tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41557178883506348012024-03-05T04:02:31.664-08:00The Serious and The FrivolousTravel Blog: Kazan' and Moscow, St Petersburg, Valencia, Madrid, Granada, Marrakech and Paris so far...aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-36144661884699792682013-11-10T05:25:00.001-08:002013-11-11T02:19:49.544-08:00A Midweek Excursion to the City of Light<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0dPQZ5Ja698sdXhhGg1Q0nORPt4JQw16bnkJ7ZsJ4zgwvv-ad6NITbbFtWXavQBHKhazrJlyBtr_35q_6x43QYPgXhv0Xb8jLVUy2rfjB0t2T4kInna-Gp3FJsOh_cR3dKJfTavOUC4J/s1600/photo+(53).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0dPQZ5Ja698sdXhhGg1Q0nORPt4JQw16bnkJ7ZsJ4zgwvv-ad6NITbbFtWXavQBHKhazrJlyBtr_35q_6x43QYPgXhv0Xb8jLVUy2rfjB0t2T4kInna-Gp3FJsOh_cR3dKJfTavOUC4J/s400/photo+(53).JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some time in August, in between trying to do a very difficult project and staring blankly out of the window, I decided to make myself feel worse by googling travel tickets I couldn't afford. Luckily, I stumbled across a Eurostar return to Paris for £69 in my Reading Week. Grabbing the boyfriend, we jumped on the deal, booked a cheap hostel in the 9th arrondissement and went back to crying in the library.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've had to take some time off to study from home at the moment for health reasons, but as I couldn't bring myself to cancel the trip, we just took it very easy. This meant constant snacking and naps, so nothing too out of the ordinary.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our journey there did not go to plan. The train was delayed by 55 minutes overall, so we were 5 minutes short of being able to claim a refund. We finally came out onto the platform and found we had to walk a long way down it to get to our coach. Once we were settled in, a couple arrived with the same assigned seats as us, and we realised we'd been looking at our return tickets...</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wAwvZ8jVC1rAnk4IpEvex3OdYm1WuWqBqm16K81BI32AB7fChfSJ3PkkghbBZFbptLqDQTC1fdBUOBWNGQZ4CGLud5TV-CSN-4k7OCxyh9QtLarHCM-yibMjZprHNtES4lnQWHMwLOun/s1600/discomfort+regret+upset.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wAwvZ8jVC1rAnk4IpEvex3OdYm1WuWqBqm16K81BI32AB7fChfSJ3PkkghbBZFbptLqDQTC1fdBUOBWNGQZ4CGLud5TV-CSN-4k7OCxyh9QtLarHCM-yibMjZprHNtES4lnQWHMwLOun/s320/discomfort+regret+upset.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So we dragged our bags off to the other side of the train to a coach that had three (three!) unhappy infants, and on arriving, I realised I lost my glasses. After going back to search the old carriage twice, I went to the information desk and found them waiting for me! Thank you, lovely passenger that brought them back. The ten-minute walk to the hostel in the dark, with our luggage, was pretty taxing, but we finally made it, although it took us another ten minutes and a trip back to Reception to get the key-card to work. Our view was a brick wall and the door of our en-suite didn't close, but we were just happy to have arrived somewhere with a bed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKK4BRC6hNaosAXXuvapQh2HC0P8mkpOLWL1t-O5jM-eXI3MwFovw-u0iQkPivlYg1abh6M-ZtHAVIHcXYnefVQbTGsHqV-wnm9fscrKrPxj7KSrS5TwRePvttuFfUjzbmeFuh-6clpdY/s1600/photo+(98).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKK4BRC6hNaosAXXuvapQh2HC0P8mkpOLWL1t-O5jM-eXI3MwFovw-u0iQkPivlYg1abh6M-ZtHAVIHcXYnefVQbTGsHqV-wnm9fscrKrPxj7KSrS5TwRePvttuFfUjzbmeFuh-6clpdY/s320/photo+(98).JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yay Paris! (It was very windy)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were lucky to stumble upon most of our fun activities by accident, which I much preferred to an organised itinerary. We wandered through covered arcades (<i>passages</i>), rifled through old bookshops, ate well and read in cafés for hours.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLgEf1Ju5yt3FlpinjAZWCZMhPZQAxDzuMIaI_TyN8rQFeeZlxzUEP-U-DBXFfpQ2Fngg3n7EUk3sdu5kFJa-IfBvrFly1jl1PjnrHPgxrcnr3AgSdEV0p-KqCCjZhAVPdVVWyvu_hjSb/s1600/photo+27.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLgEf1Ju5yt3FlpinjAZWCZMhPZQAxDzuMIaI_TyN8rQFeeZlxzUEP-U-DBXFfpQ2Fngg3n7EUk3sdu5kFJa-IfBvrFly1jl1PjnrHPgxrcnr3AgSdEV0p-KqCCjZhAVPdVVWyvu_hjSb/s320/photo+27.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggG_Reguoddh1ILfl8E9lDLGzc3rZ54YgOjXrkokn3r7YzeJE3Frv4c7PPWFaFlHtTsTVO5MFbviv2SBqqRjy_bGBuvkLHCvzvy9fDpEpodxNwfc4bHgWaOfH3lDiuGbFMW9x_NHR5TxmK/s1600/photo+21.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggG_Reguoddh1ILfl8E9lDLGzc3rZ54YgOjXrkokn3r7YzeJE3Frv4c7PPWFaFlHtTsTVO5MFbviv2SBqqRjy_bGBuvkLHCvzvy9fDpEpodxNwfc4bHgWaOfH3lDiuGbFMW9x_NHR5TxmK/s320/photo+21.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd81aR7M2BbEx316sgdvBQujOF6MCRJKhP6bRyLnpgjTiFliGLosJ8EipAa-7Oi2WDg0B5545ScUyi-kMb9Us9Sbd1cRz1ijB3x-rOtlLtUrq3ZYfw9C0DR6gj29HmGgC_T5_IOshlLgKy/s1600/photo+(46).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd81aR7M2BbEx316sgdvBQujOF6MCRJKhP6bRyLnpgjTiFliGLosJ8EipAa-7Oi2WDg0B5545ScUyi-kMb9Us9Sbd1cRz1ijB3x-rOtlLtUrq3ZYfw9C0DR6gj29HmGgC_T5_IOshlLgKy/s320/photo+(46).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ6MEJTxJlSaFzb9VAbxrZpstWP5XosGuvDVMtfQFj4_CohPuabWtlOxs0r6c3Wg44E0mbdqUDs8etE9suRTJfDRSux3yP2YtB1VkKI7bnOuj18Lxlx5F9I_pnbOgaqRqJbd4XDltm5Wde/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ6MEJTxJlSaFzb9VAbxrZpstWP5XosGuvDVMtfQFj4_CohPuabWtlOxs0r6c3Wg44E0mbdqUDs8etE9suRTJfDRSux3yP2YtB1VkKI7bnOuj18Lxlx5F9I_pnbOgaqRqJbd4XDltm5Wde/s320/photo+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq46anKEyAMQ5VYx2KNz8uktqeveNGItZOBPhvA5nWk2dkfjJMukTtQzne_Fzoe9sWlZym4rA-3Z7TAimVbyU8NqLeHmVl8ZpWkL8QUIQNq3uj3uTVv_CXy-PPRvWaLmwkANURRTp7nxYT/s1600/photo+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq46anKEyAMQ5VYx2KNz8uktqeveNGItZOBPhvA5nWk2dkfjJMukTtQzne_Fzoe9sWlZym4rA-3Z7TAimVbyU8NqLeHmVl8ZpWkL8QUIQNq3uj3uTVv_CXy-PPRvWaLmwkANURRTp7nxYT/s320/photo+7.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was strange how Paris could so resemble St Petersburg in some places, Madrid in others. Also since neither of us had been for a good six years, the influx of Vietnamese and Korean restaurants was interesting. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We tried a few different restaurants and cafés, but definitely the best food was the <i>fallafel spécial</i> from <i>L'As du Fallafel,</i> or the Ace of Falafel. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivdlbET8fCMNc4rR6113-CP8FF1PF2-Z5HtVlpFNE-Hjy4JquM1mtRu0V_idLcac-kGP42NfvVBmVxeJR99dtk0r4hPBVvLc3ie2HP-7-AV4tdzOng7HlxQwZ6uY6e4n2MTi1Sm72jnDn/s1600/photo+(72).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivdlbET8fCMNc4rR6113-CP8FF1PF2-Z5HtVlpFNE-Hjy4JquM1mtRu0V_idLcac-kGP42NfvVBmVxeJR99dtk0r4hPBVvLc3ie2HP-7-AV4tdzOng7HlxQwZ6uY6e4n2MTi1Sm72jnDn/s320/photo+(72).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7L7Nsa0CT07e6BBDGuZFdDhkCJpWGFKLCASQFHfrh65S4c7frGsEwWuaY1yHKDHNDZmBswPsEwbrgzdMZlB6w0qJbtbN9Ibm6EvY17WXZrConfxsMNt2Jg9iioDDd7lO0VtevyJmbYNu/s1600/photo+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7L7Nsa0CT07e6BBDGuZFdDhkCJpWGFKLCASQFHfrh65S4c7frGsEwWuaY1yHKDHNDZmBswPsEwbrgzdMZlB6w0qJbtbN9Ibm6EvY17WXZrConfxsMNt2Jg9iioDDd7lO0VtevyJmbYNu/s320/photo+6.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's €5.50 takeaway or €8.00 to eat inside, which is worth a look for the pictures of Paris and klezmer bands, and one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. We went twice in the little time we had and I want to go every day for the rest of my life.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ritournelleblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/pierre-herme-store-marais.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ritournelleblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/pierre-herme-store-marais.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Second to the falafel, the best dessert we found was the macaroons from <i>Pierre Hermé</i>, in Le Marais. They're a little snobby and won't let you take photos inside, but the macaroons are amazing.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzrSEIrSHQUQmWvSiNKQ1mKAPgDovEua5h5xa1QkRlxS2b-1snEhcbnJNxALpMDj0qujjEfapdOBGQw5U79HtIFM02mSorURaSf3V4Mw3T8NyL_w4tQb3UbUln_NqBI-wEvP-1tmLrgH3/s1600/photo+(69).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzrSEIrSHQUQmWvSiNKQ1mKAPgDovEua5h5xa1QkRlxS2b-1snEhcbnJNxALpMDj0qujjEfapdOBGQw5U79HtIFM02mSorURaSf3V4Mw3T8NyL_w4tQb3UbUln_NqBI-wEvP-1tmLrgH3/s320/photo+(69).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We got a salted caramel one, which has a really intense flavour so you'd better like caramel to try it, the <i>Ispahan</i>, which tastes quite like Turkish delight, but the chocolate and passion fruit was our favourite. That purply one in the corner got a bit squashed on the way home, so I still haven't figured out what flavour it is, but it was also quite chocolatey and fruity. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1t2PMU7XNQ1Y4xM_xQb8cNraTRKS6WEiEbkvjPhyphenhyphenUFPHV-XhnHi6GcXbggLwBWwvHm4QXkzOUuPyvgEm89oxPYZ2OLbJvPRS2UqYjT0YpUb_5jT-hjieYUYIJ3S3x9TlUTcUrGfejxmr/s1600/photo+20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1t2PMU7XNQ1Y4xM_xQb8cNraTRKS6WEiEbkvjPhyphenhyphenUFPHV-XhnHi6GcXbggLwBWwvHm4QXkzOUuPyvgEm89oxPYZ2OLbJvPRS2UqYjT0YpUb_5jT-hjieYUYIJ3S3x9TlUTcUrGfejxmr/s320/photo+20.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since it was our anniversary recently, we also added a padlock to <i>Pont des Arts</i>. I've seen so many in different cities, and as we visited the Kissing Bridge in St Petersburg this time last year, it seemed appropriate. Hopefully the authorities won't clip it off, as they've been prone to do in recent years. The place we chose also has a great view towards my favourite activity of the trip (apart from the falafel):</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9U82wc1RRbVAKnHoOOvGNxM1QlTfIQunpmtM08a9enXADJxdFcHpTQT7HaE5E9Yv86oMMvSJ6ryjeG3_QhYLUiR1gzEO09Zkln8OC1GxewToj_cTjB2kQkA8YGg_FjAGA4r8_pI0BhHQX/s1600/photo+(67).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9U82wc1RRbVAKnHoOOvGNxM1QlTfIQunpmtM08a9enXADJxdFcHpTQT7HaE5E9Yv86oMMvSJ6ryjeG3_QhYLUiR1gzEO09Zkln8OC1GxewToj_cTjB2kQkA8YGg_FjAGA4r8_pI0BhHQX/s320/photo+(67).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">La <i>Sainte-Chapelle</i>! I absolutely love stained-glass windows and these are the most beautiful I've ever seen. They're currently renovating the chapel in part, so they're particularly bright at the moment. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XGElH6vaQQ7X4E05SpvONZ6H5o81pozBKzNas0VKx1eipOAojr88Ck5nm2O5TAtLNnIDxlT_P3l8ExNvDCzogmDnSt57Ypdxv4g915RmuxgTSmpc9NmZcHnqUXoRLLBMwzTYz1G4J8tC/s1600/photo+(65).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XGElH6vaQQ7X4E05SpvONZ6H5o81pozBKzNas0VKx1eipOAojr88Ck5nm2O5TAtLNnIDxlT_P3l8ExNvDCzogmDnSt57Ypdxv4g915RmuxgTSmpc9NmZcHnqUXoRLLBMwzTYz1G4J8tC/s320/photo+(65).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6tzh7QPJaZEnuYKJRvGESpzJtFlts5esvrkFqrqGJnRod8lf37u2b3DZu9GfqqXqx4cgFtk31Imisvo8wAgRhk6iZeYJ71BBF00N2KwoOa7huE1M9soT6ANyDOyWYTziYUk5aolc9fbY/s1600/photo+(80).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6tzh7QPJaZEnuYKJRvGESpzJtFlts5esvrkFqrqGJnRod8lf37u2b3DZu9GfqqXqx4cgFtk31Imisvo8wAgRhk6iZeYJ71BBF00N2KwoOa7huE1M9soT6ANyDOyWYTziYUk5aolc9fbY/s320/photo+(80).JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How is it so pretty? Also there is free entry for EU citizens, so just bringing your passport means you avoid the €8.50 fee for other tourists. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We went up to Montmartre during the few hours we had spare on the last day, to see the <i>Basilique du Sacré Coeur</i>. I think even if I hadn't seen the glorious chapel the day before, I still would have found it underwhelming. It is beautiful inside, without a doubt, but the priest and nuns were singing and trying to conduct a service while a steady gaggle of tourists walked around the perimeter of the pews. I found the contrast of hymns and boisterous schoolchildren quite unpleasant, and I don't think that a tacky model of the basilica along with multi-lingual signs asking for donations should have a place in a niche of a place of worship. It was quite a sad representation of Paris' touristic veneer over a city that is quite possibly losing its cultural identity.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2DyFAHdN9sBrzZ95bezBJoaZbIHDea3dFSNufZH2mX-IzC0CtJBNiz8HbJY5FqAcDnPnh3zl7xkviPy0tlKA9PlLlI6SZafEIqmDga0cSXAsVGPnDLqxjJON8wi6rl2J1Dd3oOlUt9QV/s1600/photo+(39).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2DyFAHdN9sBrzZ95bezBJoaZbIHDea3dFSNufZH2mX-IzC0CtJBNiz8HbJY5FqAcDnPnh3zl7xkviPy0tlKA9PlLlI6SZafEIqmDga0cSXAsVGPnDLqxjJON8wi6rl2J1Dd3oOlUt9QV/s320/photo+(39).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, that was Paris. Where to next, for me..?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSoeycfpfAsLYuAYfOjDmOlVhOablSwsEGexnOSCZRp9segtotj6TGFvBa7UgPQmBFwKIxH40ATZ3UJUzP_Q2kGGtoYUg6LFnLcFccVwD9kt5u0qPa7x4elDrVLOq4cJipbY6bc2gS0wxm/s1600/photo+(70).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSoeycfpfAsLYuAYfOjDmOlVhOablSwsEGexnOSCZRp9segtotj6TGFvBa7UgPQmBFwKIxH40ATZ3UJUzP_Q2kGGtoYUg6LFnLcFccVwD9kt5u0qPa7x4elDrVLOq4cJipbY6bc2gS0wxm/s320/photo+(70).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-10628100819389656652013-07-02T16:15:00.001-07:002013-07-03T09:22:57.154-07:00Visit to Granada <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltMNARVoFy_fp-1ySHV_MQWczSsXlm5HHObmnS4QCtmyo7A3263a2qYXvQhEYq9teZK38DVN03T0aArqE5jTfWBWqhQR9LUV87xbtbRCVHTV3S6fIpOi9HcjHBPSbzrWqKkUzzXNaeBh7/s1600/2013-06-22+15.14.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhltMNARVoFy_fp-1ySHV_MQWczSsXlm5HHObmnS4QCtmyo7A3263a2qYXvQhEYq9teZK38DVN03T0aArqE5jTfWBWqhQR9LUV87xbtbRCVHTV3S6fIpOi9HcjHBPSbzrWqKkUzzXNaeBh7/s320/2013-06-22+15.14.39.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With both our exams over, we managed to cadge a trip to Granada (known locally as Graná) by staying with the parents of my family friend. I'd just met them once before, in Madrid, but they invited me and my boyfriend then to come and stay with them. God forbid we'd leave Spain without seeing their city, but really I'm so glad we didn't.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On yet another coach trip (one of five I've taken in the last month), we were by now well-prepared for five hours of sitting still. The best way to do it is take lots of food and water, a charged phone, books, music and pee at every opportunity. I haven't travelled with anyone I can't be around for long periods of time, but I imagine that's best avoided too.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLiKjhoAc1TT5x9tAwqLRlte9AcLK8UEBQtX8SzMcv1u6M8zzgPT96w_3sku9I-4tyRhzduuStzsB3Nf-d13oRbRGtHmDzk_QzXiGPScsE7iNwZRURHXY0qX0HUgoUUKhWAp7tVMugVXsz/s1600/2013-06-21+12.12.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLiKjhoAc1TT5x9tAwqLRlte9AcLK8UEBQtX8SzMcv1u6M8zzgPT96w_3sku9I-4tyRhzduuStzsB3Nf-d13oRbRGtHmDzk_QzXiGPScsE7iNwZRURHXY0qX0HUgoUUKhWAp7tVMugVXsz/s320/2013-06-21+12.12.37.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The river, which is only about a foot deep</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhf-QWvrLntP1SUGhzlL64efH12DjpUIfR4b5IVfketLI10xjscH5fo2gT7NGRCdRMMomtjlIn3LOp6627AtPAP8_y3wr9JuHgS3gpW0YpdggSuMY34Dd2xCZ4gah1kWOaveUY-txe2LV/s1600/2013-06-23+16.09.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhf-QWvrLntP1SUGhzlL64efH12DjpUIfR4b5IVfketLI10xjscH5fo2gT7NGRCdRMMomtjlIn3LOp6627AtPAP8_y3wr9JuHgS3gpW0YpdggSuMY34Dd2xCZ4gah1kWOaveUY-txe2LV/s320/2013-06-23+16.09.11.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sweltering</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There seems to have been a bit of a heatwave in Spain recently - it hasn't been below 30 degrees for a good month - but it was even hotter in Granada. We got mild sunstroke wandering around the peaks of Albaycín, the old Muslim quarter, so the lovely abuela we were staying with gave us silly hats for the Alhambra.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In other news, my camera is still broken, but here are some shots I took with my phone around the city:</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFGAsSXnj3wjjB5HElrRctAXeNNAJqWKdAOcJ-Zoyj0x6jiOtNakUvK4002mZ31Ub7hnPhfDS9iSed9sCKQjIkJYi9zAsHrxTZcPb5pXCH6f43nsjemAgC7C1bvInN6NiKgbevDcmgz0L/s1600/2013-06-20+20.09.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnFGAsSXnj3wjjB5HElrRctAXeNNAJqWKdAOcJ-Zoyj0x6jiOtNakUvK4002mZ31Ub7hnPhfDS9iSed9sCKQjIkJYi9zAsHrxTZcPb5pXCH6f43nsjemAgC7C1bvInN6NiKgbevDcmgz0L/s320/2013-06-20+20.09.06.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Cathedral</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYkIvBhnZvzhS0g3RkLGzb9CACCdb5FRqZ0u62mbc6yFcRLIHPtD8mvRYgI81FWufxUYfXDKe2rYeAsLCg5AaUajU3FpwuIxylwWTqfzbyq6OqUuiwuuLhVri7wqxyHiZPDGfUmZu1tb5/s1600/2013-06-21+14.32.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYkIvBhnZvzhS0g3RkLGzb9CACCdb5FRqZ0u62mbc6yFcRLIHPtD8mvRYgI81FWufxUYfXDKe2rYeAsLCg5AaUajU3FpwuIxylwWTqfzbyq6OqUuiwuuLhVri7wqxyHiZPDGfUmZu1tb5/s320/2013-06-21+14.32.29.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">El paseo de los tristes - BEANS?!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2OdG4gG-VHKs-CTC1k5uxmb89tYGj-T6Hq7XA174DnUcu6-t9SSqtVmP9WQvrgN1CrSaCauCiLVOrC1brDSjZ8J419C5BrmWzYcgke1SJqdrsv49jpr97qN1z_on92PJr6fbUYSMH5pMU/s1600/2013-06-21+16.42.33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2OdG4gG-VHKs-CTC1k5uxmb89tYGj-T6Hq7XA174DnUcu6-t9SSqtVmP9WQvrgN1CrSaCauCiLVOrC1brDSjZ8J419C5BrmWzYcgke1SJqdrsv49jpr97qN1z_on92PJr6fbUYSMH5pMU/s320/2013-06-21+16.42.33.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inside the Cathedral</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHsiszR9-jy88GGcA1sAiPRDtdxakCn9Yf7npPCBuiRfl9QGRwcn6RRdIz_9KtIkY15T7Wlv0pjll6lXK9Zkl0vx6BRUGSNaPUi8O6WGfQtO7th-x8Hi2Rsm_cREdAWoT5cXovn681-Kfh/s1600/2013-06-22+12.12.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHsiszR9-jy88GGcA1sAiPRDtdxakCn9Yf7npPCBuiRfl9QGRwcn6RRdIz_9KtIkY15T7Wlv0pjll6lXK9Zkl0vx6BRUGSNaPUi8O6WGfQtO7th-x8Hi2Rsm_cREdAWoT5cXovn681-Kfh/s320/2013-06-22+12.12.55.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Arab Baths - the old hammam</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJLXGuzNCNwg6gF51lDEuLNW2bTXRAkF9RAXBlZ9oeyp7WZt5aJlJCmaTa8rbHQeJPb1VOixg3zQdM3sbj3Es3tHy2x8LaZ9q7scoOnv3rziMt80QU-i2DTLgoOljANRxRogs5vj3g0Z1/s1600/2013-06-22+12.28.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJLXGuzNCNwg6gF51lDEuLNW2bTXRAkF9RAXBlZ9oeyp7WZt5aJlJCmaTa8rbHQeJPb1VOixg3zQdM3sbj3Es3tHy2x8LaZ9q7scoOnv3rziMt80QU-i2DTLgoOljANRxRogs5vj3g0Z1/s320/2013-06-22+12.28.51.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Museo de San Juan de Dios</span> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXym2PRd95f0VK1SxQov_5DI1Z2n6qhiqqt0e4eI4jz5HisBxakjclHrIilyRJdTU1oFFFPoFJcYB2V1I-RMOe1bZDNrKxDxvidtK6i06ONJNE-FrRPHJ_f74SJn__R01Wa_1KfPYT763N/s1600/2013-06-22+14.14.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXym2PRd95f0VK1SxQov_5DI1Z2n6qhiqqt0e4eI4jz5HisBxakjclHrIilyRJdTU1oFFFPoFJcYB2V1I-RMOe1bZDNrKxDxvidtK6i06ONJNE-FrRPHJ_f74SJn__R01Wa_1KfPYT763N/s320/2013-06-22+14.14.25.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Albaycín - the white houses are called Carmens</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMWLGwDTUudbm6XA5OEgvx40SpxiEh_ThYLANWW-aCvor9RGI_7mGnIzDjSeLXr0oGwM8R07JXKhrLBH8dnh2cUn0h0_7dlzK66Z9V5lRuBsP3MtaAHfpvbaR03uI6G7GFAzNNJ6VI74u/s1600/2013-06-22+23.26.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiMWLGwDTUudbm6XA5OEgvx40SpxiEh_ThYLANWW-aCvor9RGI_7mGnIzDjSeLXr0oGwM8R07JXKhrLBH8dnh2cUn0h0_7dlzK66Z9V5lRuBsP3MtaAHfpvbaR03uI6G7GFAzNNJ6VI74u/s320/2013-06-22+23.26.24.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dodgy shot of flamenco in a cave</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>The Alhambra</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The best advice we got on going to the Alhambra was: book beforehand; put aside a whole day to go; take hats, food and more water than you think you need. We bought our tickets from an ATM outside a Caixa, and went by the town hall to get all the leaflets and maps they had from a very friendly lady. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzu0himQ4AevzKdoekZ4eDmWQpJAOyrjc1pG0pVtJUlMVEBSAgswHnTFtX5Xa1qQcOvcCFiP1GE1eC7lpXJvf7yUtwKtdqwFDcFTtBJfhyphenhyphenPKqgWa6E_vVDNUSyv4SrLs5dJJ-jWDLzDSki/s1600/2013-06-23+14.28.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzu0himQ4AevzKdoekZ4eDmWQpJAOyrjc1pG0pVtJUlMVEBSAgswHnTFtX5Xa1qQcOvcCFiP1GE1eC7lpXJvf7yUtwKtdqwFDcFTtBJfhyphenhyphenPKqgWa6E_vVDNUSyv4SrLs5dJJ-jWDLzDSki/s320/2013-06-23+14.28.15.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The gardens</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdBO7k4VFsAgEkec0ko-KdCweBzivBbM2WoDp7exiwxyFUdyPHjivezgXxbinb_5B5kvDSQrXyadsZyMBfRQjUFxeoe-Uw8QmaptpvwCq02SgK_XnCTspb7XBPpRsOMf1yAsfFBCQWe8F7/s1600/2013-06-23+14.40.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdBO7k4VFsAgEkec0ko-KdCweBzivBbM2WoDp7exiwxyFUdyPHjivezgXxbinb_5B5kvDSQrXyadsZyMBfRQjUFxeoe-Uw8QmaptpvwCq02SgK_XnCTspb7XBPpRsOMf1yAsfFBCQWe8F7/s320/2013-06-23+14.40.04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Palacio de Carlos V - square outside and round inside</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRL3rpK_RQtnAkmshBw7JcJG2t4wDhOyorwdr7CAf_UOVOzMvgys_XTvL-DO50766nO9mvExZFJUFsEMMlOh8sLpBRpXEgVFcMayOo1coJPOdX0i0JM43z2nVEZ0J4eXcE37Wv1GVKn1Xh/s1600/2013-06-23+14.49.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRL3rpK_RQtnAkmshBw7JcJG2t4wDhOyorwdr7CAf_UOVOzMvgys_XTvL-DO50766nO9mvExZFJUFsEMMlOh8sLpBRpXEgVFcMayOo1coJPOdX0i0JM43z2nVEZ0J4eXcE37Wv1GVKn1Xh/s320/2013-06-23+14.49.38.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most pretentious sentence ever</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBlSdErYws_GI50dimVrEw_V3OU3Ozd1m_xfk_boc0Cf7EspAWz9CJR57jtZSPcgXhgJrunWlqUMgrOtcOKJSujV_zsG1To3rR7LemwyDj0ugMba1QQ6ybnqMQUpXfCOUc-xBXWf-II5F/s1600/2013-06-23+15.15.21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBlSdErYws_GI50dimVrEw_V3OU3Ozd1m_xfk_boc0Cf7EspAWz9CJR57jtZSPcgXhgJrunWlqUMgrOtcOKJSujV_zsG1To3rR7LemwyDj0ugMba1QQ6ybnqMQUpXfCOUc-xBXWf-II5F/s320/2013-06-23+15.15.21.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">View of Albaycín</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-NZ3pHXECunkLkAGS5qixa_hgKLvCoUNncPOAVvlAJvapTe0Z341SO0LMH9NENK0IWBwldxCsM1xb4tLbkc_yPQKiL4L0cw_FoG6tqf_9whiDity1wW6pTW8pckDD1_E15srYVY5jf9T0/s1600/2013-06-23+15.47.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-NZ3pHXECunkLkAGS5qixa_hgKLvCoUNncPOAVvlAJvapTe0Z341SO0LMH9NENK0IWBwldxCsM1xb4tLbkc_yPQKiL4L0cw_FoG6tqf_9whiDity1wW6pTW8pckDD1_E15srYVY5jf9T0/s320/2013-06-23+15.47.19.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inside Palacio Nazarie</span> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjqdcFi5RBNKGh2TusSkxBRO30-ZKB0-qhuvKMCUzpFkVjcSKDDsRlreGZ01_tecO24dGuyUcKpPM1tLO8VRBBZvUAV8RXaeWlwwz1ffrdpb9aeIDy2JtwQe0NC5fRPb4F1yFb8KC2VlY/s1600/2013-06-23+16.04.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjqdcFi5RBNKGh2TusSkxBRO30-ZKB0-qhuvKMCUzpFkVjcSKDDsRlreGZ01_tecO24dGuyUcKpPM1tLO8VRBBZvUAV8RXaeWlwwz1ffrdpb9aeIDy2JtwQe0NC5fRPb4F1yFb8KC2VlY/s320/2013-06-23+16.04.27.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLbUsTQYWN2ez12ziKILGBPLWDC4lATV1aJtkLaKpDo-Q62F05p7G3Xr4YGgUpzgIZGpZxUoYdnCWtERRoUbgQWfw6BMYOFq31LnArSzVgwTsfzwQ7U8moh_iblNlRC9s7lr1EFpjrGFB/s1600/2013-06-23+16.17.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLbUsTQYWN2ez12ziKILGBPLWDC4lATV1aJtkLaKpDo-Q62F05p7G3Xr4YGgUpzgIZGpZxUoYdnCWtERRoUbgQWfw6BMYOFq31LnArSzVgwTsfzwQ7U8moh_iblNlRC9s7lr1EFpjrGFB/s320/2013-06-23+16.17.28.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Paseo de los leones</span> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHc38E3rNuoBu374r5rpkGZ2eCHiTKmp7BS0yRqhj15AVkKfYQSOR6MNlYfS89IiG-GFXeQ_eiKwRR95sq_Jo0ITLWBQBzra6sUHrIjUd8oFEgGWpjDUCrAr44MS5vvnk69Z0SrnimX0u/s1600/2013-06-23+16.39.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVHc38E3rNuoBu374r5rpkGZ2eCHiTKmp7BS0yRqhj15AVkKfYQSOR6MNlYfS89IiG-GFXeQ_eiKwRR95sq_Jo0ITLWBQBzra6sUHrIjUd8oFEgGWpjDUCrAr44MS5vvnk69Z0SrnimX0u/s320/2013-06-23+16.39.19.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Petal archway</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_joVDNiIeCzeOGDk_YOiVTPDDaO-QA2UN_7WfMdQ_DotGYuQ9ARFS9wHpsJydZF-vn4ZB6Ugmb9KI1ltqYQsP5C_RkkXBmX7F-skWaL2zuhQ_h_pI4VMdM49jC4RN72qjCJNDhp30fG9U/s1600/2013-06-23+18.12.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_joVDNiIeCzeOGDk_YOiVTPDDaO-QA2UN_7WfMdQ_DotGYuQ9ARFS9wHpsJydZF-vn4ZB6Ugmb9KI1ltqYQsP5C_RkkXBmX7F-skWaL2zuhQ_h_pI4VMdM49jC4RN72qjCJNDhp30fG9U/s320/2013-06-23+18.12.28.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynhXPnOXhn8UIx9L2cNiusFvXId4xkwXAZKBvFfCrtmHkaaGvNZZyNdP0IJtEDXkkFQ3hogSZVXoSTdwEAM7ApJsBqsPl73FBYRqdSKNpk09-1c7Y_CJl-61ielpnWM1NRP6QGeW4-g7a/s1600/2013-06-23+18.16.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynhXPnOXhn8UIx9L2cNiusFvXId4xkwXAZKBvFfCrtmHkaaGvNZZyNdP0IJtEDXkkFQ3hogSZVXoSTdwEAM7ApJsBqsPl73FBYRqdSKNpk09-1c7Y_CJl-61ielpnWM1NRP6QGeW4-g7a/s320/2013-06-23+18.16.22.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinlLPAoQF4oMg8rEvWlWySqH93tl_ss0hthj_yM3HpfUIcGCBiX_bwfJEsyC0wVjLXMmPGJ4Hy69f9OGOD5LJF02yYsKIDumNHTMuHj1wOrdRjhzo1NMAB_kH8cwJSSpMzHedG2_fAw0DG/s1600/2013-06-23+18.20.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinlLPAoQF4oMg8rEvWlWySqH93tl_ss0hthj_yM3HpfUIcGCBiX_bwfJEsyC0wVjLXMmPGJ4Hy69f9OGOD5LJF02yYsKIDumNHTMuHj1wOrdRjhzo1NMAB_kH8cwJSSpMzHedG2_fAw0DG/s320/2013-06-23+18.20.51.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Generalife</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although Granada has a reputation for being a great place to <i>ir de tapeo</i>, it doesn't have the same generosity as Madrid. We did get some free tapas with drinks, but just nuts and olives, and the tapas for sale are mostly pretty expensive and full of meat. It reminded me of Valencia, with the clear blue sky and orange trees everywhere, and of Madrid with the streets full of little bars and Baroque architecture. Despite being a tiny city, it's full of character - sloping down the hills from the Sierra Nevada, and considered the jewel in the crown of Ferdinand and Isabella's kingdom. Besides obviously seeing the Alhambra, it's worth visiting to see this part of Andalucía, wander round the Moorish and Spanish architecture, watch a flamenco show, note the influence of Moroccan culture on the city, eat a lot of pricey meat tapas, appreciate the ingenuity of having cool water running everywhere in a hot climate (plus it's so pretty!), try pianonos; like a bizcocho-flan hybrid, and roast in the sun. What more could you want?</span></div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-69839560100760921732013-05-16T13:52:00.000-07:002013-10-31T08:09:21.719-07:00Marrakech - A Journey to the Red City<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsWYsE5nBn0wAi5t2e_9BDr4NCfcXqQG_GSQNNsyj4KoPUjubUzGHcqGQ7rqP-_XMpsjQV_iUdDVzDelEoM7St9bdusoC1X2uRKEcTLczppQT2OJCH5HodJsYxpeWyvexoZ8tiLY_pb5A/s1600/2013-05-11+12.21.29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsWYsE5nBn0wAi5t2e_9BDr4NCfcXqQG_GSQNNsyj4KoPUjubUzGHcqGQ7rqP-_XMpsjQV_iUdDVzDelEoM7St9bdusoC1X2uRKEcTLczppQT2OJCH5HodJsYxpeWyvexoZ8tiLY_pb5A/s320/2013-05-11+12.21.29.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was feeling a little restless in Valencia recently; it rained for a few days solid and I was obviously outraged. The chance of a spontaneous trip to Marrakech came at just the right time. As I was the only one of our group without copious amounts of work to do, I wound myself up researching the city in the few days between deciding to go and getting on the plane. My head was filled with tales of the various tourist scams, street harassment (all three of us were girls) and aggressive market sellers.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5X8Z4yh4fgqfM8LizGX74rgCOqQ9UmfiFdL1VMF5JpD5MSIFzoZkCI6kduWlceCKYDw4xsfJ6vmIv0nHtJh2A9NRvw1YEJzQT1doDq-Yfk_xF9vUwZhPC3NYk4Zfv8u40h1PL2DsdAAlS/s1600/2013-05-09+21.13.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5X8Z4yh4fgqfM8LizGX74rgCOqQ9UmfiFdL1VMF5JpD5MSIFzoZkCI6kduWlceCKYDw4xsfJ6vmIv0nHtJh2A9NRvw1YEJzQT1doDq-Yfk_xF9vUwZhPC3NYk4Zfv8u40h1PL2DsdAAlS/s320/2013-05-09+21.13.1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As soon as we got off the plane we were hit by the heat - at 20h local time it wasn't oppressive, but it did add to our fatigue and it would have had pink Brits scorching themselves on roundabouts in England. In front of the airport was the most beautiful smoking shelter I've ever seen - a black wrought-iron gazebo, and a whole host of taxi drivers waiting to rip us off.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My advice for the first couple of days there would be not to buy anything. You're especially vulnerable when you haven't got used to the currency or the usual prices of things, and they are very good at swizzling tourists. Morocco's main source of income is tourism and they have had centuries to fine-tune their haggling skills. Even with my WikiTravel print-out and knowing that a taxi ride into town costs the locals 20 dirham (2 euros) and 50 is a good price for tourists, we almost agreed to share a taxi with some Swedish girls for 30 dirham each. That's 15 euros for about a 10 minute ride.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Luckily, the express bus came at 22h (the schedule stopped at 21h30) and dropped us off at the main square. We then had to navigate our way to the hostel in the dark, through throngs of people, using the bare instructions we had been given.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkh3qQjxAQ9nwnxvZvxM-mxLiE7LZETb6_4wJC3UcwkJbtuY1AMbIfjeBihLLfm-N1skyI08WKCiiUqlN9eAYBnnTuygYI8aGhtVzi4Epb7IHoeZFHhKSJ8Ep8DrMSN-gHDLdqpGKdjDK/s1600/2013-05-09+22.31.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkh3qQjxAQ9nwnxvZvxM-mxLiE7LZETb6_4wJC3UcwkJbtuY1AMbIfjeBihLLfm-N1skyI08WKCiiUqlN9eAYBnnTuygYI8aGhtVzi4Epb7IHoeZFHhKSJ8Ep8DrMSN-gHDLdqpGKdjDK/s320/2013-05-09+22.31.46.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Place Djemaa El-Fna at night. Dodgy camera phone shot.