[x_emmzy_x]

(Original post by hmjessop)
What did you get the bonus payment for? Was it from the same people as the Erasmus grant?

No it's from my university at home, I don't really know why we get it

[rockrunride]

(Original post by FiveFiveSix)
Sitting drinking red wine in Mijas, Spain. Visited Granada and Alhambra yesterday, wondering why I've just devoted 2 years of my life to learning Arabic when Spain is closer, cheaper, more liberal and has easily some of the most beautiful women I've seen in my life. Is it too late to change my degree?

Going down to Granada on Tuesday. Many more places I want to see in this country but Granada is the last of the "essentials" on my list. Almost as Arabic as Damascus?

[FiveFiveSix]

(Original post by rockrunride)
Going down to Granada on Tuesday. Many more places I want to see in this country but Granada is the last of the "essentials" on my list. Almost as Arabic as Damascus?

Granada is awesome. I'm very jealous! The girls... well, you'll see. Almost as Arabic as Damascus? Well, if you visit Alhambra, then you get to hear some Arabic in one of the exhibitions, and depending on how good your understanding of caligraphy is, there's plenty dotted about. There's a lot of Moroccan waiters there, who I had great fun (and no difficulty, surprisingly) chatting away in Arabic with. Take a camera!

[Aderyn]

Granada is awesome!

[rockrunride]

Here now. Booked the bus ticket literally half an hour before it left, then scrambled into a taxi for the two-mile journey to the bus station. 8 hours later I arrive in this delightful town.

Amazing heat, street billboards were saying 38 degrees but I think they were telling porkies. I'd have said more like 34-35.

Two more words: free tapas

[Anatheme]

Everyone is going home today but me. Parents arriving in 3 days.

[FiveFiveSix]

(Original post by rockrunride)
Here now. Booked the bus ticket literally half an hour before it left, then scrambled into a taxi for the two-mile journey to the bus station. 8 hours later I arrive in this delightful town.

Amazing heat, street billboards were saying 38 degrees but I think they were telling porkies. I'd have said more like 34-35.

Two more words: free tapas

Yeah, they were saying that when I was there... Enjoy mate, enjoy! Cracking place, cracking food, cracking women. Sitting back in England now, doesn't quite compare!

[rockrunride]

Back now, didn't really want to come back straight away but watching the money. Great city, truly no other like it in Spain, reminded me of Lisbon with more culture to boot. Stayed in a fantastic hostel in the Albayzín heights called Makuto, can probably say it's my best so far. Had a few mishaps though, namely having to pay twice to get into the Alhambra because I was left really confused about the admission system into the Nazari palace and the fact that my camera died, bye-bye another 13 euro. Couldn't get an entry discount unless I had a Carnet Joven. ****ing hate said Carnet Joven with a passion, far less people have it than regular student cards but it probably fills some EU directive about young people's discounts. I'm under 26, my passport says it, I don't need another arbitrary card to say so.

The tapas were fantastic but all added up and on the day of vowing to abstain from them, Mercadona was closed because of San Juan.

Plus last night really pissed me off. I had an open return ticket with Alsa and nowhere on their website did it say I had to exchange it for a seat reservation. Turned up at 3am for the bus back and having my reservation number rejected by an apathetic driver who won't be winning any customer service awards. Apparently I had to do it at the ticket office, which was obviously closed, so I had to do it "before", slightly difficult when the bus station is two miles out of town and it's not particularly appealing having to make a decision days in advance, trek out to the station to get the ticket and trek back into town again. Another thing that really got to me where the electronic ticket machines where all you could do was buy a ticket, as opposed to print one or choose a seat.
Cue car park tantrum and a rough night.

Public transport in Spain is worse than in Britain and that's saying something.

Granada though. Magical.

[FiveFiveSix]

Just got my results from Damascus. Fair, taking everything into account. I'm not overly happy with them, but no excuses really!

[rockrunride]

Sitting in a hostel in Budapest exactly a year since I moved to Avignon. On Tuesday at 6am I fly home and the year's chronic travel ends for good.

The atmosphere here is quite quiet and ominous; yeah, it's a Sunday in late summer but it's still summer! Kinda melancholic tbh.

[mrs_bellamy]

Hello everyone, I posted this in the interrail thread and didn't get any response, I would be really grateful if anyone here could help me!

I'm a medical student going on an exchange in September. I'm only going for a month abroad rather than a year so am a bit of an imposter in this thread. Before I start my placement I am doing a very very mini interrail (Bratislava --> Vienna --> Prague, and hoping to spend the weekends of my exchange visiting other parts of Czech Republic, and maybe a few places outside depending on time and money). Have found a hostel I like the look of for Bratislava, but am worried about what to bring. I will probably need to take a suitcase and a laptop, because I need smart clothes, white coat etc, if I stay in a hostel in a 10 person dorm is there going to be anywhere I can put all that stuff? I want to be able to lock it away, I'm bringing an ancient laptop that barely works so if it did get stolen it wouldn't be completely terrible, but I'm not sure how I would be able to do my work without it.

Any suggestions? Thanks!!

And I hope everyone leaving for year abroad soon has a fantastic time!

[laughingwithpicasso]

Has anyone got a budget? Or like how much they guage they'd spend per week? I'm going to Barcelona and I'm struggling to think how much I'll need etc... it's making me rather worried! Plus, the loan just doesn't seem sufficient enough (haha). It sucks 'cause I won't be getting any help from anywhere else so I'm just hoping I have enough money.

[almvp]

Hey I am currently planning my year abroad 2012-2013 I really want to secure a paid work placement. Do any one have any advice or suggestions? please xx