Language Study Abroad

don Quijote is proud to announce that it has joined ALTO, the association that serves as an international forum for the world’s leading language schools and travel agencies to promote language study abroad. Membership to the association comes as one more source of quality guarantee that our schools have offered since 1986.

Over the years, don Quijote has provided high quality learning experiences to Spanish language students from around the world, and has received accreditation from prestigious centers such as the Cervantes Institute and The Spanish Federation of Associations of Spanish Schools for Foreigners.

don Quijote offers an exciting range of in-country Spanish courses including intensive Spanish, business Spanish and fun classes where students learn cultural activities such as dancing, cooking, and sports. Our schools are located in carefully selected Spanish-speaking destinations that provide dynamic settings to memorable study abroad experiences.

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Holidays in Spain

One thing you always have to keep in mind when planning a vacation is your budget. Many people save up all year to be able to splurge during their summer vacation. Summer doesn't have to be expensive though. Read on for a few ideas on saving this summer, all you'll have to pay is a little attention.

Granada In Granada, besides going to traditional monuments, you also won't want to miss Bañuelo, historic Arab baths located on Carrera del Darro that you can see for free. About 150 meters farther up the road, the Archeological Museum is free for European Union residents and only costs 1.50 € for non EU residents. After taking in all that rich cultural history, going out for tapas around the Plaza Nueva, Bibrambla and calle Elvira areas is an economic option for taking a relaxing break.

Valencia It's important to remember that museums in Spain usually close on Mondays, so plan on checking out other types of attractions on those days like parks, monuments, churches... In Valencia, you've got to go to the Fallas Museum (Museo Fallero) which is free from 10:00 a.m. until the afternoon. The Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno (IVAM) is free on Sundays and every other day it's just 2 € to visit. Right outside of Valencia, the Lladró Museum - if you like porcelain - has free guided tours after 9:30 a.m. It closes on Sundays.

Salamanca If you're in Salamanca, there are plenty of free places like the Gatsby night club or the Catedral Vieja (the old cathedral), where you can delve into the city's historic past. The Cueva de Salamanca is supposedly where Satan himself gave lessons on demonology to a group of 7 students over 7 years... you can visit the cave any day until 10:00 at night. Going out for tapas in Salamanca is also an attractive option: it's a great way to enjoy an authentic Spanish dining experience and get to know the people of Salamanca.

Barcelona In Barcelona, Runner Bean Tours offers free guided tours of the city's old town and Gaudí's architectural attractions. To contact the company, just send an email to info@runnerbeanstours.com. Sundays, after 3:00 p.m., you can go into the Picasso Museum for free, and the first Sunday of every month the museum is free all day. Parc Güell is also free to visit and remains open from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Exploring by bicycle In flat cities like Barcelona, Seville and Valencia, there are public bicycle programs that let you explore the city by bike for an economical price. In Granada and Tenerife you may need a form of transportation with a bit more physical power to manage the hilly geography you'll come across in those cities.

Madrid Downtown Madrid offers you the chance to experience the fantastic Retiro Park, which is right next to the Prado Museum. The museum is free every day after 6:00 p.m., and if you're more into modern art, the Reina Sofía Museum is just 200 meters away and is free on Sundays. Exploring Madrid's old central quarter, known as El Madrid de los Austrias, is always a great free way to spend a morning in Madrid.

Tenerife Tenerife's stunning natural landscapes give you the chance to immerse yourself in diverse ecosystems: you can walk from a subtropical environment to a mountain one in just an hour. You can also hop on the guagua (how Canary islanders call the bus) for just a few euros to enter the island's lush laurel forest. On the north side of the island, and especially in Orotava Valley, you must try some local wine and traditional cooking in one of the island's famous guachinches (typical Canary taverns).

Finally, if you'd like an affordable place to stay, where you can meet new people, Spain's youth hostels offer travelers a comfortable bed, kitchen services, washing facilities and bathrooms for a price that ranges from 15 to 30 euros per night depending on which type of accommodation you choose. For more information, you'll find all you need to know about Spain's network of youth hostels on their website.