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'd seen Marrakech described a number of times as an 'assault on the senses'. I wouldn't go that far, but it was disconcerting and incredibly exciting to be suddenly plunged into such a different culture, particularly at night and with no idea where anything was. The square was lit up by the food stalls and we dodged caleches, locals selling trinkets and henna, donkey carts and many, many motorbikes. Snake charmers' music flooded the square and we were distracted by the shouts of the orange juice sellers and the smells of roasted meat, spices and tagines. I was struck by seeing a woman in a niqab and gloves mount a motorcycle with a baby on her back and accelerate away through a crowd of people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eventually we asked a shop owner to point us out the café that should have served as a landmark in the square. It turned out we didn't see it because it was covered with a big white sheet that we assumed was for building works. Later we discovered it was the site of the Marrakech bombing in 2011. Nevertheless, Marrakech is considered completely safe to travel to, and it felt that way. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3nOg0QWwPxb6F5pgbBa6YIxL9wRTGRX2Q9QyvAlBVqrZj8ru3atf2Gf8SaAAIzKWE-z_E2yGPMYVy7J6NJPo5uLZA9QAjZ3cC6MKDc6WE-tXI2HRkUZcA51a3wWUYxLl_WSb7wXTKh2OM/s1600/2013-05-09+23.03.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3nOg0QWwPxb6F5pgbBa6YIxL9wRTGRX2Q9QyvAlBVqrZj8ru3atf2Gf8SaAAIzKWE-z_E2yGPMYVy7J6NJPo5uLZA9QAjZ3cC6MKDc6WE-tXI2HRkUZcA51a3wWUYxLl_WSb7wXTKh2OM/s320/2013-05-09+23.03.48.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We expected to schlep straight to bed when we got to our hostel, but we were given mint tea and cake instead. We were always given free tea whenever we wanted there, so I was drinking almost as much as I do in England. The hostel staff at <a href="http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/morocco/marrakech/74317/#fullOverview"><span style="color: blue;">Waka Waka</span></a> went out of their way to make us comfortable, coming to find us all the time to bring us tea and answer all our questions about Arabic, Morocco and their lives. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7woYrulFpAIeIy8h4GuzUxCY0Pnc-7M8Ah_vWdtAeot4oN3YEShwu4CVFzVKIEJKIXrBXaBEp0Wu00jj9sZhf2utrBZQ4x9dGfeJgwx08c2lyvpGh2O2OFJj_kbkFhmJ5BRg7kBcIst3K/s1600/2013-05-10+16.45.09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7woYrulFpAIeIy8h4GuzUxCY0Pnc-7M8Ah_vWdtAeot4oN3YEShwu4CVFzVKIEJKIXrBXaBEp0Wu00jj9sZhf2utrBZQ4x9dGfeJgwx08c2lyvpGh2O2OFJj_kbkFhmJ5BRg7kBcIst3K/s320/2013-05-10+16.45.09.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fW68xSS6X0dM3VH_bwjHmQD0E8_zJDNsqZL4HNYC3BWp0xNgI3MJvmY7okV-_K5p5MKsSEBShvxfqBjGdQeD48EG1Ne9vqsgkMpBxiwamDbBd9GG6APaCMoxGGS7AffXnPdM5MH1DTrO/s1600/2013-05-10+16.45.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fW68xSS6X0dM3VH_bwjHmQD0E8_zJDNsqZL4HNYC3BWp0xNgI3MJvmY7okV-_K5p5MKsSEBShvxfqBjGdQeD48EG1Ne9vqsgkMpBxiwamDbBd9GG6APaCMoxGGS7AffXnPdM5MH1DTrO/s320/2013-05-10+16.45.39.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the last night, the guys dressed in their djellabas so we could take photos and taught us to make mint tea. Abdessamad had forgotten it was his birthday until his mother called him and was very apologetic that he hadn't cooked us anything. We had tea and cake together and he told us all about his life philosophy - don't smoke or drink, be nice to people, don't worry about money, work hard for your family.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG45QrKhGZUlXW7iqttvFkk9gUEsR0zRbIlEEpZRLZCIrQeRtOPDxe_siTr66MUy5YLLcz1bFG6afX_rqFnGreA-gmwoQUMh7u5dGoHnbc5lPDpzr1jnp0dtxCfIskgCyllktav8rcsuT1/s1600/2013-05-13+23.15.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG45QrKhGZUlXW7iqttvFkk9gUEsR0zRbIlEEpZRLZCIrQeRtOPDxe_siTr66MUy5YLLcz1bFG6afX_rqFnGreA-gmwoQUMh7u5dGoHnbc5lPDpzr1jnp0dtxCfIskgCyllktav8rcsuT1/s320/2013-05-13+23.15.12.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jHP3m0Gjkz-SdU64AJSlf7MQyHgqgBjAcbLkmvIfxyMZhXC_oaLrHyyABqxXwOxr1RxE0sv_Mkx-XfrzH2bBMN8c45ZHGh-Oj6s1KWgDDvtOodCnZNHaHmmXyhBJjsZBp6mX4LRqPiTE/s1600/2013-05-13+23.49.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8jHP3m0Gjkz-SdU64AJSlf7MQyHgqgBjAcbLkmvIfxyMZhXC_oaLrHyyABqxXwOxr1RxE0sv_Mkx-XfrzH2bBMN8c45ZHGh-Oj6s1KWgDDvtOodCnZNHaHmmXyhBJjsZBp6mX4LRqPiTE/s320/2013-05-13+23.49.07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We took the first couple of days to wander around the souks - the labyrinth-like markets - and go to a traditional hammam. It was 1 euro to go in and 5 euros for the <i>gommage</i> (scrub), which was totally worth it. We followed two women (only one francophone) in, in just our bikini bottoms and were exfoliated <b>hard</b> with the gloves and black soap that we'd bought. It's good to do this on the first day because it took off all of our tan, and then made it easier to tan during the rest of the trip. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There's no room for body issues or British squeamishness in these baths and I was really glad I'd spent two hours last term wandering around a Russian banya naked. The women scrubbing you don't care if your hand keeps banging against their breast, they rest your leg on their upper thigh to scrub you better and are prone to pulling your bikini bottoms down unexpectedly and then hiding them. To be honest, I don't see why it's traditional to wear anything at all since they scrub you *everywhere* anyway, or why I had a bucket of water emptied over my head ten times in a minute, but who am I to question their ways? It was hilarious and strange and extremely refreshing, as well as a great insight into one aspect of Moroccan life.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8dCedpIXtjv8tRpf3g74PetF-pADkBHZukfPZisd-HtQHPBrdck2JE8FrR6a3eNFDg4dbRtK3fzZA0VFDb3q9MeXu6SuCD6dPaqjqDqDVvBbcUkq4MHepeR134HZqiK_YPzxLBU2NDHz/s1600/2013-05-11+11.50.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia8dCedpIXtjv8tRpf3g74PetF-pADkBHZukfPZisd-HtQHPBrdck2JE8FrR6a3eNFDg4dbRtK3fzZA0VFDb3q9MeXu6SuCD6dPaqjqDqDVvBbcUkq4MHepeR134HZqiK_YPzxLBU2NDHz/s320/2013-05-11+11.50.04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Koutoubia mosque</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisx_UUClJQIncvkpwjQMBKlZNBt5z1JUI7ZZr6bc_eTh7a_CY7RHo6J8O92nySQcCj_5nQiiNlAZJGSyBF7tz0r4zYa4nXaSrb7XF8abVVfZRS1fcrGD5ex-dFcpb8WJpu3niAB4q9la_k/s1600/2013-05-11+12.39.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisx_UUClJQIncvkpwjQMBKlZNBt5z1JUI7ZZr6bc_eTh7a_CY7RHo6J8O92nySQcCj_5nQiiNlAZJGSyBF7tz0r4zYa4nXaSrb7XF8abVVfZRS1fcrGD5ex-dFcpb8WJpu3niAB4q9la_k/s320/2013-05-11+12.39.36.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saidian tombs</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02AYWhfASP2iwB5Wm2zS2JQBb2zG7eG4vtJ2DvoPNr2o_eIG1NZ-DJ6_3YVRDqzHhLkOF7xFpmRGwV6ukpsUqirsAF40qpgdkLVbsE7-Af7-RWwgIO95F48qhOkSK-kROiY5qNAFwanG2/s1600/2013-05-11+13.23.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02AYWhfASP2iwB5Wm2zS2JQBb2zG7eG4vtJ2DvoPNr2o_eIG1NZ-DJ6_3YVRDqzHhLkOF7xFpmRGwV6ukpsUqirsAF40qpgdkLVbsE7-Af7-RWwgIO95F48qhOkSK-kROiY5qNAFwanG2/s320/2013-05-11+13.23.22.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Badi Palace - rare photo with no storks</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflh1LJSx8X1ElQ9nSD8MrwJELeEPGUrd35gYY8QB-PvZAHMbgEIECpXI2U2UI1esMmTygc-eb8TdZKilTRvcA59Z4ZxxDQUPNVyZYoamjLqrRyxkZqG6IK_JMcIZlgMcUqX98sblvu04o/s1600/2013-05-11+14.20.38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflh1LJSx8X1ElQ9nSD8MrwJELeEPGUrd35gYY8QB-PvZAHMbgEIECpXI2U2UI1esMmTygc-eb8TdZKilTRvcA59Z4ZxxDQUPNVyZYoamjLqrRyxkZqG6IK_JMcIZlgMcUqX98sblvu04o/s320/2013-05-11+14.20.38.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rabbi's house - the Jewish quarter</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's impossible not to take everything at a slow pace in Marrakech. The locals famously step out to post a letter and spend the whole day having tea and cous cous with anyone that they run into on the way. We took a day to do some very relaxed sight-seeing and get lost. The only disappointment was that we tried to go to the Jewish cemetery on Shabbat, which was obviously closed. A local teenager heard me (very shakily) reading the Hebrew letters on the sign and offered to show us around the Jewish quarter. Although it had all the makings of a tour guide scam, he was lovely and just wanted to practise his English, and although he showed us his friend's shop before leaving us, there was no pressure on us to buy anything. Apart from the Rabbi's house, nothing in the area seemed very Jewish and my bagel lust went unsatisfied. Our guide told us most of the Jewish families had moved to Israel, which I can completely understand.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyb-T8GJwJB5NG_WcZppu5j4iGNWlBiIL9Oq9Bn_P0QC6VpykchMnwHtD8mLqpDh8i9WJExKQnQqjWcJuPLnWPoLmPF6EM3CC6W2KdaeZf0TtDDMGsdPV4UhWNoPNG9osCzE8STDMDqJ38/s1600/2013-05-12+13.42.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyb-T8GJwJB5NG_WcZppu5j4iGNWlBiIL9Oq9Bn_P0QC6VpykchMnwHtD8mLqpDh8i9WJExKQnQqjWcJuPLnWPoLmPF6EM3CC6W2KdaeZf0TtDDMGsdPV4UhWNoPNG9osCzE8STDMDqJ38/s320/2013-05-12+13.42.32.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3N6q8KWxco6Zm1j41BVTm0AeHHt8SNXKT2msL95MFGqyihUF6dVrrry-F1m_lXVJdt5xHloHFQMHfeJimWJ20Xr4W89_scAjpbMmaTjeHlHkZJ4JQ9UlQLg8ib53TsWUKde0uJf9CsDGc/s1600/2013-05-12+13.42.54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3N6q8KWxco6Zm1j41BVTm0AeHHt8SNXKT2msL95MFGqyihUF6dVrrry-F1m_lXVJdt5xHloHFQMHfeJimWJ20Xr4W89_scAjpbMmaTjeHlHkZJ4JQ9UlQLg8ib53TsWUKde0uJf9CsDGc/s320/2013-05-12+13.42.54.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By Sunday, we were desperate for a swimming pool. Unfortunately we mixed up a swimming pool with a fountain called 'le Jardin des Jeunes' and ended up walking almost to the airport in the baking midday sun. However, some Moroccan boys who were walking just ahead of us ran and picked us a rose. We got some lunch and went back to our hostel to sunbathe on the terrace. The one weird point of the trip was a kid who was peeking at us from the neighbouring roof and his adult male relative who stood openly staring at us and smiling. We covered up but it was only when we asked him, 'Do you want something?' that he went out of sight, only to return about half an hour later. The next day, the kid came back and we sent Hossein to tell him off. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other than that, I honestly think I experience more street harassment in Spain or England than in Marrakech. Granted, we only went out in the night on two occasions, one of those with a boy, and I obviously wouldn't understand any Arabic slurs that might be whispered behind our backs. But the cries of 'gazelle!' or 'beautiful eyes!' just feel like a joke that you're in on, rather than a jeer or insult to make you feel embarrassed and laugh at you. The men doing this will look you in the eyes and appreciate a few words of Arabic, which seems like a fair trade considering we heard: 'Charlie's Angels! Hey Charlie, get me the angels!'; 'lovely jubbly!' and 'shufty, shufty?' I also got called Jennifer Lopez at one point (it's those fatty breakfasts) and we heard Lady Gaga, as well as Harry Potter - directed at a girl with round glasses.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR51-mUVTxgO1Qx0KPxziRBtrsUbg0bKz_rFwylL33-4OWV1t8U6ZEi2hmj6oR4d6SnoPuyvD2lCITcCkt_-xsCkUWo-wzQk47pq0XMZBy1mYfGmjMRIgYIyllw4Or7Pi1A0k9E1ocL2YT/s1600/2013-05-11+09.35.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR51-mUVTxgO1Qx0KPxziRBtrsUbg0bKz_rFwylL33-4OWV1t8U6ZEi2hmj6oR4d6SnoPuyvD2lCITcCkt_-xsCkUWo-wzQk47pq0XMZBy1mYfGmjMRIgYIyllw4Or7Pi1A0k9E1ocL2YT/s320/2013-05-11+09.35.45.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At no point was I able to finish this. Cake??</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A nice Australian we'd befriended at the hostel suggested we go on a day trip somewhere. We'd already had the Waterfalls of Ouzoud in mind and after a bit more haggling, we signed up for the Monday. The Brazilians from our hostel and an American group of various Middle Eastern and North African descent accompanied us there. As we were driving through the Moroccan countryside looking at the large purple mountains, Berber villages and trying not to throw up (a bumpy minibus ride is not what you want after a sugary breakfast and minimal sleep), we got a proper look at a more authentic side of the country and I felt some wanderlust creeping on.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHgaRDsUzAkmkCgJlWGE_n8G1Dw7cl8_TSIAdyEdcwM9N-bPUmW8fWgQLcwEmaTWOcPxN48DEnL72R9lkcgriiqd1k5DGraziUBOBV0X38HAZn8ipc2xJSpFKVndJMcDV1XTaZCuSFYxf/s1600/2013-05-13+12.02.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHgaRDsUzAkmkCgJlWGE_n8G1Dw7cl8_TSIAdyEdcwM9N-bPUmW8fWgQLcwEmaTWOcPxN48DEnL72R9lkcgriiqd1k5DGraziUBOBV0X38HAZn8ipc2xJSpFKVndJMcDV1XTaZCuSFYxf/s320/2013-05-13+12.02.45.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cobweb falls</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzQfTUCg8Lg3Z0YQZIlno80slJOi7XyUEf0fPMg53IH4jwFw1-rBQRhdQgodb2RQs2xLcUZAESDOqQ9mARV2niuXRYxUYSKSvv7gvGiHjjUY__sdJ4O3iIrkKhIn_yN-AWjvoQU8MyQlV/s1600/2013-05-13+12.52.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrzQfTUCg8Lg3Z0YQZIlno80slJOi7XyUEf0fPMg53IH4jwFw1-rBQRhdQgodb2RQs2xLcUZAESDOqQ9mARV2niuXRYxUYSKSvv7gvGiHjjUY__sdJ4O3iIrkKhIn_yN-AWjvoQU8MyQlV/s320/2013-05-13+12.52.02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The falls we swam in</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ec1iagoI4lm94wbIYE4iKK1O-R2js8UKm4839Vv8cJHXwP-mR0YvG90Do4X7hoi7DgqRVMaV-RqLFiy0vHXNjBYkzgn70fmIxmYYd6deafw1rDvnmPS-dl1vNHSvW_iGYAUTHu3T8AQe/s1600/2013-05-13+15.18.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Ec1iagoI4lm94wbIYE4iKK1O-R2js8UKm4839Vv8cJHXwP-mR0YvG90Do4X7hoi7DgqRVMaV-RqLFiy0vHXNjBYkzgn70fmIxmYYd6deafw1rDvnmPS-dl1vNHSvW_iGYAUTHu3T8AQe/s320/2013-05-13+15.18.00.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Rainbow!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyfCkDvi-dQO40IWrfECUTv4i_pH1IGsM4l6wmQrkoXCmZgwv9f9nI_ZkFJJGTeYoS01o0E5qvrvw23081OYz0wgFJJIsU5I5EOEbchPxAZb4t-_58-RjFlRaF2e976I4YM7NFyFgzEA_/s1600/2013-05-13+15.43.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyfCkDvi-dQO40IWrfECUTv4i_pH1IGsM4l6wmQrkoXCmZgwv9f9nI_ZkFJJGTeYoS01o0E5qvrvw23081OYz0wgFJJIsU5I5EOEbchPxAZb4t-_58-RjFlRaF2e976I4YM7NFyFgzEA_/s320/2013-05-13+15.43.57.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our lovely guide Mahmoud</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The waterfalls were so beautiful, with a very steep drop. Mahmoud kept warning us to be careful and stay away from the edge, which we largely ignored until he pointed out all the places where people had died:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Over there, a girl 3 weeks ago...right here, a boy 2 months ago, I was at the bottom, I saw him hit the ground...'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After that, whenever he encouraged us to take pictures from a certain spot, we stayed well away from the edge. I didn't feel like falling to my death or standing where anyone had passed their final moments. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mahmoud, who spoke excellent English, French and Spanish, and had been stung by a scorpion in his house at 23h the night before and gone to hospital, showed us olive trees that were 950 years old (50 years away from dying), petrified rock that used to be tree roots, turtles, ancient Berber caves, and how not to die as we navigated the valley. He also pointed out the best places to take photographs and kept us laughing along the way:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'Britain...lovely jubbly! Marmite! Fish and chips! The Queen!'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yep, that's everything in England! </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUmZaOwdh-ePPckJ0t6Oam1q8sNzj5y5t3X67wat_it4Equ36vziiCiIunmlxRqRF2bWttoXyqqBzlmuTyCO5kXwm93hcml0eB7wnu-81Onrq6O6kkZQDvpmKmU0eLKErk_6Vi1JjUW-t/s1600/2013-05-13+20.24.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUmZaOwdh-ePPckJ0t6Oam1q8sNzj5y5t3X67wat_it4Equ36vziiCiIunmlxRqRF2bWttoXyqqBzlmuTyCO5kXwm93hcml0eB7wnu-81Onrq6O6kkZQDvpmKmU0eLKErk_6Vi1JjUW-t/s320/2013-05-13+20.24.36.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Listening to a storyteller</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlc0Pg7oYyyFKpPKtqzJEjr03iOv047XqwVIyLVgMCaQDmmvUu_XO_1uFeGjz-MoXlcXuSWIMQeslCTq7kD4rVOMVFdRPENhNxGSjWk_UKVKCAUfqZ5YSGkPFdQG4uo0yI3631IvLHEEoj/s1600/2013-05-13+20.30.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlc0Pg7oYyyFKpPKtqzJEjr03iOv047XqwVIyLVgMCaQDmmvUu_XO_1uFeGjz-MoXlcXuSWIMQeslCTq7kD4rVOMVFdRPENhNxGSjWk_UKVKCAUfqZ5YSGkPFdQG4uo0yI3631IvLHEEoj/s320/2013-05-13+20.30.19.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Snails</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeXMl2kfXnIZiasyjJZr955RZjMXE5KvpstCPRupLbhWyQlai47YyZFyxV0zhEh1q5XV59uT5bcVr5kSR62lh6EMx68rvYT_KQNWckyPcpemzmzG0T5ikSsENWdCScawpFHyOL7B_1fAn/s1600/2013-05-13+20.39.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeXMl2kfXnIZiasyjJZr955RZjMXE5KvpstCPRupLbhWyQlai47YyZFyxV0zhEh1q5XV59uT5bcVr5kSR62lh6EMx68rvYT_KQNWckyPcpemzmzG0T5ikSsENWdCScawpFHyOL7B_1fAn/s320/2013-05-13+20.39.05.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96QQigIGlE9BrMKj9OJ7zaSSaJDPdm9greADx-yCGylU-lp8r_ka64lDJgEoXORoeQqLD71ctAY33Mxjh8gOze31QWBZXATU9XZovhM1at74TMqWOAK1Pn9kSuPE_-YQBRwaNqEuy-82-/s1600/2013-05-13+21.08.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96QQigIGlE9BrMKj9OJ7zaSSaJDPdm9greADx-yCGylU-lp8r_ka64lDJgEoXORoeQqLD71ctAY33Mxjh8gOze31QWBZXATU9XZovhM1at74TMqWOAK1Pn9kSuPE_-YQBRwaNqEuy-82-/s320/2013-05-13+21.08.46.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whole/half/quarter of a sheep's head?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the evening, we went to get dinner at one of the food stalls that pop up in the square at night. Each one has several greeters around it who try everything to get you to eat with them. We stopped to try some snails first, which were in a spicy broth and actually really good, even though their eye stalks are definitely visible on the way into your mouth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The greeters are really charismatic and clearly appreciate it if you joke around with them. One popular joke was, 'Oh, you're from London? I'm from Wigan/Ipswich!' I told them I could hear the accent. One greeter told me that everyone in the stalls knows each other and it's just a massive game to see who can get the most people to their stall. As we stood deciding, we were surrounded by greeters promising us free drinks and olives, as the cooks in the stalls shouted and cheered. When we eventually sat down it was to pantomime-like clapping and booing. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwr4SvCYknksr0oo_p4rCkvlrzSWaLl7PH_L6TIzIBvc2AC-IONMZtVgyW2fqF1Kagz81GVlXapaTYzT4G3fgz_aoNm5PvjjOoszbBCM_x0XsVyd9Xaxjud-eHL1MV4Q_A5Uno7oUUopwM/s1600/2013-05-10+12.27.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwr4SvCYknksr0oo_p4rCkvlrzSWaLl7PH_L6TIzIBvc2AC-IONMZtVgyW2fqF1Kagz81GVlXapaTYzT4G3fgz_aoNm5PvjjOoszbBCM_x0XsVyd9Xaxjud-eHL1MV4Q_A5Uno7oUUopwM/s320/2013-05-10+12.27.02.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0phGe0wgfL20nb6xAI3OD-LBcdHMKC9D5Xg_yThszWvZ5KxAaJNevRLWV1T2NJSYgxVTL9DJLbmIbvKn-qesJPe8KlM2Dob44J4M-4PbWBP0FKd0rguLd4uVF02jMSxoAuGR5yQ9jI8K/s1600/2013-05-10+12.12.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0phGe0wgfL20nb6xAI3OD-LBcdHMKC9D5Xg_yThszWvZ5KxAaJNevRLWV1T2NJSYgxVTL9DJLbmIbvKn-qesJPe8KlM2Dob44J4M-4PbWBP0FKd0rguLd4uVF02jMSxoAuGR5yQ9jI8K/s320/2013-05-10+12.12.41.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRBUPrMxJNpTd2XljR630N5g-EhQfGGxfskuuvIPtVO_TGNoU3x1ul5cJdomICe9zyY-J0JJdCH5FujiE50ukX2bdHvHaWyMkZdtc-1fikXEvaec8ihX4yDBk8XAXj8YH08oBqAKrhBXN/s1600/caroline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRBUPrMxJNpTd2XljR630N5g-EhQfGGxfskuuvIPtVO_TGNoU3x1ul5cJdomICe9zyY-J0JJdCH5FujiE50ukX2bdHvHaWyMkZdtc-1fikXEvaec8ihX4yDBk8XAXj8YH08oBqAKrhBXN/s320/caroline.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Caroline the chameleon</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On our final day, we headed out to tackle the souks. Having spent days practising our Arabic, researching what we wanted to buy and how much to pay for it, we were in prime haggling mode. Between us we got a teapot, some saffron, some Berber lipstick, Moroccan eyeliner (that men and women wear for its disinfecting properties in the desert), some jasmine and musk, a beautiful hand-stitched leather bag, some jewellery and a fragrant, carved box made of juniper. As we left all sellers looking unhappy, we felt pretty pleased with ourselves.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eQXXqP9rBpt20YJc0lJGOHmIr4dB-r9WWlqQBtrUC6nspjphOru0p9Lv0KOSFuPdHX3yeDGuN1Nwc8rG_qGggCWoa2j9BOFEkU-GrVm8PWEQgRtSj7IpVCUd0OA7VNUYam-mNwBVjwTD/s1600/2013-05-14+15.34.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eQXXqP9rBpt20YJc0lJGOHmIr4dB-r9WWlqQBtrUC6nspjphOru0p9Lv0KOSFuPdHX3yeDGuN1Nwc8rG_qGggCWoa2j9BOFEkU-GrVm8PWEQgRtSj7IpVCUd0OA7VNUYam-mNwBVjwTD/s320/2013-05-14+15.34.53.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2-AcXe-5f5Q1m3Z3FpyAQND9ueelBWfqbI9XrPitIQJet8nV5iPmXfDV0EeGecLbf5SM_kIyhYTIPV4J0QiHTn63buZsae_TlMNSkISIcRitRFubQb18FS0Dg_8W03ASuA0nNg699nnL/s1600/2013-05-10+17.35.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2-AcXe-5f5Q1m3Z3FpyAQND9ueelBWfqbI9XrPitIQJet8nV5iPmXfDV0EeGecLbf5SM_kIyhYTIPV4J0QiHTn63buZsae_TlMNSkISIcRitRFubQb18FS0Dg_8W03ASuA0nNg699nnL/s320/2013-05-10+17.35.56.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Marrakech was an entertaining, welcoming and lively window onto North Africa and Islamic culture, both of which I know next to nothing about, aside from a day-trip to Tangiers several years ago. I saw women in hijabs driving men around on motorbikes, taxi drivers held apart by their friends as they screamed at each other only to be hugging and explaining a few minutes later, Moroccans playing all kinds of games with the gullible tourists and sitting down to tea with the friendly ones. I could see exactly why Moroccan hospitality is so infamous and I wish we had time to travel to Fez, Essaouira, Casablanca...luckily we were invited to stay in our new friend's house if we're ever in Agadir, to watch his mother make argan oil. Bless.</span></div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-23320916763685763702013-04-10T15:33:00.000-07:002013-10-25T10:48:41.532-07:00The Verb 'To Be' In Different Languages<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://meighan.edublogs.org/files/2011/11/Hamlet-Laurence-Olivier-1ci8ee1.jpg" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://meighan.edublogs.org/files/2011/11/Hamlet-Laurence-Olivier-1ci8ee1.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />Arguably the most essential if not important verb in the English language, the variations of the verb 'to be' in other languages can indicate how the speakers think; in other words, how foreigners value and define existence or 'being'. Whether it's language that influences culture, or the other way round, I attempted to draw some likely conclusions about where we differ from other nations.<br /><br /><br /><u> Russian: быть/есть</u><br />Although the main verb Russians use for 'to be' (быть) has a past and future tense, the Russian language famously has no present tense for the verb 'to be'. Instead, pronouns and adjectives go directly together:</span><br />
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Я студент - Ya studyent - I am a student</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />The verb 'есть', which means 'to be/to eat' is used to mean 'there is/there are', like the Spanish 'hay':</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Там есть три девушки - Tam est' tri devushki - There are three girls</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<br />Additionally, instead of saying 'I have', using the verb 'иметь', you say 'to me there is':<br /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">У меня есть мечта - U menya est' mechta - I have a dream</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<br />It's interesting that there is an association in Russian between being and eating, especially for a country not known for its cuisine, although perhaps the link is the need to eat for survival. There is also less of a sense of direct ownership of an object or, as in the above example, product of your mind. The language implies that it exists independently and uses the object of the sentence, whoever the person may be, as a medium. The fact that 'быть' lacks a present tense means that a person or thing can be defined entirely by an adjective, or noun like their occupation. All of these linguistic aspects are particularly interesting considering the influence on or of the Soviet Union - increased susceptibility to Communism or a lingering effect of it?<br /><br /><u>Spanish: ser/estar</u> <br /><i>Similar to Italian (stare/essere); Portuguese (ser/estar); Catalan (ser~sser/estar)</i><br /><br />The Spanish language differentiates between two types of being, largely between the permanent 'ser' and the temporary 'estar':</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u>Ser</u></span></span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
<li>Elements relevant to identity: physical features (animate and inanimate things), personality, nationality, race, religion, gender, profession, origin, material - Soy inglesa (I am English) </li>
<li>Possession - Es la mía (It's mine) </li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;">Events or dates: days, months, years, festivals, parties, lessons etc - Hoy es lunes (Today is Monday)</span></li>
</span></span></ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
<u>Estar</u></span></span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
<li>States of being: emotions, physical appearance or condition (health), marital status - Estoy triste (I am sad) </li>
<li>Location of things, buildings, people: La universidad está aquí (The university is here). </li>
<li>With a gerund: Estoy leyendo/jugando/creciendo (I am reading/playing/growing) </li>
