Thursday, November 26, 2009

Today is... Thanksgiving Day (and two writing tasks)

We will propose you several activities to do this very especial Day in the US.

First, watch the following video...



** Here you are some links and quizzes to know more about this topic.

and think about a touristic route that you could plan for your clients remembering the most relevant events and places dealing with this festivity. Try to focus on sustainable tourism (or cultural tourism if you are studying unit 6).

Then, read the following article and try to figure out if Spanish tourism will expect a similar situation during "Puente de la Inmaculada"...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/6657111/Thanksgiving-travel-down-a-third-in-bad-economy.html

Friday, November 20, 2009

















Many of our students travel really often and tell us about their impressions and discoveries while they are away.
Would you like to write about that very special corner, place, hotel, city, shop, ... you found out last summer, two years ago or last week????
Come on, use your keyboard right now!!!

I'll try and write about the first one. I'll show you a wonderful place I "discovered" a couple of summers ago that takes you for a while into the Arab world : extremely delicious teas, wonderful sweet treats and home made tasty confectionery and baking!! You can even smoke one of those exotic pipes. The tea list is written (drawn) on a wonderful paper, the decoration is superb, the place is incredible and the owners the best hosts. The customer is their most valuable jewel. You will learn what excellence in service and professional dedication mean.

There is also a small cozy hotel of 7 exclusive rooms you have to see.
The front door comes from a palace in Tetuán, some bronze lamps are handmade, original pigments from Marrakech
They offer whirlpool tub, wifi, satellite tv, welcome tea, wonderful breakfast, welcome fruit basket, etc. Really value for money.
The place: Arabia Riad
Address:Plaza del duque 5, 10003 CÁCERES

Now it is your turn!!!!

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

VIDEOS ON POPPY DAY / REMEMBRANCE DAY 2009


from: http://oz.deichman.net/uploaded_images/poppy-773886.jpg


Rememberance at Royal Albert Hall (01:19 m)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7718254.stm


Ceremonies mark Remembrance Day (02:43 m)


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7718854.stm

Services remember British fallen (07:31 m)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7718452.stm

Armistice around the world (01:05 m)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7718359.stm

POPPY DAY



https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWLU0dazfaMaJQxJCiYEAyqqf6HccCRbi2ywX-nD9UR-5n96TjBznkehSfxaYL0ugw1PwSJQ_EG9cDmS5BWW1_IeqT70yYa5brAPvHqqzGNEHPxuiMTUuEnU3rumb3gK20Lnwqw/s320/poppy-day.jpg





Remembrance Day - Poppy Day

Today's entry is long to read but interesting, I think. Some students ask me almost every year about the meaning of the poppy on the lapel of the newsreaders when they watch the UK news on that day.
Did you know about Poppy Day? What do you think of this special date?


From: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A653924

"Many countries have a special day to remember those that fell in their wars; America has Veterans Day, while France has Armistice Day. The British commemorate those who fought, and are still fighting, in wars for their country on Remembrance Day.
The British Remembrance Day is always held on the 11 November. This is the day that World War One ended in 1918, when the armistice was signed in Compiègne, Northern France, at 5am. Six hours later, the fighting stopped, and to commemorate this there is a two minute silence in the UK at 11am, every 11 November.
The period of silence was first proposed by a Melbourne journalist, Edward George Honey, in a letter published in the London Evening News on 8 May 1919, which subsequently came to the attention of King George V. On 7 November, 1919, the king issued a proclamation which called for a two-minute silence:
All locomotion should cease, so that, in perfect stillness, the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead.
As well as the two-minute silence, there are marches around the country by war veterans. The Royal Family, along with leading politicians, gather at the Cenotaph, a large war memorial in Whitehall, in London.
The nearest Sunday to the 11th is called Remembrance Sunday, when church services are held in honour of those involved in wars, and wreaths are laid on the memorials which have a place in every town. Many two-minute silences are followed by a lone bugler playing The Last Post, reminiscent of times of war when trumpets were as much a part of battle as bayonets. A poem called 'For the Fallen' is often read aloud on the occasion; the most famous stanza of which reads:
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. Fourth stanza of 'For the Fallen' by Laurence Binyon (1869 - 1943)
These words can be found adorning many war memorials across the country. The author, Laurence Binyon, was never a soldier but certainly appreciated the horrors of war.
Remembrance day is taken very seriously, with disrespect being avoided at all costs (which is why the vandalisation of the Cenotaph on 1 May 2000 was seen as such a horrific crime). If 11 November falls on a weekday, schools, workplaces and shopping centres generally attempt to observe the silence, although some people choose to ignore their attempts and go about their business regardless.
Poppies
Remembrance Day is also known as Poppy Day, because it is traditional to wear an artificial poppy. They are sold by the Royal British Legion, a charity dedicated to helping war veterans, although they do not have a fixed price - they rely on donations.
The motto of the British Legion is Remember the dead; don't forget the living, and they are campaigners for issues relating to war veterans, especially elderly ones.
The poppies are worn because in World War One the Western Front contained in the soil thousands of poppy seeds, all lying dormant. They would have lain there for years more, but the battles being fought there churned up the soil so much that the poppies bloomed like never before. The most famous bloom of poppies in the war was in Ypres, a town in Flanders, Belgium, which was crucial to the Allied defence. There were three battles there, but it was the second, which was calamitous to the allies since it heralded the first use of the new chlorine gas the Germans were experimenting with, which brought forth the poppies in greatest abundance, and inspired the Canadian soldier, Major John McCrae, to write his most famous poem. This, in turn, inspired the British Legion to adopt the poppy as their emblem.
In Flanders FieldsIn Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)
The American Moira Michael from Georgia, was the first person to wear a poppy in remembrance. In reply to McCrae's poem, she wrote a poem entitled 'We shall keep the faith' which includes the lines:
And now the Torch and Poppy Red We wear in honor of our dead.
She bought some poppies, wore one, and sold the others, raising money for ex-servicemen. Her colleague, French YMCA Secretary Madame Guerin, took up the idea and made artificial poppies for war orphans. It caught on.
In November 1921, the British Legion and Austrian Returned Sailor's and Soldier's League sold them for the first time.
The tragic events in New York on 11 September 2001, left ever increasing numbers of people feeling stronger than ever the need for peace. This, in turn, prompted the manufacture of white poppies to represent peace. They are not a new idea, though. In fact, they date from 1933, having been designed by a UK Women's Guild. The British Legion was invited to produce them twice, in 1933 and 1988, but they not only declined, they also refused to accept the proceeds from them, because they were seen as disrespectful by some soldiers. They are having a surge in popularity once again as people stop feeling as safe as they once did."




Monday, November 09, 2009

BONFIRE NIGHT


"Oct 19 2009
In London and in the UK in general, we have a passion for fireworks (pyrotechnics) at this time of year. Halloween isn't really our thing, although more and more children's costumes are going on sale these days. We look forward to November 5th when we commemorate Guy Fawkes's attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament with barrels of gunpowder in 1605, with King James I inside. He was caught before he could do any damage and was duly executed shortly after."
Have you ever enjoyed bonfire night in the UK?
Any other special date?
Any similar celebration in your place?
This is a good choice to write-write-write. Come on.