Ibiza: when tourism makes matters worse

Hello everyone!

Last weekend I've been to Ibiza. Sounds weird being winter, I know, but I didn't go there for the clubbing and the party scene, but instead for its natural beauty. I am fortunate enough to have a flatmate who is from there, so us two and another flatmate headed off to this sunny island.

However with this post I don't want to say what I've done in an infinite list of things, you can see that from the video and the photos. I want to talk about the damages tourism can create.

Ibiza is the perfect example: here you have a beautiful mediterranean island, untouched by civilisation, until in the 60s someone notices it. Soon come flocking hoards of tourists, who build and build and build until everything that used to be there for centuries (both historical and natural) is wiped off in the matter of years. Nowadays, visitors get there, rent an anonymous flat, get burnt under the sun, drunk in the clubs, and leave without even knowing where they've been. Is it so difficult to have a responsible type of tourism?

Ibiza is such a cute little island, typical of the Mediterranean Sea. The old town centre is brilliant, with its small whitewashed houses and narrow lanes. Then if you explore the countryside, you discover an array of small villages stuck in time, rolling hills and winding roads, and unspoilt beaches that are a wonder to the eye. There is so much more to Ibiza than partying!

The same can be said about other places on this planet. Isn't it time to stop destroying it, and try and protect what is left and wonder in front of the amazing (free) beauty that Earth offers us?

Here are the photos I took. Not one of them contains a single drunk person! Enjoy!!

Hasta pronto

xx

A Tour of Barcelona

Hello my friends! (think that in a Russian accent please - don't ask me why)

So, last Wednesday was my birthday, but I didn't know what to do because all my friends are currently scattered around the world and it would have been slightly complicated to get them all together to get drunk one night. So what to do? Well, my favourite thing in the world is travelling, and what better occasion than this! So 10 days before I decided to leave the biggest city in Spain to go and visit the 2nd biggest city in Spain. Here's what happened! (Also if you don't want to read, go to the end and you'll find the videos!)

Day 1.

6am, the alarm clock rings. Considering Friday is normally my day off, and that I'm still suffering from a blasting cold, it wasn't really welcome. Whatever, time to go explore something new! Obviously, as every other day of my life, I'm running late, and in order to catch the train to the airport I had to run to the station (with a massive bag on my shoulders).

7.45, finally at the airport. I forgot I didn't have a hold luggage, so I put everything (think "shower things") in my hand luggage. What, an, idiot. Got to security, stripped to almost my underware (no jacket, then no belt, then no jumper, and finally no shoes), only to be told to go back where I came from and empty my bag. When I got through security again, the "nice" guard simply proceeded to casually throw away all the things that I normally use to wash. Bye bye €20 worth of things.

8.20, on the plane. At least it's comfy. Left Madrid at 8.55 (after a spot of vlogging) and landed in Barcelona one hour later. Slept all the way. Thanks Vueling!! (however my ears still have to go pop - and it's 23:14 on Friday night...)

By 11 I'm already in Barcelona, walking hopelessly because I can't check into my hotel yet. So off we go for a traditional Catalan meal (i.e. McDonald's).

At 1pm I checked into my hotel (Pension Solarium, just off the Ramblas. €15 per night. It's got share bathroom, but at least it's clean!). Then decided to go and explore the Parc de Montjuic "close-by". I got lost and it took me 2 hours to get there (I ended up in the port)... It was cute though, loads of viewpoints from which I could admire the city, plus some interesting museums and a model Spanish village (too expensive though, stayed outside).

Decided to catch the metro to get back to the centre, where after a pick-me-up hot chocolate I went to visit the cathedral. Old, nice, and shiny! From there I headed towards the Barceloneta beach, I relaxed by listening to the waves, and then went for dinner. Great place, called "El Rey de la Gamba 2", where for €18 I had enough fish to feed 4 people (I'm not kidding), water, bread and a red tea. Cheers Spain!

It's now late and I'm writing this and preparing my trip for tomorrow. Gaudi day coming up!!

Day 2.

Early start today! Alarm set for 8am, so I could get showered and dressed, got out in search for breakfast (another typical Catalan institution, Starbucks...) and then head off to the Sagrada Familia for 10am (I had pre-booked tickets). What a marvel! It appears in front of you as soon as you exit the metro, and the amount of details present on that building will leave you without words, which is actually what I am now. I'm not sure what I can say about it: nature and colours, everything in the building reverts back to one of these two elements. It's absolutely incredible. I can't really say anything else, I'll let the photos do the talking.