</span></span></ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span>To an English speaker, it can be surprising to hear that Latin languages see things that we would usually consider to be permanent, like marriage and the site of buildings, to be temporary states of being, especially since divorce contravenes the main religion of a lot of the countries where these languages are spoken. Nevertheless, perhaps seeing marriage as a civil state rather than an aspect of your character is a good thing. <br /><br />There are some phrases in which you can use 'ser' or 'estar' to alter the meaning of the sentence, eg. with 'gorde' (fat). 'Soy gordo' is a permanent physical description, whereas 'Estoy gordo' implies putting on weight temporarily, such as after Christmas. If only English had such tactful devices, perhaps we wouldn't have to be so deliberately polite all the time.<br /><br /><u>Mandarin:是</u><br />There are two verbs for 'to be' in Mandarin: '是' (shi - neutral tone), which suggests a relationship of identity (I am a doctor); '在' (zài - fourth tone), which indicates location. Mandarin has four tones:<br /><br />1: Level Tone (ping) –> –<br />2: Rising Tone (shang) –> /<br />3: Departing Tone (qu) –> V<br />4: Entering/Stop-Final Tone (ru) –> \<br /><br />This means it's easy to confuse the verb 'shi' with '吃' (chī), which means 'to eat'. If you're a real newcomer to Mandarin, you can also confuse it with '說' (shuo), 'to speak'. These are clearly different to native speakers, but it's nice to think that being, eating and speaking came from the same root.<br /><br />Obviously, Chinese is a pictoral language and functions differently to Japanese in that every word has a different character, composed of elements associated with the destination word. For example, the word for bank '銀行' is composed of two words: <br />銀 (yín) – silver<br />行 (háng) – all right; capable; competent; ok; okay; to go; to do; to travel; temporary; to walk.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">**For anyone interested, there are some beautiful descriptions of the imagery in Chinese characters in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chinese-Cinderella-Secret-Unwanted-Daughter/dp/0141304871/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365514808&sr=1-1&keywords=chinese+cinderella"><span style="color: blue;">Chinese Cinderella</span></a>.**</span><br /><br />Rather than reading in the widespread sense of decoding letters to make a word in your head, the Chinese are given a pictoral representation. In this case, 'bank' has connotations of money and security - a far cry from its contemporary associations in the West. <br /><br />Gramatically, Mandarin functions in a similar way: infinitives do not conjugate, but are placed next to words that infer a tense (jiang = future tense). However, a simpler way to change tense is just to use adverbs of time like 昨天 (zuótiān - yesterday). I really like that infinitives are unmodified and kept separate from words that convey the specific meaning. Chinese speakers must have a greater sense of actions - eat, pray, love (ha), speak, be - going on forever through generations, indifferent and essentially the same. <br /><br /><u>Hebrew: להיות </u><br />Like other Semitic languages (Arabic is the big one), Hebrew does not have a verb 'to be' in the present tense, although it declines in other tenses. One theory about the tetragrammaton YHVH, used to refer to God in Hebrew, is that it is a combination of these three words:<br /><br />היה Haya- was<br /> הוא Hove- is <br />יהיה Yihiye- will be <br /><br />This gives the name for God an eternal quality; it is often translated in the Bible as 'I am the one who Is, Has Been, Will Be'. It's not really surprising that for Semitic languages, God is associated with the highest form of being, or that the present "being" of earthly things was unimportant. See Communist Russia for how this kind of thinking can go very wrong. <br /><br /><u>Turkish</u><br />The verb 'to be' doesn't exist in the Turkish language. Instead, suffixes are added to nouns, adjectives and adverbs to give the meanings of 'I am, they are, you were' etc: <br /><br />bir vazodur - it is a vase.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">bir vazoydu - it was a vase. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /><br />Türk'türler - they are Turkish.<br />Türk'tüler - they were Turkish.<br /><br />There is also a verb 'olmak' which means <i>primarily</i>:<br /><br />'to become, to exist, to come into being'</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>secondarily</i>:</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />'to happen, to occur, to take place'<br />and <i>thirdly</i>:<br />'to be' (to have/fill a position/place or to show [...] characteristic)<br /><br />Although it can appear in infinitives as an auxiliary verb, ie 'Kel olmak' (to be bald), it's only conjugated in a few situations of "occurence":<br /><br />What happened? - Ne oldu<br />What is happening? - ne oluyor<br />Maybe for Turkish speakers, existence is so obvious it doesn't need to be stressed?<br /><br /><u>Japanese</u><br />Japanese has different versions of 'to be' depending on the status of the subject. 'ある' (aru) is used for inanimate objects and plants while 'いる' (iru) is used for animals and humans. There are also <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copula_(linguistics)"><span style="color: blue;">copula verbs</span></a> "da (だ)"/"desu (です) that translate as 'are/is/were' etc. I read about a very polite form used for an unknown person or someone with a higher status, but I couldn't find anything more specific. However, the fact that even Japanese grammar discerns between higher and lower being as related to status is not that surprising considering how important status is to the culture. Google bowing, social norms and saving face in Japan for further insight.<br /><br /><br /><u>Greenlandic</u><br />Greenlandic is in the Eskimo language family and can convey what would be entire sentences in most languages, in single words. It is a 'polysynthetic' language, which means words are made up of a root, a suffix and one or more affixes. Some irrelevant, but charming words in Greenlandic are: computer - 'qarasaasiaq' (artificial brain), and potato - 'naatsiiat' (something for which one waits for a long time to grow up). Adorable!<br /><br />There are many ways to convey the verb 'to be' in Greenlandic:<br /><br />ippoq - are (only used with qanoq, ima, taama, -/+mi (inessive), soorlu and -/+ tut (aekvalis). It often seems like an affix.<br /><br />1 - Qanoq ippit? How are you?<br />2 - Imaappoq or taama ippoq It is like this (I now want to say or show)<br />3 - Taamaappa? or taama ippa? Is it like that? (you just said or showed)<br /><br />Tassa - it is (introducing)<br /><br />1 - Tassa illorput It is our house<br />2 - Ivalu tassa anaanaga Ivalu is my mother<br /><br />-uvoq, +uvoq, -avoq, -juvoq: an affix for the characteristic of the mentioned object<br /><br />1 - Illuuvoq It is a house<br />2 - Anaanaavoq She is a mother<br /><br />-uvoq, tassa and +una do not mean the same thing:<br /><br />1 - Nakorsaavoq She is a doctor<br />2 - Tassa nakorsaq It is a doctor, it is the doctor (she's coming now)<br />3 - Nakorsaruna It is a doctor, it is the doctor (that you can see or are talking about)<br /><br />-gaa (-givaa), -raa (-rivaa) - have him to.., he/it is his<br />This affix expresses the characteristic of the mentioned object more than tassa does<br /><br />1 - Illugaarput or illugivarput It is our house [We have it to house]<br />2 - Anaanagaara or anaanagivara She is my mother [I have her to mother]<br /><br />+una (sing.), +uku (plural) - it is, is it?<br />Words with these affixes are written by adding "-" or by assimilation (like the pronunciation)<br /><br />1 - Ujarak-una or ujaranguna It is a stone<br /><br />I would guess that, not just specifically with the verb 'to be', speakers of Greenlandic have a greater sense of the unity of things or aspects that are inseparable from the whole. It is interesting how, rather than a conjugating verb 'to be', they have wholly different affixes that seem to change according to the relation of the subject to the speaker...but the language is so alien to me, it's hard to even speculate.<br /><br /><u>Esperanto: esti</u><br />Esperanto seemed like a good example to end with, both for being a deliberately constructed language and for having aspects of all common world languages. Its grammar is comparatively simple and verbs do not change form according to the subject: I am, he is, we are become mi estas, li estas, ni estas. Even in English, in which a lot of conjugations aren't affected by the subject, the verb to be is irregular. Obviously, Esperanto is constructed and hasn't had thousands of years of being spoken, which warps most other languages' commonly used verbs. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ghl5UkwhAM_6AnB9FAIMqj8H17iK8WidccK22xv3ONZx2eIaA21fSCjttfvVtZsf_Ff4qc5xLiT3fZXVcS3TkXu3yquzeK5G5cMOH0hyu4NavVCghHqUQTPFEpt1Zs-_09l_4CcunaVI/s1600/nerd+life.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ghl5UkwhAM_6AnB9FAIMqj8H17iK8WidccK22xv3ONZx2eIaA21fSCjttfvVtZsf_Ff4qc5xLiT3fZXVcS3TkXu3yquzeK5G5cMOH0hyu4NavVCghHqUQTPFEpt1Zs-_09l_4CcunaVI/s320/nerd+life.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Disclaimer: I only speak two of the above languages and can shakily read the Hebrew alphabet. Any mistakes are the result of my faulty research! However, this was a labour of love.</span></span></div>
</div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-88371787593805763552013-04-06T13:38:00.001-07:002013-04-07T05:27:11.405-07:00Why Britain Sucks at Learning Languages<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.ed.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.21080!/fileManager/erasmus-prize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://www.ed.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.21080!/fileManager/erasmus-prize.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Google 'British teenagers' as I just did, and you may find that they '<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/british-teenagers-lead-the-world-in-their-sexual-activity--why-1159399.html"><span style="color: blue;">lead the world in their sexual activity</span></a>' and that the girls are the '<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9369328/British-teenage-girls-are-biggest-binge-drinkers-in-Europe.html"><span style="color: blue;">biggest binge drinkers in Europe</span></a>'. As a Brit, I wouldn't dispute any of that. But a recent survey has actually made me embarrassed for my country of birth: one that found that English teenagers are the worst in Europe at learning languages. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We all knew it was bad, but seeing the evidence plastered across the Internet is like being tagged in a photo doing that stupid drunk thing you did that you hoped no one had seen. We as a nation have two choices: laugh it off and keep being stupid, or let this public shaming motivate us to be less moronic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Languages aren't for everyone. I routinely embarrass myself trying to do simple arithmetic (mostly because I forget what I was doing and just multiply whatever numbers I have in my head) so I am a firm believer in the different types of intelligence. But the statistics show us doing much worse than we should be genetically predisposed to do. England has been invaded and influenced by so many invaders and their languages. Plus we can't all be scientists - and we're not - so why do we suck so much?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have studied languages at school, college and university in England so I feel like I have a good insight into why standards are slipping and were low to begin with.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Map_of_the_British_Empire_in_the_1920's.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Map_of_the_British_Empire_in_the_1920's.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Outdated Imperialist Attitudes</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once, we had a British Empire. Countries were colonised, nations exploited, resources plundered. At the time Britain was feeling pretty puffed up about its empire being so pimpin', but now <b>no one cares</b>. And if they do, it's because they want its atrocities never to happen again. One of the vestiges of colonisation is the languages left by the invaders: English spoken in most of the red highlighted countries above, Spanish all over Latin America, French in parts of Africa and the Caribbean etc. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In one way, it's incredibly useful that people from distant parts of the world have a higher chance of communication. However, British teenagers, in their bid to find something, anything, to counter their crippling lack of self-esteem, can forget that the reason most of the world speaks English now is because of the US, and brag about how they live in GREAT Britain. Or there's the whole 'we created America so we made them the country they are today' argument, otherwise known as 'Catholic parents who threw their Protestant kid out on the street want a cut of his present-day fortune'. But hey, anything to distract from acne.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The problem comes when they hear that they don't need to learn other languages because the rest of the world is learning English for them. This is especially destructive from parents, older siblings, anyone in a position of influence, and it's not even true! The image that kids hold of tanned restaurant and hotel owners, fluent in English, waiting for tourists outside their white-washed establishments might be true in Ibiza. Hell, most of the employees are English nationals. But for people who travel off the package-holiday path and towards, say, Paris, wildly pointing and shouting 'DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH?' is not enough to elicit more than laughter or a blank stare. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You at least want to be able to understand people as they mock you in their native tongue. Additionally, what kind of person takes pride in knowing less words than their peers? </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipY26qJqnT79W8NuCdlbvXOuExAEkaIb13RFRXfcrk8LDnZKfa9UhqwcYlWzjOGrpbbh2IxsBq3on5_d3gdmDYPC8QyBRjfOE8xzDy60bZXD3WyapIZJf8dnTN79yscxjKGo11tWpE8_CD/s1600/El+Estupido+en+Las+Organizaciones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipY26qJqnT79W8NuCdlbvXOuExAEkaIb13RFRXfcrk8LDnZKfa9UhqwcYlWzjOGrpbbh2IxsBq3on5_d3gdmDYPC8QyBRjfOE8xzDy60bZXD3WyapIZJf8dnTN79yscxjKGo11tWpE8_CD/s320/El+Estupido+en+Las+Organizaciones.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Teenagers hate trying</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This should be big news, to no one. Languages don't come naturally to everyone, and even for the ones to whom they do, there are many complications, exceptions and inexplicable rules along the way. See <a href="http://theseriousandthefrivolous.blogspot.com.es/2012/09/pesky-russians-and-their-pernickety.html"><span style="color: blue;">this post</span></a> about Russian language for reference. It can be incredibly frustrating, but incredibly rewarding when you crack the alien logic and hear yourself talking in strange tongues. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately for slackers, languages are an acquired skill. You can't doze through all your lessons, pull an all-nighter before your GCSE oral exam and expect to get an A because you need to slowly learn more grammar and more vocabulary and drill them into your head with practice. This doesn't have to be difficult; it's as simple as doing your homework and even reading the odd foreign article, listening to music or watching a film in the language you're learning. All fun and interesting activities, all types of passive learning. See, you don't even have to look like you're trying. I personally used to do grammar exercises to de-stress, but that's a level of geekdom you don't have to stretch to. There's no turning back after that, kids, before you know it you'll be living abroad, up to your elbows in Chekhov and Neruda in the original language and everyone will know you might be passionate about something. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OX03CEMJq6pYHY2DcqcukimCwsB0HqYsnvshdBhJR_eShL7PKcq9Rxo9SiuYYho55YyaEgbmj376x2XkHDnzWaEgPydB29WxiAvjxGvNYdMHr1JRpWxDxUXEmxUuvCtAEfIuXKVo6Pfu/s1600/dun+dun+dun.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OX03CEMJq6pYHY2DcqcukimCwsB0HqYsnvshdBhJR_eShL7PKcq9Rxo9SiuYYho55YyaEgbmj376x2XkHDnzWaEgPydB29WxiAvjxGvNYdMHr1JRpWxDxUXEmxUuvCtAEfIuXKVo6Pfu/s320/dun+dun+dun.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dun dun dunnn</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>The English educational system</u></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most other European countries start teaching children languages as early as possible. Although this doesn't make everyone fluent, countries that value the importance of knowing foreign languages see a real result from this method, which makes sense as a person's receptiveness to a foreign language only decreases the older they get. In my primary school, we learnt a bit of French in Year 6 (ages 10-11), by which point most of the kids had mentally checked out and were busy proving how little they cared about school. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another bad aspect is the frequency with which students are examined. During the year they are hurried through curriculums, leaving little room for creativity, personal curiosity or the different levels of the group, as they are taught what they need to know to pass exams rather than to navigate a new country or inspire them with a fascinatingly different culture. I always liked languages but I thought I wanted to study English Literature until my French exchange in Year 10 where I realised all the opportunities of travel, new friendships and further interpreting that could be possible for me if I were to study languages. I even changed my mind about studying French and Spanish in my AS level year, applying for <i>ab initio </i>Russian; a decision that terrified and thrilled me. It's doubtful I'd have had the guts to do that without the support of my mother as well as passionate teachers who exhausted themselves trying to help everyone get the best possible experience, let alone final mark. Unfortunately, teachers are currently so overworked and underpaid, that this kind of determination is scarce and unsustainable and today's students lack the direction needed to convince them of the benefits of studying foreign languages. With the Arts budget cut by 80% and cutbacks being made to jobs and further funding in the public sector, this doesn't look set to change soon.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://naviagemcomcamila.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/turista1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://naviagemcomcamila.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/turista1.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For any unconvinced teenagers who might stumble upon this, here are a few reasons to study a foreign language:</span><br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's exotic: like the idea of telling people you speak the language of love? Or travelled through remote parts of South America, speaking to the natives? Or that you speak Mandarin? You're a genius, who wouldn't want to go out with you.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Travel opportunities: Since the start of university, I've spent a month in Kazan', a weekend in Moscow, four months in St Petersburg, and I will have completed five months in Valencia along with trips to other parts of Spain, all purely for the good of my degree. What English lit students can say that? Speaking of which...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Variety of degree matter: my friends are often surprised at what we get to study as part of a language degree, but language is really just a different lens for the world (pretentious, but true). I've taken classes in Spanish and Russian cinema, Russian poetry, Russian short stories, the essays written after various Latin American countries became independent and the ensuing social development, legal translation, philosophy, short stories from France, Germany, Italy, China...not including the many I could have taken in history, etc. Obviously the sciences (bar philosophy, in Spain) are excluded from this wide scope but language students are lucky enough to get a taste of many different degrees, while increasing our language skills.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Language skills: this is the obvious one. The ability to speak a foreign language makes you <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/9415613/Graduate-jobs-Top-10-degree-subjects-for-getting-a-job.html?frame=2282934"><span style="color: blue;">much more employable</span></a> and who doesn't want a job? I picked my languages not only because I had an overwhelming urge to learn them and immerse myself in the cultures linked to them, but because I covered a lot of global area by speaking them and they will make it easier to learn even more languages. French is the official language of the UN and has been incredibly helpful to me both with learning Russian and communicating with international students here in Valencia. Coupled with Spanish (I'm coming for you, Latin America!), I can already understand a lot of Portuguese and that is the next language I have my eye on. Russian helps me understand some of other Slavic languages, like Czech and Polish, and I'm currently using it to speak to my two Russian flatmates that I got completely by chance. The lunch-hour studying I did of Arabic and Mandarin for a year was not enough for me to remember more than a few words, but I'd love to return to them once I have a couple more languages under my belt. If like me, you love people, you'd be crazy to pass up the chance to chat knowleageably about different customs, dress, drinking traditions, weddings, funerals, work ethics...fascinating stuff that you can also pull out your sleeve if you have a foreign client at that job you have. Plus, it teaches you to really fine-tune your communication, verbal and non-verbal, so you can blitz presentations, reports, business lunches and not end up a sweaty, blabbering mess.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://gus.nottingham.edu.cn/blogs/Division-IS/files/2011/12/imagesCAEMKP4Q1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://gus.nottingham.edu.cn/blogs/Division-IS/files/2011/12/imagesCAEMKP4Q1.jpg" /></a></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can get <a href="http://www.thirdyearabroad.com/advice-and-tips/health-and-fitness/item/1422-advice-studying-abroad-with-an-illness.html"><span style="color: blue;">published</span></a> by a national student website.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can live somewhere far away, like Santiago de Chile, or Tokyo!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Foreign liaisons: the economy is changing the way business functions. A third of US citizens speak Spanish. No longer is English the only language used to communicate internationally. Currently more people are learning German, Spanish, Russian, Norwegian even, so that they can move to find jobs. Even working in your own country, you could be an incredibly valuable asset if you can speak to clients in their own language, or for translating and interpreting purposes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You become a much more well-rounded person. Conversations are never-ending if you can talk about films from Bollywood, Soviet Russia or Korea, literature from Nigeria, pre-revolutionary France or Franco's Spain. You hone your social skills and learn a lot of patience, with yourself and other people. Also, you'll be amazed how generous people can be. If you need your optimism renewed, take a trip somewhere. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Life experience: even if you don't study a language, it's worth investigating if you can study your subject abroad for a semester. Living abroad forces you to be brave; you have to assert yourself, protect yourself and organise yourself in a foreign city, in a tongue that is not your own. Small things that might scare you in your home city like complaining about a meal or making a presentation at work will seem like a breeze after months of trying to communicate with people who may not understand a word you're saying, or coming to a new city with no friends and building a routine from scratch. It teaches you to seek out ways to squeeze the fun out of the city, to work hard at something you love to see the results you want and to appreciate what you have at the moment. You come into contact with a wealth of different cultures, from the natives and other international students; you can't get that kind of perspective without leaving your home turf. Although at times, it can be difficult, you really learn the value of having a good support system at home and away, and the break from your normal studies pushes you to work harder and travel more in the future.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationpicturegalleries/9722196/Easiest-foreign-languages-in-pictures.html?frame=2418200"><span style="color: blue;">Here</span></a> are some to get started with.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.whbnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Screen-Shot-2013-03-06-at-7.14.33-AM-300x182.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.whbnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Screen-Shot-2013-03-06-at-7.14.33-AM-300x182.png" /></a></div>
</div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-62058890675826585832013-04-02T15:20:00.000-07:002013-04-03T04:52:12.167-07:00Things Spain Could Improve<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaQDjmAswCagBwDI1-G3KkW-fsiywNGeS6FcUMkQfXTxB60vwUQPEZXTr68q9Opg_2SxMtIW9ueo-39iOmQGOyos4wRu02XIc1RoLpUqEDyGwTChIt-WEhTTg0u2j9NJ92LuuV9ubJlSW/s1600/IMG_2287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCaQDjmAswCagBwDI1-G3KkW-fsiywNGeS6FcUMkQfXTxB60vwUQPEZXTr68q9Opg_2SxMtIW9ueo-39iOmQGOyos4wRu02XIc1RoLpUqEDyGwTChIt-WEhTTg0u2j9NJ92LuuV9ubJlSW/s320/IMG_2287.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love Spain. I would love to live here (oh wait...I DO). I took the above picture while I was sitting in my local park, which is in an old riverbed, doing some work by the water in a sundress. It was maybe a couple degrees warmer than England right now. Although my time in Spain may seem all sangría and sunbathing, I have been able to identify some things Spain would need to improve before I took up permanent residence. You hear me Rajoy? Sort it or I will do a Depardieu.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Shop opening times</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Are you or are you not a nation of lay-abouts, Spain? Because it is pretty hard to contest the general stereotype about people from hot countries when shops take a siesta during the afternoon, close on Sundays and banks shut at 14h30 every single day. I know someone who was turned away from paying his enrolment tax because the bank only accepted money the following day or before 11am on Tuesday. Which is fair, that's a specialist service for a BANK.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Days when shops aren't open at all</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've mentioned the Sunday thing, which seems to be common to the Catholic countries of Europe. But I'll mention it again because it is bloody annoying. I am only just starting to remember to buy food on a Saturday, and only because of the many Sundays I've spent foodless and miserable. Then Valencia had Fallas and then Semana Santa a few days afterwards. I have never appreciated Russia's 24/7 culture so much.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Dog faeces</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is just everywhere. Even more than in Madrid. There appears to be no fining system or dog bins to encourage owners to be responsible, but I've seen teams of 6 city workers at a time maintaining a small patch of park in the middle of a road. Perhaps Valencia needs the jobs more than to shell out the money on plastic bins, but arguably transferring maintenance workers to being faeces inspectors along with the collection of the fines would be more lucrative, surely? Or maybe no one cares. Either way the metro platforms do not need regular mopping in London, if you know what I mean...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Glove fascism</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's obligatory to put on disposable plastic gloves to handle vegetables in the supermarket. Which I then remove, put my germ-riddled hands on the keys of the weighing machine and everything else I touch in the supermarket, then go home and wash my vegetables. Great for the environment and for my blood pressure.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Old ladies who can't queue</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Back of the line, se</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 23.390625px;">ñora. My elbows will not touch my sides until my produce is on the belt. Conversely, the other day I beat an old lady to the queue by a good couple of minutes. I didn't realise she was even headed there, she was so slow. When the till next to us opened up we had a brief politeness dance until I went ahead with my <b>bottle of water and that's it</b>. She proceeded to stare at me and just audibly rant about people who always had to be first, then more audibly to the cashier once I left. Snooze you lose, lady! Sorry I wasted fifteen of your precious seconds that I would happily give to anyone else with one item. Briton, out. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cervezaypunto.es/__oneclick_uploads/2012/02/kolsch1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://cervezaypunto.es/__oneclick_uploads/2012/02/kolsch1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Ca</span><span style="line-height: 23.390625px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ñ</span></span></u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><u>as shaped like branded pint glasses</u> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Look: I'm English. At first your beloved ca</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 23.390625px; text-align: left;">ñ</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;">as appalled me. However, now I can understand that it's a good amount of beer, which you can drink without the shame of ordering a half-pint in Britain, or punishing yourself with more Foster's than you would ever want. But really Spain, you are pushing me too far with your doll-sized pint glasses. How can I not make fun of you? How can I befriend your people when you insist on looking like giants dwarfing a normal glass? </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><u>Wine bottles with corks</u></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am no connoisseur, Spain. When I buy a bottle of wine for 1Euro50 to put in my pasta, I do not expect my worst nightmares to be realised when I get back to my flat and have to look for the corkscrew. Most children have more wrist strength and dexterity than me. It's like you want me to hurt myself. Also I then have to make new bottle-stoppers out of kitchen towels and I can't lie them flat in the fridge...you're ruining my life! Cut the pretentiousness*.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Jars with stiff lids</u></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can't yet confidently point the finger of blame at you, Spain. Especially after what I did to it trying to open that last olive jar. It may just be my medical inferiority or general incompetence, but this is getting on my nerves. The other day I spent thirty minutes of my life battling with a salsa jar to a YouTube tutorial: I tried a tea towel, clingfilm, a rubber glove, a knife, banging it with a wooden spoon, bashing it on the counter, heating water to submerge it in, submerging it again, bashing it again and finally microwaving it. And then it was warm...you cabrones.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.notirapida.com/images/noticias/24408-notirapida-fuegos-artificiales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://www.notirapida.com/images/noticias/24408-notirapida-fuegos-artificiales.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Fireworks</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You know what goes great with fireworks? Children. Thankfully, Fallas is over now and so is the worst of it, but it can be very disconcerting to see parents teaching their mini-mes to throw explosives around. Particularly around you. Granted, they've clearly been trained well: they plant them securely, run away to a safe distance...I've even seen a little boy hug his scared brother as one exploded. But they've also been thrown in front of me. Overall, I would feel safer if the kids were kept away from the gunpowder.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Boots/Superdrug</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Does not exist. See above for why I specifically need earplugs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Lack of police at night</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is not just because I live out of the centre of the city. While there are lots of police around in the daytime, there are few to none at night. I'm sure I'm not the only woman/person who would feel safer walking home alone at night and knowing there were some flashing blue lights around. Nobody likes a night shift, but this really should be spread out more.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Fast food places</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Spain's clubbing and general nightlife is structured differently to in the UK. People usually have dinner at 10, go for drinks at 11 and get into a club around 2. By the time you leave you're usually ready for breakfast. But for those of us who don't stick it out till 7, it would be nice to have the option of some disgusting food to soak up the alcohol. I think, as with the chains of well-stocked pharmacies, there is a real gap in the market here. Shame I can't be bothered to fill it.</span><br />
