The Babylon Idiomas Blog

There really is only one month for Spaniards that they consider for holidays: August. It is the hottest, driest month of the year and therefore the time of the year to slow down and take things a little bit easier than in the other months. Often as a result of their work closing down for the month, Spaniards tend to take the whole of the month off rather than just a couple of weeks.  This causes a mass migration from the bigger cities on the same day of the year and simply referred to as “la salida” by the press. Where does everybody go?

Sure, a large percentage goes to the coast (la costa) to join the millions of tourists who have already set up camp there. But a surprising big group goes to the country side (el campo) or to the mountains (las montañas) to look for cooler air. One upside of this plan is that tourists are a lot thinner on the ground the farther you move from the beach side.

One other important factor that influences the holiday pattern in Spain has to do with history. In the 20th century, Spain witnessed large migrations of workers often from the poorer South to the big cities and these family roots still count today. It is not unusual to see families drive for days to visit relatives in the south and return after a month with their car stuffed with local delicacies and family memories.

Family ties are very important in Spanish culture and it is more common than not that large families with adult children, their partners and children go to the same destination for generations, meeting the same families that have been going there as well for as long as they remember and establish this way their alternative -and pleasant- community during the month of August.

Not everyone of course goes with their family on holiday in Spain; travelling abroad has become more popular for young Spaniards in the last decades but overall, the traditional family holiday in Spain still is the cultural standard.

Food plays a very important part in Spanish culture and during their holidays as the glue of social ties when everyone sits around the table savouring the cooking of the local restaurant or family chef whilst enjoying a nice glass of wine. When you ask a Spanish friend about their holiday, often the first thing you hear is “hemos comido mucho“…we ate a lot.

And what a great way it is to go on holiday with your family and friends, sit around the table, eat, laugh and talk, do a little sunbathing but nothing too strenuous for a whole month. August is about to start…look out for Spaniards having a great time!

Of course, Paul “El Pulpo” correctly predicted it and they were favourites before the tournament began. But is has still been a historical achievement that ”La Roja” has lived up to the expectations. For the next four years -and for the first time- , Spain can call itself “campeones del mundo“, something that has been wildly celebrated throughout Spain.

This Spanish team is to a certain extend an extension of the successes of F.C. Barcelona whose players made up the vast majority of the team. The new Barca player David “el guaje” Villa especially enjoyed a very successful tournament whereas Fernando “el niño” Torres had a very disappointing time. Three new Barca players made a very successful debut on an international level: Sergio Busquets (yet to get a nick name), Pedro Rodriguez (simply known as “Pedro”) and Gerard Pique (often referred to as “Piquenbauer”).

In addition to an excellent David Villa, the goalkeeping captain Iker Cassillas can look back at an excellent championship although he appeared to be more in the press for his romance with a very attractive sports presenter called Sara Carbonera than for his excellent saves. That leaves two of the best players without whom neither FC Barcelona nor La Roja would be the same: Xavi Hernández, possibly the best “centrocampista” of the decade and Andres “Don Blanco” Iniesta who has the knack to score very, very important goals when they are most needed.

There was much to do in South Africa about the new “balón” that appeared to have some rules of its own and most football lovers hope that sanity will win over commercialism for the next world cup. There was also a lot of controvery about refereeing decisions where millions of TV viewers did see “fuera de juegos” that the referee did not. Most of us will also be glad to see -or better hear- the last of the vuvuzela that drove players, commentators and audiences mad.

Regardless of these controversies, everyone agrees that Spain is the righful winner of the tournament and with tens of thousands of Spanish “banderas” hanging from balconies, the people here all agree.

Where is it? Valencia is the third largest city of Spain and is located on the Mediterranean sea halfway down the east coast of Spain.

What is its history? Although settlements go back many more years, the Romans developed the area around Valencia as land was given to soldiers as retirement payment. Valencia started to blossom a thousand years ago and became an important seafaring city and frontier city in the wars between Christian and Moorish forces in what is known as the “Reconquista”. The legendary figure “El Cid” conquered and defended the city but the story of him strapped to his horse to attack the Moorish troops when he had died already are almost certainly untrue.

Valencia had long spells of independence and mixed affiliations with the Catalan empire in the early part of the last millennium and later on became part of the Spanish crown.

