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.