Long weekend

Christmas is upon us and children are looking forward to two whole weeks of no school. They will spend time with their families, open presents and eat lots and lots of sweets. However in Catalonia, December starts with a holiday weekend, with not one but two extra days off!

Whenever there is a holiday weekend the family always like to make the most of things and go to different places. My host brother Alex plays water polo and his team was having a match in a nearby town called Olot. Marta, my host mother and Ines, my host grandmother drove there and cheered Alex on as he played against the local team. Raffle tickets were sold during the event and this was for the annual charity called La Marató (The Marathon), which raises money to advance medical research for diseases. Every year it’s a different disease and this year it’s for diabetes and obesity.

After the match, Marta, Ines and I drove around the area, where I was treated to spectacular mountain views. Mountains here are a lot higher than in Scotland and a number of towns have been built upon extinct volcanoes. We stopped at a small town called Besalú, which has been around since the 12^th century. It has a gate similar to those you see in fairytale castles, on top of which is the nativity scene with Mary and Joseph looking over their newborn son Jesus. There were a few odd moments with a huge chair stuck in an alleyway and two chairs attached vertically to a stone wall (as you do), but it gave this little town much charm. The centre of the town was of course decorated with wonderful Christmas lights – I took some photos, but unfortunately they didn’t turn out so well (you see them in the last blog post). We then returned home, satisfied that we took the scenic route.

On Sunday, the family and I headed to Barcelona. We visited the Christmas markets and it was so hard to move around as there were a lot of people! I was in fear of being squished. Not to fear though as we moved to a less busy part of the city and headed to the Museu Blau (Blue Museum). This is a museum of natural sciences and it had some really cool exhibits about the earth, some stuffed animals (which I find really creepy) and there were exhibits about nutrition and what we should do to keep healthy. It was an interesting way to spend a Sunday afternoon and it was free too (some museums are free on Sundays after 3pm). We made our way across the street from the museum, enjoying some cold drinks before heading back to the centre of the town. A few hours later, we were on our way back home.

On Monday afternoon I was out with Marta and Ines again as went went to a charming, picturesque town called Espinelves. It was filled with Christmas stalls and I bought a lovely little ornament called a Caga Tió. This is a special tradition in the Catalan region of Spain where the Tió is fed sweets or fruit and on Christmas Eve, the children hit it with a stick and then the gifts come out of the other end.  My one is just  an ornament, but it is sitting proudly on the table in my home. On Tuesday it was just a relaxing day, before returning to the madness of school!

Now I am back in Scotland for Christmas and enjoying some well deserved time off! Here are some photos below of the long weekend a few weeks ago: 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

So I haven't even started Christmas shopping yet nor will it be long until I'm home for Christmas, but here in Catalonia, Spain the decorations are up and everywhere seems to be in the festive spirit. Here are some photos of Christmas lights I've seen while in the country:

Barcelona

Besalú

Sorry for the bluriness of this photo - they're Santas hanging from the balcony! 

A fun weekend in Barcelona

Since arriving in this country I have met another Scottish girl on the same programme called Shona. She is from Balloch, near Loch Lomond. We agreed to meet up and spend a weekend together in Barcelona. We became very excited for this weekend as it was my first time staying in the city and properly exploring it. In one of my previous posts I went on a school trip there.

My good friend and colleague Judit drove me to the train station in Cardedeu and from there I embarked to Barcelona El Clot Aragó, via Granollers Central where Shona got on the train. We were so deep in conversation that we almost missed our stop! But we quickly got off and soon armed with a map and smartphones we found our hostel.

After checking in, paying and all that jazz we made our way to our rooms and we met two Italian girls sharing with us. I hadn't had anything to eat since lunchtime and my stomach was rumbling, so then Shona and I left to find food. We headed on the metro straight to Placa Catalunya and La Rambla in the city centre.

Decisions are hard, especially when it comes to food. We looked at several restaurants and while deciding on where to eat we somehow got lost. It lead us to some dark and dodgy looking streets, but we asked a man advertising his restaurant how to get back to La Rambla. He managed to direct us in the right way and then we ended up in the first restaurant looked at. An hour later with our tummies full and satisfied we made our way back to the metro, but not before we stopped to talk to a Cornish lady who had a gorgeous Border collie named Lulu. Before we got on the metro, we looked up and saw some rather questionable looking Christmas lights). Soon we were back at the hostel, straight to our beds ready for a full on day of city sightseeing.

