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Rodalquilar
Rodalquilar is a little village in Almeria. It is located in the Cabo de Gata National Park, which was the first sea-terrestrial one in Andalucia.Rodalquilar was a mining region but in 1966 the gold mines and the village were abandoned. The hamlet became populated by the squaters but the government threw them out of there. Now there are about 100 inhabitants in winter but in summer the population grows to 300 because of tourism.
The village is very close to the sea, there are about 5 km between the village and the nearest beach called "El playazo". In that heavenly beach you can find an ancient castle, built in the 18th century by Carlos III.
In the hamlet there's also a diving club where you can learn how to dive, they do immersions every day and at night the club becomes a pub. In Rodalquilar there's a famous pizzeria in the region called pan p'pato, there's also a new local which is a mixture between an art gallery and a pub, but the bars are plentifull in this village, there are about six or seven different bars. You can also find some locals to stay. There are some houses for rent, there is also a new hotel and an inn. "El Albardinar" is a botanical garden located in the surrounding area, there you can find the most representative species.
In conclusion, I recommend everybody to visit Rodalquilar because it's a nice place to spend your holidays.
Réunion Island
La Réunion is a volcanic island of the Indian Ocean. It is next to Madagascar, in the south of Africa.It´s a region membershiped to France, the country that began to introduce settlers and slaves from Africa, India and Indochina in 1642.
It has an area of 2,520 Km2, and it has two volcanos: the “Piton des Neiges” has been dormant for a long time, and the “Piton de la Fournaise” has had its last eruption on 2004.
Because of trades winds, one half of the island has waterfalls and green ladscapes; and the other half is drier and there are more beaches for tourists.
The temperature doesn´t go down more than 19ºC, and the maxims don´t exceed 32-34ºC.
It has a population of 785,000 and the majority is urban: an 91.5 %. The capital of the island is Saint Denis, located in the north.
There is a very varied etnology of the population. Westerners, Africans, Hindus, Arabs and two tribes, Komoro and Tamil live in harmony.
The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century. Tourism is also an important source of income.
The official language is French, but there are different dialects depending on the zone.
MADRID
Madrid is the capital of Spain, this is the centre of tourism in the country. It´s located in the centre of Spain. The village has got five million inhabitants, but in the outskirts of the village there are a lot of people, in dormitory towns.The inhabitants of Madrid live with a very stressful life, because everybody has a very fast rhythm. The roads to the village have been full of people that were walking from one place to another.
In the centre of Madrid there are a lot of historical buildings, monuments and museums, but outside the village there are marginal suburbs and a lot of poverty.
In my opinion, Madrid is a great town to visit, because you can find everything: plays, music, restaurants, cinemas, concerts, shopping centres, bowlings, casinos, sports… but there are some things that can only find in the capital.
To conclude, Madrid is a modern and fantastic village. I encourage you to visit it. Besides Madrid has got good connections of roads, planes, trains, underground…
Tokyo
Tokyo is the capital of Japan and one of the biggest cities in the world, it has a population of 12,36 million of people but it grews on laborable days because of the people that come from other cities to study or work. It is located in the biggest island of Japan.
Tokyo is divided into two different areas, one is composed of a lot of islands; and the other one is the city, formed by 23 special neighbourhoods, and the region around it. The mainland part is where most of the population is, and it is also the politic and economic capital of the whole country.
This city has a warm climate, with temperatures around 14 degrees during the whole year. In summer the temperatures are about 24 degrees, and in winter, they are around 4 degrees with occasional snowfalls.
About monuments and sightseeing, there is a lot to see. First you should visit the imperial palace, home of the emperor and his family. That's why there are a lot of places closed, but you will anyway enjoy this visit. The palace is surrounded by the "Kyoko Gaien" (palace garden), the perfect place for a photo. There are also a lot of temples of different religions, where the several festivals are held, such as the Meiji Shrine or the Sensoji Temple. Those festivals are called "matsuri" and they commemorate a lot of important days in different religions, such as the birth of Buda.
A good place for going out is the district of Shibuya, completely dedicated to entertaiment and shops. It is famous for its shopping centres, and because the Asian trends usually start there.
I think Tokyo is a very interesting city and everybody should visit it one day, although I haven't been there yet.
Lahiguera
I'm going to talk about a small village of Jaén called Lahiguera. It is placed in the country, approximately thirty km away to the north of the capital, Jaen; twelve km away from Andujar or Villanueva de la Reina; and six km away from Arjona. This village has an average altitude of 200 metres on the level of the sea. The climate can still be very hot in July and August and it can be colder (minimum of around 13 °C) between December and February. Economic activities mainly revolve around the olive growing, the olive oil production industry and kitchen furniture. It is a profoundly agricultural village with 100% of its territory used as farm land, with olive trees taking up to 80% and herbaceous crops the remaining 20% of the land, mainly located on the banks of the Salado de Arjona.
With regard to gastronomy, the typical dishes are fried breadcrumbs with sausage, a very rich vegetable so-called "cardillos", gazpacho and "salmorejo". The sweets made here come from old times. The most famous ones are the ring-shaped rolls of white coating, a cake of chocolate called blanket and the ring-shaped rolls of wine.