After the 2-hour visit, during which I froze to death (Barcelona gets pretty windy during winter, and there was little I could do to avoid being blown off my feet), I decided to look for something to eat (there comes to my rescue 100 Montaditos, I love that place!) and then go back to the hotel for a siesta: you can't even imagine how tired I was.

After regaining some strength (and some heat) I headed off to another masterpiece by Gaudi: the Casa Batllò. Again, I found myself without words. Somehow Gaudi entered the world of my dreams and extracted what he saw by putting in into solid material, and this isn't a joke: that was the house of my dreams. The curves, the light, the presence of nature, everything was absolutely perfect. Again, words aren't enough to describe these wonders, and I'll let the images do the talking.

After exiting the house feeling on a different planet, I did what I do best: walk without a set destination. I find this is the best way of getting to know a place: you might get lost, you might get confused, you might go round in circles, but you will discover places and aspects that aren't normally present on tourist routes. What I noticed during that walk was simply that Barcelona people aren't patient, at all... they're quite nice though!

I then headed off to the already explored area of Las Ramblas to have dinner, where I added on yesterday's portion of fish with..........some more fish. I think I had enough for a month during the past two days!!

I'm now sitting in my room wondering what to do tomorrow before my flight. I still have no idea, so I'll decide when I wake up.

See you tomorrow (or, as you're reading this, see you in 2 lines)!!!

Day 3.

Not much happening today I'm afraid!! After lying in most of the morning (it's Sunday, no matter where you find yourself!) I had to get up to check out of the hotel.

After breakfast at Starbucks (I hate the place, but they do know how to make tea!) I wanted to explore a market just behind the Ramblas, however I forgot it was Sunday and that everything in Spain dies, so no market for me! I decided to walk around a bit in the streets of that area, which date back to medieval times, and after admiring an endless row of closed shops and deserted alleyways, I decided to call it a day and catch the train to the airport.

After a quick lunch at McDonald's and a tea at Costa Coffee (yep, I completely immersed myself in the Catalan culture) I boarded my plane and, 45 minutes later, I touched down in lovely Madrid.

All in all, Barcelona was a beautiful city! There is everything for everyone (except if you are there just for a Sunday), the food is amazing, the people are welcoming, and there's the sea (you know, a bonus...)

That's it for this trip! I'm already planning the next one, and it's becoming very probable the destination will be I....... (you'll find out :) )

Hasta prontoooooooooooooooo


Here are the videos:

Part 1

Part 2

                                       

Allons enfants de la Patrie.

I had to write this post in French. Please bear with me.

_____________________________________________________________________

Allons enfants de la Patrie, le jour de gloire est arrivé.

La Gloire, la capacité de garder le visage haut, face aux difficultés, parce que rien ne peut nous détruire.

Contre nous, de la tyrannie l’étendard sanglant est levé.

La tyrannie, aujourd’hui ça commence toujours avec T, et elle utilise toujours le sang comme arme, donc c’est à nous de répondre avec nos paroles, nos actions, et l’amour que nous unit.

Entendez-vous dans nos campagnes mugir ces féroces soldats ?

Oui, ils attaquent nos libertés, mais on résiste, parce que notre tolérance et notre volonté de vivre dans une société libre nous donne la force.

Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras, égorger vos fils, vos compagnes.

C’est triste, nos confrères sont ceux qui nous veulent du mal. Pourquoi ? On vous a traité comme des frères !

Aux armes, citoyens ! Formez vos bataillons !

Marchons, marchons, qu’un sang impur, abreuve nos sillons.

Et ça on l’a vu dans ces derniers jours. Les armes : nos têtes. Les bataillons : nos corps. Les marches : les manifestations de solidarité.

Aujourd’hui la journée a été incroyable. On entendait du français, on voyait des tricolores, on chantait la Marseillaise. On n’était pas en France, mais en plein centre-ville de Madrid.

Et voilà la raison pour laquelle le terrorisme jamais vaincra : n’importe où, n’importe le pays, la nationalité, la langue ou la religion, les hommes se réuniront toujours pour défendre ses idéaux, et les libertés d’eux-mêmes et de ses confrères.

L’amour que nous unit est plus fort de la haine que vous avez contre nous.

Et vous perdrez. Tout.

Je Suis Charlie. On est tous Charlie.

New Traditions!

Hello again!

