What's that little orange square on the right?

What this very short video and, after that, if you don't catch what's the meaning of those little orange squares, let me know, please... (using the comments button)

Those "headlines" on the right...

As I can guess from the activity in the last poll that I added here in this blog, I realize that you don't know exactly what are the links on the right. Well. Most of the most famous British and American newspapers have a specialized section on "travels and tourism".

What I did was including feeds from all these important publications (The Times on line, The Independent, The Guardian, The New York Times, etc...) so that you don't have to visit all those pages in order to look for articles dealing with tourism.

This way, articles will go to in real "fresh" English you and won't have to look for specialized text to improve your reading any more. But not only updated articles will be shown here in this blog using this method, also video (National Geographic) and audio archives could be listened and archived in your hard disk or mp3 player so that you could listen in the underground or by car...

You will find too feed to pages to learn English such as the one from the BBC or ESL About English

Talking about travels...

For those of you who want to practice listening and speaking in an asynchronous way, here you are this useful blog with voice to practice different languages. This link leads you to the "travel section", but you could find many more there...

You could also participate as tourism professionals to be and answering questions shown there by people!

Do you like "wiking"?

If you like this way of publishing, why don't to collaborate with wikitravel ? As you can see, you could just read articles in many languages, buy why not writing about the place where you live? It would be a good way to practice your English...There is also an incredible section devoted to "tourism topics" perfect for you to practice before the exam!! Have a look at travel topics!

A good way to compare linguistic structures....

Islamic Tourism Magazine

Today, I had the intention to suggest you to write a text in relation to the pilgrimage to the Mecca, but I found something better. It is website written in diferent languages (Spanish English and French among others) which is perfect for you to contrast grammar structure in two languages. Remember that one of the worst errors that you have with writing in a foreing language is traying to translate directly from your mother tongue, so that you get a text full of wrong built structures. You may find some fragments or text which are not literal translations of the other language version, that could be due to cultural or pragmatic reasons. Pay attention to this point too.

Will we have food enough in the future?

Last evening, I met I girl who told me she became vegetarian two weeks ago. I asked her: "why?" Are you sure you will survive in Spain without eating meat, the delicous cured ham? She replied that it was a question of ethics. It was a reason that I could understand at the begining, but then I did more or less. Now, I can understand it better with the help of articles and videos like these. I am still thinking of all that...

Is Europe a country?

A very good practice for units 2 & very close to the kind of vocabulary and writing asked...

English for Hotel Staff (EnglishClub.com)

in the exam. Have a look at the link before and to this one!

This one for unit 3

Also this one is very good for some topic dealing with the next semester...

A radio program on tourism

Something to Declare: programme 1

Do you have any mp3 player with you? Now you can listen to a specilized radio on tourism and travelling or even download it into your mp3 player, or mobile phone or whatever...

It is called "Something to declare" and it seems to be a good way to listen to English for tourism while being on the underground, train, travelling by car, etc...

I will try to add a link on the right of our blog anyway.

Good English Good Job - CV Preparation

Good English Good Job - CV Preparation

Here you are a good site to find c.v templates. You may have a look at them in order to tell us something about you in our "Páginas Personales" in the virtual course... Could you find anything useful related to tourism?

Typical Spanish food.

Galician cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients found in the cuisine of the Galicia, a region of Spain. These include shellfish, empanadas, polbo á feira (a dish made of octopus), the cheese queixo de tetilla, the ribeiro and albariño wines and orujo liquor.
Compared to the wide variety of food in the cuisines of France and India, for example, Galician cuisine could be considered to be fairly simple. In Galician cuisine, neither the cook or the recipe really matters; what is being served is the central part of the cuisine.
In Galicia, a wide variety of sea
products can be found in traditional dishes, due to the province's long shoreline
and traditional fishing economy. Agriculture products such as potatoes, maize and wheat are also a staple in the Galician diet, along with dairy and meat products from animals such as cows, sheep and pigs; Galicia's grasses and shrubs are green year-round and are excellent for grazing.

What other types of typical spanish food do you know? Please, could someone tell us about the mediterranean cuisine? Or tell us about the cuisine in your region. What about an exchange of recipes? It could be very interesting!