The festivities in honour of saint Juan Bautista, are the most important ones in my village. They are developed among the 24th and 26th of June. During these days many sports, cultural and playful activities are organised, and night festivals. Other festivities are in honour of saint Clara, and take place on the days just before and after the 11th of August, which is her actual festival. The people are very friendly with everybody, that is the reason why I like being there. My parents and my grandparents are from Lahiguera, that's why I very often go there. My grandparents tell me stories about this magnificent village and the truth is that I love listening to them. When I walk along its narrow streets to see the white frontages of the houses and walking around its parks reminds me very much of my childhood, since my grandparents usually walked with me after eating, to contemplate the beautiful scenery that it is possible to see from the Atalaya, name that receives the highest place of the village. To finish this essay, I would like to say something curious about Lahiguera. It maintains a peculiar tradition during Holy Week, known with the name of the "carrera de los santos", which takes place on Easter Sunday, when the Virgen de los Dolores and san Juan Bautista meet Jesús de Nazareno.The biers are carried by young people "racing round" to make the holy images come together quicker. On Easter Sunday, the pallbearers repeat the race, but now with the holy image of Cristo Resucitado, sat on his biers with his hands on his shoulders. |
Alcalá la Real
Alcalá la Real is a village located in the province of Jaén, situated between Jaén (71 km) and Granada (53km). It has a population of approximately 21,129 and a surface of 262 square kilometres. It is located in a zone that communicates the Guadalquivir Valley with Granada. It is located on the Hill of the Mota.
Its main economic activities are the cultivation of olive grove and of cherry tree, cattle (sheep and goats), craft and the industry of plastic and metals.
Famous people have walked along its streets, such as the sculptors Pablo de Rojas and Martínez Montañés, the composer Pep Ventura and the writer Arcipreste de Hita. Alcalá la Real is the head office of the award Arcipreste de Hita.
Its food is typically Mediterranean. In summer with the high temperatures they eat "gazpacho", "pipirrana" or "ajoblanco" in winter, sausages, blood sausages and bacon.
ETNOSUR (Festival of Ethnic Meetings in the Mountain Range of the South) is celebrated in June, there are concerts, forums, plays, circus, craft workshops, dance... Its importance has been increasing, reaching 40,000 visitors in 2006! In my opinion, Etnosur is a fantastic festival because many young people from Andalucia go there and there is big variety of activities.
JABALCUZ
I live in Jabalcuz, a housing estate 5 kilometres away from Jaén.
It is a very pretty place, with many trees and gardens, in the mountain. I like living here very much being very calm and far from the noise and contamination of the city. Here you can stroll with your dog calmly and play with your friends in the country, organize hiking excursions or ride your mountain bike, etc.
The bad thing is that there aren’t any stores and that's why whenever you need to buy something you must go to the city, but it takes about 15 minutes by car.
In my opinion this it is the best place to live in the world.
Istanbul
Along its history this city has received a lot of names, first Bizancio, later Constantinopla and finally Istanbul.
During centuries, Istanbul has received the Christian and Arabic cultural influences. Thanks to his spices and perfume fragances and its monumental buildings Istanbul is a paradise to sensitive people. Istanbul is Turkey's essence.
The architectural building in the Santa Sofia's museum and temple and the Blue Mosque stand out in Istanbul. The Bosphorus Strait connects the Black Sea with the sea of Marmara. Other two treasures are the defensive walls, seven kilometres long and declared by UNESCO as a World's Cultural Heritage, and the Roman Racetrack with Teodosio's Obelisk, the Streamer Column and Constantino's Column.
It's advisable to visit the Big Bazar, tight streets and low roofs where we can find a lot of souvenirs and articles such as jewels, shawls, spices, perfumes, ceramics, etc. The Turkish's baths are very famous.
The main courses of the Turkish food are kebap, made of lamb meat, iman bayildi, with vegetables, and sweets such as roses' preserve and lokums.
I have never been there, although I would love to do it. I think Istanbul is a very interesting city.
Granada
I have been in Granada many times. I have spent every Christmas, lots of week-ends, summers... even I was baptized there. My father is from Granada; my mother studied there. Nowadays, my grandma and all my cousins aunts and uncles live in this beautiful city; due to the time that I have spent there, I love this city.
Granada is a city placed in Andalusia, in the South-East of Spain, near the side of Sierra Nevada in the confluence of the rivers Genil, Darro and Beiro, with an average altitude of 700 metres on the level of the sea.
Tourism in Granada is very important, you can visit wonderful places such as: Alhambra and Generalife, Sacromonte, Albahicín, the cathedral, el Mirador de San Nicolás... Granada´s history is interesting, there are monuments of different cultures, although the most important ones are Arabic.
Granada is a cosmopolitan city and you can do whatever you want. For example: go shopping, visit fantastic places, and taste its gastronomy. Sierra Nevada is thirty minutes from Granada, there, you can ski or pracise snowboard, and just in the opposite direction you may find the tropical beach.
I love Granada because there are many possibilities to have fun. I think it is a perfect city to study, thanks to its ancient and big university. I love walking around it, especially at Christmas, when the streets are decorated. I would like to study there. The worst thing in Granada is getting stuck in a traffic jam, although public means of transport are alright.
In conclusion, Granada is a fantastic city and everybody may have a good time, enjoying all these facilities.