Where’s the beach? For centuries, the seaside of Valencia was a neglected part of town inhabited by fishermen and workers. The city centre is much further removed from the beach than is the case in other coastal cities. The reason was the important river Turia on which banks the city was built. The city has grown so much in the last few centuries that the seaside is now completely integrated. The staging of the 2007 America’s Cup (the biggest sailing event in the world) was an excellent reason to redevelop the beaches and port making it now one of the hotspots of Valencia.

What is there to see? Valencia combines beautiful historic architecture (Roman, Moorish and Medieval) with amazing new architecture. The latter being the product of the architect Santiago Calatrava who built the “City of the Sciences and Arts” in the now defunct riverbed in between the old city and the sea. The Cathedral of Valencia is one of the oldest and largest in the world.

What to eat and drink? They say that the paella was invented by Roman soldiers who combined a newly imported grain called rice with the local food supply: eel, snails and rabbit. The more modern paella features seafood. Another product with a long attachment to Valencia is the orange and it is therefore no surprise that the local tipple “Agua de Valencia” combines orange juice, cava, wodka and gin.

How do I get there? Valencia has an international airport (called Manises) connecting most European countries with the city. You can also get there by fast train from Madrid and Barcelona.

Where’s the school? Our Spanish language school in Valencia just moved to a new building in the heart of the city. You can find us on calle Poeta Querol 5 or simply visit our website for more information: http://www.babylon-idiomas.com/en/learn-spanish-valencia.htm

Football is the world’s biggest sport and more books and articles have been written about this game than any other. When living in Spain, you realize just how much football is ingrained in its culture. When F.C. Barcelona won the league last Sunday, the largest “serious” newspaper in Cataluña dedicated its first 8 pages of the Monday edition to this event. Unthinkable in other countries. Let’s have a look as to why this could be.

For the casual observer, Spain as an entity is one of Europe’s oldest countries whose frontiers have been solid since centuries. Underneath this appearance however is a highly fragmented country where ancient kingdoms, religious factions and political movements have been involved in a power struggle that carved up the country in many “tribes” with their own customs and pride. The geography of the Iberian peninsula has condemned the people residing here to live together in one state (with the notable exception of Portugal) but it is an uneasy marriage.

This explains to a high degree the energy put into what represents the tribal interests: the local football club. F.C. Barcelona is “more than just a club” as the current slogan says. When Sevilla FCwon the Copa del Rey last Wednesday, the supporters of the other football club in Sevilla, Real Betis were crying from sorrow. Real Madrid likes to see itself as the representation of a glorious, unified Spain and has therefore become for many regional clubs the proverbial red cape to aim for.

It should be noted that football passion is not exclusively male; in fact, many women go to the stadium and support their club. Restaurants and bars are packed when a big game is on with both genders and all ages.

To proclaim your affinity with a club is saying a lot -according to Spanish culture- about who you are. Rafael Nadalis an avid Real Madrid supporter (also known as “Merengue”) although his uncle (and tennis coach) played himself for F.C. Barcelona. Prime minister Zapaterois a known “culé” which is the nickname for a F.C. Barcelona supporter. In Sevilla it says a lot about your family and social background whether you are a fan of Sevilla FC or Real Betis. Or in Madrid for Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid and the same holds in Barcelona where the rivalry between Espanyol and F.C. Barcelona is quite vicious.

There are at least four daily sports newspapers in Spain filled for 80% with football news. This is definitely more than just 22 guys chasing behind a ball. Next time you are in Spain -and why not to include a Spanish language course with Babylon Idiomas- go for a real full cultural immersion and go to the stadium or bar to watch a game. It is a fascinating experience.

Learning a language is one of the best investments you can make. Learning Spanish means opening the doors to a culture of approximately 400 million people in the world who speak Spanish as their native language. One thing is to learn the words and the grammar to express yourself but as so often is the case, it makes a lot more sense when you can learn the context of the language as well.

That is why Babylon Idiomas organizes a so called culture class every day in its schools in Spain to share with you typical traits of the Spanish world to help you better understand the Spanish culture. Of course, not only will you learn new things, the culture classes also offer you a great way to practice your oral comprehension. Even absolute beginners will benefit from being exposed to a structured class and build their vocabulary.

