Two cities.

As Lucy did, I just wanted to share some words with all of you about two cities that I know very well because I was working there for several years.

The first one, Mallorca, is one of the most vibrant and cosmpolitan cities in Spain. I mean, if you fancy you can even go out almost every day and enjoy the great atmosphere of the city. Moreover, it's full of people from different cultures such as Germans and British.
Nevertheless, it also has downsides. For instance, the heart of the city isn't safe owing to the pickpokets and vandals.
Talking about things that happened to me there, I remember that on one occasion I had a big argument with a Majorcan citizen because our cars crashed and he didn't want to speak Spanish.

The second one is Segovia, I'd say that it's a small and compact city with a population of only 50,000 citizens. It has an awesome historic old town which is worth visiting. Apart from that, it's a quiet place to live as well, where you'll find green areas and amazing amenities.
As regards the drawbacks, I consider that it isn't the best place for young people because it's incredibly dull. Indeed, there are few pubs and clubs to dance and have a drink.

Last but not least, once my car got stuck due to the snow on the road. Fortunately, one of my workmates rescued me safe and sound..

Pd.: This activity has been focused in a conversation practise instead of a composition.

Trieste and Venice

Here you're mi writing about these two cities which I visited in my trip to Italy:

The two cities I am going to write about are situated in the North of Italy by the Adriatic Sea. They are Trieste and Venice.
Last summer I had the opportunity to travel to these cities thanks to the Official Language School.
First of all, O'll write about Trieste. I onlu spent one day in this city nut, it was enough to verify how lively and comopolitan it is.
The heart of the city is full of shops springing up and thriving where lots and lots of affluent tourists spend their money every day.
I was surprised bythe historical buildings I could see there. It was really amazing to see Trieste's majestic square called "Piazza Unita d'Italia" surrounded by 19th century beautiful buildings. Whar's more, I have never seen such a spotless city, there was no rubbish on the streets and no graffiti anywhere.
The landscape on the outskirts is honestly astonishing, some residential areas are located overlooking the sea where I imagine a lot of absolutely lucky rich peopleare living in.
The most flourishing business in Trieste is shipbuilding, in fact most of the people from this city make their living working in the shipyards.
Venice is really, really worth visiting. I think it is incredibly unique, you won't be able to find a similar city in another place of the world. In fact, tourism has beena major sector of Venetias industry.
The whole city is buzzing from the early morning to the middle of the night but, if you want to feel the hustle and bustle of the city you must go for a walk on the streets in the morning. It is incredibly amazing the noise of the water in the canals and to see the vaporettos going and coming and people buying fish in the street markets...
The city is totally compact, there are no roads so the canals make this function, actually, the only way of transport is by water or on foot. They use a sort of ship called "vaporetto" to pransport everything.
Tourists usually travel by "gondola" to see the most popular places in the city but, they are ridiculously expensive.
The canals are crossed by bridges, some of then are as famous as other momuments in the city, for example: "Rialto" or "Suspiros".
However, Venice popularity has caused several problems, sometimes the city is overcrowded and some buildings are a bit run-down because they are very old and it's very pricey to restore them.

kookaburra

Hi there, As you know, I'm living a new adventure here , not only for living here ,but also for keeping strong in mind. Why? You know ,it's not the same to be a tourist as to be an emigrant . However,apart from my ups and downs, I'm learning a lot about nature . I wasn't aware of that .To be honest I've passed trough several states .I'm getting stronger and more confident. One thing that I really like very much is aboriginal people. They have stories for all kind of animals. They name these stories dreams . Let me tell you about one: Kookaburra These birds are known as the ' Bushman's Clock'. When you are woken by the raucous laughter of a tree full of kookaburra,remember that they are making sure do not miss the wonderful sunrise. Aboriginal dreamtime story tells that when Googoorgaga the kookaburra laughed ,it was a signal to the Sky Spirits to light the great fire of the sun in the morning, and to put it out again at night. Adult kookaburras pair for life and return to the same nest every year. It's amazing isn't it? Aboriginal history is full of dreams about everything in nature .I'll tell you another one soon. I hope you like it this was corrected by Helena ,so you can read it with all confidence . Love. Balbi

In springtime, the only pretty ring time...

Top o' the mornin' my fellow stripling. Salutations from your merryandrew Gabriel (huh? sounds confusing, begad). There's a gloomy day out in the overcast firmament of Adelaide, so I might as well spend some time scribbling these words, forwarded to whom it may concern.

So the desired format of my blog entries differ quite a bit from the common nonchalant daily-routine diaries. Who actually cares about the existance of a prepubescent scratching his pimples? I do not, and that's positive. "What for" is this? Well, I don't know it myself. Agen of inwit, I hope not. But I'll strive, myself, for the toilsome summit of maybe inspiring someone, not only to improve their English, but also to develope themselves as thinking persons.

Since this is nothing but our first contact, I thought it would be... maybe not a brainchild, but definitely something much more productive, to introduce a shakespearean song from one of his comely comedy plays called "Twelth Night" (the twelth night coincides with the night of the Epiphany). The "fool" (or the buffoon, the jestering urchin), sings to two knights a song about pursuing love while you're still a blooming flower. "Beatus ille"... read the long-forgotten Italian renacentist poems by Petrarca (among others).

O mistress mine, where are you roaming?
O mistress mine, where are you roaming?
O stay and hear, your true love's coming
O stay and hear, your true love's coming
That can sing both high and low
Trip no further, my pretty sweeting
Journey's end in lover's meeting
Every wise man's son doth know
What is love? 'Tis not hereafter
What is love? 'Tis not hereafter
Present mirth hath present laughter
Present mirth hath present laughter
What's to find is still unsure
In delay, there lies no plenty
Then come and kiss me, sweet and twenty
Youth's a stuff will not endure.

(sung by Deller Consort in the video)

And now, my weak attempt of a translation. The "trip" / "journey" pun is hard to translate, so do please be forgiving.

Oh, señora mía, ¿por dónde deambulas?
Oh ,señora mía ¿por dónde deambulas?
Oh, aguarda y escucha: tu amor verdadero ya llega
Oh, aguarda y escucha: tu amor verdadero ya llega
Que canta tanto alto como bajo
No le des más vueltas, mi hermosa querida
La búsqueda termina en el encuentro de los amantes
Todo hijo de hombre sabio da fe de ello.
Qué es el amor? No está en el más allá
Qué es el amor? No está en el más allá
La alegría del presente contiene las risas presentes
La alegría del presente contiene las risas presentes
Qué nos deparará el futuro es todavía incierto
En la demora, no quedan demasiados
Así que ven y bésame, dulce y veinteañero
La juventud es algo que no durará

Hope you liked it. My intentions are not of a braggart fulled with self-conceit, but of a bashful person that might find new turf to raise his twigs. But you won't plant anything in a tundra or a bog. You need an everlasting evergreen ever-ever meadow to arise other people's interest (now in languor due to the pillage of PP).The twigs will  mayhap become in the future acres, oaks. Or willows, such as me. Chinese depict the maturity as the ripening process of a tree (to flourish, to bloom means "the twig developing into a tree slowly, in a familiar environment, as a house or a school" It could be that this blog became one day, our Heimat, our home, where we will flourish slowly, never straightaway... We've no hurry, right?). It's not of my invention. :)

May you find peace these days, for I found mine, in an outlandish Ausland (outland) called Australia.