Blogs from Girona, Catalonia, Spain, Europe
September 20th 2011
This past weekend I attended the IES study journey to Costa Brava. I really enjoyed this vacation because IES did a very good job of planning this trip. Costa Brava is the northern coastal region of Spain, located north of Barcelona. The cities we visited in Costa Brava were: Figueres, Cadaques, Girona, La Jonquera, and Collioure. I really enjoyed the weekend because the sites we visited were fascinating and rich with history. I also got to visit France for the first time when we went to Cadaques! The weekend started on Friday morning at 7:30 A.M. in Plaza Catalunya. All of us IES students met outside of the Hard Rock Cafe to board our buses for Costa Brava. As soon as I got settled in my seat I could tell that I would have a great ... read more
August 27th 2011
The kolams are these small mandalas that in some areas of India, are painted on the ground outside the front door to draw luck and fortune. In the village where I was, basically they did these anew every day, but there are some special dates where kolams are much more elaborate and more colorful (e.g. the festival of Diwali, India’s National Day, etc ...). Kolams are drawn with a kind of colored chalk powder that is bought in the market. Sometimes they are made of rice- flour paste, which may be eaten by little animals symbolising a reverence for the smallest living creatures. The skill and speed of the women is incredible as they trace out the patterns. Usually it is the responsibility of one family member to draw the mandala each morning, most often the ... read more
July 27th 2011
On the 20th of September 2010 I went to India to work as a teacher volunteer for 6 months in Vedanthangal (a village in the state of Tamil Nadu, South India). I came back to Spain in March and, after some time just to catch up with my friends and family, I’ve been travelling a bit around Spain and Europe with my boyfriend Paul (Australian who is in Spain for the first time). We went to the north of Spain (Camino de Santiago), Formentera, South France, Switzerland and some small trips in Catalonia. India is in the air all the time since Paul arrived here because he’s in love with this beautiful country but since last week something is changing in me..... I can see again those colourful saris contrasting on black skin; I can hear ... read more
July 4th 2011
Hello Readers! Welcome to Auguetta's blog, my blog!! I’ve decided to create a blog on the Travelblog website in order to share all my Chinese adventures. I want to speak my mind, to express my thoughts and daily life while away from home. I am not a writer, but a traveller, with lots of things to share. I love travelling; travelling is one of the best experiences ever. You get to know new people, new places. I had the chance to travel to different countries and now I feel I cannot stop. Every day I think about what my next destination would be. I am now currently located in Spain, but heading to China in a week. I am really interested in living in Asia, experience the culture, live a new adventure. I’ve once read, "Life ... read more
very late - a couple of weeks worth of adventures
Published: April 30th 2011Europe » Spain » Catalonia » Girona » Girona
April 30th 2011
So headed up to Costa Brava for the weekend- was a 1 and a half hour drive – I taught the girls how to play pea knuckle wars- bad move. Felt like 1000 games later we arrived yay! Pals is a beautiful old historical town- the beach house was in a beautiful complex- typical Spanish houses all white and stone and concrete- it then had a really nice big pool to share with the other 10 houses in that part and another pool on the other side for the other 10. We decided to head to beach and took a picnic lunch- but was so windy and even cold! Felt very strange wearing jeans and jersey at the beach- although quite Spanish ☺ It is starting to get really hot so normally walking around Barcelona in ... read more
Luggage on wheels are not all-terrain and should not be pulled on cobblestone streets
Published: March 20th 2011Europe » Spain » Catalonia » Girona » Girona
March 13th 2011
Alright, gotten a little bored with myself and my entries, so doing this in the perspective of my travel companion/mascot/pillow/stuffed dog, Ralph. Woof! Greetings, all. Ralph here. We took a train from Barcelona to Girona and gotten a hostel dorm with 5 beds to ourselves for the 3 days we were here! Being cheap, she's washed all her clothes in the sink and strewn them all over the room to dry, but didn't bother to wash my shirt which I have been wearing since our Romania trip! How rude! Well, from where we left off: Train to Girona where, for some asinine reason, a ridiculous amount of tourists were travelling with giant suitcases on wheels, and none of them knew (1) how to navigate and watch for others (2) how to walk faster than a crawling ... read more
March 6th 2011
Abdul is around 25 years old and he's from Uttar Pradesh. He's married to an Indian girl from Goa and they have one son who is ten months old. They lived in many different places around India and now they are in Mamallapuram, a small touristic city by the sea in the state of Tamil Nadu. Abdul owns a small music shop in the city center. He makes the instruments (as his father taught him) and sells them: flute, sitar, drums, guitar.... I met him some months ago when I was looking for a sitar for my father. I had to go to his shop several times and we became friends. Last weekend I went to Mamallapuram. I'm leaving India soon so, so it was my last weekend there (for now, who knows?). It was Sunday ... read more
Monday 24th January to Sunday 30th January 2011
Published: February 2nd 2011Europe » Spain » Catalonia » Girona
February 1st 2011
Monday 24th January 2011. Roses – JonCar Mar Camping Site Tom went for a 2.75hours ride from Roses to Port De La Selva, then to Cadaques to the pastry shop coffee and cheese cake - the guy there has a Bianchi so they chatted. For the bicycle rider friends - he did 55 km @ average of 20kms – note the high point at roundabout is higher than pie in the sky – so sea level from Roses to roundabout and down to Port De La Selva, back up to roundabout and down to Cadaques and then back up to roundabout and down to Roses – he thinks he is getting there. Tom and Megan walked into town at 2pm and everything closed – Spanish siesta time - aargh – so home we went. Had nibblies ... read more
January 16th 2011
My final day in Spain passed quietly. I was up early for another solitary breakfast, quietly staring out of the window at the people outside. I packed up my room and left my things in storage while I set off for a last walk around the city. It was a peaceful morning. Relatively few people were on the streets and I again took to exploring the narrow alleyways and stairways leading upwards until I reached my favourite place amongst the old city wall ruins. The sun was warm and birds chirped in the trees and as I entered the quiet place the chimes of bells rang clearly from the cathedral. I sat on the grassy hillock high above the city and enjoyed the solitude. It has been a funny time in Spain. For so long I ... read more
January 15th 2011
My visit to Spain is unfortunately short and driven by necessity but that doesn't mean I can't find some time for visiting somewhere new. My friend came to the hostel to pick me up this morning and we drove to Empuries. After all my annoyance over the lost job and having to return to Spain for my things I finally felt that little flash of excitement that meant I was going to a place I'd never been before, to see something I'd never seen before. Added to that despite the January chill the sun was shining and it felt like a warm English Spring day, and I was getting to spend the day with a good friend. We arrived and parked the car and I skipped out to find we were beside a beach with a ... read more
