Sprinting through Seville

Last weekend, I experienced what was less of a mini-break, but rather a 24-hour marathon through Seville... The four hours in the coach, driving through every single pueblo in Andalucia were a pain, but my two flatmates and I forgot about it as soon as we arrived in Seville. We walked along the river, admiring the colourful riverside until we got to the Torre del Oro. Not much of the gold is left, but, hey, old buildings are awesome!

I have to say that I was a bit dazzled to be in a big city again, with loads of cars and huge roads, but once we were in the city centre, it was truly beautiful. We watched a huge wedding coming out of the cathedral and joined the crowd of passers-by who was applauding and shouting their wishes. The shopping streets were full of people. What confused me at the start were the big linen cloths stretched across the streets from rooftop to rooftop. Desi solved the mystery explaining they meant to protect from the sunshine. A sunshine that we didn't get to see until Sunday, because rain had accompanied our coach trip and had stayed with us in Seville.

After we got the general flair, we took a taxi to go to our charming couch hosts... Raf and Ned unfortunately lived a bit outside the city centre, in such an obscure (!) place, that the taxi driver didn't know the address... After a bit of confused explaining, where I probably broke about 20 grammatical rules of the Spanish language, the man got us to the right area. Unfortunately he wasn't too right about where he left us and we walked in the pouring rain... but in the end we made it and had a chilled evening around a few bottles of beer and some serious catching-up!

The next day, the guys left to Lisbon, and we only made it to the centre by midday. This is when the sprinting  really began... from the still closed cathedral to the castle, where we decided that the queue was too long, back to the cathedral, which once inside was more than impressive. Through our eaves-dropping on German guided tours we understood, that the Catedral Santa Maria de la Sede, was the third biggest cathedral in Europe and in the World, after the St Peter's Dome in Rome and St Paul's in London. Indeed the building is breath-taking and the side chapels, which sum up to a number of 80, are all different and beautiful in their own way. We were also able to have a look at Christopher Columbus' grave, or one of them because apparently other places claim to hold some of his remains. 7 years ago, they cross-checked Columbus' DNA with his brother's and proved that the 150 grams lying in the cathedral actually belonged to the explorer.

The next step for us was the Plaza de España, a great piece of architecture, crowded with tourists but we didn't have much time. So we sprinted back the 3 km to the bus station to make it just on time for our coach to leave. At 9 we were happily back at home, looking forward to a good night's sleep.

The visit was too brief- Seville needs to be visited again!

I have miles to go before I sleep...

Granada- ¿Qué tal?

Well, now I have become a bit more accustomed to the city, I can write about my second observations.

First the weather. Yes, it's hot. Well in the afternoon; because at night it gets really cold so that you have a far bigger temperature difference than in the places I'm used to. For tomorrow we have 8 °C / 25 °C sunshine :D I wonder how long the cold is going to stay out of my room. I have stopped believing that they know anything about double glazing or central heating here.

The city is slowly becoming my home, and I am less afraid of the fast-talking locals. The arabic stores have lost their touristy appeal, most of the time. At every corner, the cheap scarves, earrings and decoration items seem to stare at you.

Another thing that we all had to get used to, is the Spanish timing. No way to go shopping in the afternoon after 2 o'clock... or before 6. In the University most offices are open between 10 and 14... But for the last days, I have tried a siesta myself. It's great actually!

I am also ashamed to say that I haven't visited the Alhambra yet. The Alhambra ( Arabic: الْحَمْرَاء‎, Al-Ḥamrā' , literally "the red one") is the fortress on one of the hills surrounding Granada. It is only visible from the city centre rooftops, because the narrow streets don't necessarily allow broad a broad view on the surroundings. But I am definitely planning on going and to come back in awe like all the people who have been there. It has reached a level of popularity that one has make a reservation for the visit! For now I will enjoy the view from our rooftop terrace, where the afternoon heat gives me some last impressions of summer!

I will be back soon, but I have miles to go before I sleep...

Highway to Heaven ?

My arrival in Spain was marked by the most chaotic journey I've ever made. Indeed, I came down by car… from Berlin.