As the first post for 2015, I thought I’d write about the new traditions I learnt throughout this festive season! Although I went back to the UK for a week at Christmas, I then came back to Madrid for New Year’s Eve and the following period, so this is what I’ll be talking about!

So, in other words:

• Fireworks? No thanks, I have grapes.
• No Santa for Spanish kids!

Fireworks? No thanks, I have grapes.

Turn on the news on the 31^st December and 1^st January, and this is what you’ll see: “Sydney has welcomed New Year with Explosive Display!” “Beijing has welcomed New Year with Explosive Display” “London has…” you got the jist, right?

However, have you ever heard any news coming from Spain? No? Well, neither have I… So it was up to me this year to discover what happens on such a night!

On the 31^st, the day is yours: do whatever you like with it. It isn’t until the evening that the celebrations begin. You start off with a big dinner, either with friends, or with your family, or whoever you want sitting opposite you. After that, it is time to go to the main event! In Madrid, huge crowds gather in the Puerta del Sol (one of the main squares) to welcome the New Year, but how? The bells on the Puerta count down every quarter of an hour starting from 11:00. When 12 o’clock arrives, you hear a carillon, and a ball slowly makes is way downwards on top of the building. Then it’s time for the cuartos, different bell rings that anticipate the arrival of the hour. Then it all begins: everyone takes a long anticipatory breath aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand…………………………………… YOU HAVE A GRAPE! Yep, that’s what happens! For each of the 12 “dongs”, you eat a grape. They are supposed to symbolise good luck for each of the 12 months ahead. Forget the noise from the other cities around the world, this situation create a moment of complete silence while 20,000+ people try and ingurgitate 12 grapes without choking to death! I tried, I succeeded, however trust me when I say they bells are very fast and it is very difficult to keep chewing at the same pace!

After this you have the choice of going back home and relax for the rest of the night, or go to a bar or club and party until dawn! Also I’ve been told today that it is traditional to end the party in the morning by going to eat chocolate con churros. Nice!

No Santa for Spanish Kids!

Yep, in Spain Santa doesn’t play a major role! But don’t worry, your presents will still arrive. Only you have to wait an extra two weeks until the night of the 5^th/6^th January when Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar (aka the Three Kings) are the ones who carry out this taks! The way it works is fairly similar to the “Santa issue”, however, being noble, each city gives them a regal welcome to their homes! You can watch the Cabalgata de Reyes from Madrid in the following video:

This is it, I hope you’ve had a great start to 2015, and see you soon!

Hasta pronto!

#JeSuisCharlie

As I write this blog, events are unfolding in Paris which threaten some of our core values: freedom of speech and freedom of thought.

Workers (and not only) of the magazine Charlie Hebdo have been brutally murdered just for using a pencil to create a drawing.

Yes it is satire, yes you might not agree with it, but while it stays within the framework of law and morality then they have the right to express themselves! If you disagree, you tell them, you respond word by word, drawing by drawing, but you do not use a rifle. That is not justice, that is cowardice.

YouTube and other blog sites like the one I am using now enable each and every one of us to express our thoughts freely, so we have all been attacked on this day.

You may have died today, but your pens live in our pens. The writing will continue.

Je Suis Charlie.

Christmas Time!

Hello everyone!

So Christmas is finally upon us! Although I'll be spending it in the UK, here's a video of what you can do if you found yourself in Madrid!

In other news:

The school year has now finished. It's been such a good one! I absolutely adore my kids and my colleagues, however I think it is good to have a bit of a rest now... It's so tiring being a teacher!

I'm earning money, but I'm spending money. I am now Ticketmaster's most valued customer. However 2015 will be amazing, because I'll see:

• Robbie Williams. He's hanging out in Madrid in March...
• Pentatonix. My latest obsession. They decided to come back to Europe, and for the 1st time in Madrid, during my Year Abroad! They'll be here in April
• Madrid Open Masters. I've got tickets for all the quarterfinals in May. I can't wait!
• One Direction. They are NOT coming to Madrid, however I'll be joining them in Newcastle (with the bestie Katy) in October. Finally!!!

I can't wait to go back to England (tomorrow!). I love Spain, I really do, but it'll be the chance of hearing people speak at a normal volume level and stuff myself with mince pies!

I don't know if I have anything else to say now. I hope, wherever you are, that you have a great Christmas and a fantastic 2015!

See ya later!!!
xx

A Tour of Segovia

Hello everyone!!!