<u><br /></u>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Poor business acumen</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is a distinct lack of tipping culture in Spain, which usually I would be very happy about, especially in contrast to America's fake smiling, peppy, bothersome slave system. However, sometimes service goes beyond nonchalant to plain sloppy. On one Sunday (see point about everything closing), we were forced to get lunch in a shopping centre that was filled with other forgetful people queuing out of every door. Our chosen restaurant had a seating policy of first come, first serve, which meant that our group of four had to wait for the two groups of eight ahead of us to be seated before we could sit down ourselves. Meanwhile, the few staff on duty had failed to notice the four clear tables that we were irritatedly eyeing. Maybe it's just the former waitress in me, but they would have been cleared, pushed together or filled with a smaller group because English people would not stand for that. They wouldn't say anything about it, but they would leave. Though I guess that's the business advantage of Sundays here (you have no choice).</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDLH0zf3awKvoofSjl7ba_8ASlhwaB01rRE3cXKHnDj-ulVXHGr64lXWiPsLBSHuFgjXpjQ2-rAplCQvDcJGayUcSnqbEsEWS1Eis0cZekLDPnFGuzpWU2SUU0I1IhAg8Oh2t_IL8VD3i/s1600/IMG_1735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkDLH0zf3awKvoofSjl7ba_8ASlhwaB01rRE3cXKHnDj-ulVXHGr64lXWiPsLBSHuFgjXpjQ2-rAplCQvDcJGayUcSnqbEsEWS1Eis0cZekLDPnFGuzpWU2SUU0I1IhAg8Oh2t_IL8VD3i/s320/IMG_1735.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Spending lots of money on things that don't give you a good return</u></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't claim to have ever worked closely with a regional Spanish tourism board. I'm no expert, I know. But it seems to me that if you have a millenia-old relic left in your town, the last thing you need to do is renovate it. You didn't pay for it! Just leave it there. It's free money. Maybe change a couple of things so it doesn't actually endanger people, but I'm pretty sure no one turns up to a Roman theatre and exclaims, 'My god, this place is delapidated! I will be having words with the mayor!' No. You expect it to look run down. Don't go paving over history. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Furthermore, can you see the above estimated cost of the restoration <i>of three sectors of the Sagunto Castle wall?</i> 536, 123.39 euros is just of a bit of restoration that hasn't happened yet. If I were you, Spain, I'd charge people a little bit to go in. 1 euro? 50 cents? Anything to recoup a bit of that investment, no? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Walking properly</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just a disclaimer: I am from London. I walk very quickly, mainly because I hate people being in my way, even other Londoners, most of whom have been trained from birth to dart through crowds and get out of whatever crazy weather we're having. I appreciate that in sunny cities, especially ones with a beach, things are more laid-back and I am learning to deal with that. However, I still get irked when groups of people taking up the entire pavement stare at me blankly as I have to walk in the road or shove them out the way so as not to get hit by a cyclist. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have seen ridiculous crowds and pedestrian jams during Fallas, with angry, frustrated people who seem very confused as to why they're not moving. Yeah, something actually slower than you people walking - stationary people. Although this is to be expected at a festival, why is no one questioning the fact that there is a four-person strong crowd going in one direction along the pavement, while in the other, people can barely squeeze past along the barrier one at a time? That's just stupid. And so is the old woman in the fatcat direction who kept trying to push us underdogs into the barrier. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media.tumblr.com/88426782c9716ad3694e68ed73821c40/tumblr_inline_mkhsxg9EGM1qz4rgp.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.tumblr.com/88426782c9716ad3694e68ed73821c40/tumblr_inline_mkhsxg9EGM1qz4rgp.gif" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So ends my first post about things Spain could improve...but you have not heard the last of this grumpy old lady. Coming soon: Things England Could Improve!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">*Author's note: putting wine in pasta sauce is not pretentious, it is delicious. Naysayers.</span></div>
</div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-19648140839995677192013-03-22T13:38:00.000-07:002013-03-22T13:38:04.931-07:00Fallas - Valencia's Biggest Festival<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.spain-holiday.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Fireworks-Las-Fallas-Valencia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.spain-holiday.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Fireworks-Las-Fallas-Valencia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Valencia's biggest fiesta is one of the first things Valencians will gush to you about when they realise you're not a native. The word <i>falla </i>is Valencian for torch, which comes from the Latin <i>fax</i>. Each town in Valencia has its own falla and in the city of Valencia there's one on practically every corner. The generally accepted theory about the origins of the festival is that the Medieval carpenters' tradition of burning their offcuts to celebrate the coming of spring merged with the festival of San José (Saint Joseph), the patron saint of carpenters. Over the years, the festival became more satirical and outrageous, until today's gigantic parodies of current events that take a year to create, but are burned on the final night of Fallas.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fallas is opened with La Crida, a light show at the Torres de Sorrano, complete with fireworks, on the 24th of February. The only non-traditional song they played was Gangnam Style, but we got our first taste of the chanting, Valencian banners, marching bands and uniformly-fleeced Fallas groups. Also fireworks were still a novelty at this point.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPiE8FieOBIWdFdDhn423JZJPyv4v9Rvm2uKX4eHoqSIVT17gD_RXd1hqcwwW45_TRpuHhiRiZ4hoNR_FAeE8xvXBNLMzOIbJa2Y7v7WS7J3KJdP0Cu7uH8lzlU8q_mrV29HQRf1eBYBmO/s1600/IMG_1678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPiE8FieOBIWdFdDhn423JZJPyv4v9Rvm2uKX4eHoqSIVT17gD_RXd1hqcwwW45_TRpuHhiRiZ4hoNR_FAeE8xvXBNLMzOIbJa2Y7v7WS7J3KJdP0Cu7uH8lzlU8q_mrV29HQRf1eBYBmO/s320/IMG_1678.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After a brief interlude while February finished, la Despert</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: left;">à</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> began: a marching band that went around playing and throwing fireworks at 8am to wake people up. It was hi-larious. Nawwwt. There was also a ten-minute volley of fireworks, called la Mascletà</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, that was set off every day at 14h in la Plaza del Ayuntamiento. The university area is a good 30m walk from the centre, but it still shakes windows and disturbs lessons to the point where teachers will end them early to avoid the disruption. You can't even see them! It's just a massive load of bangs and whistles with sparks that you can just make out before they add to the ever-increasing wave of smoke, amid cries of VALENCIAAAAA. Still pretty cool though.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZi8huAYQnHP5VTTAfHNQl-hU6b1RbZKXraQRvesB8iusXuMUaIQqwd7NbpoKElb9et5wVuLEwh51GGAcaCKLWcjQttx2XlsIfcdVLAZNI_GDvJwk9MK4_Ik3dE2SrXyEDm31OT9_Qkb2/s1600/IMG_1847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZi8huAYQnHP5VTTAfHNQl-hU6b1RbZKXraQRvesB8iusXuMUaIQqwd7NbpoKElb9et5wVuLEwh51GGAcaCKLWcjQttx2XlsIfcdVLAZNI_GDvJwk9MK4_Ik3dE2SrXyEDm31OT9_Qkb2/s320/IMG_1847.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">From March 1-15, residents of Valencia grow accustomed to seeing toddlers throw firecrackers, and of course to the Mascletà</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. As the fallas are erected and decorated and the fireworks increase in frequency and intensity, we eagerly awaited for Fallas fever to begin in earnest. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsiOYOJnjWt8WvEJ9904kix3MPgHiHb03krg9QNbgXKsLlLIijfSRQlSmYsZ5jCNyvfNVYSKowdxk0n6Gb-DaeJD7rx2FdpswaW6ItowMXHSBu0zMb-ojjFvHhDqyaOjHK7Ivq4j6BYxY/s1600/IMG_1964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsiOYOJnjWt8WvEJ9904kix3MPgHiHb03krg9QNbgXKsLlLIijfSRQlSmYsZ5jCNyvfNVYSKowdxk0n6Gb-DaeJD7rx2FdpswaW6ItowMXHSBu0zMb-ojjFvHhDqyaOjHK7Ivq4j6BYxY/s320/IMG_1964.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having been promised that it was the Carnival (Rio de Janeiro) of Europe, and learning not to blink when you have a firecracker explode near you, the start of Fallas was frankly, quite underwhelming. Initially it was very exciting to see the marching bands and parades of Valencians in traditional dress. But after seeing the same parade sixteen times in four days and hearing yet another brass rendition of Gangnam Style, we were all a bit sick of it.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRswTtntlGSoj8DyiAuxMP6rhuv3WxcecAh2w3_QC24sbFAaNCUoKJa9MXy1Cn_OdgFjrg7wSfDO8jRfVhRn6Yah96bFIYJtoDkfNyWQLMCJ7btC7N6KLK__oCiYc5kWHGzxQBCwFLRcw/s1600/IMG_1967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvRswTtntlGSoj8DyiAuxMP6rhuv3WxcecAh2w3_QC24sbFAaNCUoKJa9MXy1Cn_OdgFjrg7wSfDO8jRfVhRn6Yah96bFIYJtoDkfNyWQLMCJ7btC7N6KLK__oCiYc5kWHGzxQBCwFLRcw/s320/IMG_1967.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even she's had enough</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think it's difficult to fully appreciate Fallas as an Erasmus student here. You really need to be a local to benefit from the collaborative projects, Fallas tents and see/be part of the work that goes on throughout the year. Alternatively, if you visit briefly, you don't have to put up with a marching band going past your window when you're trying to work/sleep at 6am. The best day to visit would be on the Tuesday, for la Cremà</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> - when they burn EVERYTHING. It's very cathartic if those trumpeters have pushed you just a little too far in recent days. I know of some people who visited on the Saturday, which begs the question, why...? Apart from just more fireworks there was not much going on. Bad organizers.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0yDYxccbaDfstTGg9fYob9mKxO8v-IuIoPaZsAXopOWBd3qCx6DuvfWn6cI5NHrZE1-oqbbPf2wDPGpIcEfsDhM2KKIXj-PDLQpBJBa29e_99EbLO84Qha-AuGMm9aglWVMdtMoysuMT/s1600/IMG_2114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0yDYxccbaDfstTGg9fYob9mKxO8v-IuIoPaZsAXopOWBd3qCx6DuvfWn6cI5NHrZE1-oqbbPf2wDPGpIcEfsDhM2KKIXj-PDLQpBJBa29e_99EbLO84Qha-AuGMm9aglWVMdtMoysuMT/s320/IMG_2114.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxGAJizQuOC0eunn6POtfJXuG3GQikJ4-xhZjyGaG6di1-X2WwC0LSryetKjum3srTTRXu7BUJsoAazhqYgKmNqIWPLiDXpFPi21f5hR1GBN-KBhovs_nkyqBAtNH1oM3TzEWWMgotcLN/s1600/IMG_2146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxGAJizQuOC0eunn6POtfJXuG3GQikJ4-xhZjyGaG6di1-X2WwC0LSryetKjum3srTTRXu7BUJsoAazhqYgKmNqIWPLiDXpFPi21f5hR1GBN-KBhovs_nkyqBAtNH1oM3TzEWWMgotcLN/s320/IMG_2146.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXY4Eps3QtpyMd0RT6O2E6M3tFp7VtqKhK0WYEijC86tGDJnBPGwOy6wMDvnzrHruIU2gxOrcpWCYOaeOIFlOpKN-S10gSvChgzH63iAQL2KOsoW0lrXxdR_ekHhqphfzoQ1w4-22ksC1/s1600/IMG_2158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyXY4Eps3QtpyMd0RT6O2E6M3tFp7VtqKhK0WYEijC86tGDJnBPGwOy6wMDvnzrHruIU2gxOrcpWCYOaeOIFlOpKN-S10gSvChgzH63iAQL2KOsoW0lrXxdR_ekHhqphfzoQ1w4-22ksC1/s320/IMG_2158.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SCiYjdlgXEyLvypZJCwLbYlC4mTnbZ0xaqhrbV8aAhTzthmqvLsGDkU6ZjnIM3x36isqRKJ9EiR_YZlRH6XpQUUuvZ_7YTgvVxDGsLurtD22Xj9PiIdG1J4StJEvSdZyFpFcReW2p7_8/s1600/IMG_2164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SCiYjdlgXEyLvypZJCwLbYlC4mTnbZ0xaqhrbV8aAhTzthmqvLsGDkU6ZjnIM3x36isqRKJ9EiR_YZlRH6XpQUUuvZ_7YTgvVxDGsLurtD22Xj9PiIdG1J4StJEvSdZyFpFcReW2p7_8/s320/IMG_2164.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">La Cremà</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> kicked off (for us) with la Cabalgata de Fuego, a parade where people were dressed traditionally, in hooded red capes with candles, or as devils running around spraying sparks and fire at people. Lucky devils. They then proceeded to set fire to the fallas infantiles, the children's equivalents of the big fallas. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHktay4DbMohhN9RWOoFXHXQFyMFbQLKo8jde0ciBxP1SQBHfVwCp0fLyLWdp98kgQpzJgx5ECEZpDGaQfjELoeXs6H2PIM8AbKeKPJigBWZvraBOTb1IBzGq44bvtU18DKUxODlF1DuIw/s1600/IMG_2192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHktay4DbMohhN9RWOoFXHXQFyMFbQLKo8jde0ciBxP1SQBHfVwCp0fLyLWdp98kgQpzJgx5ECEZpDGaQfjELoeXs6H2PIM8AbKeKPJigBWZvraBOTb1IBzGq44bvtU18DKUxODlF1DuIw/s320/IMG_2192.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJu9c2qf9RfRRETcM2YNjnBMnFAXMAJZ27nve06ngKUzZ61qgFyULGS5L1RpROM56y847v3VC0Yqgx37BiLKYgOdCWwKFToTc-8lPnrXVuDP6y8fPAqmNoajEejyDXtYSdaONPK4rbHusf/s1600/IMG_2195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJu9c2qf9RfRRETcM2YNjnBMnFAXMAJZ27nve06ngKUzZ61qgFyULGS5L1RpROM56y847v3VC0Yqgx37BiLKYgOdCWwKFToTc-8lPnrXVuDP6y8fPAqmNoajEejyDXtYSdaONPK4rbHusf/s320/IMG_2195.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As we were watching, I joked that they should light the fire with a firework, which is ridiculous. They lit it with many fireworks! Then once the blaze was under way, the flames discovered the OTHER fireworks they'd put on top of the falla, which were *surprising* when they suddenly exploded.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0Z1uaiBp4D38422TGayjBn0iFnvJuIQ-3VrkAjs7kxC8RUFSTwx_GUJ7p4bjgzgRQhsis_8RvL2xSet1ZlxHw47lOqnU_H7VIYHXMfOSnMZsVbcJgeyLauidN9QFOec9eiAdZTGwf7Oc/s1600/IMG_2222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0Z1uaiBp4D38422TGayjBn0iFnvJuIQ-3VrkAjs7kxC8RUFSTwx_GUJ7p4bjgzgRQhsis_8RvL2xSet1ZlxHw47lOqnU_H7VIYHXMfOSnMZsVbcJgeyLauidN9QFOec9eiAdZTGwf7Oc/s320/IMG_2222.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_CE4_1oQCVHTRisZrijXdBYoO0cRblFudhgNbPZy_JCggMEFSw6nNigNpDr5gQ7Nqh4lJc83N48VFvQKlmDC33MfmnoZG_ngrJYDFDUNcwegy5y_BWUggqBMu5kKODtvW7_Caxk8VnUny/s1600/IMG_2241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_CE4_1oQCVHTRisZrijXdBYoO0cRblFudhgNbPZy_JCggMEFSw6nNigNpDr5gQ7Nqh4lJc83N48VFvQKlmDC33MfmnoZG_ngrJYDFDUNcwegy5y_BWUggqBMu5kKODtvW7_Caxk8VnUny/s320/IMG_2241.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZBbcDlX5OtR0e5ML8_p8O4ejkizHnh18lmyQEA7dMu2kN0RV8VbOHP1R8q17VE1aPrRShoYkNSU0dQnKsexRQliWki5DXABq1o2hJ5FFgJgdGeoZnRrzBc3z4g7dV9Qc08eT7nJsbikc/s1600/IMG_2251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZBbcDlX5OtR0e5ML8_p8O4ejkizHnh18lmyQEA7dMu2kN0RV8VbOHP1R8q17VE1aPrRShoYkNSU0dQnKsexRQliWki5DXABq1o2hJ5FFgJgdGeoZnRrzBc3z4g7dV9Qc08eT7nJsbikc/s320/IMG_2251.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqDMK9bMQUcYWzuI8pIXWcfbdmJ9TDepjznM-azMwF6Np7y_lJzieVM1yUq3VWtJYJMqFQPe5-cciQs8HDUECXdmIrhArZtdZim8_K84s5uQsxCHqrfLVUub6X9PzXZxBjtDqXrDC5Pm0/s1600/IMG_2253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqDMK9bMQUcYWzuI8pIXWcfbdmJ9TDepjznM-azMwF6Np7y_lJzieVM1yUq3VWtJYJMqFQPe5-cciQs8HDUECXdmIrhArZtdZim8_K84s5uQsxCHqrfLVUub6X9PzXZxBjtDqXrDC5Pm0/s320/IMG_2253.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_H_LwlTLbENP0mw1vCakt2IOCGSOh48ldbAihY3JQOWkhja18NFoqGRA0T0FkBnltbuNhCzEEHUMckb33QJiT9C6adupd8_B0k7IjBgD7so7uNjttKKP2Z7VzYD8_QFo9zCMopsV_5Epq/s1600/IMG_2249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_H_LwlTLbENP0mw1vCakt2IOCGSOh48ldbAihY3JQOWkhja18NFoqGRA0T0FkBnltbuNhCzEEHUMckb33QJiT9C6adupd8_B0k7IjBgD7so7uNjttKKP2Z7VzYD8_QFo9zCMopsV_5Epq/s320/IMG_2249.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We missed the burning of most of the fallas because we were <strike>studying</strike> doing shots in a bar. But we got to the tourist bus falla in la Plaza del Ayuntamiento nice and early to get a good view of the burning and simultaneous firework show. I did get hot ash in my eye, but that made it no less awesome.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnK0CPi_Pr11nOGHjhD9u-ENAX4kM8VhQGH3fFLiZ7tVHXBSAu6kOCZnF8-D_huyvgVbVh_geXBOZdUhAM-gUP9jExGfZt9glzUg3Yau9lT7mgPHSL8OeA-kg4Pw0y20EknL1o5IUkIdx4/s1600/IMG_2268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnK0CPi_Pr11nOGHjhD9u-ENAX4kM8VhQGH3fFLiZ7tVHXBSAu6kOCZnF8-D_huyvgVbVh_geXBOZdUhAM-gUP9jExGfZt9glzUg3Yau9lT7mgPHSL8OeA-kg4Pw0y20EknL1o5IUkIdx4/s320/IMG_2268.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the way home we saw this late-burning falla get out of control. Luckily the firemen were on hand at every fire to prevent it becoming dangerous, which reminded us of both the cost the region invests in public services for the festival and its longevity as an institution: after all this time, they know not to mess around with fire. Though I'm still not comfortable having toddlers throw firecrackers at me.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other cool events:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqx_ERdqUz1tIKDbWl0-FtFBTAwwBlPwvrSV-B6e4R17nAIfIjBXcO0GQlJr9pRjTWhke04AG-aYsXLYGGIc9bCWUmqbHzXFCBLeRi96UbvlolR5XgpEgART2FuOMuy1zUBi9KMsrQ4JEq/s1600/IMG_1988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqx_ERdqUz1tIKDbWl0-FtFBTAwwBlPwvrSV-B6e4R17nAIfIjBXcO0GQlJr9pRjTWhke04AG-aYsXLYGGIc9bCWUmqbHzXFCBLeRi96UbvlolR5XgpEgART2FuOMuy1zUBi9KMsrQ4JEq/s320/IMG_1988.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Virgin, seen here as local men weave her cape out of flowers, is situated in la Plaza de la Virgen (obviously). She is offered flowers on the Monday as part of the official Fallas events.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoM2K3qFvCG-53MRFABZdQ0BpQmNGeRA7jQaTLL0-m7srKgIiJg9pBmptidnSiwAwwKNrdx-gfnyafoeOcmW9S0OarEmnae1R3TUsCLOJymU2xLayKQSKg-mehiY1vROLlYzOzf_NoQ75/s1600/IMG_2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoM2K3qFvCG-53MRFABZdQ0BpQmNGeRA7jQaTLL0-m7srKgIiJg9pBmptidnSiwAwwKNrdx-gfnyafoeOcmW9S0OarEmnae1R3TUsCLOJymU2xLayKQSKg-mehiY1vROLlYzOzf_NoQ75/s320/IMG_2018.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The lights at Calle de Sueca have their own official premiere about a week before Fallas properly starts and continue to have a light show about every eight-fifteen minutes during the festival, choreographed to popular music. Be prepared to hear a LOT of Rihanna and Coldplay.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To see photos of the fallas before they were burnt, click <a href="http://theseriousandthefrivolous.blogspot.com.es/2013/03/the-fallas-themselves.html"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a>! I made it separate so this post will actually load. You're welcome.</span></div>
</div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-55931803967255693342013-03-22T11:09:00.000-07:002013-03-22T13:43:36.545-07:00The Fallas Themselves<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Click <a href="http://theseriousandthefrivolous.blogspot.com.es/2013/03/fallas-valencias-biggest-festival.html"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a> to see my experiences of Fallas!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlZuv6XqSyYyH9eSiegCMVr76gbxenwppdNpwFD1eq1e_IpbgF9PNBbYAp_cYEHkKoCYmvXBOJ00M0SLsq-l9KmoQCLCReYc8BZFkSXz_fELxEnWsmlInMxxEp4Kp1PN3o7-GO1FG61Do/s1600/IMG_2039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlZuv6XqSyYyH9eSiegCMVr76gbxenwppdNpwFD1eq1e_IpbgF9PNBbYAp_cYEHkKoCYmvXBOJ00M0SLsq-l9KmoQCLCReYc8BZFkSXz_fELxEnWsmlInMxxEp4Kp1PN3o7-GO1FG61Do/s320/IMG_2039.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAB-i44j0lazkd9a0wguxlLUs4JGtVbW0y2yYbpp-CyQQ8rNQB5F8pXcm5omppxLcqkP-qyx7jDfMiof9-Eb19nJUvGOHmL9nR8gvfK3bKooBffKBFiTOP0pqUrOMsHVgnjLpF113MD3U/s1600/IMG_2038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAB-i44j0lazkd9a0wguxlLUs4JGtVbW0y2yYbpp-CyQQ8rNQB5F8pXcm5omppxLcqkP-qyx7jDfMiof9-Eb19nJUvGOHmL9nR8gvfK3bKooBffKBFiTOP0pqUrOMsHVgnjLpF113MD3U/s320/IMG_2038.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGdp_iccBOkK-LZSrgoexd4wkCW2J4h9PRaIEBHK7b7dck4iBq85hS8-t9NcGVXYZ3iMtC4vjcRxrtPKckf_O_KJfSh3_a0s6kxUEfrXBva-Fle8iugksvyvJ8y11HmFqkewE9R5C3iw-/s1600/IMG_2014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqGdp_iccBOkK-LZSrgoexd4wkCW2J4h9PRaIEBHK7b7dck4iBq85hS8-t9NcGVXYZ3iMtC4vjcRxrtPKckf_O_KJfSh3_a0s6kxUEfrXBva-Fle8iugksvyvJ8y11HmFqkewE9R5C3iw-/s320/IMG_2014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofVFjB87gyvoWZZpgd_tcfOnQz-eCw9CZa5JfEHU4p6DOitxc4zUiPIj-l-ZBAU5cxNkukxgYzC5DAnHloo2c_Dfv-V0D5XvHGc_4f9hBNsU58bV8O-pu9zgTKCONc9mxqVTM_3IMHpWW/s1600/IMG_2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofVFjB87gyvoWZZpgd_tcfOnQz-eCw9CZa5JfEHU4p6DOitxc4zUiPIj-l-ZBAU5cxNkukxgYzC5DAnHloo2c_Dfv-V0D5XvHGc_4f9hBNsU58bV8O-pu9zgTKCONc9mxqVTM_3IMHpWW/s320/IMG_2011.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgGWAOt95NjYL_m5b-W0ju7n_aY4cQx3r4sitD-_PisGBKj70T_J5YuZv0NbXDNEXYYL9VJnMpG3zrPkDxsQpgS_s0jz3L7E8_axidrnk2uzVX8VHZc3WciozLTDFUvkQ83o7WZ-ClD8P/s1600/IMG_2009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgGWAOt95NjYL_m5b-W0ju7n_aY4cQx3r4sitD-_PisGBKj70T_J5YuZv0NbXDNEXYYL9VJnMpG3zrPkDxsQpgS_s0jz3L7E8_axidrnk2uzVX8VHZc3WciozLTDFUvkQ83o7WZ-ClD8P/s320/IMG_2009.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ97_zKlTuk07eUne0UaXUloaL1Gzh7nS1Jcen5aDJqb5BDBIAbXC_uWyO0um0913i28rIFkFV1mYvdAVGK9vlib_K7xJyC2Yqsk0XlFt9dE4cMgQAyrqGcJ3Hy3KHNRJatfQg1y8tGiKV/s1600/IMG_2002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ97_zKlTuk07eUne0UaXUloaL1Gzh7nS1Jcen5aDJqb5BDBIAbXC_uWyO0um0913i28rIFkFV1mYvdAVGK9vlib_K7xJyC2Yqsk0XlFt9dE4cMgQAyrqGcJ3Hy3KHNRJatfQg1y8tGiKV/s320/IMG_2002.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PNZA6OB583kz8X-0QG2viKlRE9ErsZ2rM9MuEzSX43Ys0zDoN7mNGhjGfSQxEgrtMgYGK_Ss99ZGTZzojBPGdA7AoCZ99_ZxvRBz5PaZdLjQzxYBkPK30HxO09sLCM8n1mzizQlnv9J2/s1600/IMG_1937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PNZA6OB583kz8X-0QG2viKlRE9ErsZ2rM9MuEzSX43Ys0zDoN7mNGhjGfSQxEgrtMgYGK_Ss99ZGTZzojBPGdA7AoCZ99_ZxvRBz5PaZdLjQzxYBkPK30HxO09sLCM8n1mzizQlnv9J2/s320/IMG_1937.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5knAAAXV8bTnI58LrUmiP9C-Cixay1juTFwlNcGDGXQTTxDRIgEsPXhtU7AfrSroUJ99mDFv364UvN9-lkkky_HrCRthvq7h-jWtK9YcoXdVUJA-upxb3qPc6r6O2cs1NvTcysOxvSfZ/s1600/IMG_1970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo5knAAAXV8bTnI58LrUmiP9C-Cixay1juTFwlNcGDGXQTTxDRIgEsPXhtU7AfrSroUJ99mDFv364UvN9-lkkky_HrCRthvq7h-jWtK9YcoXdVUJA-upxb3qPc6r6O2cs1NvTcysOxvSfZ/s320/IMG_1970.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81XVYo6r_G1smci65c9vthtRYTq0RWs24cu5_z9pYqcxlEUoGRv4Tc90YBfTGnfBAhnGPfYfzN-4oBS0fOTpAnd5Cy59DlMsXIih8zbekfP1YcAVOSa1q-mnhF6b4fG4Q5cuDJ6ToOdh9/s1600/IMG_1978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj81XVYo6r_G1smci65c9vthtRYTq0RWs24cu5_z9pYqcxlEUoGRv4Tc90YBfTGnfBAhnGPfYfzN-4oBS0fOTpAnd5Cy59DlMsXIih8zbekfP1YcAVOSa1q-mnhF6b4fG4Q5cuDJ6ToOdh9/s320/IMG_1978.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXLmtymD00-avuVuQir0yCTA0Ia1WVZS471PRF-nVIfsosNu4lt74YdLhM9Qn-UCH2TXrhmAGhTz7xunDcBwDulU-QeIUi4u97T2OsgWuntE2xMVlu5ksuWswlVuF9CETPHPszzesd0II/s1600/IMG_1991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyXLmtymD00-avuVuQir0yCTA0Ia1WVZS471PRF-nVIfsosNu4lt74YdLhM9Qn-UCH2TXrhmAGhTz7xunDcBwDulU-QeIUi4u97T2OsgWuntE2xMVlu5ksuWswlVuF9CETPHPszzesd0II/s320/IMG_1991.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqCqZJri58iVLaQdEfySw9a1T2JmiO1O0kMU5A0FhVqrePOoP49x7MRODL9R1HFL57bW1IOyz4ihXQY5JLR2ViAZW2O-x6b22Y3vdX8d-kskadDiBmKVZyshjNATt5Ks6OAGG8xYze7ke/s1600/IMG_1998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqCqZJri58iVLaQdEfySw9a1T2JmiO1O0kMU5A0FhVqrePOoP49x7MRODL9R1HFL57bW1IOyz4ihXQY5JLR2ViAZW2O-x6b22Y3vdX8d-kskadDiBmKVZyshjNATt5Ks6OAGG8xYze7ke/s320/IMG_1998.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXSCbFfM9WI7YpxjGZSI_OywFy8yIhZ7KSRjyetE4LqQgVw8YxmXs54roRucPu27Nw5jNKLEWNQoKIG5NXviqtwl5BvjktFncxOHD7Qfk1yukjTB9YVA2q3q9g8NcIR0PuFQd1aFfp7bH/s1600/IMG_1849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXSCbFfM9WI7YpxjGZSI_OywFy8yIhZ7KSRjyetE4LqQgVw8YxmXs54roRucPu27Nw5jNKLEWNQoKIG5NXviqtwl5BvjktFncxOHD7Qfk1yukjTB9YVA2q3q9g8NcIR0PuFQd1aFfp7bH/s320/IMG_1849.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnx6mq3jjxB6Fscy0crEMf_jbShzdLZQuDtWHSeNtekyEYjbccLPUj6vjuZ7c5jIEEOF1kgpwixCrT157qyLTcF0bPZqppJufUpTfIrKujPCiqSwIaHohhK_tWic1LJVWjbB1wuFChp0u/s1600/IMG_1835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnx6mq3jjxB6Fscy0crEMf_jbShzdLZQuDtWHSeNtekyEYjbccLPUj6vjuZ7c5jIEEOF1kgpwixCrT157qyLTcF0bPZqppJufUpTfIrKujPCiqSwIaHohhK_tWic1LJVWjbB1wuFChp0u/s320/IMG_1835.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJ6n3DnrdAUHU6bFGqiVNGXawMUlETaowL-ZeqVB0GQVsKAcB-djaj5_OhnMz0NyQJnwf4u8wtio3CjaovPj8soWOD0IWo2xW-zSxDeS0DRiWYBRJWQKCusBf1fYo_LTquBkdlAFXJzZ1/s1600/IMG_1804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSJ6n3DnrdAUHU6bFGqiVNGXawMUlETaowL-ZeqVB0GQVsKAcB-djaj5_OhnMz0NyQJnwf4u8wtio3CjaovPj8soWOD0IWo2xW-zSxDeS0DRiWYBRJWQKCusBf1fYo_LTquBkdlAFXJzZ1/s320/IMG_1804.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-75153636428995158902013-03-10T09:09:00.002-07:002013-03-10T09:09:38.492-07:00Sagunto: A Day Trip in Arse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazLKB2EhfvkLZmoOtbL9w7bF6UfZZFV9PBnImS_RpJysw1SqAvn8qBNLSbyDSIZgxRvmxBO7AzE82hN8njT9lc8RmGYEDUMw81eH_cPcVgcesX0lAJGtwwIGqQreUI3zkoNUlAcm0HIXw/s1600/IMG_1758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgazLKB2EhfvkLZmoOtbL9w7bF6UfZZFV9PBnImS_RpJysw1SqAvn8qBNLSbyDSIZgxRvmxBO7AzE82hN8njT9lc8RmGYEDUMw81eH_cPcVgcesX0lAJGtwwIGqQreUI3zkoNUlAcm0HIXw/s320/IMG_1758.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This week, I decided the best way to spend my Saturday would be to make my friends get up at an ungodly hour (8 am! In the morning!) and go look at some Roman ruins with me. We set off on our merry way in kind of a hurry because it's impossible to be a morning person/do anything on time in this country. After a forced march across town to the Estación del Norte, we got a return ticket to Sagunto for just over 7</span><span style="line-height: 23.390625px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">€. Ker-fricking-ching. Then on the way, the train we were on pulled into Cabernyal station, which is about ten minutes' stroll away from our respective flats and I remembered why I never organise anything. </span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdRty-vLdG-V2ThkDeV6-LleXPWGYjb9T7htq8URZ48ABLqpNUT3m66wYmWvT3KILgvA2dTRjiMaGuU5i5kuKPe1haJrv31QqHHABqF1IzcXrxBXY2kC-RxZYbTIuqh7ivH7wGWS0nutu/s1600/IMG_1783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdRty-vLdG-V2ThkDeV6-LleXPWGYjb9T7htq8URZ48ABLqpNUT3m66wYmWvT3KILgvA2dTRjiMaGuU5i5kuKPe1haJrv31QqHHABqF1IzcXrxBXY2kC-RxZYbTIuqh7ivH7wGWS0nutu/s320/IMG_1783.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh good, I was hoping it'd be steep</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="line-height: 23.390625px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Luckily, the half hour train ride allowed us to get our breath back, just in time for the massive upward climb to the Castle. Obviously, we stopped off for snacks first, then wandered through the tiny cobbled streets and brightly coloured houses.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONqX0SsN-CZMG4jwAuuwVr2pqj31IyonnWn50KARAxeZY-4HZiLzZsHw662jOywjQjSosnHTBWfGMUzbsLaJCep2jSyxiOUzGPqqyCFzwROA43HHOzdWl3w3DRjlk3b9-zybihY8nrIXV/s1600/IMG_1728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONqX0SsN-CZMG4jwAuuwVr2pqj31IyonnWn50KARAxeZY-4HZiLzZsHw662jOywjQjSosnHTBWfGMUzbsLaJCep2jSyxiOUzGPqqyCFzwROA43HHOzdWl3w3DRjlk3b9-zybihY8nrIXV/s320/IMG_1728.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpyhGzkQW2L5rl0rjrMKxKrZOKKuZ9SSr1TcaxekCMPLggSS29iC3cefUfrTZn8VQ3uxyqB-T22M6NnmEFg7hH218bIaHidrSpTrc21jW5JJ5QN-jc2b9hupKzwwXiiAzlabeUFE1zDA0/s1600/IMG_1731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpyhGzkQW2L5rl0rjrMKxKrZOKKuZ9SSr1TcaxekCMPLggSS29iC3cefUfrTZn8VQ3uxyqB-T22M6NnmEFg7hH218bIaHidrSpTrc21jW5JJ5QN-jc2b9hupKzwwXiiAzlabeUFE1zDA0/s320/IMG_1731.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Beautiful as Sagunto is, calling it sleepy would be an understatement. Sometimes we'd spot the odd elderly woman sweeping, like a lone deer that we didn't want to startle, but otherwise we just had cats and crazy downhill cyclists as brief company.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIG5DOkHlgGArKpf3BUS8_fYFSym48vyIxKlCu7XrkL3T9KrzcQZdRO-hyQW0Kms3S0bum1iKWJJbY0KdfZq8tHyeJoDZQa0wYXczUE8m0JshYSft2CCPyFoTK3sQRKZEhnlw3oA1aGxm/s1600/IMG_1733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIG5DOkHlgGArKpf3BUS8_fYFSym48vyIxKlCu7XrkL3T9KrzcQZdRO-hyQW0Kms3S0bum1iKWJJbY0KdfZq8tHyeJoDZQa0wYXczUE8m0JshYSft2CCPyFoTK3sQRKZEhnlw3oA1aGxm/s320/IMG_1733.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the very top of the hill is the Castle Complex, one of the admittedly few tourist attractions of the little town. When the Romans expelled Hannibal and settled, Sagunto was favoured over Valencia - aka Flatty McInvadeMe Town - for its hilly stronghold potential. I can personally vouch that no one would want to run up this hill, ever. Especially when you don't find the road until you get the top. