I recently had the opportunity the represent The English Studio in Madrid and Barcelona where I got the chance to meet a lot of lovely people who may decide to come and study with us.

In Madrid, the Hotel where these meetings took place was in the barrio of Arguelles: my old stomping ground, so I just stayed with an old friend.

In Barcelona though, I didn’t know anyone, so my boss generously decided that it would be wisest to have me stay in the hotel where I was due to meet the potential students. Turns out this was a five star hotel – and without wishing to paint myself as a tramp, I will say that 5 star accommodation isn’t quite what I’m used to..

In my room there were slippers and bathrobes and a mini bar and lots of other goodies and for a moment, I was faced with The Great Dilemna: Do I take any of this stuff with me?

I decided that I wouldn’t, not a thing, not even a sip or a nut from the mini-bar. I don’t know whether this decision was arrived at out of decency or some deep-set paranoia that somehow I’d be caught and exposed as some kind of animal.

When I got home, I proudly told my wife of my noble actions…

‘What,’ she said, a trace of disappointment in her voice, ‘not even the slippers?’

I’ll know next time……

Mike

Halloween is now only a few weeks away. For most people it means getting dressed up, going out or even watching the latest horror film to hit the screens at the cinema. This year however why not do something different with your friends in the run up to Halloween? Instead of spending a night jumping at a movie on the screen, why not go to a fright night at Thorpe Park. This way you can combine a day at the theme park, along with a bit of a scare as well!

Where is it?

Thorpe Park is just outside London, in Surrey. One of the easiest ways to reach it is by car. However if you don’t fancy driving there are also trains and buses that run there, so you don’t have to worry about missing out. The theme park has everything from thrill rides to fun rides for you and your friends to enjoy- Halloween or not!

What is it?

In the run up to Halloween, there are Fright Nights taking place from the 14^th- 16^th and the 21^st- 31^st  of October. This will be the tenth year that they are running and a new event has been made to mark the occasion.

Thorpe Park

Fright Night

Experiment 10 is the new attraction for this year. This will have you and your friends going through a government experiment lab, coming across all sorts of things that will most likely have you jumping as you try to make it out.  

There’s also a lot more to give you a fright with The Curse, Se7ven and Saw Alive, being some of the attractions that are guaranteed to have you screaming.

When it comes to visiting London there are a few squares within the city that you should take your time to go and see while you are here. As with most cities London has a lot of squares, but here’s just a few of the ones that you should try and get to, before leaving the city.

Trafalgar Square

This square is in the heart of London and is where you will find Nelson’s Column and the four lions. There are often lots of special events and other celebrations that take place here throughout the year.

Leicester Square

This square can be found in the West End area of London and in the middle of the square you will find a small park, where there is a statue of William Shakespeare. With the square being at the heart of Theatreland, the cinema nearby has been home to a number of film premieres.

Convent Garden

The square here is sometimes called the Covent Garden Piazza. It’s here that you’ll find the street performers, as well as the several bars and restaurants, which make the area famous.  There’s a lot going on here throughout the year so you’ll never be stuck for something to do.

Piccadilly Circus

This square is again within the West End district of London. From here you can find lots of shops and theatres. The main monuments to be found in this square is the Shaftesbury memorial fountain and a statue of an archer known as Eros. The two main theatres that surround the square are London Pavilion and Criterion Theatre.

Parliament Square

Within this square you will find a number of statues of statesmen. It is close to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament.

The dust has settled now – many of the windows have been replaced, maybe it’s time to reflect on what happened 2 weeks ago with a little clarity. The most important thing is that I am sure that it will not happen again. For good or ill, the severity of many of the sentences being handed down will act as a deterrent to those tempted in the future.

The other important thing is not what happened, it’s what happened afterwards. London can be very proud of the way it got up the next day, took its broom to its local high street and cleaned up the mess. That’s the story here: we are London and we are proud. The actions of a tiny minority do not represent us.

Mike

When it comes to speaking a language fluently many people find that one of the things they seem to struggle with is the vocabulary. Being stuck for a word is a feeling that many of us are familiar with and when it comes to wanting to be fluent in a language, making sure you have a good range of vocabulary is important. So what things can you do to improve your vocabulary and to sound as fluent as possible?

Spend time in the country

This is the best way to improve your range of vocabulary, as spending time where the language is spoken will mean you are learning new words every day.  Everything from shopping, going to classes and spending time with natives will help you to improve.