The Cambridge Guide to English Usage - Cambridge University Press

The Cambridge Guide to English Usage - Cambridge University Press

Many time you ask me which is the best dictionary to study this subject. I have always used (Activator by Longman) but I have just received this one that seems to be rather good and updated.

Writing task. Unit 3. Promoting Spanish products...

This weekend, I have been visiting a medow where pure Iberian pigs are feed in order to produce Iberian ham and other selected Iberian products. One of the most beautiful areas was the one devoted to the lactation and breeding of the little ones so that I took a picture for you... These little pigs will be later feed on natural products from the medows: acorns, taken from cork oaks and holm.

Write a composition using "comentario" promoting Iberic ham in a foreign country. If you want to do it more real, using this demo-template.

You could read also page 58 from your book in order to be more precise on your writing. Have a look also to this website written either in English and Spanish to acquire new vocabulary and structures on this topic.

St Pancras International, the 21st century's first mega-station

St Pancras International, the 21st century's first mega-station

Atocha? Sants? Santa Justa? Switch on your speakers and watch at this!!

Any comments afterwards?? Use "comentario"...

Could trains replace airplanes?

By reading this article from the British journal "The Independent", you will realize that, not only high speed trains has meant a train revolution communication in Spain, but also in most countries of Europe. In this article you'll find a list of the top 20 destinations connected by high-speed trains (no presence of Spain, by the way...). Don't you think many fight connections will disappear because of this new revolution? Think of the Spanish situation. Imagine that you are a businessman living in Barcelona. Do you think you will travel by AVE instead of travelling by plain to Madrid? Why? (Have a look at page 42 from your textbook to answer to this questions by clicking "comentario").

One more attraction to see in the Valley of the Kings

Tutankamon's face is presented to the public 85 years afer its discovery. To tell the truth, I was rather shocked with this announcement. For those of you who haven't seen any information yet, here you are a video, a picture and some articles taken from National Geographic. Would you like to be the tourist in the video? Would you like to see the mummy face to face? Do you think it would be something to keep away from people and reserved just for researchers? (Have a look to pag 42 in your textbook to justify your answer).
Don't forget to click on "comentario" to write your answers...;)

What do you think?? Your opinions in English, please.

Lo último
Hotel, puro hotel17/10/2007
Texto de Vicky Vilches
Ilustración de Mikel Jaso Hoy en día ya no es suficiente con ofrecer en el desayuno zumo exprimido al instante de naranjas orgánicamente cultivadas. Ni siquiera basta con que los productos de aseo para el baño estén elaborados con aromáticos aceites naturales. La búsqueda de la pureza ha llegado hasta el aire que respiramos, sobre todo ahora que las alergias proliferan al mismo ritmo que crece sin cesar la obsesión por el bienestar físico.
Por este motivo los establecimientos hoteleros que se precian de estar en vanguardia de esta moda empiezan a ofertar a sus clientes las denominadas pure rooms. Se trata de una nueva categoría de habitaciones de asepsia garantizada. Es decir, que no sólo se han limpiado, sino que también se han purificado. Para conseguirlo, se las ha sometido a un proceso especial de desinfección integral que elimina cualquier virus, germen o rastro infeccioso que haya podido dejar en la cama, en el aire o en el cuarto de baño el huésped anterior. Lo que empezó siendo una opción destinada esencialmente a las personas con problemas de alergia ha encontrado ahora una demanda inesperada en un sector de viajeros cada vez más preocupado por los virus globales que en un solo día pueden viajar desde Manila hasta Nueva York. Asia y Estados Unidos son los escenarios preferentes para esta nueva demanda de habitaciones purificadas. Por ello, algunas importantes cadenas hoteleras como, por ejemplo, Marriot, Four Seasons, Mandarin o Crowne Plaza las ofrecen ya en algunos de sus establecimientos.
Publicado en :
www.magazinedigital.com

Edinburgh

Edinburgh, Scotland's Capital City

Why start your Scotland holiday in Edinburgh
There are enough attractions to visit and holiday activities to do in Edinburgh and the surrounding area to keep you busy for your entire holiday. But more importantly, Edinburgh is a great base from which you can explore the rest of Scotland. Edinburgh is only an hour's drive from Glasgow, Scotland's largest City and 2-3 hours from the Highlands -- and that says a lot of the size of this country. You can take a bus tour from Edinburgh or rent a car for a self drive tour cross half the country in one day!