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2MkopOUsnJKQ2TDTCtZk5hO0r1L6o0KZ7XzJVtlyhlwZFHJgAtcLgmEVmxlyPLkMRmrdeQ0mnEMJWJhN-ZpCjtKhWcgpKAHBmo1g0SETMxuzAW7sEw1Cueg_MjhDevnYgFMpg97lC25T/s1600/IMG_1737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2MkopOUsnJKQ2TDTCtZk5hO0r1L6o0KZ7XzJVtlyhlwZFHJgAtcLgmEVmxlyPLkMRmrdeQ0mnEMJWJhN-ZpCjtKhWcgpKAHBmo1g0SETMxuzAW7sEw1Cueg_MjhDevnYgFMpg97lC25T/s320/IMG_1737.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHtrvehMQCpIN2pB6DoApJJGWnJXYvVg96BDirHCcwsrJfc4fYr1_DUBomumR9b7H6VhCHAVGajfw45En0pJ5MfCvZUFBFmjhKrTFA5R3_h0Ri-NVfLFwxbOScmAGB9koUAJAbbqwFCQO/s1600/IMG_1751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdHtrvehMQCpIN2pB6DoApJJGWnJXYvVg96BDirHCcwsrJfc4fYr1_DUBomumR9b7H6VhCHAVGajfw45En0pJ5MfCvZUFBFmjhKrTFA5R3_h0Ri-NVfLFwxbOScmAGB9koUAJAbbqwFCQO/s320/IMG_1751.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The passage the Celtiberians went through to defend themselves against Hannibal</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2bPGr57pHZM4mgagtOpqJUY3MTWUvuvn-iJOgH5_ZFBik1YGEVy0g1EUw8kjj_Kea_s_-drImIXmu3Y17sUaj1eNOLyZ_2fl1Gx2sXJuRVAgNMUtmkGvEzr9nf2Mt8NQU-LpU1wzxZml/s1600/IMG_1746.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk2bPGr57pHZM4mgagtOpqJUY3MTWUvuvn-iJOgH5_ZFBik1YGEVy0g1EUw8kjj_Kea_s_-drImIXmu3Y17sUaj1eNOLyZ_2fl1Gx2sXJuRVAgNMUtmkGvEzr9nf2Mt8NQU-LpU1wzxZml/s320/IMG_1746.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A toilet!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLrAFqzuzJSIr5y6-9AnG5YjabJ2sAPfqVxODOI2bQ5rIaBumgOOQWsgJSCVxn_ZQ2kdeZm6Al9uJx3DkBBX3NqXn7KZbh3t8T0bMk663ZxXac0evsGT3RlSW0py-SH8Q0oqAlN86-VnM/s1600/IMG_1754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLrAFqzuzJSIr5y6-9AnG5YjabJ2sAPfqVxODOI2bQ5rIaBumgOOQWsgJSCVxn_ZQ2kdeZm6Al9uJx3DkBBX3NqXn7KZbh3t8T0bMk663ZxXac0evsGT3RlSW0py-SH8Q0oqAlN86-VnM/s320/IMG_1754.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A barbecue. Note to travellers: never get in a hole without checking for a 15ft drop first. You have been warned.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7OGHXOsZsXFYwMvBuE365RFqdsRBRCvNljsiciq-KUblg19m5R5MN2yLaUFrdgtDyARdjKvv23qLqrGTSOL95r9JEGKRkajW89K9SOJoQWPB8dh9B6lk3fo2v1LuklQEokQoE9_K-b8C/s1600/IMG_1756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv7OGHXOsZsXFYwMvBuE365RFqdsRBRCvNljsiciq-KUblg19m5R5MN2yLaUFrdgtDyARdjKvv23qLqrGTSOL95r9JEGKRkajW89K9SOJoQWPB8dh9B6lk3fo2v1LuklQEokQoE9_K-b8C/s320/IMG_1756.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWf23e-wuFiv_qIukpUmJjtoMn5iWKW8PWLayzUjVdchQTyxyX_-8yIIwDLfBjGR-cfuhLSt2g240w47Y_Cug45jPcAVAk9kL4dabBkW8IIM413qD5sHc91xbS_b6XdFnZqr0rEq2mXd3h/s1600/IMG_1752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWf23e-wuFiv_qIukpUmJjtoMn5iWKW8PWLayzUjVdchQTyxyX_-8yIIwDLfBjGR-cfuhLSt2g240w47Y_Cug45jPcAVAk9kL4dabBkW8IIM413qD5sHc91xbS_b6XdFnZqr0rEq2mXd3h/s320/IMG_1752.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An oven in the structure of a house</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1mYpV9Zbjh5xTHZ7GTcvNE2X28J5cgmZwyarAJ2Qgvgap3EcVKiMoYdHc1K6L252OTavwmA-qQi9ktAseGSw4djolcJpr6jGqoGCmOyHerbKwCjvr0RWb18NGmeYC13TyzpwTvKpGnWK/s1600/IMG_1757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib1mYpV9Zbjh5xTHZ7GTcvNE2X28J5cgmZwyarAJ2Qgvgap3EcVKiMoYdHc1K6L252OTavwmA-qQi9ktAseGSw4djolcJpr6jGqoGCmOyHerbKwCjvr0RWb18NGmeYC13TyzpwTvKpGnWK/s320/IMG_1757.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ruins are seriously excellent. And I come from the South of England; I grew up surrounded by fossils and Roman ruins (we just use that shit as paperweights), so you know the complex is impressive. The epigraphy display is also worth a visit: while the stones themselves might be a little samey for Brits, it's got some great information on the town's history. One interesting fact is that after the expulsion of the Jews in 1429, the former synagogue was occupied by the brotherhood of the </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">‘Purísima Sangre de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo'. Salt in the wound, friends. The most dramatic upheaval is probably th</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">e town being razed to the ground when its inhabitants committed mass suicide rather than surrender to Hannibal in 219 BC. Serious stuff, right? Even though Sagunto's Celtiberian name was </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Arse</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNa1wHu0qSQ0BEs_fozQWcmZvQXzppFZsdIanT3DXu5iAAKfsA2Q7-YW1umIfp-UC7rAiew22XRSFbIuy5QuMa_NaSy0P2PaASIx0L9agFi7wP4BoqwlO4yfpitdOv75-6CzOzJdn0STeP/s1600/IMG_1759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNa1wHu0qSQ0BEs_fozQWcmZvQXzppFZsdIanT3DXu5iAAKfsA2Q7-YW1umIfp-UC7rAiew22XRSFbIuy5QuMa_NaSy0P2PaASIx0L9agFi7wP4BoqwlO4yfpitdOv75-6CzOzJdn0STeP/s320/IMG_1759.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yep, this will never get old</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we'd exhausted the delights of the Castle Complex, we headed back down the hill, almost missing the Roman theatre. In our defence, all you can see from the front is a very tall facade that resembles a prison. We spent some time trying to break into the theatre through the back passages (oho! because of its na-...never mind), before we discovered you could just walk in the front like a normal person. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaApcmLgzlEm2CXynbhaMcjPN94IRpSZXlDg5EhvJ0cwAKTFycbaRLYdrqzzyEvrA5XyD3Ns4seDPB3KNbeUMG2a4I27u055iH2uRzgGcIHbuJl4oJwNKtYhwdvUj0ogjvy1EgHLt2Zgd_/s1600/IMG_1765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaApcmLgzlEm2CXynbhaMcjPN94IRpSZXlDg5EhvJ0cwAKTFycbaRLYdrqzzyEvrA5XyD3Ns4seDPB3KNbeUMG2a4I27u055iH2uRzgGcIHbuJl4oJwNKtYhwdvUj0ogjvy1EgHLt2Zgd_/s320/IMG_1765.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Although the theatre keeps some of its original stonework, it has been renovated for modern shows, with Roman relics on display on the stage. It's easy to picture Romans lining the absolute curves of the arena to watch tragedies, but the smooth, white renovation makes the seating feel a little artificial.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GICBjINFZXkMuztCtbJkuLAkzvUxXPfsiG9UlWCpkzwC2vQGf03W5s6tMu0A1Dd8wapeFzWq4HhC4_9CYz4ETgGfrib0RCNEGehgKyPDo_aW72UlG-0zdl0hUUwEFhDYnjrwc9wWkdhC/s1600/IMG_1774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8GICBjINFZXkMuztCtbJkuLAkzvUxXPfsiG9UlWCpkzwC2vQGf03W5s6tMu0A1Dd8wapeFzWq4HhC4_9CYz4ETgGfrib0RCNEGehgKyPDo_aW72UlG-0zdl0hUUwEFhDYnjrwc9wWkdhC/s320/IMG_1774.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQclKlL-1eOvUPcYh8uuPM-EFUmR3wiN_g6ArR5H2y3pLA7T7bpm5epWulfiYlKevFuUVkkumkRlJWdECKsM7y74WWuwBoAGP363dGtvSEsyeX3esDKztgACglcu8dg3HjauuDu6_iK37e/s1600/IMG_1775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQclKlL-1eOvUPcYh8uuPM-EFUmR3wiN_g6ArR5H2y3pLA7T7bpm5epWulfiYlKevFuUVkkumkRlJWdECKsM7y74WWuwBoAGP363dGtvSEsyeX3esDKztgACglcu8dg3HjauuDu6_iK37e/s320/IMG_1775.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Esglesia de Santa María only opens for mass, but we went for a closer look at the centrepiece of the panorama we'd been staring at all day. Gargoyles always remind me of Notre Dame, which is unsurprising - Gothic architecture and all - but despite Sagunto's miniscule size, it's an impressive reminder of the significance this town once had.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZSfL2fqEPCRxNUn_g7U1eKQnk4Z7lXbGuUjdggoCdz66X7kLVb99dKBHhfwoOSeuNiEWd1mP9w5xxHh3I4qGbLVKxSMuMzYxDu3uYVCM0-rMMmn3Q5XG9glxl2Hajb82UebrIzgju23U/s1600/IMG_1767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZSfL2fqEPCRxNUn_g7U1eKQnk4Z7lXbGuUjdggoCdz66X7kLVb99dKBHhfwoOSeuNiEWd1mP9w5xxHh3I4qGbLVKxSMuMzYxDu3uYVCM0-rMMmn3Q5XG9glxl2Hajb82UebrIzgju23U/s320/IMG_1767.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Santa María from a distance</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally, I couldn't resist a walk through la Judería, the old Jewish quarter because <i>shalom</i>, it's one of the must-see parts of the city, renowned for the pretty buildings and that its topography hasn't changed (big selling point for me). </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdIrWujpkeE17kE2xS4F1vvRlfcfmmJqq7L6NKZjO3XuWyDoWNXLwbno3yCQtGyvSW7FCCq3KBIAqtqPXD1ki5YfNEZ9j2a6uDim-b41s5K0M6XeUTE_zgpHEhI-bAIHO0-5IRNksia4X/s1600/IMG_1780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdIrWujpkeE17kE2xS4F1vvRlfcfmmJqq7L6NKZjO3XuWyDoWNXLwbno3yCQtGyvSW7FCCq3KBIAqtqPXD1ki5YfNEZ9j2a6uDim-b41s5K0M6XeUTE_zgpHEhI-bAIHO0-5IRNksia4X/s320/IMG_1780.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHLPUUquq4k49jguoI3yx37RSvFa4E2xXpIoS1vgPkU80IFUkcztDxK7FB5YfvKJ7BjRtyzM5lFW7i28_mMdMZfZRKoUIJWpMKx4OGcTlnHXXAyrpAyLka1tJP77KfrzQH4ir3YTTpz_7/s1600/IMG_1781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHLPUUquq4k49jguoI3yx37RSvFa4E2xXpIoS1vgPkU80IFUkcztDxK7FB5YfvKJ7BjRtyzM5lFW7i28_mMdMZfZRKoUIJWpMKx4OGcTlnHXXAyrpAyLka1tJP77KfrzQH4ir3YTTpz_7/s320/IMG_1781.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYphlzaKDKdYECbEwBzDKRha9OJcPPyFjqNbx3Mh8BO3liiB7FvzPbgs6WuK64-vWkEe0H3xrFvnoOsNQeCtLj9kJtddYWaMc5pWVuTIHLDvra8kYD5w6CwvrGjsT0WAG3UKYJwcr5HpAJ/s1600/IMG_1782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYphlzaKDKdYECbEwBzDKRha9OJcPPyFjqNbx3Mh8BO3liiB7FvzPbgs6WuK64-vWkEe0H3xrFvnoOsNQeCtLj9kJtddYWaMc5pWVuTIHLDvra8kYD5w6CwvrGjsT0WAG3UKYJwcr5HpAJ/s320/IMG_1782.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzU8bBGqSOtWWeHix2CVsWIpSqmjF5mH4xMLhKhixhaIt9HVBWlOgBKOpIETwBJRXAmHB0U3YnNVkhoTqA67cjD6GPy_zNb40vEjfkWiShsoTb531nH2vuVl1BS1OSQIOOLVXA4MYljcrQ/s1600/IMG_1784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzU8bBGqSOtWWeHix2CVsWIpSqmjF5mH4xMLhKhixhaIt9HVBWlOgBKOpIETwBJRXAmHB0U3YnNVkhoTqA67cjD6GPy_zNb40vEjfkWiShsoTb531nH2vuVl1BS1OSQIOOLVXA4MYljcrQ/s320/IMG_1784.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So pretty! You just can't get away with painting your house coral in England, we don't have the sun for it. Or the nice neighbours. Despite the huge amount of climbing that my glutes are totes unaccustomed to after the smooth contours of Valencia, it was very zen relaxing on a hill surrounded by blooming cacti and a bright blue sky. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My conclusion - Sagunto is Arse-ome.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3nyC_ODApMef3xnwqqO48B5lfYON2Fb_XeuEUfELbWH30daMF6CpCVbVYgUDwp71cE1uBIHhGSS-oQQAXfN1NuTYDi_lXHKZxjRnGFtcWTjTBl4ffOJQWpBf3uStTDuGHatVV15Rm_Yi/s1600/hahaha.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3nyC_ODApMef3xnwqqO48B5lfYON2Fb_XeuEUfELbWH30daMF6CpCVbVYgUDwp71cE1uBIHhGSS-oQQAXfN1NuTYDi_lXHKZxjRnGFtcWTjTBl4ffOJQWpBf3uStTDuGHatVV15Rm_Yi/s320/hahaha.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">To get there, take the train from Valencia. You can check the timetable on the renfe website but you don't book beforehand, and the timetable lies about the last train. Just get to the station in plenty of time. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">http://www.renfe.com/viajeros/cercanias/valencia/index.html </span></div>
</div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-27810800702896769562013-02-19T04:50:00.002-08:002013-02-19T04:50:34.646-08:00Madrid <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDGn4zQYbQ_TGyvGCbWdFlEqSAYxehZ_9T6DusatkLllfrYYesPg7tG0l_4XcO1ANSxPoQRI4bAJgRtFEgQgb3aNJwFv5mOZMi5gATUgRyqdD15d6JPaxBXiIits7UixVXoQ83utbw8VR/s1600/IMG_1549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDGn4zQYbQ_TGyvGCbWdFlEqSAYxehZ_9T6DusatkLllfrYYesPg7tG0l_4XcO1ANSxPoQRI4bAJgRtFEgQgb3aNJwFv5mOZMi5gATUgRyqdD15d6JPaxBXiIits7UixVXoQ83utbw8VR/s400/IMG_1549.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Puerta de Sol</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I just ran away to Madrid for five days to see some dearly beloved people. As I live in Valencia, the Spanish capital was a big change from my relaxed seaside town. Significantly less oranges for a start, and a lot more statues of people on horseback. I'd been to Madrid before and loved it but as I'm now enamored with Valencia, I was expecting to be hurried into museums to escape the constant grey sky. So, so wrong. I had five ecstatic days in which I managed to check off most of what I wanted out of Madrid:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Daredevil rush to the train station</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Initially, I would not have chosen to have the taxi driver bring me to the wrong train station just because I said its name in Valencian (WHICH was what it said on my ticket), wander around a bit then jump into another taxi to bring me across town to the right one. However, it proved for me that a)any attempt of mine to travel stress-free is like trying to make coca-cola healthy - imposible - and b)although I will always be a walking accident, things turn out alright in the end. I got on my train and found a travel buddy, Carlos, who talked to me for 6 hours and didn't let me disappear into the station when we had to make a simple change. Essentially as long as I continue to smile a lot, people will take pity on me and help me. Penelope Pitstop ftw.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Visiting my beloved people</u></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPq19wlaHoKk3ER9ECndOOkj1tMX_TmioS5K3vvHWqu__8Iq8gpJKqeRxGagqCcn-piVFEbeod5tIiBAkEu-fzMOUtGqpkQOg4L76fIGvzS0XgJI-CNYVZJsyb1uTter1m9Tjg4tvRtekY/s1600/IMG_1576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPq19wlaHoKk3ER9ECndOOkj1tMX_TmioS5K3vvHWqu__8Iq8gpJKqeRxGagqCcn-piVFEbeod5tIiBAkEu-fzMOUtGqpkQOg4L76fIGvzS0XgJI-CNYVZJsyb1uTter1m9Tjg4tvRtekY/s320/IMG_1576.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Con Luca y Maite</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was lucky enough to see some of the best people I know, who are painfully apart from me, all in Madrid! And I got to see my favourite adorable Spanish toddler dance to 'Gangnam Style'.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Seeing a protest</u></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcnRZ1vAbtLdChCTcEIGti0jZAo_9zf2ftCur7L-jb4DwYDsBTP3aGQoRandyQC-2cYqEsncU5chFsTtorxvdGQUp63wkvvvXVrgIG6X0zZe6l-epIKSG5hjd4TCWkmKeTnJef_thUfKA/s1600/IMG_1601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHcnRZ1vAbtLdChCTcEIGti0jZAo_9zf2ftCur7L-jb4DwYDsBTP3aGQoRandyQC-2cYqEsncU5chFsTtorxvdGQUp63wkvvvXVrgIG6X0zZe6l-epIKSG5hjd4TCWkmKeTnJef_thUfKA/s320/IMG_1601.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This particular protest was about public healthcare. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I read the other day that there's been a sharp increase in the number of <i>indignados</i> in Spain, especially at the recent claims about corrupt politicians and on a lot of the banks you can see graffiti-ed scrawls about liars and thieves. I was really pleased to get the chance to see an actual protest rather than just signs of the brewing rancor in the capital city of one of the world's most affected countries.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPpXeHb57_SyUAfNvZzWSNFEe5xRF-50v2-QJ7nZhr9LvgfB225lMhYMk8Lm2KpgP5rZNqSyOlrpL_2i-Lc9l2SnSw3dS1PU8Il0e-L9Bsq-STHdRY-VvFizA_TNp6iifgMCpbd0vnoEk/s1600/IMG_1605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPpXeHb57_SyUAfNvZzWSNFEe5xRF-50v2-QJ7nZhr9LvgfB225lMhYMk8Lm2KpgP5rZNqSyOlrpL_2i-Lc9l2SnSw3dS1PU8Il0e-L9Bsq-STHdRY-VvFizA_TNp6iifgMCpbd0vnoEk/s320/IMG_1605.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Eat my weight in tapas</u></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDZHIeuhRspbKCR3lNkTomNaS-UqpfzP1GHp-O0SCvjgHenSx9i4pK9jeABfNDOFLCg3AKBBXVRF7YGnDl4L-VHXdVmyMRPCXG2w5iM0WGAu3pNhe4NiuU0V6z8LRXpLR5RXLXixfAp8n/s1600/IMG_1597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDZHIeuhRspbKCR3lNkTomNaS-UqpfzP1GHp-O0SCvjgHenSx9i4pK9jeABfNDOFLCg3AKBBXVRF7YGnDl4L-VHXdVmyMRPCXG2w5iM0WGAu3pNhe4NiuU0V6z8LRXpLR5RXLXixfAp8n/s320/IMG_1597.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the only photo I managed to get of tapas in Madrid because, while still very tasty, it was the least delicious meal we had. The others were devoured much too quickly - although the <i>raciones</i> were so large we had to take food breaks. I hate to leave food on a plate, especially delicious Spanish food soo this happened:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfAdvuGDfLpM8Yhjtng5Ypv_Udthla-DNr0wt8OJ54KkcD5sEehnlbbZNDo61ScCElTjoio637GPYfxNx18rrQkyZHBYGMx9XZ5w96jHJERB3xsXefb0NsmqoSSB_EB0lHk-wGNBa-sdT/s1600/IMG_1544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfAdvuGDfLpM8Yhjtng5Ypv_Udthla-DNr0wt8OJ54KkcD5sEehnlbbZNDo61ScCElTjoio637GPYfxNx18rrQkyZHBYGMx9XZ5w96jHJERB3xsXefb0NsmqoSSB_EB0lHk-wGNBa-sdT/s320/IMG_1544.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZojbRy3NFH86p-U1FHnB_Wp4ZBhkS5AXhiCRpAvvZuzyXrZ0NaA1F343PdVty5LIQUXJsTFSe_fE7F4JicdinwF9zBdXRSD_WgfXhX-BurUdgM3c6ZrJ45D5W8wTfMw76IgwzzlddZOg/s1600/IMG_1543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZojbRy3NFH86p-U1FHnB_Wp4ZBhkS5AXhiCRpAvvZuzyXrZ0NaA1F343PdVty5LIQUXJsTFSe_fE7F4JicdinwF9zBdXRSD_WgfXhX-BurUdgM3c6ZrJ45D5W8wTfMw76IgwzzlddZOg/s320/IMG_1543.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can't eat art, right? My boyfriend and I reckon we ate at least four squid between us in those five days, as well as paella, bravas, gambas al ajillo...and a lot of places ply you with free tapas and even free beers! I am well on my way to pleasing my family and 'fattening up like a churro'. It's disappointing that Valencian places seem less likely to give you free food but probably better for my cholesterol.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Churros</u></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUPkvn3au2xGtvLRh-4ENNMs8ULhsckOLI2r_YtMsPJuT-kRCLnN3ADXClovfPp2MZqnZ7fQojS7UehtHEIT8cGhoFZfmXaGijq6MbVCw8RGSpXR9_cLo77M3BJzmA9-_PHzvRjElS20n/s1600/IMG_1582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaUPkvn3au2xGtvLRh-4ENNMs8ULhsckOLI2r_YtMsPJuT-kRCLnN3ADXClovfPp2MZqnZ7fQojS7UehtHEIT8cGhoFZfmXaGijq6MbVCw8RGSpXR9_cLo77M3BJzmA9-_PHzvRjElS20n/s320/IMG_1582.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lucky for me <i>churros</i> are available all over Spain. We went to the famous Chocolatería San Gines for the best <i>churros con chocolate</i> of my life - and they do good hot chocolate in Russia! If like me you don't have much of a sweet tooth it's better off to share one as the portions are massive; and better not to go with a chocoholic. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Chueca district</u> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXpNYVsQOpAR2g2NEuRODoIG2Lnm5kpqK5giahlSZHAV_v1pgIsMVF0hYOVhXuPVLQX8qjrIqsknwzAxi-a4Kef7mQjdiik9rRzBjmjIMRQtzsilibdNZgQn660VurAQO-51Ao9aDor_1/s1600/IMG_1583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmXpNYVsQOpAR2g2NEuRODoIG2Lnm5kpqK5giahlSZHAV_v1pgIsMVF0hYOVhXuPVLQX8qjrIqsknwzAxi-a4Kef7mQjdiik9rRzBjmjIMRQtzsilibdNZgQn660VurAQO-51Ao9aDor_1/s320/IMG_1583.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The capital's thriving gay scene, Chueca is a vibrant area with a lot of rainbow flags and adverts with very muscly men on them. We did a walking tour in the guide book starting from this area, but I had to stop off at this cute juice bar/café for some fresh orange juice after that chocolate overload. It would be perfect in Camden or Hampstead Heath as it has a lot of mismatched, brightly-coloured furniture, but as it walks the border between quirky and twee, it's not too douchey for me to enjoy. And I saw three whole oranges go into my juice which pleases Valencian me greatly.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>New cultural experiences</u></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bbaXT0dLieWuAXwrhINGfI8KaNf462PNWpjWPbh-08EeEYqQOgkyNx6mGCBF9PvMfOHA22cKngxIvT9nyPiTDbtCHRwqCc16aqwzEBI0fv5BTcRfyf6Iec6rwmOsNykBKG1V1dvTsyGC/s1600/IMG_1579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bbaXT0dLieWuAXwrhINGfI8KaNf462PNWpjWPbh-08EeEYqQOgkyNx6mGCBF9PvMfOHA22cKngxIvT9nyPiTDbtCHRwqCc16aqwzEBI0fv5BTcRfyf6Iec6rwmOsNykBKG1V1dvTsyGC/s320/IMG_1579.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is the wonderful Cine d'Ore, as we were waiting for the lights to go down. We paid a ridiculous 2.50 euros (2 for me with my student card) to see the incredible Goldfinger! Although initially disappointed at the lack of hilarious dubbing, the subtitles were wonderful as we got to really appreciate the film in its original glory AND our mother tongue. Plus the seats are big plush armchairs and there were a lot of Star Wars films showing at the moment. I am incredibly jealous.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVy_9IqG9g4PfvcIuWo_34Mc8ihJW3G-XPus48Q_W-aoX2RbmeyVGfiACDjKooXp8Z9vu67uPrUbKDBBZrhExu7TPtFsM1n6fIlsrNRUjBzlwwj9uU5rl9ZRSDp3n1ZA0wG6VK_QwHZh_N/s1600/IMG_1593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVy_9IqG9g4PfvcIuWo_34Mc8ihJW3G-XPus48Q_W-aoX2RbmeyVGfiACDjKooXp8Z9vu67uPrUbKDBBZrhExu7TPtFsM1n6fIlsrNRUjBzlwwj9uU5rl9ZRSDp3n1ZA0wG6VK_QwHZh_N/s320/IMG_1593.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We visited the Reina Sofia on my first evening in Madrid and saw the incredible Guernica as well as a number of Cubist and Civil War works and propaganda. The above photo is a church near the Museo del Prado but in both cases I was much too excited to remember to take photos. The Prado is beautiful, modern and full of works by Goya, Velásquez and many more. However, after months of being spoiled by the Hermitage and the Russian museum, the soft grey interior felt quite underwhelming compared to the friezes and gold-encrusted palaces we were used to.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Street performers</u></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There's not so many of these in Valencia and it was a lovely reminder of London. Fortunately for my boyfriend, I don't see so good and I can be very gullible so I was great entertainment trying to figure out which were real statues and how they did it. Also, I got to see a Spongebob and a Mickey Mouse having an off-duty chat through the little holes in their costumes.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjR8CToSxwNqjTK-w8xXJsszmATFJp1Ee0_IUXYiHPnZAUqtC-OOkyjC4ZNggMNboGwDfGmc5AKszMBEX8ZZMWCWc46C0RyDuUN2jb0ZSqErSyF6eI7HGhMFUyJmxatGlzJw42ImVF96I/s1600/IMG_1594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjR8CToSxwNqjTK-w8xXJsszmATFJp1Ee0_IUXYiHPnZAUqtC-OOkyjC4ZNggMNboGwDfGmc5AKszMBEX8ZZMWCWc46C0RyDuUN2jb0ZSqErSyF6eI7HGhMFUyJmxatGlzJw42ImVF96I/s320/IMG_1594.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCG7DWxSdxKstwRj2n6ZFuykZBbqJWvYoQyRUDPmL0JL8XBzZtkxpvAopK527ihMKr5aEwLLLjG874mxFs4w_3-atLKpm12z9pRSk85wbyM_c-ibg1D95KBeaVeFkY7tVYUiyfzDtjEnj/s1600/IMG_1592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwCG7DWxSdxKstwRj2n6ZFuykZBbqJWvYoQyRUDPmL0JL8XBzZtkxpvAopK527ihMKr5aEwLLLjG874mxFs4w_3-atLKpm12z9pRSk85wbyM_c-ibg1D95KBeaVeFkY7tVYUiyfzDtjEnj/s320/IMG_1592.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This guy was hilarious</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Markets</u></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJWsCTGbI4_NZx-WsbeDStfwK_jeXMYSqWir8qUfTjzX8s8mIgy2UDpIu9Wm4ubA4x6yL4HQNEGkLTlHEr2zegzlQ_qFVms0fe11gmDbUOrBObHZz0O4D96Gtp9sTDiKF1YCstQlEWYBh/s1600/IMG_1571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJWsCTGbI4_NZx-WsbeDStfwK_jeXMYSqWir8qUfTjzX8s8mIgy2UDpIu9Wm4ubA4x6yL4HQNEGkLTlHEr2zegzlQ_qFVms0fe11gmDbUOrBObHZz0O4D96Gtp9sTDiKF1YCstQlEWYBh/s320/IMG_1571.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lord knows I love me a good market. The above photo is in Mercado de San Miguel, the upmarket, glass-walled beauty that sells tapas and drinks along with fresh produce. The photo below is the Mercado del Rastro, the flea market that attracts throngs of people on a Sunday morning. I was hoping for more battered old furniture, but the handmade pieces and artworks are really interesting if you don't mind a steep walk up the hill on the way home.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tgSohIqLQiarRLQHCbCiEzd2M6sxDs_SfipKct77fKZ21gEtkl3y-pGuMKD6hqNdoufk486jVpPBnH8-vqnsitKLmfIYw8pS8whrJbgHHq2fUt671eM1PtLBFCrU8NzqmKpT4lO_UIxc/s1600/IMG_1595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tgSohIqLQiarRLQHCbCiEzd2M6sxDs_SfipKct77fKZ21gEtkl3y-pGuMKD6hqNdoufk486jVpPBnH8-vqnsitKLmfIYw8pS8whrJbgHHq2fUt671eM1PtLBFCrU8NzqmKpT4lO_UIxc/s320/IMG_1595.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u>Exploring Madrid on foot</u></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYp1-CDkTdPgPZZCYUo8zPLsZW4m-Qo-Vc8jHlINZIfRL8HSioObaMO0YZKcaG1gW66r8NF33ormpXr0TrTQ0XPcvTsd0cKCUI11IfUshkwr-vDX1CbIpN6XxWaiLaKLIZrWULEJS_iOz/s1600/IMG_1539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYp1-CDkTdPgPZZCYUo8zPLsZW4m-Qo-Vc8jHlINZIfRL8HSioObaMO0YZKcaG1gW66r8NF33ormpXr0TrTQ0XPcvTsd0cKCUI11IfUshkwr-vDX1CbIpN6XxWaiLaKLIZrWULEJS_iOz/s320/IMG_1539.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">El Parque del Retiro</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8zCiqCPZVuFiW1Do2chLeyq6og317dnc3LwhlJeIW0tzBYvOLEfQdudjckCZbP0PXXKYqy5P7bi-ZKD4A66c8qCT8hFFfaUxaPsutYz-TVZ3zjAJSRSZo8hV08HrOIBPWY0EjhjV2Jgx/s1600/IMG_1542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8zCiqCPZVuFiW1Do2chLeyq6og317dnc3LwhlJeIW0tzBYvOLEfQdudjckCZbP0PXXKYqy5P7bi-ZKD4A66c8qCT8hFFfaUxaPsutYz-TVZ3zjAJSRSZo8hV08HrOIBPWY0EjhjV2Jgx/s320/IMG_1542.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCS5DzT8vPFj8d4N5WUE56ihAmuQY9DiNT1SUVWIYScy7IfCoTm6pIeERJfy7fJqCRR6ihEr4IMdCVSje6TZHKAxwGk0DiSrU-HX_SAp22lvye2kUq3urAD2rSaH3wIe06ED3AUOvVoSyG/s1600/IMG_1551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCS5DzT8vPFj8d4N5WUE56ihAmuQY9DiNT1SUVWIYScy7IfCoTm6pIeERJfy7fJqCRR6ihEr4IMdCVSje6TZHKAxwGk0DiSrU-HX_SAp22lvye2kUq3urAD2rSaH3wIe06ED3AUOvVoSyG/s320/IMG_1551.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYLYD_Gyq0A98g-fSOyZNn7ww1oF_n-uEobTqLvUUP0C23JWx2jQ8lcZ5l4LOYgz65BgA7ElG-HgE5TT0NdpPZuV4UOf6A_yQOfZD3VmVgrU1I5QSWx5CTfG4K8mH7cunbG4GtIRbcTT-/s1600/IMG_1553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYLYD_Gyq0A98g-fSOyZNn7ww1oF_n-uEobTqLvUUP0C23JWx2jQ8lcZ5l4LOYgz65BgA7ElG-HgE5TT0NdpPZuV4UOf6A_yQOfZD3VmVgrU1I5QSWx5CTfG4K8mH7cunbG4GtIRbcTT-/s320/IMG_1553.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboqRYZFBIc3krIkEzVAA8G_LoyhhwagnccS_CqCS38MMbZGPTF7UT8ATufgC8izdA6LTU8cmpr4UkB7xkSsTarNONDdlhyphenhyphen72zqfQBbCAxfLWlmxoQF7k7qIHaxm8M4OD3K09E3faUKYOk/s1600/IMG_1564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiboqRYZFBIc3krIkEzVAA8G_LoyhhwagnccS_CqCS38MMbZGPTF7UT8ATufgC8izdA6LTU8cmpr4UkB7xkSsTarNONDdlhyphenhyphen72zqfQBbCAxfLWlmxoQF7k7qIHaxm8M4OD3K09E3faUKYOk/s320/IMG_1564.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Catedral Almudena</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMjmFVgsOgmNz_ag4ljmXCdUgPtDAbQFkoHuT0QBNcTAuMWjRIu9m1rGCI6wPNw_18EdRMW2V9P7uXG315k-D-zbQsmQ4Q1vWT6rePViA8TP64KKQpCrZnKPw-MErmIxTADLWcmrMVtv4/s1600/IMG_1557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMjmFVgsOgmNz_ag4ljmXCdUgPtDAbQFkoHuT0QBNcTAuMWjRIu9m1rGCI6wPNw_18EdRMW2V9P7uXG315k-D-zbQsmQ4Q1vWT6rePViA8TP64KKQpCrZnKPw-MErmIxTADLWcmrMVtv4/s320/IMG_1557.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnT6mCz0cexaoGSih5AuVDoK6_rJsPXM5U60bVws_JFbOuekxCIqjC9mWif02XTLvr-wygLQW5lm1UoSeZwR6zsQHxBo7C6t0Oj40SL3JR_x-yPdx7ZXjoRRnxPpoJkmdjXymtJ6awPACj/s1600/IMG_1590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnT6mCz0cexaoGSih5AuVDoK6_rJsPXM5U60bVws_JFbOuekxCIqjC9mWif02XTLvr-wygLQW5lm1UoSeZwR6zsQHxBo7C6t0Oj40SL3JR_x-yPdx7ZXjoRRnxPpoJkmdjXymtJ6awPACj/s320/IMG_1590.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0mHNFzEhe6JcgmQx7pZHC3uviBy4beMVZkY2Sir1qX_ecqXhJwqLqrHuSxDE7CcJIVt0vF9cDHtdo2cjOwoS2qKdRrjzKxIjnE5pkYdiR1RCIR4bXzonMfFt9VUGG0WkhQiiic6Lk0iTj/s1600/IMG_1568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0mHNFzEhe6JcgmQx7pZHC3uviBy4beMVZkY2Sir1qX_ecqXhJwqLqrHuSxDE7CcJIVt0vF9cDHtdo2cjOwoS2qKdRrjzKxIjnE5pkYdiR1RCIR4bXzonMfFt9VUGG0WkhQiiic6Lk0iTj/s320/IMG_1568.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I genuinely think that, after the experiences I've had in Valencia and now in Madrid, I would be happy to move to Spain as soon as the economic situation makes it viable. In the meantime I have my eye on Chago and beyond.</span></div>