We hope these tips help you have a fun (and cheap) summer!

Photo credits by: El Jubilado (Los Bañuelos), Antonio Marín Segovia (Ivam), Santiago Sánchez (Orotava)

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News and trends related to Spanish

The third international Spanish language conference (III Congreso Internacional del Español), taking place this year in Salamanca from June 26 – 28, promises to offer participants the valuable opportunity to make contacts with employers in fields related to Spanish. Conference organizers assert that Spanish is becoming a catalyst for a “cultural industry”, and this event provides a forum for exploring the latest research, news and trends related to Spanish as it is used and taught around the world. Salamanca’s counselor of culture and tourism has confirmed that over 500 people from nearly 40 different countries have already registered to attend the conference.

The conference’s website features a section entitled “area de ofertas de empleo” that is of particular interest to job seekers looking for work in fields that require Spanish skills such as teaching and translating. The section lists over 100 jobs offers from countries around the world including the US, India, and Australia.

A full program of events are lined up for the three day conference which includes lectures and round table discussions on second language acquisition and learning Spanish. A special focus will be placed on how new technology is affecting the field of teaching with talks on subjects like the use of digital books, wikis and interactive whiteboards. Maria Angeles Mayor from the University of Salamanca’s psychology department will also present teaching material for children.  The Association of Castile and Leon Schools will put on a workshop entitled how to organize a study abroad program in Castile and Leon.  Events are also scheduled to discuss the way Spanish as a foreign language education is developing in other countries such as Kenya, Brazil and Germany.

Information on accommodation options for those interested in attending the conference is also available on the website. The conference itself will take place at Salamanca’s Palacio de Congresos. This is the third edition of the conference which is put on by the junta de Castilla y León with special participation from the Cervantes Institute. Earlier editions were held in 2008 and 2010.

Spanish studies in Salamanca

The city of Salamanca has a long-standing tradition of attracting Spanish language students from around the world given its lively university atmosphere and rich historical scenery. The Universidad de Salamanca was founded in 1218, making it Spain’s oldest university and one of the oldest in Europe. Moreover, the Spanish spoken here is known as being one of the country’s most standard varieties of the language. The city is an engaging vacation destination and an ideal setting for an international conference of this type.

The Third International Spanish Language conference is an exciting opportunity for anyone interesting in networking with international professionals to broaden their career possibilities and gaining valuable insight into the latest research, methods and approaches in fields related to Spanish.    

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Beautiful culture and lovely people

So, you are travelling to Spain, the land of beautiful culture and lovely people. While your trip might give you butterflies in the stomach, the very idea of eating in Spain might not appeal to your vegetarian tastes. Of course, it isn’t impossible to find something to eat in a land known for its ham and meat. Nothing spoils a trip more than food that is below par. Worry not, because, contrary to popular belief, Spain is also the land of hidden delights for vegetarians.

Madrid, Seville, Granada, and Barcelona must be your top spots to visit. Fortunately, these are also the places where you can find good vegetarian restaurants to make your trip even more enjoyable. 

Madrid

The city of Madrid is breath-taking with its adrenaline charged bullfighting and the picturesque Manzanares River. The food isn’t far behind either. Here are some restaurants vegetarians should watch out for: 

1. La Isla Del Tesoro, Bilbao – Walking into this restaurant is like walking into your dream garden and having lunch in it. There is a lot of variety for vegetarians to choose from. One of the favourites is the “Jungle Burger” but that isn’t quite the most surprising item in the great menu. They take a national cuisine as their theme every day and centre their menu around it, which makes every day a surprise.

2. Restaurante Vega Viana, Chueca – Gorge on zucchini burritos that come with Manchengo cheese and carrot croquettes that are served with yoghurt cream and sultanas. The menu is in English, and it has options for your carnivore eating friends as well.