Read

Reading a book, magazine or newspaper in English will help you to improve your vocabulary. Keep a dictionary beside you and note down all the new words that you come across.  There are lots of newspapers available online that you can read for free.

Play games online

To test your vocabulary there are lots of games available online. You can use these games to test what words you know and also to learn new vocabulary with crosswords, hangman and other games. However you don’t have to just play games online, board games such as Scrabble can also test what vocabulary you know.

Scrabble

Write

To help improve your vocabulary it can be a good idea to write in English as this will test what you know. It will also help you to learn new vocabulary as you come across words that you want to use, but maybe don’t yet know.  When it comes to writing it can be anything from trying to write a story in English, a poem or even just keeping a diary.

When it comes to visiting London it is not just the landmarks, attractions and districts that are famous. Within the city there are also street names alone that are well known throughout the world. When in the city, here are some of the most famous streets that you might find yourself passing by.

Downing Street

This is perhaps one of the most famous streets in Europe.  On this street the most well-known place is 10 Downing Street, home to the Prime Minister. Although you aren’t able to walk up the street, it is still one of the most well-known streets in the capital.

Abbey Road

The Abbey Road Studios are where some of the biggest artists have recorded their albums. The zebra crossing on the street to get to the Studios is perhaps what has made the area so famous, thanks to the Beatles album “Abbey Road”, as it features in the art work.

Abbey Road

Regent Street / Oxford Street

These two streets are famous for shopping. Regents Street is known for the high class stores that you can find there, with Hamleys being one of the most popular. On Oxford Street you will find over 600 shops and lots of cafes.

Fleet Street / Baker Street

Both these streets have found their fame because of the fictional characters who lived there. Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber lived in Fleet Street.  Baker Street, on the other hand, is famous for being the place where detective Sherlock Holmes lived.

The Mall

The Mall has been a ceremonial route since the early 20^th century. It runs from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace. During state visits, the monarch and heads of state are escorted up the mall in a state carriage.

When in London be sure to make the most of your classes as they are going to provide the ground work that you need for helping you to improve with the language. However no matter how much you study or read, being able to communicate and feel confident in speaking the language is really important, as you get the opportunity to put all the theory you know into real life practice. For many people it can be speaking the language that is often the hardest part and that’s why it’s important that you seize all the opportunities you can to practice speaking the language.   

Speaking with natives

One of the things that can often hold you back from speaking the language is shyness, especially when it comes to speaking to natives of the language. However there’s no need to be shy. Everyone makes mistakes, and we can only learn from them. Whether it’s a case of asking for a coffee in a café, asking where something is in a supermarket, or even just talking with a friend, don’t worry about any mistakes you might make.

London is one of the greenest capitals in the world, because of the number of parks to be found in the city.  With the sunny weather here, there is often no better way to spend your free time enjoying a few rays, and exploring these parks. With so many to visit, where do you start?  Hyde Park is one of the Royal Parks, that has something for everyone.

Where is it?

Hyde Park is located right in the centre of London. It is one of the biggest parks in London, with a number of the London Tube stations located near to the park, making it easy for you to get to. Buses also run to park.

What’s there?

The park has got lots to offer, whatever you want to do with your time there. You can go boating, cycle, skate, or simply just walk around and enjoy the views.

During the winter, you can also go ice skating in the park.

Hyde Park

Buildings and Monuments

There are a number of famous buildings and monuments within the park as well, which you shouldn’t leave without visiting. Some of the monuments to be found there include the Joy of Life fountain, the Achilles statue, the Diana Memorial Fountain and The Serpentine Bridge. There are a number of other monuments to visit within the park as well.

Events

Throughout the year there are events taking place in the park. You can enjoy events from anything such as cultural, music, art or even sporting events.

I suppose it’s a sign of the technological times that I found out about Amy Winehouse’s death via Twitter. It was a lovely Saturday afternoon, I’d just started a lovely week off and the week stretched before me, pregnant with possibilities. A bit like Amy’s life…

Well, my week is turning out a lot better than Amy’s life. She was important because she was a London girl who burst out of nowhere with astonishing originality and a voice that brought to mind the ghost of Billie Holliday, but transposed 50 years and 5000 miles to Camden.

The pity of it all is that she just couldn’t live with herself, the fame, the pressure, the talent, the drugs, the booze, the men and the gutter press.

It’s all been said over the last few days, but Amy’s loss is a loss to music, a loss to London and worst of all a crushing, if inevitable loss to her adoring family.

If there’s peace to be found, may she have found it. Amy RIP

Mike