Saturday started off at La Sagrada Familia, where I was awestruck with its magnificent beauty. It has been 100 years in the making and is expected to be completed in 2026. Our breakfast consisted of a chocolate croissant and I purchased a bottle of water as the weather was slightly warmer than I expected! I was seriously worrying that I would get badly burned (no worries though as my body was covered more than the average tourist). Next was another visit to the centre of town where I met another teaching assistant called Kirstie (we shared a room at the induction) and then met another one called Katy. We had cups of coffee and walked around the shops. One of the sights we saw was the Arc de Triomf which is similar to the one in Paris and also Marble Arch in London. It was built in 1888 for the Barcelona World Fair. After some sightseeing Kirstie had to go back home and the rest of us made our way to the cinema, where we met some more teaching assistants and headed in to see The Hunger Games Mockingjay: Part 2. Being a fan of the books, I found the films were excellent, however in the last film I felt it didn't do the book justice. The final scene I was a bit disappointed in but (spoiler) when Katniss and Peeta are in the field with their children you could hear the whole cinema awwing and oohing that the two main characters finally got together. I was sad that the series had ended, but then it makes me excited that I'll soon be able to watch all of them on DVD. After the film we headed back into the city centre and went to a restaurant which served delicious and cheap meals. Afterwards the others went to find a bar while Shona and I went back to our hostel and got some well deserved sleep.

Sunday morning started off with a visit to Hillsong Barcelona. The service was in Spanish, but the night before a teaching assistant called Maurisha came to the restaurant and she spoke the language, so was able to translate the message for us. The songs were both in Spanish and English. It was great to have a church atmosphere again, even if I didn't understand the language in which the message was spoken. However, worship is the same everywhere - no matter what language it's spoken or the country it's in. After church, we had lunch at a Chinese restaurant where I had delicious noodle soup and lemon chicken. It was then time to say goodbye to Barcelona as I headed on the express train back to Girona and back to the family's house.

I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend in Barcelona, despite coming back absolutely exhausted! I can't wait to go back! Soon I will be updating the blog about Spanish/Catalan Christmas traditions, until then enjoy the photos posted below:

La Sagrada Familia 

Christmas tree on La Rambla

Arc de Triomf

Colourful fountain in Placa Catalunya

Gaudi House

Outside the Urbany Hostel

Hillsong Barcelona

A day in Girona

As most of you know I'm working for a company which hires over 200 people each year as conversation assistants. We are placed in different schools across the regions of Catalonia and Valencia in Spain. After our induction where we get to meet each other we then we were taken to our new homes with our new families. Due to the wonder that is Facebook we are able to keep in contact and arrange trips to meet each other. 

Last Saturday was the first time I met up with some other conversation assistants. Through my friend who lives near Barcelona I was introduced to Allison from Florida, who lives near Girona like me. We decided to meet each other in Girona city centre. Saturday came and at half past three I met Allison near the train station.

We spent the afternoon climbing to the top of the hill behind the cathedral. It has spectacular views from the top - on one side there is green countryside and on the other the tall buildings of the city. We descended and made our way into the city, looking around the shops and visiting an amazing ice cream place called Rocambolesc. The interior of it is based on the Roald Dahl book 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. I got some chocolate ice cream with chocolate popping candy, strawberries and some sprinkles. It was absolutely delicious. 

Allison and I then met up with two other girls called Natalie and Jasmine, who are also from the United States. We went shopping and then ended up in a vintage creperie restaurant, which serves the most delicious crepes I've ever had! Below is a photo of the cookie creme crepe I had, which was divine and would definitely have it again. 

I enjoyed meeting up with the other girls, as it's good to talk to people from English speaking countries who are doing the same experience as you and also to make new friends. Hope you enjoy looking at the photos below. 

Until next time...

The Museum of Cinema. I'm hoping to go and visit this one day. The outside is really cool!

With my ice cream. The photo is blurry because there were so many people walking by and Allison had to take it quickly. 

Mmm!

Girona cathedral 

Cookie crepe!

