San Sebastian – Live

I jump into the kitchen and shout to my housemates ‘San Sebastian what do you think of?!’ and their first response is ‘surfistas!’…and they’re exactly right…the surfers are what this beautiful city is famous for.

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Language learning with Yoga

To all the yogis out there who love to travel and nourish their spirit by indulging in something new, this might be an interesting read for you! The ancient yogis taught us to nurture not just our bodies but also our brains by constantly learning.

As a practitioner of yoga I love to discover new things, broaden my knowledge, and learn something new – and not just through yoga! Whether you’re an old-hat when it comes to the ancient art or have never tried it in your life, we’ve got some great Language & Yoga courses that will help you get the most out of your stay.

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Spanish in Costa Adeje – my first day

Today was the first day of my Spanish course in Costa Adeje. It has been a great start to my holiday! Lessons usually start at 9am, but today we were asked to arrive 15 minutes early so we could register and collect our books before lessons began. Last week, I took the school’s on-line level test. This unsurprisingly determined that I had an A1 (beginner) level of Spanish.

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Life in Puerto de la Cruz

I am currently living in the village of Puerto de la Cruz in Tenerife. Part of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, this fascinating village is situated on the north-west side of the island.

The village is actually a city because it has its own council, but it has a surface area of only 9 square kilometers. That makes it almost 175 times smaller than London. Even though it is very small, there is a lot to do. At least I think so!

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Spanish and surfing in Tenerife

Having worked at Apple Language Courses for over 10 years, I am more than a little embarrassed to say that my knowledge of the Spanish language is fairly limited!

Like many of our students, I studied Spanish at school (a few more years ago than I like to think!) and have taken evening classes since then, but other than that my language practice has been limited to holidays in Spain and my skills are rather rusty.

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Discover El Teide and Puerto de la Cruz!

Sun, beaches and palm trees! Tenerife often is associated with a picture of a sandy beach crowded with tourists, well, I find this a shame because this little island holds many more secrets…I spent six months in Tenerife and in my opinion it is a really interesting destination due to the diversity of its landscapes alone: A combination of sea and mountains, sandy beaches, black sand and pebble beaches await you on your next adventure!

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Studying in Valencia

Below is a guest blog from Renée about her time studying in Valencia.

Valencia is an enchanting city with lots to do, but also has a safe small-town feeling. It was one of the reasons why I decided to study there! Another reason is that they speak with the ‘real’ Spanish accent, which is great when you are practicing the language. Valencia has two universities and is very near to a beautiful sandy beach.

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Murcia – Traditionally Spanish and constantly sunny!

Murcia is a great city situated in Southeast Spain. This is one of the sunniest Spanish cities and you will never need to be worried about the weather because it is perfect! In addition, during the summer you can enjoy the sun by relaxing on the beach with your friends. It is very easy making new friends in Murcia since people here are all really friendly. Murcia, Spain’s seventh largest city, is situated near to the coast and you can get to the Mediterranean beaches in just 30 minutes driving. Do not worry at all if you do not have a car, the public transport is really efficient thanks to the bus and also the tram lines.

Murcia is certainly the right place for people who are looking to immerse themselves completely into a new culture and is an absolutely ideal place to learn Spanish!

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New School – Costa Adeje

Many of our students are keen to combine their language course with a much needed holiday and our school in Costa Adeje will allow you to do just that! Your Spanish lessons will usually take place in the mornings, leaving you plenty of time to relax on the beach, get involved in some exciting water-sports, or even hike some of the island’s spectacularly rugged terrain.

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Spanish Christmas traditions

Although Christmas starts on the 24th for most families, there are some Spanish pre-Christmas traditions. The most important is the Spanish Christmas Lottery, known as  ‘el Gordo’ (the fat one) which is held on the 22nd December and is the biggest lottery worldwide. Apart from that, you usually watch ‘La Gran Familia’, a movie that is on TV every single year.

The night of the 24th is called Nochebuena. Religious people go to the church on the 24th to the ‘Misa del Gallo’ (something similar to midnight mass), but most of the families simply reunite in order to have a huge dinner (and eat way more than is recommended). Although this ‘feast’ may vary, it usually includes some appetizers (mainly Jamón Serrano), seafood, soups, lamb and a typical Christmas dessert (turrón and/or polvorones).

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