How is Edinburgh different from other European capitals?
Edinburgh is a capital in miniature compared to the other famous European capitals. It's not even the largest city in Scotland! With population of only 500,000, everything is within reach.

Traffic congestion is not as bad as in bigger cities like London either.Edinburgh's unique features include two extinct volcanoes, one of them right in the City Center onto which Edinburgh Castle is built. How many other capitals can pride themselves with that?

Edinburgh at a glance
Edinburgh's hills and volcanoes are excellent natural vantage points and not just for photography but for the City's fireworks displays in August and New Year.

Tourist highlights in Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh is also known as the 'Athens of the North'. It is one of the most beautiful capitals in Europe. Its distinctive and unique skyline follows closely that of Venice and makes for fantastic photography at dusk or dawn.

The historic City of Edinburgh preserved over the years its own medieval atmosphere. Every corner of the city has its own story -- or legend -- which awaits to be uncovered. For example, no tourist should miss a visit to the vaults beneath the City which uncover spooky stories of ghosts and mystery.

Despite its well preserved history, Edinburgh is by no means medieval. The year-round events -- like the Edinburgh Festival, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Edinburgh Hogmanay -- make it a vibrant city and can be quite overwhelming for a tourist dying to cover it all.

The bottom line about Edinburgh, Scotland
Great food, great music, great shows, really great pubs, incredibly friendly people and above all, enough attractions to keep even the most energetic tourist busy.On the downside, Edinburgh can be quite expensive in terms of accommodation and food if you don't have some local knowledge. However, with the proper information, any tourist, no matter the budget, can have the holiday of a lifetime.

Why not listening the radio while reading/writing this blog?

I have just added some radio station links to the rights lists in this blog. One of the best way to train your ear in foreign languages is by listening to the L2 as long as possible. I have suggested only two (British accent) but if you know more, please, let me know and I will add them too.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!!!!!!

History of Halloween, like any other festival's history is inspired through traditions that have transpired through ages from one generation to another. We follow them mostly as did our dads and grandpas. And as this process goes on, much of their originality get distorted with newer additions and alterations. It happens so gradually, spanning over so many ages, that we hardly come to know about these distortions. At one point of time it leaves us puzzled, with its multicolored faces. Digging into its history helps sieve out the facts from the fantasies which caught us unaware. Yet, doubts still lurk deep in our soul, especially when the reality differs from what has taken a deep seated root into our beliefs. The history of Halloween Day, as culled from the net, is being depicted here in this light. This is to help out those who are interested in washing off the superficial hues to reach the core and know things as they truly are. 'Trick or treat' may be an innocent fun to relish on the Halloween Day. But just think about a bunch of frightening fantasies and the scary stories featuring ghosts, witches, monsters, evils, elves and animal sacrifices associated with it. They are no more innocent. Are these stories a myth or there is a blend of some reality? Come and plunge into the halloween history to unfurl yourself the age-old veil of mysticism draped around it.

More info: http://www.halloween.com/

What's "continental" about a continental breakfast?

What's "continental" about a continental breakfast?

Just because you live on a continent and are eating something in the morning, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a "continental breakfast." While croissants and hot chocolate in Belgium would qualify, penguin bacon and Sanka in Antarctica wouldn't. That's because "continental" refers to Europe, really mostly to France, which for many years enjoyed cultural hegemony over its neighbors.

A typical continental breakfast consists of "a breadstuff (such as toast, croissants, pastries) and coffee, tea, or other liquid." Furthermore, the continental breakfast is the "antithesis of the hearty English breakfast," in which you sit down to cereal, bacon, eggs, sausage, tomatoes, toast, marmalade, tea, and, most likely, some Alka Seltzer.