Barcelona school trip

On the 3rd of November I was invited on a school trip with the older classes. We departed from Anglés at nine o'clock and soon were on our way to the capital of Catalonia, Barcelona. Most of the journey was spent listening to music and trying to sleep, although that was very difficult due to the kids singing and being noisy on the bus! 

Around half past ten we arrived in Barcelona and the coach driver dropped us off near the history museum. After arranging the students into lines we entered the museum and dropped our bags off in a huge locker. The museum has three different floors and to reach them you have to go up elevators. We were met by a tour guide called David and he gave a fun and informative tour to the children. Of course it was in Catalan, but I could look around the exhibits and read about them as the information was in English as well as Spanish and Catalan. 

There was an interesting exhibit within the museum. It was statues of peasants rising from the ground holding the cross of a crucified Christ. The statue represents the peasants fighting back from oppression from the royalty of Spain. In the background the Catalonian national anthem El Sagadors played. It is a very haunting tune which reflects the history of this grim statue. Like most countries there have been wars and it was interesting to see this portrayed here. The information will be in the photos below for you to see.

After leaving the museum we headed to Parc de Ciutadella, which has a marvellous fountain and a huge elephant statue. There we had our lunch after which it was time to go to the Catalonian parliament. I wasn´t allowed to take any photos inside, but the interior is spectacular. Like the parliaments of London it is much smaller. There are 135 members in the parliament and they are elected every four years. After our (quick) visit to the Parliament it was time for our coach to pick us up and return to Anglés. All in all, it was a very interesting day and I look forward to going back to Barcelona soon!

You can see some photos on this YouTube video as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yee88B80LUs

I apologise for not posting about this sooner, but work and family got in the way!

We're going on a hunt...

Since living in Catalonia, Spain I have become accustomed to the traditions and cultures which define the culture. In fact, it has changed my perceptions about the country, which happens of course if you experience travelling or living there. Here in Catalonia, they don't dance the flamenco and bullfighting (heavily associated with Spain) is banned, as they see it as cruel and barbaric, which is the same opinion as mine. Instead, they have other traditions which some people might not realise. 

Many people in Catalonia like to go looking for chestnuts and they also like to go looking for mushrooms, which they later eat or make into vinegar. Last weekend my host family and I went "hunting" for mushrooms (that is the direct translation from Catalan). When I think of the phrase "hunting mushrooms" it reminds me of the old Bugs Bunny/Elmer Fudd cartoons, where a mushroom sticks its (invisible) arms up in the air while a person is holding a gun! But it simply means to look for mushrooms. There are certain types which are edible, others poisonous. My host family knew which ones to look for and if they weren't sure then they would leave them. We trekked up a steep mountain, with lots of high trees and sharp branches. About an hour later we had come home with around ten mushrooms, some scratches (from the branches) and sore legs. The views I saw while in the mountains were worth it though, as you can see from the pictures they are astounding. 

We're going on a mushroom hunt..

View of San Rock

Mushroom in hiding

A special type of Catalonian fruit called a cirera. It tastes very sweet and looks fuzzy because it grows in cooler climates. Don't eat too many of them though or you'll need to go to the toilet! 

Castanyada

There is a special festival celebrated in Catalonia and Galicia in October. It is called the 'Castanyada'. It is celebrated in those parts of Spain and is connected with Halloween and the Christian festival of 'All Saint´s Day' on the 1st of November. In this celebration, its origins are the celebration and rememberance of the dead. In Catalonia the food eaten on this day is chestnuts. It came from the 18th century tradition where people would roast chestnuts (castanyes in Catalan) and is symbolic of those people who died. While the chestnuts were roasting, people would say prayers for those who had departed this world. 

It is still a tradition which carries on today and on Monday the school celebrated this event. Parents were invited to watch and participate. There were no English classes, however the children made cones out of newspapers and the girls dressed up with headscarves and shawls to represent the old ladies who sold the chestnuts many years ago. The boys dressed up as well, looking a lot like Christmas elves. The festival started with the music teacher Pep playing some traditional songs, then children from each class read a poem or a story about the traditions. Then parents, teachers and children were involved in a special Catalan dance (I will try and attach a video of it). After the dance finished, the children sat in their classes, in circles and some men came in with newly roasted chestnuts. Then we helped take the chestnuts out of the buckets and into our newspaper cones, peeling at the shell and eating at the chewy goodness inside. It was certainly an interesting experience and I enjoy learning about different traditions around the world.  