3. El Estragón, La Latina - Every vegetarian tourist swears by this restaurant and it is, undoubtedly, one of the best vegetarian places in Madrid to eat. Another great thing is the affordability of the restaurant that makes matters even better. They do use butter in their dishes, though, so vegans might need to ask if they can cook them in oil.

Barcelona

This colourful city and the gentle Mediterranean are slowly embracing vegetarian food. The little vegetarian places cropping up everywhere are an indication. There are a lot of fun options for you to explore here: 

1. La Bascula – This eco restaurant uses everything organic, from its juices to its food. The eating utensils and plates are bio degradable. The food is to die for as the desserts are homemade and the meals are immensely satisfying. 

2. Teresa Carles – It’s like walking into New York with its wooden tables and neat interiors. The restaurant has a huge variety for vegetarians as well as the meat eaters if you are in a group and the food is traditional and tasty. 

3. Vegetalia – This place is calm and when you’re in it, you want to do nothing but quietly sip your smoothie while standing on the terrace. However, if you do have time, the food is great and exotic. The vegetable paella has many fans and the tofu tempura is delicious as well. 

Granada

The weather is lovely here, and the mood is forever hippie. Just lay back and enjoy the small and lazy city with its gorgeous food. Most restaurants have options for both vegetarians and Vegans, and here are a few places to look out for: 

1. HICURI – A fully Vegetarian restaurant. There are also options for vegans on the menu. You can choose from the prix fixe and a-la-carte options. It is prudent for tourists working on a tight budget to choose prix fixe and their lasagne is a speciality. Beer and Tapa dishes combined are €1.80.  The cream soup and chocolate cake are a favourite for everyone and you should definitely try them. 

2. Muglia II – Are you missing Indian food in Spain? This restaurant serves authentic Naan and Indian curry for Indian food lovers who appreciate the spice palate. Even foodies who know Indian food appreciate this place for its great meals.

3. Hannigan & Sons – This is a nice Irish pub and you can hang out here with your friends and sip on an ice cold beer, or try their Veggie burger with fries, which is filling and delicious. For a list of vegetarian beers in Spain visit here.

Seville

You’ll find quite a few nice places here: 

1. Almanara Restaurant – The décor at this place is minimalistic and the food is anything but that. Treat your taste buds with gorgeous and fresh dishes and have generous helpings of goat cheese. 

2. Gaia Restaurant – The food used is organic and there are options for vegans. You must try the hummus and the cream tomato soup if you visit this place.

Knowing a few good vegetarian places to eat might make your trip better, if you would like to find more restaurants across Spain you can also use Happy Cow; they have a huge database of Vegetarian and vegan eateries.  Enjoy in Spain, the place that taught the world how to have fun and if you are a Vegetarian in Spain and want to venture out to a new country see these Vegetarian options around the world.

Preeti Vadgama is a lifelong Vegetarian who likes to write about the best Vegetarian places to eat around the world. She works for HostelBookers.com in London.

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The international Coordinating Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program (MaB) met in Paris last week and announced that it was adding three more sites to Spain’s impressive list of biosphere reserves. Spain now has a total of 45 reserves, edging out Russia as the country with the second most reserves, just behind the U.S. which has 47.

Protecting biodiversity

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization created the world network of biospheres program in the 1970’s to reduce the loss of Earth’s biodiversity. The program focuses on selecting places where local communities interact closely with the environment to adopt sustainable development practices. Sites designated as biosphere reserves serve as models for other communities in implementing innovative approaches to conserving biological and cultural diversity. There are currently 621 reserves located around the world.

Spain is unique in that its physical space is relatively small compared to the other countries listed as having the most biosphere reserves. Russia is the largest country in the world in terms of area and the US is the fourth largest while Spain ranks 52^nd. The high density of areas in Spain recognized by UNESCO’s MaB program as “sites of excellence” for managing natural and human activity attests to the rich diversity of carefully conserved biological landscapes there. Its vast lands of protected wildlife make Spain an ideal destination for ecotourism, where visitors can experience life in peaceful rural destinations and gain personal insight into these communities’ successful partnerships with nature.