A stupid issue, not worth mentioning, made it temporarily impossible for me to fly. Thus I had no choice to do a last minute preparation for a car travel. In Germany, a brilliant website exists for that and I’m really wondering why it hasn't reached other countries yet, or at least the ones I live in. It bears the barbarian word of ‘Mitfahrgelegenheit’ and describes the opportunity of sharing a car. Thus you can search for your departure and destination in order to see if anyone on that day has put his/her car on the site and how much it will cost. The system is getting really popular and is mainly used by students.

Following the advice of my flatmate, I checked the foreign routes and found indeed a Mercedes C-class going to Algeciras, passing Valencia and Malaga. After quick look on the map, I call the number of the carshare and got it confirmed… the only problem, that he was leaving from Frankfurt, wasn’t actually a problem, as I just looked for another car share from Berlin- Frankfurt. Thus for roughly 2800 kilometers, I paid less than 100 euros, and I organised it two days before I left.

However 2800km is long, very long.

But all that counts is that I am here - in Granada.
The beautiful city, the great weather (or let me stop lying, it rained on my first day, but since then it has been great!) and the general atmosphere have welcomed me. To hear Spanish around me all the time has been pretty scary but when it comes to actually talking to you, most make the effort of speaking slowly, I said most…

Looking for a flat went about quite differently than from what I know… it looked more like picking some pieces of paper off walls and phone boxes around the city, calling twenty people and getting three flat visits in a day… I was really lucky and quickly found my very nice flat! An Erasmus flat, as they like to call it, in the very centre of Granada.

I didn’t expect the enrolment process to be easy and my expectations were met. Offices close for unknown reasons and most things shut at 2pm, which doesn’t make it easy when you have class in the morning, but I feel like it will work out.

University is starting tomorrow and a general strike is announced for the day after… this semester is going to be interesting!

I have miles to go before I sleep…

Berlin: Take 3... Bis Bald!

This is it. It's the last night. I just got home from some casual drinks with my friends and there is nothing left to do but to say goodbye. The luggages are ready, I sent some packages off and I have 4 hours to sleep.


To describe the time I have spent in Berlin, I would need many more words in many more languages than I know. I regret not a single second of it... or maybe just that one time where I told this (probably German) guy to go back to his stupid country... I got (slightly) carried away, because he was being incredibly rude.

Whenever it's the end of something, I can't help to have flashbacks of memories that have made that something. I still remember vividly my first day in Berlin, without a real plan where to live the next couple of days. I see the afternoons we spent at the lake, the hours we gossiped in the sun, the coffees we had in Friedrichshain, the drinks at the Que Pasa, the dinners at Tempo box and of course the incredible times I have spent with the ICD guys! I also remember the strange places I have discovered in Berlin, the strange people I have seen (ask me about an adult-rated story in the tube ) and it just makes me realise how much I love this city.

I will miss it, but as most of my friends here are leaving as well and as Spain is calling, it is time to move on. Tomorrow I'll hopefully take the first car to Frankfurt and then the day after that another car will leave with me and my big luggage to Andalucia.


Indeed...I have miles to go before I sleep.

More on Berlin: Take 1 and Take 2.

Labas from Lithuania!

My most recent journey took me to the Baltic republic of Lithuania. It's great having friends living all accross Europe, as you can travel by just visiting :)


After an early start and a warm welcome at the airport, I was on the road to Vilnius, with  four girls in a van, ready to discover the capital ( ok, that was just me, the girls were mainly excited about the party): The countryside was not necessarily the most exciting panorama you could imagine, as the country is very flat, but once we arrived in the city, I was charmed by the old buildings.


Vilnius might not be the biggest city, but it makes visiting it by foot a really enjoyable experience. The historical heritage is varied and I didn't find as many communist vestiges as I expected. The orthodox churches, built for the Russian minority, add some colour to the picture. 



According to my guides, on each hill in Lithuania, you can find a castle. And indeed, they spoke the truth. (as I mentioned the country is flat...) Also every castle is made of red bricks, the brought-up hypothesis explained it by the fact that this material had been the cheapest at the time. Probably we weren't far from the truth. The most beautiful location we visited was Trakai, where a castle was built on an island in the middle of a lake. Another great place is the confluence of the Nemunas and the Neris in Kaunas, and surprise! there is a castle as well...

