Stranger in a Strange Land*

Hold on friends.

We haven't heard from each other since ages...
During this time I was back in Poland for Easter and in Austria for ... just see it for yourself at the end of the post!
Now, I am back here, on Erasmus but... ( take a deep breath!).....

....I don't wanna make it too sentimental...

....( I suggest you put right now some romantic music on)

....but....

( prepare some tissues!)....

.....the time to say goodbye has come - I've decided to close my blog.

(Yes, this is the moment you may start crying.)

Common...

At least pretend you feel sad...

Or something....

Fun describing my experience here was great - hopefuly you shared it at least partialy, but it appears I will have to spare my time doing some other activities.
Yep, believe me or not I wil do some learning for instance...and maybe find a job eventually?
At least that's the plan.
What's more last time I found it harder and harder to write here regularly...so as an old sentence says man needs to know when to finish.

Of course I am not finished with story telling - but I will be doing it elsewhere and in other way. Who knows maybe once you will have the opportunity (and will?) to read them?

Anywayz, thanks for being here friends.
All of you - especially the ones who bothered to write few words of comment - you made me guys wanna continue writing next letters!
Special thanks to my Mum and Dad without whom these whole adventure wouldnt be possible. And hugs for you Przemek and Ala - as for the most michevous commentators.

So here my blog "almost like a writer" comes to an end.

Hopefuly not the Adventure.

Besos
Radek

* Title from an old Iron Maiden song... actually could be the name of the whole blog. Don't you think?

p.s

And here is a special bye-bye gift for all my fans - from Austria ....for you!

Short story of how I stopped an alien invasion

Have you ever dreamt of visiting another world?
And I don't mean here trip to Australia or even Sosnowiec( sry, this joke is for guys from Silesia only...).
I mean visit to world totaly different than this around you, crazy and full of suprises...more egzotic than you can imagine.
Have ever dreamt of visiting alien planet?

You, know I am almost like sci-fi writer, so this kind of journey always was on top of my "must do" schedule.
So when I heard about Las Fallas - an event which changes beatiful city of Valencia into surrealistic land from another dimension, there was no other option for me - I had to go there.

But what you need to go to another planet?
Especially if you take into account that it's aprox. 400 km away?

Spacerocket, of course.
As me and my Erasmus friends didn't have one those in our possesion we used what what we've had.
I think you know it from my previous letter. Ladies and Gentleman -
meet Justine's Renault 4.




Almost like a spacerocket.




So, we picked up crew of best trained astronauts.
And we headed up for adventure.



Believe me or not, somewhow we managed to reach our destination.
And than it all started...

Right from the beginning, we were surrounded by crowds of alien inhabitants. Some of them were really weird.



But obviously we couldnt expect any different - eventually, they were extraterrestials.
Although the atmoshpere was nice and we were shown hospitality...

...we weren't fooled enough not to feel that something was one the move. It was like preparation to some big event.
Short investigation quickly provided us with frightening conclusions.
We found them collecting ammunition supplies.


Mustering troops.


And preparing transport spacecraft.


This was the time when Everything become clear.
We were facing preparations for Alien invasion on Earth!

So what could we do?

We took cover, pretending we are one of them. We stalked and inflitrated their ranks.



And by the cover of night....we've burnt motherfuckers.

How to make your parents angry?( not necessarly on purpose)

You know what's the best way to make your parents angry while being on
Erasmus? How to make them reconsider if you are responsible enough to
spent several months in foreign country?

Here are few tips:

1 On your first day, on the airport be nice to everyone - and don't reject
this decent, smiling guy with russian accent who wants you to take this
"small package for his poor nephew" as a personal favor. Than call your parents, from your cell ( remember you have the right to 1 phone call...even for drug smuggling) and tell that Erasmus has become little bit more...complicated.

2.If luckily arrived in the right place.
Invite all your new friends to your flat, make great fiesta in Spanish
style with a drinking competition in a Polish style - this will make you
call your parents few days later. You may start the talk with sentence
" Remember, when you told me that you've always wanted to become grandma?"

3.And the best one( and only one I did acctualy...).
Send them your photos from your last trip to Montserrat...without previous censorship.




And finally don't forget to mention you got up there ( 1000 m)...with this car:

When food crawls on your plate...

You know that feeling?
I had one like this, when I finally managed to try some typicall Spanish paella.
Paella is a dish conisting rice and ...things. Mainly things from deep sea,- but only God knows what was their real origin ( maybe planet Mars?).
I awalys wanted to try paella - becouse it is supposed to be so Spanish, egzotic and delicious.
And during my bike journey to Saint Feliu de Guixols I ordered big paella with my two friends from Belgium.
You're probably curious how was it.
Well...it was Spanish and egzotic. Yeah, mainly egzotic.
Did I tell you that I started to miss typicall Polish kotlet schabowy?