Spain’s 3 new UNESCO biosphere reserves

Terres de l’Ebre in Tarragona is on the northeast coast of Spain. About 190,000 people live in this area, which features numerous coastal and inland ecosystems. Energy technology from wind, water and solar sources has also been developed here in a special effort to protect the stunning local landscape.

La granja y el espinar (Segovia) is located in the Sierra de Guadarrama, a central Spain mountain range that extends nearly 80 km north to south and ends close to Madrid. This wooded region is home to about 14,000 people, various centers for forest research, and small scale agricultural activity.

Mariñas Coruñesas e Terras do Mandeo is on Galicia’s northeastern Atlantic coast, an area that includes 18 towns and where rural communities pay special attention to sustainable development.

Other reserves in Spain: Reserves in Spain are scattered throughout the country and include island landscapes such as La Gomera on the Canary Islands to woodland areas like Las Ubiñas - La Mesa Reserve in Asturias, which provides a natural habitat for the Eurasion brown bear. The Sierra Nevada near the city of Granada is the highest mountain chain on the Iberian Peninsula and was added to the world network of biosphere reserves given its ancient monuments of Roman and Arab origin, unique architecture, and popular festivals that attract over one million visitors every year.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Spain

Spain also has a long list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the entire old town of certain cities such as Salamanca, with its historical and scenic architectural landscapes. Some Spanish traditions have also been listed on UNESCO’s list of intangible world heritage, including flamenco, the Mediterranean diet, and Catalonia’s curious castells performances, in which teams of traditionally dressed castelleres stand on top of one another’s shoulders to create incredible human towers.

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Castilla y León

The local government of the Spanish autonomous community Castile and Leon has recently released a recipe book that showcases the most celebrated dishes of the region, an area with a reputation for pleasing the palates of even its most food-fussy visitors. The book, entitled Jornadas Gastronómicas de Castilla y León, offers anyone planning a trip there a tantalizing sneak preview of the rich culinary landscapes they can expect to explore. Spanish cooking has in very general terms grown in popularity around the world, and there is no better way to find out why than by journeying to its place of origin.  If you haven’t already booked your trip to Spain, the succulent creations sumptuously displayed throughout this handsome book seem to beg the question “what are you still waiting for?”

The book’s introduction presents cooking in the region as a cultural aspect of “enormous” value, and goes on to point out that Castile and Leon includes great culinary diversity and varied cooking traditions. Delve deeper into the book’s interior and prepare for generous rations of appetizing images to leave your tummy craving western Spain’s yummiest entrees, sides, and desserts. Nineteen carefully selected recipes are broken down into five categories: main dishes, meals eaten with a spoon, fish, meats, and desserts.

The cover feature is Castilian soup served up piping hot in an earthenware pot, garnished with a slice of jamón ibérico. This, along with other hearty offerings such as Judiones de La Granja estofados con escabeche de pavo (a butter bean stew with pickled turkey and a dash of saffron) are designed to warm chilly eaters during Castile and Leon’s cool months. Flip ahead to the desserts and check out Burgos-style cheese cake flanked by red berry sauce and sweet chestnuts. Also find here Crema de arroz con leche en texturas (rice cream with milk in textures), a zesty zinger of a sweet treat that calls for lemon and orange peels and cinnamon.

If you’re planning on preparing some of these Castile and Leon offerings, finding the ingredients at your neighborhood supermarket may prove an impossible challenge. You’ll likely have to substitute items such as Ribera del Duero red wine and Valladolid olive oil with more generic varieties or brands specific to different regions.

A modern twist on traditional Castilian dishes

Many of these recipes put a modern twist on traditional Castilian dishes and capture the historical flavor of this region splashed with an updated edge; fresh new takes on firmly established classics that will appease the demanding appetites of a wide array of diners, from picky gourmets to easy to please foodies.