As for Lithuanians, they have the reputation of being a rather rude population; if that's true? I wouldn't put it that way. I think that people, that are strangers to each other or people who only deal at a punctual interchange, are not very warm, don't necessarily smile, but that's just current practice. However, as soon as you enter a home, Lithuanians have shown to be the most welcoming hosts, always preoccupied with the guest's wellbeing and needs.  So I think that the apparent rudeness you might encounter in shops is just not comparable of the polite but fake smile you find in Western European countries. 


Lithuania is very nice to be discovered  on  a weekend, but I think it is far nicer if you know people there!


But short were my goodbyes, as I have miles to go before I sleep...

Berlin: Take 2

Now I have been in Berlin for a while I am able to count the days that are left more easily than the days that I have been here. Time has flown by and the city has become my cosy home. It is a funny process indeed. You arrive in a place, everything is new, you discover small things, curious things maybe boring things, but everywhere you go, you keep on discovering. However one day you wake up and you go out and you look at things and they are familiar. The same U-bahn station, the same guy selling the homeless people's magazine, the same kind of people on the train, the same street corners and so on.  Of course I keep seeing new things but a homyness has set in my Berlin. I think it's a pity to have lived and not to have called Berlin your home at least once. I know when I'll leave it won't be a farewell but an 'Au revoir'.

I'll stop all this embarassing melancholy and tell you more about the odds and ends of the city, or maybe just about some mainstream experiences...

I can't help but compare Berlin to London or Paris, which are my capital references. Although these two metropoles are both unique it their genre, they have many common points they don't share with Berlin. When you get on the Tube or the Metro, or simply when you walk on the street, you should stop and look at how fast people are walking. When you arrive in these cities, you adapt to the rhythm, and as everybody seems to be in a hurry, so are you, even if you are not going anywhere precise, all you know is that you should walk fast. This is totally different in Berlin. The genral pace is calm. Everybody is relaxed and walks with tranquility. You would think people don't get stressed here. Well I don't and I love it.

I also want to report from a little trip I undertook last weekend. We went to Rostock and Warnemünde in the North, about two and a half hours by car. I'm an absolute sea-lover and when we crossed the dunes, looked the kind of wide horizon you only get over the sea, I realised how much I had missed it. Swimming in the sea, running in the sand, watching the sun set, I don't know what else you need for a perfect weekend. The bad weather the next day only made the sea look rough and deep, ok who am I kidding, as my experienced guide Alex explained it, the average depth of the Baltic Sea is about 55m.

But the place is terribly perfect if you want to get away from the crowd in Berlin. Tourist are a recurrent infection there as well, but you can actually find some air to breathe and some space to be.

But let's go back to urbanity...

There is one thing you have to do, if you want to be a real hype Berlin-visitor, you go for brunch on weekends. Indeed the cafés and restaurants of the famous Simon-Dach-Str in Friedrichshain are overcrowded with people enjoying open buffets for less than 10 Euros. When you say Brunch in Germany, they actually mean breakfast and lunch, so that the varieties of food include english breakfast, sweet puddings, fruits, waffle dough (up to you to make the waffles), bread roles, all sorts of salads and to my big astonishment, actual dishes, may it be pasta, curry or some potato bake.

Another thing that makes a stay in Berlin a really enjoyable experience, is the proximity of many lakes. Apart from the famous Wannsee, you can take a swim in the Müggelsee, the Schlachtensee, the Weißensee and many more. You can reach all these very easily with public transport and in certain places you even find sand beaches! It's probably the best option on days when the temperatures rise up to 37°C... we've seen that.

I will go back to enjoying the moments I have left to spend in Berlin, as I have miles to go before I sleep...

More on Berlin: Take 1 and Take 3.

Berlin: Take 1

Yes, I landed in Berlin. Now the summer could begin. And indeed an incredible heat welcomed me.

I first crashed at my aunt's place, and I actually mean crash with my 40 kg of luggage (don't judge, I'm a girl!). It was now time to find a flat... in Berlin, people don't look for a flatmate, no, they look for a friend. I didn't quite grasp that concept when I visited the first flat. Indeed, I found ten people crowding around me asking me not only about my studies, my hobbies, my kind of music or my origins, but also about the situation in the Middle East and its future outcomes. I was slightly taken aback. Obviously this one hadn't gone that well... It took a few attempts until I found a nice flat, with a guy from Chile in the East of Berlin. It might be far from my work place, but the flat, my flatmate and his frequent guests are awesome. So I don't mind the many hours I spend on the S-and U-bahn.

