It has somehow become an regular occurrence in my life that at any party where there is at least one adult, I will always be asked: “So… what are you up to at the moment?”. In response, I provide my much-rehearsed reply of “Well, I’m studying Spanish at Bristol University”. Cue a follow-up question: “Oh really – why Spanish?”. Now, to this I could maturely respond: “Because I love the lingo and think it is rapidly becoming a business necessity to have a modern language on your CV” – all very true. But instead, the answer that I’ve embarrassingly found myself giving has actually been: “Because I get to spend a year working abroad acting like an adult, when really I’m still very much under the protective title of ‘student’!”.
In preparation for this year of faux-adulthood, Bristol organised a series of informative meetings and distributed leaflets, both warning of the social phenomenon that is a “culture shock” – an idea that I completely dismissed on the grounds that Madrid was but an easyJet flight away. Nevertheless, they were right to warn us. Luckily though, I didn’t suffer the normal symptoms: homesickness, disorientation, general awkwardness and depression. Rather, for me, it was feelings of pleasant surprise, of glee and of never wanting to leave!
I put these positive personal responses down to the fact that I already knew the Spanish clock functioned at least three hours behind ours and, similarly, that I was very much aware in advance that paella and jamón were the typical order of the Iberian day.
But what other subtle social differences spurred my unusually positive culture shock reactions? Well, one was definitely the great Spanish belief in freedom of speech – or, in other words, swearing blindly in the office. This practice caused great surprise, especially when a call from my temporary employers’ big bossman began with “Hey #*$^, what’s going on?!” (rough translation). My delight was further fuelled by never having to tip in a restaurant (and no, that’s not just my true student colours shining through!).
My unwillingness to return to England could also be attributed to six months’ experiencing the fiesta attitude. That’s not to say I spent my whole time on sangria but, rather, that I learned that, for the Spanish, fiesta is actually a state of mind – one which basically decrees that everyone should relax because nothing is ever as bad as it seems – and, even if it is, it can always be sorted over a bottle of vino!
So be warned: if like me, you fully embrace this fiesta attitude, and the Spanish lifestyle in general, then the Spanish will quite literally embrace you – making it very hard to leave!
Ginny Dale
Signup to our RSS
Heavenly hot chocolate in Estonia
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009My friend Katy Regan and I went on our second mini-break recently. Mini-break number one was to Barcelona in the summer of last year, this time we decided to take in Tallinn. In both cities we did hours of walking but Tallinn by comparison is much, much smaller and more compact than Barcelona and easier to navigate around, although I wish I hadn’t insisted on wearing heels all the time – not the best choice of footwear for cobbled streets, stylish but silly.
Luckily for my feet we took lots of minimini-breaks within our mini-break and stopped off for many hot chocolates. And when I say hot chocolate it really is chocolate – made from melted chocolate, thick and gloopy. Sensibly, when we visited the Chocolaterie Cafe in the tucked away courtyard off Vene street, we stuck to just eating chocolate – white, dark, chili, nutty, fruity plus a piece of (savoury) quiche thrown in – rather than eating and drinking chocolate, that would have been greedy. We sat (and ate) in the softly lit, cosy establishment, furnished with comfy sofas, velvet throws, burgundy tablecloths and tassled table lamps for quite a while – a great setting for writing one’s novel, Katy said (her second – we’re so proud – the first one is called ‘One Thing Led to Another’).
The first chocolate drink was consumed by the Mayans over 2,000 years ago – cocoa beans were ground and mixed with water, cornmeal and chili peppers.…….today there is a multitude of hot chocolates all around the world. You have the really thick cioccolata densa in Italy, Mexican hot chocolate made from semi-sweet chocolate, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla, there are particular brands of breakfast hot chocolate in France and a pudding-like consistency is traditionally favoured by the Spanish. Here in the UK, similar to the US, a thin version consisting of cocoa powder, sugar and dry milk made with hot water is prolific – in Starbucks you can get a ‘skinny hot chocolate’ – no fun hot chocolate, that’s what I call it and nowhere near as satisfying as the buttery liquid dessert we enjoyed at the New Art Museum Kumu in chic Tallinn, made directly from a bar of chocolate. I consumed 1.5 of these gluttonous treats, Katy just 0.5.
So where in the UK can you find equally decadent delights ? Coco Chocolate in Edinburgh produces a luxurious selection of organic chocolate and offers the delectable drink with high cocoa content and all of the necessary cocoa butter, the West Winds Yorkshire Tearooms serve frothy Green and Black’s hot chocolate, with milk, there’s the nationwide Hotel Chocolate whose motto is ‘Less sugar, more cocoa’ or if you pop into Travel PR, we can offer you a mug of hot chocolate, thanks to Galaxy! Mika Bishop.
Tags: AITO, Barcelona, comment, Edinburgh, Estonia, holidays, hot chocolate, SPain, Starbucks, Tallinn, travel, travel pr, www.aito.com, www.travelpr.co.uk, “Association of Independent Tour Operators”
Posted in Fun stuff, Insider recommendations No Comments »