</div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-68425064576283476382013-02-09T12:58:00.001-08:002013-02-09T12:58:11.356-08:00Hair of the Lizard<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uBWbqUEgYAP_v6H-OG1j30DxIFbVcb5x1vxeFJayu4Z6jnZqU2ZR376i6p8vapgddZegDlVYMygnpsz0pZ_fPcq7Ko4SXGWAYZrnQk1T18RnI55z9IyZkz7HPPrUXeHlHTzawg4jBoJE/s1600/IMG_1523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uBWbqUEgYAP_v6H-OG1j30DxIFbVcb5x1vxeFJayu4Z6jnZqU2ZR376i6p8vapgddZegDlVYMygnpsz0pZ_fPcq7Ko4SXGWAYZrnQk1T18RnI55z9IyZkz7HPPrUXeHlHTzawg4jBoJE/s400/IMG_1523.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Spanish (along with actually quite a lot of Europe) are well known for their love of mullets, but this bizarre design was outside a barber's down my road. I'd advise to look at it for a while, it just gets funnier. </span></div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-45117905352446504782013-02-03T08:07:00.001-08:002013-02-03T08:07:07.699-08:00La Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias - The City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZwTFXVXjZkpXNiT7ax3QKlpY4SQT8K_jEs_m-P_Y3j0TBzkKva_RLnC6Amf_-SztB6KjJN1uFW9V_a-08CUeWEaOQ44OcrG3B4k8zpMcrAnNZ5ttve9gyjcTaNYYNmp7KJUvbU6-NDPT/s1600/IMG_1496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ZwTFXVXjZkpXNiT7ax3QKlpY4SQT8K_jEs_m-P_Y3j0TBzkKva_RLnC6Amf_-SztB6KjJN1uFW9V_a-08CUeWEaOQ44OcrG3B4k8zpMcrAnNZ5ttve9gyjcTaNYYNmp7KJUvbU6-NDPT/s320/IMG_1496.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Images of the City of Arts and Sciences are among the first ones to pop up on a Google images search for 'Valencia'. A stunning array of innovative modern architecture, the city hides a rich variety of cultural activities, including Europe's largest aquarium. The keen interest in science and art is hinted at both by its sci-fi appearance and the modern sundials scattered around near L'Umbracle.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyK4kDkHalR4MgTf85bs1uHPrJD_RMMNTBONWiiqL2qVbphh-UL8mW5URCqPxEa5PAfhVY8Rc6IyIqnXnwaYLcPV4Dzxr6MxuCj30WRVTbBsy1IKy5v-0eaiDKmpUnrqYCN3KeOwrxKuuJ/s1600/IMG_1489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyK4kDkHalR4MgTf85bs1uHPrJD_RMMNTBONWiiqL2qVbphh-UL8mW5URCqPxEa5PAfhVY8Rc6IyIqnXnwaYLcPV4Dzxr6MxuCj30WRVTbBsy1IKy5v-0eaiDKmpUnrqYCN3KeOwrxKuuJ/s320/IMG_1489.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVknVpan2nI3ZtDxB_fVcjDUJiv9RJ_h1XlHZRcpydNBW3_Mv5OUS1RIsNqn7SrbQ3Pm13fPhwBiikUZUrngok7TdNPtPEVGtWXYQtQ-A5Kx_AWcORgnDWoNqYQha5TwI25RtetOXGqTi/s1600/IMG_1492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvVknVpan2nI3ZtDxB_fVcjDUJiv9RJ_h1XlHZRcpydNBW3_Mv5OUS1RIsNqn7SrbQ3Pm13fPhwBiikUZUrngok7TdNPtPEVGtWXYQtQ-A5Kx_AWcORgnDWoNqYQha5TwI25RtetOXGqTi/s320/IMG_1492.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nFTmGpuy51Aw1vChr8PQ1pcGy-urKlkW833o8nlyNFGL0Yzu7z4Nfq8Jvb-1erll5qhWIIS4TgugWzyn-JjojVoeWQAIABHO6iD1ejvzhgGAHNgOPV_46AKJ-J7SoRvQjLOgGDHGURgu/s1600/IMG_1485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nFTmGpuy51Aw1vChr8PQ1pcGy-urKlkW833o8nlyNFGL0Yzu7z4Nfq8Jvb-1erll5qhWIIS4TgugWzyn-JjojVoeWQAIABHO6iD1ejvzhgGAHNgOPV_46AKJ-J7SoRvQjLOgGDHGURgu/s320/IMG_1485.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dpi1X6vbS8PxzcRS1QJv8ETZskcGowAryLZpivkhHwCUMYguupPgLGYj9OxNkwArvEwisv9cZIo7vBVKWcDS8aMlb3QfpkKpUjN_FL3jtK-pCEoPh97CtC_CW0dEl3EOujcbq7ux3LJ5/s1600/IMG_1488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dpi1X6vbS8PxzcRS1QJv8ETZskcGowAryLZpivkhHwCUMYguupPgLGYj9OxNkwArvEwisv9cZIo7vBVKWcDS8aMlb3QfpkKpUjN_FL3jtK-pCEoPh97CtC_CW0dEl3EOujcbq7ux3LJ5/s320/IMG_1488.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfmUpqzEe70op22iGz7YTaqKT4riF35qkDy-Oz-CFrrEPDiQ7o-9nHfSgBifqq_SEHzCsp-ulQ_yh7gnL-Cw-0WDAUDNva1f5q-gfIyrOUZrkA0Qb_bT91mt5kofNE9tJKj5J4gaoNuLu/s1600/IMG_1486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfmUpqzEe70op22iGz7YTaqKT4riF35qkDy-Oz-CFrrEPDiQ7o-9nHfSgBifqq_SEHzCsp-ulQ_yh7gnL-Cw-0WDAUDNva1f5q-gfIyrOUZrkA0Qb_bT91mt5kofNE9tJKj5J4gaoNuLu/s320/IMG_1486.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">L'Hemosferic and Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inside L'Hemosferic - an IMAX cinema, planetarium and laser show. The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, this auditorium with seating for 4400 is smaller only than Sydney's Opera House.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GkoBS3Ha077r-gv0ZlZRUfPl3tnDgrlK7QoXbdTVFNg3ER72Oy3vLpbAI3uoFIwMI6RKyiPqq9JAKUDg7iI2pIpu4rnCE-KY7UzVBbKf_DmrGdGZnxgIfrodZIqWwQEZxCgjDz2slkda/s1600/IMG_1491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GkoBS3Ha077r-gv0ZlZRUfPl3tnDgrlK7QoXbdTVFNg3ER72Oy3vLpbAI3uoFIwMI6RKyiPqq9JAKUDg7iI2pIpu4rnCE-KY7UzVBbKf_DmrGdGZnxgIfrodZIqWwQEZxCgjDz2slkda/s320/IMG_1491.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">El jamonero and the Agora</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONQL8zYjPunC3vfRnkWJA1Tdu_EvIfCu16kmPi9tyHYdwHGpN2sgo6ApZZDP9KNtQUK_1l-Qj0LUQzA7NQM7wLI7vgH_L6OPGKW9Qp1qkk2uBxN2EA9duaIc0gddmMOu4_GARpvKRVwYt/s1600/IMG_1495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONQL8zYjPunC3vfRnkWJA1Tdu_EvIfCu16kmPi9tyHYdwHGpN2sgo6ApZZDP9KNtQUK_1l-Qj0LUQzA7NQM7wLI7vgH_L6OPGKW9Qp1qkk2uBxN2EA9duaIc0gddmMOu4_GARpvKRVwYt/s320/IMG_1495.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">L'Umbracle</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Autovía a El Saler; Oceanografic €24, Hemisferic €7.50, Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe €7.50. Right now, €10 for the Oceanografic every Sunday!; www.cac.es </span></div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-88672901023351235312013-02-03T07:05:00.001-08:002013-02-03T07:08:23.791-08:00Mercado Central, Valencia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Vrx7gfKjbQMMQhbqc09Sc6kdzpmmyi-q_tg-yAOTYowpiNFkFiF0UEVeiFrA5O9eLsBhXda_3oyp7HymFwC9MA73ikYOcu1PUGPnefy-O6c2CecCjCc72jUt-aLPPRL3NUmD7oD0jdrI/s1600/IMG_1480.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Vrx7gfKjbQMMQhbqc09Sc6kdzpmmyi-q_tg-yAOTYowpiNFkFiF0UEVeiFrA5O9eLsBhXda_3oyp7HymFwC9MA73ikYOcu1PUGPnefy-O6c2CecCjCc72jUt-aLPPRL3NUmD7oD0jdrI/s320/IMG_1480.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Mercado Central claims to be Europe's biggest active indoor market, with almost 900 stalls of jamón iberico, fresh fish, fruit, baked goods and sweets. It's a great place to people watch and to be very jealous of the size of the vegetables (damn that Mediterranean sun). </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmJ_gIPuobpzErVPxdX-FfsZbQnywrUzF5feHEzKKhAA-YN85uAVbLWM0eceFUd_ciDAKIAFeAV3C7aQ9Yi2j9CN9x5rFj3vgi5mI4GnONupVPtoE0nbWFw4A4y-XKXHzEjmnL1N_yQuQ/s1600/IMG_1472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmJ_gIPuobpzErVPxdX-FfsZbQnywrUzF5feHEzKKhAA-YN85uAVbLWM0eceFUd_ciDAKIAFeAV3C7aQ9Yi2j9CN9x5rFj3vgi5mI4GnONupVPtoE0nbWFw4A4y-XKXHzEjmnL1N_yQuQ/s320/IMG_1472.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-CGaRVvEFYrl4r7yL-euWzuN400XP0oSSlwTg-dKtc-3nMIy4FJ3I8j8Ai_xi9eFcm-Ie6-1ltaCbqADIFVwXnh79Bn_wxFtUJ6p1bW_-CwEGDI0fQQ4eQhTdtMnr6Z97N5VBrh1jU19/s1600/IMG_1470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-CGaRVvEFYrl4r7yL-euWzuN400XP0oSSlwTg-dKtc-3nMIy4FJ3I8j8Ai_xi9eFcm-Ie6-1ltaCbqADIFVwXnh79Bn_wxFtUJ6p1bW_-CwEGDI0fQQ4eQhTdtMnr6Z97N5VBrh1jU19/s320/IMG_1470.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Una horchatería</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had my first taste (that I actually remember) of horchata, the regional drink, a milky kind of drink made from <i>chufas</i> (tiger nuts), lemon, sugar and cinnamon. It's not the best thing I've ever tasted, so a small cup was quite enough for me. However I've clearly moved on from hating it 10 years ago in Barcelona, and it was nice and refreshing to sip it as I moved round the market after my hour-odd walk into town.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsfJ7MK8QAxewx6BsKA-932_v8Cn7Z0t6oUrnAVvGVY8dQ8kDxCaOVfGWIjzvvePvb0wFb0T-9meEkzJFyazptq0UvzHuC7WVm5MGKp4IK-N3GTeejYKouNjn4GEk4PrM4oNMd8t0cFS6/s1600/IMG_1476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsfJ7MK8QAxewx6BsKA-932_v8Cn7Z0t6oUrnAVvGVY8dQ8kDxCaOVfGWIjzvvePvb0wFb0T-9meEkzJFyazptq0UvzHuC7WVm5MGKp4IK-N3GTeejYKouNjn4GEk4PrM4oNMd8t0cFS6/s320/IMG_1476.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I took this picture while I was waiting to buy <i>pan de abuela</i> (I got bored and wandered off). If it's what it looks like, it's just a cross-section of baked pumpkin, served by the slice. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlImhGVdwDCIiq-PPem9RYptSMB4eQpy9PtZQOZ6wNnUy45-k-pMKK0tieo7NvT3OcnwFsk0KKklAnXl6p_YTk9IRrnew2gbvkeXF3DEJnKsV3jK9_DSLqR3P21OPS3HN_Q59q9-qvqRM/s1600/IMG_1478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUlImhGVdwDCIiq-PPem9RYptSMB4eQpy9PtZQOZ6wNnUy45-k-pMKK0tieo7NvT3OcnwFsk0KKklAnXl6p_YTk9IRrnew2gbvkeXF3DEJnKsV3jK9_DSLqR3P21OPS3HN_Q59q9-qvqRM/s320/IMG_1478.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For those of us who don't eat meat, even chicken thighs can look like cut up bits of animal. In Spain there are literally cut up bits of animal. I like the idea of not wasting anything but really, who wants a nose on their plate?</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjjI1Pw6Gj-o6Fl_i1B95B_qjvdasoeDizZOT_aFm3x3K3qHgylmBcn5MtHZnSA3wJb8OvhgItJ9DegfZ5Sy6VuY95GsaTfoidCbPU-QFpbUXM65QwYVqAKBkv28Fl52xTjon71iQ5-he/s1600/IMG_1475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjjI1Pw6Gj-o6Fl_i1B95B_qjvdasoeDizZOT_aFm3x3K3qHgylmBcn5MtHZnSA3wJb8OvhgItJ9DegfZ5Sy6VuY95GsaTfoidCbPU-QFpbUXM65QwYVqAKBkv28Fl52xTjon71iQ5-he/s320/IMG_1475.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Strange cabbages</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCCYBAycMa-HB9uxNKW5wWssn1JxQVrH8CT_xwZuds9BK64LwA0MC_GTXJ5M7ZCN4TL8iHGBOZ-035s3fGd1Qaw0dL2MWBnvjNo3PUoffZ0BrfeH02mMWmT9rAI4uczWyeOnxk9mIXQvP/s1600/IMG_1477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCCYBAycMa-HB9uxNKW5wWssn1JxQVrH8CT_xwZuds9BK64LwA0MC_GTXJ5M7ZCN4TL8iHGBOZ-035s3fGd1Qaw0dL2MWBnvjNo3PUoffZ0BrfeH02mMWmT9rAI4uczWyeOnxk9mIXQvP/s320/IMG_1477.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I managed to get myself two swordfish steaks after establishing that no, it wasn't tuna, and having a rare 'I'll eat whatever that is' moment. Doesn't happen a lot for pescatarians.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnONCxsOPc00zB5sYJQOhaQdxhmKX1epeJjS2c27dej7CsdTMXq8mkfYvTqjBFMG1_a_hVt3hssNIrGiIw16U9ZxNihWgHMgPaDTwCX9OWFiNsYwKiFEkPck9eUKzlJ5FhR0Xy-et1hTK/s1600/IMG_1479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnONCxsOPc00zB5sYJQOhaQdxhmKX1epeJjS2c27dej7CsdTMXq8mkfYvTqjBFMG1_a_hVt3hssNIrGiIw16U9ZxNihWgHMgPaDTwCX9OWFiNsYwKiFEkPck9eUKzlJ5FhR0Xy-et1hTK/s320/IMG_1479.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hTAhaFe3UUaaT50q6SyKy26WK5XjURV4wxkF1Czhx-Rx6QV2MmGLSHgA9ia3kq4ACloTWF9ceCC-DKSEzS4kse2kZnlmfzlEjmgL6P4qbNTKUDuQLrNw5XZMRdz67a-b_zi7hDNTkwAv/s1600/IMG_1482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hTAhaFe3UUaaT50q6SyKy26WK5XjURV4wxkF1Czhx-Rx6QV2MmGLSHgA9ia3kq4ACloTWF9ceCC-DKSEzS4kse2kZnlmfzlEjmgL6P4qbNTKUDuQLrNw5XZMRdz67a-b_zi7hDNTkwAv/s320/IMG_1482.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also managed to cross <i>fideuá </i>off my list of '5 things to try in Valencia' (yeah, I literally have this list). It's basically paella, but with pasta. Mine had mussel and prawn (singular) and octopus in it. I definitely prefer paella but this was a novel alternative and I only had one moment where I could definitely feel the outline of suction cups in my mouth. Maybe I'm more barbarian than I thought.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mercado Central is open 8.00-14.30 Mon-Sat. Saturday is the best and busiest day to go.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Plaza del Mercado; www.mercadocentralvalencia.es </span></div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-51786860169724012362013-02-01T14:31:00.001-08:002013-02-01T14:31:33.151-08:00Valencia Beach Winter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uCCPT3eH7IE_83XUZnmKM8zZs7X4DCUmw5kFQTgKDnpoDDHCHpNhlDkCpiht-mXRhmWn-YgMdeyiNhqBepXaUnpB6vJdiyKosR3IY5V9CG15JCJLMs6hZanoJrbsciToFMno-5q7zwhp/s1600/IMG_1456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9uCCPT3eH7IE_83XUZnmKM8zZs7X4DCUmw5kFQTgKDnpoDDHCHpNhlDkCpiht-mXRhmWn-YgMdeyiNhqBepXaUnpB6vJdiyKosR3IY5V9CG15JCJLMs6hZanoJrbsciToFMno-5q7zwhp/s320/IMG_1456.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can see the sea!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I walked twenty minutes down the road to the beach today. Had I stayed in St Petersburg, I would have got this:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GUvWkfNhuivPP_qftDZpU7Q6qrgrVmqupAXQuU0EGP9mOQzTOjHzhdfjRGMC_XwhMA-g52nVowYnqAkTw3TBSm6M7jg5m0aOWe-svMcflr_JwjcFHguhfDoXjbaz5QAHsqlr_Fi-Ju3G/s1600/IMG_1247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4GUvWkfNhuivPP_qftDZpU7Q6qrgrVmqupAXQuU0EGP9mOQzTOjHzhdfjRGMC_XwhMA-g52nVowYnqAkTw3TBSm6M7jg5m0aOWe-svMcflr_JwjcFHguhfDoXjbaz5QAHsqlr_Fi-Ju3G/s320/IMG_1247.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or at least this, in England:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQHKX_BPbBg89oLMWo2mc2IicoldZ7CdZOjaCbI_W4qURyuK5np" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQHKX_BPbBg89oLMWo2mc2IicoldZ7CdZOjaCbI_W4qURyuK5np" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However, I got this:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKQI6_tRpX_LOB376uBLV8BtT9KUO-agqMedCVfVzsRtezKk0Sx0tO1BIvRPDidkNF6-gEVIa5nGPGtS2GZnsgmZa-FzMxUQoasKmhWyrQCmmTCN32TlCwODm6aGVvh1HKJaAk2vx9HSC/s1600/IMG_1458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKQI6_tRpX_LOB376uBLV8BtT9KUO-agqMedCVfVzsRtezKk0Sx0tO1BIvRPDidkNF6-gEVIa5nGPGtS2GZnsgmZa-FzMxUQoasKmhWyrQCmmTCN32TlCwODm6aGVvh1HKJaAk2vx9HSC/s320/IMG_1458.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VM9Nd2aOoECK6X6cesijditsnupxVvQdxFEIafDTDQME3DobpwVElfWiEcMdke-6wuk2DiUYxPxnuSxC6mgp6lUmD-VK38ksd5zP93q8r6CkyFiY3kWyAa0HRIBRjucAIf4Lru7Gyemu/s1600/IMG_1457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2VM9Nd2aOoECK6X6cesijditsnupxVvQdxFEIafDTDQME3DobpwVElfWiEcMdke-6wuk2DiUYxPxnuSxC6mgp6lUmD-VK38ksd5zP93q8r6CkyFiY3kWyAa0HRIBRjucAIf4Lru7Gyemu/s320/IMG_1457.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's February, people. I want to live here forever.</span></div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-70489168037469970652013-02-01T14:09:00.003-08:002013-02-01T14:09:52.713-08:00Valencian Graffiti Art<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some of this is intentional art and some is just protest graffiti but they were all clearly made by people who felt strongly about something and about Valencia itself:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQR8qAtjb7bMxswMNBtLZOOOFI77luMUnqrbOpZMh5lHtbMP1HrMJT2vtED2mcASgciqYmEzij9KMyj_iceQy7l8k9V8HyiTT6rH6fBnztdcVKcnqqypiTWReLrp70mR_yM-kkony6PV2/s1600/IMG_1417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQR8qAtjb7bMxswMNBtLZOOOFI77luMUnqrbOpZMh5lHtbMP1HrMJT2vtED2mcASgciqYmEzij9KMyj_iceQy7l8k9V8HyiTT6rH6fBnztdcVKcnqqypiTWReLrp70mR_yM-kkony6PV2/s320/IMG_1417.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroY4ohShjCgORqjG6Pk9D559AUJtZilIQXICR6r9k9Rp0N1mvQ6CQX2ZNzCQHwIByHroOzIhZaCC_NNQJ9K-DzIrBMMsJQ0la9tT_Ri7vRl5iB0l5e49DOIxlrEtLY1SjntBTF7tjXq6s/s1600/IMG_1418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroY4ohShjCgORqjG6Pk9D559AUJtZilIQXICR6r9k9Rp0N1mvQ6CQX2ZNzCQHwIByHroOzIhZaCC_NNQJ9K-DzIrBMMsJQ0la9tT_Ri7vRl5iB0l5e49DOIxlrEtLY1SjntBTF7tjXq6s/s320/IMG_1418.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLdJOJak6ro4N-V7xfTG_T_gIrLO_FUODJ9bX4vVWMyAK-I5t0g7JwZsr13pt4ZQXK01oQhgywEvxQqv2cUfTMaa2nn8rKL02oB6OdqXOXT-nN-U1hksCE28Gdapfp70_4nGFNU6mzbI3/s1600/IMG_1420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLdJOJak6ro4N-V7xfTG_T_gIrLO_FUODJ9bX4vVWMyAK-I5t0g7JwZsr13pt4ZQXK01oQhgywEvxQqv2cUfTMaa2nn8rKL02oB6OdqXOXT-nN-U1hksCE28Gdapfp70_4nGFNU6mzbI3/s320/IMG_1420.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTg8AA_f_r7K_yZ4g2Ms47YkHfHsqedUggs4syzkZ8yf93vll2z87toEuWXrUc9LrTqIu4_7Vlpv4KRb7usJcpE6C1N40sD5XbPI11G6TNAOXkkXb9tBZ-7s6FYyMuBa6yDt78YWy3gLs/s1600/IMG_1434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpTg8AA_f_r7K_yZ4g2Ms47YkHfHsqedUggs4syzkZ8yf93vll2z87toEuWXrUc9LrTqIu4_7Vlpv4KRb7usJcpE6C1N40sD5XbPI11G6TNAOXkkXb9tBZ-7s6FYyMuBa6yDt78YWy3gLs/s320/IMG_1434.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I shit on dead police</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimeDxBy9f1GhPScwEGTUAK3AvERtMbni0NFepjqFpT13rh1VspzZj8sfY_V9LC4p6x8UuTcM3yHnlvPWHIgPu55ZrRBpOA6VWjv9-BMSUfh9kzMaxNtzogLqdbQQIQzNycXK-5nuszhJGu/s1600/IMG_1438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimeDxBy9f1GhPScwEGTUAK3AvERtMbni0NFepjqFpT13rh1VspzZj8sfY_V9LC4p6x8UuTcM3yHnlvPWHIgPu55ZrRBpOA6VWjv9-BMSUfh9kzMaxNtzogLqdbQQIQzNycXK-5nuszhJGu/s320/IMG_1438.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anti-drug</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwhnCRAHVhoXxaHFl83bNr74VOhCbuwBzIZvzf1Rr9wcRa7XMKwz1pP1yAWZ80fcX9GDCoJWUvf0InKssr7aMxzjRt410XvVFAcqaWjsXp_G0hf0HAuG3rCkd4eLDeQJMTuBK3iNKVcA7/s1600/IMG_1439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwhnCRAHVhoXxaHFl83bNr74VOhCbuwBzIZvzf1Rr9wcRa7XMKwz1pP1yAWZ80fcX9GDCoJWUvf0InKssr7aMxzjRt410XvVFAcqaWjsXp_G0hf0HAuG3rCkd4eLDeQJMTuBK3iNKVcA7/s320/IMG_1439.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No to the privatization of education</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPkSucl2LAQVvF-SO1ZEBpFLlTrnSK4l9T6CXWVhbV8cGpKzVaQkL1ikmwHo7h-_4Jh9HeZA6p_agzKywMMuTxoiwlrK5H9FBAo9GLxxt8azONkfQyMBXTOgs9gQ5gEjzjrfFrYj_SUxJ/s1600/IMG_1440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAPkSucl2LAQVvF-SO1ZEBpFLlTrnSK4l9T6CXWVhbV8cGpKzVaQkL1ikmwHo7h-_4Jh9HeZA6p_agzKywMMuTxoiwlrK5H9FBAo9GLxxt8azONkfQyMBXTOgs9gQ5gEjzjrfFrYj_SUxJ/s320/IMG_1440.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">General strike against police violence</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1jA5SXS7_i0DzhgHQ6bvwYnvZf8tvHgTK-bal7c79y6cfqMeIFYc9ZpBC4lRviDNM9uUuQF5lnPRj_HxxTKduDiuDcBOod3_Z2AFSi_hdT49gSO6Hchi965nAYIQwAQPWARwB1YgmmRX/s1600/IMG_1451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1jA5SXS7_i0DzhgHQ6bvwYnvZf8tvHgTK-bal7c79y6cfqMeIFYc9ZpBC4lRviDNM9uUuQF5lnPRj_HxxTKduDiuDcBOod3_Z2AFSi_hdT49gSO6Hchi965nAYIQwAQPWARwB1YgmmRX/s320/IMG_1451.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had a couple more that just will not rotate the right way when I try to upload them so if any young people want to help me out, teach me your technology!</span></div>
</div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-46004803878508156892013-01-29T02:32:00.002-08:002013-01-29T02:34:30.284-08:00Valencia: First Impressions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhN4KC7v25wKoZqedr4Ogc1V7JYZu1-RQuDvPr9udR0-UEBrMrB4gInk48HmQefbagKgrbwtUVI462fpq8SGCNa3EVaQokEHj2bnP_MokQVS34hn_k-iB56aYx_2DAQQ7hFk3PrCqPjL1/s1600/IMG_1422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNhN4KC7v25wKoZqedr4Ogc1V7JYZu1-RQuDvPr9udR0-UEBrMrB4gInk48HmQefbagKgrbwtUVI462fpq8SGCNa3EVaQokEHj2bnP_MokQVS34hn_k-iB56aYx_2DAQQ7hFk3PrCqPjL1/s320/IMG_1422.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have arrived and survived my first few days in Valencia. As my family predicted, I did bumble around confusedly, I have got lost many times already and I have already spilt ketchup and nail varnish on my bed. However, I have not been trafficked yet (told you, familia). I have managed to survive, mainly thanks to the lovely people I met on the street who helped me out.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-sQwjDXK41jDd_MEilYWp2ZWzbnOyAjhdO_grt8GaupNZRNpHNBRV3hHDqiErxoaU7O2ZuDMnXnFc0rTqExnN0LPJCUBcCUGyZuBWLsiYpnhaUc-CHtHFen3KKqLNxlT3jcRwbagObKN/s1600/IMG_1406+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_-sQwjDXK41jDd_MEilYWp2ZWzbnOyAjhdO_grt8GaupNZRNpHNBRV3hHDqiErxoaU7O2ZuDMnXnFc0rTqExnN0LPJCUBcCUGyZuBWLsiYpnhaUc-CHtHFen3KKqLNxlT3jcRwbagObKN/s320/IMG_1406+-+Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As soon as my taxi pulled out of the airport, I noticed a cute bunch of orange trees, that turned into a veritable forest. During my chat with the lovely taxista Adrián Orrego, I learnt that pretty much as soon as you leave the city of Valencia there are just orange trees everywhere, that Valencia is the best city in Spain for festivals (and apparently everything), especially <i>Las Fallas</i> and that he is saving up to join his half-Valencian, half-Uruguayan family in Uruguay, reflecting the trend of descendants of Latin American immigrants going back to the countries of their heritage, due to the dire economic situation in Spain.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2D3mCeYCLaHcazR6Q3kqOjDEa26ZpwVQFWh3uZhXMYL2D1yO6-Oi85LlDkcRD1u0_OYdQS7sLKDfyVIHnql0LFzaPDNmSUj8zYSI8Jz-q-v5ffNyfy9aW3GzHd5vbaxqSxEgaqVBsbCuH/s1600/IMG_1423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2D3mCeYCLaHcazR6Q3kqOjDEa26ZpwVQFWh3uZhXMYL2D1yO6-Oi85LlDkcRD1u0_OYdQS7sLKDfyVIHnql0LFzaPDNmSUj8zYSI8Jz-q-v5ffNyfy9aW3GzHd5vbaxqSxEgaqVBsbCuH/s320/IMG_1423.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8HFuNlWak58IeAADZ-4e3jus_oZmIN1An0w5DgMWCFqXN7qdtH73CI37PmB88kAOCDHAhVXpoEzD_Wl49hhcBzX33Rr1zeGpIV47w7QIuDBls93XY_B3qzDAvXgityeM4jjBiK34m8DS/s1600/IMG_1410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8HFuNlWak58IeAADZ-4e3jus_oZmIN1An0w5DgMWCFqXN7qdtH73CI37PmB88kAOCDHAhVXpoEzD_Wl49hhcBzX33Rr1zeGpIV47w7QIuDBls93XY_B3qzDAvXgityeM4jjBiK34m8DS/s320/IMG_1410.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Valencia is particularly bad, with the worst regional debt in the country after Catalonia. I was struck by how a good eighty percent of the city centre seems to be made of marble, as well as by the <i>Jardines del Turia</i>, a former riverbed that is now an architect's dream of modern innovation and facilities for the yoots. By standing on the bridge above and spinning around I could immediately see a playground, a football pitch, benches, a cathedral and a lot of happy people in the sun. However, the Angela Merkel in me says some of this money could have been diverted to feed struggling families...</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7mXjt_qMA59HsQKLXyoACYPjSUcVOwjDgZy0COSdGzbRF_mLXUlOSyuY0sTEpIq9h-R1UttW3kfX3Kj2bdANV2Dlybg626zs_XEZNzXl-Ps5vA4s1qCnzyM7clOhWfTnAMvGxxYEJQwv/s1600/IMG_1412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7mXjt_qMA59HsQKLXyoACYPjSUcVOwjDgZy0COSdGzbRF_mLXUlOSyuY0sTEpIq9h-R1UttW3kfX3Kj2bdANV2Dlybg626zs_XEZNzXl-Ps5vA4s1qCnzyM7clOhWfTnAMvGxxYEJQwv/s320/IMG_1412.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Speaking of food, here's what I had for lunch! No, that's not American cheese-in-a-can, it is an actual tortilla bocadillo. Aka one of the best things ever, especially when it has been properly salted. It was so massive I had to save some for dinner, which was a real shame because I do hate to have an excess of food...</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8q89hkkDj1qds55lo1_400.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l8q89hkkDj1qds55lo1_400.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since I've been here I've also managed to eat cod and cauliflower paella - don't knock it till you've tried it-, patatas bravas and calamares. All were delicious and very cheap, but the recipe I have for bravas is much nicer (just saying).</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHvdD4hV-RdilLjbWDpJKhEl5mZqYtnh32Gg-M4m4ZE4JxeNHL_Y5y_w-FmbAL_bdrbVA4dq21Us4MUNAwMeBrJbvdVDEniOlGBgcIAvGapQJennKSTNO2wDcmG6quBQ_h_Tf9ZSnlVhv/s1600/IMG_1416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOHvdD4hV-RdilLjbWDpJKhEl5mZqYtnh32Gg-M4m4ZE4JxeNHL_Y5y_w-FmbAL_bdrbVA4dq21Us4MUNAwMeBrJbvdVDEniOlGBgcIAvGapQJennKSTNO2wDcmG6quBQ_h_Tf9ZSnlVhv/s320/IMG_1416.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXmHP5FPOtrMSPc2dMe651EL_AQH_NkFbpWDQAiOe9FDFYusJQfskGD73tJhKpWwku7ZSNsIE10OyxOQHFPXuWcfLB0sPN0ILHXLegdKrI-9i5XdSQI_w8iFch0JiNzKHlafbffVeWU18/s1600/IMG_1407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPXmHP5FPOtrMSPc2dMe651EL_AQH_NkFbpWDQAiOe9FDFYusJQfskGD73tJhKpWwku7ZSNsIE10OyxOQHFPXuWcfLB0sPN0ILHXLegdKrI-9i5XdSQI_w8iFch0JiNzKHlafbffVeWU18/s320/IMG_1407.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found myself in the Plaza de la Virgen, around the corner from my hostel which would make any Europhile tending towards emigration NEVER LEAVE. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Apparently everything happens here, including protests, so I assume I'll be stalking the square with my camera for a good part of my time here.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Meanwhile, it's set to be 21-25 degrees on Wednesday. Guess who's going to the beach?</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media.tumblr.com/97cde975f448a0018c7df14a1cdf9603/tumblr_inline_mgyxfhIsMj1qabw0a.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://media.tumblr.com/97cde975f448a0018c7df14a1cdf9603/tumblr_inline_mgyxfhIsMj1qabw0a.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-76091879905016994642013-01-08T14:53:00.001-08:002014-05-24T13:51:21.635-07:00Belated До свидания!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1voU_dmRHA-lNIEpQQIdlcDV2r5CUrMGlfPTLyqlDatcYgPyHRh5r7e3n-SO8YSOU6PhICbsZkOCbQdP3hzGe1J-wQypgucdlxkg1L_g_ii0dXslqXZrDcDmD-4H0FHbM_uVqaxQFrsr/s1600/IMG_0542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1voU_dmRHA-lNIEpQQIdlcDV2r5CUrMGlfPTLyqlDatcYgPyHRh5r7e3n-SO8YSOU6PhICbsZkOCbQdP3hzGe1J-wQypgucdlxkg1L_g_ii0dXslqXZrDcDmD-4H0FHbM_uVqaxQFrsr/s400/IMG_0542.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, my four months in Russia is up and I'm writing this at home, wrapped in a slanket, with a hot water bottle, by the fire. Purely because it's comfy obviously, the 30 odd C increase in temperature was kind of noticeable. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, this post will serve as a kind of summary for lazy but well-meaning people. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cool things I did in St Petersburg:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Walked across a BIG frozen pond</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-k5aFhj_B0XUXNi4cFvOZXDKtdUAHEE_G-AoIAbbSpYBZRp27CLiym4EEn2U_Pm9iFkgCuj-3VwkL561S13U6zrtHGkN9dBQOzWHz2HACSwSwRO6ItjHJ9nKrwnjpx2mTDPQkQSDuMM3/s1600/IMG_1310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-k5aFhj_B0XUXNi4cFvOZXDKtdUAHEE_G-AoIAbbSpYBZRp27CLiym4EEn2U_Pm9iFkgCuj-3VwkL561S13U6zrtHGkN9dBQOzWHz2HACSwSwRO6ItjHJ9nKrwnjpx2mTDPQkQSDuMM3/s320/IMG_1310.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Went to the banya, NAKED, and got whipped with </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">veniki</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> (birch branches). No photographic proof, I'm afraid.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Kustodiev_russian_venus.jpg/200px-Kustodiev_russian_venus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Kustodiev_russian_venus.jpg/200px-Kustodiev_russian_venus.jpg" height="320" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Russian Venus - </i>Boris Kustodiev</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Met Russia's biggest Beatles fan, Kol'ya Vasin, in the Temple of Peace, Love and Music.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfIrNL_eX4ia4pvBibTMjYPhrlg3t24-fLHPsEKuEleh2XN2BTl668wDKDV7C702jynwGzFy_jVDyKuyXTJxEaXjHJ0yjIKVY_U-WFMRkB9KVZYdj9uYXmkvYVjPEdTXLkt0aEXysH9fg/s1600/IMG_1073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqfIrNL_eX4ia4pvBibTMjYPhrlg3t24-fLHPsEKuEleh2XN2BTl668wDKDV7C702jynwGzFy_jVDyKuyXTJxEaXjHJ0yjIKVY_U-WFMRkB9KVZYdj9uYXmkvYVjPEdTXLkt0aEXysH9fg/s320/IMG_1073.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQaDeamG0KPzAgcgwN-sWfJStwzBsFyN_l-69LPSAJCEm3q-zYvw8Ja-oO1aPOl3sFJrQCRArmxruG9MjktVHK6vZZ1KWT_VMMf8JRe4YBVTmrY7LSDkcW-4B4x3HXm3QDmy1Lf7Poo2e/s1600/IMG_1080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQaDeamG0KPzAgcgwN-sWfJStwzBsFyN_l-69LPSAJCEm3q-zYvw8Ja-oO1aPOl3sFJrQCRArmxruG9MjktVHK6vZZ1KWT_VMMf8JRe4YBVTmrY7LSDkcW-4B4x3HXm3QDmy1Lf7Poo2e/s320/IMG_1080.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Went to the Hermitage a few times.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM4UbxYicGeThyV4GI29fVNjUlPlkBvQ-R9rWyaIJzOrjJSGnCUnkcJjj5HtstRnFmwfAextCj9IYpde-L5fZygG2fXaalmOl89Z6IZFfcjMUhCGWdGL2eeFjXYq4yyetwLtZ4bDHQoPIV/s1600/IMG_0092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM4UbxYicGeThyV4GI29fVNjUlPlkBvQ-R9rWyaIJzOrjJSGnCUnkcJjj5HtstRnFmwfAextCj9IYpde-L5fZygG2fXaalmOl89Z6IZFfcjMUhCGWdGL2eeFjXYq4yyetwLtZ4bDHQoPIV/s320/IMG_0092.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrGYs2oX562HoB0quFe9o6TYBr7yF898Cn-L6_1c6cKpcjVoqwmWU0ebYiW_pjxvA4hN-kEYeL2QdWNGxWqqg4VA4HK93IrSyRPhtiwACnwDzQAEezixH578rhXAiCigRhwPUcRWS_L7u/s1600/IMG_0104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMrGYs2oX562HoB0quFe9o6TYBr7yF898Cn-L6_1c6cKpcjVoqwmWU0ebYiW_pjxvA4hN-kEYeL2QdWNGxWqqg4VA4HK93IrSyRPhtiwACnwDzQAEezixH578rhXAiCigRhwPUcRWS_L7u/s320/IMG_0104.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Sf7sXJaKfp1fFWJZg4G0so0wWi5RpI_nHZA1ro1TDHhDixzMtJ9IWYF6QzyRpaDywulg8F7wyVSadqOQoxCVYvTO1Ucnez4Mbza79tJQaGKohlYjpw5LE-N1-hvvw_tjLBrXVL_uqcKY/s1600/IMG_0951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Sf7sXJaKfp1fFWJZg4G0so0wWi5RpI_nHZA1ro1TDHhDixzMtJ9IWYF6QzyRpaDywulg8F7wyVSadqOQoxCVYvTO1Ucnez4Mbza79tJQaGKohlYjpw5LE-N1-hvvw_tjLBrXVL_uqcKY/s320/IMG_0951.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpKZnpRA7kvZ6ikgTktjVHQK8YgrEaf8nsRtwHBn_WUB35cPydfvhroCa63Xk3KrKcqVoUlrDBO-uhP252BQEVVD7q5FC2MG8moLkPJveiFvR0ARhRuRi1ngEvWFvui2EYUqxQBzDwrYp/s1600/IMG_0980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpKZnpRA7kvZ6ikgTktjVHQK8YgrEaf8nsRtwHBn_WUB35cPydfvhroCa63Xk3KrKcqVoUlrDBO-uhP252BQEVVD7q5FC2MG8moLkPJveiFvR0ARhRuRi1ngEvWFvui2EYUqxQBzDwrYp/s320/IMG_0980.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zZHfJeFLXS7siR-CAaZoW-V_YrYzIP3r4qi13LpSFlw6iGjEOSb1Gv-kkhSaKcM7JPP40Cra5iEdd1oeF8DcrP_cMrcQ__ItNFFGvNvEBIQlApRFRJgiEdCBXx9jFyNMI2rQZ0ixTNI1/s1600/IMG_1266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zZHfJeFLXS7siR-CAaZoW-V_YrYzIP3r4qi13LpSFlw6iGjEOSb1Gv-kkhSaKcM7JPP40Cra5iEdd1oeF8DcrP_cMrcQ__ItNFFGvNvEBIQlApRFRJgiEdCBXx9jFyNMI2rQZ0ixTNI1/s320/IMG_1266.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGxSuuOAEUDVr0GjCQ01zfb9daFnjOylgtKLmViiK2EgxaS2HAA6GUJBHdIxrZGY04piBNQ_sfsuECm8l5evHIxDUEG4viSS655oiooRNCFfy4at3b4UyQ7QM44XSfylVGuZ3DemSto-1/s1600/IMG_1275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvGxSuuOAEUDVr0GjCQ01zfb9daFnjOylgtKLmViiK2EgxaS2HAA6GUJBHdIxrZGY04piBNQ_sfsuECm8l5evHIxDUEG4viSS655oiooRNCFfy4at3b4UyQ7QM44XSfylVGuZ3DemSto-1/s320/IMG_1275.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Japanese goldfish bowl</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Caught and ate Fred the fish, like a good bloodthirsty pescatarian.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDWcZ2tAMfVkQ-loSAdu0jIdrlZRoLKRaYJvWjOGGyfMXR5AZfpUxT7f2TzVZ1p2L640eQ38q4j0W4EZ6WoeqXmMZhUvg3Hh-LGmxpfa1aOESFEj7ts6AlycNkgNaoxBqmZxH490Tnqs8/s1600/IMG_1096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDWcZ2tAMfVkQ-loSAdu0jIdrlZRoLKRaYJvWjOGGyfMXR5AZfpUxT7f2TzVZ1p2L640eQ38q4j0W4EZ6WoeqXmMZhUvg3Hh-LGmxpfa1aOESFEj7ts6AlycNkgNaoxBqmZxH490Tnqs8/s320/IMG_1096.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWu_QcDW-6pQbG_LzrACMKSQBpl29WYws1k6cEp9V43PgU8R_398nU1J6f3ahSL37HJdlWyzrOIOm6rmiSG8cNLJakzW6ahQwmAEwofJ9XqPz0yG8moDwlWQbziJfr9wLV4NThgdX4kOo/s1600/IMG_1104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWu_QcDW-6pQbG_LzrACMKSQBpl29WYws1k6cEp9V43PgU8R_398nU1J6f3ahSL37HJdlWyzrOIOm6rmiSG8cNLJakzW6ahQwmAEwofJ9XqPz0yG8moDwlWQbziJfr9wLV4NThgdX4kOo/s320/IMG_1104.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Saw these tributes to Ekaterina II (no donkeys here)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iOQYRHfB6PhPtaEAkPCzTVXkec2BVH6JrC12UOyoIIPIxaPbhCKRne9Qyuf5zmomjNf5lP5873HsJyUBV5Yd2Z-B7IYGZ6OLaef41odQjpaMy4a3fDbxjeIB0JvX64nXXxD8BsK59lXc/s1600/ekaterina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iOQYRHfB6PhPtaEAkPCzTVXkec2BVH6JrC12UOyoIIPIxaPbhCKRne9Qyuf5zmomjNf5lP5873HsJyUBV5Yd2Z-B7IYGZ6OLaef41odQjpaMy4a3fDbxjeIB0JvX64nXXxD8BsK59lXc/s320/ekaterina.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxAdDzKREEinKMlrLVjA4AVoF9Sn-ha1NKz7wmNCGPkK-Pk2uOb58vbH71aoOVKylobFLh0PtPJHLULiaRcUfc8qXCeiAaaStQ9OW87qZKX6NY_meYRVDd-35LcSHi4yVh70Cyd94CM_tM/s1600/IMG_0732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxAdDzKREEinKMlrLVjA4AVoF9Sn-ha1NKz7wmNCGPkK-Pk2uOb58vbH71aoOVKylobFLh0PtPJHLULiaRcUfc8qXCeiAaaStQ9OW87qZKX6NY_meYRVDd-35LcSHi4yVh70Cyd94CM_tM/s320/IMG_0732.