Culture classes can either take the form of lectures or can be activity based. Examples of lectures are “The history of Spain in the civil war”, “The road to Santiago”, “Architecture in Barcelona”, “The Roman influences in Spain” etc. Activity based culture classes can consist of dance classes (salsa, sevillanas), wine tasting or an excursion. These classes will really help you build a better understanding of the Spanish culture and aid your Spanish learning curve.

The time table of these classes is typically early in the morning (08:00-09:00) or in the late afternoon (19:00-20:00). Please note that culture classes are included with all Spanish courses with the exception of the Intensive 20 course. They are included with the Intensive 20+5 courses (the 5 referring to the daily extra classes).

The culture class programme is displayed in every school to give you an overview of the different lectures and activities that are planned. Feel free to talk to your teacher if a certain topic interests you that you see not covered yet. Your input and feedback are vital to us to keep our Spanish culture classes fresh and interesting.

Learn more about our Spanish courses

Die Tapas Bar Jaica ist eine der bekanntesten typischen spanischen Bars um in Barcelona Tapas zu Essen. Sie liegt mitten im schönen Nachbarschaftsviertel Barceloneta, ganz in der Nähe vom Strand. Bar Jaica ist ein idealer Platz um nach dem Sonnen baden seinen Apetit zu stillen und die Spezialitäten Spaniens zu geniessen.

In einer kleinen Vitrine an der Bar kannst du dir verschiedene Spezialitäten anschauen, wie z.B. Chocos, Calamares, Pimientos de Padron, Pulpo …. bevor du dich entscheidest und bestellst.

 Da die Bar nicht sehr gross ist, ist es sehr schwierig einen Tisch zu bekommen und man muss immer mit einer Wartezeit von 30 – 60 Minuten rechnen, vor allem am Wochenende, aber es lohnt sich. Das Publikum in Bar Jaica ist sehr gemischt, von Jung bis Alt ist alles vertreten und du wirst immer eine Menge Spanier und Catalanen vorfinden, was für eine spanische Atmosphäre sorgt.

Wir können diese Bar nur empfehlen, da du sehr gute Qualität zum guten Preis bekommst in einer typisch, spanischen Atmosphäre. Wenn man in Barcelona ist sollte man auf jeden Fall mal in dieser Bar vorbeischauen, weg von den ganzen Touristenplätzen, rein in die spanische Welt.

Täglich von  9:00 0:00. C/ Ginebra, 13, 08003 Barcelona, T: +34933195002,  <m>[L4] nach Barceloneta

Dies de Dansa is an international festival of contemporary dance in Urban spaces in Barcelona. The next edition will be held from 1st of July until 5th of July 2010. It is an annual cultural project created in Barcelona and is part of the GREC, Festival de Verano de Barcelona (Summer Festival of Barcelona).

During five days the buildings, parks, streets and squares of Barcelona come alive in this encounter with dance, public and urban space. The organizer are interested in promoting dance in all its different aspects, generating debate and reflection on our public spaces, personifying our cities, revaluing our cities artistic and architectural heritage, and promoting the interchange between autonomous regions and their cities.

Dance companies participate in the program of the festival and follow proposals to make specific choreographies for specific sites. The festival is an agile show of the different aspects of dance. It consists of going around different spaces and views of the cities´ architectural sites.  These are short performances which keep the attention of the public, no matter their age or background. It is its open quality that DIES DE DANSA tries to preserve year after year.

The Festival directors invite a number of dance companies to participate in this event from around the world and present their proposals. The final program is a mix of specially invited dance companies and dance companies that attend on a more regular basis.

The criteria for selection relate to the quality of the choreography, the intention to present a sample of different types of contemporary dance, the previous works of the recognized and emergent choreographers, and the relationship of each piece with the public space.

Do you remember this song? It was actually written about San José in California, not San José in Costa Rica but that should not stop us hijacking the title for this article.

Costa Rica is a beautiful tropical country just north of the equator wedged between the Carribean and the Pacific Ocean. Its southernly neighbour is Panama and to the north runs the border with Nigaracua.

The country has a central spine made up by a volcanic mountain range that gently slopes to the open seas on either side. San José is located in the heart of the country in the central valley and is served by the International Airport of Juan Santamaria that has daily flights to Europe and North America.

San José is the capital of Costa Rica with around 400.000 people living in and around the city. It is the only large city in the whole country and government and commerce are concentrated here. The city centre is not the most attractive in the world but as soon as you go towards the suburbs, it becomes much more pleasant.

