Penukonda: enjoying the company of a giant and the quietness of an ashram.

English:

Penukonda: enjoying the company of a giant and the quietness of an ashram.

On the first days of August, two of my colleagues from the Foundation and I set out to spend a nice, sunny Sunday in Penukonda, just over an hour drive from Anantapur. That day we also went to Lepakshi, but I'll keep that information for my next post.

A one-day visit to Tarimela for the Tholi Ekadasi Festival.

English:

A one-day visit to Tarimela for the Tholi Ekadasi Festival. 

To Seshu, with all my love and gratitude. Thank you for that wonderful and enjoyable day.

Before I start writing about some of the adventures that have taken place in India lately, I'd like to apologise for not having written anything here in almost two months. The thing is, that my daily routine in India is quite packed and the last thing I want to do when I get to my room is keep writing - either in my blog, in my notebook or elsewhere. I know there are some people who check my blog every day, hoping to find new information, and what you discover is the same information I posted two months ago, already bored to death, occupying the top spot on my list of publications. I refuse to commit to publish something new every day because I know I can not keep this promise, but I promise to update my blog as soon as possible, both for you (I know you want to know about me) and for myself, because I don't want to to have too much information to include in the upcoming months. I think it's best to keep my blog updated, because now I already have too many outstanding publications. Let's see if I achieve it ...

I'd like to continue, then, with the information from another of my adventures in India, an adventure that happened on July 27th and which was held in the house of one of my students, Seshu. The adventure began with my first bus ride in India - a bus which was quite old, with people who had to travel standing, with oxide in any metal corner and broken seats due to the use people have made of them. Although being a bumpy ride, with breaks every few minutes because of the poor condition of the asphalt on highways and roads, and lots of noise (either by the horn of the bus itself or any other car, bike or rickshaw that happened to be on the street at that time), the bus ride turned out to be a very funny experience, with laughter included, that left nobody indifferent.

A one-weekend trip to Hampi: monkeys, excellent food, a four-star hotel and lots of temples.

English:

A one-weekend trip to Hampi: 

monkeys, excellent food, a four-star hotel and lots of temples.

Last weekend, i.e. from July 17th to July 19th 2015, three of my fellow volunteers and I decided to go to Hampi, in the state of Karnataka, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1986. The current city centre houses around 350 temples, fortifications, sculptures, stables... along with a vast amount of guesthouses, whose food is excellent.

Instead of staying in a guesthouse, we opted for a four-star hotel in the city of Hospet, just a few kilometres away from Hampi. There, we enjoyed a fantastic hot shower and a comfortable bed which could have delighted anyone. However, we did not walk a lot around Hospet and, instead of that, we decided to spend all day visiting and enjoying Hampi.

Focusing on...: traffic in Anantapur.

English:

Focusing on...: traffic in Anantapur.

As I mentioned here, and as I am sure many of you may have read in articles or seen in movies, the streets of India are a compendium of people, cows, pigs, roosters, dogs, noise, cars, rickshaws, motorcycles, rubbish, etcetera. I had also read about it and had seen it in movies, but it's not until you set foot in these cities that you actually see what it is like to live here and walk around these streets. It is surprising how much control these people have, whatever their means of transport is, and how little angry they get when they see that a car is approaching them from the front because it is overtaking a bus and two bikes at a time, not to mention how closely they pass pedestrians. Their tranquility is unchanged whatever the traffic intensity is or how much trouble there is around. Here you can see some examples of such chaos, but, as I have previously said, the photos and videos do not do justice to what one actually lives here. Personally, I am still surprised when I walk through these streets or when I am driven somewhere, but I'm getting used to the Indian way of doing things and I dare say I am not afraid anymore.

My first days in India: visiting humanitarian projects in Anantapur.

English:

My first days in India: visiting humanitarian projects in Anantapur.

As many of you know, on Sunday last week I began an adventure to India that will be extended, in principle, until July 2016. This adventure consists on volunteering in the country, specifically in the city of Anantapur, as an English teacher with Fundación Vicente Ferrer, known here as Rural Development Trust.

Seville, one of the most charming and beautiful Spanish cities I have visited.

English:

Seville, one of the most charming and beautiful cities I have visited.

As Mary Ritter Beard once said, "Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." And just to deepen on our ideas of life, two of my best friends and I spent a weekend in Seville in May 2014. When we decided to go to Seville, we already knew we would like the city, but perhaps not as much as we really did. From the very first moment we saw the Giralda, with golden light at sunset, and we got into a tapas bar where the potatoes with aioli were delicious, we decided what we really felt for that city - rather than simply liking it, we thought it was fascinating.