My variable working shifts allow me to do quite a bit of sight-seeing as well as to have good nights out. And I haven't found a more amazing sensation than coming out of a club in daylight. Maybe for most of you this is not such uncommon a thing, but for us, doomed to party life in the UK, this was an extraordinary feeling. In Berlin every night is special and unique in its genre: be it a Russian Disco, Latino moves in La Havanna, a Balkan Party or some mainstream in an old factory building, you know you can have fun anywhere. I have as yet avoided the ultimate tourist experience, called The Weekend, situated on a high building, showing off a terrace with view on the famous TV Tower... the shameless price, the electro music and the fairly arrogant party-goers have kept me away from that place and hopefully will do so in the future.

In my weeks here, I have realised one thing about Berlin. It's all about making new from old, about recycling... and I don't mean the nearly maniac German habit of sorting the rubbish. So many places here have served as other things before. Let me quote some examples. The Kulturbrauerei used to be a huge brewery, now there are loads of bars, a few clubs and all sorts of things in there. Tempelhof used to be an airport, it now is an enormous park. Old factory buildings are frequently used as clubs, such as Postbahnhof and other places around Warschauer Straße. The old Mail Building has become a museum for contemporary art. Berlin's most famous squat Tacheles used to be part of a huge Shopping Mall. I am discovering more and more examples every day. I love this feeling that something has had a different function before, it gives places and buildings a soul...

...

These were my first impressions of Berlin, but as you know: I have miles to go before I sleep...

More on Berlin: Take 2 and Take 3.

Ireland

A camping trip brought me to Eire along with three of my friends. An interesting mix of half-half people: we had 1,5 Germans, 1,5 French, 0,5 Swiss and 0.5 English, all conversing in German... go figure.

The island had a lot of scenery to offer. Whether in Wicklow National park, in Cashel or in Kerry, we were always amazed. Our easy accomodation also enabled us to the most expensive views. But when it started to rain in the tent, it was time for a hostel.

We started off in Dublin with our rented car, which was a pain, because there was so much traffic in the city centre and so many streets seemed to be one-way. Finally we made it to Dun Leary, no hang on, that's not how you spell it, Dún Laoghaire (thank you Google). Reading a map in Ireland is harder than one might think, but also adds much more laughter to the trip. Once at the sea, it only took us a couple of minutes to find a little green spot and to fall asleep in the sunshine.

After this powernap, we were all ready to visit Wicklow and its green hills. As we discovered, there is  hardly anything else than green hills in Wicklow, but we were glad to be finally away from civilisation. After stopping at a old monastery somewhere near Tinahely, we drove to our stop for the night, lost on a little road near Carnew. We asked an adorable old lady whether her field could be our home for the night. After checking with her son, she agreed. As the sun set we ate our delicious soda-bread sandwiches with some Australian wine.

The next morning as we went to thank our host, we couldn't get away. We made her repeat many a sentence, as her Irish was quite a challenge for our untrained ears. She showed us how they made butter in the former times, told us about her family and talked about the only flight she had ever taken: to Lourdes in France on a pilgrimage.

After a long goodbye, we were off to Bunclody for a breakfast, met a charming young man at the petrol station who helped to find our way to Kilkenny. Again a lovely but tourist-y town awaited us. Colleen and I weren't impressed with the castle - we've seen too many castles in France.

Off we were on the road again, to Cashel, where magnificent castle ruins awaited us. The panorama was breath-taking and the history of the castle really interesting. Even the Frenchies were impressed! Next stop, for some food shopping, was Cork. We didn't stay in town too much... If there ain't scenery, we ain't staying.

We were on the lookout for a new spot to put our humble abode. As it was already getting quite dark, our diplomatic mission went to talk to a houseowner, who offered us a space on a field overlooking the sea. The wake-up with such a view was quite an amazement. Although Selina had gone lost, we didn't quite worry until her courteous saviour brought her back by car. Off we were, in the plan of reaching Skelligs Island by the end of the day. We drove along beautiful roads, stopping at a sports centre, where the caretaker generously let us take a shower. After Glengariff, Kenmare and Sneem, we arrived at Ballinskelligs to realise at 5pm that Skellig was open only between 11am and 4pm. The last boat to the island was leaving at 12pm.

