HOLIDAYS / HOLIDAY ENGLISH / VACACIONES /Inglés para las vacaciones

Good morning my dear followers, today we're going to know more about Holiday English.  If you visit an Anglo-Saxon country this summer, this could be very interesting!  Don't miss it!

Buenos días mis queridos seguidores, hoy vamos a saber más sobre el Inglés para las vacaciones.  Si visitáis un país Anglosajón este verano, ¡esto podría ser muy interesante! ¡No os lo perdáis!

HOLIDAY ENGLISH
So you are off on holiday to an Anglophone country and have packed a separate case full of phrasebooks and survival kits!  My advice is:  leave that suitecase in your house and take it with you instead!  It's here everything you need to say!  It's to guarantee a fun holiday in either the UK, USA or no matter the country!

A GUIDE TO THE BEST GUIDE BOOKS (una guía de las mejores guías)
If you plan to stay in a big city, it is a good idea to book ahead (reservar).  However, there are plenty of travel guides that give you the prices, adresses of hotels and hostels that they have personally inspected and assessed.  If you are going to London or New York, THE EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDES are really useful.  If you are going to the country (campo) THE ROUGH GUIDE or THE LET'S GO series is perfect.

Most hotels want a deposit of 10 to 20% of the total when you book (reservas). 

Nowadays, the low cost flights and the Internet can help you  find the best option!!

WHERE TO STAY
**England has a large number of hotels to suit all tastes and budgets, divided into five categories, from the luxury five-star hotels to the basic one-star variety.
Bed & Breakfast establishments are often cheap and friendly.
Guest houses, inns and pubs offer less amenities (servicios) than a hotel but the price is lower and includes breakfast.

**In the USA there are thousands of motels just off the interstate roads which are a cheaper alternative to the downtown hotels as well as a good reason to travel across the States by car.
Bed and Breakfast here are an option too. At the theaper end of the scale YOUTH HOSTELS (hostales para jóvenes)  can provide dormitory beds for around $15/20 a night although if you are travelling in a group of three it might be cheaper to share a triple-bedded room in a two-star hotel.

IN TOWN / Where?  What?  When?
If you want to discover the town, first  you can go to the local information centre or tourist office.  Most hotels have information too. 

IN THE HOTEL
**Is there a conducted tour ...?  ¿Hay una visita guiada para...?
**Where do we leave from?  ¿De dónde salimos?
**Will the bus pick us at the hotel? ¿Nos recogerá el autobús en el hotel?
**How much does the tour cost? ¿Cuánto cuesta la visita?
**Do we have free time? ¿Tenemos tiempo libre?

IN THE STREET
**Excuse me, could you tell me where the tourist office is, please? Perdone, ¿podría decirme dónde está la oficina de turismo?
**Is there a currency exchange office in this part of the town? ¿Hay alguna oficina de cambio de moneda en esta parte de la ciudad?

MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES
**Is the museum open on Sundays? ¿Está abierto el museo el domingo?
**What are the opening hours? ¿A qué hora abre?
**What is the entrance fee? ¿Cuál es el precio de la entrada?
**Is there a reduction for children? ¿Los niños tienen descuento?
**Is it all right to take pictures?  ¿Se pueden hacer fotos?

MEALS /  TIMES  (comidas y horarios)
**BREAKFAST is usually served between 7.00 and 10.00 and most hotels offer either full English breakfast (tea, coffee, cereal, milk, fried or grilled sausages, bacon, fried eggs, bread, butter and jam or a Continental breakfast with orange juice, coffee, rolls, bread, butter and jam.
**LUNCH is served from 12.00 to 14.00.
**TEATIME is served from 16.00 to 17.00.
**DINNER is served between 18.30 to 22.00 (the very latest).

RESTAURANT  AND BARS LANGUAGE.
**Waiter! ¡Camarero!
**Do you have a set menu? :¿Tienen menú?

A Typical Scottish Pub
 (a photo of my own)

**Are there any vegetarian dishes? ¿Tienen platos para vegetarianos?
**What do you recommend? ¿Qué me recomienda?
**Is there anything already prepared? ¿Hay algo ya preparado?
**Where are the toilets, please? ¿Dónde están los servicios, por favor?
**May I change this? ¿Puedo cambiar esto?
**Our food is cold, I'm afraid. Me temo que la comida está fría.
**The bill, please! ¡La cuenta por favor!
**This is really delicious! ¡Esto está realmente delicioso!