Amsterdam: the romantic side of this liberal (and crazy) city.

English:

Amsterdam: the romantic side of this liberal (and crazy) city.

Amsterdam was one of the excursions we felt most excited about on our exchange. As you know, it was not my first time in that city, but I still liked going there again: first, the weather was way better this time (it was sunny and the city was covered by many more pleasant colours), we had the opportunity to take a boat ride on several of its canals, the company was not the same, we enjoyed the presence of tulips... We fell in love with the city the minute of our arrival despite how chaotic it appeared to be at first sight: cars, motorcycles, bikes and hundreds of pedestrians!

A one-day trip to Cologne: padlocks that express a lot of love and one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world.

English:

A one-day trip to Cologne: 

padlocks that express a lot of love and one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world.

As I had already mentioned here, our school exchange with Germany gave us time to do much more than just to visit the places mentioned in my previous post. It was on this trip when my colleague and friend, David, and I went to Cologne by train one day. The train dropped us off right in front of the impressive cathedral of Cologne, our main objective. Built in Gothic style, this cathedral is the most visited landmark in Germany. Its construction began in 1248 and it was not finished until 1880. Until 1884, this cathedral was the tallest building in the world. Its interior decoration is full of medieval stained glass and the urn which supposedly contains the remains of the three Magic Kings.

A school exchange with a German school: the perfect way to discover incredible cities that we never thought we would visit.

English:

A school exchange with a German school: 

the perfect way to discover incredible cities that we never thought we would visit. 

The second trip I went on with my students (this time with a different group) was to Germany. It was especifically an exchange with a school (the Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium Stadtlohn) from the city of Stadtlohn, in Germany, in April 2014. Earlier that month, German students came to Mallorca and at the end of the month and until the beginning of May, it was us who went there. The programme was intensive, complete and exceptional. We never had a minute to get bored, we visited a lot of beautiful places, soaked in German (and Dutch - I'll explain why later) culture and traditions and met some wonderful people I keep in touch with today.

Going back to Belgium: the wonderful Grand Place at night and the lovely and magical city of Bruges.

English:

Going back to Belgium: the wonderful Grand Place at night 

and the lovely and magical city of Bruges.

In November 2013 my best friend and I went on another trip together, this time to Belgium. For me, as those of you who have been reading me know, Brussels was not new, but it was for my friend. However, this time we were not satisfied with just staying in the Belgian capital and so we also went to the splendid region of Bruges. After reading about Bruges in many articles from the National Geographic, we went there with very high expectations and, as expected, we were not disappointed. In fact, at least on this trip, we kind of preferred Bruges to Brussels due to its charm, its inhabitants, the hotel we stayed at...

My first cruise around the Mediterranean Sea: a great experience that allows you to visit a different city every day.

English:

My first cruise around the Mediterranean Sea: 

a great experience that allows you to visit a different city every day.

I had never gone on a cruise - not once in my life. We had discussed the idea several times at home, but we never got to do it. However, in June 2013, and after having been contemplating several ideas for the school trip, I went on one with the students who were then in ESO 4 (aged 15-16).

On June 20th, we left the port of Palma and set sail to Mahon, one of the ports of Menorca, considered (unofficially) to be the capital city of this small Mediterranean island. I had already been to Menorca before, but it had been years since I had last been there and I enjoyed it so much. There, everyone did what they fancied: some went shopping, others strolled around the market, others rented bicycles and went for a ride, and others just sat in a bar on the waterfront and watched the beautiful views they had.

Salzburg and why Mozart's birthplace offers visitors much more than (just) music.

English:

Salzburg and why Mozart's birthplace offers visitors much more than (just) music.

Our trip to Germany was not confined to the border limits of the country. Because of its proximity to Austria, we decided to go to Salzburg one day, too. In just over two hours by train we arrived at Mozart's birthplace and spent the whole day there. Also decorated with Christmas lights and a festive air, we loved Salzburg from the very beginning.

Bavaria: from terrific cities like Munich, charming villages like Füssen, inviting castles like Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau and breathtaking landscapes like Prien am Chiemsee to the horrifying scenery of a concentration camp.

English:

Bavaria: from terrific cities like Munich, charming villages like Füssen, inviting castles like Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau and breathtaking landscapes like Prien am Chiemsee to the horrifying scenery of a concentration camp.