Our language school is actually located in Santo Domingo to the north of the city in a very pleasant environment but within easy reach of the capital. From San José it is very easy to organise long weekends and excursions to all the beauty that the country has to offer: national parks, live volcanoes, sandy beaches or trekking in the coffee hills. Most of the transportation is done by bus but if you want to visit the province of Guanacaste in the Northeast, we highly recommend to take an internal flight.

Our language school is open all year round but you may want to take into consideration that this is a tropical country where the rainy season runs from May until and including November. During these months you can expect regular downpours but you are very likely to see a lot of sun as well. The other upside from visiting during this period is that there are less tourists around.

 More about our Spanish language school in San José, Costa Rica

“I hope that The Big Power can come out this time” said the taxi driver. I know Sevilla already well enough that I knew what he meant. He was referring to the Semana Santa (Holy Week) that is coming up and that the specific procession carrying a float representing “The Big Power” will not be interrupted by rain. Grown men cry during Semana Santa when it rains.

Semana Santa starts on Palm Sunday and finishes on Easter Sunday. Sevilla is not the only city in the world that has processions during this period but it is by far the best known. Tens of thousand of visitors flock to Seville each year to watch this spectacle and most of the chairs along the route are already set up weeks in advance.

At the heart of the processions lies the religious tradition to do penance for your sins. As this is an individual process, the penitents wear cloaks to mask their faced and be alone with their thoughts. By carrying an image of the Lord or the Virgin Mary through the city, you’ll be one step closer to have your sins absolved.

Each procession is organized around a church or chapel that has its own religious float and a Brotherhood (Hermandades y Cofradias de Penitencia) whose members (men andwomen) maintain the float and organize the event. All procession have to pass through the “Ruta official” and they are given a strict timetable to do so.  If they don’t stick to their time schedule the brotherhood gets fined..

Penance is not necesarily a somber occassion (but please make no sound when “Santa Marta, el Silencio” comes by) and most processions in honour of the Virgin Mary are definitely upbeat and more than one slightly intoxicated penitent or crowd members can be spotted at the end of the procession.

Semana Santa is more than anything an event for the Sevillanos themselves. The Brotherhoods are closed groups and the procession is an annual rite that is wonderful to look at as a visitor, but very hard to really feel from the outside. And that perhaps makes Semana Santa truly a magical, mysterious and spiritual event to attend.

> Learn more about a Spanish course in Sevilla

Erzähl uns ein bisschen was über dich. Woher kommst du, was machst du so?

Gerne doch. Mein Name ist Christian (20) und ich komme aus Lünen, böse gesprochen der nördliche Wurmfortsatz Dortmunds. Meine Hobbies sind nicht Schwimmen, Reiten und Tagebuch schreiben. Nach dem Abitur im Juni 2009 wollte ich nicht direkt mit meinem Studium (Jura) anfangen, sondern meine letzte freie Zeit vor der Rente dazu nutzen, etwas komplett anderes zu machen und eine neue Sprache zu lernen.

Wie lange bist du schon in Madrid?

Ich bin jetzt seit Mitte August hier und mache mich (leider) am kommenden Sonntag auf den Weg zurück nach Deutschland, da im April mein Studium beginnt.

Warum hast du dich entschieden, Spanisch zu lernen? Und warum in Madrid?

Grundsätzlich habe ich ein riesiges Interesse an Sprachen. Auch, da ich mich mit Deutsch und Englisch recht limitiert fühlte und mich mit einer größtmöglichen Zahl an Menschen auf dieser Welt in ihrer Muttersprache unterhalten können möchte.

Und da die restlichen Weltsprachen entweder nicht meinem Geschmack entsprachen (ich bin immer noch der festen Überzeugung, dass das Misslingen des Experiments “Französischkurs” auf dem Gymnasium auf den Unterricht und nicht, ich wiederhole: NICHT, auf mich zurückzuführen ist), zu schwer (Arabisch, Russisch) oder schlichtweg unmöglich zu lernen (Chinesisch) erschienen, bin ich mit Spanisch und seinen 400 Millionen Muttersprachlern wohl recht gut gefahren und habe es zu keinem Augenblick bereut.

Warum Madrid? Nun ja, meine Schwester war im Jahr 2006 ein halbes Jahr bei Babylon Idiomas in Barcelona und meine Eltern wollten noch mal eine andere spanische Stadt sehen.