Today I've been to Segovia, but instead of boring with a lot of words, today you can relax and enjoy the video.

Happy viewing!!!

xx

Christmas Madness (with some extras)

Helloooooooooo everyone!!!

Oh my God I am being soooo bad at this! I realised that I haven’t written anything about my Year Abroad since the post talking about moving here, and that’s almost two months ago!! However, I’m not too sure what I’ll be writing about, so let’s see how it goes…

Life in the madhouse (also known as Spain) continues as per usual. Work is absolutely brilliant! I love being a Language Assistant… there is something about connecting with young students (who are not that distant from me age-wise!) that creates some kind of complicity and makes lessons ever so fun! I love the fact that, as soon as I walk into the school, students start shouting my name and asking general things about life, I’ve never been so popular before! It’s good to see that I’m doing something right.

Life in the school is so chilled out: the teachers are amazing, so helpful and so kind! We always speak in Spanish (hard at the beginning, but I’m getting there!) and it’s good to have those small social moments in the staff room just talking about everything and anything. It makes me feel appreciated and part of the team! While normally they already have something in mind for me to do with the kids, lately the situation has changed. Using Christmas as an excuse, they asked me if I could prepare something myself for the lessons. Nervous is an understatement! Being the first time I had to do something like this, I wanted it to be perfect and so spent HOURS looking up material online and also trying to create my own resources. Having done this for a week now, I can say it has been a SUCCESS and the kids are loving it! So I’ll be repeating it for another two weeks now… ;)

I’ve also joined a music group, formed by a fellow teacher and three students. It is based on “directed improvisation”, where each instrument improvises within a frame of already given instructions. It’s so fun I can’t even describe it to you! I’m so glad I got to play the piano again, I was seriously missing it…

Outside of school, a few things have happened. On the tourism side, I’ve seen quite a lot of Madrid! People who know me know that my dream place to live is a cottage in a countryside village with the local church, pub, shop, etc. in walking distance, and also a lot of green, so cities aren’t really my thing. However, I could definitely live in Madrid! It’s absolutely beautiful: it’s got everything a capital city should have (so social life, monuments, transport, and whatever you can think of) however it is blended with the Spanish chilled out way of life. The result is an incredibly lively city, but which leaves you alone if you want some peace and quiet! Also, it’s SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cheap! And, as a student, that’s very nice…

Other than Madrid, I’ve also been down to Alicante so see my besties Katy and Francesca, accompanied by Georgia (she’s in Santander) and Gemma (who’s in Madrid). It was so good to have this reunion! We visited the city, we went to the beach, we ate (a lot!), and just behaved like absolute idiots for the entire weekend! I miss these people so much it was amazing to see them! A couple of weeks later, another good LCS pal (Louise) came to visit all the way up from Albacete, and so we managed to do a lot of tourism (and, again, eating) in the capital together! And then, the following week, Francesca came up and Georgia came down, and part of the Alicante quintet was formed once again in Madrid! I had so much fun during those two weeks…

The best people in the world!

In other news, Christmas has now started in Spain too. However forget those over-the-top Blackpool-lights-on-your-roof kind of situations you see in the UK: here everything is low-key, not over the top at all, some things nice and some not that much. Here are some examples of what I’m talking about…

However, I was wrong. The other day I turned a corner in the city centre and this is what I saw:

Ladies and gentlemen, this is mental! (Also, what is it with Christmas and penguins this year?!?)

Also, being December, temperatures are slowly but steadily falling. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still warm: while everyone in the metro has got a duvet wrapped around their necks, I still go round with a light jacket, not buttoned up. Today was the first day I was a bit chilly, and thought about doing up some of those buttons…

Anyway, I’m not too sure what else to say. I’ve started decorating my room for Christmas (a huge thank you to Poundland for opening a branch just down my street right on my year abroad!), however it is not finished. I’m still deciding what to add next… any ideas?

I’ve also enjoyed writing Christmas cards while listening to Carols and sipping a boiling hot tea. Oh how I love this time of the year! Also a big shout out to Pentatonix, who became my new obsession. They’re this a cappella group from the States, and they’re so good I want to cry and laugh at the same time! They’re currently on repeat on my Spotify… Everyone please buy their album, you'd enjoy it!

I think that’s it for now! I’ll add some photos which might describe what I didn’t say in the text above. See you soon lovelies!!!

xx

Alicante

Alicante

Palacio Real de Aranjuez