The book closes by suggesting that in one getaway to Castile and Leon you’ll see the world, a statement nearly as bold as the 19 recipes presented in this feastival of fantastic flavors. That declaration is accompanied by scenic images of each one of the autonomous community’s provinces, where the crenulated parapets of Avila’s medieval city wall and the tiered arches of Segovia’s Roman aqueduct remind many readers that their experiences enjoying traditional Castilian dining concepts in Spain will be back-dropped by spectacular panoramas of monument studded Spanish landscapes. 

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Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes

Two institutions, the Centro de Estudios Cervantinos and the Fundación Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes are joining forces to present all of Cervantes’ most important literary works online by the end of this year. The groups have announced that the online library will not only feature over 6,000 printed pages of material, but also 17,000 illustrations from various editions of Cervantes’ historic novel Don Quijote de la Mancha (1605) that have been printed over the centuries. The Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes, which already includes a digital edition of Don Quijote, will also offer translations of Cervantes’ work into various languages.

Organizers hope that the library will continue growing after they have finished their work, and they encourage collaboration with other organizations that may have documents related to the life and literature of Cervantes.   

A valuable resource for Spanish learners

The Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes is a valuable resource for Spanish learners and anyone interested in Spain’s rich literary history. This virtual library maintained by the University of Alicante offers the most extensive free access digital archive of Spanish language literature on the internet. Users will find a seemingly endless collection of texts, audio recordings and videos of literature in Spanish from some of Spain’s most celebrated authors such as Góngora and Quevedo to other classic writers such William Shakespeare.

The website also features separate libraries that focus on the work of an individual author such as Pablo Neruda and Mario Benedetti. Check out the Biblioteca de literature infantil y juvenile and find countless works such as Grimm’s fairy tales along with recordings of popular kids’ stories. In the section entitled Lengua, you’ll also find practical reference books such as grammar guides put together by the Royal Spanish Academy, dictionaries, and essays on the origins of the language. One more highlight of the library is the Biblioteca de Signos, the world’s first general library in sign language. Users can find numerous poems and stories signed in Spanish sign language (LSE), along with a dictionary of LSE.

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don Quijote on Pinterest

As you already know, Pinterest is a social network, a tool designed for helping you organize and share things that you like or that interest you.

For example, you can create boards and organize them by topics, hobbies, experiences... and from there you can organize your daily life. You can also see other people's boards and share experiences and interests with them by repinning them and marking them as "like".

At don Quijote, we´ve created a notice board for each city and for every one of our Spanish schools, where you can share photos, places of interest, fun facts about cities, classes... We've also created a general board where you can find useful resources such as grammar and vocabulary diagrams, interesting facts about the Spanish speaking world...

Our address is pinterest.com/dquijoteschool

We've picked out our top five photos from all those that have been shared:

We invite you to come visit our board and check out all our pins.

We'll see you on Pinterest!

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The Spanish Language in the US

The University of Guadalajara is putting on the 3^rd annual Spanish language book fair of Los Angeles (LéaLA) at the L.A. Convention Center from the 17^th to the 19^th of May. Organizers of the fair, the largest of its kind in the US, aim to strengthen the Spanish language in the country, particularly among the children of its Latino community. They expect record turn out this year, planning to attract over one hundred thousand book enthusiasts and more than 300 publishers including the Penguin group and Random House. 

Besides an impressive list of over 200 book booths, 90 authors are also scheduled to offer book signings, presentations and readings. Although most of the authors are Mexican, writers and readers of all backgrounds are encouraged to participate in the free event. Chilean rock star Beto Cuevas, of the group La Ley, will be on hand to discuss his new book entitled The Art of Being Beto Cuevas, and American best-selling author Nicholas Sparks will talk about literary translation. Other participating authors include Paco Ignacio, Beatriz Riva and Daniel Krauze.