Enjoy the photos of this special day. 

Some students dressed up in traditional costume

Not too sure what this was...

The castanyes

More photos...

This bridge was built by Gustave Eiffel. Can you guess what else he built?

A typical street in Anglés

The festival of Saint Remi (mentioned in the last post) 

The adventure so far...

I'm going to make this a regular blog by updating every weekend or every second weekend, depending on where I go. I have been in this country for more than two weeks and overall it has been a very positive experience. After my induction all the conversation assistants were sat down waiting patiently for their number to be called before they met their host families. I was excited and very nervous to meet the family I would be staying with for the next few months. I was so nervous that I almost burst into tears. Would I get on with them? What did they look like? How would I fit into their family?


As soon as number 84 was called, I was up like a shot, the tears were held back and immediately met a lovely, smiling woman called Marta. With her was her mother Ines and her son Alex. She also had a daughter called Julia and a husband who didn't come along but I would meet them later.
I've settled into home life in Anglés and teaching at the school is fantastic. I'm teaching nursery and primary age children which is perfect as I am just like a kid myself! Outside of school I've had the opportunity to go into different towns like Banyoles and visit the city of Girona. For Game of Thrones fans, this is where season six was filmed. I can see why, it is a beautiful historic city with steep stone paths and winding streets. Last weekend there was a celebration in front of the chapel in Anglés. The locals were celebrating the festival of Saint Reimi and there were two people in giant models of traditional Anglés workers. I went to a little village called Julia to visit my host family's grandmother/mother/mother-in-law and afterwards took a little trip to Girona. I always take the opportunity if I can to go out with the family and explore new places. I even went to a shopping centre in Salt near Girona yesterday, where the shop models were actually real people modelling clothes! I think this was for a special occasion though, since the shopping centre was hosting a fashion show and on a weekend too.


I've made a new friend called Judit. She is the new English teacher at the school in Anglés, she is from Catalonia and now lives in Girona. On Thursday she was my "tour guide" and took me around the city and to the highest point where I could see the buildings on one side and on the other luscious green fields and mountains. Photos will be posted below. I hope to update again soon! In the meantime, enjoy the photos and you can check out our English class blog at www.englishfedacangles.blogspot.com

Wiping the chocolate off my face before a photo opp... unfortunately Judit took the photo there and then! 

In a super cool restaurant in Girona 

One of the entrances to the cathedral

Judit beside the lavender

Smile!! :D 

Cathedral of Girona

Name change and new adventure

Hi everyone!

I realise I have not posted on here for a good few months now. I left Hungary, returned home and then commenced work as an English language teacher at a summer camp in Suffolk, England.

Now you may be saying why on Earth were you teaching English in England? Well it's because there are many kids from different countries coming to learn the language and they needed a teacher there. The different nationalities were French, Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese and Russian. It was interesting to have mixed nationality classes although the majority of them were French since they lived so close and large groups of them came over. Despite the trials that teaching has it was thoroughly enjoyable and I had a great summer, hopefully I'll be able to do it again sometime.

A break followed and I was home - catching up with friends, visiting family near London and it was also a very important time as I was baptised in my home church. All very exciting events. Then the next chapter in my life followed as I accepted a job as a teaching assistant in Spain. I started worrying as the finalised details didn't arrive until a week before I was due to fly out. But they arrived and soon I was packing and on my way to Barcelona.

I woke up very early in the morning on Friday 2nd of October. From my hometown we drove to the airport in Aberdeen and after saying goodbye to my parents I boarded a plane bound for London Gatwick. After landing at Gatwick I had a few hours to kill before my next flight, so I dropped off my suitcase at the connections desk and then got lunch at Wagamama. Soon it was time to catch my next flight to Barcelona. Nerves were high on this one because I knew I wouldn't be back for two and a half months. It was a new adventure, a new chapter in my life. Hence why the blog name has changed from Hungary to Spain and because 'Rachel's Adventures in Spain' domain was already taken instead I changed it to summerstravelling because well my last name is Summers and I have been and am currently travelling! Of course the Hungary posts will still be available to read in case you wish to read them again or read them for the first time if you have just discovered this blog! 