As if it hadn't been enough with Prague in 2012 (and it wasn't really like that - I already explained why I fell in love with that city here), later that year I decided to go on a trip to Germany, specifically to the area of ​​Bavaria, and spend the Christmas holidays there. Some apartments located right in the centre of the city welcomed us and were our home for about a week in the wonderful city of Munich, just some steps away from the impressive City Hall, Marienplatz (the heart of Munich), several shopping streets and the many bakeries whose delicious products are worthy of any discerning palate.

Prague: charm, beauty and perfection in Kafka's hometown.

English:

Prague: charm, beauty and perfection in Kafka's hometown.

If I had to choose one of my favourite European cities, that would be Prague. I had wanted to visit the Czech capital city for years and it wasn't until May 2012 that I achieved it. The problem is that there are no direct flights from Mallorca and you always need to travel to another country first (in my case, I had to go to Germany first) and that is already some valuable time that you "waste" lost in an airport.

The first thing that surprised me once we were in Prague was the huge amount of tourists that visit that city every year. Although, well, why would something like that surprise me when I was the first person who fell in love with that city and who would go back there tomorrow if I had the chance? For a city whose touristic activity has boomed in a relatively short period of time, the fact that thousands of people visit it every day has meant that in most touristic places you need to buy a ticket to see them and a tiny gratuity is asked to take pictures. Still, I must say that it's worth paying some money to see some places of this wonderful city and I've got to admit that I'd do the exact same thing if I ever travelled to Prague again.

Dublin: beer, castles and churches in an outstanding green landscape.

English:

Dublin: beer, castles and churches in an outstanding green landscape.

The Irish capital city is not only a place where you can buy bargains at Penneys and get drunk with the huge variety of Irish (and non-Irish) beer they have, but also a place where you can marvel at castles, vast churches and landscapes of all colours. 

Madrid, Toledo, and why Spanish cities are as beautiful as many other international sights.

English:

Madrid, Toledo, and why Spanish cities are as beautiful as many other international sights.

I would like to start writing this post by apologising for having taken so long to write another blog entry. I know that there are people who check it daily and I thank you a lot for making it be that way, but it's widely known that we need to prioritize in many occasions and I have been very busy lately.

Secondly, I would like to thank all those poeple who check this blog regularly, very often, every day or in a given sporadic occasion. I created this blog just one month ago and in this short period of time I have achieved more than a thousand visits from people of many different nationalities. I created this blog because I wanted to keep people who are close to me informed about my adventures once I move to India and, even though this is not an internationally recognised blog, I have received visits from Spain, Portugal, the United States, Taiwan, India, Sweden, Ucraine, France, Holland, United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, Mexico, Belgium and Italy. Once again, thank you very much for reading me, I hope you have liked it so far and I hope you want to visit my blog many more times.

Having said that, I'll proceed to explain one of my experiences while travelling around Spain. While it is true that I usually choose to travel to international destinations (not for a specific reason - maybe it's the language, the cultural difference, the country's gastronomy, etc.), I must admit that I have discovered some fascinating nooks in Spain. Madrid and Toledo are definitely two of them.

Brussels: Nôtre Dame du Sablon, the Grand Place, the Manneken Pis and a selection of the finest Belgian chocolates.

English:

Brussels: Nôtre Dame du Sablon, the Grand Place, the Manneken Pis 

and a selection of the finest Belgian chocolates.

I love Europe. Some people say that whenever you've seen a European city, you've seen them all, but that's not entirely true. I have travelled to quite a few European cities (and I still haven't seen them all) and I've always found that each one of them has some special traits that makes it different from the rest. European countries are quite small in comparison to some other countries in other continents, but that is just due to its historical evolution. It is due to this evolution that all European countries have different cultures and traditions and it's always a pleasure to discover each one of these particular traits. 

London: never a 'goodbye', always a 'see you later'.

English:

London: never a 'goodbye', always a 'see you later'.

As Jawaharlal Nehru once said, "We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open". In fact, our lives are full of books, films, programmes and articles that remind us how wonderful this world is and tell us about all the adventures that we may live in it. To some people like me, these messages are pieces of advice given by people who are more experienced than me and from whom I can learn a lot. And that is why I am always in need for new changes and new destinations in life. However, you don't always need to change your destination in order to seek new adventures. And that is exactly the case of London. As I already said here, I'm in love with London and the very first time I visited it I knew I'd go back sooner or later. And that comeback took place in May 2009, just after my 21st birthday. I didn't spend many days in the city, but I had time to visit some places that I hadn't visited before as well as to go back to the most extraordinary places I had discovered four years earlier. Those places gave me reassurance about Nehru's words: the world is beautiful, charming and adventurous and it is our duty to explore it and make the most out of the experiences we live in it.