Marisol Schulz, the director of the fair, is also director of the hugely successful International Book Fair of Guadalajara in Mexico. One of her goals has been to attract greater international attention to L.A.’s book fair, and especially from Latin American countries beyond Mexico.  She has already confirmed that members of both Argentina and Colombia’s camaras del libro (trade associations for those in the book industry) will be in attendance this year.

The fair will also pay special homage to the Mexican literary legend Carlos Fuentes and to the widely celebrated Mexican American singer Jenni Rivera, both of whom died last year. Carlos Fuentes’ widow Silvia Lemus will also participate in the tribute to her late husband.

Over 100 Activities to explore Ibero-American Traditions

Over 100 activities are also scheduled for the popular childrens’ area, where kids and parents will get to explore Ibero-American traditions and the rich artwork of the Mexican Muralists. Activities include entertaining and educational stage performances about folk legends from a variety of Latin American regions. A number of childrens’ workshops designed to promote bilingualism have also been scheduled, where kids will hear tales of the plumed serpent Quetzalcoatl and play traditional Mexican games. The group Zaikocirco will also offer entertaining circus performances and puppet shows. Over 40% of last year’s visitors brought their kids, a promising statistic for the future of the Spanish language in the US.

Visitors will also get the chance to see lectures and participate in forums and panel discussions, where a wide range of topics to be discussed include the challenges of distributing and selling Spanish language books in the US, and the history of the city of Tijuana. That city itself is booked as the event’s guest of honor this year.  

Although the main purpose of the book festival has been to promote Spanish-language literature and celebrate Latino heritage, event organizers soon discovered their growing venue was also offering a profitable space for booksellers, filling a clear void in the book industry. 80% of visitors made purchases at last year’s fair. 

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Jose Manuel Caballero Bonald received the prestigious Premio Cervantes de literatura (Cervantes Award for literature) last Tuesday at the University of Alcalá de Henares outside of Madrid.  The prime minister of Spain Mariano Rajoy attended the ceremony in which Spanish Crown Prince Felipe personally offered Caballero Bonald the honor. The award, perhaps the most highly regarded prize for Spanish language literature, has been given every year since 1975 to the writer whose life-long body of work has most enriched the literary tradition of the Spanish language according to judges. The day of the ceremony always coincides with World Book Day and the anniversary of the deaths of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare on April 23^rd.

Caballero Bonald

On receiving the award, the 86 year old Caballero Bonald exclaimed that earning the prize has been the most satisfying achievement of his career and a source of pride and honor. He went on to explain that reading frees human beings and that art and literature provide therapeutic power to a society that is disappointed, perplexed and insulted by a crisis of values.  

The author is best known for his poetry, of which notable works include Laberinto de Fortuna and Las horas muertas. Vivir para contarlo is an anthology of his poetry written until 1969. His work often treats social issues of Spain’s post civil-war period, and he is associated with a group of writers called the Generation of 1950 who opposed Franco’s dictatorial regime. In the late 60’s he stayed in Cuba for a time and wrote Narrativa Cubana de la revolución.  In 1968, he was briefly jailed for political reasons. The Cervantes Award recipient also spent a total of 10 years as a professor of Spanish literature in Colombia and in the United States. 

 Caballero Bonald, who calls himself “discontinuo e intermitente”, has described poetry as an instrument for nonconformity. On offering the writer the award, Prince Felipe also pointed out that nonconformity has been a key element of his work.

Besides poetry, he has also written novels including Dos días de septiembre, and a number of essays, of particular interest to anyone wanting to know more about Spanish culture, such as España: fiestas y ritos and Luces y sombras del flamenco. He also spent many years as a professor of Hispanic literature in Colombia and the United States and has had extensive contact with Latin American writers, all of which has influenced his work. His father was Cuban and his mother French, further reflecting the writer’s international influences.    

Past winners of the Cervantes Award include two writers that went on to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (Octavio Paz and Mario Vargas Llosa).  Judges choose winners from Spain and Latin American, usually alternating each year between the two regions. Nicanor Parra, from Chile, won the previous Cervantes Award. 

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