I hope you will enjoy reading about my new and temporary life in Spain! Or Catalonia to be exact ;) 

Bye for now!

Wedding

Even though this didn’t happen in Hungary I still felt that I should post it. I returned home from Hungary on the 11^th of June. The flights went quickly and smoothly as soon as I knew it, I was home and in my own bed. It was a hectic weekend as we had guests staying with us and everyone had to prepare for my friends’ wedding. On Friday I got a spray tan appointment which got darker as the day went on. Not to worry though as the next morning it washed off and gave me a light golden brown colour.  I was thankful that I didn’t have the normal deathly pale look. 

My mum, sister and I went to the hairdressers on Saturday morning.  My hair was curled before pinned to the side in a cute half up do. Hannah had curls in her hair too, but she left her hair down and Mum with naturally curly hair got some hair pinned back and a pink feather fascinator inserted into the side of her hair.

After the hairdressers we returned home and everyone in the house did their makeup, ironed their shirts, put on their dresses and basically run around making sure everything was ready. My mum and my friend Camille had to leave early as they were playing at the ceremony. My dad, sister Hannah, her boyfriend Andrew, Camille's brother Tom and I left not long after.

We arrived at the church and got our photo taken outside the door. It was raining slightly and it was a little bit chilly. I had been used to thirty degree heat for the past few weeks, so it came as a big shock!

We were seated in the church, waiting for the bride to arrive. The ceremony was meant to start at 1pm, but like most weddings the bride always arrives a little late. Just twenty minutes later and the groom John Marc, best man and groomsmen entered from the back door. It would soon be time for the bride to enter. John Buchanan, who conducted the wedding, then told the congregation to stand for the bride.  I smiled as I saw my childhood and long time friend Sarah walking down the aisle with her father. I didn’t get a good look at her because I was sitting near the back but I would see her later.

The ceremony happened and the congregation had to make a promise that they would support John Marc and Sarah during their marriage. The congregation were silent and John said jokingly “You may respond.” I think we weren’t awake for that part! Afterwards the bridal party made their way to the back hall where they signed the marriage document and my mum and Camille played the song 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman. It’s a lovely tune and has great words as well.

The ceremony was soon over, I couldn’t see properly but apparently the bride and groom stumbled while on their way out of the church. Well it wouldn’t be a wedding if everything went perfectly now, would it? Afterwards there were refreshments served for the guests and it gave me a chance to chat with a lot of people who I had not seen for a while.

The reception was held at the Banff Springs Hotel which had been refurbished. After congratulating Sarah and John Marc we headed to our table for the meal. I was with my sister and her boyfriend, but I was also with my friends as well and made some new friends. I had a few names for our table – the “singles table” (single as in not married) and “the banter table”. We laughed and had interesting conversations while eating delicious food. The wedding favours were a small plastic diamond filled with soapy water. Yes that’s right it was bubbles and they definitely brought out the inner child in us! Afterwards the room was rearranged for the dance and there was a table just off the dance floor with a little card which said: “Love is sweet. Please take a treat.” Then there were jars filled with sweets and I felt like a little kid again going into a sweet shop (which happened very rarely as my mum is a dentist!) It was great though!

There were some traditional Scottish dances and there were times when people just danced to wherever the music took them. My mum thought I was weird.  I was jumping, shaking and dancing all over the place! I just didn't care.

At the end of the wedding dance the guests held hands in a circle around the bride and groom. The band then played ‘Auld Lang Syne’ a traditional Scottish poem by Robert Burns. After this John Marc was lifted up high by the groomsmen for a rendition of ‘For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow’.

After chatting to friends we got into the car and headed for home, tired but glad that we were invited to the wedding and that we enjoyed ourselves. A huge congratulations to John Marc and Sarah - Mr and Mrs Cardno! 

Below are some photographs from the big day:

My sister Hannah, her boyfriend Andrew and I before the wedding

My mum and friend Camille providing the music 

The bride herself - Sarah Cardno (McKenzie)

Mr & Mrs John Marc Cardno

Photo time with the bride 

At the table

Our 'banterful' table!