Category Archives: Spain

Hasta La Vista

Fuerteventura

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Fuerteventura!Some time ago we went on a little trip to Fuerteventura, a nearby island. The island was the absolute paradise for beach lovers. Gigantic white beaches and an ocean so clear! Together with some nice sunshine. In addition to the beaches the island does not have a lot to offer. There are lots of goats and you can eat some nice goat meat prepared in a traditional manner and there are some fishermen, but the most important parts of the island are the sun, the ocean and the beaches.

Backwards in the plane!The trip on the airplane was very nice. There are small airplanes flying between the islands without jets but with old fashioned propellers.

From the airport we had to walk over the runway to our little plane and on the return trip we entered the airplane as one of the first passengers (thanks to my Dutch desire to arrive on time). This time we took our seats in front of the plane, which had two seats facing backwards, Yes, it was my first time flying backwards. The experience was not so special as I had imagined, and I only noticed a strange sensation during the landing which pushed me into my seat, but it was nice to be in the perfect spot for chatting with the stewardess. ;)

Here are some pictures of our weekend in Fuerteventura!

15 islands?

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On the website of a Dutch newspaper I found some holiday news about the Canary islands.

On the Canary islands you can enjoy the sun, the sea and the beaches any time of the year. Some of these islands, there are fifteen different islands, are perfectly fit for active holidays with kids!

Canarische Eilanden!The weird thing is that this news item is talking about 15 islands. If you ask anyone here which Canary islands there are everyone will reply with the names of the seven islands. Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, La Palma, Lanzarote, El Hierro and La Gomera.

What happened to the other 8 islands the Dutch newspaper is talking about? Maybe they are referring to some rocks or tiny islands that are sometimes near a normal island, but these tiny places are not really holiday destinations. In most cases there are no hotels on these rocks and sometimes people are not even allowed there. I still have 5 more ‘normal’ islands to visit.

Shout, shout, let it all out

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During the Easter weekend we went and visited Tenerife. The visit ended up being a very Spanish event because we had only arranged the crossover by boat. We did not arrange any place to sleep on the island. Getting lodgings was done on a very Spanish way. First be would be traveling all day long, being the tourist and seeing the sites. Then, at night, at the last moment we went and search for some place to stay. To my surprise this did not result in problems, except for one day.

We had arrived is a small town where we wanted to spend the night, but there was no hotel in the town. We continued our trip to the next town, and after talking to the locals we visited some homes that could potentially house us for the night. We were not so lucky. There was no place anywhere. In the next town a Easter parade blocked our way and we asked a local police men for some advice and this started our real adventure. The police men turned out very helpful.

First we went to the police station. The police officer called about 8 locals he knew would sometimes rent out apartments. In the mean while he told us there was a hotel in town, but it was a bit expensive. Eventually we went in the police car visiting a couple of places where they might be able to shelter us for the night. We were driving through town with the cop calling and using his communication devices. The police men even gave us some tips about places to eat and things to visit. Eventually we found a place.

The only bad thing was the next morning. No breakfast but we did get a wake up service. From 8:30 till 10 we were forced to enjoy the song ‘Shout‘ that was being listened to by some big fan, and who repeated the song over and over.

It was a very nice weekend in Tenerife.

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Fire!

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Don’t worry. Except for a generally hot climate caused by the sun I haven’t seen any fire yet. Only on the TV. I live and work in the parts of Gran Canaria that are not effected by the big fire raging in the south of the island.

Calima

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Calima!Today it is horribly hot! Luckily it’s only extremly hot in the south of Gran Canaria. This morning in the north it was nice and cool. I left home at 6:30 and when I arrived at 7:30 it was still a little dark. I did not see any sunshine. However, when I opened the door of my car there was such a hot air it was unbelievable. Without the sun such a terribly hot air I could not believe it. It’s almost impossible to remain outside a long time.

I was told it was the ‘Calima’ which is the name for a meteorological effect where hot air all the way from Africa is blown across the ocean and passes the Canary Islands. The result is a few days with a lot of heat. Pfff.

Las Palmas de Gran Canarias

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Las Palmas de Gran Canarias!I’ll be in Gran Canaria from the 6th of April until the 14th. Ana wants to evaluate her future job and I will go and enjoy the sun for a week. Afterwards we’ll return to Madrid and we’ll have a decision to make. Do we or don’t we go to Gran Canaria for quite a long period. Who knows. In a few weeks I expect to have an update.

Ammer and Bar

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Last weekend Ammer and Bar were visiting us in Madrid :-). We enjoyed their visit a lot and we believe that they also had a good time, even though the weather was absolutely terrible. I never saw so much rain falling in Madrid.

What is a man to do when it rains all the time… well, we played games and drank some beers in the local butcher shop. A very nice time.

Metro Madrid calculation

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Metro Madrid!Every morning I take the metro towards the center of Madrid. The metro line closed to my home is ‘Puera del Sur’ (the dark blue line on the lower left). I walk from my home to the metro in 10 minutes. First I travel by metro to ‘Plaza de España’ and there I change to the yellow line towards ‘Sol’. From ‘Sol’ I walk in 5 minutes to my school.

The metro lines in Madrid are pretty good. Every 3 minutes a new metro starts the line. The distance between stops are also around 3 minutes and a change to another line is also 3 minutes.

How many time do I travel every morning and how many metros do I encounter during my trip? (click on the small metro map for a big version)

The Spanish life

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Life in Spain is really relaxed. Eating and drinking is very important and things are just very very laid back. Meetings that are planned on some fixed hour are always flexible. People showing up half an hour or en entire hour late is more common than people arriving on time.

I like the lifestyle. The only weird thing is that sometimes I feel like I don’t belong here in Spain, and I’m living a weird version of the Spanish life. Everyone speaks a strange language, has different customs and sometimes my world just feels different. I am no longer a tourist but I’m definitely not a Spaniard. It leaves me with a strange feeling.

I look forward to visiting Holland again soon. Afterwards we’ll just have to see and I’ll try and find some work in Spain. It’s going to be an interesting adventure.

Two weeks

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Still two more weeks of classes and then I plan to visit Holland for 9 days. I’m looking forward to this visit!!

Having drinks, climbing, rafting?!, visiting family, visiting friends, arranging things, doing some Spanish cooking (Paella and Tortilla), etc. etc. Huuuh!