It’s Embarrassing Being British Abroad Sometimes!

My whole Spanish experience has been about travelling to and from a week long stay at a retreat in Andalucía. My posts so far have chronicled my experiences of using the Spanish I had specifically learnt for this trip. For the middle week of my Spanish adventure, I indulged in something different. Time by the…

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Arriving in Jáen – What You Can Gain By Watching Spanish TV

And so after a long and sweaty ride I finally arrived at my overnight stop – a small restaurant with guest rooms. The first thing I did was I parked the bike in a shady spot underneath a tree. Then I made my way over to where reception appeared to be. I was greeted by…

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Córdoba To Jáen – Stumbling Over Words Is Not Good

Today I wanted to get away pretty early to avoid the heat that had caused me to sweat so much yesterday. So last night arranged with Lola to have my breakfast at 8.00am I had realised that times were an important thing to be able to discuss on my travels. So before I departed, I…

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Trujillo To Córdoba – A Day Of Sweaty Alliteration

On my fifth day of being in Spain I am now quite confident of what I can say about breakfast. I have got the right vocabulary for el desayuno to allow me to order stuff I can eat. It doesn’t really match what I usually eat in the UK. However I think it is a…

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Ávila To Trujillo – Ordering More Drink, Food & Ice Cream And Opportunities Missed

I am really enjoying my time In Spain. Aside from using the trip to test my proficiency (or not) in using the Spanish I have learnt, I am really enjoying my experience of this amazing country. It is a beautiful part of the world with some amazing and even breathtaking scenery. Rich in culture, the…

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Burgos To Ávila – Getting Lost, Ordering Food And A Random Conversation With A Spanish Biker

Today started well. As I made my way to the breakfast room, I greeted two guys sat in the bar with a hearty “Buenos Dias”. It’s a slightly odd greeting if you look at the literal translation because I think it means “Great Days”. But I suppose every language has its own qwerks like that.…

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My First Conversations In Spain – Travelling From Santander To Burgos

I think I was more than a little nervous on the first day actually in Spain. There were a couple of reasons for this. Firstly this was the start of my longest ever motorbike trip and one where I would be riding on the opposite side of the road than I was used to. Secondly,…

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And So My Trip To Spain Begins…

So I am finally on my way to Spain. I have packed up the bike and have made my way down to Plymouth. As I write this, I am on the Ferry which is heading south west towards the bay of Biscay and then onward to Santander. This trip has been the motivation for learning…

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Some Spanish Writing Practice Ideas And More Speaking Partners

After yesterday’s realisation that I needed to do some more writing, I went on a bit trip of a pilgrimage. My search was to seek out places where I could write in Spanish and get feedback. My first port of call was Gabe Wyner’s book, Fluent Forever. I could remember when reading it that he…

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My Second Practice Conversation And Why I Need To Start Writing In Spanish

Yesterday I had my second chat with my Aussie based Chilean friend. I must admit I was dreading it. That’s because I haven’t really done much Spanish learning in the last couple of weeks. I have been on the road delivering training courses at the other end of the country. Then I spent a weekend…

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