Was gefällt dir an Babylon Idiomas?

Abgesehen von der Atmosphäre in der Schule sind insbesondere Lage selbiger und die Klassenstärke von maximal 8 Personen ein großer Pluspunkt. In Ausnahmefällen gibt es  Donnerstags sogar eine kostenlose Stunde Einzelunterricht, wenn mal wieder Teile der Klasse, in den Nachwehen ausufernder Partytätigkeiten im Anschluss an den Happy Miércoles liegend, mehr oder weniger freiwillig zu Hause geblieben sind.

War es schwierig für dich, dich hier einzuleben?

Aufgrund der Aufgeschlossenheit der Spanier ist es mir nicht im Ansatz schwergefallen, mich hier in Madrid vom ersten Tag an wohl zu fühlen. Allerdings sei jedem das ständige Mitführen eines Taschenwörterbuchs empfohlen, liegt doch gerade den älteren Einwohnern Madrids die englische Sprache mal eher gar nicht. Das stellt allerdings verkaufstechnisch einen großen Vorteil für den Lidl zwei Straßen weiter dar, der glücklicherweise viele deutsche Waren anbietet und einem das unfreiwillige Testen der 254sten traditionell und von Hand hergestellten spanischen Wurstspezialität (deren verschiedene Ausführungen man im Zweifelsfalle an der Größe der Fettstücke und/oder der Rotfärbung unterscheiden kann) erspart. Und auch die öffentlichen Verkehrsmittel sind einfach zu durchschauen, weswegen die anfängliche Orientierung nicht sonderlich schwerfallen sollte. Im Zweifelsfalle hilft immer die Gastfreundschaft der Spanier, die sie zuweilen auch nicht davor zurückschrecken lässt, dich kurzerhand minutenlang durch die Innenstadt Madrids zu schleifen, um dir die nächste Metrostation zu zeigen.

Was gefällt dir speziell an Madrid?

 Das wahrscheinlich Tollste an Madrid ist für mich die wahnsinnig lebendige Musikszene, was sich insbesondere in den unzähligen Konzerten und den quasi obligatorischen Gitarrenduos in vielen traditionellen Bars widerspiegelt. Wer sich auch nur im Ansatz für Heavy Metal oder Rock interessiert, dem wird das Herz bei einem Besuch im  Viertel Argüelles (Metro Argüelles) oder der wöchentlich stattfindenden Konzerte von sowohl namhaften, internationalen Bands als auch lokalen Gruppen, aufgehen.

Welche Tipps würdest du einem neuen Studenten bei Babylon geben? 

Grundsätzlich würde ich jedem Folgendes ans Herz legen:

1. Zum einen ist es wichtig, die doppelte Zeit dessen zu buchen, was man für angemessen hält, da meine bald 26 Wochen hier in Madrid dann doch sehr schnell vergangen sind. “Tempus fugit” ist zwar weniger Spanisch denn Latein, bringt die Sache allerdings ganz gut auf den Punkt. Ist das aus verschiedensten Gründen nicht möglich, sollte wirklich jeder Tag und jedes Wochenende zur Gänze ausgenutzt werden, sowohl was Ausflüge außerhalb Madrids als auch die lokalen Sehenswürdigkeiten und „Geheimtipps” angeht.

2. Stichwort: „Ausflüge”. Wer sich mit dem Auto auf den Weg nach Spanien machen möchte, der sollte den Wagen auch nutzen, da er – bei allem praktischen Nutzen – sehr leicht zum Ziel von Hohn und Spott werden kann, steht der Wagen dann letzten Endes nur in einer teuren Garage rum.

3. Die Spanier sind nicht so unhöflich, wie die Grammatik bisweilen vermuten lässt.

4. Probiert in den Mittagspausen verschiedene Cafés aus, aber wartet nicht bis zur letzten Woche damit, zu Sol Mina zu gehen (siehe Karte am schwarzen Brett) – ihr würdet euch nur ärgern, wenn ihr die wahrscheinlich besten Bocadillos Madrids verpasst.

5. Der beste Irish Pub Madrids ist mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit jener am Plaza Mayor.

6. Tengan cuidado para no introducir el pie entre coche y andén.

> Mehr Information über unsere Sprachschule in Madrid