DIRECTIONS
**Excuse me, could you tell me the way to the town hall? Perdone, ¿podría indicarme el camino al ayuntamiento?
**Which way to the Cathedral, please? ¿Cuál es el camino hacia la Catedral por favor?
**Excuse me, where is the nearest underground/subway station? Perdone, ¿dónde esta la estación de metro más cercana?

TAKING A TAXI
**Is there a taxi rank  near here? ¿Hay alguna parada de taxis cerca de aquí?
**Where can I get a taxi? ¿Dónde puedo coger un taxi?
**Could you help me carry my luggage? ¿Podría ayudarme a llevar el equipaje?
**To the airport, please. Al aeropuerto por favor.
**How much is that?  ¿Cuánto es?
**Keep the change!  ¡Quédese el cambio!

HAVE A NICE DAY MY FRIENDS!   NEXT POST MORE INFO!!

SEE YOU!

PARIS, La Place de l'Étoile / París, La Plaza de la Estrella.

DÉDIÉ À MA CHÉRE   Juana Benet



Salut mes chers amis, aujourd'hui on va lire à propos de la Place de l'Étoile de Paris, tellement ronde, tellement parfaite!  Et je vous donnerai plus d'autre information qui va vous plaire!

Hola mis queridos amigos, hoy vamos a leer sobre la Plaza de la Estrella de París, ¡tan redonda, tan perfecta! Y os daré más información que os va a gustar.

Photo: paris.es

LA PLACE DE L'ÉTOILE

**Cette place  à Paris est caractérisée par douze avenues qui rayonnent  (convergen)  autour d'un imposant Arc de Triomphe  construit pour évoquer l'épopée de Napoléon 1er.

**L'Arc, dont la construction a été ordonnée para l'empereur, présente des sculptures de sujets guerriers et ne fut terminé que sous le roi Louis-Philippe.

**Il abrite la Tombe du Soldat Inconnu (première guerre mondiale  1914-1918).

**C'est sur cette place que,  le 14 juillet  1919,  on a assisté au défilé des troupes de la victoire.

**Le 26 août 1944, ce fut le tour des troupes du Général de Gaulle après la libération de Paris de l'occupation allemande, d'où le nom de Place Charles de Gaulle.

**On peut accéder au sommet de l'Arc de Triomphe d'où on jouit  (se goza)  d'une vue superbe sur la place et les douze avenues.

                                 

PLUS D'INFORMATION À PROPOS DE LA VILLE DE PARIS

Paris comprend 20 arrondissements (distritos) numérotés de 1  à  20 et disposés selon la forme d'un escargot (caracol).

Les quartiers (barrios) du centre (du 1er  au 9ème arrondissements) comprennent:
*Les bords de la Seine, où se situent le Palais-Bourbon, siège de l'Assemblée Nationale, l'Institut de France, l'Hôtel de Ville (ayuntamiento),   des musées comme le Louvre, le Musée d'Orsay...

*La rive gauche qui comprend le Quartier Latin et la Sorbonne.
*La rive droite  où il y a des rues marchandes (comerciales) comme la rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré et des magasins (almacenes) comme les Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, etc.

Les quartiers de l'est sont les plus étendus et les plus peuplés (poblados).

Les quartiers de l'ouest sont des quartiers résidentiels, avec des immeubles et des jardins élégants.

                              ***********************************


LE MARAIS

**Le Marais, situé entre le 3ème et 4ème arrondissements, est né au XIIIème siècle quand les Templiers décident de défricher (desbrozar)  les marécages (terrenos pantanosos)  autour de la rue Saint-Antoine, sur l'ancien lit de la Seine.

**La rue Saint-Antoine, ancienne voie romaine, devient la rue des fifres  (pífanos)  et des tournois (torneos).  Aprés la mort accidentelle d'Henri II  blessé (herido) par une lance en 1559, sa femme Catherine de Médicis a fait démolir l'Hôtel des Tournelles, la résidence royale.  Sur les ruines, Sully  a construit la Place Royale, future Place des Vosges, achevée (acabada) en 1612, où résideront Richelieu, Corneille, la Marquise de Sévigné.

**Sous les Bourbons la rue Saint-Antoine est la plus belle de Paris et le quartier devient le centre de la vie élégante.

**Aujourd'hui le Marais compte toujours ses vieilles demeures (moradas) du XVII et XVIII siècles, ses hôtels particuliers.  Parmi (entre)  eux (ellos), l'Hôtel Salé qui abrite le Musée Picasso  et l'Hôtel Carnavalet qui abrite le Musée de la Ville de Paris  avec une importante collection de l'époque de la Révolution francaise.


