Blogs from Cantabria, Spain, Europe - page 5

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Europe » Spain » Cantabria » Santander May 16th 2014

I will start off today by apologizing for not having any photos... Today was slightly less interesting than normal, but I also forgot to take any. I was awake this time when Christine came with a cuppa. I sat for a few minutes, before realizing I really should get up and eat breakfast. We headed into class, where we started on the past. This confused me a little, and through lack of sleep I was a little crotchety - sorry Fernando and Christine! I was also my usual argumentative self, ask 'but why? why can I not do this?'... Once I noticed I wan't being particularly nice, I apologized but Fernando said it was really good that I was questioning everything. It means I'm trying to take it in and understand it in my own way ... read more

Europe » Spain » Cantabria » Puente Viesgo May 15th 2014

I woke up to a curious knocking noise this morning... It took me a good few minutes to realise that it was Christine knocking on my door with a cup of tea! Such a dear! I did go down a few minutes later to eat breakfast, but that tea definitely fortified me and meant I didn't have to sleepwalk down the stairs. Class today started with looking at the present tense. A nice revision and I also learnt about lo siento (I'm sorry) and it's culture. In the UK, we apologize for everything, bumping into someone on the train, everything... Lo siento literally means 'I feel', so it's only used when you are sincerely sorry. I'm always going to think of Fernando pretending to swear at someone for bumping - if you are sorry, why did ... read more
Cross!
What a stunning view
Steep climb to get to though!

Europe » Spain » Cantabria » Potes May 14th 2014

This morning I woke up at 9am - when breakfast starts. Realising I was late, I grabbed a fleece and jeans to toss on over my pjs, and ran down to breakfast. It was only cereal and a cup of tea, so it was ok that I was a little late. Around 10.30, we set off for the Picos de Europa - I see them as the Cairngorms of northern Spain... Unfortunately, to get there requires going all the way to the coast and back, when as the bird flies its actually quite close. Our first stop was at Santa Iglesia de Santa Maria, which is the oldest church in the region. The architecture was an interesting mix of Christian and Moor, and there was a lovely story about a couple. A Spanish noble fell in ... read more
El Sidra
Fuente De
Cable Car

Europe » Spain » Cantabria » Puente Viesgo May 13th 2014

Rolled out of bed this morning just in time for breakfast. After a cup of tea to wake me up, I went off for a shower before class. The shower is very cool! It has a seat and jets to soot the water at your back... It also has a radio and a light to see the mirror, also inside the shower! After playing about with the shower for a we while, it was time for today's class. First we played a game where we (figuratively) had to hide something in the room, and the other person had to ask questions about where it was. I went first, and my object was hidden in the gap under and behind the tv. Fernando told me I had a twisted mind after this... Then it was Christine's turn. ... read more
Or not so much!
Idyllic for swimming...
Though perhaps a little dangerous in places!

Europe » Spain » Cantabria » Puente Viesgo May 12th 2014

I woke up this morning quite tired after staying up last night to post my blog... After a few minutes of hoping I could go back to sleep, I realised it was nearly breakfast time, so I dressed and headed downstairs. Thankfully Raquel and Victoria were still in bed - they are lovely but being twins at two and a half is a lot to take in at once! I was their new favourite toy last night... Shortly after they did appear, Merche (Fernando's wife) took them to nursery and Fernando took me and Christine upstairs. Christine and Richard are a lovely couple from Nottinghamshire who have come for Christine to improve her Spanish... Once in the classroom, Fernando explained that we were going to start from scratch but go over everything very quickly until we ... read more
Not enough water around :(
A rather sad looking seal
Sea lion in captivity

Europe » Spain » Cantabria » Santillana del Mar July 24th 2013

Without a car, it takes dedication to get to Santillana del Mar and then up to the Altamira Caves. Even Rick Steves, my travel guru, doesn't recommend it. But, I made it happen. It involved taking a crack of dawn bus from Bilbao to Santander, the regional hub of Cantabria. Then another bus a bit inland to Santillana del Mar, until finally hiking up into the hills for maybe 40 minutes. And I'm honestly proud of myself. I was at the caves by 12. Pretty good, if you ask me. And why come all this way, against most travel writers better judgments? The answer is that Altamira contains cave paintings from 14,000 years ago, by the earliest of humans. They were discovered in the 1870s, and actually the masses of people got to be too much ... read more
Hiking up to Altamira
Looking Back Towards Santillana
At the Museum

Europe » Spain » Cantabria » Reinosa June 8th 2013

Autovia,motorway,Autobahn,Highway…….it doesn't matter what you call it. After nearly 900 km they all feel the same. The day started at 06.00 and the first thing i did was open a birthday card which travelled with me from Fuerteventura. My mother was as always the first to ring. Thanks mother . Anybody who knows me will also know that that time of the morning is not exactly my time. I think i have gone to bed more times at 06.00 than got up at. Did not bother with the Hotel breakfast and instead had a shower and got out on the road at just before 7. It was cold and dry and I was able to do about 200 km before stopping for breakfast and to refuel. Not a lot to report except that the bike performed ... read more
Hotel San Roque
20130608_200246
Plaza major Reinosa

Europe » Spain » Cantabria » Santander September 9th 2012

Time to start part 3 of my adventure as I moved into Spain. Spain was a bit of an unknown to me, I didn't know what to expect of the places or the people and my Spainish is non existent, lets just say I am not disappointed in the slightest, Spain is a wonderful country. Day 55 & 56 (21/08 & 22/08) I started my Spanish adventure down south in Seville. Seville is known for its extremely hot summers and didn't disappoint while I was there. 40 plus for the 2 days i was there, it so hot my sweat droplets were sweating!!! Seville is such a beautiful town, there is definitely a Morocan and African presence in the arctictureof the buildings. I stayed in Barrio Santa Cruz which is a small area of narrow cobbled ... read more

Europe » Spain » Cantabria » Santander January 30th 2012

Hey there. Well it´s about time I started writing a blog of my many adventures that started when I was seventeen. I´ve pretty much just been too lazy to write anything online but yeah, so here it goes... Well I got a scholarship through Banco Santander to study here in Spain for the year, for free (yes! for free!) which is kind of amazing since we´re in a recession in the U.S. I live in Santander, Spain, in the Cantabrian region of northern Spain. I´ve been here for almost six months. In these six months, I have managed to improve my spanish skills, learned to drink cheap red wine with coca-cola (a.k.a-- Kalimoxto), travel to 7 countries, and make a bunch of international friends (mostly from Mexico and Spain). Spanish skills- well, I´ve studied spanish for ... read more
Morocco
Czech Republic

Europe » Spain » Cantabria » Suances August 14th 2011

2 år senere, tilbage i Spanien. Jeg har det virkelig godt! Og dem som kender mig ved, at jeg kun ville skrive det, hvis det passede. Jeg sidder og skriver fra en meget lille bjerglandsby i Nordspanien, som hedder Aulesti. Her bor jeg hos Humberto, en mand midt i fyrrerne. Jeg ankom i fredags, og i dag er det tirsdag, tror jeg nok. Det er en landsby i Baskerland, og det er efterhånden gået op for mig, at det ikke er noget, man spøger med. Da jeg ankom i fredags, mødte jeg Humberto foran kirken, hvor de lokale var ved at tilberede en gris. Der skulle være fest, og pengene skulle gå til fængslede ETA-medlemmer. Så var det ligesom på plads. Siden er jeg et par gange kommet til at sige, at jeg virkelig godt kan ... read more
Min foldesatan i Amsterdam; 1.test
Rugiero (1.vært - Amsterdam)
Chris fra Mexico/USA




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