And one more thing...
Some people still keep me asking where I got so sunburnt.
As I am lazy bone - I won't write much. Just put some photos for you to see for yourself.
They are from bicycle journey to Costa Brava on Saturday..and from visit to Parc Natural dels Aiguamolis de L'Emporda on the next day.
Enjoy!

Sant Miguel Castle - my alternative for UdG education programme

Dear friends,
I invite you to see a short review of these week's schedule of my education
programme...

Monday - classes in the morning - out of 7 or 8 erasmus subscribed there
are 4. But we are well prepared and full of energy so we work as there were
20 of us.
Classes in the afternoon - out of 5 erasmus students subscibed there are 5 ,
but the professor isn't there ...so there are no classes.

Tuesday - my beloved Catalan language course - 90% of frequency but
everybody sleeps.
I've got impression that professor as well....

Wednesday - classes in the morning and in the afternoon. Out of 10 erasmus
subscribed there were two - suprisingly both Polish - yeah - me and a
friend.
It was realy nice for the professors that they've also arrived.

Thursday - classes in the morning.I dunno how many Erasmus came becouse I
was late and only things I've encountered were locked door and brief
note. It said - professor couldn't come.
Well, at least they let us know.
Afternoon - me beloved Catalan language course - this time I wasn't sleeping. I was
reading newspaper which I managed to hide under my desk. At least I've
learned some Castellano... during Catalan course.

Friday -
Probably they were classes. Maybe some Erasmus came...and who knows maybe
even professor?
But I don't know.
I wasn't able to see it from the place I went to...
although the view on Girona was quite clear. And quite nice.
Don't you think?

Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!

I hope that after reading the title of this release you won't get an
impression that I'm showing off with my French. Frankly, my knowledge of
this beatiful language ends on few words and sentences like : merci, bon
jour, Loui de Fuinesse, merde, u le vou cou she a vec mua( do you write it
like this?)... whatever.
Anywyaz, the reason I've entitled my post "Le Roi Est
Mort, Vive Le Roi!" is becouse it means that great changes have come. And it's the title
of one of my favourite Enigma albums as well...
The king has died, long live the king!

So, what changes occured in my Erasmus adventure?

Firstly, I've started to write some serious stuff - well, at least, more serious than this blog (but of course it doesn't mean I don't treat you seriously my Dear Friends...).
Next change is very crucial indeed - I have moved to a new flat.
Yup, that's it - Bye Bye Love Store!
I will be missing your fascinating underwear exhibitions, especially the
one with this sexy, see-through ...oh, sorry I forgot my Mum is reading
this blog ...
Now, can't look from my window at River Onyar...but, I've got panorama at
mountains instead( right know it's bit cloudy though). So whenever I need inpiration for my writing I take a
glance at the window...and here it is!



What's more I've got separate room ( no hard feelings Mathias!) and three
room mates who are Catalans. Now that's a motivator for my castellano and
catalan studies!
Who knows maybe next release is gonna be in catalan?

Anywayz, it is not only my adventure with the love store which has come to
an end, it's also the carnival which has finished. If you've done your
homework and read the previous releases you will know that I've missed
costume parade in Pladja D'aro. But as we say in Poland " Co się odwlecze
to nie uciecze" which more or less means - "what you delay won't run away".
So, I got one last opportunity to see the carnival costume parade here in
Catalonia.
And I took my chance.
Together with Charlotte, Emeline ( two charming French girls), Xavier and
Jorn ( French and Belgium fellows), we travelled to Olot.
Although the
beginning of the journey was not very promising ( Olot was only 40 km away
from Girona but we travelled 1,5 hour and had to pay 7 euro for one way
ticket!) it was worth the money and the effort.
If you, don't believe check the photos....
...and for one last time feel the spirit of this year's carnaval!

Striding through Catalonia part 3b.

But it wasn't the end of adventures for the day.
Just after descending from Mont Gris we drove to Albert's
place. There I had a pleasue to meet his family and participate in famous
Catalan Calcotada!
Calcotada is kind of barbecue or fiesta where apart from meat you consume ... calcots.
What's that, you may ask?
It is kind of onion...or something. First your fry it on a strong fire,
than dip it in a special sauce and afterwards devour like you've been
starving for weeks.
Just check the photos:




On our way back to Girona we stopped at Peratallada - one of the countless
charming villages in the region ( Catalonia seems to be filled with old
churches, castles and medieval towns), which was especially famous for it's
unchanged medieval architecture.


At the end we enjoyed fine spanish cofee.
Tasty final for a tasty journey.
Hasta luego!

Radek

p.s
You probably noticed the title of both posts ... and you wonder where is "Striding through Catalonia part.2"?
Well, It will be about my journey to Palamos. I plan to write it...maybe..someday...mańana...whatever...