The next target we had was Killarney. We had been warned that there had been a huge Gaelic football match that day but we didn't imagine such traffic jams, in every direction! We turned around, and off we were to the Lake. We drove on and on and suddenly arrived in the Gap of Dunloe. As it was starting to rain and getting late, it was getting darker and darker. The eerie atmosphere didn't really inspire me. Constantly stopped by sheep, their businesses and rocky surfaces we continued towards the Black Valley, where we asked at the last house for a tent space. The lady saw our despair and showed us a little space nearby the small stream. On the moss we had a lovely bed... until at 3am we realised, we were lying in water - mostly me. After my whimpering and the first drops that fell from the ceiling, we decided to leave. In the rain, under the attack of midges, we quickly put everything into the car and drove to Killarney before 6am. At a petrol station we organised our bagpacks and waited to give the car back. Then we went to find a hostel and figured out what local attractions there were. After a good shower and some food, we were off to Ross Castle. The 3km walk was quite relaxing and the castle was quite beautiful. The lakeside was really nice. Back in Killarney, a visit to the pub was unavoidable. First we apparently crashed a birthday party in a pub full of Irishmen. A random drunk woman came up to us until her sister and her 'on-and-off-boyfriend'(in her words) saved us. Next pub, a beautiful live music enchanted us, as they were singing about love, cliffs and girls. (the cliché about Irish music turned out to be true).

Next adventure on the list: a walk to the black valley. Supposed 4 hours of walking turned with our stupidity or our yearning for the waterside (John's theory), into seven and a half. We took wrong turns, didn't see the signs etc... But we made it in the end. We also had the help of American Alice, who drove us a bit nearer our target. The last 3-4 miles were the most beautiful ones and we were glad to arrive in the lost hostel. We were all alone and played cards, drank wine and read the future...

After a good night, we went back to Lord Brandon's Cottage and took the boat to Ross castle. A beautiful but cold journey with a guide/ navigator with a hilarious laugh... slightly terrifying. The journey continued by foot to Killarney then by (very modern) train to Dublin (thank you EU).

Dublin, 11.30pm, Pub: A Guiness for each of us. After a nice encounter with an Irish drunkard, we were off to our hostel. We quickly left our things and were off towards Temple Bar. We landed in the Mezz, where we met some Irish guys, with whom we spent the rest of the night, drinking, singing and dancing (:?). A great insight into some real Dubliner's life.

Last day: Dublin. With a lack of sleep and grey weather, the city didn't really enchant us. It was nice. Nicer than Birmingham anyway. After Trinity College, the walks around old little street, the castle, we looked for the supposed (and later confirmed) Calatravas bridge.

At 8pm, we sat in our plane we nearly missed (my fault, I have to admit). Grey Birmingham awaited us. The real life could start again. The fellowship was dissolved.

And I have miles to go before I sleep...

First trip to Dubai

It is very difficult to write that first line, but fortunately this first line will be at the bottom of this blog very soon. I intend to report my observations and thoughts during my travels. I am very interested in the differences between cultures and I hope to leave a trace with these writings.

My first journey brought me to Dubai. The experience was fascinating. Please go read a travel guide to learn what to visit and why what is where, as I just wanted to mention a few things that surprised me.

Dubai was my first time outside Europe and it somehow felt like walking into a film set. Nothing seemed real, everything was staged. After a few days I got used to the sandy air, the hot weather, the tall buildings and the many cars. A friend looked at my photos, and had to ask: Is anyone actually living in Dubai? Indeed on my photos, it's only the friend I visited and me, but the streets, the parks and the beaches are empty. Only the shopping malls are overcrowded. There are people outside, just not that many. That's quite understandable when it's minimum 35°C.

What I found far more disturbing, were the stares. My friend who had been to Dubai many times before had warned me. The men stare, they turn when you arrive into a shop, they slow down their car, eventually lower the window, they say something to you... I didn't really want to believe her. I thought she was exaggerating. Well, she wasn't. It was like being a superstar... with lots of creepy fans. I felt rather uncomfortable at the beginning but after a few days I got pretty much used to it.

Also there seems to be a lot of discrimination, not against the foreigners who bring money, but against migrant workers. Policy gives locals a lot more power. For example, in order to start a business you need to have a local sponsor. Also as a local you earn more money than foreigners. I found that really odd, coming from Europe.

I have miles to go before I sleep...