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRHQFsE7IcK5aptBnyxBui9LLVKRFtGLF6TMfwYc6FslLhW6YUz9WwKPNONo8hm_rrPHRsTeRtYAd3gSrwnPpxdqURnA7JoiteYfrQIHxuxko3z8rO4yC7VbYQb_1vko4IjLuOMOeydFH/s1600/IMG_0733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoRHQFsE7IcK5aptBnyxBui9LLVKRFtGLF6TMfwYc6FslLhW6YUz9WwKPNONo8hm_rrPHRsTeRtYAd3gSrwnPpxdqURnA7JoiteYfrQIHxuxko3z8rO4yC7VbYQb_1vko4IjLuOMOeydFH/s320/IMG_0733.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUZ9gGrWkew-Wv0YLLNwJnIAxwKVSum9f9JQmTp0p_2EkP_b954jJ5LAo9_gmhmG2Ly8vGENb2YKczfZwAsLMoPwoTxjhR7rbS4bJPBOZtXGpCQRohkB8XVA0cR602DCX_cGW8ZZDw60K/s1600/IMG_0739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyUZ9gGrWkew-Wv0YLLNwJnIAxwKVSum9f9JQmTp0p_2EkP_b954jJ5LAo9_gmhmG2Ly8vGENb2YKczfZwAsLMoPwoTxjhR7rbS4bJPBOZtXGpCQRohkB8XVA0cR602DCX_cGW8ZZDw60K/s320/IMG_0739.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Got a rose from a drunk stranger</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1gPSfVsoMLU2yaVZxJDcayEhuZmTNMVvrFli0lZQ6Ex-FhNIsirkGg4JcdLEk-9SFm_IDGD4VyrL1qS6YV6m32ONIM2yx9qsRQP8P8mAROmga9IZ59OL3WmQmw-B5ciffuXHQ5rjOF-f/s1600/IMG_0410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn1gPSfVsoMLU2yaVZxJDcayEhuZmTNMVvrFli0lZQ6Ex-FhNIsirkGg4JcdLEk-9SFm_IDGD4VyrL1qS6YV6m32ONIM2yx9qsRQP8P8mAROmga9IZ59OL3WmQmw-B5ciffuXHQ5rjOF-f/s320/IMG_0410.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Went to see the rising of the bridges</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihB0B31ZMUjLIotOf206F9g-RC74YsXFR5672N8Av323rW3CODRiPlbd2lLGTH3gWoI5zdlDMMi_gosKJWyMWC8eohLMVZaffGZTeU-pxRQAGG-eMy2UvoRJYiqec_TSP6QxoNlWMuMRcr/s1600/IMG_0305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihB0B31ZMUjLIotOf206F9g-RC74YsXFR5672N8Av323rW3CODRiPlbd2lLGTH3gWoI5zdlDMMi_gosKJWyMWC8eohLMVZaffGZTeU-pxRQAGG-eMy2UvoRJYiqec_TSP6QxoNlWMuMRcr/s320/IMG_0305.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saw a Chekhov play (The Cherry Orchard/Вишневый Сад)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0Tbdxvl_pGYF5ggT64Y3dZvi59W4J8dS6iJxARsWoTxnV4RuKdCXzNCLhbbc5SAjkFzJvL2llHcGKEfsCiyGfTI6lcWy6iEUX9C5XqhTHGrTsKo8STu_LymMcoX-AltGOZIHzrHslJi8/s1600/baltiyskiy+dom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0Tbdxvl_pGYF5ggT64Y3dZvi59W4J8dS6iJxARsWoTxnV4RuKdCXzNCLhbbc5SAjkFzJvL2llHcGKEfsCiyGfTI6lcWy6iEUX9C5XqhTHGrTsKo8STu_LymMcoX-AltGOZIHzrHslJi8/s320/baltiyskiy+dom.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Complied with all the best Petersburg superstitions</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJt2i8YT185vZrcLPP9UgQyP3BVlAOj9oYPDYgUPQTIeB74M20NN9tVWGUdhqk9QkZFV0VDrI1ePToyQUPv3COBEA2etKocfarOC7WJWRlqHVrCTptGFdGhyVgfY398B8wk4kmNHGvU4k/s1600/IMG_0282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJJt2i8YT185vZrcLPP9UgQyP3BVlAOj9oYPDYgUPQTIeB74M20NN9tVWGUdhqk9QkZFV0VDrI1ePToyQUPv3COBEA2etKocfarOC7WJWRlqHVrCTptGFdGhyVgfY398B8wk4kmNHGvU4k/s320/IMG_0282.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ostap Bender</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5Fit__MOp2klWa0jSNlzUCFTkf6Nzqu82vz5Za5iO8cxY6W-dFUF_J-eqm4HemC66T07HzUowY79UV5Sa-9aZvvuNApklZU9tiI5ebKtBvJKwgh4HdVxsSW0NZ1izWZUJpeNWb_2Ifb3/s1600/IMG_0286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje5Fit__MOp2klWa0jSNlzUCFTkf6Nzqu82vz5Za5iO8cxY6W-dFUF_J-eqm4HemC66T07HzUowY79UV5Sa-9aZvvuNApklZU9tiI5ebKtBvJKwgh4HdVxsSW0NZ1izWZUJpeNWb_2Ifb3/s320/IMG_0286.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cat statues on Malaya Sadovaya (Vasilisa)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfy_qvjAiq1z3mxa8cV4Ja8zVIPj9h3at9_jy2Ivx4OFE26DTr36r18r144m3adGg8uocK504hGw9N3v83zAuOJmValVsMmWF3GFmB_Fd6TI5Zqn9T7u3AhcQNzkLY9hKrII0kpqv3wSYv/s1600/IMG_0290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfy_qvjAiq1z3mxa8cV4Ja8zVIPj9h3at9_jy2Ivx4OFE26DTr36r18r144m3adGg8uocK504hGw9N3v83zAuOJmValVsMmWF3GFmB_Fd6TI5Zqn9T7u3AhcQNzkLY9hKrII0kpqv3wSYv/s320/IMG_0290.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Elisha</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-z9oWVl9XDxjB3FTyefM6qHUMynX2MZMdzWjF7AWBb7_VxmaavKy5U5deh_9uu79hXzePjoSeAm0SAcCNqbIQ9YPMXWYGT8qhML9dcw0yhymimDm-ickpjbvJBXrbxHPbFv3-oNVKYhf/s1600/IMG_0346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-z9oWVl9XDxjB3FTyefM6qHUMynX2MZMdzWjF7AWBb7_VxmaavKy5U5deh_9uu79hXzePjoSeAm0SAcCNqbIQ9YPMXWYGT8qhML9dcw0yhymimDm-ickpjbvJBXrbxHPbFv3-oNVKYhf/s320/IMG_0346.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Atlas('s feet)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZC9Qhy3HanK1Z0Vv3pabclHVs9Cp5VQpN3BUvMXkAW_iRQGhc_xZwQ56m4PxQAZ9lREk-0pr7GmMvjz7us0gBecZJWyqnyJJUCguFIAqZhKExNcCwQT0Y7J4l93lZHMMkOt6SfW47RSuG/s1600/IMG_0632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZC9Qhy3HanK1Z0Vv3pabclHVs9Cp5VQpN3BUvMXkAW_iRQGhc_xZwQ56m4PxQAZ9lREk-0pr7GmMvjz7us0gBecZJWyqnyJJUCguFIAqZhKExNcCwQT0Y7J4l93lZHMMkOt6SfW47RSuG/s320/IMG_0632.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kissing bridge</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIXYqa91bbRuaTsRJIRDR6zBFGD7EdTr_ZjkX7-O_8YFakGlPSYBZwN0YK9tSaiIF8e3wL7jCMTiZTqmT37uIrNOj5IwNcUtYIAbsLM1BS_e31sQf33l1Lt8FUwtxAc3sqQwaqghGh9Mx/s1600/IMG_1040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDIXYqa91bbRuaTsRJIRDR6zBFGD7EdTr_ZjkX7-O_8YFakGlPSYBZwN0YK9tSaiIF8e3wL7jCMTiZTqmT37uIrNOj5IwNcUtYIAbsLM1BS_e31sQf33l1Lt8FUwtxAc3sqQwaqghGh9Mx/s320/IMG_1040.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Hare Escaping Flooding</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saw Finland (possibly? Yeahh)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcByNgfztgV-xsJz4eVfJmPqDh-45VL8NtXorl6zNUrC2_8FTa7FejECLtDIhddOWIFHbCcoBMwCz8Yi9SkRMK973dUNuh47DBuYNHfoGtfIcOqrzlHtHPrEpj2Ul_G-n4EPZZ-ty6uq9/s1600/gulf+of+finland.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqcByNgfztgV-xsJz4eVfJmPqDh-45VL8NtXorl6zNUrC2_8FTa7FejECLtDIhddOWIFHbCcoBMwCz8Yi9SkRMK973dUNuh47DBuYNHfoGtfIcOqrzlHtHPrEpj2Ul_G-n4EPZZ-ty6uq9/s320/gulf+of+finland.png" height="226" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Made some great (little) friends</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmuLEIODAVlH4Jw0S_JVjIbJPE7atHXiCtYFwc51lZXtPEcM7PixVVGPz-wM33S7bJtViGZixGudISP4ab9HPaFCzngJsmsabswNGewHoNkxgFWZ3nYZ2a0QhuikebzL2Y0a1WeyPaUTeC/s1600/kids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmuLEIODAVlH4Jw0S_JVjIbJPE7atHXiCtYFwc51lZXtPEcM7PixVVGPz-wM33S7bJtViGZixGudISP4ab9HPaFCzngJsmsabswNGewHoNkxgFWZ3nYZ2a0QhuikebzL2Y0a1WeyPaUTeC/s320/kids.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yVrs9C9ZzHn3VGHGn1h1TroF6mYzJAh3yaAstNTTaPYSLtJ-qhDE8QE_1Zam9xbItxW-Y7DYTV82M7jVVha3rySvjleCnKmRenuObx7TS9O-KOQoguxqvpMma3ypVT5QGijWKN17rISZ/s1600/IMG_0406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yVrs9C9ZzHn3VGHGn1h1TroF6mYzJAh3yaAstNTTaPYSLtJ-qhDE8QE_1Zam9xbItxW-Y7DYTV82M7jVVha3rySvjleCnKmRenuObx7TS9O-KOQoguxqvpMma3ypVT5QGijWKN17rISZ/s200/IMG_0406.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saw some, quite frankly, odd things.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhTVdTnpsDpnboEbH2bSR-50FRtuxr-X9M4mqTRiD966-HESLNZpcpuV9ZDyDRWR9OgbB2LFF7AMsmjCypwQj5VO-FecqVts5er5XauqIDS4ZZdJwjPbqV5W6XxcyFyfSgQyKdoQL9Scw/s1600/IMG_0397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhTVdTnpsDpnboEbH2bSR-50FRtuxr-X9M4mqTRiD966-HESLNZpcpuV9ZDyDRWR9OgbB2LFF7AMsmjCypwQj5VO-FecqVts5er5XauqIDS4ZZdJwjPbqV5W6XxcyFyfSgQyKdoQL9Scw/s320/IMG_0397.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDKbqo6LamHJ-zm3luxrT2faTtIvfIWHA4IdzhhuDWYKASplCKwqkNML2s__LFZfFg9xBNlRr-O9o5BV09MIjOMBOw6t8WfHAcrnedXt0OS0dDTmRODA13ydzPF3dSPHTJ9wGHfYsqsQR/s1600/IMG_1067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDKbqo6LamHJ-zm3luxrT2faTtIvfIWHA4IdzhhuDWYKASplCKwqkNML2s__LFZfFg9xBNlRr-O9o5BV09MIjOMBOw6t8WfHAcrnedXt0OS0dDTmRODA13ydzPF3dSPHTJ9wGHfYsqsQR/s320/IMG_1067.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9LXFbuqTEIY49E8rPZNGtDUW3Q_HvdU7yeoC2Co3nT7K4-YACbi_-b_RwusTMoRmVWOUNRMqgSbTlVYklY5qHS5tm35aC1riZXYTOwXoSArA4hfO7L2ggzQvSwgkbzL2IQqdl3jcV479/s1600/IMG_0405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9LXFbuqTEIY49E8rPZNGtDUW3Q_HvdU7yeoC2Co3nT7K4-YACbi_-b_RwusTMoRmVWOUNRMqgSbTlVYklY5qHS5tm35aC1riZXYTOwXoSArA4hfO7L2ggzQvSwgkbzL2IQqdl3jcV479/s320/IMG_0405.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFuNu3FRXhARXhJre2XlRqLOBmx2PuarXkvCkl7XQVEdJfIlsO_nleN78OQZm1RK1QZ1ai92o6bBZfVRX4bA93ursUNk37XZCCCRc2xLJLfrlx1pjKppLTJhpwaWBC8Lm6-lvE4EH_vDR/s1600/IMG_0543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFuNu3FRXhARXhJre2XlRqLOBmx2PuarXkvCkl7XQVEdJfIlsO_nleN78OQZm1RK1QZ1ai92o6bBZfVRX4bA93ursUNk37XZCCCRc2xLJLfrlx1pjKppLTJhpwaWBC8Lm6-lvE4EH_vDR/s320/IMG_0543.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Now that's a toilet!</i> (Made from carrots)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Experienced winter (and the casual threat of near-death) like never before</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJwvK-VHDImK-8-pOES4pcS6o-ygJIg3R1Rm78yJnUiO_yqcB7R_PkMwL20Voz-l8FysdE_pis0xUlKbUBUq1J8UKMfoLvLXwvCjPZlyuly-vwTzTXOOwqkkRU-TJzFBYmjpGaqXyLRgR/s1600/IMG_1147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJwvK-VHDImK-8-pOES4pcS6o-ygJIg3R1Rm78yJnUiO_yqcB7R_PkMwL20Voz-l8FysdE_pis0xUlKbUBUq1J8UKMfoLvLXwvCjPZlyuly-vwTzTXOOwqkkRU-TJzFBYmjpGaqXyLRgR/s320/IMG_1147.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZwNaO0vYnVPSZlC-FblvrLFKHVSVOEJgdLyEMciiROdOyAurmUJehkd-gYAflfpo_LHWGUFlEoIcwS6RGIJrAnmNKw-WywjYgKY2XUOHk6eJLRp4zBI_eUbRHaGXPL8WLxCntsVW8Gs4/s1600/IMG_1150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZwNaO0vYnVPSZlC-FblvrLFKHVSVOEJgdLyEMciiROdOyAurmUJehkd-gYAflfpo_LHWGUFlEoIcwS6RGIJrAnmNKw-WywjYgKY2XUOHk6eJLRp4zBI_eUbRHaGXPL8WLxCntsVW8Gs4/s320/IMG_1150.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7fBOBBR-ZtT0f7iet0zis7Ww3eiD2vd-UIXxRy6Q_EUxm-0kigAn3DciWDspoQR9xwuBfpMo4rhHwU3Hm8xfaQ8iLzVOJxI2Qm1QUq9MK5KI7Jv8iZsRlP5vGIX8DSvIoZTAe-xqaNl6/s1600/IMG_1155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7fBOBBR-ZtT0f7iet0zis7Ww3eiD2vd-UIXxRy6Q_EUxm-0kigAn3DciWDspoQR9xwuBfpMo4rhHwU3Hm8xfaQ8iLzVOJxI2Qm1QUq9MK5KI7Jv8iZsRlP5vGIX8DSvIoZTAe-xqaNl6/s320/IMG_1155.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9ErlT6cjiFBTHvkjIvsbtWwR6d_l6akTJE0zB9V5Wr1293mjVc7KMzvD6sr1H7pPGIvdLJ4Odi0SuDbOcY0xapah-GO849arD5uqSiTWyeXAI0vDt0LFc9_UmaQwqUxjYrzoCNTZW1zZ/s1600/IMG_1247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB9ErlT6cjiFBTHvkjIvsbtWwR6d_l6akTJE0zB9V5Wr1293mjVc7KMzvD6sr1H7pPGIvdLJ4Odi0SuDbOcY0xapah-GO849arD5uqSiTWyeXAI0vDt0LFc9_UmaQwqUxjYrzoCNTZW1zZ/s320/IMG_1247.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cdISc_2YX7thU1lCMolOQvOpvB4JWdwE3ofqGNDhD0uWSA_fpd2p2vyq3h3L7JfjnTy63siXpvytkb4NbeK6li9Cz2MAtfepHJ-_3bjo6KLtv-3P3f8q9cR1twxltWjHxH19uoxjO01n/s1600/IMG_1249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cdISc_2YX7thU1lCMolOQvOpvB4JWdwE3ofqGNDhD0uWSA_fpd2p2vyq3h3L7JfjnTy63siXpvytkb4NbeK6li9Cz2MAtfepHJ-_3bjo6KLtv-3P3f8q9cR1twxltWjHxH19uoxjO01n/s320/IMG_1249.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLU5TCQmBNDA5lcGER0MbVnvCY1m5_rrvnomDShc3hJIRYog4297npSdf_89EoZEQ6NnornLik7H2dewAMV1BUjdRvNd4Qk02nOLq82FXeyYv0JcWI_0H-LRSykX7DGKEdkXe4s1nTD0cB/s1600/IMG_1157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLU5TCQmBNDA5lcGER0MbVnvCY1m5_rrvnomDShc3hJIRYog4297npSdf_89EoZEQ6NnornLik7H2dewAMV1BUjdRvNd4Qk02nOLq82FXeyYv0JcWI_0H-LRSykX7DGKEdkXe4s1nTD0cB/s320/IMG_1157.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJevJfhjECPpESrUZs5aJaZiJVc7Z9hXQEoFc0SrJ9iGOcEWMwsIkPj8OdHezOSHyHMKJ0c7vnAS9SKhZ1cNdbQt-7pE2GngltTC9KWpB_pG7Nhh7UwywTBOQMsob1vwqQPMLmLJQCjGC/s1600/IMG_1290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhJevJfhjECPpESrUZs5aJaZiJVc7Z9hXQEoFc0SrJ9iGOcEWMwsIkPj8OdHezOSHyHMKJ0c7vnAS9SKhZ1cNdbQt-7pE2GngltTC9KWpB_pG7Nhh7UwywTBOQMsob1vwqQPMLmLJQCjGC/s320/IMG_1290.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tried new food</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwXO5QMqtCpq2qJizm0YmkZsptA50friNNlpvmlsYtYIZsjVznlcM4fkRSYYlFqHdlZqdswqL0w3UWa4U4wtfrAsBQkNUdE873rJFRvOkJgE_hcbD9nvvnKXjv3R42OjPriMeOfvTYjFx/s1600/IMG_1064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwXO5QMqtCpq2qJizm0YmkZsptA50friNNlpvmlsYtYIZsjVznlcM4fkRSYYlFqHdlZqdswqL0w3UWa4U4wtfrAsBQkNUdE873rJFRvOkJgE_hcbD9nvvnKXjv3R42OjPriMeOfvTYjFx/s320/IMG_1064.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Buckwheat & Tofu and Pumpkin curry</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8O8idrsv4J-NOB4BcS3rLMrNIWfHnnjFCSKc24ink80lU_N496TGDvp9tbx7IYWVQXbhpR2Mcq7GxEimn7wPP7wSe_hZKd-eRpHiWKlmUYscKzmcGrI3UavZZhPJEZpCK0Nkqk8zqPFu9/s1600/IMG_1243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8O8idrsv4J-NOB4BcS3rLMrNIWfHnnjFCSKc24ink80lU_N496TGDvp9tbx7IYWVQXbhpR2Mcq7GxEimn7wPP7wSe_hZKd-eRpHiWKlmUYscKzmcGrI3UavZZhPJEZpCK0Nkqk8zqPFu9/s320/IMG_1243.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Manti</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCBOdOsGCSL8BnwD4Gd8OD43MinKvBchlBxvb27gn18K3f72sya1E-lBh4g-GR4QxyFvCxgS5djOSRHVYLItUEFtbeeaih9bgTcxG1_h5rkS5HE6BXPwccZuN14HOzfndFlYXKcbofOwj/s1600/IMG_1254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCBOdOsGCSL8BnwD4Gd8OD43MinKvBchlBxvb27gn18K3f72sya1E-lBh4g-GR4QxyFvCxgS5djOSRHVYLItUEFtbeeaih9bgTcxG1_h5rkS5HE6BXPwccZuN14HOzfndFlYXKcbofOwj/s320/IMG_1254.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Georgian</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVk_mh7ML29bl6bVhcyo5FoN6c66b9KOhJst10xCVaBjcS-9nuV8MXZzPGgQOJOf1rvotGexAe_COjEb2pd0UKMj_YtXgKf8svhAAuq_-X3YxJTI0N5NutPSe_21MoR5s7vmGCOF_Xz3X/s1600/IMG_1308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVk_mh7ML29bl6bVhcyo5FoN6c66b9KOhJst10xCVaBjcS-9nuV8MXZzPGgQOJOf1rvotGexAe_COjEb2pd0UKMj_YtXgKf8svhAAuq_-X3YxJTI0N5NutPSe_21MoR5s7vmGCOF_Xz3X/s320/IMG_1308.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Uzbek</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCL4EITkCDkLQjbqR_lbmZtPc4OGLYkG_MandPBt7rxnydqY_Bc9CQd7CLz29KUxulKBTYvAJ18DTtG7UjqOn6n-oGxMGXX07XH-6VRFrywT_lgvlU0Ypqxq7CNk3ZxMGRjNVG-_jYlC2/s1600/IMG_0538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzCL4EITkCDkLQjbqR_lbmZtPc4OGLYkG_MandPBt7rxnydqY_Bc9CQd7CLz29KUxulKBTYvAJ18DTtG7UjqOn6n-oGxMGXX07XH-6VRFrywT_lgvlU0Ypqxq7CNk3ZxMGRjNVG-_jYlC2/s320/IMG_0538.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay maybe not <i>all</i> the time</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Drank a LOT of tea (even by my builders' brew standards)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0hb4h98Q-t4sPHpd7Vi9owZUCBwltUqDy4ejD1TH2laAlqbInZyfma4udj6-AxL1PkiOyPQBem6sfXKDX8xvLKUh-_hXb2HP-kx7maDpO7pvc0RvzwMjWqaivpeWRxBmcoDxidT1asv-/s1600/IMG_1083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0hb4h98Q-t4sPHpd7Vi9owZUCBwltUqDy4ejD1TH2laAlqbInZyfma4udj6-AxL1PkiOyPQBem6sfXKDX8xvLKUh-_hXb2HP-kx7maDpO7pvc0RvzwMjWqaivpeWRxBmcoDxidT1asv-/s320/IMG_1083.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6s4IOv_4NEc40KPMiCxn2fOXiEZspBhvU0xjDIsAVZ0rCuEQn98JrwaTr6l4cXV0v7tozfx3SO8hVolupIIQi91OrEkIEQn4DUs2x1cfapcc2NIsojGkXTCmDsdNjTwiz4Tp4fz96EyGj/s1600/IMG_1161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6s4IOv_4NEc40KPMiCxn2fOXiEZspBhvU0xjDIsAVZ0rCuEQn98JrwaTr6l4cXV0v7tozfx3SO8hVolupIIQi91OrEkIEQn4DUs2x1cfapcc2NIsojGkXTCmDsdNjTwiz4Tp4fz96EyGj/s320/IMG_1161.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmNlj0TgIPqYrD6-VBtQ_loBx-wPGEH5ujMpHz06KrifDHCl6_bKuZ-fIIfs5JrjCvsI_ftShsmPX-eUlOHitM0DuofrDBxSZ42SvYwSeY0X6EmHuSfxmu1YTS17bD0b9v83i95AxONen/s1600/tea+marketplace.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmNlj0TgIPqYrD6-VBtQ_loBx-wPGEH5ujMpHz06KrifDHCl6_bKuZ-fIIfs5JrjCvsI_ftShsmPX-eUlOHitM0DuofrDBxSZ42SvYwSeY0X6EmHuSfxmu1YTS17bD0b9v83i95AxONen/s1600/tea+marketplace.JPG" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Trekked off in the snow to see the wacky art in Erarta</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEmX3g67ecsdB216PwIuuqNnZbQbcbjGBp857d_eAmoybXeSBXm-S64lT5QqmcNBo3cR4gHQuWriqDOkYQEPfBPSIHoe5L7za6Ge-XHdaVkSnlm3ZFQdkcLEDZldW2mrvtNcY-kbFzJ-I/s1600/IMG_1200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnEmX3g67ecsdB216PwIuuqNnZbQbcbjGBp857d_eAmoybXeSBXm-S64lT5QqmcNBo3cR4gHQuWriqDOkYQEPfBPSIHoe5L7za6Ge-XHdaVkSnlm3ZFQdkcLEDZldW2mrvtNcY-kbFzJ-I/s320/IMG_1200.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOtFhlbSr7t9Ex7CCTA6RsMKw7ResvDw2CAXtueZnO34TP5Qg67NxEFxU9AVhsZILVZ7txiTGuV0G0gxUtrE-eUXboM2IPuzC5HTa7cLdXjXyoMy5NdRxKaIlqukQnKF-EheMTx0n2nbR/s1600/IMG_1204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOtFhlbSr7t9Ex7CCTA6RsMKw7ResvDw2CAXtueZnO34TP5Qg67NxEFxU9AVhsZILVZ7txiTGuV0G0gxUtrE-eUXboM2IPuzC5HTa7cLdXjXyoMy5NdRxKaIlqukQnKF-EheMTx0n2nbR/s320/IMG_1204.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULKJtr7ZBBKqZpbhxLVOmcu__ocF3Tp601hWvG5BRuqTNbZ5UFIsDtH3Y5c0GBo1BgOQyOiu0rFnfqev31K9MwnweNwz0cfZuZo4nlusagqXytL5sZn5HK89gyYkAQpZVo8stmk8TVsMv/s1600/IMG_1205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhULKJtr7ZBBKqZpbhxLVOmcu__ocF3Tp601hWvG5BRuqTNbZ5UFIsDtH3Y5c0GBo1BgOQyOiu0rFnfqev31K9MwnweNwz0cfZuZo4nlusagqXytL5sZn5HK89gyYkAQpZVo8stmk8TVsMv/s320/IMG_1205.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkpFQlkbXH-xn2927rVw64qVdqVjZWxijQuE6RvzgeR9a2kMEssCQ_dXfVdpWLQ2uxwou_7-L319v5xzIs_8uBI5hAPZehCBArsiStmKJJ5H2usnzd_FGjRQcawH7-h9WOAEWx8ms4ykN/s1600/IMG_1213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkpFQlkbXH-xn2927rVw64qVdqVjZWxijQuE6RvzgeR9a2kMEssCQ_dXfVdpWLQ2uxwou_7-L319v5xzIs_8uBI5hAPZehCBArsiStmKJJ5H2usnzd_FGjRQcawH7-h9WOAEWx8ms4ykN/s320/IMG_1213.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56Q7y0fduBMOWTGWSnC73AZjErDOIz89ahq_HfJZKuGxQshyphenhyphenz7SvAxk0yt9ix9WQzvyG5LCoPuEC3sa36JXTBA1h71Xdgz5QXnem0csKPVLbwVr6OootlsIUk7snvNXrKCvklCuSfpyeE/s1600/IMG_1222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56Q7y0fduBMOWTGWSnC73AZjErDOIz89ahq_HfJZKuGxQshyphenhyphenz7SvAxk0yt9ix9WQzvyG5LCoPuEC3sa36JXTBA1h71Xdgz5QXnem0csKPVLbwVr6OootlsIUk7snvNXrKCvklCuSfpyeE/s320/IMG_1222.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Learnt to ceremoniously serve tea the Chinese way</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yHWys3aqUi-GSzZRPP4s5TTs99MttpTV6jjfGVBECokmWB7Mvaph7Idt-jAuC3BiOcRo1DeMzTbZM-_q-2hy2p7ljzBvolxCy967I7CTg-xeb6v2_zsGSAlIlqARYUQ7EdNeomsiNx4f/s1600/IMG_0647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yHWys3aqUi-GSzZRPP4s5TTs99MttpTV6jjfGVBECokmWB7Mvaph7Idt-jAuC3BiOcRo1DeMzTbZM-_q-2hy2p7ljzBvolxCy967I7CTg-xeb6v2_zsGSAlIlqARYUQ7EdNeomsiNx4f/s320/IMG_0647.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Found these greats of Russian literature</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgxKUiAsHl6ySWnZWazMPFEtVUD-6vzG30aWfQVawLs3FiZv-4Gw6og1t3BWnwUBlfawagiMLBWv56T9mX42fjuz5X-JsOCInRX55v0KWjP0D9i4IuB0vcfE9SFz_27IaH3V-UjWWPXgO/s1600/dostoevsky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgxKUiAsHl6ySWnZWazMPFEtVUD-6vzG30aWfQVawLs3FiZv-4Gw6og1t3BWnwUBlfawagiMLBWv56T9mX42fjuz5X-JsOCInRX55v0KWjP0D9i4IuB0vcfE9SFz_27IaH3V-UjWWPXgO/s1600/dostoevsky.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dostoevsky</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvx05P_dXoGEa82OXx3BUiV3-Fokkr3dn9CHMiRXntlHLQSd-yVyAt26m08DRJCWbVCR4uZce31Jkh4wbJ3c_Cqz4pus_abWCjavyqdlLpNSUxoE-LYVTby6xy6dSiqxzqtlEB1aOa1c02/s1600/IMG_0074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvx05P_dXoGEa82OXx3BUiV3-Fokkr3dn9CHMiRXntlHLQSd-yVyAt26m08DRJCWbVCR4uZce31Jkh4wbJ3c_Cqz4pus_abWCjavyqdlLpNSUxoE-LYVTby6xy6dSiqxzqtlEB1aOa1c02/s320/IMG_0074.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lermontov</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhc4LHemaJcMtEAO-2TTvDY218MEFxSzm38e12vUvZjJmonoaEbjH5mVWONfveVclBCQNsqLSOxkqGQQ54MWKnKwUeD594aWiij0r5nmBG0xO2-b0SpEKsNi7-SFSiyPS6q18lpHFi1Rmu/s1600/IMG_0256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhc4LHemaJcMtEAO-2TTvDY218MEFxSzm38e12vUvZjJmonoaEbjH5mVWONfveVclBCQNsqLSOxkqGQQ54MWKnKwUeD594aWiij0r5nmBG0xO2-b0SpEKsNi7-SFSiyPS6q18lpHFi1Rmu/s320/IMG_0256.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mayor Kovalev's Nose</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdRr2wjHiUY6xpIxiARhwkqyjI3amtOvrwKMzNPQ_d7cSUlRSTCXGCDnWwlfhBeC-uEAvJfDvaJaszrf5r9SQILvulZxDGB2n50L9JmWFvA3OmppA8xlE7McMaX-cqHl2i8YJyAwnlm8u/s1600/IMG_0285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdRr2wjHiUY6xpIxiARhwkqyjI3amtOvrwKMzNPQ_d7cSUlRSTCXGCDnWwlfhBeC-uEAvJfDvaJaszrf5r9SQILvulZxDGB2n50L9JmWFvA3OmppA8xlE7McMaX-cqHl2i8YJyAwnlm8u/s320/IMG_0285.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pushkin</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And the greats of Russia in general</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyI8FPkhiQloNMjka8-vKc3dKKH2jjtUrqHZSwgABXHBzLIvXsKW7mJnLZcf0UO09i3hrwEk73O-iLvMiQq4XEL9iPfgBu_-JdS7Qhyn904xlyQyBuh6G52UXg9kX2fdHYNe5PM5pWhujK/s1600/IMG_0359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyI8FPkhiQloNMjka8-vKc3dKKH2jjtUrqHZSwgABXHBzLIvXsKW7mJnLZcf0UO09i3hrwEk73O-iLvMiQq4XEL9iPfgBu_-JdS7Qhyn904xlyQyBuh6G52UXg9kX2fdHYNe5PM5pWhujK/s320/IMG_0359.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Bronze Horseman (Peter)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNL_BG21A_5QTJifI5C-L7tPpiaw3R09eZqfMa0dO6X8_IXO_NkNhdS8cYpzyknQiELSQWEXYDSVWbJsYOSy270ueZAxo1dLeLbmHE3kuiMAYH4YRN-0lPZ9jVV1YBKrS2k0vDFCrB11l5/s1600/IMG_0518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNL_BG21A_5QTJifI5C-L7tPpiaw3R09eZqfMa0dO6X8_IXO_NkNhdS8cYpzyknQiELSQWEXYDSVWbJsYOSy270ueZAxo1dLeLbmHE3kuiMAYH4YRN-0lPZ9jVV1YBKrS2k0vDFCrB11l5/s320/IMG_0518.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Krylov</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR53AexN-J6OfT-5oyRMPrv4PaqpAp7TSecek7mV7XIuFVjRIWir85S5MvnEybJ5dI70APc5uw9wnAjNm-1z2Q8uUZRTcJXWmDzX52Xt6sPwD91eZqnGJwQ3DAUqhd80hjp96CiO2i3Q7R/s1600/IMG_0524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR53AexN-J6OfT-5oyRMPrv4PaqpAp7TSecek7mV7XIuFVjRIWir85S5MvnEybJ5dI70APc5uw9wnAjNm-1z2Q8uUZRTcJXWmDzX52Xt6sPwD91eZqnGJwQ3DAUqhd80hjp96CiO2i3Q7R/s320/IMG_0524.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Eternal Flame</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8r2FSoWnFsIF0s5D1KyyIbk-oJ6LFrwIzaAEjo_ivvDf26xUXF5Txdgm9Skgr-6zOAIhoIqIT74Dm1Jq83XQnV3dsdt2bJzSr4xU8fEocA0ztWsk6dkAd5zXlcOt0aqJw3-D1sXcdYs8m/s1600/IMG_0716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8r2FSoWnFsIF0s5D1KyyIbk-oJ6LFrwIzaAEjo_ivvDf26xUXF5Txdgm9Skgr-6zOAIhoIqIT74Dm1Jq83XQnV3dsdt2bJzSr4xU8fEocA0ztWsk6dkAd5zXlcOt0aqJw3-D1sXcdYs8m/s320/IMG_0716.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tchaikovsky</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiwkQ_RxyCl3Hw3sW9fpfGoBUNhDIfhIWaRd5_6nnA2xwQHGiD1U_1TqPCXMsi7nFDC5aCUsECbIkn0eQOhNoS5Erco2Yq5BIimtR0TeHlubsrwndv8lbUK-AfVCVIgFhkouTt9p98Zlc/s1600/IMG_0726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoiwkQ_RxyCl3Hw3sW9fpfGoBUNhDIfhIWaRd5_6nnA2xwQHGiD1U_1TqPCXMsi7nFDC5aCUsECbIkn0eQOhNoS5Erco2Yq5BIimtR0TeHlubsrwndv8lbUK-AfVCVIgFhkouTt9p98Zlc/s320/IMG_0726.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Peter the Great</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saw Petersburg at its worst.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaG_uHVWhUlc0WXtihMRDjTQ51lFKXrJVaSkglDrENZm7NB1sqpznMX97oziSirBearffw250__i-X7XjSqI9uCqobVDwqleI6mDcaXaZHcNGVEYTRKtA_sVvCPGB8KR5bEPTGkQDkhtKu/s1600/IMG_0412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaG_uHVWhUlc0WXtihMRDjTQ51lFKXrJVaSkglDrENZm7NB1sqpznMX97oziSirBearffw250__i-X7XjSqI9uCqobVDwqleI6mDcaXaZHcNGVEYTRKtA_sVvCPGB8KR5bEPTGkQDkhtKu/s320/IMG_0412.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6w4uK6SHhoeB32pjB0q4lXZu6Ft4xgbvc7emOOs0dqK50TSsBLqHUrK7ECI_3MrEc-9sYYgezci6Dq8x5P76igtWVLrGMH4zVK-pFCesg4FZTW_eIvD2HHjhO9dg26SqPwVPdpT7T-qB8/s1600/ugliest+fountain+ever.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6w4uK6SHhoeB32pjB0q4lXZu6Ft4xgbvc7emOOs0dqK50TSsBLqHUrK7ECI_3MrEc-9sYYgezci6Dq8x5P76igtWVLrGMH4zVK-pFCesg4FZTW_eIvD2HHjhO9dg26SqPwVPdpT7T-qB8/s320/ugliest+fountain+ever.png" height="228" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBSxP6soX8herPZc0IqMslaOeOrqkED8XdzJELu-Rq_TqKnyTp5q9PNSW0uYvPDbCTu1s7QZbfwZVL84HJ2nY_W5Qmipro-VwXP0HnwGVu6AEWCJv5yMI50lvgg2nWwuUzQcPGgSZauyD0/s1600/IMG_1253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBSxP6soX8herPZc0IqMslaOeOrqkED8XdzJELu-Rq_TqKnyTp5q9PNSW0uYvPDbCTu1s7QZbfwZVL84HJ2nY_W5Qmipro-VwXP0HnwGVu6AEWCJv5yMI50lvgg2nWwuUzQcPGgSZauyD0/s320/IMG_1253.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyAWHUQ1b2oCnraC5DzwwLsfraQ65C6Sh46NMhmodVsCZ2XVzznFNqlp3aJiybMgORg1hjMzpwjzEQF_suYBP-HGRX34CX1wFAcXFKxZviDK2EmFqJmtQzmUyj5WCQTYO4fCwaWNcYZVx/s1600/IMG_0678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyAWHUQ1b2oCnraC5DzwwLsfraQ65C6Sh46NMhmodVsCZ2XVzznFNqlp3aJiybMgORg1hjMzpwjzEQF_suYBP-HGRX34CX1wFAcXFKxZviDK2EmFqJmtQzmUyj5WCQTYO4fCwaWNcYZVx/s320/IMG_0678.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And at its beautiful best</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiry3nO4_BbldqBTrHNycMRBstINdXFc9hiZxJd8DGGmCKD92jQMpPZUgNOpNsHRauhRtnUh7g1hVwUF7TwD6Zew1t_wP-qaArkykoDSb2RO-CIX1fSE5GUKq-zGwWzsnCKuotjVR-DEfyZ/s1600/IMG_0257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiry3nO4_BbldqBTrHNycMRBstINdXFc9hiZxJd8DGGmCKD92jQMpPZUgNOpNsHRauhRtnUh7g1hVwUF7TwD6Zew1t_wP-qaArkykoDSb2RO-CIX1fSE5GUKq-zGwWzsnCKuotjVR-DEfyZ/s320/IMG_0257.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXx1JiF0H0JOVOo84xk6M25jYlmYO5Z0ZNt6hfuuziUi4gY9EMZGtsyDiCrWvz_k9t6u48qS4fj_ECdxH_NY1c0YT6_VlO_Epco5hUo9gO6w6gN1Qo1vQVb2FV9rI6ackW8LL21HUe364D/s1600/IMG_0027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXx1JiF0H0JOVOo84xk6M25jYlmYO5Z0ZNt6hfuuziUi4gY9EMZGtsyDiCrWvz_k9t6u48qS4fj_ECdxH_NY1c0YT6_VlO_Epco5hUo9gO6w6gN1Qo1vQVb2FV9rI6ackW8LL21HUe364D/s320/IMG_0027.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyV61CMtI4LYaZxWImL2Xub_zV9unU-9ll2UioIKKEIbxvqUqH1lPOfWPf-hEhW5di1gXNw94ok52UwY_rtqIp_-RiD9SqpZxI28jjBtuI21Vnj8o42Ok3tXaos19RkuSA12ot6Ov2KPbQ/s1600/IMG_0132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyV61CMtI4LYaZxWImL2Xub_zV9unU-9ll2UioIKKEIbxvqUqH1lPOfWPf-hEhW5di1gXNw94ok52UwY_rtqIp_-RiD9SqpZxI28jjBtuI21Vnj8o42Ok3tXaos19RkuSA12ot6Ov2KPbQ/s320/IMG_0132.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjia0DYaorF-fLFvYuSP67UmMU5hBRwSrulmUkRHsJo6kfuddez6-9komWTKE3fAdtQ8aYr5emOaoRFa-7-NiVHNxPE2uYXCIrm6V6gBKUwP3PyoczxMWJJv5r61LtnOlIiX4Zy2RMsurDG/s1600/IMG_0490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjia0DYaorF-fLFvYuSP67UmMU5hBRwSrulmUkRHsJo6kfuddez6-9komWTKE3fAdtQ8aYr5emOaoRFa-7-NiVHNxPE2uYXCIrm6V6gBKUwP3PyoczxMWJJv5r61LtnOlIiX4Zy2RMsurDG/s320/IMG_0490.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmn7e7WtTJsHcC2Me6w4Orc30FCMmVABzBnY9Sjr7szSk2vQv6Whvni4cK4f_ksEFCjdHwbhmy637xNP7BmsxzmZ-EPptFMvBd5LUsXxUKcamOd5NAyZK612chkvdxr_lxPs1-rqSl5Jl/s1600/IMG_0781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmn7e7WtTJsHcC2Me6w4Orc30FCMmVABzBnY9Sjr7szSk2vQv6Whvni4cK4f_ksEFCjdHwbhmy637xNP7BmsxzmZ-EPptFMvBd5LUsXxUKcamOd5NAyZK612chkvdxr_lxPs1-rqSl5Jl/s320/IMG_0781.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgWfvawBg_-njZxSvinKH7ZR4SeaHjr3p36-rxYm4c2mr0mu5J72K00IiJBuqt9CKcF9rqHuu1FliQZtx5Ug1yaAJgl8qNlnqrsBwizrj7UI8Qbcebd67EA84oVZnKsUluqp0OjIy4xRG/s1600/kazan+cathedral+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgWfvawBg_-njZxSvinKH7ZR4SeaHjr3p36-rxYm4c2mr0mu5J72K00IiJBuqt9CKcF9rqHuu1FliQZtx5Ug1yaAJgl8qNlnqrsBwizrj7UI8Qbcebd67EA84oVZnKsUluqp0OjIy4xRG/s320/kazan+cathedral+1.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttZ7Rjk_jFvzrxKTTFw-chbb4weYj7_1bMFYjkauPGq_Nhy-gU2Cc6KSLNvkcyOoF2PdSVlyz9J3qEthMMyYF2MCn0q9LvkTkhMxoCXN4pzmxVC5gh7SMQE4zj6CPJgX8RrfZR6JKNGbL/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttZ7Rjk_jFvzrxKTTFw-chbb4weYj7_1bMFYjkauPGq_Nhy-gU2Cc6KSLNvkcyOoF2PdSVlyz9J3qEthMMyYF2MCn0q9LvkTkhMxoCXN4pzmxVC5gh7SMQE4zj6CPJgX8RrfZR6JKNGbL/s320/IMG_1287.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0s3dF_UppWzLGROsDytjpXRhVZlH398v8cX0fDX3Mpk7DrRRyFhOCvK2xFiv2ok5i2IgnaFVkmPPn-7ECAwPrnPzr9dvk82MAwoDhYM3RtO1oDO1b1ZaSXvBeUxFSPtZU0nbNs85OWuT5/s1600/IMG_1288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0s3dF_UppWzLGROsDytjpXRhVZlH398v8cX0fDX3Mpk7DrRRyFhOCvK2xFiv2ok5i2IgnaFVkmPPn-7ECAwPrnPzr9dvk82MAwoDhYM3RtO1oDO1b1ZaSXvBeUxFSPtZU0nbNs85OWuT5/s320/IMG_1288.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Appreciated Russia's past</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTWL1HwtihI9TvbCOaLt4pWCMkoD1r3iW96Ctll5bAm_USX0RirIeWzscVVXTu3vUO4CucDrIdSY2S66ax-WsUY_xJ-RKnvQ6xM9qKIXFYjVjv06Oqd2KHrAcyhFPqz6NSgLRdi_3ACY3/s1600/200+years+napoleon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzTWL1HwtihI9TvbCOaLt4pWCMkoD1r3iW96Ctll5bAm_USX0RirIeWzscVVXTu3vUO4CucDrIdSY2S66ax-WsUY_xJ-RKnvQ6xM9qKIXFYjVjv06Oqd2KHrAcyhFPqz6NSgLRdi_3ACY3/s320/200+years+napoleon.png" height="229" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc1vB8YWZE4vj4bcz63QCr260i_2XpqjW1NxdzM8YxgqqfXbDPw8qEySfFym36E5Usme1BwLQTdeL5vptJQHshBGcgBw_w2pINATdWRRiyGYVi3aMAvTeYbgTb6JMOKxIoRN4TXeK86yfD/s1600/IMG_0295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc1vB8YWZE4vj4bcz63QCr260i_2XpqjW1NxdzM8YxgqqfXbDPw8qEySfFym36E5Usme1BwLQTdeL5vptJQHshBGcgBw_w2pINATdWRRiyGYVi3aMAvTeYbgTb6JMOKxIoRN4TXeK86yfD/s320/IMG_0295.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEHzC3NTqXPEW7a_msyKPWHbbJGO2uv5dCArO0Z52LEYEOolYPHZ6Bey8qvnKb71qc3GWRGFxeUAdpcO9N9ihO-C-knevomJ8s2TAtD4B9WxOphogIcEVSM3-_c7g2Zd-IrLYJtGVavgh/s1600/IMG_0270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEHzC3NTqXPEW7a_msyKPWHbbJGO2uv5dCArO0Z52LEYEOolYPHZ6Bey8qvnKb71qc3GWRGFxeUAdpcO9N9ihO-C-knevomJ8s2TAtD4B9WxOphogIcEVSM3-_c7g2Zd-IrLYJtGVavgh/s320/IMG_0270.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfYXkxUFyRvdwHgJVSg8_lhgC97K6HwK9P_tSLA6GWLKkHHefoob_00s7OT_ZsfZyJyUyRiWXU-FoeA9dgKjnDcyFKOtpYPi8T8Fj7A6KdAMVot8TX_FGBIY82nJSaIU1Z8R4jERV43FR/s1600/IMG_0713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfYXkxUFyRvdwHgJVSg8_lhgC97K6HwK9P_tSLA6GWLKkHHefoob_00s7OT_ZsfZyJyUyRiWXU-FoeA9dgKjnDcyFKOtpYPi8T8Fj7A6KdAMVot8TX_FGBIY82nJSaIU1Z8R4jERV43FR/s320/IMG_0713.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEnxc4Jbu9NqDVc4XQ_f84RajSjDNIR5jlwsaUJmR6jlIWmrMcW2npV3iVFAhi3gD7URWeEckyWAFUmTfJxKBZlSjKr5pZz3-OJk0kHahD0xfMAdrbihOXm33CnrVLgcHjnkC4wqxijXoV/s1600/IMG_1016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEnxc4Jbu9NqDVc4XQ_f84RajSjDNIR5jlwsaUJmR6jlIWmrMcW2npV3iVFAhi3gD7URWeEckyWAFUmTfJxKBZlSjKr5pZz3-OJk0kHahD0xfMAdrbihOXm33CnrVLgcHjnkC4wqxijXoV/s320/IMG_1016.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxo4DAv3hx2EslWYfwQjEGA3LR5yvypLLYxbQJ7Nh8O0ItcstbRKFlolZePwlWYm1CQ9iuRymRaZAJjt1spFiUj3nQUuvtO907RVSA9EhdURuFyJOruREfp68ZLvO7ame41VefSms2jXD/s1600/IMG_1030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaxo4DAv3hx2EslWYfwQjEGA3LR5yvypLLYxbQJ7Nh8O0ItcstbRKFlolZePwlWYm1CQ9iuRymRaZAJjt1spFiUj3nQUuvtO907RVSA9EhdURuFyJOruREfp68ZLvO7ame41VefSms2jXD/s320/IMG_1030.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And guessed at its future.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JDbeVnl8gwdkIpJx_5tBTIKWpd4IhVqhxPnV20pB4taQgWZM59K53rcf9XF_J1KP3gIjaIKmmvgp0-26VddmYAjzcFw5w9itfc4otPOM79t8kAtCMAc8_a-cherdNLgeEYv_1qrpxpnX/s1600/IMG_0266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8JDbeVnl8gwdkIpJx_5tBTIKWpd4IhVqhxPnV20pB4taQgWZM59K53rcf9XF_J1KP3gIjaIKmmvgp0-26VddmYAjzcFw5w9itfc4otPOM79t8kAtCMAc8_a-cherdNLgeEYv_1qrpxpnX/s320/IMG_0266.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_tEm-6BnOpdcz63xdcUFNEYSMYMGctPq7pusfJzMujUoXzOA1QbeLmfkRCCH_XFvhq_SapXlIrwbxmhwmpZqZL-a9WjEgGO9tJvWYVyL2PkUXA6d-78imwnsBBCqrIYz0RU9fHnPxbnb/s1600/IMG_0937.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_tEm-6BnOpdcz63xdcUFNEYSMYMGctPq7pusfJzMujUoXzOA1QbeLmfkRCCH_XFvhq_SapXlIrwbxmhwmpZqZL-a9WjEgGO9tJvWYVyL2PkUXA6d-78imwnsBBCqrIYz0RU9fHnPxbnb/s320/IMG_0937.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ5KecJWv6VfJSc8weeAei6doz8wVh14vs8RW_J_WPw31AK35u6dEiNWeeQQP4mFHzxZOoc6WkZ_ZpZ4aMZZn9_OVqxX0j53lc2tfSqPVkD7OA-vQbr66J9gVd5tVHAo0zSCT_fIElvGbo/s1600/IMG_0681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ5KecJWv6VfJSc8weeAei6doz8wVh14vs8RW_J_WPw31AK35u6dEiNWeeQQP4mFHzxZOoc6WkZ_ZpZ4aMZZn9_OVqxX0j53lc2tfSqPVkD7OA-vQbr66J9gVd5tVHAo0zSCT_fIElvGbo/s320/IMG_0681.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWfglDrctZ5M-WGI3SgPghOB8viMk5F_zk0DY1rtsSu7apggaFH8Ip9imrzwj5uekprJuGRRKpTMuaEGHBe-kG3jIlrunq-EgekK8uWh92iwxFe6r90TinNUGylAS94YxvR1WUQukk1zp/s1600/IMG_1042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWfglDrctZ5M-WGI3SgPghOB8viMk5F_zk0DY1rtsSu7apggaFH8Ip9imrzwj5uekprJuGRRKpTMuaEGHBe-kG3jIlrunq-EgekK8uWh92iwxFe6r90TinNUGylAS94YxvR1WUQukk1zp/s320/IMG_1042.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gOmoODuPhBufrpERIfxNQMMe9fpEgOus5W_dNIDn-kFVK9yCK75EJAKBuEBStbDs-egcmoT75erIQiZ_iKv7yEAZHvaGwmHlaQGygnKRSbkgUfIETSW9WdTCHfMs1_yy1_DE5H4hfH5s/s1600/IMG_1172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gOmoODuPhBufrpERIfxNQMMe9fpEgOus5W_dNIDn-kFVK9yCK75EJAKBuEBStbDs-egcmoT75erIQiZ_iKv7yEAZHvaGwmHlaQGygnKRSbkgUfIETSW9WdTCHfMs1_yy1_DE5H4hfH5s/s320/IMG_1172.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKyDHFbfuwT-82yume2j1FS0r0z31war56zG5iTjc0MoztPHEm29004YusXNOo96kMI9qGtb9gHl8XGkY78ln0LLFuKtNRqQhtee72BzhGfloNYZE6rX7SQxdaD8vUpkC4ywC5VJbYCCDz/s1600/church+oligarch+hotel+complex.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKyDHFbfuwT-82yume2j1FS0r0z31war56zG5iTjc0MoztPHEm29004YusXNOo96kMI9qGtb9gHl8XGkY78ln0LLFuKtNRqQhtee72BzhGfloNYZE6rX7SQxdaD8vUpkC4ywC5VJbYCCDz/s320/church+oligarch+hotel+complex.png" height="230" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Looking onto oligarch complex from Church annexe</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hard as it was at times, we learnt to deal with laughably grumpy cashiers, pillowy mountains of snow and not seeing the sun for a good 5 weeks. Ultimately, I was sorry to leave and I hope I can go back in the next few years (and remember a bit of Russian). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Otherwise, I'll see you chumps in Valencia!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i44.tinypic.com/1f7hu8.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i44.tinypic.com/1f7hu8.gif" /></a></div>