BONNE JOURNÉE À TOUS!

À BIENTÔT!!

LANGUAGES AND SCIENCE :THE IMPORTANCE OF SPEAKING LANGUAGES /IDIOMAS Y CIENCIA: La importancia de hablar idiomas.

Good morning my dear friends, today I want to share with you a very interesting article from a Spanish magazine called YO Dona  because I think people don't know  how important  learning other languages is not only for culture or  our work but for our brain!  So, pay attention please!

Buenos días queridos amigos, hoy quiero compartir con vosotros un artículo muy interesante de una revista española llamada YO Dona porque yo creo que la gente no sabe lo importante que es hablar otros idiomas no solo por cultura o por nuestro trabajo sino para ¡nuestro cerebro! Así que,  por favor, tomad nota.

SCIENCE  INFO

Learning other languages is a tool to get  a job, to meet people or  to improve our creativity but there is much more!

Many  Spanish people spend a lot of their time on learning English, however, our level is quite low according to a Human Resources Company  Report called Randstad.

47% of the population says that  they can manage only in one language, their mother tongue;  35%  knows another one and only 18%  can speak two languages or more  despite the possibility of finding a job increases 44% if you speak other languages.  In fact, to speak English is essential if you want to apply for a job.

Moreover, a study has been done by a group of European Scientists  from Jyväskylä University, Finland, in 27 countries and finally they have demonstrated that to learn other languages is the basis to develop skills such as intelligence!

To become bilingual , trilingual or polyglotal  increases the capacity for processing complicated thoughts;  improve learning, creativity, mental flexibility and social abilities and it could slow down our mental ageing.

People who can speak languages are better at solving  difficult subjects or problems because when you are learning a new language, brain processes activate and modify the electrical activity of your brain.

People who are able to speak different  languages, model their brain and make it more connected because they are noticing what it is around them in a lot of ways and alternatives.

Dr Ellen Bialyostok, from York University in Canada, claims that if you  can speak other languages, you will solve important problems better and the best thing is that  you don't  have to  study many foreign languages, you obtain the advantages from the first one that you have already learnt!

The Magazine "Nature" has published a hypothetical theory  about this that explains that adult people who are learning a second  language have got different zones into  their brains dedicated to each expression. However, bilingual children activate the same area for all of the expressions what demonstrates that a child can learn earlier and better than an adult person and for this reason adults always say that it's really difficult to learn no matter the subject.  But it is not impossible!

But, what does really happen into our brain? An investigation which has been done by scientists from Northwetern University, Chicago (USA) suggests that a structure called Heschl Circunvolution would be exactly the point where the ability to recognise new sounds is located.  Other structure, the left angle circunvolution is the one which is activated in bilingual children.

Conclusion:  You can educate and improve your brain even if you are an adult and it is demonstrated that learning other languages is one of the most useful  tools to get it!

So, don't be afraid no matter your age and LEARN OTHER LANGUAGES!  It will be useful and healthy for you!!

SEE YOU SOON!!



  

VISITING LONDON 2nd Part, MONUMENTS AND PLACES / Visitando Londres segunda parte, Monumentos y lugares

Good morning my friends, the 2nd part of "Visiting London" is already here. I hope you'll like it!

Buenos días amigos, la 2ª parte de "Visitar Londres! ya está aquí.  ¡Espero que os guste!

LONDON
I'll give you the information depending on the zones of the city and  the underground stations to make your visit easier and more comfortable.

Os daré la información dependiendo de las zonas de la ciudad y de las estaciones de metro para haceros la visita más fácil y cómoda.

**PLACES TO GO   /  Sitios donde ir.
1.- Underground Station:  HYDE PARK CORNER.   Here you will see: Buckingham Palace, Marble Arch and Hyde Park.  At 11,30 in the morning you can see the Guard Change every day at Buckingham Palace.  The Palace can't be visited but in August and September it's possible to see some of its chambers.

2.- Underground Station: Charing Cross.  Here you will visit: Tha National Gallery, St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church (iglesia), The Canada House, The South Africa House and Trafalgar Square.
You can walk for a while and you will find 10th Downing Street (Prime Minister's Residence), The Houses of Parliament (Westminster underground station)  and Westminster Abbey (Abadía de Westminster).

