Well, this year I wanted to come back to the origins, which were organizing local excursions at the same time I write about the stuff to do in the city… Let’s have a look about how it went! In 2014 I started this project, with guides of Bratislava (the city where I was doing my Erasmus) as well as several tours in Slovakia (Like Trencin, Bojnice or Slovak Paradise). The good feedback and happy participants pushed me to continue with this and not stopping it after a year (as it was intended). As I came back home, my studies went difficult again due to the fact I was studying 2 things at the same time so since NomadWill.com is my hobby and not a job (as I explained in the About section), during the second half of 2015 I focused in the Blog section as well as the Photography albums, because I could work on them from home on my free time (mostly time commuting or in a queue). Since September of 2016 I need to study for one of the hardest exams, the state exam of Medicine, for what you need to study an average of 10h a day competing against your fellow classmates for a position to continue your medical career with specialization (6000 spots for 12-14k applicants, without specialization you can’t work as doctor in Spain), so I was really about to drop this project... Thankfully, on my birthday I got the promo T-shirt as present, and the fact that I needed to do as much as possible in the study-free days was the factor that pushed me again to go back on the project. And it was amazing. Since I had 5 years experience organizing stuff for Erasmus, obviously I started to plan stuff with them, and I was so lucky to meet really awesome and friendly people who participated in many of my tours, because it was already 2 years since I did the last, so in October I did my first proper tour, obviously the Graffiti tour which was a complete success… and well… since then the rest is history. Thanks to my tours I also connected with other world travelers like me as @driven2adventure as well as getting in touch to the Au Pair community, international people who stays in the city and it’s willing to do a lot of activities, and that’s how the Day trips started, taking the car to see some hidden attractions of the region! But this years the tours were not everything, I also created the Aragon section, which helps the newcomers to my home region, featuring stuff to do, what to see as well as some traditions. And obviously the most successful thing I made this year is the Erasmus Zaragoza Map which includes everything that is attractive in this city for a young foreigner. And after that one came the Aragon one, Bratislava, Slovakia… finishing with the Guide Map that includes all of them. Finally this year has let me the opportunity to collaborate in an awesome project that I talked about in the last post, Walkli.com, that allows you to discover cities around the world like a local. So… what are the plans for the remaining part of 2017? I’m sorry to announce that due to my studies, I won’t be able to be as active as I was in the past until February, but of course I will manage to do some trip from time to time ;) And time will tell what happens after May 2018… More tours? Better guides? Exchanges? We will see…
In the past month I have been working in some maps for Walkli.com, in this article I'm going to explain you what makes this website so special! This is an easy to use website which offer you the oportunity to see in seconds which is the best walking route to discover the city, most of them made by locals or people with high knowledge of the place! So If you don't want to stress yourself and make a big list of things to do and see, Walkli.com has the solution. The interface is really clear since there is an starting point and a route, and as you walk it there are different stops with some info and images attached! As more people contribute with their maps, the routes in the cities will grow, and this is not just directed to average tourism! In big cities like Paris, London or Boston there are a wide range of different routes, from Foodie trips to thematic tours (Jack the reaper or WWII in London for example) as well as off the beaten path. So far I have contributed with maps of my hometown, Zaragoza. As well as the city that hosted me for a year, Bratislava, but also added more Turistical oriented map for different Spanish cities like Barcelona, Toledo or Huesca.
When being abroad, several things surprise you, but in this article I'm gonna write about the little details that are so different and unique. Obviously, everybody finds it different that British people drive on the left or that coffee in Italy is a vital part of the culture... As you know I hate to write about mainstream/viral/typical stuff and while these curiosities may not be a "secret" they are much less known to the public! Kissing/Meeting people In many occasions, the first thing you will need to do when you arrive to another country is to meet new people, and here it comes a big difference between cultures: For example, in Spain it is totally ok to kiss both cheeks of somebody of the opposite sex whom you have just met, or even between men if you are family or really close, while in Poland and many other countries you will get a weird look by doing this since everybody just gives you a handshake (my advice is when in Rome do as Romans do...). But that does not end there, as "cold" as the handshake may look, in Slavic countries 3 cheek kisses when saying bye means you consider each other friends. Window Shades I find no real excuse not to have this at every home, the shades are widely common in all southern Europe (Spain, France, Italy...) but they seem to be a mythological legend in the rest of the world (or have some weird version of them). These wonderful inventions have many advantages: You can have a nap in darkness, you have more privacy at night and the most important thing is that early sun doesn't wake you up!! Different kids of ice-creams
Pizza and Italian nightmares If you are Italian and you are reading this, I do warn you, it may hurt your pride. Obviously, pizza comes from Italy, and something outside that country is not a pizza but a "round bread with things", but now here it comes the disaster... In Poland and Lithuania when you order a pizza they always add ketchup or other SAUCES to it!! You go to a pizzeria and each table has its own ketchup/ bbq/ moustard sauce set. Btw I do not consider American bbq or hawaiian "bread with things" anything related to pizza. Orange wine in Georgia When ordering a Rosato or sparkling wine one may imagine a pinkish coloured wine... Well this doesn't happen in Georgia, where that kind of wine has a very obvious orange colour!! Btw, this country has an excellent quality in food and wine, if you are a foodie this should be your next destination. Driving in India Ok, India is radically different to anything western but yet one of the things that stroked me the most was the driving... You couldn't pass 80 km/h in highways because cows are allowed to be where they want (guess what, they love to stay in the middle of the road) and also there is a lot of trucks, to pass them you need to horn at them (as their back painting reminds you) Beer in Russia While Russian beer is not world famous, there is a special thing about them. Specially if we take the most famous brand, Baltika, with several numbers to represent the different kinds of beer it has but the fun part comes with the 1L packaging, which is not a plastic bottle as you may think but a tremendous can, perfect for drunk pictures! And now I will show you in pictures some other little curiosities!! I hope you enjoyed this article and learned how to appreciate little details more! |
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September 2021
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