The continental breakfast concept isn't limited to Europe, as evidenced by the numerous American hotel chains that offer this service. And according to Ochef.com, some countries, especially those in Scandinavia, do add fruit and cheese to the bread menu, and even a boiled egg or salami.

http://www.top-greetings.com

How and when did Japan receive its name?

How and when did Japan receive its name?

The English word for Japan came to the west from early trade routes. The early Mandarin Chinese word for Japan was recorded by Marco Polo as Cipangu. The two Chinese characters may be translated as "origin of the sun" or "land of the rising sun". However, the Cantonese word for Japan, from which the word Japan was probably originally born, is Jatbun. In Malay the Cantonese word became Japang and was thus encountered by Portuguese traders in Malacca in the 16th century. It is thought the Portuguese traders were the first to bring the word to Europe. It was first recorded in English in 1577 spelled Giapan.The Japanese flag is called Hinomaru (circle of the sun). The red circle on the white background symbolizes the sun.

Stuying Tourism in the Antipodes.
Have a look at what they do and improve your vocabulary while reading.

Study, travel, work, explore…We invite you to discover education in paradise

You are invited to study at New Zealand's only resort college. Queenstown Resort College offers world-class hospitality and tourism education at all levels - from tertiary students to industry executives, tourists and visitor groups.
Located in Queenstown, New Zealand, our education facility offers hospitality management training, adventure tourism education, internships, English language, short courses for visitors, personal and leadership development courses, customised programmes and more.
Study at our unique resort college set amongst the most spectacular scenery in the world.

http://www.queenstownresortcollege.com

Road trip (BBC English learning)

Have a look at some compositions written and read by some students of English from different countries. Just have a look and pay attention to the way they deal with this topic...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/roadtrip/journeys_shortlist.shtml

María Jordano

What types of tourism can you practise in India?

"Home to the Indus Valley civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four major world religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated here, while Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism arrived in the first millennium CE and shaped the region's variegated culture. "

As you can see for these photographs, India is a wonderful country which offers a wide range of activities for tourists. If you have travelled to this country, please tell us about it.
If you haven't, imagine all the activities you could do there, the different types of tourism you could practise and tell us about it.

Why do airlines overbook flights?

Why do airlines overbook flights?Airlines routinely overbook flights to compensate for no-shows: people who reschedule or opt not to fly. An empty seat on a plane means a loss of revenue to an airline.Overbooking is a standard practice and perfectly legal. Many airlines regularly overbook busy routes by as much as 200 percent. By law, all bumped passengers are entitled to some form of compensation, usually in the form of a free ticket.Thus, the airlines have to balance the risk of a no-show with the compensation they have to pay to bumped passengers. They overbook according to a number of variables: whether it's a holiday season, how the airline market is doing in general, and perhaps most importantly, a specific flight's history of no-shows.An average of 50,000 passengers are bumped by the nation's ten largest airlines every year.
From: www.top-greetings.com

What's Ecotourism?

Listen to these students of biology talking about Ecotourism and compare to the texts founds in the textbook dealing with this topic. Could you find other ways of doing "Ecotourism"? Could you understand well what she said?

How to be a good tourist guide in English?

Figueres. Tourist Information - VIRTOURIST.COM

One of the most "asked" writing tasks in Lengua Inglesa I exams is describing a monument acting like a tourist guide. Though it may seem something really easy if you have been working in this kind of jobs, you get really low score in these kind of compositions. Here you are an example, but you could read others here.

And.... if you want to listen and watch to to some examples, here you are several descriptions from cities such as Paris, Los Angeles, Rome or even Madrid!!

Madonna's Personal Blog

Madonna's Personal Blog

Do you like Madonna's music? Do you like Madonna's way of life? Have a look at her personal web and read something more about this artist, singer and many things more....

Language Links Pre-intermediate with Answers - Cambridge University Press

Language Links Pre-intermediate with Answers - Cambridge University Press

I saw a review of this new book of self-study with practice on grammar and vocabulary, which would be great for all of you in order to have a look at the basic grammar you need to know in order to pass this subject. I haven't seen it yet, but It seems to be rather good. I have read many books about the authors and they are very good.

Good luck with your exams!!