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.