s of stalls with second-hand clothes, antique-trade articles and all kind of rubbish! It is so big and wide that we spend all morning there till lunch time… For lunch, I usually go with my friends to Bibli, a library where they offer a quick-lunch while reading any kind of books!

Always open in the small streets there are craftsmen shops as well as street-shops with articles from all over the world. I really can say it is a multicultural district!

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Discovering Barcelona and its visitors on a lazy afternoon.

I finally took another trip to the beach last weekend. Here it is September and still beach weather!! I packed my bag and off I went. On my one previous trip to the beach I had had the glorious idea of walking. But the city centre of Barcelona is indeed quite large and I underestimated the distance to the beach from my apartment, which meant that, on arrival, I completely collapsed! But it was great to be there!

Walking might be the best way to get to know the city, if you don’t get tempted and sidetracked by all the attractions on the way! If you are fit and have enough time (and a pair of comfy shoes) it can be fun, but if you are actually planning on arriving at the beach for some sun, then you can also just take the metro! A single ticket costs just 1, 25 euros, but I would advice you to buy a ‘T-10’ card (6, 90 euros), for 10 journeys on the metro, bus or local train! You can visit any place in the city so cheaply!

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Where there is an end, There is a new beginning!

Unfortunately i am reaching the end of my stay in Malaga and im so sad. I feel so sad after having met so many people and done so many things. I can honestly say that i dont think i would ever be ready to go, the school and teachers are wicked, the apartment with the amazing view and terrace, the work experience i gained and the many nice people i met from all kinds of countries.

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An undiscovered beach in the south of Spain!

The beach of El Palmar

Only nine kilometres from Vejer, between Cape Roche and Cape Trafalgar, lies one of the most spectacular beaches of the Andalusian coast – El Palmar. The beach of fine golden sand is more than four kilometres long and an average of 50 metres wide. In summer it is one Vejer’s main attractions. To get to El Palmar take the 2131 at the junction with the N340 – the same junction which gives access to the road leading up to Vejer. At the second junction, turn right, and from here you can see the fields of palmitos which have given El Palmar its name.

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Work Experience in Barcelona!

You know the saying: “What a small world?” It might be a bit of a cliché but it does occasionally prove itself to be true! I have been in Barcelona for approximately five weeks now and two days ago I met a guy, who, as it turns out, lives in the same city in Germany as I do!

He is doing a very similar work experience to the one I am doing here in Barcelona.

The only difference is he is going home in a few weeks whereas I will be able to see the city out-of-season, as I will stay here until the end of the year! I haven’t really started doing the ‘touristy’ things yet, but when my various friends and acquaintances do come here to visit (it is interesting to see how many people suddenly have time to visit if you offer them a free stay in a “cool” city), I might just make a start so that at least I have pictures of myself in and around the city’s many sights.

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Munich Oktoberfest – “O’zapft is!”

The famous “Oktoberfest“ is one of the most popular beer festivals all over the world with some six million people attending every year.

Our teachers told us that we should attend the opening ceremony. The Oktoberfest staff and the breweries move through the city with splendidly decorated horses and coaches and traditional dresses. The area where the festival takes place is called the “Theresienwiese”, or “Wiesn” for short.

The festival starts as soon as the first keg of beer is tapped by the Mayor of Munich who then declares: “O’zapft is!”. This is Bavarian and means “It is tapped!”

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Life in Milan never stops!

One of my favourite things in Milan is the nightlife! Usually it starts at 20.00 with the typical Happy Hour. In every bar and pub of the city the lunch counter is full of every kind of delecacy, from appetizers, to pasta, and Italian cheese. The Iguana Cafe is the happy hour par excellence! After the aperitif, all the people meet in the various restaurants of the Navigli and the centre, to taste every kind of food, not only Italian, but Brazilian, Mexican, Spanish, Chinese, Taiwanese… To keep on with the evening, everybody moves on to the most trendy discos of the area, where music and fun are guaranteed!

The Holliwood, in Corso Como, is the traditional disco in Milan, where celebrities, tourists and students meet. Then there is the Just Cavalli cafe, a pub created by the eccentric Tuscany fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, located in the Parco Sempione area. Here all the smart and classy people from Milan get together.

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Taormina – A great place for holiday or study or both!

Have you got some time off? Want to spend it learning a new language and having an awesome cultural experience at the same time? If your answer is yes then I highly recommend that you look into booking yourself into an Italian language school in Taormina, Sicily! I attended the school for 2 weeks and if I had to name my only one regret it would be that I didn’t make my stay in Taormina a longer one.

Taormina is an old medieval town on the East coast of Sicily in between Messina and Catania. The town itself is situated on Monte Taoro and has spectacular views of the ocean and Mt Etna. Taormina offers a diverse range of activities to suit the likes of everyone, including… boutique shopping in the main street, beaching, possibility of going to the surrounding islands and grottos by boat, there are amazing walking tracks for those who are feeling energetic, and do I have to mention the wonderful Italian cuisine and the gelati!!

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