If you are at Trafalgar Square,  you can take St. Martin Lane Street and  try to go and see a beautiful ,  typical and Victorian style  English pub called "SALISBURY"  where there are a lot of mirrors and crystal objects.

3.-   Underground Station:  Victoria.  Here you will see "Westminster Cathedral".  It is the Londoners Catholic church.  It's really beautiful with its pink brick outside and black-grey marble inside. 

4.- Underground station:  Tower Hill.   You will visit here "The Tower of London".  It is a group of buildings (more than 40)  that was unfotunately famous because of Henry VIII and his orders of beheading (decapitar).  You will also visit "The Crown Jewels" (Las Joyas de la Corona) etc.  It's a real interensting visit.  You will spend all day.  The timetable is:  From Monday to Saturday: 9:00 a.m. until 18,00 p.m.  Sundays from 10:00 a.m. until 18:00 p.m.

5.- Underground Station:  Tower Hill.  If you are visiting the Tower of London, you can also see Tower Bridge because it is very near.  Really wonderful!  Don't miss it!

6.-Underground Station:  St Paul's.   It is The City District  and St. Paul's Cathedral is here.The timetable is:  from 8:00 a.m. until 18:00 p.m.  Nowadays, it is the Financial Centre of London.

7.- SOHO.  Underground Station:  Picadilly.
Visit Picadilly Circus Square with the Eros Statue and  go to Carnaby Street.  You will find here  a lot of shops, pubs and curious things to see and buy.  And take a photo at the same place that The Beatles did!

8.- SHOPS
The most popular streets for shopping are Knightsbridge (on Wednesday you can buy things until 20:00 h), Brompton Road, Regent Street, Oxford Street , Picadilly, Kensington High Street.

**Oxford Street.  Underground Station: Hyde Park Corner.  Although this street isn't what it was, it is "a must" to go and see it.  If you are in Marble Arch or Hyde Park you can go on foot because Oxford Street is very near.

**Covent Garden.  Underground Station: Covent Garden.  It is a covered market which was a food market in the past.  Nowadays, it has become a nice place not only to buy but to see  music shows and have a rest.

**Petticoat Lane.  Underground Station:  Liverpool Street.  A curious street full of curious shops that are opened on Sunday.  It is in Middlessex Street.

**Portobello Market.  Underground Station: Ladbroke Grove.  It is in Portobello Road  and it's opened on Saturday.  It is located in Notting Hill district close to Bayswater Road.  Very beautiful and lovely.

**Harrods.  Underground Station:  Knighstbridge.  The most typical English store.  Beautiful building to see but a bit expensive to buy.

9.- MUSEUMS.
**The British Museum. Underground station:  Russel Square.  It is the biggest museum in England.  It is free.
**The National Gallery.  Underground Station:  Charing Cross.  It is at Trafalgar Square.  More than 2,000 impressionist pictures.  It is free.
**The London Dungeon.  Underground station:  Tower Hill.  It is situated  in Tooley Street and you have to cross  Tower Bridge.    It is a terror museum.  It isn't free.
**Madame Tussaud's Wax museum.   Underground station:  Regent's Park. It is situated in Marylebone Road near Regent's Park. This wax museum is famous for its face's perfection.  It is not free.

10.- PARKS AND GARDENS.

**Hyde Park.  Underground station: Hyde Park Corner or Lancaster Gate.  This is the biggest garden in London.  It has got a lake called The Serpentine. Close to Marble Arch it is the "Speaker's Corner" where everybody can do a speech.
**Kensington Gardens.  You can pass from Hyde Park to Kensington Gardens through Rennie Bridge and there you could see Peter Pan Statue.
**St. James' Park.  Underground Station:  St. James' Park.  This garden is near Buckingham Palace.  It is smaller but the most beautiful too!

11.- NEW ATTRACTIONS.
**The London Eye.  It is a giant wheel (noria) that was made to celebrate the year 2000.  The views are excellent but it is very expensive.
**Helicopter tours.  You can fly on a helicopter with CABAIR HELICOPTERS.  It's a half an hour flight and you have to go to Elstree Airfield.  You reach this airfield from EDWARE underground station by taxi.  The flight costs about 200€  per person.
**You can also go for a sail on the river Thames.  Ask at your hotel because these boats only work in summer or good weather.

I HOPE YOU'LL LIKE THIS INFORMATION AND YOU'LL GO TO LONDON!!!

AND, PLEASE,  IF YOU FINALLY GO , TELL ME YOUR EXPERIENCE

See you soon!!