Mallorca: Introducing the beautiful and magical island where I was born and still live.

English:

Mallorca: Introducing the beautiful and magical island where I was born and still live.

Known to many as 'paradise', Mallorca is my homeland. I have lived here for twenty-seven years (despite my periods of time abroad every now and again) and I love this island, but - no offence to the people who are absolutely in love with Mallorca and wouldn't change it for the world - I'm a bit tired of its hot and humid weather most part of the year and I hate the fact that I need to get on a plane every time I want to go somewhere far away (or a ship, but it takes way longer). In fact, I wouldn't mind living in many other places at different stages in my life.

Don't get me wrong, I do love Mallorca because most of my friends and all my relatives live here and I agree with most people in that we could consider Mallorca 'paradise' because, if you think about it, we've got breathtaking beaches, a mountain range (Serra de Tramuntana) which was not long ago declared World Heritage, cute and cosy villages and a massive Gothic Cathedral which dominates the seafront. I fully understand why people from all around the world want to visit Mallorca at least once in their lives, but I don't like the fact that it is currently known to be a place where people can come just to go clubbing, get drunk, take drugs and have sex - in the end, you can do that everywhere. If you want to see the REAL Mallorca, get on a plane, come here, rent a car and drive around this marvellous island that I can proudly call home.

Lisbon: the essence of antique buildings and ancient streets at the mouth of the Tagus River.

English: 

Lisbon: the essence of antique buildings and ancient streets 
at the mouth of the Tagus River.

In December 2008, two university classmates and I decided to take off for a weekend and visit the historic city of Lisbon. We didn't have time to visit many places in the city (which is now a reason to come back to Lisbon sooner or later), but we did enjoy ourselves anyway and we did visit some of the most famous landmarks like the Belém Tower and the Castle of Saint George as well as the old town. We also had time to eat (and fall in love with) the traditional 'pastel de Belém' - a typical dessert from Portugal. 

Canada: one destination, two languages, five cities.

English: 

Canada: one destination, two languages, five cities.

My trip to Canada, in summer 2008, was the second time I travelled to North America. Once again, I was given a scholarship to go and study abroad and I chose to spend three weeks in Toronto. There, I lived with a host family and I studied at Language Studies International Toronto. Of course, I took advantage of that trip and visited other places like Ottawa (the capital city), Montréal, Québec and Niagara Falls. The journey to go to school every day implied spending ten minutes in a bus and about twenty in the underground, but, fortunately, the frequency of both means of transport was quite gratifying. 

Berlin: the perfect integration of a contemporary society in a historic city.

English:

Berlin: the perfect integration of a contemporary society in a historic city.

My first trip to Germany was some months after I had come back from New York. Since I had spent most of the summer holidays (before travelling to New York) working and so had my best friend, we had enough money to treat ourselves with a trip together. It was the first time we travelled alone together, but we both loved the experience. In fact, even though this happened in 2007, we still talk about it when we meet nowadays because we have so many good memories and very funny moments to remember. 

From all the European cities we could have chosen, we chose Berlin because we had spent several years of our lives studying German and it would be the perfect occasion to practise the language with native speakers. 

New York: Discovering The Big Apple from top to bottom (and the other way around).

English:

New York: Discovering The Big Apple from top to bottom (and the other way around).

As I had already said here, my English course in Brighton wouldn't be the last one. And I knew it even before coming back from Brighton. In September 2006, I started my degree in university and, taking into account that university life was a new adventure on its own, it was not until summer 2007 that I decided to travel again. And what was my destination this time? New York! 

Amsterdam: from Van Gogh's paintings to nightclubs and coffee shops.

English:

Amsterdam: from Van Gogh's paintings to nightclubs and coffee shops.

In my last year at school, in February-March 2006, two months before turning 18, we went on a school trip to Amsterdam. We were given three different options and we chose Amsterdam for one specific reason: because there we would be able to see many Rembrandt and Van Gogh's paintings and, since we had been studying their work for one year at school, we were really interested in seeing them live. I suppose most students' main reason to go to Amsterdam, specially taking into account that we were between 17 and 18 years old, was because they could go to nightclubs and smoke joints in one of the many available coffee shops; but I wasn't at all interested in that. However, we did enter a coffee shop one night and we did party at the weekend. I like to think of Amsterdam as a clash between culture, tradition and history and the willingness to be an inclusive and updated society where an ancient building, church or museum can be located next to a nightclub, a coffee shop or a sex museum. We spent those days visiting those ancient places and marvelling at the exceptional artists that had been born there and the nights dancing in packed discos. We visited Anne Frank's house during the day, and ate a weed muffin at night. We went around the outskirts of the city by bicycle during the day, and entered a sex museum in the afternoon. If I think about it in depth, at that time, we - my classmates and I - also represented that transition from innocence to adulthood. We were still an in-between when we went to Amsterdam - we were still kids -, but, after that year at school, most of us would go to unversity and we'd have to grow up whether we liked it or not.

