Valencia – Fiesta de Disfraces!

I’m doing a Spanish course in Valencia and really loving it! One of the great things about the course is that, as well as the lessons, the school organizes lots of lots of activities – excursions, guided walks, dance lessons and LOADS more! They really help you settle in and make friends.

Last weekend the school organized a “Fiesta de Disfraces” (“Costume Party”) in a bar near our school.

The theme was ‘the seventies’. As announced on the notice boards in school, all the students had a free entry and received a free drink if they wore a costume. Thanks to that strategy, there were LOTS of students in costumes, creating a really great atmosphere of ‘the seventies’ in the bar.

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It’s so different from Sweden!

I loved my time in Lisbon! The most interesting thing when staying in a capital of a country is the variety of things that you can do, see and experience. Well Lisbon exceeded my expectations! Lisbon, also called the “7 Hill City” or “Lx” is a perfect mix of modern buildings and traditional architecture. Even if you walk 24 hours a day you will always find something to see and do in this never-sleeping city!

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Christmas Markets in Berlin – Accept no substitute!

I’m from the UK and nowadays it seems like every town here has a visiting Christmas market at some point over the Christmas/New Year period, complete with wooden toys, scented candles, woolly gloves and dodgy sausages!

Christmas/New Year in your own country can be fun, but there are alternatives!

The Christmas/New Year period is such a wonderful time to get away and really enjoy these holiday days abroad – seeing how other cultures celebrate Christmas/New Year and joining in the fun!

Last year, I travelled to Berlin with my girlfriend and in my opinion Germany – and in particular Berlin – is one of the best places to go if you want to enjoy Christmas/New Year abroad, with all you could hope for, including amazing Christmas markets!

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I’d rather be in Salerno!

I’ve been studying at a really nice school in Salerno, in the South of Italy. Originally I wanted to study in Rome but the cost of the course put me off and I decided that the location of Salerno, on the Amalfi Coast, was perfect for a summer course (in fact it’s only just over 2 hours by train from Rome so I managed a weekend visit in any case!).

The city itself is not huge, but there is plenty going on, open-air concerts (usually free!), evening walks along the seafront, local festivals where you can taste the typical food and drink from that village and plenty of great bars and restaurants. It’s amazing how many people are around in the evening – that’s when the city really comes to life in the summer!

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When in Porto…

Porto is without doubt one of the most lively, vibrant cities that I’ve ever been to. It’s not just architecturally beautiful, but is also a university city with amazing nightlife and very interesting traditions!

I was there at the start of the academic year, and I was amazed by the way the university students, dressed in the university’s customary black capes, gather in the main square and listen to the “tuna” (university band) singing Fado to the lovely sound of the Portuguese guitar – a wonderful local tradition, that helped me realise that my time in Porto was going to be something special!

Another amazing place that I soon discovered in Porto was the “Ribeira”, located in the old part of city. There are traditional restaurants, cafés and nightclubs, all with amazing views over the river Douro. It’s a part of the city that never sleeps! I often went there in the evening, with other students from the school.

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Bariloche, my second home!

After my four weeks stay in Buenos Aires, I chose to change place and see something different about Argentina.

I didn’t really know Bariloche before, but I heard that it’s a great place for outdoor activities. I arrived there by bus and already on the way I was impressed of the landscape! I knew immediately that it is the right place to be for the next couple of weeks!

So I attended another 4 weeks of Spanish lessons there.

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Salsa and Spanish!

My name is Jessica and at the beginning of 2008, I spent 6 weeks living in Havana, Cuba. I had the time of my life!

I arrived in Havana at the end of March, which was an excellent time to go, because the weather was perfect. My host family came to pick me up, and brought me back to a nice apartment in west Vedado, an area just bordering the district of Miramar. There was a girl from England staying in the room next to mine, and over the course of our time in Cuba, we became great friends!

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Free tapas in Granada!

I’ve just come back from 4 weeks studying in Granada and it’s by far the most stunning Spanish city I’ve been to! I really loved every minute there. It’s unlike anywhere else – You realize this from the minute you arrive, with the incredible Arabic palace “La Alhambra” towering over the city, and the snow-capped Sierra Nevada Mountains behind – You just know you’ve arrived somewhere special!

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Glaciers and Spanish!

When I was planning my gap year, I immediately decided to include Latin America. As I am half way through a Spanish language degree at university, I thought it made good sense to not only do a Spanish course in Spain, but also learn some Latin American Spanish – different accent, different sights – I couldn’t wait!

I flew to Buenos Aires, spent a few days sightseeing, and then travelled overland to Bariloche. It was a REALLY long coach trip, but I loved it – watching the countryside go by, chatting to people on the coach… and then I saw Bariloche appearing on the horizon, and my excitement grew!

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Roma is the city for everyone!!

I took a 6 week course in Roma and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! Roma is definitely a city that suites all types of people as it has everything and more. It’s a big city but almost everywhere you go you can see beautiful old roman buildings! The city is full of so many things to do and the roman people are SO friendly! It’s also so easy to get around the city by either bus or metro.

The school is in the centre, and so after school you can head into the centre for sightseeing, or go for a stroll and get an ice cream – I really got addicted to Italian ice cream whilst I was there! The food is also amazing and there is a great typical restaurant just around the corner from the school, where many Italians and students go.

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