</div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-65926881957367728622012-12-03T02:08:00.000-08:002012-12-03T02:14:08.034-08:00Surprise! Russia is Cold In Winter.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqy-BhHVA9cxiNbLLngcUuO-xNx20AHdeRaIGeivI3K3o2Y58UTL5b-TQv3AQj10IOHITtuonuwMGphcei3wcAfBrmIHXZh1C82DpXzlcNJn6lPMVpYVf552K1S4HqV7glDrpc_UkmKAf/s1600/IMG_1148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqy-BhHVA9cxiNbLLngcUuO-xNx20AHdeRaIGeivI3K3o2Y58UTL5b-TQv3AQj10IOHITtuonuwMGphcei3wcAfBrmIHXZh1C82DpXzlcNJn6lPMVpYVf552K1S4HqV7glDrpc_UkmKAf/s320/IMG_1148.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the way to do my laundry in the middle of a blizzard: one pair of socks, two pairs of leggings, some alpaca wool socks (shut up), jeans, a thermal top, a cardigan, two jumpers, alpaca wool gloves and a coat that is quite literally thicker than my bedding. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh, that wasn't my laundry. That was on my freezing body in the tundric waste that was Petersburg on Friday. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9G1a2YHwq2k_-jaP8SWVeZ5HQti_DoZxbMn-yKnTBFV2uuEEf_JoAvC4flQ_KvLOR4MDLeT3WjVQ4IgZlZhi6kP0lbjfnRvCTvneKF7DDc14ouQ5fPlSZ180IEC_5YYqSYqWlb5oYmiV1/s1600/IMG_1147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9G1a2YHwq2k_-jaP8SWVeZ5HQti_DoZxbMn-yKnTBFV2uuEEf_JoAvC4flQ_KvLOR4MDLeT3WjVQ4IgZlZhi6kP0lbjfnRvCTvneKF7DDc14ouQ5fPlSZ180IEC_5YYqSYqWlb5oYmiV1/s320/IMG_1147.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">THAT. Is NOT. NORMAL. And there's hundreds of them all over the city. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The situation has eased up a bit in that some of the snow seems to be melting where people have walked over it. This means there is now filthy slush all over the pavements and dripping off the roofs onto people's heads below. The rest of it has stubbornly stayed put though. Piter does look beautiful in the snow, but it's hard to see with a scarf over your mouth and a faux fur hood blinkering your face. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm currently sleeping under 6 wool blankets and freezing as the radiator in our room, with a wooden counter built around it, radiates less heat than fresh vomit. But we've been recommended to request an extra radiator from our bezzies the cleaners.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNybxNiGkNmPda0ZC4AJLCrDRw1n3ZZXqc21VJr8zcwTnQl4Dd6yoAPCc0Nv6TWdV3ceyu0nWwjJ2O7NJAErzw4Y6cTNvXb_z7xfj1ncJuJveSltFTZnWLo3Lq29CYt8s1VXMmeXms5M9j/s1600/IMG_1141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNybxNiGkNmPda0ZC4AJLCrDRw1n3ZZXqc21VJr8zcwTnQl4Dd6yoAPCc0Nv6TWdV3ceyu0nWwjJ2O7NJAErzw4Y6cTNvXb_z7xfj1ncJuJveSltFTZnWLo3Lq29CYt8s1VXMmeXms5M9j/s320/IMG_1141.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyway, everyone looking forward to New Year? The next holiday on the calendar? I can't wait for Father New Year to put my New Year presents under my New Year tree.</span></div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-58667249230439996892012-11-27T00:04:00.002-08:002012-11-27T00:04:52.050-08:00Temple of Love, Peace and Music<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoVJQQKzC4SFzkWe0KgCAMp1CPbk6T_ZwIxBkN5JRW_KMaujlKd16gjptCti_psTAVtyFDAIsVLmN04HdH3vKjNW68lwf71x8mNDTw-ec-R1UVvVCozmzPwWS824Ph-8SHe_WoE_jSGH7/s1600/IMG_1073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoVJQQKzC4SFzkWe0KgCAMp1CPbk6T_ZwIxBkN5JRW_KMaujlKd16gjptCti_psTAVtyFDAIsVLmN04HdH3vKjNW68lwf71x8mNDTw-ec-R1UVvVCozmzPwWS824Ph-8SHe_WoE_jSGH7/s400/IMG_1073.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">…or where to find the world’s biggest Beatles fan, Kolya Vasin. As long as you love the Beatles, he’ll love you. He’ll answer all your questions, but don’t expect him to take sides: he has no favourite Beatle, no favourite album, no favourite song – he just loves everything they do. Look out for the first record made in St Petersburg on the black market, from an X-ray scan. He’s been collecting for 50 years and in the temple for 20. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDwgWQAVxTEgcVxVl3HtJZRCPEdG6k2GNXSRDiJfqF3jTtl4eJZkuVzUSQDF_6wqUptnLWbEev1COLUMbWXAGWfLqHVDI7aDTRzLIYENHs_sk6LA7AeBljKT6A8qZ0JqkzTiuOEKtqUhJ/s1600/IMG_1075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMDwgWQAVxTEgcVxVl3HtJZRCPEdG6k2GNXSRDiJfqF3jTtl4eJZkuVzUSQDF_6wqUptnLWbEev1COLUMbWXAGWfLqHVDI7aDTRzLIYENHs_sk6LA7AeBljKT6A8qZ0JqkzTiuOEKtqUhJ/s400/IMG_1075.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some quotes from him:</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[On his hand-made temple model] “The yellow sphere is love – like the sun. The blue sphere is peace – like the sky.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“The Beatles is my native music – it is the music of my soul.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“All good people listen to The Beatles – only foolish people don’t listen to them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Before The Beatles, there was no freedom in Russia. Then there was freedom.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">[As we were leaving] “Beatles forever! All you need is love!”</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLD5kErcVIn8zUQIE6Kw8sTRFrRNT0NKBGrlI3bg9vFiXwJsKWmEzYniQsKmxTGsEUyNuUCN09fsa5_wV0caLFFHA-E3OOpqBGTkBYzKQYDFymmwXuKwrVvkhEnm86av9UtmLi3iI_JB4P/s1600/IMG_1076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLD5kErcVIn8zUQIE6Kw8sTRFrRNT0NKBGrlI3bg9vFiXwJsKWmEzYniQsKmxTGsEUyNuUCN09fsa5_wV0caLFFHA-E3OOpqBGTkBYzKQYDFymmwXuKwrVvkhEnm86av9UtmLi3iI_JB4P/s400/IMG_1076.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYjqUckOV1pb3sUOLLMatGf9alJN2vqcPBf5lHjYKCk2RklZAsisbCrjlxV7ZkOGK4X_nezNOZJ1i8i_Q444T17SJ2CftkgBNNb_5aSO95zWzskZPxdOkfFOOWEI_2oUa27pokcXMtNJ6/s1600/IMG_1077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYjqUckOV1pb3sUOLLMatGf9alJN2vqcPBf5lHjYKCk2RklZAsisbCrjlxV7ZkOGK4X_nezNOZJ1i8i_Q444T17SJ2CftkgBNNb_5aSO95zWzskZPxdOkfFOOWEI_2oUa27pokcXMtNJ6/s400/IMG_1077.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegK6fxLR7ei7ia98qzyUHFYtjBxxLmolanKyQ6R5EKd9pQVmNzODSw8HglPuA_5gKbByCKTcotTvuKAi7k8rGRqAxbBPmhGxve-vcZhKqKsJsCwK3jRdVFLKblV88Ie_-QK7vGlr2gKhe/s1600/IMG_1079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegK6fxLR7ei7ia98qzyUHFYtjBxxLmolanKyQ6R5EKd9pQVmNzODSw8HglPuA_5gKbByCKTcotTvuKAi7k8rGRqAxbBPmhGxve-vcZhKqKsJsCwK3jRdVFLKblV88Ie_-QK7vGlr2gKhe/s400/IMG_1079.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First record made in StPb on the black market, from an x-ray scan</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-QiPpLTZNDsjgf-jmJgJs9ocXOttw2VQcq5pUz8Ivvr4UWJtM19Zm1VShbzAqhVgKdfNiEMZSYf-_qIkoSswQqeYpe6h2epc8lZHrv4ltiHHzibMw6lYtUP25BPwjRFaSa1eg1JDimEW/s1600/IMG_1080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM-QiPpLTZNDsjgf-jmJgJs9ocXOttw2VQcq5pUz8Ivvr4UWJtM19Zm1VShbzAqhVgKdfNiEMZSYf-_qIkoSswQqeYpe6h2epc8lZHrv4ltiHHzibMw6lYtUP25BPwjRFaSa1eg1JDimEW/s400/IMG_1080.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Every Friday 6-8pm at Pushkinskaya 10.</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-79134612609315743812012-11-26T23:52:00.003-08:002012-11-26T23:52:46.829-08:00Russian Fishing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOuUROmvhCXt1VU08AVSNyb1bfK7Kpin62voux5Kvhvq5Gv03gk3ODQLyQ73TkGybcvFmtXteII0eWF0nnvbKkx3E1vELt_OSuhBUrwtxj_nRPDr6_cU4_qyz0GbnVLI89h3tfINQMeogd/s1600/IMG_1092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOuUROmvhCXt1VU08AVSNyb1bfK7Kpin62voux5Kvhvq5Gv03gk3ODQLyQ73TkGybcvFmtXteII0eWF0nnvbKkx3E1vELt_OSuhBUrwtxj_nRPDr6_cU4_qyz0GbnVLI89h3tfINQMeogd/s320/IMG_1092.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The most expensive
outing I will have in Russia and it was so completely worth it. Perched on the
edge of a small lake on Krestovsky ostrov’, this restaurant allows you to catch
your own fish and eat it. Rather like choosing your own lobster (what I’ve seen
in movies) except so much more thrilling! The fish are divided by species, so
pick from trout, sturgeon, beluga or crabs. Only the trout is caught by a line
and you can choose to use a small fish as tackle and have a smaller catch,
faster – or use sweetcorn for a slower, bigger catch. We went with the latter.
Sergey, our helper, was extremely friendly and helpful and quietly bashed the
fish’s head in while I wasn’t looking. He also lifted the nets so I could take
pictures of the other, massive fish.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMfrgbVP4ONTpCUWXMPLUZvW5iTQWhKjmdolsh22Ca7vIPcpiUqAR1k1UEzC5hc3n08WBxeUIuFmiMoc0N_Jz69tHz1DiqB_epW28Yo2O2PIi6J_OQr1-VNv4NpjBEWwq9v6FC2YnNhhb/s1600/IMG_1096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMfrgbVP4ONTpCUWXMPLUZvW5iTQWhKjmdolsh22Ca7vIPcpiUqAR1k1UEzC5hc3n08WBxeUIuFmiMoc0N_Jz69tHz1DiqB_epW28Yo2O2PIi6J_OQr1-VNv4NpjBEWwq9v6FC2YnNhhb/s320/IMG_1096.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We got to play an
‘amateur’ game of Battleships on our paper placemats and there were other board
games available, as well as free Wi-fi. You can also admire the naval-themed
décor and the large photo of Putin’s visit to the restaurant. With the
recommendation of the great fisherman himself, who could resist?!</span> <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHjo0ujMur-oDvnEzXGA6cEBLE_N4Wo0tDONubh0McYoccP9PWoT9unfjfsjQJgaxZoqIwgTuaoJWxhtRzQ3aN96eBr9zq4NjkPLQzmwzVBSg3EhMJNUKz9AQAEmIJ5IHYSPC1CtZb9sM/s1600/IMG_1108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHjo0ujMur-oDvnEzXGA6cEBLE_N4Wo0tDONubh0McYoccP9PWoT9unfjfsjQJgaxZoqIwgTuaoJWxhtRzQ3aN96eBr9zq4NjkPLQzmwzVBSg3EhMJNUKz9AQAEmIJ5IHYSPC1CtZb9sM/s320/IMG_1108.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We were served the
entire trout with a salad of lettuce, lemon and olives, as we chose to have it
grilled. It was absolutely delicious and we ate enough food for about 4 people,
determined as we were to finish everything to justify our cold-hearted killing.
There was also a friendly pet cat who stared at us until we fed it some fish
and some funny fishing-related cartoons in the toilet. Our fish and two massive
tankards of beer was £70, which was more than the R2000/£40 recommended by the
many reviews I’d seen beforehand. We supposed that those people had ordered
from the menu and tried the casual fishing offered by the restaurant, which
doesn’t seem worth it. Considering an Indian out for one here costs £20, we
were happy with the extra expense as all fishing equipment was included. A
wonderful one-time experience, and first-time fishing experience for me!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4-Oy8SBORAm8bgxVcdGZo6tAA7dA8QGVN9rv-5lvsVYY2PVFTDUYjaNY1u-v0VqjdJ6SiDttu8fqC0cfn7jEPmDlPYOWjNsOR7Ubl_TmUi9BLCjFZOvMJOpt7O5qJkSFcSdbwU251AQN/s1600/IMG_1104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4-Oy8SBORAm8bgxVcdGZo6tAA7dA8QGVN9rv-5lvsVYY2PVFTDUYjaNY1u-v0VqjdJ6SiDttu8fqC0cfn7jEPmDlPYOWjNsOR7Ubl_TmUi9BLCjFZOvMJOpt7O5qJkSFcSdbwU251AQN/s320/IMG_1104.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WCX4n1BmJE2jipPPiZ_Tg9QJEHYfx-Tt3UeYqLPsKQYpgmXojdXTRSm3xs_1qFwv9-aA3pH1HPsW94uU54u8BFG1QcYJmKCa81O85QotGerEQD1eFiqQ-TgGrU7LtYwSu1hkXYG33fQI/s1600/IMG_1110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WCX4n1BmJE2jipPPiZ_Tg9QJEHYfx-Tt3UeYqLPsKQYpgmXojdXTRSm3xs_1qFwv9-aA3pH1HPsW94uU54u8BFG1QcYJmKCa81O85QotGerEQD1eFiqQ-TgGrU7LtYwSu1hkXYG33fQI/s320/IMG_1110.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The complex the
restaurant is in is also worth a look:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2d6ibDS19r0yVKJ6MypepvLZVng_Psog4bUvOFeQjIsJgzujW_GUf6ZM2aq5cH3hC46mgtoqNoDdip54b-vu6sFwtdEzQsIseCcA9eskFArtmMxju4KcdN5wAGV8MUwiZZk6YLl1dTWRU/s1600/IMG_1113.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2d6ibDS19r0yVKJ6MypepvLZVng_Psog4bUvOFeQjIsJgzujW_GUf6ZM2aq5cH3hC46mgtoqNoDdip54b-vu6sFwtdEzQsIseCcA9eskFArtmMxju4KcdN5wAGV8MUwiZZk6YLl1dTWRU/s320/IMG_1113.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Karl and Friederik restaurant</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0j1Q_Ikh-Kgfu-Hgke8GurJgeqfyf3kSoVezsa0c1Or4NPqmU4ypLPoGxCu7KZyxmS5_N-e6KJbPXnPTUmubAzoZCbrb6e94OG4q21vHUGZnq837Jkhy7lJGMjpYM9qfC56m-JoH6vsq/s1600/IMG_1112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0j1Q_Ikh-Kgfu-Hgke8GurJgeqfyf3kSoVezsa0c1Or4NPqmU4ypLPoGxCu7KZyxmS5_N-e6KJbPXnPTUmubAzoZCbrb6e94OG4q21vHUGZnq837Jkhy7lJGMjpYM9qfC56m-JoH6vsq/s320/IMG_1112.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Historic stone</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On the way back, walk
behind the restaurant, past the lake, and turn left into the little fork in the
path. This way will take you past the Zoopark, complete with ostrich and
chickens. Turn right at the end of this road and follow it back to the
crossroads by the Metro station. Stop to see the Japanese-style shrine from the
town of Osaka, and the wishes tied to the trees behind it. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqzXvU2_LoJXEX_GNI-I9X5H0GsBprSo9e0-6CS5QWTjf02uI-VwGpMZb403bj_X7_SFEs0Jlr4Ng4LyygOBcnlHWG8CeRU_K-FKLttzom7ApyLaEwha5y5l9KtWAWmQbl32crxwqYuG_/s1600/IMG_1115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiqzXvU2_LoJXEX_GNI-I9X5H0GsBprSo9e0-6CS5QWTjf02uI-VwGpMZb403bj_X7_SFEs0Jlr4Ng4LyygOBcnlHWG8CeRU_K-FKLttzom7ApyLaEwha5y5l9KtWAWmQbl32crxwqYuG_/s320/IMG_1115.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">11 Yuzhnaya Doroga,
Krestovsky Ostrov’. Turn left out of the Metro station, over the first
crossroads, then take the first right. Follow the road past the ‘Sport Palace’
(9) to number 11.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-36780880268125192522012-11-22T02:32:00.001-08:002012-11-22T02:32:10.224-08:00Botanika<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7De9nyO_yoM9saV6AmzFl0kCU_TM-khp_gv5XPwvAPlrxzfql5Y-bWCc1KkjwIfxEhOGEMqPp-lG_OsSl8cqrOfQdE7gtHTRaTkZ42LzaTEeAL2qJd2o_9piNv80Ag_TIxfCJv5AgOd0m/s1600/IMG_1053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7De9nyO_yoM9saV6AmzFl0kCU_TM-khp_gv5XPwvAPlrxzfql5Y-bWCc1KkjwIfxEhOGEMqPp-lG_OsSl8cqrOfQdE7gtHTRaTkZ42LzaTEeAL2qJd2o_9piNv80Ag_TIxfCJv5AgOd0m/s320/IMG_1053.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This vegetarian/vegan
restaurant is full of art from the Academy across the road. A welcome change to
meaty Russian cuisine, come here for falafel and Asian dishes. ‘Asia’, the tofu
stir-fry with peanut sauce and rice noodles is delicious (R320). Get it with a “Lakshmi”,
made with Sudanese rose, sugar and syrup (R80). The Arrabbiata pasta is also
spicy, yummy and very meatless!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTJdTtX5dfQQVDGCvvg4KT0NWqGpDUJHzgKT-Eu5LhkuSOqHcGXmHz2HiUwtTI6MT1qLgxMK56jd0Xstt0RKfZkLg8S-F-jHfApl3AgA-s7DsvarWkasfSM_Rv-myXGv0WD3_VJUFmFN9/s1600/IMG_1054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTJdTtX5dfQQVDGCvvg4KT0NWqGpDUJHzgKT-Eu5LhkuSOqHcGXmHz2HiUwtTI6MT1qLgxMK56jd0Xstt0RKfZkLg8S-F-jHfApl3AgA-s7DsvarWkasfSM_Rv-myXGv0WD3_VJUFmFN9/s320/IMG_1054.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLuoNgPkMskTJDMTKnq10piST1cVumf38Q6VFAv0k0iVi8rU4tLKkYtjVgNUHNz_DD1oIKh2fmU85kLVzRhXqGmxasSipbRIL12mdv2TirLffL4PwC6_IYaUKa3LQaHpSHziLhuG4QpW6/s1600/IMG_1055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLuoNgPkMskTJDMTKnq10piST1cVumf38Q6VFAv0k0iVi8rU4tLKkYtjVgNUHNz_DD1oIKh2fmU85kLVzRhXqGmxasSipbRIL12mdv2TirLffL4PwC6_IYaUKa3LQaHpSHziLhuG4QpW6/s320/IMG_1055.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-2QyKWnHzdZVqhyphenhyphenMvf_y3ADoxvXfhGY6LC_H4C082MG3XBllqoBKJBqSTuzyrmVipZnnCO_1EvEUwCo9reHHQM5Gimb9PY0C07MFNHgREk5doc3hKkjfut3b9SZzd0fehy1Zzq33eKYf/s1600/IMG_1060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-2QyKWnHzdZVqhyphenhyphenMvf_y3ADoxvXfhGY6LC_H4C082MG3XBllqoBKJBqSTuzyrmVipZnnCO_1EvEUwCo9reHHQM5Gimb9PY0C07MFNHgREk5doc3hKkjfut3b9SZzd0fehy1Zzq33eKYf/s320/IMG_1060.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">From Engineer’s castle, cross the bridge towards M Chernyshevskaya and walk up the road – Botanika is on the right opposite the Art Academy.</span></div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-46951274231365861212012-11-19T03:56:00.006-08:002012-11-19T23:58:39.355-08:00‘We don’t call this “Snow”’<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We closed our curtains on this:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbY-mN3LsEvXZ64iVGdIDp43HAiAHNHDMToR9lzGbls_nu0Yfw8DwWBxJNkqNt-Z39TZrEIvVGAg33uQoLeiMdfxUzjJtnlpsaba9lWbwtBWbR8ivpBkK1jWlS2h6plZzIh-Rq4EQUB_D/s1600/IMG_0546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbY-mN3LsEvXZ64iVGdIDp43HAiAHNHDMToR9lzGbls_nu0Yfw8DwWBxJNkqNt-Z39TZrEIvVGAg33uQoLeiMdfxUzjJtnlpsaba9lWbwtBWbR8ivpBkK1jWlS2h6plZzIh-Rq4EQUB_D/s320/IMG_0546.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And opened them on this:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlyuG07FUdzD8vefkFEMmtGYFFTpILMNh_flIH430UF-R97ff4_xArq4IkNgaL8miwKUphiTtKTZfNTuy8QCsRHQujtyoavh2vDsyeKl1-FCmjNsek9NWuk2VeNd48CKe4_UxlEOMNZXb/s1600/IMG_0547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrlyuG07FUdzD8vefkFEMmtGYFFTpILMNh_flIH430UF-R97ff4_xArq4IkNgaL8miwKUphiTtKTZfNTuy8QCsRHQujtyoavh2vDsyeKl1-FCmjNsek9NWuk2VeNd48CKe4_UxlEOMNZXb/s320/IMG_0547.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The amount of snow that would have caused
chaos in England was just a peaceful addition to an apathetic city. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZ9-pUvPOhkmvMdXll2M1lAIxvVqEkfEykOFUEeB00N6-0HKarEJzH-LMOK3hXQ3ifIM2X5NiXnpcHEORWjNS5W5lxjsNZSlFIe_1BhqUIhElVogCF5eyrDHRmxMIp7dgU74uqKhvvNtS/s1600/IMG_0551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZ9-pUvPOhkmvMdXll2M1lAIxvVqEkfEykOFUEeB00N6-0HKarEJzH-LMOK3hXQ3ifIM2X5NiXnpcHEORWjNS5W5lxjsNZSlFIe_1BhqUIhElVogCF5eyrDHRmxMIp7dgU74uqKhvvNtS/s320/IMG_0551.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1OJBeYV2t0AYjhNWc4fkJz8KSoEmkkoIShEe4lEDKbT46bzO8SNfv-q7DA6erNVvOgwbwVBohxQ24-XqCgJqS6PWV_ygmAjgz0ILsd-3c1DfalIQE9RVrE_AaKBvO8f9RfypbidicUyW/s1600/IMG_0550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw1OJBeYV2t0AYjhNWc4fkJz8KSoEmkkoIShEe4lEDKbT46bzO8SNfv-q7DA6erNVvOgwbwVBohxQ24-XqCgJqS6PWV_ygmAjgz0ILsd-3c1DfalIQE9RVrE_AaKBvO8f9RfypbidicUyW/s320/IMG_0550.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzA-7IUllGKDGhN3ygSuQtBR9T-Oi8rebfM9ZwkP7S_i69yALusmJ3ikxzRn5_UR9LcwIYCzXIxfNJqTkIWlxwbg6B-AsC8i04grVpv9mcT0k6RlCUqEFV5WUuMhHpVB7KwLusdjsEBaS1/s1600/IMG_0548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzA-7IUllGKDGhN3ygSuQtBR9T-Oi8rebfM9ZwkP7S_i69yALusmJ3ikxzRn5_UR9LcwIYCzXIxfNJqTkIWlxwbg6B-AsC8i04grVpv9mcT0k6RlCUqEFV5WUuMhHpVB7KwLusdjsEBaS1/s320/IMG_0548.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In London you have to leave early with your
unmatched gloves and layers of permeable clothing to touch some snow that’s
still white. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKimoAidEiXFW4kXT7gDywp-SI1kRDzLhnMPBkPrXrWDUZECHt-q2dDBqmr8_dePMbr_TEof4coJw3Z5ngVwHuoKgK7CGRxUZKjdJftlXjzpgzRKMocvpjXsl5PGZJ4FsJVTpbqEueelU2/s1600/IMG_0556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKimoAidEiXFW4kXT7gDywp-SI1kRDzLhnMPBkPrXrWDUZECHt-q2dDBqmr8_dePMbr_TEof4coJw3Z5ngVwHuoKgK7CGRxUZKjdJftlXjzpgzRKMocvpjXsl5PGZJ4FsJVTpbqEueelU2/s320/IMG_0556.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwAdXekuEWZi6vzSWQWd5RzFDqsV7rhVOHJeIcqza18F9wrsFAW7zMFbMSzgsBekcKPqA0e-IjhdkAPYVC12K2vnTf0t7dcR7434z-95Ii0nwjKpdUKW0JUrkVR8EaFC3N2E6hQr91CGqW/s1600/IMG_0563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwAdXekuEWZi6vzSWQWd5RzFDqsV7rhVOHJeIcqza18F9wrsFAW7zMFbMSzgsBekcKPqA0e-IjhdkAPYVC12K2vnTf0t7dcR7434z-95Ii0nwjKpdUKW0JUrkVR8EaFC3N2E6hQr91CGqW/s320/IMG_0563.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrg5-drnVet929vSaqPbTaCpPxkqDm6SgfRLkj0g2sBUPwa2sS7fC494LfNTWPvZFraE7HbJlzTgqzsAC0B6Npv9_Zqe1qGwPzQqa82gmhzp98madcpRRUFCH_iwiBmXJVDySCEtHuXmK3/s1600/IMG_0564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrg5-drnVet929vSaqPbTaCpPxkqDm6SgfRLkj0g2sBUPwa2sS7fC494LfNTWPvZFraE7HbJlzTgqzsAC0B6Npv9_Zqe1qGwPzQqa82gmhzp98madcpRRUFCH_iwiBmXJVDySCEtHuXmK3/s320/IMG_0564.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here, people try to avoid it and you can see why by the piles of
slush that mount up at the side of the road. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjriBZwFbQSuA0m9e-AusFjykHFNc1QJsrXu5jDa-wuBm9Oxn3ULKIoFkk3b2AMPHaswQsNLsqybwjK4zKint81MWbBydl4l3w6dNKJVx2OGOLBD2OpiLvi472Y_oH4p8n4bhF5sJMYGpeE/s1600/IMG_0552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjriBZwFbQSuA0m9e-AusFjykHFNc1QJsrXu5jDa-wuBm9Oxn3ULKIoFkk3b2AMPHaswQsNLsqybwjK4zKint81MWbBydl4l3w6dNKJVx2OGOLBD2OpiLvi472Y_oH4p8n4bhF5sJMYGpeE/s320/IMG_0552.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdg1LlbuMTC-e2vBrsdjFmM4UGqhb2Dl2j2FeH_jOk1lDssOOcx37C9WjVQ-Vzg4R_551wsprTnHJGTiaoWnwduL-MViEYowjE3zU0syMSZQ2UR76OmN_Y6CY8hNuElcBLZHln8WU2Ets-/s1600/IMG_0582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdg1LlbuMTC-e2vBrsdjFmM4UGqhb2Dl2j2FeH_jOk1lDssOOcx37C9WjVQ-Vzg4R_551wsprTnHJGTiaoWnwduL-MViEYowjE3zU0syMSZQ2UR76OmN_Y6CY8hNuElcBLZHln8WU2Ets-/s320/IMG_0582.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Nevertheless, virgin snow
stretches across parks and pavements, aching to be crunched.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCANHLKopjWXTF1ryG2BvXo2JBf2nHAhst7MeKWcftvj4jYD5maaAZwwXw93Zhq_wM006kEzsLH7ynFOCM6u9wH4NlnvH7b3oQ9-NXaDGE0-db_dyk_qQtqZrT-aXc6AUuAleUvlZAudN/s1600/IMG_0576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCANHLKopjWXTF1ryG2BvXo2JBf2nHAhst7MeKWcftvj4jYD5maaAZwwXw93Zhq_wM006kEzsLH7ynFOCM6u9wH4NlnvH7b3oQ9-NXaDGE0-db_dyk_qQtqZrT-aXc6AUuAleUvlZAudN/s320/IMG_0576.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The pigeons were also not bothered.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2mJkqd2wIjOMHynAt9sHjHD9r5oKL_RIggY6e_iK8g_BCQBzQv9vKS8djycTB60TRWt9HkY4h5RJ0HIruZMveufmUs34nGBadS7X1LPs-zQrDickXLSj8GInVzPdkoR0e7MVREMTAYLA/s1600/IMG_0578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM2mJkqd2wIjOMHynAt9sHjHD9r5oKL_RIggY6e_iK8g_BCQBzQv9vKS8djycTB60TRWt9HkY4h5RJ0HIruZMveufmUs34nGBadS7X1LPs-zQrDickXLSj8GInVzPdkoR0e7MVREMTAYLA/s320/IMG_0578.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This snowfall was apparently just a taster. I'll report back in December from my igloo.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUP2BDbqy0AHlhVoTil-LvSOT2E_bdI7i40opx2aXGihzbe9rZ32muwduIgVVgJ_Kk5jZeoX0TpQFDyNOigEFqapEAejaPj_bdMOzpFYCDMgIOZdsVGz9HmWkTR9ds9ByekYLqHKzhdvO/s1600/IMG_0566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUP2BDbqy0AHlhVoTil-LvSOT2E_bdI7i40opx2aXGihzbe9rZ32muwduIgVVgJ_Kk5jZeoX0TpQFDyNOigEFqapEAejaPj_bdMOzpFYCDMgIOZdsVGz9HmWkTR9ds9ByekYLqHKzhdvO/s320/IMG_0566.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-23246977078954488512012-11-18T00:10:00.003-08:002012-11-19T03:57:07.255-08:00Yusupov Gardens<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE2zCT_gWPi5_JaPo2RqjEaAZeTDTFTySDphxn12_MZAoBEPchMwHuyM7xq8g0MzlAmmwNM_2fbdlLZAyeG2HylNLm1yXnctrpMphdtp723u__Htc7Jn9iL6qN3i7TB2IyM3R7RDc_m66/s1600/Yusupov+Gardens+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE2zCT_gWPi5_JaPo2RqjEaAZeTDTFTySDphxn12_MZAoBEPchMwHuyM7xq8g0MzlAmmwNM_2fbdlLZAyeG2HylNLm1yXnctrpMphdtp723u__Htc7Jn9iL6qN3i7TB2IyM3R7RDc_m66/s320/Yusupov+Gardens+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> A serene park, free from noise pollution
and free of charge, the gardens make a nice change from the bustle of Sennaya
Ploshad’. People talk in hushed tones, or just silently contemplate the surface
of the lake, still but for the ducks that have their own ramp. Come in autumn to
see the fiery leaves, flowers clinging to colour and hopefully catch the <a href="http://theseriousandthefrivolous.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/autumnal-elements-of-russian-culture.html"><span style="color: blue;">Mushroom Festival</span></a> that is hosted here.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1oLfXMOFXU0EDfae9sklj3eYXE3g1en8b7VcuNdwJ2gdklIcUHMU3qMov6sxEQ_oe5ll-1qnDAGCiu8d_mAt8slBHzmB0rtwhxWndIGMFFovqj2s4vZKztesoeKQDYRx6Vb2wXrGQmexk/s1600/Yusupov+Gardens.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1oLfXMOFXU0EDfae9sklj3eYXE3g1en8b7VcuNdwJ2gdklIcUHMU3qMov6sxEQ_oe5ll-1qnDAGCiu8d_mAt8slBHzmB0rtwhxWndIGMFFovqj2s4vZKztesoeKQDYRx6Vb2wXrGQmexk/s320/Yusupov+Gardens.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sadovaya ul.</span></div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-39871386601873803542012-11-18T00:07:00.004-08:002012-11-19T02:01:02.556-08:00Yolki Palki<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0G8vg2SPi9atOYNbJBE44xByAktH0oIqEMhgqBucWLVN1Nsy67dBXhsjEhYiIrXdJD_22Md2X_xP67dh-8AmctVEv0kr7tf1NCvPedSUdo4EyrVAbtn1GfEBTzKaxhBu9Q935G7WVSuD-/s1600/Yolki+Palki+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0G8vg2SPi9atOYNbJBE44xByAktH0oIqEMhgqBucWLVN1Nsy67dBXhsjEhYiIrXdJD_22Md2X_xP67dh-8AmctVEv0kr7tf1NCvPedSUdo4EyrVAbtn1GfEBTzKaxhBu9Q935G7WVSuD-/s320/Yolki+Palki+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> ‘Fir trees and sticks!’ This kitschy, crazy
restaurant chain serves up tasty, traditional dishes to both tourists and Russians.
Shashliks (around R400) come with salad, onion salsa, a few wedges and toasted
flatbread, while the salmon and red caviar fettucini (R360) will make your
fellow diners envious. Their dedication to kitschy Russian folk décor is
admirable – features include a giant oak, a boar’s head, oversized painted
wooden spoons and an imitation hearth. The salad bar is also great value and
it’s well worth taking the opportunity to sample some ‘mors’ and traditional
Russian appetizers (homemade shots).</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IqU-Hf64m6zA90-GTXZVJYj8q0Y-K5XqOn1U0GOiNUFYW3e-mQLlFDZ_TMXKbjQnr5d-rI5dqi0y7Esxftlfsgit9t48hPfk9VVK4OLwiTaHJukAIOpr-aMQcOOlvfWoYQ_vSZ2xOluX/s1600/Yolki+Palki.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IqU-Hf64m6zA90-GTXZVJYj8q0Y-K5XqOn1U0GOiNUFYW3e-mQLlFDZ_TMXKbjQnr5d-rI5dqi0y7Esxftlfsgit9t48hPfk9VVK4OLwiTaHJukAIOpr-aMQcOOlvfWoYQ_vSZ2xOluX/s320/Yolki+Palki.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Nevsky prospect, opposite the Kazan cathedral.</span></span></div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4155717888350634801.post-56611000061548758922012-11-18T00:05:00.005-08:002012-11-19T02:01:41.184-08:00Tokyo Nights<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Discount sushi joint on Sennaya ploshad’
that offers 2for1 sushi round the clock. Rolls with avocado or salmon and
cream-cheese are especially yummy and you get fast, friendly service. The
salmon on our sashimi rolls looked a little strange as it was cooked, and the
addition of pizza and steak on the menu is kind of discordant, but go for the
sushi for a tasty, cheap meal out in a lively, well-decorated restaurant.</span></span></div>
</div>
aromyofonesownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04353111416534299143noreply@blogger.com0