London, I have a crush on you.

English: 

London, I have a crush on you.

There's not a better way to start describing my feelings for London than quoting Roxette's song "Crush On You". I had been in love with London since long before I finally got a chance to visit it. Before I travelled to Brighton in 2005, I had already made plans to visit London, but I was advised to go to Brighton instead because I wouldn't meet so many Spanish people (and would therefore speak English more often). Nevertheless, the fact that I spent one whole month in Brighton didn't stop me from visiting the city of London, especially taking into account how close Brighton's train station was from where I lived. One weekend, my Spanish friend, Carmen, and I decided to take a train and go to London. After a two-hour-long journey, we arrived to the first city of my dreams (and I say 'first' because back then I didn't know that the future cities I would discover in my life would also become "cities of my dreams"). Of course, London surpassed all my expectations... not only was the city huge and beautiful, but there were also so many interesting sights to see. I remember taking a touristic bus and walking around it just as if it had happened yesterday. I remember eating a packed sandwich in front of the Thames with the Houses of Parliament on my right side and looking straight towards the London Eye. I remember sitting in front of the Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard, looking for a bargain in Oxford Street, falling in love with Harrod's windows, walking across the Tower Bridge, visiting the Tower of London and, of course, posing in front of the Big Red Bus and the telephone boxes. London was also the first city where I got to use the underground. London was - and still is - a must as well as a first for me: many things that happened in my life (such as using an underground or seeing lots of guards in front of a Royal Palace) happened in London for the first time. Due to all this, I think there's no need to say that London is such a special place for me nowadays. London was a dream before I had seen it with my own eyes and, even though I have already been there three times, it will always be a dream - though now it's a dream come true.

Brighton, Cambridge and why studying abroad is worth your time and money.

English:

Brighton, Cambridge and why studying abroad is worth your time and money.

Since my parents had seen that I was capable of travelling "alone" and going back home safe and sound, they finally allowed me to go abroad to study an English course. Since I was 12 I had always known I wanted to become an English teacher - I loved foreign languages (and still do) and wanted to study an English course abroad so bad. So summer 2005 was the perfect chance for me to go and make my dream come true. I went to Brighton (England) for one whole month in summer and I fell in love with the English language and culture even more. I was lucky, because I lived with an amazing family (a single mum and her four-year-old child) who really appreciated me. Also, the house where I lived was very close to the school I attended every morning from Monday to Friday, the shopping centre, the cinema, the train station, the beach and the so well-known Brighton Pier and Pavilion. Spending one month in Brighton was a wonderful experience: I met lots of new people from many different countries (including a Spanish girl from my class who became one of my best friends), I had lots of fun, I visited the outskirts as well as other cities (like Cambridge and London - but London deserves another blog entry on its own), I discovered my fascination for cookies and banoffee and I learnt many new things about the English language. I had new classmates every week, but that wasn't a bad thing - it was a perfect occasion to discover new things about other fascinating places in this world. As you can imagine, and taking into account what an incredible experience it was, I knew I would go and study abroad in other occasions - and so I did. What I knew for sure the moment I left Brighton was that those people and those experiences would always be in my memory and in my heart. 

Stockholm and Gävle: the beginning of a love story that would last forever.

English: 

Stockholm and Gävle: the beginning of a love story that would last forever.

It was not until January 2005, aged 16, that my parents let me go on a trip on my own. Well, in fact, that trip was not even on my own... it was part of a school exchange that we were doing with a Swedish school from Gävle. However, we did spend a lot of time on our own with our host families going to different places in the country. The school we were doing the exchange with was in Gävle, a city located about two hours away from Stockholm, but that didn't mean that we wouldn't visit the capital city of such an organised and clean country. One day, we woke up very early in the morning to start a long journey towards the southern part of the country to visit the city that is now the home of the Nobel Prizes. My stay in Sweden was wonderful - not only because of the amazing people I met and the fabulous experiences I lived, but also because it was the beginning of a love story that would last forever: my passion for travelling. It was there that I learnt how terrific travelling is, how awesome it is to discover new cultures, languages and lifestyles and become, even if just for a couple of days, part of it.